The Universe Masters from the nine great factions, who were locked in fierce combat for possession, were utterly stunned by the self-detonation of Master Yuan'ao. The explosion of his divine body, spanning over a million kilometers high, unleashed boundless energy in an instant. The resulting shockwave carried a power that dwarfed the might of a supernova by hundreds of millions of times... Wiping out all obstacles!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Far in the distance, colossal spatial fragments moving at hyper-speeds instantly vaporized into streams of particles, and the surrounding space dissolved into nothing more than these flows of spatial particles! The Universe Masters of the nine factions exerted themselves to the utmost, either deploying peak Domain-type Supreme Treasures or burning their divine power to erect immense barriers.

"Block it!" "We cannot let that shockwave destroy the Thread Painting." Even the Founder of the Black Universe strained every fiber to manipulate space, suppressing and resisting the surging shockwave.

The epicenter of the explosion was terrifyingly absolute. The 'Founder of the Black Universe,' who had previously fought Master Yuan'ao, naturally bore the brunt of the impact. However, protected by an ultimate Supreme Treasure, the Founder merely staggered back a few kilometers in the void, completely unharmed. Similarly, the peak Containment-type Supreme Treasure, the 'Iceberg Palace,' positioned near Master Yuan'ao, was violently tossed away, tumbling end over end by the impact.

Boom! Boom! Boom!~~~~

As the shockwave traveled a greater distance and slammed into the combined defenses of the nine factions' Universe Masters, its destructive force had already weakened considerably. Yet, the pressure remained immense, for they were not only shielding their divine bodies but also protecting the fragments of the Thread Painting located further away.

Even through the layers of defense, the vibrations transmitted caused the very fabric of space to churn into countless particles. Patches of Thread Painting fragments drifted within this chaos, their chaotic dispersal hastened by the quaking.

A moment later— The shockwave completely dissipated.

"We held it off at last." "Phew, even in death, Master Yuan'ao wouldn't let us rest easy. With that wave of power, if not for the combined might of so many Universe Masters, those distant scraps of the Thread Painting would likely have been pulverized. Thankfully, thankfully."

A single glance revealed— The area spanning billions of kilometers was filled with endless particles, resembling searing sand grains slowly rolling, countless particles... the fundamental composition of space. Soon, these particles began to slowly coalesce...

... Luo Feng finally let out a breath of relief as the shockwave was successfully intercepted.

"Luo Feng, two very large pieces of the Thread Painting are drifting toward your location!" A divine power transmission suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Ah."

Luo Feng's boundless, hazy golden light enveloped his surroundings, allowing him to instantly detect the two remnants of the Thread Painting. He immediately turned his gaze toward his rear flank... He saw two relatively close fragments floating tens of millions of kilometers away. These two pieces were noticeably larger; even the smaller one was more than double the size of the piece he had previously acquired. The larger one was more than three times the size of his original piece.

"They're mine." Luo Feng instantly transformed into a streak of light and shot toward them.

"Don't even think about it!" An angry roar resonated through divine power from afar. "They belong to me!"

Luo Feng glanced over. In another direction, the massive black Celestial Wolf was also flying rapidly toward the fragments, simultaneously issuing snarls at several other contenders preparing to intervene.

"Hmph, Celestial Wolf, you dare compete with me?" Emperor Yan, a figure tall and powerfully built, wielding the gigantic Blazing God Halberd and radiating endless killing intent, surveyed the surroundings and coldly looked at Luo Feng before transmitting, "My Third Junior Brother, the last Thread Painting fragment went to you; this time, you can forget about it."

"Hahaha... I haven't managed to secure a single one of these Thread Painting fragments yet," Lord Younan, with his enormous bone wings, laughed heartily.

"Then let strength decide," Luo Feng stated coldly.

At this moment— The closest to these two largest Thread Painting fragments were Emperor Yan, Luo Feng, Lord Younan, and Lord Celestial Wolf. Emperor Yan and Luo Feng had contested a fragment before, so they were already close to each other. Besides these four, two other Universe Masters were closing in: Lord Ice Peak and Lord Nether Demon.

Clearly, because these two fragments were close to each other and significantly large—equivalent in value to about six or seven of the smaller fragments—they became objects of immediate contention for everyone.

"Luo Feng, I'm coming to help you," Lord Ice Peak instantly transformed into a streak of light and flew over rapidly.

"Celestial Wolf, let's give it our all," Lord Nether Demon also swiftly approached.

It was madness. Six Universe Masters, some near, some farther, all stared with burning desire at the two massive Thread Painting fragments.

"Not good," Luo Feng's expression shifted slightly. Lord Younan's flight speed was terrifyingly fast. When his bone wings flapped, he transformed into a gust of wind, soaring past them all—the fastest among their group. Even Luo Feng’s attempt to suppress him using his Golden Kingdom was only blocked by the black mist surrounding Lord Younan. The distance between them was significant, and Jiu Xian River's reach was insufficient.

"Martial Uncle, do you have a Domain-type Supreme Treasure?" Luo Feng urgently transmitted.

"I do!" Lord Ice Peak replied.

"Martial Uncle, combine your Domain-type Supreme Treasure with my 'Golden Kingdom' and block the others," Luo Feng instructed immediately.

"Understood."

Swish! Swish! Swish!~~~~

Endless white mist instantly permeated in all directions. The mist contained countless ice crystals. The area covered by the white fog was enveloped in a hazy golden light as the two worked in concert to impede the others. With effort focused on a single point, their combined power surged... Lord Younan's black mist began to collapse sequentially.

"Hahaha, Luo Feng, your winged Supreme Treasure is truly formidable, and your control over the cosmos is so powerful. Combined with my top-tier Domain-type Supreme Treasure, the 'Cold Mist Realm,' we can rival peak Domain-type Supreme Treasures!" Lord Ice Peak, usually quite reclusive, was uncharacteristically excited. "These two Thread Painting fragments must belong to my Human Race."

"Yes," Luo Feng was also exhilarated.

"Damn it!"

Emperor Yan was the first to roar.

The dual resistance formed by the endless white mist and the hazy golden light severely dampened the speed of Emperor Yan, who was already disadvantaged in raw velocity! Emperor Yan ground his teeth in frustration but could only swallow his rage. He cast a lingering glance at Luo Feng and roared via transmission, "My Third Junior Brother, I concede this one to you!"

Boom!

Emperor Yan turned and flew toward another direction. Since he knew he couldn't obtain these, there was no point in wasting further time. The priority was to rush and contest the other Thread Painting fragments.

"Hahaha, Silver River Lord, I am impressed, truly impressed. It seems these two Thread Painting fragments will fall into Human hands. I will cease my pursuit," Lord Younan also realized that the obstruction made his speed too slow, knowing hope was lost. He immediately laughed loudly via transmission and then turned, transforming into a streak of light, and departed.

With two parties withdrawing, only the Demon Race and the Human Race remained in contention for these two fragments.

"Human Luo Feng!" the black Celestial Wolf watched Luo Feng from afar. "When I first saw you, you were just a youngster. In the blink of an eye, you’ve become this powerful. However, compared to my Demon Race, you humans are still too green."

Roar!~~~~

Dreamlike, colorful threads instantly materialized in the endless void, spreading out in all directions. They slammed directly into the 'white mist,' causing the white mist to rapidly retreat under the pressure. Even with the Golden Kingdom assisting the 'Cold Mist Realm,' although they weren't shattered by the impact, they were continuously forced backward.

Lord Ice Peak, watching from the distance, had a grim expression: "Dream Ancestor Domain!"

Luo Feng’s face changed: "Dream Ancestor Domain!"

Dream Demon Ancestor was one of the two supreme powerhouses of the Demon Race's cosmos. The Supreme Treasure she wielded... its reputation was naturally immense, possessing at least several famous, signature Supreme Treasures. Among them, the peak Domain-type Supreme Treasure, the 'Dream Ancestor Domain,' was one such item.

"To have the Dream Ancestor Domain," Luo Feng grew anxious. "This is troublesome."

The combination of the Golden Kingdom and the Cold Mist Realm might barely rival a peak Domain-type Supreme Treasure, but compared to the Dream Ancestor Domain, they were clearly at a disadvantage.

"My divine power isn't strong enough. If I were a Universe Master, my divine power would be far greater. Activating the 'Golden Kingdom' would naturally be stronger, and combined with the Cold Mist Realm, it could fully match the Dream Ancestor Domain," Luo Feng felt deeply unwilling, but helplessness was the reality.

"There's still hope," Lord Ice Peak transmitted.

But— Swish! Swish! Swish!~~~~

The unsightly Lord Nether Demon suddenly let out a piercing shriek. Instantly, his entire body launched out dozens of black vines. In a moment, a sky-covering barrage of eighty-one black vines instantaneously spanned the void, crossing tens of millions of kilometers, and lunged directly toward Luo Feng.

"Devil Island Vine!" Luo Feng's expression instantly turned grim.

"They even have the Devil Island Vine!" Lord Ice Peak also grew furious.

The Devil Island Vine was also one of the signature Supreme Treasures of the Dream Demon Ancestor, a peak offensive Supreme Treasure belonging to the Spiritual Master school! Peak Offensive Weapon Supreme Treasures were supposedly the lowest in value among 'peak Supreme Treasures,' yet even among these, vast disparities existed.

For example, the 'Jie Armor' was top-tier among peak Armor Supreme Treasures! While lesser peak Armors might only reduce damage by one ten-thousandth. The Devil Island Vine was similar.

It possessed immense value. It could condense into a single entity, used like a long whip, or disperse completely to bind enemies. Although it could be broken, the severed parts could quickly reunite into one mass.

"Hahaha, the various factions sent Universe Masters, but the strength sent by our Demon Race faction is the weakest. Not a single one is at the peak Universe Master level," Lord Celestial Wolf transmitted, incredibly arrogant. "Hahaha, among the six peak factions, my Demon Race is the strongest! How could the strength sent for this operation be the weakest? The appearance of the two of us was merely feigning weakness. Only at the truly critical moment would we deploy our true means. Dream Demon Ancestor bestowed upon us a 'Dream Ancestor Domain' and a 'Devil Island Vine'—they are trump cards for escaping, trapping enemies, or seizing treasure."

"Hahaha, by hiding this trump card, you all remained unaware, lacking vigilance, allowing us to gain an advantage. If you had known and joined forces to resist us, we wouldn't have benefited. These two larger Thread Painting fragments are worth us making our genuine move," Lord Celestial Wolf gloated, immensely pleased.

The eighty-one black vines spread out, traversing the void, swaying menacingly.

Luo Feng’s speed immediately plummeted, and even Lord Ice Peak, farther away, was forced to stop.

"Damn it," Luo Feng gritted his teeth.

Lord Ice Peak's face was also covered in frost.

Both of them understood: they had been utterly tricked by the Demon Race!

: When I returned home today to start writing the novel, ugh... I fell asleep at the computer. I woke up startled, immediately rushed to write, and only just finished now. I am truly ashamed. RO