780 The Lucky North River Boat Master
Xu Jingming surveyed his opponent, an alien powerhouse whose body was veiled in a swirling purple mist, concealing his true form. Only his thin tail swayed, a small detail discernible amidst the enigma.

“So, you’re inquiring about the number of characters I’ve gathered. Are you planning to snatch them?” Xu Jingming inquired.

“Hand over all the characters willingly, and your clone’s life shall be spared,” the alien powerhouse scrutinized Xu Jingming. “If you resist, I won’t hesitate to kill you, seize your third-realm weapon, and then take the characters. Choose wisely—surrender or resist?”

While speaking, he surreptitiously deployed one of his third-realm weapons, causing an illusory scroll to instantaneously merge with the surroundings.

Buzz!

A surge of purple light permeated the vast expanse, completely shrouding Xu Jingming and the alien powerhouse.

“If you had escaped immediately, you might have had a chance.” The alien powerhouse grinned. “But now that my domain has been successfully established, you won’t be able to leave.”

Xu Jingming examined the domain and commended, “The laws here are immensely powerful. You must have relied on a third-realm weapon to establish this domain. Impressive. This third-realm weapon… shall be mine.”

“You certainly talk big!” the alien powerhouse retorted as his body transformed into an endless mass of purple mist.

The mist swiftly melded with the expansive purple radiance within the domain.

At that moment, the entire domain became the dominion of the alien powerhouse.

Huh? Xu Jingming suddenly sensed a dreadfully corrosive force engulfing the entire domain. It eroded his body, mind, and consciousness. Though he could resist the assault on his mind and consciousness, a third of his body was consumed by the corrosive energy in the blink of an eye.

His body appeared to liquefy as it swiftly disintegrated and vanished.

“So, you belong to the lineage of the Heart Realm. It’s futile. No matter how many clones you possess, they will be corroded.” Within the expansive domain, the boundless purple haze vaguely coalesced into a colossal face that loomed over Xu Jingming.

“Indeed, quite remarkable.” Xu Jingming’s visage distorted and corroded, yet he maintained a bright smile.

“Die!” The immense face’s eyes brimmed with murderous intent.

After all, he had succeeded in venturing into the inner region of this enigmatic land. Even though fear compelled him to promptly withdraw, he was confident that he couldn’t be defeated as long as he didn’t encounter an invincible half-step third-realm adversary or an Abyss Sovereign!

Buzz!!!

Suddenly, four beams of light shot forth from Xu Jingming’s partially dissolved body, hurtling in different directions!

Three of the beams were his clones, each wielding psychic weapons. All three executed the fourth move of the Golden Halberd—Night! By merging the insights gained from the three character types, Xu Jingming’s proficiency in psychic spear techniques had unquestionably grown stronger.

Among these three clones, two brandished ordinary psychic spears, while the third held a third-realm psychic spear.

Simultaneously, Xu Jingming’s dissolving body emitted the fourth beam of light, devoid of any weapon. Instead, he unleashed the full might of the Abyssal Void illusory realm!

The vast Abyssal Void illusory realm enveloped the entire domain.

“This is—” The alien powerhouse’s consciousness was instantly ensnared by the Abyssal Void illusory realm, and three terrifying psychic weapons pierced his body.

As his body merged with the domain, spreading throughout, the alien powerhouse found himself devoid of time to evade. He truly endured three devastating psychic strikes from the spears.

“Ah!”

In his consciousness’s descent into the illusory realm, devoid of any resistance, darkness instantaneously surged as the three black beams pierced through the purple mist. In the blink of an eye, it engulfed more than half of the mist.

Only then did the alien powerhouse break free from the illusory realm, his senses returning.

“You’re an invincible half-step third realm?” Terrified and incensed, the alien powerhouse managed to utter a single cry before darkness fully inundated the purple mist, obliterating his body, mind, and consciousness.

This clone of his was dead!

Xu Jingming’s liquefied form had already vanished, leaving his four intact clones suspended in the air. One stood confidently with hands clasped behind his back, while the remaining three wielded spears, their gazes fixed upon the alien powerhouse’s lifeless corpse.

Just one clone? Xu Jingming mused to himself.

He possessed hundreds of clones!

Though clones are precious for those who cultivate their bodies, it would have been prudent to dispatch one or two more clones to explore the treasure-laden realm of an Ultimate existence, Xu Jingming pondered.

Little did he know that of the alien powerhouse’s two clones, one had merely served as distraction, momentarily impeding his opponent within the inner region while the other clone escaped with the treasures.

…
In a distant realm that seemed infinitely far away.

An invincible half-step third-realm powerhouse? The alien powerhouse seethed with anger and indignation. With such power, he had stayed in the outer area and hadn’t ventured into the inner region of the land? The inner area holds far more treasures than the outer region.

Even an invincible half-step third-realm powerhouse is this cautious and cunning? He chose to remain outside? The alien powerhouse pondered to himself.

All the characters I painstakingly gathered are gone! The alien powerhouse fumed. Though I hadn’t studied them for long, these three types of characters… they must have been left behind by an Ultimate existence! They are more formidable than any legacy I’ve encountered.

At this level, one had great acumen.

While comprehension might be challenging, the differences were apparent. It was clear that these characters surpassed third-realm legacies in strength.

I can’t let this opportunity slip away. The alien powerhouse clenched his teeth. I’ll send another clone.

He was limited to the four clones he had.

Two had died in battle, so sending another was already the limit in the short term.

I’ll be careful this time. I’ll retrieve some characters from the periphery. I won’t engage with any high-dimensional lifeforms again. I can’t afford to lose.

…

He had such an abundance of characters? Xu Jingming surveyed the alien powerhouse’s lifeless body and the spoils of war.

Having two third-realm weapons is one thing, but over 900 characters? Xu Jingming was pleasantly surprised. Among the alien powerhouse’s possessions were a purple ring and a painting, both weapons of the Mother Stream lineage. However, Xu Jingming didn’t pay much attention to them. What truly fascinated him were the enigmatic characters.

Excitedly, Xu Jingming collected the characters.

I’ve diligently accumulated 396 characters, and my progress has been impressive. But he managed to acquire over 900 characters? Could he have snatched them from others? Xu Jingming speculated.

Regardless of how he obtained them, it ultimately worked in his favor.

Repeated thievery can lead to unexpected consequences, leaving the thief as the victim. Xu Jingming smirked.

Oh, he referred to me as an invincible half-step third realm? Xu Jingming suddenly recalled the words spoken by the alien powerhouse’s clone before its demise. I have encountered a few invincible half-step third realm powerhouses before, and there is still a gap between us.

He mistook me for an invincible half-step third-realm powerhouse. It’s probably because of the psychic weapon! Xu Jingming swiftly deduced.

The psychic weapon school boasts remarkable offensive prowess among the various schools in the Heart Realm. With the acquisition of a third-realm psychic spear, my offensive capabilities have significantly improved. I have also made great strides in understanding those characters… Hence, my offensive strength matches that of an invincible half-step third-realm expert? Xu Jingming surmised.

As for the Abyssal Void illusory realm, Xu Jingming was well aware of its limitations. This was because he had always followed the Abyssal Void legacy. The Abyssal Void illusory realm still fell short of the invincible half-step third realm.

Regarding the Golden Halberd, it was an extraordinary spearmanship originating from an Ultimate existence. It had always been his trump card.

My attacks are formidable, but I lag behind in other areas. Xu Jingming remained humble.

He knew full well that reaching the level of an invincible half-step third-realm meant excelling in every aspect.

I must continue to gather more mysterious characters. Finding such characters will likely become exceedingly difficult once this opportunity passes, Xu Jingming contemplated. Once I depart from this treasure land, third-realm powerhouses will probably seize these characters under the guise of “purchasing.”

There was a high likelihood that third-realm powerhouses would forcefully acquire the characters left behind by the Ultimate existence.

I must make the best use of my time.

One of Xu Jingming’s clones continued to journey, while the other clones began studying the newly acquired characters in the pocket universe.

******

Xu Jingming’s experiences in this ancient land were rather unremarkable. He had merely slain some native creatures and obtained a few mysterious characters—it was an experience shared by most half-step third-realm powerhouses.

However, North River Boat Master—who had been the weakest among Xu Jingming’s companions—had a more unique experience. From the moment he entered this land, he had stumbled upon an opportunity, and now, he had encountered a second one.

Whoosh.

North River Boat Master merged into a wide gray river, swiftly fleeing its course.

“North River! Surrender the Primordial Divine Stone willingly, and I might spare you,” a black figure soared above the river, shouting angrily. “Push me too far, and not only will I wipe out one of your clones, but I’ll also eliminate every single one of your clones in the outside world.”

North River Boat Master paid no heed and melded into the river, evading capture.

“How dare you snatch the Primordial Divine Stone from me?!” The black figure seethed with fury. “If you don’t hand it over willingly, I swear to hunt down every one of your clones after this! I keep my word!”

He was indeed furious. After all, he had pursued North River Boat Master for three whole days!

Logically speaking, this mediocre North River Boat Master wouldn’t dare provoke him at all. However, this time, North River Boat Master had gone mad.

“A Primordial Divine Stone the size of my palm is worth ten drops of Abyssal Mother Blood. But this Primordial Divine Stone is larger than my entire body—it’s worth thousands of drops of Abyssal Mother Blood! You expect me to surrender it to you? Are you out of your mind?” North River Boat Master scoffed, transmitting his voice.

He had toiled diligently for a long time yet had only managed to accumulate around 100 drops of Abyssal Mother Blood.

That massive Primordial Divine Stone was several times greater than his entire accumulation over the years! North River Boat Master had completely lost his mind. If he didn’t give it his all now, then when?

“Very well! I shall commence hunting down all your clones in the outside world!” the black figure threatened.

North River Boat Master’s eyes turned bloodshot.

He had endured countless years of hardship, finally stumbling upon a tremendous opportunity. He wouldn’t back down!

“I may not be able to capture you within the river, but you will be incessantly assailed by native creatures. Eventually, you will encounter extraordinarily powerful ones… and you will meet your demise,” the black figure warned.

“North River, your pursuit seems rather pathetic.” A voice chimed in.

“Brother Wu Ming?”

North River Boat Master couldn’t help but feel elated as he fled in a wretched state within the river. With the aid of the expansive river, he sensed a familiar figure drawing near—it was Xu Jingming.