Upon stepping onto the Qintian Ancient Road, Lan Xiaobu found his divine sense unable to extend. Having cultivated his own dao, in other places where divine sense was blocked, his dao principles could construct new spatial rules, allowing his divine sense to gradually permeate. But here, even with his own dao, Lan Xiaobu couldn’t project his divine sense. Once on the ancient road, the space outside seemed to vanish entirely—not only was divine sense blocked, but even his gaze saw nothing. Leaving the road before reaching a waystation was impossible.
Lan Xiaobu considered testing the Seven Realms Stone to see if it could exit the road, but with no immediate danger, there was no need to try.
He stomped the ground, and the soil felt like the rural mountain paths of his childhood, even kicking up dust with force.
Bending down, Lan Xiaobu dug with effort, managing to scoop some soil mixed with gravel, indistinguishable from a mountain trail. But in his palm, the soil melted away like snowflakes, vanishing.
“The path we came from is gone—no, it’s suddenly lengthened,” Qi Manwei said in shock.
Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji looked back, and indeed, only the yellowish dirt road stretched endlessly before them, its destination unknown. When they’d first stepped onto the Qintian Ancient Road, it seemed like its origin, marked by a weathered sign. Now, the sign was gone, and the void where they’d entered had vanished.
“Should we try walking back?” Lan Xiaobu suggested.
Thunder Sage quickly said, “Once you enter the Qintian Ancient Road, going back is the same—no end, only waystations allow exit.”
“Wuji, what do you think?” Lan Xiaobu turned to Mo Wuji.
Mo Wuji replied, “It’s indeed strange. I can’t extend my divine sense either, or rather, extending it is meaningless.”
Mo Wuji’s divine sense storage network could extend, but oddly, only as far as his vision reached. Beyond that, it couldn’t touch.
“Another thing—have you noticed? There are no rules here, or rather, the only rules you sense are those you’ve cultivated or comprehended,” Mo Wuji added.
The group was startled. Lan Xiaobu had already sensed it—there were indeed no rules here. The only rules he felt stemmed from his Longevity Dao Principles. Unfortunately, his 108 ruleless array flags were hidden in the Burial Path Great Origin’s tomb, or he could’ve set up a ruleless array to test.
Except for Thunder Sage, who’d been to the Qintian Ancient Road once, none had come before. The eerie circumstances silenced them. Everyone walked while trying to extend their divine sense or sense their dao principles’ flow, even Thunder Sage.
Indeed, for a cultivator, losing divine sense was akin to losing self-preservation.
Along the way, beyond the yellowish soil, Lan Xiaobu noticed occasional stones by the roadside.
He picked one up, finding it didn’t dissolve like the soil or gravel. Probing with divine sense revealed no rule aura, as if it too lacked rules.
Ruleless objects were no small matter—his ruleless dao cocoon had proven invaluable.
“This is worth keeping,” Lan Xiaobu said, storing the stone in his Cosmic Dimension Model for later study.
Seeing him, the others picked up stones too.
Thunder Sage, grabbing one, said, “Last time I was here, it was just the yellow dirt road, nothing else. Finding stones now is odd.”
“How long did you walk the Qintian Ancient Road last time? How many waystations did you encounter?” Mo Wuji asked casually.
Thunder Sage replied, “I walked about three thousand years, short compared to many. I encountered seven waystations and left with friends at the seventh, ending up in the Land of Eternity.”
“How did you know the seventh waystation led to the Land of Eternity?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Thunder Sage shook his head, “I didn’t. Every waystation allows exit. Finding a waystation leading to Creation Sage opportunities is pure luck. I offended a powerhouse at the seventh, and though it was said to have few opportunities, I left. Luckily, I still achieved Creation Sage status in the Land of Eternity.”
Three thousand years for seven waystations—Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji sighed inwardly. At that rate, they might need centuries to reach the first.
Knowing it could take centuries, the group adjusted their mindset. Everyone walked while seeking ways to advance their dao, except Qi Manwei.
After over a month, Qi Manwei approached Lan Xiaobu.
Lan Xiaobu, trying to construct a Longevity Dao Principle space on the road, stopped when he saw her, “Manwei, friend…”
“Here you go again. Can’t you just call me Manwei? Are we that distant?” Qi Manwei rolled her eyes, displeased. On the Seven Realms Stone, with others around, she hadn’t had a chance to speak her heart, despite the long journey.
Now, with Mo Wuji and Thunder Sage focused on dao breakthroughs, Qi Manwei, uninterested in dao insights, felt uneasy without clarifying her relationship with Lan Xiaobu.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “Manwei, look at Thunder Sage. You’re both Creation Sages. I think you could try constructing your own Creation Sage dao principles. If you succeed, you might extend your divine sense.”
“Don’t dodge the topic. You said if I reached Creation Sage, we could become dao companions. Why haven’t you mentioned it?” Qi Manwei was blunt, uninterested in beating around the bush.
Lan Xiaobu felt awkward. He hadn’t expected Qi Manwei to reach Creation Sage so quickly.
But he had no intention of backing out. Glancing at Mo Wuji and Thunder Sage walking ahead, he took Qi Manwei’s hand, “I planned to reach Creation Sage, bring my wife to the Land of Eternity, then discuss it with you. But the Burial Path Great Origin changed things. I don’t dare bring my family here, so it’s been delayed.”
Feeling the warmth of Lan Xiaobu’s hand, Qi Manwei blushed,偷瞄ed at him, then lowered her head, “You’re at Creation Dao Sage, I’m Creation Sage. Plus, we… it’d benefit your dao. Once you reach Creation Sage, we could destroy that guy in the Burial Path Great Origin, right? The Land of Eternity is fine, the problem’s that guy.”
Lan Xiaobu sighed, thinking of Luo Caixi, Su Cen, and Zuo Wanyin, still missing. Honestly, he didn’t know how to handle it.
He owed Luo Caixi the most, but…
Just then, Mo Wuji called out, “Friend, hold on…”
Lan Xiaobu noticed a woman in plain robes ahead, her cultivation unclear, likely concealed.
“Let’s check it out,” Lan Xiaobu said, releasing Qi Manwei’s hand and hurrying forward.
The woman looked at Mo Wuji and the others in surprise, not expecting to meet anyone on the Qintian Ancient Road. Wasn’t it said you only met people at waystations?
“You…” She was at a loss for words.
Mo Wuji clasped his fist, “Greetings, friend. I heard you only meet people at waystations on the Qintian Ancient Road. Why do we see you here?”
The woman was equally baffled, “I don’t know. It’s said everyone who steps onto the Qintian Ancient Road walks a separate path unless they start together. Why can we meet?”
“Xiaobu, she likely failed to reach Creation Sage. Her strength is peak Realm-Deriving, or half-step Creation Sage,” Qi Manwei whispered to Lan Xiaobu.
