The God-Unification cultivator waved his hand, “This is the location of the Shengyuan Ruins, to reach the nearest divine city with your cultivation, it’d take one or two months. I’m heading to Nirvana Divine City, I’ll take you along.”
Clearly, he didn’t care much about which sect’s disciple Lan Xiaobu was, his question had been casual. From his tone, it was evident he was a relatively easy-going cultivator with a decent personality.
Lan Xiaobu certainly knew of Nirvana Divine City, as the most famous sect in the Rootless Divine Realm, the Rootless Academy, was located there. The first time he’d visited Nirvana Divine City, the Rootless Academy had been overtaken by the assassin sect Dark Moon River. To take down Dark Moon River’s sect leader, Qu Peng, he’d exerted considerable effort.
Had it not been for Meteor’s interception at the last moment, he wouldn’t have killed Qu Peng. But Lan Xiaobu now knew that Qu Peng likely hadn’t died. A cultivator skilled in planetary arts wouldn’t fall so easily if he’d reached that level. Still, if Lan Xiaobu encountered Qu Peng now, he’d make damn sure to finish him off.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “I’m also planning to head to Nirvana Divine City.”
He didn’t actually intend to go to Nirvana Divine City, he wanted to buy some jade slips there to understand the changes in the Rootless Divine Realm.
In Lan Xiaobu’s view, as time passed, not only would realms like the Rootless Divine Realm, Eternal Life Realm, and Great Desolate Divine Realm merge, but other planar divine realms might eventually fuse as well, forming a vast, boundless new divine realm. Buzhou Mountain was an example, after escaping into the vast cosmos, it had still merged with the Eternal Life Realm.
After learning about the changes in the Rootless Divine Realm, Lan Xiaobu planned to head to the Forsaken Divine Abyss, where he’d cultivate until he reached the Quasi-Sage realm before emerging. If he achieved Quasi-Sage Ninth Layer and Kun Wei didn’t come looking for him, he’d take the initiative to confront Kun Wei at the gates of Taihan Sacred Mountain.
Was a Second-Turn Sage really that impressive?
“Great, then come with me, and help me out along the way.” The God-Unification cultivator chuckled casually.
Lan Xiaobu replied with some apology, “Sorry, I plan to go alone. I don’t have time to assist you, I’ve got a lot on my plate lately.”
The God-Unification cultivator was taken aback, though Lan Xiaobu concealed his cultivation, the flow of his Dao charm suggested he was at most a Divine Lord. A mere Divine Lord cultivator daring to defy the will of a God-Unification powerhouse?
Fortunately, his easy-going nature meant he wasn’t one to nitpick, he said offhandedly, “It’s not a big favour, there’s a Great Dao Trade Fair in Nirvana Divine City, I need someone to accompany me. Otherwise, when others have attendants delivering items during trades and I, Tu Xuping, don’t, wouldn’t that make me lose face?”
After saying this, perhaps feeling it offered Lan Xiaobu no benefit, he added with a grin, “Your cultivation is still low, going to broaden your horizons would do you good, there’ll be origin treasures at that trade fair. Besides, Tianfan Sect is in a lot of trouble right now, you’d best not return there.”
If it were anything else, even the emergence of chaos qi, Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t bother going. But hearing about origin treasures, he immediately wanted to check it out.
In his Eternal Life Realm, the more origin treasures, the better.
“In that case, I’ll join you, Friend Tu.” Lan Xiaobu clasped his fists.
In the Eternal Life Realm, only a Sage would dare trade origin treasures openly. Yet in the Rootless Divine Realm, even a God-Unification cultivator could touch such dealings, that was the difference.
“Let’s go.” Tu Xuping raised his hand, summoning a high-grade flying divine artifact, and invited Lan Xiaobu aboard. He didn’t mind Lan Xiaobu calling him “Friend.”
“Hold on a moment, Friend.” Lan Xiaobu said, then raised his hand, blasting out a massive earthen pit. With a sweep of his hand, the thousands of fallen cultivators’ bodies were all sent into the pit.
Tu Xuping paused, then nodded, “You’re a decent cultivator.”
Lan Xiaobu smiled, “I’m a Tianfan Sect disciple, after all, it’s my duty.”
Tu Xuping didn’t elaborate, his comment about Lan Xiaobu being decent wasn’t just about burying Tianfan Sect disciples. It was because Lan Xiaobu had buried not only Tianfan Sect’s fallen but also those of their rivals, Luan Soul Divine Mansion.
“Even with my high-grade flying divine artifact, it’ll take two days to reach Nirvana Divine City. You said if you went alone, could you get there in less than a month or two?” After Lan Xiaobu boarded, Tu Xuping controlled the ship to speed off while boasting about his vessel.
In truth, in the Rootless Divine Realm, even a low-grade flying divine artifact was a rare commodity, let alone a high-grade one.
“Friend Tu, I’d like to ask something. You mentioned earlier that Tianfan Sect and Luan Soul Divine Mansion clashed over the Shengyuan Ruins. But I didn’t see any ruins back there, that battlefield was just desolate wilderness, where’s the ruin?” Lan Xiaobu was still thinking about Tianfan Sect.
No matter what, he and Guan Huan were friends, when he had time, he should visit Tianfan Sect. He couldn’t just watch his sworn brother’s sect struggle without even checking in, could he? If it wasn’t being bullied, he’d act as if nothing was wrong. But if Tianfan Sect was indeed being oppressed by Luan Soul Divine Mansion, he’d lend a hand.
Tu Xuping chuckled, “Of course you couldn’t see it, the Shengyuan Ruins are underground, sealed by a ninth-level natural divine restriction, requiring two activation flags to open. One flag was obtained by Tianfan Sect, the other by Luan Soul Divine Mansion. They brought their people there intending to each provide a flag and enter the ruins together. But something went wrong, they ended up fighting, and naturally, no one got into the Shengyuan Ruins.”
After saying this, he sensed something off, looking at Lan Xiaobu in surprise, “Aren’t you a Tianfan Sect disciple? How don’t you know this?”
Lan Xiaobu smiled awkwardly, “I actually know Tianfan Sect’s sect leader, so when you asked, I just said I was a disciple. In truth, I only arrived there recently.”
Tu Xuping’s personality was indeed amicable, he didn’t mind, just laughing it off.
Lan Xiaobu pressed on, “Even if the two sects fought, there’d be survivors, right? Why didn’t they even collect their own disciples’ bodies?”
Tu Xuping shook his head, “I don’t know, I heard it from someone else. I was just passing through on my way to Nirvana Divine City.”
Lan Xiaobu added, “A place like the Shengyuan Ruins, locked by a ninth-level divine restriction, even if the activation flags were held by Tianfan Sect and Luan Soul Divine Mansion, other sects wouldn’t just sit back and watch, would they?”
A ruin with a ninth-level natural divine restriction, no one would believe its contents were ordinary.
“Don’t meddle in these matters, with your cultivation, getting involved is no different from seeking death. Since you’re not a Tianfan Sect disciple, stop mentioning it. After we check out the trade fair, do whatever you need to.” Tu Xuping waved a hand, uninterested in further discussing Tianfan Sect with Lan Xiaobu. Clearly, he knew his limits, despite being a God-Unification cultivator, he couldn’t covet a ruin with a ninth-level restriction.
…
The speed of the high-grade flying divine artifact was lightning-fast to Tu Xuping, if Lan Xiaobu didn’t praise it主动, he couldn’t resist occasionally showing off his ship. But to Lan Xiaobu, this high-grade artifact was painfully slow, the sort of thing he’d toss aside without a thought.
Enduring two full days on the ship, it finally landed outside Nirvana Divine City.
The outskirts of Nirvana Divine City were as bustling and prosperous as ever, showing no trace of its past under Dark Moon River’s control.
“Friend Tu, how’s the Rootless Academy in Nirvana Divine City?” Lan Xiaobu asked, he hadn’t lingered long in the city after dealing with Qu Peng, so he wasn’t familiar with its current state.
Tu Xuping walked towards the city, replying casually, “I heard the Rootless Academy was once controlled by Dark Moon River. Later, something happened to Dark Moon River’s sect leader Qu Peng, and an elder from the Rootless Academy reclaimed control. Now, it’s doing alright, a place many low-level cultivators aspire to join…”
Pausing, he recalled Lan Xiaobu’s earlier words and added, “If you want to join a sect, I suggest trying for the Rootless Academy. It’s better than most other options, no matter how you look at it.”
Lan Xiaobu understood Tu Xuping’s implication, he was saying the Rootless Academy outshone Tianfan Sect.
Entering Nirvana Divine City, Tu Xuping picked up the pace, half an incense stick later, Lan Xiaobu followed him to the Nirvana Chamber of Commerce.
The Nirvana Chamber had three floors, the first was the commerce section, the second hosted auctions, and the third was where the Great Dao Trade Fair took place.
After Tu Xuping presented his VIP token at the chamber, a charming female cultivator immediately came to guide them. Evidently, a God-Unification cultivator like Tu Xuping was a valued guest here.
The charming female cultivator led Tu Xuping and Lan Xiaobu through a void array gate, soon arriving at a golden doorway on the third floor.
Stepping inside, Lan Xiaobu saw a massive hall, its centre empty, surrounded by a ring of seats, half of which were already occupied.
