Lan Xiaobu inwardly sighed. He’d thought giving some Primordial Vitality to Mo Shulei was a grand favor, but now it seemed otherwise.
In terms of intrinsic value, the Dark Wood fragment wasn’t inferior to Primordial Vitality, as it could be used to comprehend dark rules. If the fragment could be nurtured into living Dark Wood, its worth would far exceed the Primordial Vitality he’d given. However, nurturing Dark Wood was no easy feat. It first required a world with complete, independent rules. Previously, he hadn’t met this condition, but now, with his Longevity Great Dao perfected, the rules of his Longevity Realm were complete too, providing the foundation to sustain Dark Wood. What he lacked was one thing: Breath Soil.
With Breath Soil, he could surely cultivate a Dark Wood tree.
Lan Xiaobu carefully stored the Dark Wood fragment. Once he found Breath Soil and nurtured the Dark Wood, he could fully comprehend dark rules. He knew Breath Soil was something you stumbled upon by chance, not sought out deliberately—it was a matter of luck. If it were easy to find, Mo Shulei likely wouldn’t have given him the Dark Wood fragment so readily.
After putting away the fragment, Lan Xiaobu picked up the Time Dao Scroll.
When he opened it, the flow of time rules instantly enveloped him. Though he remained in his cave abode, his body was submerged in the vast principles of time.
Endless fragments of time laws swirled around him. Lan Xiaobu ceaselessly comprehended these fragments, peeling them apart and reconstructing them into his own time law fragments.
One after another, these fragments took shape under his Longevity Great Dao, then fused into complete time rules.
Beneath the time laws, Lan Xiaobu’s form shifted from clear to blurry, then back to clear, and again to blurry…
In that moment, everyone secluding and cultivating near his cave abode could sense an unmistakably clear time Great Dao principle.
Zhi Yi, about to enter Tai Xu Tomb, trembled with excitement upon feeling this vivid time Great Dao law. She abandoned her immediate plans, claimed a cave abode near Lan Xiaobu’s, and began cycling her own Great Dao while comprehending the time Great Dao.
To grasp the time Great Dao, Zhi Yi had long sought out numerous time crystals, but the time Great Dao she’d sensed from them was vague, its rules unclear, preventing her from forming her own time Great Dao. Now, near Lan Xiaobu’s cave, she clearly felt a boundless, vast time principle. It seemed different from ordinary time Great Daos—a wholly new set of time rules.
Regardless of what they were, Zhi Yi deemed them sufficient. If she could fully comprehend these time rules, upon returning to Li Zhou Palace, the Time Tree would be hers. With the Time Tree, she’d become the first with a chance to prove eternal sainthood.
Time slipped by, and the entire Tai Xu Hall plaza grew quiet.
Perhaps because Lan Xiaobu was secluding here, all cultivators entering and exiting Tai Xu Tomb adhered strictly to order. Tai Xu Hall plaza turned into a temporary market. Previously, Tai Xu Hall had forbidden stalls here, but now, with it destroyed by Lan Xiaobu, many cultivators traded goods in the plaza. Over time, this makeshift market grew livelier. Free of the strangulation array’s constraints, freedom-loving cultivators flocked here too.
Lan Xiaobu, in seclusion, opened his eyes. With a joyful wave, space seemed to solidify—no, time itself froze in that moment. He felt he could grasp the flowing time of this space, halting it at will. Though he couldn’t yet reverse time, he saw it as only a matter of time.
A faint principle appeared on his Longevity Dao Tree—the seventh dao pattern, the time principle. Yet his time principle differed from the Time Dao Scroll’s—it was entirely built upon his Longevity Great Dao.
Retracting his charm, Lan Xiaobu planned to enter Tai Xu Tomb to continue searching for Tai Chuan.
Sweeping out his divine sense, he saw Mo Xiaoxi and Kong Fusheng still in seclusion, but Hu Qingjia had stopped. Her cultivation had stabilized at third-rank saint, and she seemed to have grasped a portion of the time Great Dao’s charm. Lan Xiaobu knew this was likely due to his influence.
“Sister Qingjia, congratulations on advancing your Great Dao,” Lan Xiaobu said, feeling Hu Qingjia deserved the title “sister.” She was deeply loyal. Having helped her once, she’d risked everything to save Kong Fusheng, nearly dying in the void. Though she and Qin Xuxie were enemies, in Lan Xiaobu’s eyes, both were worthy of respect.
“Xiaobu, you’re out of seclusion!” Hu Qingjia beamed at being called “sister.” She didn’t think Lan Xiaobu’s superior strength meant she couldn’t call him by name. In cultivation, she was far behind, but in age, she was certainly older.
Lan Xiaobu nodded with a smile, “Xiaoxi and Brother Kong are still secluding to break through. Why aren’t you?”
Hu Qingjia replied, “I progressed too quickly earlier due to some fortunate encounters, so I plan to settle for a while. Tai Xu Hall is perfect for comprehending the Great Dao. I’ll seclusion again soon to aim for fourth-rank saint.”
“Any direction?” Lan Xiaobu asked, knowing her Great Dao had diverged from what Qin Xuxie taught. It likely stemmed from an ancient bloodline awakened within her.
Hu Qingjia nodded, “I’d planned to prove fourth-rank as before, but now I’ve changed my mind. During your seclusion, I sensed a profound time Great Dao. I’ve decided to prove fourth-rank with time.”
She shared this to seek Lan Xiaobu’s input.
Overjoyed, Lan Xiaobu said, “Sister Qingjia, I’d recommend proving the time Great Dao too. If you can do so at fourth-rank, I believe even seventh-rank saints wouldn’t faze you.”
He handed her a ring, “Sister Qingjia, the items in this ring will help you prove fourth-rank saint.”
Hu Qingjia took it subconsciously, then exclaimed in shock, “The Time Dao Scroll? Time Dao Crystals? Xiaobu, I’ll take the crystals, but I can’t take your scroll.”
Lan Xiaobu laughed, “Sister Qingjia, use it to prove your dao. I’ll reclaim the scroll in a hundred years. With your comprehension, the scroll, the crystals, and my insights into the time Great Dao, you’ll surely succeed.”
Only then did Hu Qingjia notice a comprehension jade slip in the ring. Gratitude overwhelmed her. She’d met Lan Xiaobu as an enemy, yet he’d proven the most magnanimous person she’d ever known—unmatched. Even a master wouldn’t offer a disciple the Time Dao Scroll.
“Xiaobu, rest assured, with these, I’ll definitely prove the time Great Dao,” Hu Qingjia said firmly. She didn’t say more, but inwardly resolved that if Lan Xiaobu ever vied for eternity, she’d be the first to charge ahead.
“I’m heading into Tai Xu Tomb to find Tai Chuan. If anything comes up, send me a message. My communication bead is forged with space principles—unless you leave this plane, I’ll receive it,” Lan Xiaobu nodded.
He’d made several copies of the Time Dao Scroll—not with the Cosmic Dimension Model, but with his divine sense. This method preserved Hu Qingjia’s copy without diminishing it. However, since it wasn’t a Cosmic Dimension Model replica, his versions were lesser “small Time Dao Scrolls.”
At that moment, he spotted Zhi Yi outside his cave, seemingly waiting to tell him something urgent.
“Go seclusion first. Keep this array flag—if I don’t return from Tai Xu Tomb and someone threatens you, use it to control Tai Xu Hall’s strangulation array. I’ve modified it; most can’t break it,” Lan Xiaobu said, handing Hu Qingjia an array flag.
She took it, her priority now to seclusion and aim for fourth-rank saint.
As Hu Qingjia entered seclusion, Lan Xiaobu stepped out of his protective array, looking at Zhi Yi with curiosity. Before he could speak, she eagerly said, “Brother Lan, I have news of your beast companion.”
“Where?” Lan Xiaobu asked urgently.
