Seeing Lan Xiaobu dare to attack him first, the Third-Turn Saint laughed in anger. At best, Lan Xiaobu was a First-Turn Saint, his Dao charm faint, possibly even a Pseudo-Saint. With such meager cultivation, he dared challenge a Third-Turn Saint? Utterly reckless. If he didn’t seize this chance to teach this arrogant fool a lesson, his Third-Turn status would be a joke.
Killing intent surged, and his Saintly domain erupted without restraint, enveloping Lan Xiaobu. Simultaneously, a massive Saintly handprint lunged toward him.
He aimed to trap Lan Xiaobu in his domain, then choke him, showing him the vast gulf between Saintly turns—one turn, one heaven.
Unlike other realms, where a First-Layer Unity God might slay a Fourth-Layer, a First-Turn Saint could never match a Fourth-Turn. But his deeper intent was to abduct Lan Xiaobu if no one interfered—since Lan Xiaobu struck first, he had every right to take him.
Watching this, Ku Cai’s eyes flashed with mockery. With that level of strength, he thought he could handle Lan Xiaobu? Truly clueless.
Though Lan Xiaobu threw a punch, he held back, using only seventy percent of his power.
Boom! A violent clash of Dao charm exploded. The Third-Turn Saint’s domain shattered under Lan Xiaobu’s fist, a terrifying aura of death pressing down. The saint’s face paled—he’d underestimated Lan Xiaobu and paid for his overconfidence.
Seeing Lan Xiaobu’s might, Ku Cai relaxed. His strength seemed slightly below hers. The first time he’d fought her, he hadn’t gone all out; this time, he had. Comparing the two, she gauged his true power as weaker than hers.
But then a thought struck her—what if he still hadn’t used full strength against this Third-Turn Saint?
Not just possible—highly likely. If so, his real power might surpass hers, at least before her Dao foundation fully recovered.
“Enough.” The monk’s expression shifted, his potent Saintly domain surging toward Lan Xiaobu, accompanied by a blast of Dao charm.
Crack! Lan Xiaobu’s domain collided with the monk’s and crumbled instantly. Overwhelming Dao force bore down, unstoppable. Lan Xiaobu flew back dozens of miles, spitting a stream of blood. When he hit the ground, he looked utterly spent.
His Dao charm wavered, his aura chaotic—or so it seemed.
He’d barely withstood the monk’s domain assault, clinging to life by a thread.
At least, that’s how it appeared. But the monk’s face darkened.
He’d used eighty percent of his domain’s power, intending to lock Lan Xiaobu and take him away. Yet he’d only blasted him back and injured him. If he pressed further now, Ku Cai aside, the Reincarnation Saint would surely intervene first.
This Lan Xiaobu had some skill. The monk suspected he might be a Fourth-Turn Saint, yet his Dao flow suggested only First-Turn. Did he possess Saint-level concealment techniques?
The monk itched to crack open Lan Xiaobu’s world and uncover his secrets, but not now—especially with the Reincarnation Saint watching, unwilling to let him loot freely.
Ku Cai’s strength rivaled his own. He couldn’t monopolize Lan Xiaobu’s spoils yet.
Ku Cai glanced at Lan Xiaobu faintly. Whether he’d used full strength or not, she was certain his crash and blood-spitting were fake. She knew his power well. He seemed harmless but wasn’t to be trifled with. Clearly, the monk had targeted him, and Lan Xiaobu had targeted the monk in return, feigning weakness.
By showing vulnerability now, the monk would surely seek him out later. If Lan Xiaobu fell to him, she’d call herself blind.
“This junior, Ji Hong, thanks Senior for the rescue,” the Third-Turn Saint said, pale and bowing to the monk. His heart pounded with fear—he’d thought Lan Xiaobu was easy prey, only to find the gap between them vast. A tiger in pig’s clothing.
Realizing this, Ji Hong felt a chill. Good thing he’d tested it today—had he ambushed Lan Xiaobu later, he’d be a dead man.
The monk waved him off. “No need to worry. He overpowered you because you acted hastily and underestimated him. In a real fight, you wouldn’t be far behind.”
To the monk, Lan Xiaobu was stronger than Ji Hong, but not by enough to crush him outright.
Ji Hong nodded and bowed again, though even without the monk’s words, he knew his carelessness had cost him. With a bit more caution, as the monk said, he might not match Lan Xiaobu but wouldn’t have been crushed. Still, Lan Xiaobu was dangerous—best to avoid him alone. As for the Seven Realms Stone Boundary Flag, it was clearly out of his reach now.
Ignoring Lan Xiaobu, the monk clasped his fists to the crowd. “Fellow Daoists, this man aided Mad Saint and Tree Saint in stealing the Cosmic Heart. I suggest we join forces to take him down.”
At his words, Ji Hong summoned his treasure and stood by the monk. The two Second-Turn Saints followed without hesitation.
They’d seen Lan Xiaobu dominate Ji Hong—carelessness or not, it showed his strength. Yet against the monk, he couldn’t fight back, hinting the monk might be Seventh-Turn.
Lan Xiaobu wasn’t fazed. Even if Ku Cai sided with the monk, he could escape—worst case, abandoning his cave’s contents. He hadn’t marked the monk, but the monk’s mark was on him—he doubted the monk would let him go. Ji Hong had marked him too.
Ku Cai chuckled. “I’m off to seclusion. Daoist Lan, if you’ve got business for me, call anytime.”
With that, she vanished swiftly, as if she hadn’t heard the monk.
His face soured. He knew her parting shot meant she’d team with Lan Xiaobu against him if he pushed her.
Turning to the Reincarnation Saint, the monk watched as they clasped their fists, then addressed Lan Xiaobu. “Daoist Lan, we’ll discuss things later. I need to seclude myself for a bit.”
With a nod to the monk, they left quickly.
The monk, initially grim, calmed down. Ku Cai wouldn’t join him, nor would the Reincarnation Saint—something was up.
Lan Xiaobu smirked, his gaze sweeping the two Second-Turn Saints before turning to leave.
Their faces paled. They felt like fools. Ji Hong had no choice—he’d crossed Lan Xiaobu. They hadn’t, yet now they had.
They realized they were dumber than those who’d left earlier.
With Ku Cai and the Reincarnation Saint unwilling to act, the monk knew this wasn’t the time to strike Lan Xiaobu, even if he could. Doing so now would draw too much attention. Though Ku Cai and the Reincarnation Saint held back, they likely planned to take him out quietly later. Why they didn’t act now, he’d investigate.
“Leave. Report anything to me immediately,” the monk said, tossing three communication beads to Ji Hong and the Second-Turn Saints before vanishing.
Whether Ku Cai and the Reincarnation Saint planned a sneak attack, he’d strike first after digging deeper. Lan Xiaobu had treasures—too many to let slip away. His hefty bid for the Seven Realms Stone Boundary Flag screamed knowledge of more flags.
And Ji Hong—his interest in the flag suggested he knew something, even if he didn’t have one. The monk had his sequence: Lan Xiaobu first, then Ji Hong.
—
Lan Xiaobu wasn’t surprised Ku Cai didn’t join the monk, but the Reincarnation Saint’s restraint caught him off guard. Their words implied a future visit—not to fight, but to negotiate. Whatever they wanted, he wouldn’t part with the Reincarnation Pot or Seven Realms Flags.
Back at his cave, he began refining the two array disks. The one from the auction had defensive and partial offensive capabilities. The one the island lords dropped was a fully defensive Saintly Dao array disk.
He was sure the monk would come soon. When he did, Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t let him leave.
