Just as Mo Wuji messaged to prepare for action, Lan Xiaobu suddenly said, “Wuji, let’s hold off. I’ll guide the Seven Realms Stone for another loop, and we’ll attack a few random spots before targeting this one. If we hit the hidden array gate directly, it’ll reveal we can pinpoint their concealed locations. Exposing that ability would put us at a disadvantage.”
“Good call,” Mo Wuji agreed.
Clearly, the Burial Path principles in this chamber weren’t random—they had a master. If they immediately located the hidden array gate upon entering, it would signal they could uncover any concealed spot, a dangerous revelation.
Lan Xiaobu continued steering the Seven Realms Stone through the vast palace. Unlike the previous loop, they stopped periodically to launch sudden attacks. The hall was so immense that their random strikes had little chance of hitting the array gate.
After a dozen fruitless attacks, Lan Xiaobu finally brought the stone back to the hidden array gate’s location.
Mo Wuji messaged, “I’ll choose a spot slightly off from the gate for the first strike. It’ll cause the gate to fluctuate, revealing it. Then we hit it with everything.”
“Agreed,” Lan Xiaobu replied, endorsing Mo Wuji’s plan.
Their window was narrow. If the tomb’s master realised they could easily locate the gate, it would spell trouble.
Mo Wuji struck first, deploying his Mortal Halberd. The attack missed the gate but triggered a ripple, exposing its outline.
Lan Xiaobu and Thunder Sage unleashed their full force, while Mo Wuji followed with another strike, casting his divine ability, Sever God, via the Mortal Halberd.
Sever God tore through the gate’s array charm, Palace Sound Kill unleashed billions of slaughtering auras onto the gate’s core, and Thunder Sage’s thunder waterfalls shattered array foundations one after another.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Under such precise, forceful attacks, a sharp crack sounded. The gate split open, and Lan Xiaobu’s Longevity Halberd twisted the rift, fully revealing the interior.
It was an opulent room—no, an extravagant tomb chamber.
The walls were inlaid with top-grade dao crystals, with a supreme-grade dao crystal every few intervals. The chamber brimmed with dense yuan qi, ideal for comprehending principles—a cultivator’s dream.
Lan Xiaobu had seen mostly low- and mid-grade dao crystals, with a few high-grade dao veins, treasures typically reserved for Creation Sages. Considering how few Creation Sages existed in the Land of Eternal Life, the wealth here was staggering.
Beyond the crystals, the walls were embedded with top-grade enlightenment wood, exuding unimaginable richness.
At the chamber’s centre stood a coffin, shrouded in Burial Path principles, making it impossible to probe its contents with divine sense.
Not seeing Qi Manwei, Lan Xiaobu felt a pang of disappointment. He wanted to enter and investigate but sensed danger—entering could lead to grave consequences.
“Xiaobu, we can’t go in,” Mo Wuji’s voice came, tinged with unease. “The Burial Path principles inside exceed what we can withstand. That’s one issue. More concerning, this chamber gives me an extreme sense of threat, though I can’t pinpoint why. I suggest we retreat and plan our next move.”
Lan Xiaobu knew Mo Wuji’s character—few things unnerved him. If Mo Wuji was this cautious, the threat was real. Lan Xiaobu shared the same vague unease but was reluctant to leave empty-handed.
“Wuji, give me a moment. I’ll use the Great Cutting Technique to inspect the coffin,” Lan Xiaobu decided.
Mo Wuji’s voice interrupted, “Xiaobu, there’s a corpse in the coffin. Strangely, it’s someone we should have killed.”
Mo Wuji’s Spirit Storage Network had faintly sensed the coffin’s occupant.
“Who?” Lan Xiaobu asked urgently.
Mo Wuji messaged, “Based on my vague perception through the Spirit Storage Network, it’s likely Great Cosmos Sage…”
Hearing Great Cosmos Sage, Lan Xiaobu’s heart jolted. Wasn’t Qu Peng, the Great Cosmos Sage, killed at the Creation Market? How could he be here, and so formidable? Then Lan Xiaobu recalled why the tomb felt familiar—it echoed the sensation from Zhan’ai Holy Dao City, where Cha He Quasi-Sage’s area held many coffins, including Kun Wei Sage’s, whom Lan Xiaobu had saved.
It was also there that he’d found the Seven Realms Stone.
Before Lan Xiaobu could speak, he sensed a familiar aura within the chamber, less than three zhang away.
“Wuji, check the chamber. I feel another hidden restriction, less than three zhang to our left front,” Lan Xiaobu messaged urgently. The Great Cosmos Sage could wait—this familiar aura was surely Qi Manwei’s.
Qi Manwei had cultivated the Space Great Path and later achieved Creation Sage status with Space and Time Great Paths, built upon Lan Xiaobu’s framework. Though aided by the Cosmos-Opening Dao Scroll, they aligned with his Longevity Great Path, confirming to Lan Xiaobu that Qi Manwei was here.
Even with his Spirit Storage Network, Mo Wuji hesitated to probe the coffin. Hearing Lan Xiaobu’s precise location, he cautiously extended his network.
After a dozen breaths, Mo Wuji detected a hidden restriction, stunned by its sophistication. Despite his array expertise, he’d missed it earlier, a testament to its strength.
“Xiaobu, there’s a hidden restriction. I’m certain someone’s inside, but I dare not touch it. Disturbing it would alert others,” Mo Wuji messaged.
He knew their entry into the chamber had already been noticed. Both sides were biding their time, so they couldn’t reveal their ability to pinpoint every hidden restriction or gate.
“Xiaobu, I’ve figured it out,” Mo Wuji continued. “Why did we breach a hidden array gate only to find a luxurious tomb chamber? This chamber is a teleportation array. Step inside, and we’d be teleported away, even on the Seven Realms Stone. I suspect the destination is inside that coffin.”
“So that’s it,” Lan Xiaobu marvelled. “The coffin seems close but might be incredibly far away.”
He’d sensed the chamber’s strangeness and the danger of entering, suspecting it was a trap. It was indeed a teleportation array.
Mo Wuji messaged, “Not ‘might’—it’s definitely far. The hidden restriction, likely holding your friend, is also distant despite seeming near. We must plan carefully for one shot at success. Fail, and we retreat, or it’s a dead end.”
Lan Xiaobu understood. He’d achieved much in his cultivation, but compared to the tomb’s architect, he was a novice. A restriction appearing close yet spanning countless planes was a masterful array technique.
Seeing Lan Xiaobu’s comprehension, Mo Wuji said, “Rescuing her is incredibly difficult. We might charge the restriction only to find it’s not there, separated by multiple planes. Or we could be teleported before reaching it.”
Sensing a restriction across planes, making it feel tangible, was true array mastery.
Lan Xiaobu knew Mo Wuji was warning him: without absolute certainty, rescuing Qi Manwei was tantamount to suicide.
But Lan Xiaobu suddenly thought of the Great Cosmos Sage. Perhaps the figure here was the true Great Cosmos Sage, while Qu Peng was merely a disciple or subordinate.
Qu Peng mastered the Great Planet Technique and died pursuing the Great Cosmos Technique. The Great Cosmos Sage here wielded the authentic Great Cosmos Technique, not just the Great Planet Technique.
“Xiaobu, should we act?” Mo Wuji asked again.
If they couldn’t pinpoint Qi Manwei’s exact location quickly, they, along with the Seven Realms Stone, risked being trapped.
