Almost the instant the Eternal Night Saint stood, Lan Xiaobu made his move.
The Longevity Domain surged forth wildly as he threw a punch. When he unleashed this strike, Lan Xiaobu didn’t use any divine abilities—he merely wanted to test the Eternal Night Saint’s mettle. He’d heard from Shan Bu’ang that this guy was extraordinarily formidable, and he was eager to see just how formidable he truly was.
But as the punch blasted out, the entire Eternal Night Star abruptly appeared in his mind’s eye. It was as if he stood alone above Eternal Night Abyss, gazing down upon it, beholding the vast, boundless void where Eternal Night Abyss floated in solitude. No matter how grand Eternal Night Abyss seemed, in this infinite void, it was but a speck of dust. And beneath it, Eternal Night Star was a mote within that dust—a lonely city trapped under the giant vessel of Eternal Night Abyss, frozen in ice, exuding an air of desolate isolation.
In that moment, Lan Xiaobu’s understanding of the Great Path soared.
Then, the charm of his fist’s intent suddenly arose. What had been a plain, probing strike transformed into a divine ability imbued with profound meaning. The charm of this divine technique rolled forth like ocean tides, wave after wave crashing toward the Eternal Night Saint. No—this punch wasn’t just aimed at the saint; it roared from the void toward Eternal Night Abyss itself, intent on shattering the icy shell encasing Eternal Night Star into fragments.
*The lone city’s tune rises, tearing through the jade vessel’s ice!*
Crack! The Eternal Night Saint’s formidable domain was ripped apart by Lan Xiaobu. But this was only the beginning. The ferocious intent exploded outward, radiating from the Eternal Night Temple at its centre.
The Eternal Night Saint, still wrestling with his thoughts, paled. His own charm of the Path surged forth, his domain shifting in an instant. Now, he was unleashing all twelve parts of his strength.
He knew that no matter what he had to say, this wasn’t the time. He could even feel that Lan Xiaobu’s punch, after tearing through him, would rip apart the Eternal Night Temple, then Eternal Night Star, and perhaps even shatter the entirety of Eternal Night Abyss. He’d never encountered a powerhouse this terrifying.
Lan Xiaobu clearly sensed his Tune of Slaughter nearly tearing the Eternal Night Saint’s body apart when suddenly the entire charm of his divine technique seemed to crash into a realm of darkness. That darkness swiftly pulled and diluted it…
It was as if a force of billions had been aimed at one point, only to be weathered and scattered across billions of places.
What a powerful domain charm, Lan Xiaobu thought, closing his eyes. The Tune of Slaughter’s charm condensed again, surging wildly. He refused to believe it couldn’t break through this dark law and locate the Eternal Night Saint’s true form.
After blocking the killing strike, the Eternal Night Saint’s face turned deathly pale. He could tell Lan Xiaobu’s domain and charm vastly outstripped his own. Until now, no one had ever breached his Eternal Night Domain. Though it had just withstood Lan Xiaobu’s killing momentum, that momentum had merely been dispersed. As Lan Xiaobu’s slaughtering charm coalesced anew, it would cleave his domain apart and shatter Eternal Night Star.
Realising this, the Eternal Night Saint hurriedly said, “Friend Lan, this was Eternal Night Abyss’s fault. I, Miao Zhuo, am willing to compensate and apologise to you…”
Even as he spoke of apologies, he summoned a defensive treasure. But as he’d said, he didn’t counterattack, instead frantically resisting the Tune of Slaughter’s charm.
Boom! The Eternal Night Temple was torn apart by Lan Xiaobu’s Tune of Slaughter. The darkness seemed to shatter, and everything returned to normal. The Eternal Night Saint spat out a stream of blood, collapsing to the ground.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t press the attack, instead sitting back down. He hadn’t come primarily to kill the Eternal Night Saint—doing so held no meaning for him. His purpose was to inquire about the Seven Realms Stone: how the saint knew the Samsara Saint sought it, and where that information came from.
Seeing Lan Xiaobu halt, the Eternal Night Saint breathed a sigh of relief. He stood, wiped the blood from his face, and with a wave of his hand, the ruined Eternal Night Temple instantly restored itself. But everyone knew this was superficial—the protective arrays and restrictions had all been shredded by Lan Xiaobu’s divine technique.
The Eternal Night Saint was certain that without his domain and defensive treasure blocking that killing momentum, it would have torn through Eternal Night Star’s skies, flooding it with Eternal Night Abyss’s waters and utterly destroying it.
The Blood River Saint also exhaled in relief, his heart growing more shaken. He was now convinced the rumours were true—Lan Xiaobu absolutely had the strength to take down Yi Xie under the gaze of countless powerhouses.
“Thank you, Friend Lan, for showing mercy,” the Eternal Night Saint said sincerely as he returned to his seat. What he truly thought remained unknown.
Qingmu Saint Jiao Qingxu sat with his mouth half-open. He’d seen Lan Xiaobu’s move clearly—that strength…
When he’d followed Lan Xiaobu into the Eternal Night Temple, he’d come with a resolve to die. He knew how powerful the Eternal Night Saint was, especially with his arrays here.
Yet now, with a single strike, Lan Xiaobu had forced the saint to apologise and set aside the dignity of a top-tier powerhouse. This didn’t align with the Eternal Night Saint he knew. By his understanding, even if Lan Xiaobu’s technique destroyed the temple, the saint would’ve activated Eternal Night Abyss’s arrays to trap him and fight to the death.
There had to be something he didn’t know. Regardless, he felt he’d made the right choice in trusting Lan Xiaobu.
Lan Xiaobu, for his part, thought the saint was someone who could adapt. If the saint believed Eternal Night Abyss and its arrays could trap him, well, sorry—Eternal Night Star would cease to exist.
He merely nodded to the saint’s thanks and began, “Tell me, why did you capture my friend, the Samsara Saint?”
The Eternal Night Saint quickly explained, “It was because of the Seven Realms Stone. Few know its secrets, but I do. I know who its original owner was and even the location of his dojo, the Seven Realms Hall. It was there I obtained the Eternal Night Scroll, which allowed me to master Eternal Night Abyss and become the Eternal Night Saint.”
“The Eternal Night Scroll came from the Seven Realms Hall?” Lan Xiaobu’s heart stirred. He continued, “Let me see your Eternal Night Scroll, and we’ll call it even for capturing my friend.”
“Yes.” The Eternal Night Saint didn’t dare defy Lan Xiaobu. He promptly produced the scroll. He knew Lan Xiaobu’s strength—refusing was pointless; the man could wipe out Eternal Night Star with ease.
Lan Xiaobu took the Eternal Night Scroll and immediately sensed a vast, boundless aura of night rules. He’d experienced Ku Cai’s darkness rules and knew this night aura was entirely distinct.
Night wasn’t devoid of light—it concealed light within it. Thus, under the Eternal Night Scroll, one could still sense the rules of the five elements, whereas darkness rules permitted no second attribute.
As Lan Xiaobu flipped through the scroll, new Eternal Night rules began coalescing around him. If he wished, he could prove the Eternal Night Law at any moment, adding another branch to his Longevity Dao Tree.
But he didn’t. He felt the Eternal Night Law was a missing piece of the darkness law. He’d long believed darkness wasn’t absolute—just as rules and no-rules could switch at will.
While Lan Xiaobu studied the scroll, no one dared speak. Time ticked by, and the Eternal Night Temple remained utterly silent.
Feeling the Eternal Night Law around Lan Xiaobu grow clearer, the Eternal Night Saint sighed inwardly. He’d wasted his years. Look at this man—barely any time with the scroll, and his Eternal Night Law nearly matched his own. Given a bit more, it would surpass him entirely.
Three days later, Lan Xiaobu closed the scroll, an idea forming. He’d fuse the Eternal Night and darkness laws to forge his eighth Longevity Law—Darkness Law. Though named the same, it would differ vastly from Ku Cai’s version.
Without a Darkness Scroll, others couldn’t comprehend darkness law, but he had a chance. His Longevity Realm held a darkwood fragment, which needed Xi soil to sprout. Once he found it and nurtured the darkwood, proving the darkness law would come naturally.
“Thanks. Here’s your Eternal Night Scroll back,” Lan Xiaobu said, raising the scroll. He hadn’t used the Cosmic Dimension Model to replicate it—otherwise, the saint would’ve lost it forever.
“Ah…” The Eternal Night Saint hadn’t expected Lan Xiaobu to return it. He’d assumed it would be kept after being studied.
He reacted swiftly, “Please, Brother Lan, take the Eternal Night Scroll as compensation for your losses.”
His heart ached as he spoke. The scroll was his path to enlightenment—how could he bear to part with it? But Lan Xiaobu was ruthless. Offend him, and not just the scroll—his life and Eternal Night Abyss would be forfeit.
Lan Xiaobu chuckled and tossed it back, “I only borrowed it to read. I don’t take what’s yours. Now, go on about the Seven Realms Hall.”
Relieved, the Eternal Night Saint caught the scroll and stowed it away. “The master of the Seven Realms Hall was Meng Qi. Rumour has it the Seven Realms Stone was his, and he used it to prove Eternal Life, gaining supreme divine abilities.”
