Qifeng said, “This Chaos Path is merely one of the six paths on the Chaos Road, each one a heaven-defying existence. Although Qin Qingtian obtained the most crucial one, the Chaos Path, his comprehension of the Chaos Road is still far from complete. When Qin Qingtian took the Chaos Path and left this place, I knew he would eventually lose it.”
Mo Wuji frowned slightly, looking at Lan Xiaobu, “Xiaobu, do you think someone like Qin Qingtian would make such a basic mistake?”
Lan Xiaobu shook his head, “I don’t know about others, but I’m certain Qin Qingtian wouldn’t make that kind of error.”
“So, after Qin Qingtian took the Chaos Path and renamed it the Qin Tian Ancient Road, he never returned here. When he reappeared, he had already lost control of the Chaos Path. There must be something wrong,” Mo Wuji said slowly.
“Wuji, our strength is still low. Staying here won’t let us refine the Chaos Road. We should leave,” Lan Xiaobu also felt something was off, but they didn’t need to uncover what it was.
In the vastness, some things are better left unprobed. Delving too deep might trap them. With their current strength, they were nothing special in the vastness.
No matter how powerful the Chaos Road was, it held little allure for Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji, perhaps none at all. They came here only to try their luck, to see if they could take the Chaos Road or at least prevent Qin Qingtian from regaining it. Now, finding it immovable and sensing something strange about it, they decided to abandon the effort.
Lan Xiaobu took out the Dao Heart Disc and began refining it. Though he was already at the Creation Saint Realm, refining the disc took him half a month.
“Wuji, it’s hard to say what level this thing is. It feels like an innate treasure, yet it doesn’t seem inferior to a sky-opening treasure. Very odd,” Lan Xiaobu said, looking at the white jade disc.
“What’s its use?” Mo Wuji asked, puzzled.
“It’s amusing, really. This thing is used to refine Chaos Treasures. Place a Chaos Treasure on the Dao Heart Disc, and it can be refined…” Lan Xiaobu paused, then added, “So, the Chaos Path must truly be a post-Chaos supreme treasure, or it wouldn’t be placed on the Dao Heart Disc. But why didn’t Qin Qingtian refine the disc?”
Mo Wuji couldn’t answer Lan Xiaobu’s question. He, too, couldn’t fathom why Qin Qingtian neither refined nor took the Dao Heart Disc.
Qifeng stepped forward again, bowing, “May I ask how I should address you all?”
“I’m Lan Xiaobu, this is Mo Wuji, and that’s Ou Ping,” Lan Xiaobu replied, guessing Qifeng wanted a ride.
As expected, Qifeng continued, “I, Qifeng, thank Brother Lan, Brother Mo, and Brother Ou for saving my life. I hope to borrow your Seven Realms Stone to leave this place. I swear, if I reveal the existence or whereabouts of the Seven Realms Stone, may my soul be destroyed, with no chance of recovery.”
Lan Xiaobu thought to himself, these old foxes are cunning indeed. Others might not let Qifeng leave so easily, perhaps even killing him first.
The Dao Heart Disc and the Chaos Path Hall aside, if the Seven Realms Stone’s existence leaked, countless powerhouses would target Lan Xiaobu to seize it.
Qifeng prayed silently, hoping these people wouldn’t turn hostile. He was truly helpless; if there were any chance of survival, he wouldn’t have stepped forward. He knew there was a ninety percent chance Lan Xiaobu would kill him, oath or not.
To Qifeng’s disbelief, Lan Xiaobu summoned the Seven Realms Stone, “Get on. I can only send you out of the Chaos Road. The rest is up to your fate.”
Qifeng’s voice trembled, “Thank you, thank you, fellow Daoist. I swear I’ll never forget this kindness.”
With that, he shakily stepped onto the Seven Realms Stone. In all his years of cultivation, he had never met someone as accommodating as Lan Xiaobu. Not only did Lan Xiaobu save him, provide Dao Fruits and items to restore his body, but he also sent him away unconditionally. Qifeng felt that even without his oath, they might not have demanded one.
The Seven Realms Stone glowed with spatial light, and Qifeng vanished.
Lan Xiaobu laughed, “This Qifeng knows a thing or two. After refining the Dao Heart Disc, we can indeed break out of the Chaos Path Hall. Let’s go, no need to stay here.”
In an instant, he stepped onto the Seven Realms Stone. Mo Wuji and Ou Ping followed, and with a slight tremor, the stone vanished from the hall.
—
In the Great Evolution Realm, the Heavenly Poison Saint sighed in relief. His injuries were never severe, but years of aiding the Great Evolution Saint in building the cosmic boundary crystals outside the realm left him no time to recover. Now, undisturbed in the Great Evolution Realm, he healed quickly, his injuries gone.
Fully restored, the Heavenly Poison Saint didn’t resume cultivation. He lamented that half of the supreme Dao vein was taken by the greedy Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu. With it, in the Great Evolution Realm’s cultivation environment, and by drawing others to cultivate his Heavenly Poison Great Dao, he could eventually reach the fifth step.
Thinking of the supreme Dao vein, he recalled the Hundred Zero Universe. Not only the universe but also the Chaos Heavenly Poison Heart within it were claimed by Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu, leaving him nothing. Years of hard work, only to benefit others.
Though he inwardly wished to tear Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu apart, the Heavenly Poison Saint didn’t dare. He had witnessed how Lan Xiaobu and Ying Tianji killed Luo Zhengyan and even the more formidable Qin Qingtian.
He knew Qin Qingtian better than anyone. Even at his peak, he, Kuang Can, was no match for Qin Qingtian. Those who hadn’t seen Qin Qingtian in action couldn’t grasp his power.
If not coerced by Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji, he would never have joined the attack on Qin Qingtian. In his mind, their attempt was suicidal. Yet, reality proved him wrong—Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu succeeded, making him even warier of them.
The Great Evolution Realm was ideal, but with his injuries healed, should he stay?
Perhaps stay for ten thousand years, he thought. A closed-door cultivation would pass quickly and refine his Dao heart.
As the Heavenly Poison Saint mused, he sensed a stir in his protective array. He stood abruptly, stepping out and shouting, “Who’s there?”
He didn’t dare act, knowing that in the Great Evolution Realm, several of Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu’s friends resided—none of whom he could afford to provoke.
A familiar voice replied, “Heavenly Poison, forgetting an old friend so soon? That’s not very kind.”
“Qin Qingtian? You? How could you be here?” The Heavenly Poison Saint’s tone shifted from shock to trembling. He hadn’t expected Qin Qingtian to find this place.
The Great Evolution Realm was surrounded by a cosmic boundary, meaning ordinary people couldn’t enter or leave. If it were so easy, he and Luo Zhengyan wouldn’t have been trapped for centuries.
Qin Qingtian’s voice remained calm, “Brother Kuang, I owe you one. If you had truly ambushed me, I might not have perished in the Hundred Zero Universe, but I wouldn’t have escaped either, likely fading away.”
“No, I didn’t hold back. I couldn’t stop you…” The Heavenly Poison Saint felt a chill, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
Once, he could slaughter an entire realm’s beings with ease, yet now, he felt cold fear.
Qin Qingtian chuckled, “Brother Kuang, after all our years of friendship? Without you, how would I have mastered the Heavenly Poison Great Dao? No need to pretend. If you had burned even a bit of your essence blood, you could’ve stopped me. You didn’t, which shows our bond remains.”
The Heavenly Poison Saint wanted to weep. Friendship? I’d rather you stay as far away as possible.
Before he could respond, Qin Qingtian continued, “You think letting me go once fooled Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji? You know who they are. Even I was outwitted by them. If they didn’t see you deliberately spared me by not burning your essence blood, I’d say I’m blind.”
The Heavenly Poison Saint felt powerless, knowing he was deluding himself. Though he instinctively avoided burning essence blood or lifespan to stop Qin Qingtian, hoping Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji didn’t notice, the odds were slim.
“If you want to survive, let me in. Let’s have a proper talk,” Qin Qingtian’s voice came again, laced with an irresistible allure.
