Lan Xiaobu thought to himself, what did it matter to him if Ku Yichi wanted to dominate the entire Great Universe? Clearly, Ku Yichi had kept Fang Zhiqian alive with a purpose, likely waiting for him to grow stronger and serve as a tool for slaughter. In short, Fang Zhiqian was meant to take the blame.
If Ku Yichi had left Fang Zhiqian alive without planting any Dao intent imprint, even Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t believe it.
Immediately, Lan Xiaobu began constructing a dimensional structure on Fang Zhiqian while asking, “Did Ku Yichi leave a Dao intent imprint on you?”
Fang Zhiqian shook his head, “Ku Yichi told me to my face that he wanted my loyalty, so he didn’t place an imprint on me. But if I did anything to displease him, he’d destroy me at any moment.”
“You believe him?” Lan Xiaobu sneered. He’d believe pigs could climb trees before he’d believe Ku Yichi hadn’t placed an imprint on Fang Zhiqian.
Fang Zhiqian was now like a caged bear, his Dao incomplete and his body imperfect. Once he fully restored these, he wouldn’t be much weaker than Ku Yichi. For such a powerhouse, if Ku Yichi hadn’t placed an imprint, Lan Xiaobu would find it bizarre.
Fang Zhiqian gave a bitter smile, “Of course I don’t believe him. Every day, while repairing my Dao and body, I’ve been searching for any imprint. But in truth, there’s nothing on me. Though my cultivation has declined, my skills remain. Perhaps he really didn’t place an imprint, sigh…”
“Where did your Sacred Soul Wood come from?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Fang Zhiqian’s expression shifted slightly, “If you take my Sacred Soul Wood, it’s no different from killing me.”
“Cut the nonsense and tell me,” Lan Xiaobu said impatiently.
Fang Zhiqian quickly answered, “After the Cursed Dao City was destroyed, I found it in the ruins of a shop.”
“You believe that?” Lan Xiaobu asked calmly.
Fang Zhiqian was taken aback, then said, “Why wouldn’t I? You don’t know the situation back then. The Sacred Soul Wood was used by an outside cultivator who transformed it into one of his bones. If I hadn’t been in the Cursed Dao City, I’d never have found it.”
Lan Xiaobu looked at Fang Zhiqian and said evenly, “Ku Yichi’s Dao intent imprint was placed on the Sacred Soul Wood. When you obtained it, Ku Yichi had already destroyed the Cursed Dao City, even many years after its destruction. That’s why you didn’t suspect the Sacred Soul Wood and assumed it had no imprint. In reality, as you gradually integrated the Sacred Soul Wood into your body, making it part of your flesh, the Dao intent imprint slowly became part of you. Once your body is fully restored, you’ll never be able to find that imprint.”
“That’s impossible…” Fang Zhiqian muttered, stunned.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t wait for him to say more. His domain locked down all of Fang Zhiqian’s space. Fang Zhiqian panicked, but just as he tried to break free from the domain’s restraint, Lan Xiaobu’s Longevity Halberd was already at his neck.
Fang Zhiqian knew escaping was futile. This was Lan Xiaobu’s cosmic boundary; even if he broke free, it was a dead end. Feeling utterly frustrated, he sighed and stopped struggling.
As Lan Xiaobu’s Dao principles bound Fang Zhiqian, he stared wide-eyed at his chest, where a Dao intent imprint had been separated by Lan Xiaobu’s principles.
“This is Ku Yichi’s Dao intent imprint?” Fang Zhiqian couldn’t help but blurt out, despite knowing it wasn’t part of his own Dao.
Lan Xiaobu said coolly, “What do you think? I could spare you, but you need to prove your worth. If it’s just about leaving a Dao intent imprint, I can do that on anyone. There’s no need to leave it on trash.”
“Whatever the master needs me to do, I’ll do,” Fang Zhiqian responded swiftly. Whether he was awed by Lan Xiaobu’s methods or planning to bide his time for an escape, he shamelessly positioned himself as a servant.
“I previously destroyed the Holy Sword Palace, and soon, I’ll destroy the Great Derivation Dao within the True Derivation Holy Dao, even targeting Guan Chong’s granddaughter, Guan Yuxue…”
Lan Xiaobu paused, observing Fang Zhiqian calmly. If he wasn’t willing to play the scapegoat, Lan Xiaobu would kill him on the spot.
“What?” Fang Zhiqian was stunned by Lan Xiaobu’s words, his mouth agape, unable to speak for a while.
The Holy Sword Palace was a top-tier Dao sect. Even at his peak, Fang Zhiqian wouldn’t have dared to destroy it easily. Yet his new master casually claimed to have done so, which was shocking.
If destroying the Holy Sword Palace was astonishing, planning to kill Guan Yuxue, the granddaughter of Guan Chong, one of the four saints of the True Derivation Holy Dao, was earth-shattering.
But Fang Zhiqian quickly understood why Lan Xiaobu shared this information—he was to take the blame. Truly another Ku Yichi. Not daring to hesitate, he said, “From now on, the Holy Sword Palace was destroyed by me, Fang Zhiqian. However, with my current strength, killing Guan Yuxue in the True Derivation Holy Dao is impossible.”
Lan Xiaobu said calmly, “It’s not about killing Guan Yuxue. It’s about capturing her. My friend is in her hands, and I need to settle the score.”
Lan Xiaobu was satisfied with Fang Zhiqian’s reaction. He couldn’t reveal himself now, but with someone taking the blame for the Holy Sword Palace’s destruction and the Listen Dao Ship robbery, he could move freely in the Great Universe.
“I’m willing to do it, but I need to restore my strength first,” Fang Zhiqian said.
“If you recover the curse Dao seed, what level could your strength reach?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
“The sixth step of the Great Dao. Once I reach that, even Guan Chong would have to be wary of me. Ku Yichi kept me alive because he knew I could recover to the sixth step and serve him,” Fang Zhiqian replied promptly.
“Good. Here’s the curse Dao seed. Use it to restore your strength, then come help me,” Lan Xiaobu said, producing a grey Dao fruit.
“The curse Dao seed?” Fang Zhiqian was stunned. This was the same seed he had obtained with the curse Dao scroll. How was it in this young man’s hands?
Then it dawned on him—Fang Jiuying must have been killed by Lan Xiaobu, or he wouldn’t have the seed.
While Fang Zhiqian was still in shock, Lan Xiaobu tossed the curse Dao seed to him. “Restore your Dao and body now. I’ll wait for you in One Pure Saint City. By the way, my name is Lan Xiaobu. Now, open your soul. I’ll place a Dao intent imprint in your spirit and soul. Also, I’ve given you a new name—Jiuying.”
“Thank you, master. Jiuying will follow your teachings,” Fang Zhiqian said, unhesitatingly opening his soul and Dao intent.
He knew this was the best outcome he could hope for. Someone who could uncover Ku Yichi’s Dao intent imprint, despite being only at the fourth step of the Great Dao, would eventually allow him to remove this imprint.
As if reading Fang Zhiqian’s thoughts, Lan Xiaobu said calmly, “The Dao intent imprint I place on you demands loyalty. If you have the slightest thought of rebellion or try to remove it without my permission, you’ll be reduced to ashes. If you don’t believe me, try it.”
“Jiuying wouldn’t dare,” Fang Zhiqian quickly bowed.
When he looked up, Lan Xiaobu had vanished. Then his voice echoed, “I’ll give you three years at most. If you don’t reach me by then, the Dao intent imprint will make you disappear forever…”
Fang Zhiqian swept his divine sense outward, but Lan Xiaobu was gone. He searched his body thoroughly but found nothing unusual.
Sighing, Fang Zhiqian knew he’d have to wait until his cultivation was restored to attempt removing Lan Xiaobu’s imprint.
This kind of imprint, placed willingly with an open soul, was the hardest to find and remove. He could only hope Lan Xiaobu hadn’t cultivated his own Dao, which would make it easier to strip.
Without bothering to set up cave restrictions, he grabbed the curse Dao seed and began merging with it. In a short time, the seed gradually vanished in his hand, while his aura steadily rose.
Lan Xiaobu was already on his way to One Pure Saint City. He hadn’t directly placed a Dao intent imprint on Fang Zhiqian. When it came to such imprints, few could match Lan Xiaobu’s skill. Ku Yichi’s clever move was planting the imprint in the Sacred Soul Wood, but since it was only for shaping a body, fully integrating it with Fang Zhiqian would take a long time. Any interruption could expose it.
And so it was—Lan Xiaobu had stripped it away.
The lowest form of imprint was forcibly placing one, easily found and removed.
The next level was when the target willingly opened their spirit and Dao intent for the imprint. This was harder to remove, but who would willingly agree? Fang Zhiqian had, but under threat of death, so it wasn’t truly voluntary, leaving a trace that could eventually be removed, even if Lan Xiaobu cultivated his own Dao.
The most sophisticated method was seamlessly embedding the imprint into the target’s soul and Dao, with the target actively integrating it. Such an imprint was nearly impossible to remove.
Lan Xiaobu had used this method, embedding the imprint in the curse Dao seed. He was certain Fang Zhiqian would immediately merge with it to boost his cultivation and strength, then try to remove the imprint.
Not just Fang Zhiqian—most people would do the same. After being suppressed for so long, they’d seize any glimmer of hope.
