At this moment, Ku Yichi, Pei Qionghu, Feng Jietian, Guan Chong, and Chong Ying had stopped at the place where Lan Xiaobu and Fang Zhiqian killed Chen Huangzi.
Without needing Ku Yichi or the others to speak, Chong Ying had already begun to trace back time and space. Everyone knew that since the opponent dared to kill Chen Huangzi here, the spatial rules must already be in chaos. But what needed to be done still had to be done.
As expected, the time and space Chong Ying traced were merely a blur, not even a shadow visible, only a few fragmented law shards could be retrieved.
“There are fragments of curse laws…” Though Chong Ying couldn’t reconstruct any spatial imagery, she did find scattered fragments of curse laws.
This wasn’t because Lan Xiaobu’s cleanup was sloppy, but because his primary goal was simple: ensure no evidence pointed to him. As for the rest, he didn’t care. Besides, Lan Xiaobu was certain he’d be suspected regardless, but without solid proof, what could suspicion do?
“Fang Zhiqian?” Guan Chong spoke with a frown, his tone uncertain.
“I heard the Sacred Sword Palace was also destroyed by someone wielding the Curse Great Path. Could it be the same person?” Pei Qionghu remarked.
Ku Yichi shook his head, “The Sacred Sword Palace was definitely not destroyed by Fang Zhiqian, but I suspect he’s involved this time.”
“Fang Zhiqian was chased into the Chaos Zone,” Guan Chong reminded.
Ku Yichi said calmly, “Exactly because of that, it could be him.”
Everyone fell silent at these words. Entering the Chaos Zone meant either death or a rare opportunity. It was an extreme place—who knew if Fang Zhiqian had gained a fortuitous encounter there? If he had, with his near-perfect Sixth Step of the Great Path, stepping into the Seventh Step was possible, though the odds were slim, perhaps one in a billion.
Had they known Lan Xiaobu gave Fang Zhiqian a Curse Dao Seed, they wouldn’t merely suspect but be certain Fang Zhiqian killed Chen Huangzi.
“I think Fang Zhiqian is likely one of them, but there’s another key figure,” Feng Jietian suddenly said.
As all eyes turned to him, Feng Jietian continued, “Saint Lord Chen Huangzi came here to pursue someone. He didn’t inform Saint Lord Guan or Saint Lord Chong, which means the person he chased was, in his eyes, a mere ant, not worth notifying the other two Saint Lords…”
Pei Qionghu sneered inwardly. Did Feng Jietian have a grudge against Lan Xiaobu? This was clearly pointing to him. Chen Huangzi had intercepted Lan Xiaobu in Anluo Heavenly City, and Pei Qionghu, at Xing Ni’s behest, had even stepped in to help Lan Xiaobu.
Feng Jietian went on, “The space here has been cleaned meticulously, indicating this person is highly skilled in spatial rules, even if they don’t cultivate the Spatial Great Path, they possess top-tier spatial law techniques.”
Ku Yichi knew who Feng Jietian was referring to—Lan Xiaobu.
But he was wary of Lan Xiaobu’s ties with Shi Changxing and whether Pei Qionghu had a close relationship with him, as Pei Qionghu had previously spoken up for Lan Xiaobu. Because of these concerns, he didn’t name anyone outright.
“To know who it is, just check who recently had a grudge with Saint Lord Chen Huangzi and who left Anluo Heavenly City before he did,” Feng Jietian said, then fell silent.
Guan Chong said calmly, “Is Director Feng referring to Lan Xiaobu?”
Feng Jietian smiled, “Saint Lord Guan, I don’t know if Lan Xiaobu’s Great Path is spatial, nor do I know if he recently left Anluo Heavenly City. How could I be sure it’s him?”
Guan Chong sneered, “To my knowledge, Director Feng knows Lan Xiaobu cultivates the Spatial Great Path. Emperor Ku tested his path in the Dao Hall. Secondly, I can tell you clearly, Saint Lord Chen followed Lan Xiaobu out of the city. Thank you, Director Feng, for such a precise answer, letting me know who to settle the score with.”
At another time, Guan Chong might have appreciated Feng Jietian’s words. But now, he and Chong Ying already suspected Lan Xiaobu. By pulling Feng Jietian in, they could drag Central Heavenly Court into the matter. Didn’t Central Heavenly Court want to stay out of it? Now they’d have mud on their trousers—whether it was dung or not was no longer their call. Once Feng Jietian pointed to Lan Xiaobu, they could use this to confront him, and Central Heavenly Court couldn’t stay uninvolved.
Feng Jietian’s expression changed. He only wanted to make the conflict between True Derivation Sacred Path and Lan Xiaobu explicit, not drag himself into it. If he was involved, it meant Central Heavenly Court was too. He hadn’t expected Guan Chong to be so shameless, accepting his help yet pulling him in—utterly unscrupulous.
He glanced at Ku Yichi, whose face was grim. Ku Yichi said coldly, “Perhaps Lan Xiaobu is a suspect, but the evidence doesn’t confirm it’s him. Director Feng, I’m giving you a task: keep searching for the culprit. Remember, without solid proof, don’t speak recklessly, or your position as Director is done.”
What a joke. If it was Lan Xiaobu, Central Heavenly Court absolutely couldn’t wade into this mess. Lan Xiaobu might just be a Director on the surface, but despite his modest cultivation, his combat prowess was clearly formidable.
The combat prowess Ku Yichi referred to wasn’t Lan Xiaobu’s path techniques or divine abilities, but his sharp tongue and cunning methods.
Could someone ordinary befriend Ce Ku Huisheng? Could they invite Shi Changxing to smash Chongjiu’s cave restrictions? Could they make people suspect Chen Huangzi’s death was his doing? At that moment, Ku Yichi even regretted bringing Feng Jietian along.
Pei Qionghu suddenly understood why Xing Ni valued Lan Xiaobu so highly, even urging Jisheng Heavenly Court to support him. Lan Xiaobu was indeed extraordinary, strengthening Pei Qionghu’s resolve to befriend him.
Pei Qionghu, in his position, wasn’t as impulsive or hot-blooded as he appeared. He knew only acts of timely help were remembered, not mere embellishments.
Though Lan Xiaobu was friends with Ce Ku Huisheng, his own strength was limited. And since Shi Changxing helped him last time, there’d been no further news. Helping Lan Xiaobu now was like sending charcoal in the snow.
With this in mind, Pei Qionghu laughed, “In that case, Director Feng, work hard on the investigation. This matter needs solid evidence, or people could die. I heard Anluo Heavenly City’s auction has some great items. Let’s head there and see if we can snag something good.”
…
Lan Xiaobu was already seated in his private box, knowing how much Ce Ku Huisheng valued this auction, as it determined whether he could advance to the Seventh Step of the Great Path. A Seventh-Step Heavenly Emperor was worlds apart from a Sixth-Step one.
As a Heavenly Emperor, Ce Ku Huisheng had been humiliated in Central Heavenly Court’s Dao Hall, needing Lan Xiaobu to step in. For Ce Ku Huisheng, this opportunity was unmissable.
Lan Xiaobu set up a defensive array, reflecting inwardly. Seven Stars Sacred Path Commerce Tower, hailing from Moru World, co-hosted this auction with Central World’s Yongyi Sacred Path Commerce Tower, yet only gave Ce Ku Huisheng two second-class boxes. Ce Ku Huisheng was in Box Yi-9, while Lan Xiaobu’s was Yi-8.
Even these second-class boxes weren’t the top ones. Clearly, in the Commerce Tower’s eyes, Ce Ku Huisheng’s status as a Heavenly Emperor wasn’t that high.
When Lan Xiaobu’s divine sense noticed Ku Yichi, Pei Qionghu, and even Wan Xunhua, the Heavenly Emperor of Dunyi World, entering first-class boxes, he felt indignant.
How much did they look down on Moru World? Other Heavenly Emperors, and even non-Heavenly Emperors, got first-class boxes, while Ce Ku Huisheng, Moru World’s Heavenly Emperor, was relegated to a second-class one.
Even if Ce Ku Huisheng couldn’t obtain the Chaos Nirvana Heart this time, Lan Xiaobu would help.
Since he could access others’ worlds, he’d amassed a pile of treasures. As his cultivation grew, these treasures went unused, but he wondered if they’d be useful at this auction.
The Cosmic Mill, Cosmic Dimension Model, and Seven Realms Stone couldn’t be offered—they were his lifeline. But he had a Cosmic Heart, a supreme dao vein, over ten thousand high-grade dao veins, and an origin-opening treasure taken from Chen Huangzi. With these, he refused to believe he couldn’t trade for the Heavenly Poison Heart and Chaos Nirvana Heart.
