Lan Xiaobu was about to suggest taking action when he heard a sigh. The sound seemed to emanate from within the tomb chamber, yet also as if it came from the distant heavens.
“Enter my Burial Path Mansion, step through my Burial Path Gate, come in…”
With the sigh, waves of dao tones reverberated deep in their consciousness, like an invisible claw trying to drag the three into the Burial Path Mansion.
Thunder Sage resisted the corrosive dao tones while glancing at Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji. He knew they had to act or retreat immediately, or their chances would dwindle.
“Xiaobu, use the Cosmic Mill later, I’ll use the Wheel of Time. We strike the coffin together,” Mo Wuji said, aware they had to move quickly or it would be too late.
A spark flashed in Lan Xiaobu’s mind, and he said, “We need to act, but not to fight. We achieved sainthood in the Burial Path Great Origin, so we have little chance of winning now. Plus, I suspect something: we can’t use the Cosmic Mill. I think it belongs to this entity. Though I’ve refined it, I’m not strong enough to know if it has hidden imprints.”
Mo Wuji’s heart sank. If the Cosmic Mill belonged to the being emitting the dao tones, using it could spell their doom.
“Heh, no Cosmic Mill, but we have the Seven Realms Stone. I’ve located my friend’s dao rhythm. I’ll control the Seven Realms Stone to cross the spatial domain, we rescue her at top speed, then I’ll steer the stone to escape. Revenge can wait until we reach the Realm-Deriving Sage or Creation Sage level, then we’ll settle the score with this bastard,” Lan Xiaobu said swiftly.
“Alright, let’s do it,” Mo Wuji agreed without hesitation.
“Enter my Burial Path Mansion, step through my Burial Path Gate, come in…”
The hollow dao tones persisted. Thunder Sage’s face paled. Despite his higher cultivation, he hadn’t forged his own dao and had attained sainthood in the Land of Eternity.
Abruptly, Lan Xiaobu activated the Seven Realms Stone, and it vanished from the spot. The dao tones in the tomb chamber ceased instantly. Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji knew their guess was correct: the chamber seemed small but contained multiple spatial layers, even entire domains.
In a flash, the Seven Realms Stone breached a domain’s barrier. Lan Xiaobu spotted Qi Manwei, bound by dao threads and unconscious. Though pale, she seemed unharmed.
Lan Xiaobu cast the Grand Severance Technique, cutting the dao threads, and swept Qi Manwei up. Before the Seven Realms Stone could breach the next spatial domain, a sinister, furious voice echoed, “You think you can leave after coming here…”
A violent force surged, and Lan Xiaobu felt the same vortex-like suction from before entering the Burial Path Great Tomb.
Unable to act, with the Seven Realms Stone about to be dragged back, Mo Wuji unleashed three divine sense arrows and the seventh finger of the Seven Realms Finger, Return to Mortality.
A piercing screech rang out, and Lan Xiaobu felt the vortex’s pull weaken, though the stone still retreated.
At that moment, the cosmic void normalised. The void, barriers, and infinite Burial Path dao rules reverted to an ordinary world, if only for an instant.
Though Mo Wuji hadn’t told Lan Xiaobu this normalcy would last half a breath, Lan Xiaobu seized the moment. The Seven Realms Stone tore through the void and vanished.
As the oppressive Burial Path force and terrifying vortex disappeared, Lan Xiaobu collapsed onto the Seven Realms Stone, drained from burning his divine essence and blood. Mo Wuji spat a blood arrow and slumped down too.
Only Thunder Sage and the unconscious Qi Manwei were unscathed.
After a long pause, Mo Wuji swallowed a dao fruit and rasped, “That was formidable.”
He felt lingering fear. If they’d fought head-on, they wouldn’t have left the Burial Path Great Tomb alive.
Lan Xiaobu also took a dao fruit and stood, “Wuji, thank you. Without you, forget rescuing her, we’d all be trapped in that tomb.”
Mo Wuji smiled, “No need for thanks between us. But I suspect this isn’t over. That entity is arrogant and self-assured. We tore through his Burial Path Great Tomb and rescued someone. Plus, he won’t let the Seven Realms Stone under our feet go.”
“I know, so we must reach the Creation Sage level soon,” Lan Xiaobu said, still shaken. Their escape was razor-thin, even lucky. Without Mo Wuji’s ability to detect hidden barriers and the tomb, and his final move to stop the entity from reclaiming the Seven Realms Stone, they wouldn’t have found Qi Manwei, let alone escaped.
Thunder Sage, now composed, bowed to Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu, “Without you two, I’d be a corpse in the Burial Path Great Tomb. Also, I doubt even reaching Creation Sage level would let us challenge the tomb’s master.”
The group fell silent. If even Creation Sage level couldn’t defeat the tomb’s master, how strong was he?
“You think he’s fourth-step?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Thunder Sage nodded slowly, “Yes, I’m certain he’s fourth-step. I’ve never seen one, but despite my long time at Creation Sage level, the Burial Path dao rules in that tomb still made me feel awestruck. I don’t know why the master lingers there, but it’s not for Creation Sage level.”
Lan Xiaobu countered, “He’s likely staying in the Burial Path Great Origin for Creation Sage level, not for himself, but to cultivate Creation Sages in the Land of Eternity for his use. How, I don’t know. Also, I suspect he’s there for the Cosmic Mill…”
The Cosmic Mill, a universe-opening treasure, was known to be with Lan Xiaobu, but few knew it held the Great Cosmic Technique.
“Thunder, the Heavenly Secret Sage was also taken by the tomb’s master, but one escaped: the Eternal Sage. If I’m right, the Eternal Sage got away. Do you know where he went?” Mo Wuji asked suddenly.
Thunder Sage hesitated, then said, “If I’m not mistaken, the Eternal Sage likely went to the Chaos River.”
“Chaos River?” Lan Xiaobu looked at Thunder Sage in surprise.
Thunder Sage explained, “It’s said the Land of Eternity originated from the Chaos River, which birthed countless vast realms. To the Eternal Sage, a place that could spawn the Land of Eternity might hold fourth-step opportunities. Also, the Heavenly Secret Sage’s Heavenly Secret Bone is rumoured to be tied to the Chaos River.”
“Do you know the way to the Chaos River?” Lan Xiaobu asked immediately.
Thunder Sage nodded, “I should be able to find it.”
“Xiaobu…” Qi Manwei opened her eyes, saw Lan Xiaobu first, and sat up in shock, staring at him in disbelief.
“Manwei, you’re alright, good. This was dangerous, but it showed us how terrifying the Burial Path Great Origin is,” Lan Xiaobu said, overjoyed.
She soon confirmed it was indeed Lan Xiaobu, “Xiaobu, it’s really you? You saved me? How’s that possible?”
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “Yes, but it wasn’t easy. We nearly didn’t make it out. What puzzles me is why, with so many Creation Sage corpses in the Burial Path Great Tomb, the tomb’s master didn’t touch you?”
Qi Manwei exhaled, then said disdainfully, “That old ghost saw my Chaos Dao Body and wanted me as his dao companion. Utterly shameless.”
Thunder Sage thought to himself, with your Chaos Dao Body and beauty that could ruin realms, isn’t it natural the tomb’s master wanted you as his dao companion?
“Wait, why are you here? Did you actually bring word for me?” Qi Manwei now noticed Thunder Sage, her tone laced with distrust. Clearly, when she’d asked Thunder Sage to send word, she hadn’t expected him to follow through.
