Lian Yingxian was taken aback. She had used a voice transmission, but Hou Yucheng responded aloud without one.
The man and woman outside were equally stunned. They knew Mortal Star well—its strongest was Lian Yingxian, a mere Sixth-Turn Saint, someone they could crush effortlessly. Had the planet not been bound by a powerful destructive principle, they’d have stormed in to seize the Great Kun Buddha Lamp long ago.
“Heh, let’s see what you’re made of,” the man sneered after a moment’s pause. He summoned a red spear, unleashing a vortex of billions of crimson spear lights that surged toward Hou Yucheng.
Though aimed at Hou Yucheng, the killing aura from the spear vortex forced Lian Yingxian back several steps. The others retreated even further.
Lian Yingxian’s eyes betrayed worry. Nearing Seventh-Turn Sainthood herself, she could tell this man’s strength far exceeded his apparent realm. This was a killing domain, layered atop a saintly domain. For those of lesser cultivation, resisting was impossible—escaping would be a feat in itself.
Hou Yucheng didn’t move. He didn’t even summon a treasure—truth be told, he had no suitable one at hand. He simply raised his hand and grasped outward.
With that grasp, it was as if he’d stirred the boundless demonic aura of the vast void. A more oppressive demonic breath roared toward the spear’s killing vortex.
The rapidly swelling crimson vortex halted its expansion instantly, then seemed crushed by the endless, raging demonic breath, gradually grinding to a standstill.
Crack! The man’s saintly domain shattered. Hou Yucheng’s hand seal locked onto every shred of the man’s vitality.
“You’re courting death…” The woman, who’d been watching from the sidelines, saw her companion’s domain torn apart in one move. Panic seized her, and she frantically unleashed her Three Yin Nirvana Sword.
Three streams of yin energy tore through the void like fissures, rushing at Hou Yucheng. Cracks began to form in his domain.
Yet Hou Yucheng’s hand seal on the man remained steady. With a flick of his fingers, he summoned a black principle. A torrent of wild demonic energy swept out, and in that instant, the rules of the demonic path filled the space. The faint cracks the woman had torn open healed in a flash.
Though a Ninth-Turn Saint with a formidable domain, she faced Hou Yucheng’s void-rending demonic principle. Her domain split apart, and the void principles conjured by her Three Yin Nirvana Sword rapidly faded.
Crack! Hou Yucheng’s hand seal shattered the man’s skull, eliciting a piercing scream.
“Peng-ge…” The woman let out a shrill cry, her voice sharp as a venomous thorn. “You dare kill my partner? I’ll devour you alive…”
Hou Yucheng seemed deaf to her threats. His demonic principle grew fiercer, forcibly tearing open the man’s world. In the next moment, everything within it was swept away by Hou Yucheng.
Lian Yingxian, watching from a distance, stood dumbfounded. Hou Yucheng’s strength after his nirvana was staggering. She could accept him killing an Eighth-Turn Saint, but to so brutally rip apart an Eighth-Turn Saint’s world? That required a mastery of the Great Path beyond ordinary comprehension.
And it didn’t end there. After slaying the man, Hou Yucheng’s demonic principle morphed into a blade. The blade pierced the woman’s brow without resistance, erupting into waves of demonic breath.
In despair, the woman clawed at the blade sinking into her forehead, but her strength failed her. Her hand rose only slightly before falling limp. Terror and a plea for mercy flickered in her eyes. She desperately wanted Hou Yucheng to spare her, but his voice rang in her ears: “You two came to steal my wife’s treasure and kill her. How could I, Hou Yucheng, let you live?”
Crack! Her world, too, was torn apart by his demonic principle. She closed her eyes in resignation as Hou Yucheng claimed everything within.
The onlookers stood in a daze. Hou Yucheng walked the demonic path, yet his kills were executed with such ease and grace, devoid of gore—hardly the style of a demonic saint.
“Brother Hou, have you proven Ninth-Turn?” Lian Yingxian stepped forward, gazing at him with excitement.
Hou Yucheng bowed, “I’ve been fortunate. After becoming a demonic principle, I managed to undergo nirvana and reach Ninth-Turn. Thanks to Brother Lan’s help, or I’d still be unable to break free.”
“Congratulations, Junior Brother Hou, on your demonic nirvana and ascent to Ninth-Turn,” Cen Shuyin said, stepping up to offer her felicitations.
Soon, many of Mortal Star’s cultivators came forward to congratulate him, relieved that their planet now had a Ninth-Turn Saint. Without one, that man and woman could have dominated them.
After exchanging courtesies, Hou Yucheng turned to Lian Yingxian, “Senior Sister Lian, where’s my wife, Su Xi?”
Not finding her upon emerging, he suspected she might have left Mortal Star.
Lian Yingxian sighed, “After Mortal Star appeared in this plane, it caught the attention of many powerhouses. Su Xi’s cultivation advanced rapidly—she reached Sixth-Turn Sainthood centuries ago, even surpassing me. In a battle, she revealed the Great Kun Buddha Lamp. That pair just now came for it. Knowing that staying would only draw more thieves to Mortal Star, Su Xi left, partly to divert trouble and partly to seek a chance at Ninth-Turn Sainthood elsewhere.”
Hearing of Su Xi’s departure, Hou Yucheng fell silent. In the vast cosmos, where could he search for her?
Sensing his thoughts, Lian Yingxian continued, “Junior Sister Su Xi’s resolve to pursue the Dao is unwavering. I’d wager she’s now Seventh or even Eighth-Turn. She might not be in this plane, but with her strength, Brother Hou needn’t worry.”
She withheld another concern: Mortal Star’s safety. If Hou Yucheng left to find Su Xi now, a Ninth-Turn powerhouse attacking would spell disaster.
“Brother Lan mentioned Mortal Star faced danger earlier. Was it those two?” Hou Yucheng asked.
Lian Yingxian shook her head, “Those two were strong, but not the danger Brother Lan meant. Mortal Star was bound by a destructive principle—possibly left by a Creation Saint. Under that terrifying force, no one could leave; we could only wait for it to destroy the planet.”
Hou Yucheng was shocked. He hadn’t noticed before, but now, hearing Lian Yingxian, he sensed something off. Though his demonic principle was complete, it had always felt at risk of unraveling. Now he realised it was because someone had locked Mortal Star with a destructive principle.
“Brother Lan’s strength is sky-high. He tore that principle apart effortlessly, saving us. You’ve met him—you know how powerful he is.”
At this, Hou Yucheng understood. It must tie back to the sect leader. Otherwise, who would dare—or even be able—to bind Mortal Star with a single principle?
“Senior Sister Lian, I’ll stay on Mortal Star in seclusion until another Ninth-Turn Saint emerges. Then I’ll leave,” Hou Yucheng said. Though he longed to find Su Xi now, he knew he couldn’t go.
“Thank you, Junior Brother Hou,” Cen Shuyin said gratefully. With Mortal Star exposed in this plane and coveted by many, a Ninth-Turn Saint staying behind offered much-needed security.
Lian Yingxian was overjoyed, then said, “Brother Hou, you don’t need to rush to find Su Xi. I have a suggestion that might help.”
Hou Yucheng lit up and eagerly asked for advice.
Lian Yingxian explained, “With Su Xi’s strength, reaching Ninth-Turn is only a matter of time. After Ninth-Turn, to progress further, one likely has to go to the Land of Eternal Life.”
Hou Yucheng, sharp as he was, grasped her meaning halfway through, “Senior Sister Lian, are you saying I’ll meet Su Xi if I go to the Land of Eternal Life later?”
Lian Yingxian nodded, “Exactly. The planes we inhabit are vast and interconnected. Even an eternal powerhouse would struggle to find someone here. But the Land of Eternal Life is different. They say all who surpass Ninth-Turn eventually gather there. Finding someone then would be far easier than now.”
“Do you have a way to get there, Senior Sister?” Hou Yucheng asked urgently. Having been a demonic principle for years, he was unfamiliar with much, including the Land of Eternal Life.
“I don’t, but I know someone who can,” Lian Yingxian replied.
“Who?” Hou Yucheng looked at her expectantly.
“Brother Lan Xiaobu. His strength is immense, yet he’s not yet an eternal saint. I suspect he’s preparing to enter the Land of Eternal Life. My cultivation’s too low to ask much, but if you want to go there someday, just find Brother Lan,” she said.
Hou Yucheng grew anxious, “Sadly, I didn’t keep a communication bead from Brother Lan. How will I find him?”
Lian Yingxian smiled, “Brother Lan is kind-hearted. He built us a teleportation array, leaving a trace of his divine sense in it. When you need to find him, you can send a message through that trace. With his strength, he’ll surely sense it.”
“That’s perfect,” Hou Yucheng said, relieved.
…
Lan Xiaobu sat atop the Samsara Pot. The Six Realms Stone flag was far off—he estimated it’d take years to reach without the pot’s aid.
Perched on it, feeling the nine distinct principles on his Longevity Dao Tree, he gauged his current strength. Upon entering the Land of Eternal Life, he’d have no fear of Creation Path Saints. Still, he heeded the Destiny Saint’s words: before going, his teleportation skills needed another leap—especially his ruleless teleportation. He had to refine it to at least ensure escape from a Creation powerhouse’s grasp.
