Lan Xiaobu looked at Zeng Feiyu and said, “Fellow Zeng, I’m planning to head to the Burial Path Great Plain. I’ll leave this place in your hands. My friends are cultivating here, so please look after them.”
“Rest assured, Lord Lan, as long as I’m here, everything will be fine,” Zeng Feiyu replied, all but pounding his chest in confidence.
Zhen Changyuan added, “Xiaobu, go ahead. Without Creation Sages around, we’ll be fine.”
Lan Xiaobu knew that with troublemakers like the Eternal Life Sage gone, no one would dare act rashly against Zhen Changyuan and the others.
“Fellow Thunder, you’ll lead the way. I trust you know the route?” Lan Xiaobu said, looking at Thunder Sage. Since he was heading to the Burial Path Great Plain, he naturally wouldn’t leave Thunder Sage behind.
Thunder Sage sighed inwardly. He knew he couldn’t escape this. As expected, he now had to guide Lan Xiaobu to the Burial Path Great Plain. But he had no choice—if Qi Manwei hadn’t risked everything to shield him from the Burial Path Great Tomb’s principles, he wouldn’t have made it out.
“Fellow Lan, if it weren’t for Fellow Qi, I wouldn’t have escaped. It’s only right that I go back now. But Fellow Qi told you not to enter. If you go in and something happens, wouldn’t that…” Thunder Sage’s tone was earnest, implying that going in would betray Qi Manwei’s intentions and, in his view, likely lead to Lan Xiaobu’s death.
“You still remember the route, don’t you?” Lan Xiaobu asked, fixing his gaze on Thunder Sage.
If Thunder Sage refused to lead, Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t be polite. Had Thunder Sage been uninjured, Lan Xiaobu might not have been his match. But with Thunder Sage’s foundation damaged and his principles in disarray, his strength was likely reduced to a fraction.
Thunder Sage quickly said, “I remember the route, of course. I’ve been there once and left directional markers.”
As he spoke, he etched a directional jade slip and handed it to Lan Xiaobu, continuing, “Last time, it took me over a century to get there. I only got out quickly because I used an Eternal Life Talisman. That talisman works for exiting, not entering. Also, the Burial Path principles in the Great Plain are now terrifyingly intense. I’m afraid we’ll struggle to even enter.”
Lan Xiaobu took the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and put it away. “Whether we can enter, we’ll find out when we get there. As for how long it takes to reach the Burial Path Great Tomb, we’ll know once we’re on the way. Let’s go—no need to waste time here.”
A century? Lan Xiaobu was confident that with the Seven Realms Stone’s speed and the directional markers, it wouldn’t even take half a year. For now, the biggest challenge was whether he could handle the Burial Path principles. If he couldn’t, he wouldn’t even make it inside.
Leaving the Eternal Life City, Lan Xiaobu had just summoned the Seven Realms Stone when he received a message. Reading it, he was overjoyed.
Mo Wuji was back and had invited him to head to the Burial Path Great Plain together.
Is this the Seven Realms Stone? Thunder Sage felt the Seven Realms principles emanating from it, his heart skipping a beat. This was the treasure he’d always dreamed of, now right before his eyes.
“Come aboard,” Lan Xiaobu said, glancing at Thunder Sage.
“Alright.” Thunder Sage was eager to experience the Seven Realms Stone again. A refined Seven Realms Stone was a different beast from an unrefined one.
As he stepped onto the Seven Realms Stone, Thunder Sage was enveloped by its vast, boundless realm principles. He marvelled inwardly. No wonder the Seven Realms Sage was so formidable—these principles were truly heaven-defying. In terms of pure Great Path principles, they likely surpassed his own thunder principles.
After half an hour of immersion, Thunder Sage realised the Seven Realms Stone still hadn’t left the Eternal Life City.
He quickly asked, “Fellow Lan, why aren’t we moving?”
Before Lan Xiaobu could respond, Mo Wuji’s voice echoed from the void. “Haha, it’s been a century, and your principles have become much more refined.”
In that century, Lan Xiaobu had relentlessly used the Great Cutting Technique to refine his Great Path and body, making it impossible for his principles not to grow stronger.
“Are you Fellow Mo Wuji?” Thunder Sage exclaimed, shocked as Mo Wuji casually stepped onto the Seven Realms Stone without hesitation.
“Well, Thunder Sage, what are you doing here? Last time, Xiaobu and I were planning to take you down,” Mo Wuji said with a hint of surprise, sizing up Thunder Sage. With his chaotic principles and evident injuries, Mo Wuji saw through him instantly.
Thunder Sage’s heart sank. He was a Creation Sage, yet neither Mo Wuji nor Lan Xiaobu took him seriously. And Mo Wuji was telling the truth—if Thunder Sage had lingered, Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu might have stormed his Gubei Peak and killed him, just as they had the Reflective Path Sage.
But then he realised entering the Burial Path Great Plain was, in a way, his way of avoiding Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu. There was no need to dwell on it—everyone understood the situation.
Knowing he’d likely have to deal with Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu often in the future, Thunder Sage spoke candidly. “Fellow Mo, Fellow Lan, I know you have grievances against us Creation Sages, and I understand why. Let me speak from the heart: I, Fan Tianchanglei, sided with the Eternal Life Sage and worked against you. But I can say with a clear conscience that I achieved Creation Sage status through my own efforts. I’ve never refined a planet or dissolved a realm. My path is the Thunder Great Path, and to prove it, I sought thunder principles across countless universes.
“As for hunting you two, it was because the Heavenly Mechanism Sage divined that you’d threaten the status and survival of the Creation Sages in the Land of Eternal Life. Plus, after you arrived, you kept clashing with the Eternal Life Sage’s faction, which led to the pursuit. As a Creation Sage of this land, I couldn’t stand apart from certain matters. I’m not the Heaven and Earth Sage, nor do I have his strength. Personally, hunting you two brought me no benefit.”
Lan Xiaobu waved a hand. “Let’s leave the past behind. We don’t have any deep grudges. Just don’t target innocent cultivators or refine innocent realms in the future. Now, tell us about this matter again.”
Relieved by Lan Xiaobu’s words, Thunder Sage recounted the events once more.
Mo Wuji listened, his expression grave. “Xiaobu, this is one reason I came to find you. By the way, after returning, I learned how much you helped my Mortal Universe. Thank you.”
Only after returning to the Mortal Universe did Mo Wuji realise that without Lan Xiaobu, the Mortal Star would have been refined, and those close to him likely wouldn’t have survived. His gratitude to Lan Xiaobu was genuine. Though he’d thanked him before, seeing everyone safe upon his return stirred emotions he could hardly express.
Lan Xiaobu smiled. “No need for formalities between us.”
Having faced life and death together, fought Creation Sages in the Land of Eternal Life, and even shared cosmos-opening treasures, their friendship needed no such courtesies.
Mo Wuji nodded. “I suspect the Land of Eternal Life isn’t part of the greater cosmic world. Though its rules are higher and allow for greater realms, I didn’t bring my people here. This time, I returned to investigate what’s strange about this place. I initially thought it might be tied to the white bones. But right after arriving, I heard the Burial Path Great Plain was in turmoil. Something felt off, so I came to invite you to check it out. Since your friend is trapped there, let’s go in together.”
After arriving in the Land of Eternal Life, Mo Wuji had received a message from Qingxiang. Qingxiang had found Jizhuer, and they’d been waiting for him. Upon meeting them, Mo Wuji learned of the Burial Path Great Plain’s upheaval, with Jizhuer having escaped from it.
“Then let’s head over,” Lan Xiaobu said, activating the Seven Realms Stone and speeding out of the Eternal Life City.
Thunder Sage felt space shifting rapidly. His divine sense couldn’t extend beyond the stone, nor could his eyes perceive anything outside. He marvelled inwardly—this was a true realm-traversing treasure. With it, even if trapped in the Burial Path Great Tomb, a moment of clarity would’ve let him escape.
But he knew such a treasure would likely never be his.
Unaware of Thunder Sage’s thoughts, Lan Xiaobu pushed the Seven Realms Stone to its limit. In just over an hour, it stopped outside the Burial Path Great Plain.
So fast. Thunder Sage gazed at the Burial Path Great Plain, its principles weaving chaotically, but his mind lingered on the Seven Realms Stone.
