To Lan Xiaobu’s relief, whether it was the flame spirit Little Tai or the Longevity Halberd, the thunder tribulation consisted of just one wave of nine arcs. After enduring this barrage, the tribulation dissipated.
Little Tai, the Primordial Eternal Flame, seemed to have grown stronger still. With a flick of his hand, Lan Xiaobu recalled the flame, then grasped the Longevity Halberd.
It remained a mid-grade divine artifact, yet Lan Xiaobu could keenly sense the potent aura it now harboured. Only then did he realise the Longevity Halberd truly had the potential to advance.
He had long known that treasures forged from chaos iron mother could evolve. When he first shaped the chaos iron mother into a weapon without sensing any advancement potential, he’d suspected it was because he hadn’t fully refined it.
Now, with the Longevity Halberd properly forged, Lan Xiaobu could feel it constantly absorbing the myriad charms of the dao from the world around it.
Given time, it could absolutely become a top-tier offensive treasure.
With a thought, the twelve-foot halberd shrank to less than a foot in length.
Lan Xiaobu was quite pleased—this was a true treasure. Unlike a certain monkey, he had no habit of shrinking it to tuck into his ear. Instead, he transformed it into a four-foot halberd and slung it across his back.
This reminded him of someone he’d seen outside Nirvana Divine City, carrying a long blade on their back. Perhaps that person wasn’t just posing—maybe, like him, they wanted their weapon to absorb the world’s laws and continue evolving.
It was time to head to the Abyssal Relic. In high spirits, Lan Xiaobu stepped out of the defensive divine array and summoned the Reincarnation Pot. Though he hadn’t yet obtained the Divine Origin Pill Sea on this trip to the Rootless Divine Realm, his haul was already overflowing.
In just half a day, Lan Xiaobu arrived at the Leafless Forest once more.
Years of scavenging had stripped the Leafless Forest of most of its treasures, and fewer cultivators came here now. Another reason was that the Rootless Divine Realm’s abundant cosmic fortune meant good finds weren’t exclusive to this forest. Many had ventured elsewhere seeking opportunities.
In less than an hour, Lan Xiaobu reached the edge of the crevice he’d once entered with Meteor.
That crevice led to the Abyssal Relic. Without Meteor’s guidance back then, he’d never have found it.
But this time, upon arriving, Lan Xiaobu was stunned. The crevice was gone—completely vanished. How was he supposed to enter the Abyssal Relic now?
He extended his divine sense, only to be disappointed. Where the crevice had once stretched long and narrow, there wasn’t a trace of it under his scan.
A hunched-back man flitted past the edge of Lan Xiaobu’s divine sense. In a single step, Lan Xiaobu stood before him.
“Senior, this junior is but a humble ant, just passing through. I’ve offended you—please forgive me,” the hunched-back man said, his tone exceedingly deferential as he saw Lan Xiaobu blocking his path.
Lan Xiaobu looked at the man speechlessly. He just wanted directions—why all the theatrics?
“What’s your name?” Initially, Lan Xiaobu had only intended to ask for directions, but this fellow, a Divine King, shamelessly called himself a “humble ant.” In the Rootless Divine Realm, a Divine King was a powerhouse with solid self-preservation skills—since when were they ants?
“This junior is named Wei, a mere nameless ant. I sensed a vast, mighty presence and hurried to avoid it, not expecting to still offend you, Senior,” the hunched-back man replied, his tone growing even more respectful.
Not only was his speech deferential, but his entire posture exuded humility, giving the impression of genuine sincerity without a hint of pretense.
Wei? It sounded like a Buddhist cultivator’s name.
“You haven’t offended me. I’m just asking about something. Years ago, I came here and there was a long, narrow crevice. Why is it gone now?” Lan Xiaobu inquired.
Hearing it wasn’t about him, Wei breathed a sigh of relief and quickly answered, “Senior, it must have been a long time since you last visited. As the Rootless Divine Realm’s laws gradually stabilised, those crevices have been steadily repaired…”
Lan Xiaobu suddenly understood, but his brows furrowed. If the crevice was sealed, how could he enter the Abyssal Relic and claim the Divine Origin Pills?
That Divine Origin Pill Sea was no trifling matter—it could propel him to the Harmony God realm, or even quasi-sage, in the shortest time.
“Oh, right—Senior could try the Leafless Abyss. There’s still a crevice there. As the Rootless Divine Realm’s laws improved, many crevices in the Leafless Forest healed naturally, but the one in the Leafless Abyss hasn’t,” Wei added hastily, as if recalling something.
The Leafless Abyss? Lan Xiaobu asked, “Where’s the Leafless Abyss? Why hasn’t its crevice healed?”
Wei promptly handed over a jade slip, “Senior, this slip marks the Leafless Abyss’ location. That crevice constantly leaks a toxic mist of corrosive dao laws, and no one dares approach it. The slow healing there is due to that corrosive mist.”
Lan Xiaobu took the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, nodded, and said, “Thanks. Here’s some divine crystals in exchange.”
He tossed a storage pouch to Wei before darting toward the spot indicated on the slip.
After Lan Xiaobu left, Wei wiped the cold sweat from his brow, “Scared me half to death. That guy’s definitely a powerhouse. Good thing I’ve got experience—anyone else might’ve ticked him off.”
Muttering, Wei opened the pouch. Seeing it contained a hundred high-grade divine crystals, he snorted disdainfully, “ Stingy git—a measly hundred high-grade crystals? This sage doesn’t even care.”
Despite his words, his hands moved swiftly, stashing the pouch in his world. With a flicker, he sped off in the opposite direction from Lan Xiaobu.
Half a day later, Lan Xiaobu stopped at the location marked on the slip. Indeed, toxic mist seeped out here, enveloping an area spanning tens of thousands of miles.
Fortunately, someone had set up an array to contain it, preventing the mist from spreading further.
Lan Xiaobu entered the array and was immediately engulfed by endless poison mist. He marvelled inwardly—this was the venom of the Yinlong Divine Herb, something he recognised.
The Yinlong Divine Herb ranked ninth among the God Realm’s hundred poisons, capable of shrivelling a cultivator’s meridians, dissolving cultivation, and burning lifespan. Its potency was undeniable. Without the Cosmic Dimensional Model, even he wouldn’t dare brave this mist.
Having dealt with Yinlong venom in the Great Desolate Divine Horn, Lan Xiaobu knew this mist was artificial. It was denser here than in the Horn, suggesting it had persisted for an unknown duration.
But no matter how strong the poison, Lan Xiaobu had a solution. As the mist seeped into his body, it transformed into divine spiritual energy, boosting his cultivation. As for the toxins, he couldn’t be bothered to discard them—back in the Horn, he’d already amassed a stockpile of Yinlong venom with no use for more.
After walking through the mist for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, his divine sense detected a crevice. The poison mist was indeed emanating from it.
Even with his current cultivation, his divine sense couldn’t probe far inside.
The crevice was just over a foot wide and bottomless. Lan Xiaobu set up several teleportation arrays outside, then leapt in without hesitation.
Whether this led to the Abyssal Relic or not, he intended to find out.
Compared to his initial entry with Meteor, Lan Xiaobu’s strength had surged a thousandfold, his speed correspondingly swift.
Even so, it took half a day before his divine sense caught sight of a stretch of pitch-black sandy soil.
By now, the Yinlong venom around him had weakened. Further down, it vanished entirely. Soon, Lan Xiaobu realised the mist was seeping from a stone wall, rushing upward with ferocity.
He tried probing the wall with his divine sense. The moment it touched, a terrifying pain swept over him. The next instant, his extended sense was shredded and vanished.
Impressive, he thought, refraining from further attempts. Instead, he accelerated downward. After half an incense stick’s time, his form flickered, landing on the black sand. He didn’t need to sense it to know—this was undoubtedly the Abyssal Relic.
Looking up, it was as if the Yinlong venom had never been. The space above was pitch-black, his divine sense blocked halfway.
Yet Lan Xiaobu was certain that behind the venom-seeping stone wall lay a spatial world. What it contained, he didn’t know, nor did he care to find out now. Once he reached quasi-sage, perhaps he’d investigate.
With his current strength, it was best to steer clear—his divine sense had been annihilated with a mere touch, indicating whatever lay beyond that wall was beyond his present means.
He set up several teleportation arrays at his location, inscribed some void array patterns, and left a few markers before choosing a direction to depart.
Lan Xiaobu was cautious. The presence of Yinlong venom suggested others had been here. If his markers were destroyed, he might lose his way out and be trapped indefinitely. Hence, the multiple precautions.
But soon, something felt off. After speeding along for a full day, his feet still trod black sand.
Intending to stop and assess his bearings, he sensed traces of his own markers. Lan Xiaobu’s expression darkened—he’d been circling for a day.
