“Yuansha, come in for a moment,” Qin Qingtian suddenly called out.
Qin Yuansha, who had been waiting outside, hurriedly rushed in, bowing respectfully to the air in the corner of the hall, “Yuansha greets the Ancestor, please give your instructions.”
Qin Qingtian said, “I overheard some of your discussions earlier. Now, Protector Meng is unclear about the disappearance of the Bailin Universe. You explain it. Also, tell us when the Bailin Universe vanished.”
“Yes,” Qin Yuansha, though unsure why the Ancestor specifically mentioned the Bailin Universe, answered carefully, “After the Mengmu Dayan Dojo was destroyed, many people began to evacuate the Haoyuan Universe…”
“Wait, why were these people evacuating the Haoyuan Universe?” Meng Yuan interrupted Qin Yuansha with a question.
Qin Yuansha replied, “Because after the Mengmu Dayan Dojo was destroyed, someone spread a rumour in the Void Plaza, saying that Mengmu Dayan destroyed its own dojo and would soon destroy the Haoyuan Universe…”
“Nonsense…” Meng Yuan blurted out. Mengmu Dayan wasn’t mad enough to destroy its own dojo.
Qin Yuansha’s lips curled in disdain, thinking to himself, *In fact, the rumour wasn’t wrong, was it? Look at the cultivators remaining in the Haoyuan Universe—how many are still alive? Apart from our Qin family, who survived thanks to the Tuopan Hall, even if others had the fortune to survive elsewhere, the entire Haoyuan Universe probably has fewer than a thousand survivors.*
With a population of tens of billions in the Haoyuan Universe, only a thousand remained, *Isn’t that the doing of your Mengmu Dayan?*
“Continue,” Qin Qingtian prompted, seeing that Qin Yuansha had paused.
Qin Yuansha nodded and said, “After many cultivators left the Haoyuan Universe, they searched for places to retreat. Many went to the Chaos River, Illusory Ruins, or even the Thousand Realms Void, but some still wanted to try their luck in the Bailin Universe. After all, compared to those places, the Bailin Universe’s universal laws are the most suitable for cultivation. These cultivators heading to the Bailin Universe likely hoped to see if its poison dao laws had dissipated. Then they were shocked to find that the Bailin Universe had vanished overnight. Our Qin family even sent people to investigate, and indeed, there were no traces—it truly disappeared.”
Pausing for a moment, Qin Yuansha added proactively, “It’s not that everything in the Bailin Universe vanished. What disappeared was the main star, Bailin Star, along with a few surrounding auxiliary stars. The remaining auxiliary stars are still there, but the spatial dao laws are noticeably starting to become chaotic.”
Meng Yuan fell silent. The sudden disappearance of Bailin Star was definitely not something a concealment array could achieve. Even if a concealment array could do it, it wouldn’t fool the Creation Saint standing before her, Qin Yuansha.
“Friend Qin, what’s your take?” Meng Yuan’s tone softened.
Qin Qingtian said calmly, “Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji are geniuses. Your Mengmu Dayan treasury is likely a sub-space, equivalent to a miniature barrier. These two were able to enter that barrier, which shows they have some understanding of barriers…”
“Are you saying, Friend Qin, that they’ve sealed the entire Bailin Universe within a cosmic barrier?” Meng Yuan was stunned. This was too outrageous to believe. Let alone her, even the top array dao saint of Mengmu Dayan couldn’t seal an entire universe within a barrier.
“I’m collaborating with you as a protector of Mengmu Dayan, so it’s better to address me as Protector Meng.”
Qin Qingtian didn’t mind, “I have a way to break the Bailin Universe’s barrier, but it requires me to retrieve something that belongs to me.”
“You want me to help you retrieve this item?” Meng Yuan immediately understood Qin Qingtian’s implication, her tone laced with sarcasm.
Having talked with Qin Qingtian this long, she had seen through what kind of person he was. He was someone who never acted without profit, always laying traps in his words. She despised such people, but with no better options, she had to grit her teeth and work with him.
Qin Qingtian said solemnly, “Indeed, this would be you doing me a favour. I’m willing to make some concessions…”
“Does that mean giving me the Seven Realm Stone?” Meng Yuan interjected immediately.
Qin Qingtian said, “The Seven Realm Stone is extremely important to me, so I can’t give it to you. However, I know these two have the Heavenly Astral Transformation Technique, and that technique can be yours.”
“Fine, deal,” Meng Yuan knew getting the Seven Realm Stone was impossible. The Heavenly Astral Transformation Technique was something she coveted too—it would give her an extra tool. Besides, even if Qin Qingtian didn’t offer the technique, she would have to agree. According to him, breaking the Bailin Universe’s barrier required retrieving his item. Even if she had to hold her nose, she’d help.
“Good. The item I need to retrieve is called the Qin Heavenly Ancient Path, my personal treasure. Now, we’ll head to retrieve the Qin Heavenly Ancient Path, and then go straight to the Bailin Universe. Yuansha, after Protector Meng and I leave, immediately rebuild the Haoyuan Universe,” Qin Qingtian added, giving Qin Yuansha final instructions.
“I suggest you don’t waste your effort. The Haoyuan Universe has been locked by my Great Dream Dao laws, and soon billions of nightmares will appear here. If your Qin family stays, don’t blame me for not warning you when things go wrong,” Meng Yuan said coolly.
Qin Qingtian’s tone turned cold, “The Haoyuan Universe is the foundation of my Qin family. If even this is something your Mengmu Dayan won’t spare, there’s no need for us to cooperate.”
Though he said this, Qin Qingtian was inwardly furious. If he were at his peak, would a mere Meng Yuan dare to threaten to destroy the Haoyuan Universe? She’d be dreaming. He might have uprooted Mengmu Dayan itself—how could a lowly protector be so arrogant?
Meng Yuan hadn’t expected Qin Qingtian to be so resolute. After hesitating, she decided the Mengmu Dayan treasury was more important and said, “Fine, I’ll make another concession and leave the Haoyuan Universe to your Qin family. I hope you’ll live up to what I’ve given up.”
Qin Qingtian said indifferently, “The Haoyuan Universe has always been the origin of my Qin family—it’s not something you’re giving up. But if you insist on putting it that way, so be it. Let’s go.”
With that, the Tuopan Hall suddenly emitted a series of roars. Meng Yuan rushed out, only to see Qin Yuansha tumble out of the Tuopan Hall. Then, the Tuopan Hall transformed into a flying treasure and shot into the void. Faintly, Qin Qingtian’s voice echoed from the void, “Friend Meng, come with me. The sooner we act, the better. If we delay too long and those two ants achieve the Creation Saint Realm, it’ll be much harder to deal with them.”
Meng Yuan immediately sent a message, then transformed into a streak of red light, following the Tuopan Hall into the vast expanse. Only Qin Yuansha remained, standing dazed in place.
“Patriarch, has the Ancestor left?” Several surviving elders quickly gathered around.
Qin Yuansha stood stunned for a while before muttering, “I have a feeling that offending these two will bring no good to our Qin family.”
“Offending which two?” an elder asked. Qin Yuansha sighed, “Never mind, let’s just follow the Patriarch’s orders.”
…
On Mo Lan Star, Lan Xiaobu stood up, feeling it was time to discuss with Mo Wuji. First, they should remove the barrier around Mo Lan Star and rename it the Mo Lan Universe.
Since it was to be a universe, it couldn’t just be the few of them. They needed to attract more cultivators to the Mo Lan Universe to bolster its strength.
(Today’s update ends here, good night, friends!)
“The disappearance of the Bailin Universe, I suspect, is exactly as I described. Though it sounds shocking, there’s no other explanation,” Qin Qingtian said calmly.
Qin Yuansha listened in awe. If the Ancestor’s guess was correct, he had still underestimated Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji. Could ordinary people set up a cosmic barrier?
“If they’re so adept at cosmic barriers, why not choose the better Daoyuan Mountain?” Meng Yuan countered.
Qin Qingtian replied, “Perhaps they plan to use Daoyuan Mountain as a retreat for breaking into the fourth step. Or maybe, in their eyes, Daoyuan Mountain isn’t as good as the Bailin Universe. After all, Bailin Star in the Bailin Universe is vast, even larger than the main star of the Haoyuan Universe, giving them more location options. Besides, for achieving the Creation Saint Realm, the Bailin Universe is sufficient—they don’t need Daoyuan Mountain.”
Meng Yuan didn’t respond. She knew that regardless of whether Qin Qingtian was right, if they couldn’t break the cosmic barrier, they wouldn’t find the Bailin Universe.
“Friend Meng, I think you’re not just a protector of Mengmu Dayan but someone with your own pursuit of the great dao.”
Before Qin Qingtian could finish, Meng Yuan coldly interrupted, “If you’re trying to sow discord between me and Mengmu Dayan or asking me to do something against Mengmu Dayan, don’t bother speaking.”
