Chapter 520

Chapter 520: Domain Unleashed, Old Acquaintance Ascends

Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, Canglan Divine City.

"Twenty-five million six hundred thousand miles… Barely sufficient."

After cultivating to Two Tribulations Dao Sovereign, Ye Xu’s invincible domain expanded once more. Where his will reached, none could rival him.

"Master, I’ve finally broken through!"

An excited voice rang out as Su Mu leaped from a celestial palace. Behind him, seventy-two layers of Great Dao Worlds materialized, his primordial spirit seated commandingly at the center—untamed and boundless.

"Tsk tsk…"

Upon returning to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion and finding the Formless Demon Lord absent, Su Mu couldn’t hide his smugness. He sneered, "That shameless scoundrel, stronger than me yet lagging behind—utterly useless."

Ye Xu glanced sideways at Su Mu, teasing, "Feeling invincible again?"

"Not at all!" Su Mu chuckled awkwardly. "The Master is the eternal deity."

"During this time," Ye Xu declared, hands clasped behind his back as he descended the jade steps into Canglan City, "I intend to host a martial arts competition. Since you’ve left seclusion, accompany me to observe its progress."

"Isn’t that gentleman the Master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?"

A cultivator gaped at Ye Xu, astonished.

"Impossible," countered a Dao Lord in black robes, grinning. "I’ve seen the Pavilion Master—far more handsome than this man!"

Hearing this, Ye Xu bloomed with delight.

Su Mu inwardly scoffed.

"Master."

Suddenly.

A man and woman approached Ye Xu.

The man stood dashing and elegant, the woman lovely as a blossom—together they shone like paired jewels, dazzling to behold.

Ye Xu tilted his head toward them, smiling. "We’ve met?"

Clad in a sapphire robe adorned with a jade belt, the man replied gently, "This junior is Liu Liuliu, and my wife Guan Guanguan. We pay our respects to the Master."

"…"

Ye Xu studied them with an odd expression—a match made in heaven, yet bearing such peculiar names.

"Since you both wish to join the martial arts competition," he declared, "accompany me."

As one bearing invincibility, he read their minds beyond Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s walls. Both were Nine Tribulations Dao Lords, here for the competition.

"This junior intended precisely that!" Liu Liuliu beamed.

Together, they arrived at Heaven’s Machine Auction House.

Lu Chengfeng came forward to greet them.

"Master." Lu Chengfeng bowed respectfully. After cultivating in Heaven’s Secret Pavilion for some time, his strength had reached the emperor realm. In the Hongmeng Dao Realm where Immortal Venerables roamed everywhere and Sovereigns of the World were as common as dogs, even calling him a mortal would be flattering.

"These two wish to sign up for the martial arts competition. Arrange it." Ye Xu smiled.

"Attendant!"

At Lu Chengfeng’s command, a World Master immediately appeared—one of the staff he had recruited.

"Escort these two distinguished guests to register." Lu Chengfeng instructed.

Both bowed farewell to Ye Xu and followed the attendant into Heaven’s Machine Auction House.

"Revenue status?" Ye Xu smiled.

Lu Chengfeng reported: "As of now, 312 cultivators have entered. The weakest are Eight Tribulations Dao Lords. Hearing the Dao Sovereign Secret Realm contains opportunities to advance to Dao Sovereign, they’re scrambling frantically to sign up."

"By the deadline, the number should exceed four hundred."

Ye Xu appeared satisfied.

Four hundred participants. Two million divine stones per head meant eight hundred million Hongmeng points.

Opening the Innate Thunder Marsh Dao Domain cost two hundred million.

A net gain of six hundred million.

"How many cultivators from the Dao Lord ranking?" Ye Xu inquired.

"The strongest is Lei Zhengyang."

Lu Chengfeng recalled: "Only forty-seven ranked cultivators currently."

"No matter."

Ye Xu remained unbothered.

At least now, no one dared question Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s capabilities.

"Keep this jade slip." Ye Xu handed him a golden book and jade slip. "It records basic information about the Innate Thunder Marsh Dao Domain."

He had already spent two hundred million Hongmeng points to purchase details on that domain.

"Proceed as you see fit."

Ye Xu smiled.

Lu Chengfeng felt a stir within.

"Master, may I give this to Ancestor Yuan?" he ventured cautiously.

"Though a Nine Tribulations Dao Lord, he remains unstable. Entering the Innate Thunder Marsh Dao Domain risks death. You must judge the limits for him."

Su Mu’s eyes flickered with envy.

Undeniably, Ye Xu showed exceptional care for Lu Chengfeng.

"No need for envy."

Ye Xu transmitted via voice, "You all may be slackers, but she isn’t. If you could achieve something, I wouldn’t hesitate to reward you generously."

"I’d rather remain a slacker," Su Mu replied, showing no ambition.

A tiny place like Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was already so fiercely competitive that Su Mu had completely given up.

"Even less driven than me…"

Ye Xu sighed inwardly.

At least he knew how to earn money and strive for invincibility.

But Su Mu? He’d resigned to idleness at such a young age.

After issuing some instructions, Ye Xu wandered around briefly before returning to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion with Su Mu.

"Master, you’re finally back."

The Formless Demon Lord had also returned from his breakthrough. Spotting Su Mu, he sneered, "Junior Brother Su, don’t tell me you slipped out midway through cultivation?"

"I’ve become a Sovereign of the World," Su Mu declared proudly. "Fight me if you doubt it."

Ye Xu felt a headache coming on.

Ever since the Formless Demon Lord learned to tattle to Yue Lingxi, these once-inseparable brothers had become superficial friends, then outright enemies.

"Fight, then."

Ye Xu waved his sleeve, trapping them in the same spacetime. "Don’t come out until one of you dies."

"Master, we were just joking! You’re serious?"

Su Mu and the Formless Demon Lord stared at each other, dumbfounded and panicked.

"With me here, death is reversible," Ye Xu said coldly. "Today, you’ll battle to your heart’s content. If you won’t start, I’ll help you."

"…"

"Old Su, shall we… put on a token fight?" the Formless Demon Lord suggested.

"Fine."

Su Mu nodded.

Moments later, a pained shriek echoed.

"Su Mu, you treacherous bastard!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The noises gradually faded.

Several days later.

The martial arts competition began. Led by Lu Chengfeng, the group headed toward the Innate Thunder Marsh Dao Domain.

This domain lay at the edge of Ye Xu’s invincible domain—half its realm under his control, the other half beyond his reach.

To ensure safety, Ye Xu dispatched Dao Sovereign Qingyuan to the Innate Thunder Marsh Dao Domain to monitor the participating Dao Lords.

His attention shifted to Su Mu and the Formless Demon Lord.

"What a performance."

Ye Xu conjured a portion of sunflower seeds, watching the show while munching.

The two of them were equally matched in cultivation and strength—one had opened seventy-two spiritual grottoes, the other sixty-nine. They employed a flurry of techniques and endless underhanded moves.

After an unknown length of time,

the two collapsed in exhaustion.

"Master, we admit we were wrong."

Their voices were hoarse; they truly had no strength left to fight.

Ye Xu remained silent.

"Old Formless, how about I give you a quick stab? I’ll finish you off, then have Master revive you?" Su Mu suggested a brilliant solution.

"…"

The Formless Demon Lord felt his scalp prickle. "How about I finish you off and have Master revive you instead?"

"My blade is swift. Just endure it for a moment."

"You don’t trust me?" Su Mu asked, angered.

"I don’t."

"I thought we were like brothers! Face your death!"

They lunged at each other again.

Ye Xu was utterly bored.

He closed his eyes, unfolding his Divine Sense throughout his invincible domain to perceive the minds of others. The thoughts of countless cultivators surfaced within him, like hushed whispers in his ears.

The sensation was incredibly strange and profoundly eerie.

Among these people, some were upright and principled, others harbored ill intentions, and still others were utterly vicious. Nearly every individual hid another face beneath the surface.

In fact, the inner ugliness of many was so vile it made Ye Xu’s heart shudder.

It had nothing to do with strength.

It was purely about the inner self.

Ye Xu instantly withdrew his power.

Too much negative emotion flooding in was overwhelming even for him.

In essence, Ye Xu was just an ordinary person.

Though he was now a Dao Sovereign, accounting for both lifetimes, he was barely thirty years old. In the Hongmeng Dao Realm where lifespans spanned millions or billions of years, he was essentially an infant.

He did not possess the unshakable Dao heart of figures like Ning Wudao, the Mad Daoist, Dao King, or the Heavenly Emperor.

"Huh?"

Ye Xu’s expression flickered slightly.

Suddenly, two familiar faces appeared within his Divine Sense perception.

"Makes sense…"

After a moment of thought, Ye Xu felt it was natural.

Luo Qianchen and Lin Qianmo had ascended to this realm. With their strength, they would naturally be among the earliest arrivals.

"But… why is one missing?"