Chapter 256: He is Dongbo Xueying

On another warship, the Ding Jiu.

Inside the main hall of the warship, a large group of Xia Clan demigods had gathered, celebrating a victory unlike any before.

“Never did I imagine that our generation of demigods would have the chance to destroy the headquarters of the Demon God Cult!”

“I still feel like I’m dreaming.”

“Exactly! Not long ago we were celebrating the defeat of the Five Demon Generals, and then we immediately received word that we were to attack the Demon God Cult’s headquarters. And everything went so smoothly! Attacking this headquarters… was surprisingly easy. We conquered it far more quickly than anyone expected.”

“Now that you mention it, it is strange. The headquarters had already been damaged internally—many magical arrays were completely destroyed.”

“Yes, the internal arrays were already obliterated even before we breached the defenses.”

“Who destroyed them?”

“There’s something odd about this. Master Chen seems to be hiding many things from us! How did we even discover the Five Demon Generals and the Demon God Cult’s headquarters? And who was the one who nearly destroyed the entire headquarters from within?”

“Perhaps it involves some secret.”

The Xia Clan demigods murmured amongst themselves.

Among this group, none was more delighted than Chao Qing. Known as the Thunder God, Chao Qing had a fiery temper. Participating in the assault on the Demon God Cult’s headquarters had filled him with excitement. To take part in such a grand battle before his impending demise was a moment he would cherish forever. In this state of extreme exhilaration, as he wildly swung his unique staff in battle, Chao Qing naturally and effortlessly condensed his Divine Core!

He had become the third demigod of the Xia Clan to ever condense a Divine Core, and his power immediately surged—perhaps even surpassing Sikong Yang. He might now rank among the top three on the Demigod Rankings.

“Brother Chao, congratulations!”

“Old Brother Chao, hearty congratulations! Even at the edge of your lifespan limit, you still managed to condense your Divine Core. Haha, truly admirable!”

“Old Brother Chao, who knows—you might even open your Divine Sea and ascend to godhood before your time is up!”

The bald, thin elder Chao Qing chuckled joyfully.

Today had truly been a blissful day, a day of great satisfaction—slaying demon generals, breaching the Demon God Cult’s headquarters, and personally condensing his Divine Core. What a glorious day!

“Master Chao,” Palace Master Chen approached with a cup of wine.

“Palace Master Chen,” Chao Qing nodded.

With a faint smile, Chen whispered through telepathy, “Now that you’ve condensed your Divine Core, you may have a chance at godhood.”

“Don’t tease an old man like me,” Chao Qing replied telepathically. “I know my own limits. Condensing the Divine Core is already a great blessing. As for godhood? I don’t dare hope for that. Besides, my time is running short.”

“There is a place,” Chen whispered, “where if you enter, you may yet ascend to godhood.”

“Oh? What place?” Chao Qing was surprised.

“You’ve condensed your Divine Core and are nearing your lifespan limit. That’s why, according to the rules of the Xihuo Palace, I can now tell you,” Chen said. “It’s called the Redstone Mountain. I can’t explain it fully now. When we return to the Xihuo Palace, we can speak privately.”

Chao Qing nodded slightly.

Redstone Mountain?

He made a mental note of it.

…

Suddenly, Palace Master Chen strode to the front of the hall and turned to face all the Xia Clan demigods present. He raised his voice, which naturally echoed throughout the entire chamber.

In an instant, all the demigods fell silent, turning their attention to Chen.

“This is a great victory!” Palace Master Chen’s face radiated brilliance, his eyes filled with excitement. “A victory that will shape the entire history of our Xia Clan! Its importance is far greater than you might imagine!”

“Really?”

The gathered demigods exchanged puzzled glances. Breaching the Demon God Cult’s headquarters was already an unprecedented feat in Xia Clan history. Yet Palace Master Chen claimed it was even more significant than they thought.

“That is because of this!” Chen declared, waving his hand.

Immediately, a bronze coffin materialized beside him.

“Whoosh~~~” The lid of the bronze coffin was blasted open by a surge of energy. The dark magical arrays inside caused a chill to ripple through the hearts of the Xia Clan demigods.

“This is the most crucial artifact within the entire Demon God Cult headquarters,” Chen explained. “Inside this bronze coffin was once a physical body—a vessel meant for the Great Demon God to descend his divine avatar!”

“What!”

“A divine avatar?”

“A vessel for the Great Demon God’s descent?”

The revelation stunned every Xia Clan demigod. They all knew the terror of a divine avatar. It had only appeared once long ago, during the ancient struggle between the Demon God Cult and the Earth Temple for the faith of this mortal world. Since then, no divine avatar had ever appeared again.

After all, even gods from the Divine Realm and the Dark Abyss had to weigh whether the investment was worth the return. They had to consider the cost versus the gain. Logically, it should have been impossible for another divine avatar to emerge.

“There is no need to doubt,” another voice joined in—it was Mountain Master He. “This bronze coffin once held the vessel for the Great Demon God’s descent. I personally witnessed its destruction.”

“How could this be?”

“Why would the Great Demon God do this?”

The hall erupted in murmurs and disbelief.

“This was a scheme devised by the Witch God and the Great Demon God. It could not have been aimed at the Earth Temple, for the Witch God had no reason to oppose the Earth Temple. According to our deductions, it was most likely targeted at our Xia Clan!” Chen continued. “This divine avatar was the key element. If it had successfully descended, the Great Demon God’s avatar would have utterly devastated our Xia Clan. A divine avatar, though singular, possesses demigod-level power. It could even enter the Xihuo World and possibly destroy the Xia Capital itself. Our entire Xia Clan might have been wiped out!”

A chill ran through the gathered demigods.

Though they had great confidence in their clan’s strength—after all, more than three hundred demigod-level demons in history had failed to shake the Xia Capital—

Still…

A divine avatar of the Great Demon God, though singular, was more terrifying than three hundred demigod-level demons combined. Just how terrifying? None could say, for the Xia Clan had never faced such a being before.

“Behold,” Chen said, waving his hand.

An image appeared in the air—a mysterious figure clad in dark red armor, carrying the bronze coffin in one hand and a blood-colored curved blade in the other.

“This is him—the strongest of the Demon God Cult’s Three Priests,” Chen said. “At the very beginning of the assault, the Three Priests desperately tried to flee with the bronze coffin. I used the Ding Jiu warship to intercept them, but the priest had protective artifacts and fought with all his might to escape.”

In the image,

Suddenly, a massive ball of lightning rapidly shrank before exploding. The mysterious figure in dark red armor, along with the bronze coffin and the blood-colored blade, were sent flying. A phantom of the Great Demon God’s head appeared on the armor, roaring in fury. The armored figure quickly regained consciousness and rushed toward the bronze coffin, attempting to reclaim it.

At that moment, a hand emerged from the void, seized the bronze coffin, and dragged it into the void.

The phantom of the Great Demon God’s head roared in rage. The armored figure stood frozen, utterly bewildered.

“A hand from the void?”

“Who was that?”

The Xia Clan demigods began to suspect the truth.

They had long wondered how the Demon God Cult’s headquarters had been completely destroyed the moment they breached it. Now, seeing this hand from the void, their suspicions were confirmed.

“This matter was originally meant to remain secret, for the sake of breaching the Demon God Cult and destroying the Great Demon God’s avatar vessel. But since his identity has already been exposed to the enemy, I no longer need to hide it,” Chen said.

“You’ve all been asking how we discovered the Demon Generals?”

“You asked me how we found the Demon God Cult’s headquarters?”

“Why the headquarters was already destroyed from within?”

“And who was the one who seized the Great Demon God’s avatar vessel?”

Chen nodded solemnly.

“He is Dongbo Xueying!”

The Xia Clan demigods, who had been listening intently, were stunned into silence. The one who had achieved this unprecedented feat was Dongbo Xueying? A Saint-tier Existence? This was simply unbelievable.

“Dongbo Xueying possesses extraordinary talent. Besides mastering the Penetrating Will, he also wields another Second-tier Will. As you’ve seen, he can enter the void, leaving even that mysterious figure helpless. Using this Will, he scoured the Xia Clan world, discovering the Five Demon Generals and uncovering the Demon God Cult’s headquarters and the Great Demon God’s avatar! This is why we were able to launch our assault,” Chen explained. “His talent is truly unparalleled. He is the most gifted Existence in the history of our Xia Clan. I had intended to protect him, keeping his existence as secret as possible. But now that the matter of destroying the Great Demon God’s avatar vessel has come to light, I must reveal the truth. Frankly, a hero who has done such a great service to our Xia Clan should not have his deeds hidden forever.”

Everything became clear.

The Xia Clan demigods’ doubts were finally resolved. Now they understood why Dongbo Xueying, after mastering a Second-tier Will and solving the Demon Nest problem only six years ago, had so swiftly found the Five Demon Generals and the Demon God Cult’s headquarters.

How could he enter the void?

Two Second-tier Wills? And in such a short time? None of the Xia Clan demigods felt even a trace of jealousy toward this young Saint-tier Existence. When the gap was small, jealousy might arise. But when faced with such an unparalleled genius—possibly the most gifted in Xia Clan history—they felt only pride and anticipation. With such a prodigy in their ranks, what might the Xia Clan achieve in a few centuries?

“Palace Master Chen, I have detected Elder Orland of the Orc Clan, the Azure Nightmare King, and a woman with purple hair. They are targeting me and have already sealed off the surrounding world. I cannot escape,” Dongbo Xueying’s telepathic message arrived urgently, along with a map marking his location.

Soon after, transmissions came from Jing Qiu, Puyang Bo, Yu Feng, Yuan Qing, Zhang Peng, and Xidong.

Palace Master Chen’s face darkened instantly, his eyes turning blood-red. He roared in fury, “Dongbo Xueying is under an assassination attempt by the Orc Clan! We depart immediately—we must rescue Dongbo Xueying!”

“An assassination attempt?”

“Hurry! We must go now!”

“We must save him at all costs!”

All the Xia Clan demigods rushed into action.

Boom~~~

The Ding Jiu warship immediately sprang to life, its massive form tearing through space as it sped toward the outskirts of Yifeng City.