Meng Yuan knew she couldn’t outplay Qin Qingtian. She had no intention of fighting him. They’d clashed once before in the Tuo Pan Hall, and the outcome proved she was no match for him. Since that was the case, there was no point in humiliating herself further.
“I agree to give you one strand of my Great Dream Law, but I have two conditions. First, you must swear that after taking my Great Dream Law, you won’t harm me in any way. Second, you must wait until Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji arrive here before I hand over the Great Dream Law.”
Qin Qingtian smiled faintly, “I’m not one for swearing oaths, and no one in this universe can make me. But I can assure you, I only want your Great Dream Law. I have no ill intentions toward you personally, so rest easy. As for your second condition, I agree. I won’t touch your Great Dream Law now, but the moment Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu arrive, you must hand it over immediately.”
“Fine, I agree. But tell me, when will Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji come here?” Meng Yuan asked calmly.
Qin Qingtian, brimming with confidence, replied, “If I’m not mistaken, they’re likely in the Hao Yuan Universe right now. Given their cautious nature, they’ll definitely make preparations before entering the Qin Tian Ancient Path. I’ve been to your Meng Mu Da Yan’s dojo, where they set up numerous protective arrays, killing arrays, and even used a Heaven-Opening Treasure as the array core. So, before entering the Qin Tian Ancient Path, they’ll surely try to set up various trapping and killing arrays outside it. They won’t feel secure otherwise. These arrays will take them considerable time. I estimate it won’t be more than ten years, perhaps five or so.”
Meng Yuan was certain Qin Qingtian had learned through some means that Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji had entered the Hao Yuan Universe. She sighed inwardly. Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji were indeed cunning, but compared to Qin Qingtian, they seemed just a tad short.
“The Qin Tian Ancient Path is so well-hidden. Even if Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji have the Seven Realms Stone and can enter it, how could they set up arrays outside?” Meng Yuan asked skeptically.
Qin Qingtian said coolly, “Others might not, but they can.”
He didn’t elaborate. He suspected Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji had something like the Cosmic Dimension Model, or at least an item of comparable caliber. If Meng Mu Da Yan’s treasury was so easy to plunder, it wouldn’t have been left for those two nobodies. Even he couldn’t access it, so how did they?
Seeing Qin Qingtian had no intention of explaining, Meng Yuan didn’t bother asking further. She closed her eyes, seemingly meditating on her own Great Path, though only she knew if that was true.
Qin Qingtian noticed her dismissal but didn’t care.
The two sat in silence, as if in deep meditation.
Three years passed in a flash. Meng Yuan opened her eyes, a mocking smile on her lips. “It’s been nearly six years since we arrived, hasn’t it? Where are Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu?”
Qin Qingtian frowned. In his calculations, even if Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu were setting up trapping arrays, it shouldn’t have taken this long. With the Seven Realms Stone’s speed, reaching here from the Hao Yuan Universe could be as quick as a thought, faster than even he could manage.
After a long hesitation, he said, “Let’s wait a bit longer. I believe they’ll come.”
Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu had no reason not to come. He knew Mo Wuji had soul-searched Qin Yuansha, so they must know he and Meng Yuan were at the Qin Tian Ancient Path and that he was a primordial spirit. He’d analyzed their personalities, knowing they wouldn’t sit idly by if they saw him as a threat. They’d strike proactively. That’s how they took down Meng Mu Da Yan. Waiting for his primordial spirit to claim the Qin Tian Ancient Path and potentially restore his physical body to crush them? That didn’t fit their style.
Meng Yuan sneered inwardly but didn’t respond. She now hoped Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t show up. They’d outwitted Meng Mu Da Yan in the Hao Yuan Universe, so they shouldn’t fall for Qin Qingtian’s trap, right? But Qin Qingtian’s schemes were hard to guard against, they targeted human nature and the heart. Even she, a protector of Meng Mu Da Yan, had fallen for it.
Seeing Meng Yuan ignore him again, Qin Qingtian remained unfazed, though he was growing puzzled. By his reckoning, since Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu had been to the Hao Yuan Universe and soul-searched Qin Yuansha, they should’ve reached the Qin Tian Ancient Path by now. Why hadn’t they?
Time flew, and two more years passed. This time, without Meng Yuan speaking, Qin Qingtian stood up. “They probably won’t come. I miscalculated this time.”
Meng Yuan sneered, “Didn’t you say they’d definitely come? Why say now they won’t?”
Qin Qingtian was genuinely perplexed. He wasn’t an omniscient sage who could predict every cultivator’s moves. He judged based on their actions, their cultivated laws, and his own experience. Mistakes were inevitable.
But this miscalculation caught him off guard.
“Now’s not the time for blame. We need to eliminate these two quickly, or it’ll be bad for me, for you, and for your Meng Mu Da Yan. If they grow stronger, they’ll likely target Meng Mu Da Yan first,” Qin Qingtian said calmly.
Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji had defied his expectations, avoiding his trap, which made him warier. These two were unlike his previous opponents, they wouldn’t easily fall for his schemes.
“So what? We can’t leave this place,” Meng Yuan said, though she suspected Qin Qingtian had a way out.
Sure enough, Qin Qingtian said casually, “There’s still a way to leave. For example, I could use the Qin Tian Stone to craft array flags, you provide your Great Dream Law, and I burn my own law. That way, we can get out.”
Meng Yuan’s face darkened. She was certain she’d have to give up her Great Dream Law for real, while Qin Qingtian’s claim of burning his law was likely a lie. But she couldn’t call him out. She wanted to retort, “Didn’t you say we couldn’t leave?” but suspected that if she did, he’d turn on her.
As expected, Qin Qingtian continued, “We must do this. If we delay further, I don’t even know what those two are planning. I’ve heard the Bai Ling Universe has a Chaos Origin. If they find its Chaos Origin site, they’ll definitely step into the Fourth Step.”
Meng Yuan took a deep breath. “The Qin Tian Stone you mentioned is just a Chaos Stone, right? Heh, using your treasure to craft array flags to leave, I see how it is. We both know what’s going on. I have one demand, if the Bai Ling Universe has a Chaos Origin, I must be allowed to cultivate there for ten thousand years. No negotiation. If you refuse, we both go down.”
“Fine, I agree. But I must warn you, the Bai Ling Universe is the domain of the Heavenly Poison Sage. He’s formidable, and his Chaos Heavenly Poison is nearly unstoppable. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Qin Qingtian said calmly.
Meng Yuan knew he wasn’t warning her out of kindness, but she didn’t care. Aside from Qin Qingtian, she feared no one.
“Then let’s do it. Hand over your Great Dream Law,” Qin Qingtian said promptly.
Meng Yuan sighed and released her Great Dream Law.
The moment it entered the Qin Tian Ancient Path, she felt as if something restrained her, though the sensation was faint and quickly faded. She knew she now had no power to resist Qin Qingtian.
With a sigh, she thought, even if Meng Mu Da Yan could avenge her, she likely wouldn’t live to see it. She could only blame her arrogance, underestimating the universe’s powerhouses, or this wouldn’t have happened.
“Nice, decisive,” Qin Qingtian praised, tossing out several array flags. A small path reappeared before them, with a teleportation array beside it.
…
Outside the Mo Lan Universe, Lan Xiaobu, Mo Wuji, and the Heavenly Poison Sage hid within a barrier. It was their third year of waiting.
“Wuji, honestly, I’ve never schemed so meticulously to ambush someone. We’ve been here for two or three years,” Lan Xiaobu sighed. If his life weren’t at stake, he wouldn’t have the patience.
Mo Wuji smiled, “Think of Old Ou, and we’ll feel balanced.”
Lan Xiaobu nodded. Ou Ping had waited centuries in one spot, their two or three years were nothing.
