His body surged with killing intent as he stepped right in front of Lan Xiaobu, his tone icy, “So it was you who ambushed my Beast Soul Sect? And destroyed the inheritance of my Beast Soul Sect?” Upon seeing Lan Xiaobu, Yi Xie’s murderous intent was utterly uncontainable. Yet after speaking, as he stood before Lan Xiaobu, he strangely calmed down.
Perhaps he realised that if he couldn’t kill Lan Xiaobu today, the Beast Soul Sect might never get another chance.
It didn’t matter that the Yellow Spring Sacred Sect, Saint Wasteland, and Sky Desert Hall weren’t making a move yet. As long as he could lock onto Lan Xiaobu, the moment Lan Xiaobu showed even a hint of weakness or suffered serious injury, the other three sects would pounce without hesitation.
Lan Xiaobu slammed his Longevity Halberd into the ground, “That’s right, it was your Grandpa Bu who wiped out your Beast Soul Sect. Of course, it’s not finished yet, which is why I’ve come here.”
“Friend Lan, no matter how strong you are, shouldn’t everything be governed by reason? Otherwise, with enemies on all sides, do you intend to take on an entire plane of powerhouses single-handedly?” Da Xuanqiong, the Sect Master of Saint Wasteland, said coolly.
Everyone knew Da Xuanqiong wasn’t truly intimidated by Lan Xiaobu; he was probing for his background.
Once they uncovered Lan Xiaobu’s origins, they’d swarm him. Even if they couldn’t kill him, it wouldn’t matter—at least they’d know his roots. Gazing at the corpse-strewn plaza of Time Mountain, Lan Xiaobu sneered inwardly. What a shameless bunch, invincible in their audacity. This guy had the nerve to preach about reason. Just then, an abrupt voice rang out, “Heh, your Saint Wasteland sure loves its ‘reason.’ Four major sects ganging up on my Li Zhou Palace—where’s the reason in that?
“All you want is the Time Tree of Li Zhou Star. Why is it that when it’s your turn, everything suddenly has to be ‘reasonable’?” The crowd then noticed that Li Zhou Palace’s defensive array had been breached. Though they hadn’t stepped beyond the protective range of the Li Zhou Cauldron, the many powerhouses of Li Zhou Palace were now clearly visible.
To Lan Xiaobu, the speaker seemed like a Ninth-Turn Sage, quite possibly the Palace Master of Li Zhou Palace. But his aura was unstable—likely due to severe injuries.
Zhen Changtian sneered, “Want your Li Zhou Palace’s Time Tree, heh.
“Your elder Zhi Yi ambushed the Beast Soul Sect’s inheritance maiden, Bai Xixi, killed her, and stole the Time Dao Scroll she’d obtained. Otherwise, would we have acted?
“You know, we were just here as guests before that.”
Lan Xiaobu was speechless. He’d killed Bai Xixi—what did Zhi Yi have to do with it?
Still, he held Li Zhou Palace in contempt. He, an outsider, had reached the plaza—whether to help or not—and yet Li Zhou Palace’s people remained cowering inside their Li Zhou Cauldron. It killed any inclination he had to rescue them.
Lan Xiaobu wasn’t some saint, shouldering burdens unrelated to him. If Li Zhou Palace’s people came out now, they could at least handle one star-level sect, easing his burden significantly. Three star-level sects versus four was a different game entirely. As Lan Xiaobu pondered this, he was startled to see the injured cultivator who’d spoken earlier step out of the Li Zhou Cauldron’s defensive range. Not only that—he’d put away the cauldron.
“Palace Master…” Seeing Shan Bu’ang stow the Li Zhou Cauldron and walk toward the plaza’s centre, Grand Elder Cai Pu cried out in alarm. Without the cauldron’s protection, what could they use to fend off four star-level sects?
“Hahaha…” Shan Bu’ang laughed, “The ally my Li Zhou Palace sought has arrived, yet we hide in the Li Zhou Cauldron? That’s not how my Li Zhou Palace survives.
“Even if my Li Zhou Palace falls today, I, Shan Bu’ang, will lead all its cultivators to protect Friend Lan.”
Lan Xiaobu was taken aback. Shan Bu’ang was this passionate and loyal?
But he quickly understood. Whether he lived or died, if Li Zhou Palace stayed in the cauldron, they’d still face death. Since death was inevitable, they might as well make it look good. This way, it not only looked good but dragged him fully into the fray—otherwise, he could walk away anytime.
These old foxes—none of them were simple.
“Friend Lan, I, Shan Bu’ang, on behalf of Li Zhou Palace…” Before he could finish, two shadows—one from the left, one from the right—lunged at Lan Xiaobu. As they attacked, the space between them and Lan Xiaobu rapidly collapsed. A terrifying domain swept toward him, and Lan Xiaobu instantly felt a crushing spatial pressure.
These were definitely two Ninth-Turn powerhouses, both from the Beast Soul Sect. Their strength was fearsome.
Fortunately, he’d already slain two Ninth-Turn and two Eighth-Turn Sages back at the Beast Soul Sect.
Lan Xiaobu immediately activated his Void Entrapment Divine Array. His Longevity Domain exploded outward as the killing aura of his Longevity Halberd surged, enveloping the two Ninth-Turn Sages.
With this strike, Lan Xiaobu used no divine abilities. He knew these two were just testing his strength.
If he could kill them in the shortest time possible, the other sects might swarm him.
Almost simultaneously, as the two Ninth-Turn Sages lunged and Lan Xiaobu triggered his array, three more Ninth-Turn powerhouses leapt into the void. These weren’t from the Beast Soul Sect but from the other major sects. They didn’t attack Lan Xiaobu directly.
Instead, as Lan Xiaobu activated his void array patterns, they targeted the entrapment divine array he’d constructed.
Lan Xiaobu knew his Void Entrapment Divine Array was done for. His void patterns were strong, but his array mastery was still lacking.
One day, when he could craft void patterns without rules, not even three Ninth-Turn Sages—or even an Eternal Sage—could tear apart his divine array quickly. For now, though, Lan Xiaobu knew the best move was to summon the Reincarnation Bridge. With its “One Breath, One Cycle” ultimate technique, he was confident he could take out two Ninth-Turn Sages in an instant.
“Crack! Crack! Crack!” The sound of array patterns shattering echoed through the void. Suddenly, the oppressive killing intent overhead vanished, clearing the air.
Everyone understood—Lan Xiaobu’s Void Entrapment Divine Array had been destroyed.
Feeling it collapse, Lan Xiaobu sighed inwardly. He couldn’t use “One Breath, One Cycle” here—too many powerhouses. Revealing his trump card right away would be the worst move. Not only that, but even his recently comprehended mass-killing divine ability, Rift Rule Wheel Pattern, was off-limits. With so many foes, using it now against just two Ninth-Turn Sages would disadvantage him later. The best option was Palace Tone Kill—it could take out these two without exposing his full strength. As he readied Palace Tone Kill, the halberd’s aura could also pressure the Beast Soul Sect’s Sect Master, Yi Xie. These thoughts flashed by in an instant. Just as Lan Xiaobu settled on Palace Tone Kill, two Seventh-Turn Sages and one Eighth-Turn Sage charged at him from the centre. With his void divine array broken by two void pattern experts, the Beast Soul Sect saw its chance. Lan Xiaobu knew these weren’t his biggest threat—Yi Xie, the Sect Master, was.
Though Yi Xie hadn’t moved, he could strike at any moment. Lan Xiaobu abandoned Palace Tone Kill for Horn Tone Kill. The halberd transformed into a vast wave of slaughter, unleashing a vortex of halberd aura like a cosmic black hole.
Anything blocking this halberd’s overwhelming killing intent would be ground to dust.
Boom! The charm of the Dao erupted. One Ninth-Turn Sage’s treasure slammed into the edge of the Longevity Halberd’s aura, the violent backlash making Lan Xiaobu’s body ache.
The other Ninth-Turn Sage wasn’t so lucky. Horn Tone Kill engulfed him head-on, his divine Dao laws weakened in an instant.
Pfft! A burst of blood exploded as this Ninth-Turn Sage was torn in half. The sound of the Dao mingled with the blood mist… Horn Tone rises, a thousand miles of wailing winds and blood-soaked robes. The sky unrelenting, my halberd strikes with a chorus of death! The treasure the slain Ninth-Turn Sage had hurled at Lan Xiaobu was still tumbling when Horn Tone Kill’s slaughtering laws sent it flying. The halberd’s killing momentum continued to climb.
Onlookers in the distance felt chills down their spines. This halberd Dao divine ability—with one strike, it could annihilate a planet. After killing a Ninth-Turn Sage, its power didn’t wane but grew fiercer. Following that Ninth-Turn Sage, a Seventh-Turn Sage was ripped apart by the halberd.
Under such might, forget two Ninth-Turn Sages—even a few more would be fodder. Yet the remaining few didn’t retract their treasures. Their domains stacked, and their treasures’ assault on Lan Xiaobu grew wilder.
Lan Xiaobu knew he couldn’t hold back. He didn’t fear the three remaining powerhouses above Seventh-Turn. He had a gut feeling: when Horn Tone Kill tore through a third Beast Soul Sect fighter, Yi Xie would strike. If he kept holding back, next year’s today would be his memorial.
He hadn’t yet dared activate his Ruleless Strangulation Array.
With four star-level sects present, and not even one fully committed, exhausting his trump cards now would be a miracle if it ended well. Sensing this danger, despite Horn Tone Kill’s rising momentum, Lan Xiaobu unleashed Rift Rule Wheel Pattern without hesitation. Almost simultaneously, a burst of blood erupted directly in front of him. The next moment, he saw Yi Xie, the Beast Soul Sect Master, stagger out of his domain’s grip. Cold sweat trickled down Lan Xiaobu’s back—he hadn’t even noticed when Yi Xie breached his domain. If Rift Rule Wheel Pattern had been a breath late, he could’ve killed a few more, but his own body would’ve been torn apart.
This Yi Xie was formidable—sneaking into his domain silently and surviving Rift Rule Wheel Pattern.
And he’d done so after breaking through Horn Tone Kill and shattering Lan Xiaobu’s domain. “Pfft! Pfft!” Another blood mist burst as the second Seventh-Turn Sage’s body was ripped apart. Thanks to Yi Xie’s intervention, his primordial spirit escaped Horn Tone Kill. The remaining Ninth-Turn Sage and Eighth-Turn Sage, also due to Yi Xie’s move, withdrew from Horn Tone Kill unscathed.
