The cultivator who spoke immediately regretted his words. What could enter the Chaos River without being disrupted by its undercurrents and dao principles? Clearly, a top-tier flight treasure. His divine sense had faintly caught a glimpse—it seemed like the Seven Realms Stone, though he wasn’t certain.
If it truly was the Seven Realms Stone, diving to the river’s depths wouldn’t be impossible.
“Daring to attack our Mengmu Dayan’s yellow-robed enforcer is an unforgivable crime. Let’s split up and hunt them down. We won’t return until we capture them, agreed?” the first cultivator said with a laugh, his tone resolute.
Both green-robed enforcers understood each other’s intent. They’d guessed Lan Xiaobu’s group was using the Seven Realms Stone. With such a treasure, it was a matter of who claimed it first. But this couldn’t be said aloud—only framed as enforcing justice. Speaking openly would sever their claim to the stone. Naturally, both coveted it.
…
Lan Xiaobu knew he couldn’t surface. On the Chaos River, they’d be caught by Mengmu Dayan’s forces. They couldn’t even leave the river.
As a top power in the mid-tier Haoyuan Universe controlling the Chaos River, if they dared travel along its banks, Mengmu Dayan could surely track them.
The Chaos River’s depth was unknown, and though the Seven Realms Stone wasn’t fast, it kept descending without reaching the bottom.
Fortunately, the river’s surging undercurrents couldn’t yet penetrate the stone’s defenses, sparing those aboard.
“Friend Zuo, let me introduce. I’m Lan Xiaobu, this is Mo Wuji, Qi Manwei, Yi Qingshan, Fan Tianchenglun, and Du Bu,” Lan Xiaobu said, fond of Zuo Heng. Since Zuo was braving the Chaos River with them, he considered him part of the group.
Zuo Heng quickly greeted each, sensing this group was extraordinary. Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji, despite being Creation Dao realm—the lowest among them—seemed to lead. These two had teamed up to effortlessly kill a Creation Sage.
“No need for formalities, Friend Zuo. We’re from a low-tier universe and know little about mid-tier ones. Can you explain how fourth-step dao powerhouses are born in mid-tier universes?” Mo Wuji asked, sensing the Chaos River’s undercurrent rule fluctuations.
Zuo Heng nodded, “Of course. Long ago, I thought reaching sagehood was the dao’s pinnacle. Later, I learned sages differ vastly, like Nine-Turn Sages and Eternal Sages. Seeking eternity, I left my universe and achieved Creation Dao realm elsewhere. After that, I came to the Chaos River and entered the Haoyuan Universe.”
“So, you returned to the Chaos River from the Haoyuan Universe?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Zuo Heng replied, “Yes. Fresh in Creation Dao realm, I was full of ambition, thinking the vast cosmos was mine to grasp. But in the Haoyuan Universe, I realized I was less than an ant…”
He sighed before continuing, “For rogue cultivators like me, in a place like the Haoyuan Universe, we’re the lowest rung. If I hadn’t come to the Chaos River, I’d never have reached Creation Sage.”
“Everyone chases Creation Sage, but how rare it is,” Du Bu, who’d followed them, said with a sigh. He’d entered the Qintian Ancient Road for Creation Sage status but, after years, hadn’t achieved it. Without Mo Wuji’s group, he might’ve been trapped forever.
Zuo Heng said seriously, “That’s what I’m getting to. After becoming a Nine-Turn Sage, I realized true cultivation begins at Creation Dao realm, or what we call Eternal Sage.”
“Isn’t Creation Sage an Eternal Sage? Creation Dao realm is even further from it, right?” Lan Xiaobu frowned.
Zuo Heng sighed, “Friend Lan, coming from a low-tier universe yet knowing Creation Sages aren’t eternal shows your dao is remarkable. I only learned in the Haoyuan Universe how far I was from eternity. When I reached Creation Dao realm, I was thrilled, thinking I’d coexist with the cosmos. Later, I realized it was wishful thinking. Creation Dao, Realm-Deriving, and Creation Sage—called the Three Eternal Realms—aren’t entirely misnamed.”
“Please elaborate,” Lan Xiaobu said, clasping his fists.
Zuo Heng explained, “In low-tier universes, reaching Creation Sage means you’ll likely coexist with that universe. When your lifespan ends, so does the universe’s.”
“Universes have lifespans?” Lan Xiaobu asked, astonished.
Zuo Heng nodded, “Yes, not just low-tier universes—mid-tier ones too. If you achieve Creation Sage in a low-tier universe, your lifespan aligns with it. When you die, the universe collapses. I’ve heard in mid-tier universes, achieving the fourth step lets you coexist with that universe.”
“Why do low- and mid-tier universes perish? From what I know, most cosmic or planetary destructions are caused by cultivators practicing cosmic divine techniques,” Mo Wuji asked.
Zuo Heng shook his head, “I don’t know, but I know of the Great Cosmic Technique. It’s said to require annihilating cosmic planes to pursue the dao. Yet cosmic destruction isn’t solely due to such techniques.”
Lan Xiaobu and the others fell silent, Lan Xiaobu sighing inwardly. No matter his cultivation, travels, or absorbed cosmic knowledge, he always found more unknowns in the vast cosmos.
Indeed, the Qin family had someone pursuing the fifth step, while they were mere Creation Dao Sages—barely at the dao’s first step.
Zuo Heng continued, “Mengmu Dayan is terrifying because they never forgive offenders. Long ago, a low-tier universe cultivator accidentally killed one of their enforcers in a Haoyuan Universe planet. Mengmu Dayan nailed him in the void, burning his soul with soul fire to this day. His low-tier universe was also obliterated, not a fragment left…”
Ruthless. Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji exchanged glances, their earlier ease gone.
They feared no pursuit, but destroying their planets or universes was unacceptable.
Mengmu Dayan was clearly a merciless organization. Destroying a low-tier universe meant killing countless innocents—trillions or more?
“Xiaobu, we must reach Creation Sage quickly and find a way to destroy Mengmu Dayan,” Mo Wuji said decisively.
Like Lan Xiaobu, who knew someone in the Land of Eternity destroyed planes for the Great Cosmic Technique, Mo Wuji knew he couldn’t protect his Mortal Universe’s plane. The only way was to eliminate Mengmu Dayan.
“They shouldn’t trace our origins quickly,” Lan Xiaobu said.
Zuo Heng shook his head, “They can. As for me, they can trace all they want—I don’t even know where my planet is, so good luck finding it.”
“How?” Qi Manwei asked, puzzled.
“They can track the dao principles you used in combat to your universe’s plane. Every plane’s cosmic dao principles leave traces. They just need to find your divine technique’s dao rhythm on the Chaos River’s void platform,” Zuo Heng said gravely.
Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu stayed silent. They understood Zuo Heng but weren’t worried. Neither cultivated cosmic dao principles—both followed their own dao, unrelated to their planes. Even if Mengmu Dayan searched their combat site, they’d find no trace of their origins.
Unless they located Mo Wuji’s Mortal Universe, a low-tier plane, which wouldn’t be quick.
But because Mo Wuji had left the Mortal Universe, he was even more urgent to advance his cultivation and eliminate Mengmu Dayan.
