Before Lan Xiaobu could act, the array pattern trigger ring on his wrist flickered. As it flashed, he grabbed a teleportation talisman and crushed it instantly.
This was a talisman he’d crafted, capable of teleporting him to the Great Cosmos’ entrance in a heartbeat. At the Seven Cosmos Heaven plaza’s entrance, Lan Xiaobu had long set up a grand array, ensuring his teleportation fluctuations wouldn’t leak the slightest bit.
Before entering the Great Cosmos, he’d repeatedly instructed the sixteen guards to stay vigilant, splitting up to watch the area and notify him immediately if anyone appeared.
Yet the guards hadn’t contacted him. Instead, his trigger array pattern alerted him to an intruder.
Unlike others’ arrays, Lan Xiaobu’s trigger wasn’t placed in the Seven Cosmos Heaven void plaza but on the sixteen guards themselves. If any were killed, it could activate his array. He said “could” because only someone above the Seventh Step of the Great Dao could trigger it. Anyone below that level wouldn’t prevent the guards from sending a message. The array’s activation meant the intruder was at least Seventh Step, likely Hui Zhi.
Upon arriving at the Great Cosmos entrance, Lan Xiaobu instantly transformed into a cosmic rule. Before mastering the Rule-Devouring Divine Ability, he could only mimic a rule via Heavenly Gang Transformation. Now, he could perfectly blend with the surrounding spatial rules. He was certain that even Hui Zhi, not yet at the Ninth Step, or anyone at that level, couldn’t detect him.
The entrance was deserted. The sixteen guards he’d ordered to remain were nowhere to be seen.
A faint trace of killing intent caught Lan Xiaobu’s attention. Someone had been killed here recently. Without needing a retrospective divine ability, he knew the victims were the guards. All sixteen were dead, unable to send a message before their demise.
Lan Xiaobu considered activating another array pattern to appear in his trap-kill array. Once there, if Hui Zhi entered, he’d be trapped instantly. But he hesitated—if Hui Zhi was here, activating the array might let him sense the spatial rule fluctuations.
Having merged into a cosmic rule with his Rule-Devouring and Heavenly Gang Transformation abilities, Lan Xiaobu was confident Hui Zhi wouldn’t notice him if he carefully moved to the trap-kill space. Yet he abandoned the idea. Moving as a rule to his trap-kill array would take years.
He decided to wait at the entrance. If Hui Zhi appeared, he’d see him.
Whether it was Hui Zhi or not, Lan Xiaobu knew that staying here would eventually trap the intruder. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been guarding the spot, and even teleporting now, he was too late.
Knowing he’d arrived late, Lan Xiaobu remained a cosmic rule, hiding motionless at the entrance’s edge.
If Hui Zhi had been here and was hiding for any reason, he wouldn’t leave. Otherwise, there’d be no point in coming.
Lan Xiaobu waited patiently, convinced the intruder would show.
Days passed without a stir, and Lan Xiaobu began to wonder if Hui Zhi had discovered his trap array and left early.
If someone had stolen all his treasures, he’d linger, wait, then break the entrance from the Great Cosmos to Seven Cosmos Heaven to enter. By common sense, having come here, there was no reason not to enter the Great Cosmos.
While pondering, Lan Xiaobu sensed a subtle shift in the surrounding space. His expression changed—he realised someone was setting up spatial array patterns. Clearly, another person was hiding in this void, not only concealed but also quietly arranging a trap-kill array. Without doubt, this was the one who killed the sixteen guards, still lurking.
What a cunning foe, Lan Xiaobu thought. As a rule, unless he extended his divine sense, his integration with the Great Cosmos’ rules ensured the intruder wouldn’t notice him, even if arrays were set up nearby.
The array fluctuations in the void ceased, as if the intruder deemed further setup at the entrance unnecessary.
Over an hour later, space rippled slightly ahead of Lan Xiaobu, and a grey-faced man abruptly appeared in Seven Cosmos Heaven’s void plaza.
The man’s face, hands, and neck were grey, as were his hair, clothes, and shoes. He seemed almost offline, blending into the void as if he could vanish any moment.
Though Lan Xiaobu didn’t scan with divine sense, he sensed this man was not only powerful but surpassed any Dao Ancestor he’d faced.
He inwardly sighed with relief. Had he teleported here and headed straight to his trap-kill array, this grey-clad man would likely have noticed, regardless of his method.
Even if he’d detected the man’s presence with divine sense after revealing himself, Lan Xiaobu was certain capturing him would be difficult. How could he lure him into his trap-kill array?
The grey-clad man stood for a while, frowned, took a few steps, and, confirming no one was approaching, moved toward the Great Cosmos entrance.
Instead of attacking it, he began setting up a trap-kill array, using a treasure nearly at the world-opening level as its core. This array seamlessly connected with the void trap-kill patterns he’d set earlier.
After finishing, the man stepped toward the entrance, clearly not planning a brute-force attack. He produced a set of array flags.
Knowing the man’s divine sense hadn’t spotted him, Lan Xiaobu acted as the grey-clad man prepared to unseal the entrance with the flags. His Longevity Halberd unleashed a halberd beam that tore through the void, blasting toward the man.
He held nothing back, certain this was Hui Zhi. Though he’d never fought him, Lan Xiaobu knew Hui Zhi was formidable and had long wanted to kill this scum. Even without a trap-kill array, destroying Hui Zhi’s body would give him the edge to finish him. *You walked right into my trap.*
As Lan Xiaobu struck, Hui Zhi’s sixth sense kicked in, and he spun around.
“Pfft!” Blood exploded. Lan Xiaobu’s strike, which he was sure would destroy Hui Zhi’s body in a sneak attack, only severed an arm.
Hui Zhi’s arm regrew instantly, though his combat strength was slightly diminished.
“You’re Lan Xiaobu?” Hui Zhi’s gaze fixed on him, surprisingly calm, showing no anger over the lost arm.
Lan Xiaobu was stunned. He’d overestimated Hui Zhi, yet still underestimated him. Had he not ambushed and injured Hui Zhi first, he likely wouldn’t be his match today.
“Correct, your Grandpa Xiaobu,” Lan Xiaobu said coolly, his Longevity Domain locking the space around him. He knew his domain couldn’t breach Hui Zhi’s, whose strength, if not at the Ninth Step, was infinitely close.
“Very well,” Hui Zhi said, raising a hand. A longbow appeared, and without visible movement, it was drawn, a grey arrow nocked.
Lan Xiaobu stood still, sweat beading on his forehead. He’d prepared to seize the initiative, but after his ambush, Hui Zhi had locked his vital essence with a single grey arrow, barely moving. Clearly, Hui Zhi’s mastery of time laws surpassed his own. The process of drawing and nocking was nearly static, only noticeable after the arrow targeted him.
He dared not move. Lan Xiaobu was certain that any motion would shatter his body under the arrow, and his soul wouldn’t escape Hui Zhi’s grasp.
The bowstring stretched further, killing intent mounting. Never had Lan Xiaobu felt so close to death.
