Blood Moon Marsh
Inside the Sacred Jade Room, three people and a demon-beast donkey gathered around a wooden table.
Spread across its surface was a detailed map of the Woodland Empire on the Divine Continent, specifically the region known as the Blood Moon Marsh.
Lines, circles, and cross marks covered the map.
A horn-sheep pen glided across its surface before stopping at a particular location.
With each mark, they drew one step closer to their ultimate goal.
After finalizing their route, Xue Hui raised his head and glanced at the three people before him. Their eyes all gleamed with the same anticipation.
They had been traveling for nearly a year.
During that time, they had left behind the comfort and protection of Glory City's walls and ventured into the perilous outside world.
Their journey had first taken them to the ruins of Wu Zhen Yi, where they spent their first few months navigating the dangers beyond the city.
With control over Wu Zhen Yi's royal family's defensive array, Xue Hui had faced an entire army of demon beasts and obtained the Ten Whiskers Water-Attribute Needles.
He later used the treasure to remove the Blood Pungent Butterfly larvae poisoning Chen Linlin, completely curing her of the affliction that had plagued her for years.
Continuing their journey, the trio eventually arrived at the vast expanse of the Blue Hue Desert.
It was there that they obtained the Sacred Jade Room, a treasure left behind by a supreme expert from ancient times.
They had also acquired the Heaven Breaker Heart Crystal Fungus, an extraordinary treasure guarded by a powerful demon beast.
After successfully stealing it, Xue Hui refined the fungus into the Realm Breaker Soul Ascendant Pill, an elixir capable of helping a Black Gold Rank Demon Spiritualist break through to the Legend Rank.
He then gave the pill to Chen Zhenlong, allowing the latter to begin preparing for his breakthrough.
Later, in the Endless Mist Jungle, they encountered their newest companion: a Black Gold Rank demon beast known as the Holy Cloud White Dash Donkey.
Using the Demon Blood Submission method he had prepared, Xue Hui helped Chen Zhenlong subdue the beast and establish a bond with it. Chen Zhenlong subsequently named his new companion Silver.
Although Chen Zhenlong had been furious with Xue Hui over the method he used that day, the patriarch eventually agreed to keep the incident between them.
Xue Hui had agreed, partly because he felt guilty about putting Chen Zhenlong in such an embarrassing situation.
However, there was something he had deliberately left out of his explanation.
All Chen Zhenlong needed to do was draw blood from the mark where Xue Hui had inscribed the Demon Blood Submission Array and inject his Soul Force into it to complete the ritual.
That was the usual method.
However, consuming a drop of the demon beast's blood would have produced far better results.
The two methods yielded entirely different outcomes.
The first forced the demon beast into a slave contract, gradually eroding its will and harming its health over time.
The second, on the other hand, created something closer to a friendship contract. It established a mutual bond between both parties, allowing them to form a connection through their souls.
Not only would the demon beast be able to understand its master's intentions, but it could also grow alongside Chen Zhenlong.
Silver was already a Black Gold Rank demon beast, yet his physical prowess rivaled that of a Legend Rank expert.
If he ever managed to break through to the Legend Rank, Chen Zhenlong would gain an exceptionally powerful companion, greatly increasing his combat strength.
Just thinking about it made Xue Hui and Chen Linlin excited.
After deciding to bring Silver along, Chen Zhenlong had settled on the name despite its unusual nature.
For one thing, the donkey had a peculiar habit of saying "RAUL" whenever it tried to speak.
For another, its fur wasn't even silver!
The Holy Cloud White Dash Donkey was renowned for its immaculate white coat. Its unique sweat formed a protective barrier that prevented dirt from sticking to its fur.
Nevertheless, Xue Hui didn't bother arguing over the name. Chen Linlin liked it, so Silver it was.
It took Chen Zhenlong some time to warm up to his new companion, but the past few months had proven Silver to be a valuable addition to their group.
Despite being a demon beast, Silver followed their lead remarkably well.
Chen Zhenlong had initially worried that bringing him along would complicate their journey, but those concerns had proved unfounded.
Silver could keep up with their pace without difficulty. Whether they were crossing dangerous terrain, sneaking through demon-beast-infested areas, or coordinating during battles, he had never once caused them any trouble.
Chen Zhenlong soon realized that Silver was anything but a burden.
Moreover, their soul connection had awakened an instinctive protectiveness in Silver, particularly toward Chen Linlin.
Whenever she ventured outside, Silver would remain at her side, keeping watch over her.
He even accompanied her during training, serving as both a reliable partner and a loyal companion.
"Silver, look! I'm standing on one foot!"
"Ra~ul!"
"Silver, look! That cloud looks just like you!"
"Ra~~ul!"
"Hmph! You're ignoring me again. Silver, go fetch Hui-Hui!"
"RAUL!"
"What the-hey! Wait! Put me down!"
"Let's finish our discussion tomorrow, Xiao Hui. Go get some rest. Good night, you two," Chen Zhenlong said, watching as Silver dragged the protesting boy away.
"Ra~ul."
Moments like these gradually softened Chen Zhenlong's attitude toward Silver. He began treating the donkey as more than just a demon beast, coming to regard him as a genuine companion worthy of his trust.
Eventually, he even entrusted Silver with carrying the Fuzhuang Box throughout their journey, a responsibility the donkey fulfilled with remarkable diligence.
Now, back in the present, the group had finally reached the edge of the Blood Moon Marsh.
The place exuded a deeply unsettling aura. Twisted trees clawed toward the crimson sky, while thick mist curled around their feet. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and decay.
Every ripple across the dark waters seemed to whisper a warning. Even the silence felt alive, as though the marsh itself were watching their every move.
It was difficult to believe that this land had once been home to a vast and powerful empire, one that had produced some of the greatest experts of its era.
At its peak, the Divine Moon Peak Empire's influence had stretched across nearly every corner of the Divine Continent. It had been an unstoppable force, compelling neighboring kingdoms to either submit or face destruction.
During the height of its supremacy, no one could have imagined that such a formidable empire would ever fall.
Yet, standing amid its ruins, it was clear that everything that had once made the Divine Moon Peak Empire a supreme power was gone.
What remained had been swallowed by the land, reduced to rot and ruin, as though the world itself had sought to erase every trace of its existence.
Even Chen Zhenlong and Chen Linlin would have struggled to believe that the Divine Moon Peak Empire had ever existed had they not witnessed its remnants with their own eyes.
For now, the group was resting inside the Sacred Jade Room, which Xue Hui had burrowed deep into a secluded corner of the Blood Moon Marsh, far from the territories of roaming demon beasts.
It would serve as their shelter for the night before they made the final push toward the Moon Peak Emperor's hidden treasure chamber.
"This is it. Once we cross this small lake here," Xue Hui said, tapping his finger against the map, "we'll reach the location of the Moon Peak Emperor's hidden treasure chamber."
Chen Zhenlong and the others carefully memorized the route.
"Once we get there, I'll search for the entrance and find a way inside," Xue Hui continued.
After everyone had finished studying the map, he rolled it up and stored it in his interspatial ring.
Stretching his back, Xue Hui hopped down from the chair he had been standing on.
"Get some rest. Tomorrow, we're not stopping until we find that treasure chamber," he declared, bringing their discussion to an end.
"Yay!" Chen Linlin replied sleepily, stretching her arms as she yawned.
"Hm." Chen Zhenlong nodded firmly. He intended to cultivate as much as possible before sunrise.
"Ra~ul," Silver chimed in, standing behind the swaying little girl, ready to catch her if she toppled over.
Their route for the following day had been settled. Given the harsh conditions of the Blood Moon Marsh, they all knew the journey ahead would be far from easy.
Chen Linlin, Chen Zhenlong, and Silver eventually retired for the night.
That left Xue Hui alone with his thoughts.
He knew they were approaching the greatest obstacle on their entire journey: obtaining the Glaze Blood.
Xue Hui had already explained the existence of the Corpse Servant to Chen Zhenlong. It was a guardian cursed to protect Suo Leiyue's body until the Moon Peak Emperor returned to claim the Glaze Blood.
In life, the Corpse Servant had been a Legend Rank Demon Spiritualist.
Although her cultivation had declined over the years following her death, a Legend Rank expert remained a terrifying opponent, even in the form of a corpse.
Her experience, knowledge, and combat techniques were far beyond what a mere Black Gold Rank expert could easily contend with.
Unfortunately, despite consuming the Realm Breaker Soul Ascendant Pill, Chen Zhenlong had yet to cross the threshold into the Legend Rank.
Xue Hui understood the reason.
Although the pill's medicinal effects were extraordinary, Chen Zhenlong simply hadn't had enough uninterrupted time to absorb them fully. At most, he could cultivate for six to seven hours a day, barely enough to stabilize the pill's energy, let alone refine its full medicinal efficacy.
Yet secluding himself in the middle of their journey was not an option.
The Corpse Servant guarding Suo Leiyue's body was sustained by the Soul Attachment Crystal, and its power was nearing exhaustion. If the Corpse Servant sensed that its end was approaching, she might perform the final sending-off ritual, reducing Suo Leiyue's body to ashes.
Time had never been on their side.
And Xue Hui was painfully aware of that.
'At the very least, the pill has pushed Lord Patriarch's cultivation to the absolute peak of Black Gold Rank,' Xue Hui thought, weighing their chances. With Silver by our side, our odds of success have improved considerably.
As night deepened, Xue Hui sat cross-legged in the center of the Sacred Jade Room, his eyes closed.
His consciousness sank inward, entering the replica space within the Creation Origin Ancestral Manual.
He appeared beside a towering altar in that boundless realm.
Extending his arm, Xue Hui called upon a particular title. In response, a book shot upward and hovered in midair.
With a grasping motion, he summoned it toward himself.
The book cut through the air with a sharp whoosh before landing in his open palm.
Holding it firmly, Xue Hui flipped through its pages as he walked to the steps of the altar and sat down to read.
This was one of the many ancient tomes preserved within the Creation Origin Ancestral Manual.
It was also the reason Xue Hui could navigate the Tiny World as though it were his own backyard, despite having set foot in it for the first time.
Every location, secret, and piece of forgotten lore had been meticulously recorded within its pages.
More importantly, the collection contained detailed records of the whereabouts of both the Ten Whiskers Water-Attribute Needles and the Glaze Blood.
The book had been written and left behind by a supreme expert who lived before the Age of Darkness, only to vanish from the world.
Like Xue Hui, she had entered the space within the Creation Origin Ancestral Manual after her death, spending her remaining time recording knowledge and writing numerous books, including her own memoir.
The Memoir of Emperor Shen Jiao Dao.
She was a supreme expert who had risen from the Tiny World itself. Having lived through the era before and during the Age of Darkness, she had eventually been forced to ascend to a higher realm.
Her experiences, knowledge, insights, and even her most personal sentiments had been recorded in meticulous detail, from the moment she first began to understand the world around her to the day she fell into the hands of her greatest enemy.
Everything had been preserved within the space of the Creation Origin Ancestral Manual.
Her guidance had been instrumental in ensuring that their journey through the outside world proceeded smoothly, with only a few minor obstacles along the way.
Holding the memoir, Xue Hui continued turning its pages, carefully scanning the contents until his gaze settled on a particular passage.
That page contained only a single sentence.
A personal message left behind by Emperor Shen Jiao Dao herself, meant specifically for him.
"I paved the way. I'll leave the rest to you, Xue Hui."
After reading her entire memoir, Xue Hui had discovered that Shen Jiao Dao once performed a grand calculation using the natural laws themselves. Through it, she uncovered the connection between their fates, forged through the inheritance of the Creation Origin Ancestral Manual.
His death in his first life.
His regression into the present one.
She had foreseen it all.
Because of that foresight, Shen Jiao Dao had spent her remaining time fleeing from her greatest enemy.
The Sage Emperor.
Even while being hunted by the Sage Emperor and his deity-rank beasts, Shen Jiao Dao had meticulously arranged everything Xue Hui might need to improve his chances of defeating him.
The Sage Emperor sought to refine time and space themselves, an ambition that would ultimately result in the annihilation of all life.
For that reason alone, Emperor Shen Jiao Dao knew that Xue Hui would have no choice but to confront him.
Xue Hui needed to grow stronger. He needed to fight for his survival.
And Shen Jiao Dao had understood that resolve.
She had done everything within her power to grant him every possible advantage while he was still building his foundation.
She arranged for the Water Domain Columns to be created within the ruins of Wu Zhen Yi.
She left behind the Sacred Jade Room.
She even preserved the Glaze Blood for him to obtain.
Every step.
Every opportunity.
Everything had been carefully arranged by Emperor Shen Jiao Dao to help Xue Hui achieve his goal.
"Since you are a benefactor to both me and Linlin," Xue Hui murmured, a determined glint flashing in his eyes, "I'll make the Sage Emperor pay for what he did to you."
With that, he shut the book with a firm snap, the sound echoing throughout the boundless space.
End of Chapter 25