—
Mo Wuji had been observing for three months and noticed something peculiar. At the end of each month, the cosmic energy around Saint Heaven and Earth’s cave grew denser. Logically, denser cosmic energy should make the surrounding Path laws clearer, but instead, they became blurrier.
During the first and second months, Mo Wuji thought this blurring affected all Path laws. By the third month, he observed more carefully and realized only the Time Path laws were blurred. At month’s end, the Time Path laws were nearly imperceptible, which caused other laws to seem blurred as well.
These changes were so subtle that ordinary cultivators would never notice.
Detecting them required constant divine sense observation, but Saint Heaven and Earth’s cave was surrounded by a Divine Sense Strangling Array. Any use of divine sense would be detected and trigger the array.
Mo Wuji, however, was different. Strictly speaking, he was a mortal. He had the Spirit Storage Channel, meaning his divine sense didn’t need to extend from his sea of consciousness. The divine sense from his Spirit Storage Channel operated under different universal laws than that from a sea of consciousness.
The Divine Sense Strangling Array targeted divine sense extended from a sea of consciousness. It couldn’t detect divine sense from the Spirit Storage Channel, which operated under entirely different Path principles. Still, Mo Wuji, cautious that his Spirit Storage Channel’s divine sense might be detected, spent days integrating it into the array in alternative forms.
The Spirit Storage Channel’s divine sense didn’t have to manifest as divine sense—it could take the form of divine essence, Path laws, or even universal rules.
It was like light and electricity: similar speeds, but different methods of transmission.
After months of observation, Mo Wuji was certain that Saint Heaven and Earth’s cultivation technique exhibited anomalies at month’s end.
Thus, if he were to act, it had to be at the end of the month.
The challenge was how to make Saint Heaven and Earth deploy the Wheel of Time. Mo Wuji likely couldn’t overpower the Saint, so the only way to seize the Wheel was to steal it after it was deployed.
But no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t devise a foolproof plan. It wasn’t a lack of ideas—he had plenty—but the vast gap in strength between him and Saint Heaven and Earth was the issue. If the Saint deployed the Wheel, could Mo Wuji even escape, let alone steal it?
He could bring a top-tier treasure to Eternity City to lure Saint Heaven and Earth out, offering to trade for a chance to study the Wheel. If the Saint coveted the treasure, he might agree. But even if the trade succeeded, Mo Wuji couldn’t escape the Land of Eternity.
Alternatively, he could impersonate another Fortune Saint, confront Saint Heaven and Earth at his cave, and provoke a misunderstanding. If he angered the Saint and fled, the Saint might pursue another Fortune Saint, allowing Mo Wuji to play the fisherman in their conflict. But this plan was too uncertain.
Stealing the Wheel amidst a clash between two Fortune Saints, even if it was deployed, was dubious. It all came down to his insufficient strength.
Mo Wuji sighed and left the cave he hadn’t exited in months. He’d paid a fortune to rent it solely to observe Saint Heaven and Earth. Months of observation yielded insights, but his limited strength rendered them useless. If he were a Realm Derivation Saint, he’d act at month’s end without hesitation.
Eternity City was bustling, with every information tower teeming with cultivators. Mo Wuji wandered aimlessly until a familiar figure caught his eye, prompting him to follow.
Having spent considerable time in the Land of Eternity, pursued by countless hunters, he remembered the notable ones. This figure was Zhuang Yongzi, no ordinary foe.
Zhuang Yongzi’s master was rumored to be Immortal Saint Zhuang Yinchen, one of the seven Fortune Saints. Zhuang Yinchen, always in seclusion, never pursued Mo Wuji, but Zhuang Yongzi had hunted him repeatedly, often leading large-scale chases in his master’s name.
Zhuang Yongzi entered an information tower alone, and Mo Wuji followed without hesitation.
Though Zhuang Yongzi went to the second floor, Mo Wuji didn’t care. He found a seat on the first floor. With his Spirit Storage Channel, he could extend divine sense where others dared not.
Mo Wuji’s plan was to wait for Zhuang Yongzi to leave, then find a way to eliminate him. Without Fortune Saint strength, Zhuang Yongzi’s incessant posturing and pursuit warranted an early reckoning.
As Zhuang Yongzi entered a private room, Mo Wuji’s Spirit Storage Channel divine sense followed.
Nearby, a group discussed the cosmos’s top treasures, including the Seven Realms Stone, Immortal Hammer, and Wheel of Time. They claimed the Immortal Hammer could shatter an entire universe with one strike.
Mo Wuji paid little attention to their talk of the Wheel of Time. Everyone knew it was a primordial treasure belonging to Saint Heaven and Earth. Had he not known this, he wouldn’t be in Eternity City.
“Sigh, if I could just glimpse the Immortal Hammer and feel its Path resonance, I’d be satisfied,” a First-Turn Saint said wistfully.
A woman nearby scoffed, “Dream on. In Eternity City, everyone sees the Wheel of Time daily, yet how many comprehend its resonance? Even if you saw it, with your cultivation, you’d sense nothing.”
Her words nearly made Mo Wuji leap up. Seeing the Wheel of Time daily in Eternity City? Why hadn’t he seen it?
He wanted to grab the woman and demand answers, but he knew moving now would be reckless. Asking about the Wheel might alert interested parties.
The group left after a brief chat.
Mo Wuji didn’t follow. He’d trail them later if needed. Why did they say everyone saw the Wheel daily? Could it be…
A realization hit him. The woman said the Wheel was visible to all, daily, meaning it was in an obvious place.
If he owned the Wheel, would he display it prominently? Never. Even if placed outside, it would only be at his cave…
A flash of insight struck. Mo Wuji clenched his fist, certain he’d grasped the key. The answer was clear: Saint Heaven and Earth’s cave was the Wheel of Time.
The cave was shrouded in arrays, appearing blurry from outside, with faint glimmers occasionally flashing.
As a primordial treasure, why would Saint Heaven and Earth transform the Wheel into his cave? Was he unconfident in his strength, using the Wheel as a defensive fortress?
Mo Wuji dismissed this. If Saint Heaven and Earth lacked confidence, he wouldn’t dare name his domain Eternity City, especially with Saint Eternity around.
He recalled the monthly blurring of Time Path laws around the cave. It was likely Saint Heaven and Earth refining the Wheel or his cultivation technique being tied to it, causing the anomaly.
Mo Wuji exhaled, knowing he’d found the way to seize the Wheel—at the end of this month.
Sometimes, the truth hides in plain sight. He’d assumed the Wheel was deep in the Saint’s sea of consciousness, not right before him. Yet, even knowing it was there, even a Fortune Saint couldn’t take it.
Seizing the Wheel required divine sense, but extending it here would alert Saint Heaven and Earth, leading to instant death. Even if divine sense reached the Wheel, bound to the Saint, how could anyone snatch it from a Fortune Saint?
Mo Wuji suddenly understood why Saint Heaven and Earth set up the Divine Sense Strangling Array in Eternity City—likely to protect the Wheel. It was a precaution, even if divine sense couldn’t steal it. The Saint was meticulous.
Mo Wuji’s divine sense shifted to Zhuang Yongzi upstairs. This guy’s timing was perfect.
…
Lan Xiaobu stopped. Before him was a natural array, above which floated four characters: Burial Path Plains.
No one was here, and divine sense couldn’t penetrate the array. To enter, he’d have to break it by force.
