The group fell into a brief silence, fully aware of the situation. The person they were hunting was constantly employing an exceptionally sophisticated escape technique, moving while integrating their own Great Path into the universal laws of the Land of Eternity.
“Why not do as we did last time? Spread this person’s Path resonance and mobilize the many Eternal powerhouses to hunt them down,” Saint Yingdao said sharply.
Saint Eternity frowned but didn’t respond. Saint Tianji, however, spoke up, “Last time, we deployed so many Eternal Saints and still failed to catch that Mo fellow. Instead, his Great Path grew increasingly perfected. Not only that, he built a massive reputation in the Land of Eternity, while we lost dozens of Path Creation Saints. If we try again, our prestige in the Land of Eternity will suffer even more.”
Though the Land of Eternity wasn’t explicitly ruled by Fortune Saints, their status and influence here were supreme.
A rough voice came from the distance, “So what? I refuse to believe this guy can be like the last one, slaughtering Path Creation Saints at will before even achieving Eternal Enlightenment.”
The group turned to see a tall, burly man approaching, his face nearly obscured by a thick beard.
Everyone recognized him. This wasn’t a Fortune Saint. The Land of Eternity had strict hierarchies— даже a Realm Derivation Saint couldn’t afford to be arrogant or rude before a Fortune Saint. Yet this man spoke as if he were a Fortune Saint himself, which was blatantly disrespectful.
But no one was angered, for there were a few non-Fortune Saints in the Land of Eternity who dared to act this way, thanks to their powerful backers. This man, Zhuang Yongzi, was a peak Realm Derivation powerhouse.
In terms of strength, few Realm Derivation Saints in the Land of Eternity could defeat Zhuang Yongzi. Even Wan Dao Saint Heavy Sword Shan, who nearly achieved Fortune Saint status, likely wasn’t his match.
But Zhuang Yongzi’s audacity to speak this way to Fortune Saints didn’t stem from his strength—it came from his backer, the formidable Fortune Saint, Immortal Saint.
Among the seven existing Fortune Saints in the Land of Eternity, Immortal Saint was one. However, Immortal Saint never appeared in person. Whenever Fortune Saints were involved in matters, it was Immortal Saint’s chief disciple, Zhuang Yongzi, who acted on his behalf. Thus, Zhuang Yongzi’s presence was equivalent to Immortal Saint’s.
“Yong Saint’s words make sense. Let’s do as we did last time and hunt down this new ant. By the way, this is the residual Path resonance of this person,” Saint Eternity said, showing great respect to Zhuang Yongzi, despite his mere Realm Derivation status.
Not only was his tone polite, but he also handed Zhuang Yongzi a crystal ball containing the aura of Lan Xiaobu’s Path resonance.
Zhuang Yongzi took the crystal ball, nodded, and said, “Though my master is still in seclusion, Immortal Saint Mountain won’t stand idly by. I’ll take my leave. Let’s see who can catch this ant first.”
With that, Zhuang Yongzi summoned his flight treasure and departed.
After he left, Saint Yingdao spoke, “Everyone, I suspect Immortal Saint has fallen. Otherwise, why is it always his disciple Zhuang Yongzi acting and speaking on his behalf?”
“That’s unlikely, isn’t it? If Immortal Saint had fallen and was in the reincarnation phase, he’d surely hide his tracks meticulously. How could he be so high-profile?” Saint Thunderbolt said immediately.
All eyes turned to Saint Tianji, who remained silent for a long while before saying, “I, too, long believed Immortal Saint had fallen and was reconstructing his Great Path. But after several divinations, the results were always vague. This suggests he may have shielded himself from heavenly secrets. How could a fallen person shield themselves from heavenly secrets?”
“So, Immortal Saint hasn’t fallen?” Saint Eternity asked. He, too, had assumed Immortal Saint was gone, using Zhuang Yongzi’s constant appearances to maintain his status while preparing for a future Fortune Saint breakthrough.
Saint Tianji continued, “But in my most recent divination, something felt strange. His heavenly aura has grown increasingly faint, and the Immortal Path Scroll seems to no longer be in the Land of Eternity.”
Saint Eternity nodded, “For now, focus on hunting this junior. We’ll deal with other matters later.”
Though he didn’t say it explicitly, everyone understood his meaning: after eliminating Lan Xiaobu, they’d immediately investigate whether Immortal Saint was still alive. If he had truly fallen, with only a soul fragment in another realm, the Fortune Saint position belonging to him would have to be reclaimed.
A Fortune Saint beyond their control versus one they could mold—the outcome was obvious. They didn’t want a powerful Fortune Saint; they wanted an obedient one.
…
Lan Xiaobu was unaware that his Path aura had been spread across the Land of Eternity. At this moment, he was employing his Ruleless Escape Technique while integrating his Longevity Path principles into the universal laws of the Land of Eternity.
Time passed slowly. Though many detected Lan Xiaobu’s aura fluctuations, by the time they reached the location, he had vanished again. As time went on, his Path resonance grew fainter.
Lan Xiaobu was inwardly thrilled. Continuously using the Ruleless Escape Technique, though exhausting his divine essence and divine sense, brought greater rewards. He was now certain that Mo Wuji had escaped in a similar manner—otherwise, there’d be no way to evade pursuit in the Land of Eternity.
Ten years passed in this constant fleeing. Though he nearly got caught several times, the Ruleless Escape Technique kept him safe.
However, Lan Xiaobu’s initial excitement had faded. No matter how much he integrated into the Land of Eternity’s laws, his Longevity Path’s resonance could never be fully concealed.
In this moment, he finally understood the meaning behind Mo Wuji’s words. How laughable it was to think he could fully blend into the Land of Eternity’s laws in just half a month.
Some truths only sank in through personal experience, and Lan Xiaobu was now realizing this.
Two more years passed, and Lan Xiaobu sensed something was off. He could never fully mask his Longevity Path, always falling just short. He began to ponder what the issue was—why couldn’t he fully merge his Longevity Path with the Land of Eternity’s universal laws?
He cultivated his own Great Path, while this was the supreme Eternal Heavenly Law…
Lost in thought, Lan Xiaobu was jolted awake when a terrifying sword aura tore through his Saint domain. He had lingered in one place too long.
Sensing extreme danger, Lan Xiaobu frantically extended his Longevity Space Path principles and took a step forward.
“Pfft!” A spray of blood erupted. The sword aura ripped a foot-long gash across his back, exposing his spine. Had he not extended his Longevity Space in time, he’d have been cleaved in two.
Despite the ambush, Lan Xiaobu felt no regret. He sensed he was on the verge of grasping something crucial. Instead of fleeing, he charged back into the attacker’s sword aura domain, throwing a punch.
He needed to verify whether his intuition was correct.
This punch wasn’t the divine ability he’d previously unleashed with his Longevity Path principles. Instead, it fused a strand of the Land of Eternity’s laws into his Longevity Path principles.
The ambusher was a red-clad youth who looked younger than Lan Xiaobu, though Lan Xiaobu knew his true age far exceeded his own.
Seeing his sword aura injure Lan Xiaobu and his sword domain lock down Lan Xiaobu’s escape routes, the red-clad youth’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He stepped forward, aiming to seal Lan Xiaobu completely.
He wasn’t thrilled about wounding Lan Xiaobu but about the prospect of capturing him.
For a Path Creation Saint like him, defeating Lan Xiaobu was easy—he had no doubts about that. Lan Xiaobu’s ability to evade capture until now wasn’t due to strength but his escape technique. Now, with Lan Xiaobu’s path blocked, capturing him would make Jin Hua famous across the Land of Eternity.
What Jin Hua couldn’t understand was why Lan Xiaobu didn’t escape further, even with his routes blocked, and instead stayed right in front of him.
Something’s wrong…
Just as the thought crossed Jin Hua’s mind, Lan Xiaobu’s punch tore through his sword domain, effortlessly striking his forehead. He had no time—or chance—to dodge.
Bang! Jin Hua’s head exploded into a mist of blood.
“I understand now.” Lan Xiaobu clenched his fist, his heart surging with excitement, though his gaze grew calmer.
He finally grasped the meaning of Mo Wuji’s words. All this time, he’d been trying to integrate his Longevity Path principles into the Land of Eternity’s universal laws.
But he’d forgotten he cultivated his own Great Path.
His task wasn’t to merge his Longevity Path into the Land of Eternity’s laws or even to blend them together. Instead, he needed to incorporate the Land of Eternity’s laws into his Longevity Path, even transforming them into branches of his Longevity Path Tree.
This reversal determined who was dominant.
Mo Wuji had explained it clearly, but Lan Xiaobu hadn’t understood. Mo Wuji knew he didn’t understand yet chose not to clarify. Because, like Mo Wuji, Lan Xiaobu was the kind of person who gained the deepest insights only through personal realization.
