The Immortality Saint gave a faint smile and said in a clear voice, “Brother Xing rarely emerges, but when he does, it’s always for something significant. This time, gathering us here, is there another major event?”
The “Brother Xing” in the Immortality Saint’s words was Xing Pingyuan, the Heavenly Mechanism Saint residing at Heavenly Mechanism Bone. Hearing the Immortality Saint, Heavenly Mechanism Saint made a slight gesture of respect, then said in a low, grave tone, “A few days ago, I felt a stir in my spirit. After calculating for days using Heavenly Mechanism Bone, I uncovered something not to be underestimated.”
“What is it?” Reflecting Dao Saint was the first to ask, his eyes gleaming with anticipation, revealing his thoughts to everyone.
Reflecting Dao Saint’s strength might not be the greatest, but his dao was undeniably powerful. He could reflect any dao, even that of his opponents, and fully comprehend it. Imagine fighting someone who knows the intricacies of your dao—how much chance would you have?
Heavenly Mechanism Saint said, “I’m sure you’re all familiar with Wan Dao Saint.”
No one spoke. Everyone knew Wan Dao Saint, Chong Jianshan, and that he was on the verge of entering the Creation Realm. In fact, his ascension to the Creation Realm was tacitly approved by all. Otherwise, advancing to the Creation Saint Realm in the Land of Immortality was no simple feat. Without the approval of the other Creation magnates, dreaming of reaching the Creation Saint Realm was futile.
There were only a handful of Creation Saints in the Land of Immortality—why would they allow another?
Chong Jianshan’s strength was average, but his obedience made him ideal. Granting him the Creation Saint position was the best choice. Once he ascended, any dirty or tedious tasks would naturally fall to him, the junior.
Heavenly Mechanism Saint continued, “But in my calculations, Chong Jianshan failed to prove the Creation Saint Realm.”
“How is that possible?” Reflecting Dao Saint frowned slightly. Chong Jianshan had sufficient foundation and, with their approval, had seized a Plane-Opening Dao Law from the Yellow Spring Dao Lord. With his strength and that dao law, he was almost guaranteed to enter the Creation Saint Realm.
With such a robust foundation, plus the fortune and vitality of an entire plane, failing to ascend was nearly impossible.
The Immortality Saint also frowned. After they had jointly eliminated Great Cosmos Saint years ago, they had been searching for obedient Creation Saints to fill the gap. Chong Jianshan was compliant but apparently lacked ability, failing to prove the Creation Saint Realm.
“Why did he fail?” the Immortality Saint asked. He had sensed something odd recently but hadn’t delved into it. Chong Jianshan’s failure shouldn’t affect him, should it?
Heavenly Mechanism Saint’s tone grew even heavier. “You all likely recall the matter with Great Cosmos Saint.”
The others nodded silently. Great Cosmos Saint’s strength was boundless. Moreover, his ambition to control the Land of Immortality had provoked the other Creation Saints. When he was disintegrating a plane to derive his Great Cosmos Technique, they ambushed him, leading to his death and dao dissipation.
Whether Great Cosmos Saint’s soul fragment could return to the Land of Immortality was irrelevant. Even if it did, it could never regain its former glory.
Heavenly Mechanism Saint continued, “Though we ganged up on Great Cosmos Saint, without external aid, we couldn’t have killed him.”
“You mean?” The Immortality Saint’s eyes flashed with a sharp glint, understanding dawning.
Heavenly Mechanism Saint nodded, as if anticipating the question. “Exactly. Chong Jianshan’s failure to prove the Creation Saint Realm mirrors Great Cosmos Saint’s failure to derive his Great Cosmos Technique. Back then, Great Cosmos Saint was distracted by us, but an ant from the plane he was disintegrating ambushed him, allowing us to kill him and prevent his technique’s success.
This time, my calculations show Chong Jianshan was similarly ambushed by an ant from the plane he was disintegrating. Though he hasn’t perished, he’s gravely injured.”
Reflecting Dao Saint’s eyes brightened. “Brother Xing, are you saying another existence like that Mo fellow has appeared in the Land of Immortality? A young prodigy capable of reaching the pinnacle?”
Everyone understood Reflecting Dao Saint’s excitement. His strength lay in reflecting and replicating others’ daos. His dao was even more complex and profound than Chong Jianshan’s, which had enabled his ascension to the Creation Saint Realm.
If his dao weren’t so intricate, requiring so much time, his combat strength wouldn’t be so mediocre—it could be top-tier.
Reflecting Dao Saint was the opposite of Thunder Saint. One cultivated countless daos, the other only the Thunder Dao. Yet Thunder Saint, with a single dao, far outstripped Reflecting Dao Saint’s strength.
But Reflecting Dao Saint didn’t see his dao as the issue; he believed it was a matter of time. Given enough, he could become the strongest. His only regret was failing to reflect the dao of that young Mo cultivator. Though not at the Immortality Realm, Mo’s dao was refined, encompassing all things. Reflecting Dao Saint’s dao, though strong, couldn’t replicate it. That was the dao he yearned for.
So when Heavenly Mechanism Saint mentioned another such figure, his eyes lit up.
Heavenly Mechanism Saint nodded. “My calculations confirm this is indeed an existence with a supreme dao, cultivating their own dao, and…”
Noticing Heavenly Mechanism Saint pause and glance at him, the Immortality Saint immediately asked, “Does it involve me?”
Heavenly Mechanism Saint hesitated. “I sense his dao is tied to immortality, but whether it’s connected to you, I’m not certain. His fortune is immensely vast. I can only pinpoint his general location, not his exact whereabouts.”
The Immortality Saint stood abruptly. “Then we must find him quickly. If he assimilates with the Land of Immortality’s rules, locating him will be nearly impossible.”
This wasn’t without precedent. When they hunted that young Mo cultivator, they initially underestimated him, thinking he was an easy catch. But Mo grew stronger, assimilated with the Land of Immortality’s heavenly dao laws, and calmly departed. To this day, they hadn’t found him.
Mid-sentence, the Immortality Saint seemed to recall something. “Summon Chong Jianshan immediately. Have him provide a detailed depiction of that cultivator’s appearance and dao aura. Then issue a bounty across the entire Land of Immortality. We cannot repeat the same mistake.”
“Yes,” a muffled voice responded from the shadows, then fell silent.
…
Just as Lan Xiaobu was nearly fully integrated with the Land of Immortality’s dao laws, a sudden, intense sense of crisis surged within him.
A vast saint domain instantly bound him, the aura of death flooding his heart. Lan Xiaobu frantically extended his own domain, but it only allowed him to move slightly.
His only thought was to summon the Cosmic Mill. Yet the terrifying saint domain had seized the moment he was meditating to blend with the Land of Immortality’s rules, binding him. He likely wouldn’t have time to summon the Cosmic Mill before being killed.
Lan Xiaobu’s heart pounded. Forget the Cosmic Mill—even the Longevity Halberd was too slow to summon. Fortunately, his Longevity Domain wasn’t weak. After frantically unleashing it, he managed to throw a punch.
It was the only divine ability he could muster: Feather Sound Kill. The punch turned the space into a mournful autumn. But it was too rushed, the autumn intent overly violent, and under its influence, grass and trees instantly frosted.
Normally, Lan Xiaobu’s punch would start with a sorrowful autumn breeze, followed by desolate autumn intent, then fleeting vitality, with grass and trees turning to frost.
This time, for survival, the intent was unleashed with frantic haste, barely blocking the saint domain binding him.
Lan Xiaobu realized the attacker was the yellow-robed man. He hadn’t expected him to arrive so quickly, nor with such overwhelming strength, completely contrary to his earlier judgment.
“You’ll regret disrupting this saint’s plans for eternity under my karmic flames…” As Lan Xiaobu blocked the binding saint domain, a mocking voice rang out, followed by an even more terrifying aura pressing down.
Lan Xiaobu’s heart sank. He was at a disadvantage. His inexperience had led to one misstep after another. Already weaker than his opponent, he now faced a life-or-death crisis.
“Heh, you, Chong Jianshan, dare call yourself a saint? Take a finger from me first.” A similar mocking voice rang out, and all domains began to disintegrate.
The saint domain transformed into an utterly mundane mortal world, filled with countless beings. In this world, they were as insignificant as fleeting clouds. All changes of life and death were controlled by this single finger.
Lan Xiaobu felt the binding domain loosen. Overjoyed, he broke free, grabbing his Longevity Halberd.
“Mortal World!” Chong Jianshan’s voice trembled with extreme fear. His body turned into a blood mist and vanished from the spot. Though he knew this forbidden technique would end his hopes of reaching the Creation Saint Realm, he didn’t want to die. The Mortal World divine ability was known to only one person in the Land of Immortality: Mo Wuji, whom they had hunted for countless years, only for him to grow stronger.
With Mortal World appearing, it meant Mo Wuji was here. Even Creation Saints couldn’t handle him—would he stay and court death?
