Lan Xiaobu’s gaze fell on the jade bed above the lotus pod, and he frowned, saying, “Why does this person seem familiar?”
“It’s the woman who was taken by the Saint Sword Palace with me,” Qi Mancang exclaimed immediately. Having been imprisoned with Zhuang Xiyue for the longest time, she recognised her aura at once.
“Fairy Zhuang,” Lan Xiaobu realised instantly that the woman was Zhuang Xiyue, whom he had once saved.
Mo Wuji, also puzzled by the familiar feeling, heard Lan Xiaobu mention Fairy Zhuang and immediately understood. Zhuang Xiyue was the disciple of Yan Hui, the master of Tianchi Manor, and the woman Yan Hui had insisted he marry.
Years ago, he had rejected Zhuang Xiyue with the line, “Once you’ve seen the vast sea, no water compares; beyond Wu Mountain, there are no clouds,” and had heard nothing of her since. He never imagined she’d reach the Great Universe, no longer a sheltered flower but a Creation Realm powerhouse.
The distant memory made her seem only vaguely familiar, but Lan Xiaobu’s mention of Fairy Zhuang clarified it—she was indeed Zhuang Xiyue.
Mo Wuji was furious. Even if Zhuang Xiyue had no connection to him, she was from True Star, and the audacity to capture her for others to study and comprehend was outrageous.
Without hesitation, Mo Wuji stepped forward, slashing down with a blade of light.
“Pfft!” A burst of blood exploded as Gu Jin, who hadn’t even reached the scene, was cleaved in two by Mo Wuji, unable to resist.
Di Lan was enraged. He stood abruptly, stepping in front of Mo Wuji. “What’s the meaning of this, Friend Mo? This Chaos Dao Body is for the entire Eternal Life Conference to comprehend the Chaos Great Dao. Are you trying to seize it by force?”
“Not only does he want to seize it, but he also killed Gu Jin, the Dao Lord of my Khunyi World’s Great Qiongji Dao,” Sheng sneered, standing beside Di Lan. The Great Qiongji Dao was a sect of his world, and he couldn’t tolerate a Dao Lord being killed before him.
The entire Eternal Life Conference descended into chaos. Just as everyone was about to comprehend the Chaos Dao Body, Mo Wuji had stirred trouble.
Mo Wuji laughed, his tone laced with killing intent. “Di Lan, you’ve got some nerve, capturing my friend for Chaos comprehension. Do you think I can’t destroy your pathetic nest?”
“Your friend?” Pu Jie, who had stepped forward, scoffed. “If we found two Chaos Dao Bodies, would they both be your friends?”
At this moment, not only Pu Jie but also Xing Jia, Ling Zhuzhen, Chang Yi, and Qize Tian had arrived, surrounding Mo Wuji. To outsiders, unaware that Qize Tian and Chang Yi were aligned with Lan Xiaobu, it looked like Mo Wuji was doomed.
Lan Xiaobu laughed and stepped beside Mo Wuji. “What? Planning to gang up on us?”
“Gang up on the few? So what?” Lei Yunhan’s sinister voice rang out as he descended from the void, his eighth-step Great Dao domain fully locking onto Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji.
Shi Changxing didn’t move. Joining now would be pointless; he’d strike suddenly during the fight for maximum impact.
“Want a fight? We’re ready,” Mo Wuji declared, his Mortal Halberd appearing in hand, his ferocious killing domain faintly expanding.
Lan Xiaobu summoned his Longevity Halberd, with the Cosmic Mill floating above his head. If a fight broke out, it would be a life-or-death battle with no room for holding back.
Di Lan wanted to fight now but couldn’t. The Eternal Life Conference’s main goal was the Cosmic Tree, and if they fought before it appeared, it might never show. As for the Chaos Dao Body, they couldn’t let it go either, as it was key to drawing out the Cosmic Tree.
Yet, he also considered whether their eight fighters could swiftly eliminate Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji without affecting the Cosmic Tree’s emergence.
Di Lan quickly dismissed the idea, his divine sense catching Shi Changxing, who was calmly observing.
“You must be Mo Wuji, right? What you’ve done is wrong. The Eternal Life Conference is a long-awaited event for Great Universe cultivators. This Chaos Dao Body was prepared for years, and you can’t just claim it’s yours. Even as a Dao Ancestor, you can’t be that overbearing,” Ling Zhuzhen said in a seemingly fair tone.
Mo Wuji chuckled, suddenly casting several restrictions and sending a wisp of aura into Zhuang Xiyue’s brow.
The surrounding figures, mostly Dao Ancestor-level, saw Mo Wuji’s actions but didn’t intervene. Even Di Lan, plotting a surprise attack on Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji, hesitated. They all understood Mo Wuji’s intent: to awaken the Chaos Dao Body and let her speak for herself.
Zhuang Xiyue, in a daze, suddenly felt a cool aura penetrate her sea of consciousness. She opened her eyes, her mind snapping back. She recalled her last memory: a pale, beardless man claiming to be the Dao Lord of Great Qiongji Dao had captured her, intending to use her Chaos Dao Body for the Eternal Life Conference’s comprehension.
Zhuang Xiyue felt a surge of grief and anger. She had been captured by the Saint Sword Palace before for her Chaos Dao Body, also meant for the conference. After being saved, she planned to find a place to cultivate in seclusion, but before she could, she was captured again for the same purpose.
Was her fate to be sacrificed for this Eternal Life Conference, to be studied by countless people? Desperate, Zhuang Xiyue resolved to end her life.
But her cultivation was far inferior to Gu Jin’s. As her Dao principles stirred, Gu Jin locked her aura, sealing her thoughts and senses to prevent her self-destruction.
What was happening now? Zhuang Xiyue instinctively scanned with her divine sense, first seeing Gu Jin’s bisected corpse, then noticing the crowd around her. She quickly retracted her divine sense, changed her clothes, and stood up.
As she stepped off the jade bed, removing the restrictions, she realised she was on a massive lotus pod, surrounded by thousands of cultivators sitting cross-legged—clearly the Eternal Life Conference venue.
Then she saw a dozen figures around the lotus pod. She didn’t recognise most, but she had seen Di Lan’s image. Knowing those with him were likely Dao Ancestors, she wondered if she’d been saved or something else.
“Fairy Zhuang, long time no see. Didn’t expect to meet here,” Mo Wuji said with a smile, unfazed by the Dao Ancestors’ domains locking onto him. He’d faced greater battles, even fighting multiple saints alone in the past. With Lan Xiaobu, Qize Tian, and Shi Changxing in the shadows, what did he have to fear?
“Brother Mo? Mo Wuji?” Zhuang Xiyue saw Mo Wuji’s unchanged face, and distant memories flooded back. Was she dead? How else could she see Mo Wuji?
“Brother Mo, are we in the cycle of reincarnation?” Zhuang Xiyue asked, then felt something was off, seeing Gu Jin’s corpse and Di Lan nearby.
Before Mo Wuji could reply, Lan Xiaobu said, “Wuji saved you just now. Otherwise, Gu Jin would’ve stripped your restrictions for others to comprehend your Chaos Dao principles.”
“Brother Lan?” Recognising Lan Xiaobu, Zhuang Xiyue finally understood she’d been saved again. Shocked, she looked at Mo Wuji. “Brother Mo, you saved me?”
Mo Wuji smiled. “I didn’t expect their Chaos Dao Body was you. Since I saw it, I had to act.”
Zhuang Xiyue felt dazed. She recalled the last time Lan Xiaobu saved her, which also brought Mo Wuji to mind.
She had thought Mo Wuji was from a different world. She remembered leaving True Star to chase him, wandering the universe. Through her struggles, her cultivation surpassed everyone she once knew, and she believed she’d far exceeded Mo Wuji.
But today, seeing him again, she realised a truth: no matter how hard she tried, the gap between her and Mo Wuji was an unbridgeable chasm.
Though she didn’t know Mo Wuji’s cultivation, seeing him stand beside Di Lan, their domains in opposition, showed he feared Di Lan not at all.
He was the strongest back then, and he still was. That was Zhuang Xiyue’s only thought now.
