Both the Black Rat and the Golden Man were, in truth, desperate to leave this place. Confined for hundreds of thousands of years within a cave palace, the frustration had built unbearably. Yet, in generations past, the Xia Clan’s transcendent power had truly been insufficient. Those Xia half-gods wielding third and fourth-grade true intent, even those bearing divine treasures, had attempted to break through. But to charge head-on, one needed strength rivaling that of the Ancestor Heifeng. And for hundreds of thousands of years since Ancestor Heifeng’s death, no transcendent being had reached such a level!
It was just too difficult!
Dongbo Xueying could not hope to break through directly.
But even Ancestor Heifeng never insisted one must charge head-on, did he? My true intent is profound enough; I can pass through obstacles effortlessly without direct confrontation. Isn’t that also a form of strength?
“Break through the obstacles, rely on your own power, and be a transcendent of the Xia Clan!” the Black Rat said. “If you meet these three conditions, then you have succeeded! Naturally, you count as a success.”
“What about the treasures left behind by Ancestor Heifeng?” Dongbo Xueying looked around.
“Uh…”
The Black Rat and the Golden Man exchanged glances.
“It’s not in Heifeng Divine Palace,” the Black Rat honestly replied.
“Not there?” Dongbo Xueying widened his eyes.
The Golden Man spoke once more, “Indeed. At that time, the Master foresaw that divine-level powerhouses might forcibly claim his treasures, or that Demon Beasts and outsiders could attempt the same. Thus, his treasures were not concealed within the Blackwind Divine Palace, but rather in an extremely secure location. After all, no matter what happens, all that the Master left behind must ultimately belong to the Xia Clan! We cannot permit outsiders to reap the benefits.”
“Right,” Dongbo Xueying nodded, then curiously asked, “If that’s the case, then why didn’t Ancestor Heifeng leave his treasures to the Xia Clan’s Xihuo Palace, instead establishing Heifeng Divine Palace for future generations of the Xia Clan?”
Many transcendent beings, even half-gods, before their deaths, would leave treasures to their sects, a few to their families, but most to the Xihuo Palace.
The Xihuo Palace belonged to the entire Xia Clan.
“Disagreement!” the Black Rat said. “Back then, the Master had indeed intended to leave his treasures to the Xihuo Palace, but during negotiations with the Palace Master at the time, they had a disagreement, even a huge argument! From that point on, none of the Master’s treasures remained in the Xihuo Palace, but were instead hidden by the Master himself.”
“Argument?” Dongbo Xueying was puzzled. He could sense that Ancestor Heifeng still held the Xia Clan dear to his heart; otherwise, why would he go to such great lengths before his death? The Ancestor Heifeng back then had been the undisputed strongest in the Xia Clan, the one who truly dominated an era. Could it be that he actually had a disagreement and quarrel with the Xihuo Palace Master of that era?
“Why did they argue? What was the disagreement about?” Dongbo Xueying asked curiously.
“That, I don’t know. The Master never told me,” the Black Rat replied.
Dongbo Xueying muttered inwardly.
A being who dominated an era… quarreling with the Palace Master?
And he even had seven divine war soldiers? Although most were rather weak.
“When you obtain the Master’s treasures, you will understand,” the Black Rat said. “The Master also said everything is within his treasure trove—the treasures, including our war soldier command talismans, are all there. If you want us to obey your orders, you must obtain the talismans.”
“Where is the treasure?” Dongbo Xueying asked.
“Hmph hmph,” the Black Rat smirked smugly.
“Only the Water Rat knows,” the Golden Man laughed. “No one else knows. So even if a god came and forcibly captured the Water Rat, the Water Rat could not betray the Master’s orders and reveal it!”
Dongbo Xueying looked at the Black Rat.
“You go out,” the Black Rat ordered the Golden Man.
“Even me? You’re hiding it from me!” the Golden Man shook his head but still turned and walked out of the courtyard, leaving Dongbo Xueying alone with the Black Rat.
Dongbo Xueying was also curious—exactly where had Ancestor Heifeng hidden his treasure?
“In the deepest underground chamber of Heifeng Divine Palace,” the Black Rat said. “There lies a grand hall, within which is hidden a World Gate. It leads to a vast transcendent world! This is a special large transcendent world, growing within the outer folds of the world, completely sealed off. Its world membrane cannot be torn open. The native transcendent beings of this world have never managed to tear space and emerge into the mortal world.”
“Oh?” Dongbo Xueying was astonished.
No wonder.
No wonder this ninth great world had remained unknown all along. It had grown in a completely sealed environment. Because the outer folds of the world were closed, it was not connected to the spatial rifts. To tear through such a completely sealed world membrane would be equivalent to completely tearing open the outermost membrane of the entire mortal world! That was far too difficult.
Ordinarily, tearing space only involved the innermost membrane, entering the spatial rift.
Beyond the spatial rift… there was yet another thick outer membrane.
This outer membrane encompassed the mortal world and all the small and large transcendent worlds connected to it.
Because large worlds are connected to the mortal world, the World Gate forms at the point of connection. The only exit from this sealed transcendent large world… was this World Gate!
“The Master’s treasures are hidden deep underground in this large transcendent world,” the Black Rat said. “I’ll give you the map.”
“Won’t he fear someone discovering and seizing them?” Dongbo Xueying asked in surprise.
“First, the treasures are very special. Apart from being visible to the naked eye, no other method of detection can find them. In a vast large transcendent world, deep underground, searching for a treasure with the naked eye? Who could find it? Before, no one even knew there were treasures there. No one would be foolish enough to search for them with their eyes alone,” the Black Rat explained. “Second, even if someone finds them, they cannot open them! The key to opening them is with me! Third, the entrance to the World Gate can only be accessed by human transcendent beings!”
“Combined, it’s absolutely safe,” the Black Rat said confidently.
He stretched out his paw, and a dark, octagonal talisman appeared above his furry little hand. “This is the key. Take it.”
Dongbo Xueying accepted it.
“I’ll draw the map for you,” the Black Rat said, waving his small paw. Immediately, water from the nearby black lake rose into the air, forming a massive three-dimensional pattern in midair.
“This is the detailed map of the large transcendent world, and the treasure is right here!” The Black Rat pointed to one spot on the giant map, which immediately emitted golden light.
“Whoosh.”
The massive map dispersed, and the water returned to the lake.
“Here’s the key, and I’ve given you the map,” the Black Rat said. “Be careful on your own. After all, it’s a large transcendent world. Hundreds of thousands of years have passed—who knows what transcendent natives might now exist there?”
Transcendent natives varied in strength.
For example, the second-ranked half-god, the Fire Demon Emperor, was invincible within his Fire Demon World! Even He Shanzhu, wielding divine treasures, would be overpowered there.
Therefore, one could not underestimate the native transcendent beings.
“Originally, obtaining the key and knowing all the information would make retrieving the treasure very easy. But your strength is too weak—you must still be cautious,” the Black Rat added hastily. He certainly didn’t want Dongbo Xueying to die. If Dongbo died, who knew how long it would be before another being capable of freeing them appeared?
“Don’t worry,” Dongbo Xueying said, already making his decision.
A large transcendent world?
Perhaps dangerous.
Yet with his mastery of the Void Realm’s True Intent, he could still cautiously probe its depths. He would dispatch his Qi Doppelganger first—this ethereal duplicate mirrored his original form’s cultivation, fully empowered to navigate the Void’s treacherous expanse.
“Oh, by the way, that underground hall seems to have been attacked before. There are signs of battle,” Dongbo Xueying suddenly added. Because of those battle marks, even tearing through the underground hall’s walls, he had survived back then.
“You know?” the Black Rat was surprised. “Yes, a terrifying battle did take place there!”
“Really?” Dongbo Xueying asked, his curiosity piqued.
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