Ou Ping, being the cunning old fox he was, immediately understood from Mo Wuji’s words and glance that Mo Wuji likely valued the Heavenly Poison Saint’s strength. Indeed, no matter how extraordinary Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu were, they were only in the Creation Saint Realm. Their opponents were the unfathomable Qin Qingtian and Mengmu Great Derivation’s fourth-step protector, Meng Yuan.
As for those like himself, who had failed to achieve the fourth step, he didn’t even factor them in.
The Heavenly Poison Saint wasn’t just a fourth-step powerhouse, but one who had mastered the Heavenly Poison Laws. With someone like him on their side, Lan Xiaobu and the others would have a much easier time.
Some things were inconvenient for Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji to say, but Ou Ping could.
With this in mind, Ou Ping said with a beaming smile, “Friend Kuong Can, I don’t need to elaborate on the cultivation resources and cosmic laws of the Great Derivation Realm. Most importantly, there’s a supreme-grade Dao vein here. Cultivating here for a time might even give you a shot at the fifth step of the Dao.”
As he spoke, Ou Ping pointed to the half-supreme-grade Dao vein beneath the Dao Crystal Ball, continuing, “Think about it, Brother Mo and Brother Lan are providing you with such a treasure ground for cultivation. I think you should offer something in return. Otherwise, they save your life, give you a place to cultivate, and you just walk away? That’s not very honourable.”
Inwardly, the Heavenly Poison Saint Kuong Can cursed. Was the Great Derivation Realm provided by Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji? Even if they hadn’t come, he’d still be cultivating here, and back when he was, they didn’t even know where they were.
But he didn’t dare voice these thoughts. Instead, he put on a broad smile and said, “Of course, if Friend Mo and Friend Lan have any requests, as long as I, Kuong Can, can do it, I won’t hesitate.”
Mo Wuji smiled, “Since you say so, I’ll be direct. We have an enemy, someone you might know. After leaving the Great Derivation Realm, we’re going to settle the score with him. But we’re short on manpower and need more help.”
If the Heavenly Poison Saint didn’t know what to do, he’d be a fool. He slapped his chest without hesitation, “Friend Mo, count me in. I refuse to believe that with all of us, we can’t crush them.”
He knew full well that if he refused, he wouldn’t be allowed to cultivate in the Great Derivation Realm. If it was just a matter of not cultivating, that’d be fine. But he suspected Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu’s ruthlessness, they might seize the chance to kill him.
Mo Wuji praised, “Good, I knew Friend Kuong Can was a man who repays kindness and acts with integrity.”
“Uh, Friend Mo, who exactly are we going to deal with?” Despite knowing that with their group, no one in this corner of the universe would dare stand in their way, the Heavenly Poison Saint’s long habit made him want to know who this person was.
Mo Wuji smiled, “One is called Qin Qingtian, said to be the Qin family’s ancestor. The other is Meng Yuan, said to be a protector of Mengmu Great Derivation.”
Hearing the name Qin Qingtian, the Heavenly Poison Saint’s jaw dropped. He knew he’d been played.
After a long pause, he sighed, “Friend Mo, Friend Lan, it’s not that I’m boosting others’ morale. If it were anyone else, even the former Luo Zhengyan, we’d have plenty of chances. But against Qin Qingtian, our chances are frankly slim. Qin Qingtian, leaving aside his strength, his scheming is unmatched in my experience. As for his power, I suspect he’s already stepped into the fifth step, though that’s just my guess. If he truly has, he’d be an exceptionally strong fifth-step powerhouse.”
Pausing to choose his words, his tone grew heavier, “After reaching the fourth step of the Dao, each step is a world apart. I believe you both felt this deeply when facing Luo Zhengyan.”
Mo Wuji smiled, “Don’t worry, the likelihood of Qin Qingtian reaching the fifth step isn’t high, and he currently seems to lack a physical body, probably in a primordial spirit state…”
At this, Mo Wuji’s heart skipped a beat.
All the information he had on Qin Qingtian came from what Qin Qingtian allowed him to know. If so, the idea of Qin Qingtian being in a primordial spirit state was dubious.
Sure enough, hearing Mo Wuji, the Heavenly Poison Saint frowned, muttering to himself. After a while, he said, “Qin Qingtian in a primordial spirit state? How do you know?”
“I soul-searched the Qin family head, Qin Yuansha, and learned of Qin Qingtian’s primordial spirit state,” Mo Wuji said, sticking to his earlier reasoning, though he felt something was off.
The Heavenly Poison Saint sneered, “If Qin Qingtian were truly in a primordial spirit state, he’d never let Qin Yuansha know. Others may not understand Qin Qingtian, but I do. In his eyes, the only person in the universe he trusts is himself.”
Lan Xiaobu looked at Mo Wuji, “So that’s where the problem lies.”
He and Mo Wuji had planned to cultivate in the Great Derivation Realm for a century before going after Qin Qingtian. That was the plan, but both felt uneasy, unsure where the issue lay.
These old foxes were indeed crafty. Neither he nor Mo Wuji had seen it, but the Heavenly Poison Saint pinpointed the issue upon hearing Qin Qingtian’s name. Though his familiarity with Qin Qingtian helped, their survival instincts were undeniably stronger.
“Xiaobu, we must reach the fourth step before confronting Qin Qingtian. And we should treat him as a fifth-step powerhouse,” Mo Wuji said solemnly.
Against someone like Qin Qingtian, a single misstep could leave them at his mercy.
The Heavenly Poison Saint suddenly asked, “Do you know where Qin Qingtian is?”
Mo Wuji replied, “He went to the Qin Heaven Ancient Path. Originally, Lan Xiaobu and I planned to ambush him there, but other matters delayed us, so we didn’t go.”
Mo Wuji didn’t mention that he and Lan Xiaobu sensed something off about Qin Qingtian, which kept them from going to the Qin Heaven Ancient Path.
The Heavenly Poison Saint sighed, “Good thing you didn’t go. If you had, you’d have been handing Qin Qingtian a kill. At the Qin Heaven Ancient Path, in this vast expanse, no one could restrain him.”
He then turned to Ou Ping, “I admire your Mengmu Great Derivation’s protector Meng Yuan for daring to work with Qin Qingtian. If Meng Yuan has any bones left after their partnership, I’ll admit defeat.”
Ou Ping’s face darkened, “Old poison, watch your words. I have nothing to do with Mengmu Great Derivation now. I’m allied with Friend Mo and Friend Lan.”
The Heavenly Poison Saint ignored Ou Ping. To him, Ou Ping, a pseudo-fourth-step, was insignificant. But Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji had immense potential, possibly surpassing him and Luo Zhengyan in the future.
Lan Xiaobu said, “Qin Qingtian is waiting for me and Mo Wuji at the Qin Heaven Ancient Path. If he waits too long without seeing us, he’ll likely come looking. How long do you think that would be?”
He asked because he felt his and Mo Wuji’s estimated timeline might not suit Qin Qingtian. They didn’t know Qin Qingtian well, but the Heavenly Poison Saint Kuong Can did. So Kuong Can’s opinion might be more accurate.
“At most ten years. If Qin Qingtian doesn’t see you at the Qin Heaven Ancient Path within a decade, he’ll come looking. If I’m not mistaken, since he calculated you might go there, he can likely deduce where you are now,” the Heavenly Poison Saint said.
Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji’s expressions grew grave. They had estimated about a century before Qin Qingtian, tiring of waiting, would leave the Qin Heaven Ancient Path to find them. But the Heavenly Poison Saint’s estimate was ten years, a tenth of their guess.
“Wuji, Friend Kuong’s guess is likely correct. Qin Qingtian knows what we have and that we’ve been to the Vast Abyss Universe. If I’m not wrong, he might not even wait ten years, perhaps leaving in under five,” Lan Xiaobu said gravely.
Mo Wuji directly collected the half-supreme-grade Dao vein, then said, “Ou Ping, you cultivate here and guard the Great Derivation Realm. Friend Kuong, you come with us.”
“Where to?” the Heavenly Poison Saint asked, puzzled.
Mo Wuji chuckled, “To the Hundred Zero Universe, no, the Mo-Lan Universe now. We misjudged before. If Qin Qingtian leaves the Qin Heaven Ancient Path, he’ll likely head to the Mo-Lan Universe soon. Though his primordial spirit state may be a ruse, I have a feeling his strength is far from recovered, nowhere near his peak. If so, we’ll hit him hard in the Mo-Lan Universe. Even if we can’t kill him, we’ll make him pay. Scheming against us comes at a cost.”
Mo Wuji didn’t add that wounding Qin Qingtian would buy him and Lan Xiaobu time to cultivate. Otherwise, they’d always be under Qin Qingtian’s surveillance, unable to cultivate in peace.
