Lan Xiaobu set up a protective array not far from the white mountain, casually pulling out ten chaos divine spirit veins. In theory, once he mastered the Destiny Great Dao, he’d be equivalent to a Nine-Turn sage. But unlike the typical one-to-nine-turn sages, each time he proved a dao, a new law appeared on his Longevity Dao Tree.
So, for Lan Xiaobu, he could master countless daos—his tree’s laws weren’t capped at nine.
He opened the destiny scroll, and vast destiny rules washed over him. He sank into them instantly.
“What acts without intent is heaven; what arrives without cause is fate!”
Destiny, a law of the mortal realm, was fundamentally one of life’s building blocks. Even between life and death, it was governed by destiny laws—not something life itself could control. Thus, the saying: life and death are fated.
The Destiny Great Dao existed within every dao. As the saying went, “Without knowing fate, one cannot be a sage!”
One destiny law after another swirled around Lan Xiaobu. For any cultivator or non-cultivator, the dao and fate had fixed ends. Thus, in one’s lifetime, one must adhere to their allotted share and curb desires.
Sensing these laws, Lan Xiaobu suddenly understood why Nine-Turn sages couldn’t reach eternity. A cultivator bound by fate’s fixed ends had already surrendered their destiny, unable to control it themselves.
He didn’t know if other eternal sages had mastered destiny, but to step into eternity, he had to—taking his fate into his own hands.
The destiny laws circling him were peeled away by Lan Xiaobu, as were the ones fusing the scroll with him. Then, a faint, new destiny law began forming around him. As his understanding deepened, it grew clearer.
Then a second, a third…
Time slipped by with his comprehension. A hazy new law appeared on his Longevity Dao Tree, sharpening as the destiny laws around him solidified. The chaos divine energy vortex from the spirit veins nourished this forming law, strengthening his soul and divine essence.
In the Longevity Realm, Tai Chuan watched in delight as the realm surged, a new, indescribable law weaving into the world’s rules. This law instilled a deeper awe for life and yearning for the future.
As it clarified, Tai Chuan seemed to grasp something, sitting cross-legged as its own charm swiftly sharpened.
Lan Xiaobu opened his eyes. Though not yet eternal, everything felt different. He could almost seize his own fate—not just chasing eternity for its own sake.
His Longevity Dao Tree now bore nine laws, his sea of consciousness doubled in size, but that wasn’t what thrilled him most. It was his grip on destiny.
With a wave, he plucked a destiny law from the void—not his own, but a remnant lingering there.
If he fought Meng Buchen again now, the Three Realms Kill wouldn’t touch his legs. With his mastery of destiny laws, he’d sense his situation the moment the attack formed, not scrambling to counter with cracking law patterns after being locked in.
If Meng Buchen were weaker, Lan Xiaobu could snatch his destiny laws outright, stripping him of control over life itself.
Standing, he sighed inwardly. The Destiny Sage’s fate was bound by another, locked by stronger destiny laws onto this mountain. That was still a decent outcome—her fate was restrained, not erased.
Even if she didn’t care for his help, he wanted to free her.
Whoever bound her had a terrifying grasp of destiny. If Lan Xiaobu faced them one day, knowing their destiny laws beforehand would boost his odds by ten percent.
He gathered the unused chaos spirit veins, and with one step, landed outside the courtyard deep in the mountain.
The door was still ajar. He pushed it open.
Zhen Changyuan, in her green robe, stared at him in shock, “You’re back?”
Lan Xiaobu smiled faintly, “I thought it’d take decades, but my grasp of the dao lately outstripped my past. It only took seven years.”
“You’ve mastered the Destiny Great Dao?” She sensed his laws immediately—fresh from proving destiny, they were stark and clear. As a Destiny Sage, she picked up on it instantly.
“Yep, now I’ll give it a shot,” he said, raising his hands. His charm surged, a profound, vast destiny law laced with endless vitality enveloping the space.
He quickly latched onto a law not hers—another destiny law, domineering and fierce. After binding her dao, it spawned endless fragments to lock her down. But it couldn’t faze Lan Xiaobu, and he tore the fragments apart with ease.
Zhen Changyuan felt the restraints on her dao peel away, one by one. In half an incense stick’s time, she fully controlled the space, reclaiming her dao.
She stood abruptly, staring at him in disbelief, “You stripped the destiny laws binding me—and you just mastered destiny?”
Mastering it fresh was impressive but believable. Stripping laws that held her for eons right after? That was beyond powerful. Even if the one who bound her wasn’t here, those laws weren’t something just anyone could undo. If it were that easy, would she still be trapped today?
Lan Xiaobu handed her the scroll with both hands, “Thanks for your scroll, Senior. It helped me immensely. As for stripping those laws, that’s thanks to it too.”
He genuinely appreciated it. Though not eternal yet, the scroll had shown him the path.
She took it subconsciously, then said after a pause, “You’re not eternal, but you’re the most gifted below eternity I’ve seen. I’m Zhen Changyuan. Since you’ve grasped destiny too, call me Senior Sister Zhen if you don’t mind.”
She didn’t realize that while Lan Xiaobu borrowed her scroll, his destiny dao diverged from hers.
“Alright, Lan Xiaobu greets Senior Sister Zhen. Sorry for rudely taking your scroll before—please forgive me,” he said, bowing.
She smiled lightly, “I didn’t trust you—I couldn’t fathom someone returning it. You’re the first. I’m glad you took it and mastered destiny in just years. Otherwise, I might’ve faded silently with my mountain in some void corner.”
She returned a bow, “Thanks for saving me, Junior Brother Lan.”
He waved it off, “No need. I just wanted to borrow the scroll at first.”
She shook her head, “You did save me, and you killed the one refining my mountain. Maybe that’s the greatest reward for my destiny cultivation.”
She’d never imagined being saved after her binding. In the Eternal Lands, with powerhouses aplenty, many could’ve freed her—but none would’ve cared to, most just after her scroll. Yet here, outside that realm, someone had—not only saving her but leaving her scroll intact.
If it weren’t her lifebound treasure, she’d have given it to him.
“Senior Sister Zhen, I’ve got things to do, so I’ll take my leave. Hope to see you again,” Lan Xiaobu said, pleased. He’d saved her and mastered destiny. Now, to grab the remaining Seven Realms Stone Flags and head to the Eternal Lands.
She hesitated, then said, “Junior Brother Xiaobu, if you go to the Eternal Lands, beware of Huang Buzi.”
“Huang Buzi?” He looked at her, puzzled.
Her tone grew heavy, “Yes, he cultivates destiny too. He bound me. If I hadn’t used the scroll to tear out of the Eternal Lands, he’d have killed me. Because of his destiny cultivation, he won’t tolerate anyone else proving it or grasping its laws.”
“That extreme?” Lan Xiaobu asked, incredulous.
In the vast cosmos, with countless daos, banning others from your path wasn’t just extreme—it was insane. He saw why she’d clashed with Huang Buzi. With her calm nature, she wasn’t the type to pick fights. Huang Buzi must’ve learned of her destiny dao, aiming to steal her scroll and kill her. Ruthless bastard.
She nodded, “Maybe more than you think. Be careful if you meet him.”
“What eternal tier is he?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
She pondered, “Probably not Creation yet. My strength, cultivation, and dao were all beneath him, so I couldn’t gauge his true power.”
