Seeing the surprised looks from Zhen Changyuan and the others, the speaking cultivator immediately understood their thoughts. He clasped his fists toward the direction of the City of Eternal Life and said, “There should be no Creation Saints left in the Land of Eternal Life. Seniors Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji slew the Heaven and Earth Saint and the Reflective Path Saint, shaking the entire Land of Eternal Life.
Seniors Mo and Lan have freed the Land of Eternal Life from the control of Creation Saints, restoring freedom to countless cultivators. Now, the City of Eternal Life, under Senior Lan Xiaobu’s control, is the most coveted place for cultivators like us. There’s no coercion or bullying of the weak there.”
“You said the City of Eternal Life is controlled by Lan Xiaobu?” Zhen Changyuan asked, overjoyed.
She already knew Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji had killed the Heaven and Earth Saint, but she hadn’t expected Lan Xiaobu to be so extraordinary as to take control of the City of Eternal Life.
“Yes, entering the City of Eternal Life isn’t easy now. But countless people still want to go because it’s the best place for cultivators like us to practice. You can gain insights at any time and buy anything you want. The only downside is that the later you go, the more dao crystals you need,” the cultivator said with a sigh.
“Thank you, Friend,” Zhen Changyuan said gratefully, then led Peng Yuan and the Eternal Night Saint toward the City of Eternal Life. She hadn’t expected news of Lan Xiaobu to come so easily.
When Zhen Changyuan and the others arrived at the City of Eternal Life, Lan Xiaobu was still in seclusion. But Lan Xiaobu had instructed Zeng Feiyu, who knew Zhen Changyuan and the others were his friends, and arranged for them to stay in the city’s finest cave mansions.
Initially, Zhen Changyuan and the others wanted to wait for Lan Xiaobu to emerge from seclusion to talk and ask questions. But after a century passed without him emerging, they stopped waiting and focused on refining their own Great Paths.
…
Over the century, the Land of Eternal Life didn’t change much but settled into relative stability. However, no news of Creation Saints emerged during this time.
Without Creation Saints, and with Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji staying out of affairs, the Land of Eternal Life became a place where everyone fended for themselves. Yet the most stable place remained the City of Eternal Life.
In Lan Xiaobu’s cave mansion within the City of Eternal Life, he sat suspended in the void, a faint wisp of black aura hovering before him. This was the poison he had spent a century forcing out—or rather, cutting out—leaving him with lingering fear.
When he was first ambushed by the Reflective Path Saint’s black threads, Lan Xiaobu thought it was merely a minor injury and some poison. But as time passed, he realised something was wrong.
The poison law from the black threads not only continuously corroded his body but also began eroding his soul and dao tree. None of his healing methods worked.
Lan Xiaobu was certain that without his Great Severance Technique, he would have been helpless against this poison law.
Over the century, he tirelessly used the Great Severance Technique to cut out the poison law that had fused with his Great Path laws. During this time, he lost count of how many times he had “cut” himself, enduring a century of self-inflicted torment to finally sever the Reflective Path Saint’s poison law.
“Phew!” Lan Xiaobu let out a long breath, muttering to himself about how formidable it was.
Fortunately, he had ultimately removed the poison. He carefully sealed the severed poison law with a Great Path restriction and stored it in the Cosmic Model.
The Reflective Path Saint, a mere spider spirit, had seemed unremarkable but caused him immense trouble. Still, it wasn’t without gains. A century of using the Great Severance Technique to cut his body and laws had made his body incredibly resilient, reaching the level of a peak saint body. Moreover, his Great Path laws, tempered by this century of cutting, were equally robust. If someone tried to use a technique like Great Severance against him in the future, he could likely evade it with his sixth sense alone.
Though he hadn’t cultivated for a century, Lan Xiaobu knew his strength had advanced another step.
Sometimes, strength didn’t require conventional cultivation.
His divine sense swept out, revealing that the City of Eternal Life was far more prosperous than when he and Mo Wuji were last here—perhaps ten times more so.
Beyond the city, new markets had sprung up, clearly thriving in reliance on the City of Eternal Life.
Lan Xiaobu soon sensed Zhen Changyuan and the others and immediately emerged from seclusion.
Zeng Feiyu, who had been monitoring Lan Xiaobu’s status, hurried over as soon as he emerged.
“Greetings, Lord Lan. Congratulations on a century of seclusion and advancing your strength further!” Zeng Feiyu’s aura was robust, his Great Path law resonance twice as solid as a century ago, indicating the city had greatly benefited his path.
Lan Xiaobu laughed heartily. “Congratulations, Friend Zeng, on gaining new insights into your Great Path. Proving the Creation Saint realm is within sight.”
Zeng Feiyu bowed deeply. “My current achievements are entirely thanks to you, Lord. If you hadn’t allowed me to reside in the City of Eternal Life and comprehend the true Great Path here, I’d still be stuck where I was.”
Lan Xiaobu nodded. He knew Zeng Feiyu wasn’t exaggerating. Every cultivator’s Great Path had a direction, and Zeng Feiyu had found and seized his, leading to rapid progress. At this rate, it was almost certain he would reach the Creation Saint realm.
“By the way, Lord, your friends have arrived,” Zeng Feiyu said, about to mention Zhen Changyuan and the others.
Lan Xiaobu smiled. “Thank you, I’ve already seen them.”
Upon emerging, Lan Xiaobu had sent messages to Zhen Changyuan and the others, who arrived at his place immediately.
“Big Sister Zhen, I never imagined we’d come to the Land of Eternal Life together, only to reunite after so many years,” Lan Xiaobu said joyfully upon seeing her.
Turning to Peng Yuan and the Eternal Night Saint, he added, “Congratulations to you both for reaching the Derivation Realm and advancing your Great Paths.”
“Xiaobu, your progress is the greatest. I thought I had a good read on you, but I still underestimated you,” Zhen Changyuan said with a sigh. Back then, she had fled to the Burial Path Great Plain with the Blood River Saint, only to lose him. Years later, upon emerging, Lan Xiaobu had already subdued the Creation Saints of the Land of Eternal Life. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared leave the plain.
Being chased out of the Land of Eternal Life by Huang Buzhi might have been a blessing, as it led her to meet a Great Path genius like Lan Xiaobu.
“Big Brother Lan, something went wrong in the Burial Path Great Plain, forcing us to leave. That’s when we ran into Big Sister Zhen outside,” Peng Yuan said.
“Something wrong with the Burial Path Great Plain?” Lan Xiaobu repeated, puzzled, then looked at Zeng Feiyu.
Zeng Feiyu sighed. “Yes. Before, though the Burial Path Great Plain buried Great Paths, many cultivators could still enter. Talented ones even used its burial laws to purge impure laws from their Great Paths, perfecting them. But a century ago, the plain changed abruptly. Its burial laws became terrifyingly extreme, burying all of a cultivator’s Great Path laws. Anyone who lingered even slightly too long would perish there.”
“Indeed, when we escaped a century ago, we saw countless cultivators fall along the way,” Zhen Changyuan added with a sigh.
Lan Xiaobu frowned. He and Mo Wuji had felt the Burial Path Great Plain didn’t truly belong to the Land of Eternal Life, and he had even proven one of the three Eternal Life realms, the Derivation Realm, there. Yet in all his years in the plain, he hadn’t sensed any issues.
As Lan Xiaobu pondered, an abrupt, urgent voice came from outside: “Lord Lan, City Lord Zeng, the Thunder Saint is outside, requesting an audience. He says he has urgent news for Lord Lan about your closest friend, Qi Manwei.”
The Thunder Saint? Lan Xiaobu was stunned. Hearing Qi Manwei’s name, he stopped thinking and said, “Let him in.”
He and the Thunder Saint were enemies, and he had even planned to kill him. Yet now, the Thunder Saint dared to come, claiming it concerned Qi Manwei. What was this man up to?
“Fan Tianlun pays respects to Friend Lan,” a hoarse voice said as a dishevelled man entered.
He was dishevelled in every sense—his hair was a mess, his topknot patchy, his clothes tattered, and bloodstains marred his body. Most shocking to Lan Xiaobu was the Thunder Saint’s chaotic law aura and unstable domain, clear signs of severe injury.
