“This is a treasure surpassing the innate level? This treasure…” Hou Yucheng couldn’t help but exclaim.
Lan Xiaobu smiled, “My name’s Lan Xiaobu. I’m delighted to meet a friend like you, Brother Hou. What’s a mere treasure? Take it and use it freely.”
“Thank you, Brother Lan. In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony,” Hou Yucheng replied. He was naturally a forthright person, and seeing Lan Xiaobu’s genuine sincerity, he didn’t dwell on formalities. With that, the demonic Great Path principle he’d transformed into swept up the Saintly Dao Platform. In the next moment, the demonic principle he embodied began to fade.
At the same time, the Saintly Dao Platform’s demonic aura grew stronger, while the platform itself gradually became ethereal.
When the platform vanished completely, the demonic principle had fully merged with it, integrating into Mortal Star’s heavenly rules.
The surrounding demonic energy dissipated entirely, and a handsome man in white robes appeared before Lan Xiaobu. With sharp brows and a straight nose, his charm of the Great Path was profoundly rich—he was unmistakably a Ninth-Turn Saint.
“Hou Yucheng greets Brother Lan. I, Hou, will never forget the kindness you’ve shown me and Mortal Star,” Hou Yucheng said, condensing his physical form and immediately bowing in gratitude. Lan Xiaobu’s favour was immense, especially since they’d been strangers before this. To be so generous to someone he’d never met made Lan Xiaobu the second person Hou Yucheng had encountered with such character.
In truth, Hou Yucheng’s body had never truly vanished—it had simply become the vessel for his demonic principle. Now, with the Saintly Dao Platform, his demonic path had reached completion, and he no longer needed to embody the principle himself.
“Haha…” Lan Xiaobu laughed heartily, “Brother Hou, you’re truly a dragon among men. With you here, Mortal Star should be as impregnable as a fortress—no petty schemers will dare covet it.”
Lan Xiaobu wasn’t exaggerating. Most top-tier planets had Ninth-Turn Saints guarding them. Mortal Star, with its pristine heavenly rules, was practically the ideal cultivation ground for saints below eternity. Without a Ninth-Turn Saint, it was indeed vulnerable.
In the plane he’d first arrived at, sects like the Yellow Spring Saint Path, Beast Soul Path, or Heavenly Desert Temple wouldn’t have spared such a planet. Even Li Zhou Star, with two or three Ninth-Turn Saints, still had others eyeing its Time Tree. Mortal Star, without a single Ninth-Turn powerhouse, was a sitting target.
“How long will Brother Lan stay here?” Hou Yucheng asked. He planned to find his wife, Su Xi, then ask how he could repay Lan Xiaobu. No matter the request, he’d risk his life to fulfill it. He didn’t voice this now, as he hadn’t yet reunited with Su Xi.
Lan Xiaobu smiled, “I’ll set up a teleportation array here. If Mortal Star ever faces trouble, it’ll transport the planet’s cultivators away.”
“What trouble could Mortal Star face?” Hou Yucheng asked, puzzled. As a transformed principle, he’d been unaware of external events until Lan Xiaobu’s arrival.
“You can ask the people here about that later. For now, farewell—we’ll meet again,” Lan Xiaobu said, stepping out and instantly arriving at Lian Yingxian’s location.
Lian Yingxian and her group were at a sect plaza. Above it, the words “Mortal” hung in the air, radiating the charm of the Great Path. Lan Xiaobu knew at once that the founder of this Mortal Sect was extraordinary—someone who’d created their own Great Path, a Mortal Path far surpassing that of his old friend Guan Huan.
“Greetings, Brother Lan,” Lian Yingxian said, hurrying over as she saw him approach. Besides her, seven or eight others joined. Apart from Lian Yingxian, the strongest was a Fifth-Turn Saint, with the rest ranging from First to Fourth-Turn. The highest cultivation remained Lian Yingxian’s Sixth-Turn Sainthood.
Lan Xiaobu thought to himself that it was fortunate he’d saved Hou Yucheng, giving this planet a Ninth-Turn Saint. Otherwise, it’d only be a matter of time before another star-level sect seized it.
Grabbing a handful of array flags, Lan Xiaobu said, “I’ll set up the teleportation array here. Have someone guard it afterward. If anyone locks the planet again, everyone can teleport out.”
With that, he began dropping the array flags. Having proven his path with space, he constructed teleportation arrays with remarkable speed.
In less than a day, the array was complete—a one-way teleportation array, randomly sending users beyond the planet.
“Brother Lan, it’s done already?” Lian Yingxian asked, astonished. She was certain Lan Xiaobu’s array skills surpassed divine-level, likely reaching an entirely different tier of mastery.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “Yes, here are three teleportation flags. As long as there’s divine energy and the heavenly rules persist, the array can activate. It covers a ten-mile radius—anyone within that range can be teleported out instantly.”
He handed the three flags to Lian Yingxian as he spoke.
“Thank you, Brother Lan,” Lian Yingxian said, leading the group in a bow of gratitude. Lan Xiaobu had not only saved Mortal Star but also gone to the effort of building them a teleportation array—a debt of kindness indeed.
“No need for thanks. I’ll be off now. Farewell,” Lan Xiaobu said, stepping out and vanishing beyond Mortal Star.
“This Senior Lan is just too powerful,” the green-robed Saintess atop a red lotus couldn’t help but exclaim. As one of the eight saints of the former Rootless Divine Realm, she’d seen her share of wonders, yet Lan Xiaobu’s strength still stunned her.
Lian Yingxian sighed, “There are countless powerful beings out there. Staying on Mortal Star limits our horizons. With Brother Lan saving us this time, I think we should venture out. Without a Ninth-Turn Saint, we’ll always be at risk.”
Mortal Star had been locked by a destructive principle before, and now that it was broken, Lian Yingxian began worrying about its future.
“Boom!” As they pondered Mortal Star’s fate, the planet’s protective array shuddered under a strike.
It was like lighting a firecracker—continuous bombardment followed.
“Someone’s attacking our planetary array!” Kun Yun’s face paled.
Now a Third-Turn Saint, he was still far from matching the top powerhouses of this plane. Reaching Third-Turn Sainthood with his talent was already a stroke of immense luck.
Lian Yingxian was the first to step out, followed closely by all the proven saints. In moments, they gathered at the entrance of Mortal Star’s protective array.
“Someone actually removed your planet’s destructive principle. Is that your fortune or misfortune?” a mocking laugh rang out. Outside the array stood just a man and a woman.
“Why must you two be so aggressive? Mortal Star seeks no quarrel with the world and hasn’t infringed on your interests. Why do you keep targeting us?” Lian Yingxian said calmly.
But everyone could sense the fury beneath her steady tone. Their strength was lacking—though they had numbers, the pair outside were Ninth-Turn powerhouses. Two Ninth-Turns could easily destroy a planet.
“Hand over the Great Kun Buddha Lamp, and we won’t slaughter too many. Otherwise, even without the destructive principle, this planet’s doomed,” the man said coldly.
Lian Yingxian suppressed her anger, “The Great Kun Buddha Lamp belongs to Su Xi. Why come to us for it?”
“Then bring Su Xi here. My patience is limited. Your planet’s array is decent, but it’s nothing to my senior sister and me,” the man replied flatly.
An furious voice cut in, “To touch Junior Sister Su Xi, you’ll have to step over our corpses. Mortal Sect has no cowards!”
“Oh? Mortal Star has a woman like you?” The man’s eyes lit up as he looked at the speaker.
“Thanks, Senior Sister Shuyin, for protecting my wife. Leave the rest to me, Hou Yucheng,” a gentle voice said. A white-robed man landed beside the group.
“You…” Lian Yingxian was stunned by Hou Yucheng’s appearance. Hadn’t he transformed into a demonic principle to complete Mortal Star’s heavenly rules? How was he here?
“You’re Senior Brother Hou Yucheng? This…” Cen Shuyin was equally shocked. She’d witnessed him become that principle herself.
Hou Yucheng smiled faintly, “Indeed, it’s me. Brother Lan saved me. I’ve now proven my path with the demonic way, and my Great Path is complete. I’ve manifested a demonic principle and, through it, undergone nirvana to restore my body.”
“Lan Xiaobu?” Tong Ming Saint asked instinctively, then realised it had to be him. Who else could manage such a feat?
He didn’t know that, beyond lending the Saintly Dao Platform, Lan Xiaobu hadn’t done much else. Hou Yucheng’s nirvana stemmed from his own completed Great Path, not Lan Xiaobu’s direct intervention.
“Yes, Brother Lan. He and Brother Mo are the two people I, Hou Yucheng, admire most. We’ll talk more later—for now, leave this to me,” Hou Yucheng said, nodding to Tong Ming and the group before stepping forward.
Lian Yingxian quickly sent a voice transmission, “This senior brother and sister pair are strong and ruthless—both Ninth-Turn powerhouses. We…”
Hou Yucheng waved her off, “The woman’s indeed proven Ninth-Turn, but the man’s just Eighth-Turn.”
