Lan Xiaobu doubled the speed of the Reincarnation Pot, and after just a few days of flight, his divine sense detected two planets. These planets were peculiar, as if gazing at each other across the void, both vibrant blue orbs teeming with life.
One of these had to be the planet hosting the Beast Soul Dao. Unlike typical immortal or divine realm sects, cosmic sects like this one claimed an entire planet.
Just as Lan Xiaobu planned to investigate, his divine sense caught a spaceship at the edge of his range. Without hesitation, he drove the Reincarnation Pot toward it, stopping right in front of the vessel in an instant.
Startled by the sudden block, a male cultivator on the ship’s deck grew wary, even summoning his treasure.
Lan Xiaobu clasped his fists politely, “Greetings, friend, I’d like to ask how to get to the Beast Soul Dao.”
Hearing it was just a question about directions, the cultivator relaxed and pointed to one of the planets, “That’s the Beast Soul Dao.”
Lan Xiaobu activated a crystal ball, projecting images of a man and a woman, then asked, “Do you recognize these two?”
“Ah…” The cultivator gasped, his eyes flickering with unease and fear, but he didn’t dare speak.
Seeing his reaction, Lan Xiaobu knew this man recognized the pair who’d taken Tai Chuan, he was just too scared to say it.
Lan Xiaobu produced a Time Dao Crystal, “Tell me, and this is yours, I guarantee no one will know it came from you.”
A Time Dao Crystal? The cultivator’s eyes flashed with conflict, then he quickly etched a jade slip and tossed it to Lan Xiaobu.
Lan Xiaobu scanned it with his divine sense, and the slip shattered, he noted inwardly how cautious this guy was, but he’d gotten what he needed, the woman was Bai Xixi, the Beast Soul Dao’s legacy dao daughter, a prodigy of unmatched talent, the man was Han Yueshan, disciple of the sect’s top deputy leader, Peng Wang.
Both held lofty positions, among the sect’s elite.
Though the info was brief, Lan Xiaobu was satisfied, he tossed the Time Dao Crystal to the cultivator, “Thanks.”
Grabbing the crystal, the man sped off, vanishing quickly.
Lan Xiaobu landed the Reincarnation Pot on the void plaza outside the Beast Soul Dao’s planet, the plaza was extravagantly built, yet oddly sparse with only a few ships docked.
As soon as the pot touched down, two cultivators appeared beside it.
A Reincarnation Pot? One of them stared, surprise in his eyes, followed by a fleeting glint of greed.
Lan Xiaobu stepped out, casually stowing the pot, before he could speak, one of them eyed him and asked, “Who are you? Why are you here at the Beast Soul Dao uninvited?”
Lan Xiaobu replied calmly, “I’m a friend of Han Yueshan, invited by him to come find him.”
A friend of Han Yueshan? The greedy cultivator swiftly buried that flicker of avarice, joking aside, coveting something from Han Yueshan’s friend was a death wish.
“In that case, we’ll report to Elder Han first,” one said.
Lan Xiaobu’s tone cooled, “I’m here to deliver a flight treasure to Yueshan, you think all this reporting won’t delay his business?”
While speaking, he planted nine array flags into the planet’s protective array.
“Let him in, I’ll take responsibility if anything happens,” a cold voice cut in, followed by a man in a starry robe landing nearby.
A Fourth-Turn Sage, his dao charm rivaled Zhi Yi’s, though her cultivation was higher, her combat strength wasn’t.
Lan Xiaobu mused, a Fourth-Turn Sage in the Great Desolate Divine Realm was a peak existence, yet here at the Beast Soul Dao, it seemed commonplace.
Still, he knew sects like the Beast Soul Dao or Li Zhou Palace weren’t abundant in this plane.
“Yes, Deacon Gong,” the two guards bowed hastily.
“Come on, I’ll take you to Elder Han,” Gong said flatly.
Lan Xiaobu could tell Gong saw through his lie about knowing Han Yueshan, leading him in likely meant eyeing the Reincarnation Pot.
“Fine, lead the way,” Lan Xiaobu said, unconcerned.
Gong summoned a ship, “Get on, we’ll skip the teleport array, take my ship.”
In Gong’s mind, if Lan Xiaobu balked, he’d use force, to his surprise, Lan Xiaobu boarded without a second thought.
Gong gave him a curious once-over, said nothing more, and piloted the ship into the Beast Soul Dao’s planet, in just an incense stick’s time, it stopped in a wilderness area.
Lan Xiaobu’s divine sense swept out unrestrained, spotting a colossal sect complex, honestly, his Great Desolate Dao Court’s hall paled in comparison.
Above the sect, the words “Beast Soul Dao” spanned nearly a hundred miles.
The planet hosted smaller sects, dao courts, and divine cities beyond the Beast Soul Dao, but unlike the Great Desolate Divine Realm, where the Dao Court reigned supreme and all obeyed its laws, here, the Beast Soul Dao was the ultimate power, everything bent to its will.
“Hand over the Reincarnation Pot, I’ll let you leave with dignity, don’t think I can’t crack your world, because…”
Gong’s words halted mid-sentence, the “because” he didn’t voice was acted out by Lan Xiaobu, whose hand gripped Gong’s neck, lifting him off the ground, legs dangling, Gong struggled like a mortal gasping for air.
With a flick, Lan Xiaobu tossed him down like trash.
“Crack!” Gong heard his leg and spine snap, though he knew this ground shouldn’t break his bones, they broke anyway.
“Senior…” Gong’s heart pounded with dread, he’d brought back a monster, Lan Xiaobu’s strength far exceeded the First-Turn Sage he appeared to be.
“Now I’ll ask, you’d better answer quick, my patience is short,” Lan Xiaobu said, his domain locking Gong in place.
Death’s aura loomed, Gong didn’t dare hesitate or waffle, “Senior, ask away, I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “Good, first question, have Bai Xixi and Han Yueshan returned?”
“Yes, they’re back, Bai Xixi got a mutated Chaos Unicorn, a dao-proven one at that, once the Sacred Dao Platform opens, she’ll use it as her dao beast to forge a supreme dao soul,” Gong replied fully, even adding details Lan Xiaobu hadn’t asked for.
Lan Xiaobu pressed on, “Where’s Bai Xixi now? What’s the Sacred Dao Platform? When does it open?”
Gong answered swiftly, “Bai Xixi, the legacy dao daughter, is at the sect’s core, the Great Dao Pure Spirit Pool, making final insights for her dao soul, the Sacred Dao Platform is a top-tier treasure, rumored to be a heaven-opening relic, obtained by our founder, it opens every thousand years, four months from now.”
Four months? Lan Xiaobu frowned, “How do I enter the Great Dao Pure Spirit Pool?”
Gong flinched, he didn’t care about Lan Xiaobu’s fate, but if Lan Xiaobu died, he’d be doomed too, he guessed Lan Xiaobu would stash him in his world, if Lan Xiaobu fell, who’d free him? Despite his First-Turn appearance, the Beast Soul Dao excelled in combat, not cracking others’ worlds, even a First-Turn’s world was beyond most here, and Lan Xiaobu wasn’t just that.
“Friend, don’t think that way, the Great Dao Pure Spirit Pool is the sect’s top array pool, any external force triggers it to vanish, taking Bai Xixi with it,” Gong blurted.
“Etch everything about the Beast Soul Dao and your quarters into a crystal for me,” Lan Xiaobu said evenly.
Gong’s heart raced with fear, to survive, he didn’t dare defy, he’d just finished carving a crystal ball and handed it over when death’s breath hit, then he heard Lan Xiaobu, “Since you cooperated, I’ll give you a chance at rebirth.”
Despair welled in Gong, he’d thought Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t kill him until finding Bai Xixi, clearly, he’d overestimated his value.
