“Alright, let’s go then,” Zhong Wuchi said, letting Lan Xiaobu have his moment for now.
Seeing Zhong Wuchi dive into the vibrant, energy-rich world, Lan Xiaobu followed without a second’s hesitation. He’d set up thirty-six ruleless array flags outside and held seventy-two more, ready to escape even if Zhong Wuchi fully controlled the place.
After a day of rapid travel, Lan Xiaobu said impatiently, “Old Zhong, this ain’t working. At this rate, I’d rather hunt treasures solo. A whole day, and we’ve seen nothing. I’m not in the mood to keep trailing you like a headless fly.”
Zhong Wuchi stopped with a sly chuckle, “Don’t rush, Little Brother Xiaobu. I’ve got tricks I haven’t used yet, just didn’t want others sniffing them out.”
He raised his hand, revealing an array disc radiating a primal aura, clearly an innate treasure.
Lan Xiaobu blurted, “Time array disc?”
Zhong Wuchi stared, speechless, “There’s not a whiff of time laws on this thing, how’s it a time array disc? I wish it was, but no dice.”
Lan Xiaobu said apologetically, “My bad, I’ve got a space array disc, so I figured yours was a time one.”
“You’ve got a space array disc?” Zhong Wuchi’s eyes gleamed, sizing Lan Xiaobu up like a juicy prize.
Lan Xiaobu’s face froze, clearly regretting his slip, he gave an awkward laugh, “No big deal, nothing compared to yours, Old Zhong. So, what’s your disc?”
“It’s a spirit-seeking array disc, tracks down all innate treasures,” Zhong Wuchi said, then paused, “Brother, mind letting me peek at your space disc?”
Lan Xiaobu went quiet for a bit, then cautiously flashed his space array disc before tucking it away, “Just this, nothing special. I barely use it, maybe once for cultivation, otherwise it collects dust.”
Zhong Wuchi’s heart raced, he was dead sure Lan Xiaobu’s disc was the real deal, no mistake. Lan Xiaobu saying he used it sparingly? Zhong scoffed inwardly, not sparingly, you’re just too weak to deserve it. He hadn’t planned to lure Lan Xiaobu into his sacrificial array, with so many Ninth Turn powerhouses around, he had plenty of targets.
But that space disc changed everything. Lan Xiaobu couldn’t die yet, Zhong needed to crack his world open.
Swallowing his urge to confront, Zhong gave a thumbs-up, “Brother, you’re a lucky one, first time I’ve seen a disc like that. We team up, we’re gonna score big. Look at my spirit-seeking disc, I can pinpoint chaos divine spirit veins here easy…”
Lan Xiaobu shook his head, “Chaos veins don’t excite me, I’m here for Breath Soil. Old Zhong, if you can’t track that, I’m out. Look at all these people, if those old bastards nab the Breath Soil first, I’m screwed.”
He stretched his divine sense, like he was scouting better options.
Zhong Wuchi panicked but kept his cool, chuckling, “You wanna go solo, I won’t stop you. But I disagree, I said my disc can find chaos treasures, Breath Soil’s one of ‘em, I can find it.”
Lan Xiaobu’s eyes lit up, “What’re we waiting for? Get to it, Old Zhong!”
Zhong Wuchi smirked, pouring his intent into the disc. It flared, shooting out beams, one with a deep purple glow pointing a direction.
Seeing it, Zhong Wuchi’s eyes blazed, he bolted toward it without even calling Lan Xiaobu.
Lan Xiaobu snorted, muttering about the old turtle’s act while dutifully following.
Zhong Wuchi went full speed, stopping in under half a day outside a lush bamboo grove.
The bamboo, all eighth-grade divine plants, had trunks meters thick. Chaos divine spirit energy swirled, but it wasn’t standout in a world dripping with it.
“Brother, I’m sure this is the jackpot. My disc only glows purple for the best stuff, probably Breath Soil. There’s a hidden array, shall we crack it together?” Zhong Wuchi’s eyes gleamed, fixed on the grove.
Lan Xiaobu summoned his Longevity Halberd, grinning, “Old Zhong, you’re the boss.”
“Good,” Zhong Wuchi said, unveiling a rustic stone bridge, oozing thick Nether aura.
Lan Xiaobu recognized it instantly, the Nether Soul-Breaking Bridge, no less than his halberd.
“Attack!” Zhong Wuchi called, dropping the bridge.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t hold back, swinging his halberd with half strength.
Boom! The bridge’s endless Nether aura crashed into the void, like shrieking souls tearing it into a tangible barrier, pocking it with holes.
Lan Xiaobu’s halberd struck those pits, splitting a fine spatial crack in one go.
Their attacks meshed perfectly.
Zhong Wuchi chuckled, “Brother, you’ve got skills, holding back before, huh?”
Lan Xiaobu matched his grin, “Yeah, didn’t go all out. One, I’m no array expert, two, that Guang guy’s ego bugs me, acting like he’s king. You’re different, Old Zhong, straight-up and warm. Teaming with you, I’m giving it my all.”
Zhong Wuchi gave another thumbs-up, “Good eye, brother, that halberd’s near Seventh Turn Saint level, everyone’s underestimated you. Trust me, crack this, and you’ll score big.”
“Here’s to that, I’m going harder,” Lan Xiaobu said, his halberd syncing with Zhong Wuchi’s bridge, widening the crack. Thick chaos divine spirit energy leaked, laced with a primal, world-opening vitality, unmistakably Breath Soil.
Zhong Wuchi played dumb, so Lan Xiaobu did too. Zhong let the aura spread, clearly baiting others to their doom. Lan Xiaobu didn’t care, he wanted Breath Soil, others’ fates weren’t his problem.
Boom, boom, boom! They hammered in unison, tearing the void further. Two days later, a sharp crack, and a wide bamboo path opened before them.
“Get in quick,” Zhong Wuchi rushed in, tossing a call to Lan Xiaobu.
Before following, Lan Xiaobu deployed his seventy-two ruleless array flags. As he trailed Zhong Wuchi, the flags moved with him, shifting to form his Longevity Space.
This space ran on Longevity Dao laws, untied to Zhong Wuchi’s world rules.
Even if Zhong Wuchi locked the world down, he couldn’t trap Lan Xiaobu.
Zhong Wuchi stopped at an open clearing, a ten-zhang bamboo platform at its heart. A fist-sized chunk of purple soil floated at the center, ringed by at least a hundred chaos divine spirit veins.
“Haha, Breath Soil…” a thrilled voice rang out, a tall Ninth Turn Saint landing below the platform.
More figures poured in, soon forty or fifty monks filled the clearing, with others still arriving.
“What’s this about? I found this, I broke the array,” Zhong Wuchi said, face darkening as the crowd grew, his tone bitter.
“Old Zhong, that’s not fair, didn’t I pitch in?” Lan Xiaobu said, sounding miffed.
