Lan Xiaobu’s gaze fell on the cultivator who spoke. He was thin, with a pale face and no beard, at the peak of the Yanjie Realm. His Dao charm was slightly mottled, suggesting it would be difficult for him to step into the Creation Realm. This wasn’t a matter of resources but rather an issue with himself.
Seeing Lan Xiaobu looking at him, the beardless man smiled and said, “I’m talking about a private ship. These ships make fewer stops along the way, so they save time. Compared to the market’s airships, they only lack the protection of fourth-step Dao experts. In fact, not only the Moru World but the entire Great Universe is relatively safe. Without fourth-step protection, there’s not much danger. The only risk is when passing the edges of certain chaotic zones, where you might be ambushed by top-tier holy beasts, but the chances of that are quite low. Moreover, without fourth-step protection, we’re less restricted on the ship.”
While Lan Xiaobu listened to the beardless man, his divine sense caught a trace of pity in the eyes of the ticket-selling female cultivator.
Lan Xiaobu immediately realized there was something off about this man’s invitation. Even if it wasn’t a matter of life and death, it would likely involve his wallet. Despite the strict laws protecting cultivators here, Lan Xiaobu wasn’t naive. He was certain there were plenty of shady dealings, like killing and silencing, happening in the shadows.
Lan Xiaobu planned to refuse. For safety’s sake, he’d rather wait two years.
At that moment, the beardless man smiled again and said, “The market’s airships don’t stop in chaotic zones; they only waste time at major Dao cities, markets, and stations. Our ship is different—it stops in chaotic zones.” Hearing this, Lan Xiaobu’s heart stirred. Stopping in chaotic zones? For him, his most fruitful cultivation time was at the Taixu Tomb, which had a true chaotic zone at its center. That zone transformed his Longevity Dao, without which he might not have reached his current level.
Although the chaotic zone in the Taixu Tomb was a true chaotic zone, it was surrounded by a space with clear rules. Lan Xiaobu wasn’t sure if the chaotic aura had been eroded by external rules, but he was certain that the chaotic zone belonged to a low-level universe. The chaotic zone here, though also surrounded by rule-bound space, should be of a higher grade than the one in the Taixu Tomb, right?
In other words, even if it was similar to the Taixu Tomb’s chaotic zone, he should still gain something from entering it.
With this in mind, Lan Xiaobu smiled and said, “Chaotic zones may be good, but you don’t necessarily need to follow a ship to get there. You can go on your own.”
Hearing Lan Xiaobu’s words, the beardless man was stunned, then realized Lan Xiaobu was likely a novice. He laughed and said, “You must not understand the chaotic zones here. They’re extremely dangerous. Personal flight treasures can’t pass through them, and even if they could, you’d need at least a sky-opening treasure. It would take centuries, not decades, to get there, not to mention the dangers along the way. Besides, how could you reach a chaotic zone without a ruin-breaking ship?”
A ruin-breaking ship was clearly a flight treasure capable of breaking through certain barriers. Lan Xiaobu’s knowledge was limited, and he didn’t know what this ship needed to break through. But the man’s words stirred his interest. Time was one factor, and the fact that the ship could go to a chaotic zone was another.
The beardless man was adept at reading expressions and saw that Lan Xiaobu was intrigued. The main reason wasn’t the cheaper price or the time saved—it was the chaotic zone. Smiling again, he said, “I heard that many years ago, a cultivator from the Burial Dao Sect obtained a top-grade Dao vein in a chaotic zone.”
Lan Xiaobu’s heart stirred, but he said with disbelief, “That’s a bit far-fetched. What’s a chaotic zone? Since it’s chaotic, it’s a realm of pure chaos. Let alone a top-grade Dao vein, not even a blade of grass could exist. There might not even be space. How could there be a top-grade Dao vein?”
The beardless man laughed again, “It seems you haven’t traveled far. The chaotic zones we go to are the outer edges that have been assimilated by the rules of the Great Universe. If you truly entered a chaotic zone, who could survive? The chaotic zones in the Great Universe are vast and boundless, with no known limits. But these zones are constantly assimilated by the Great Universe’s cosmic rules, forming areas that are half-chaotic, half-ruled. These areas are prime spots for finding top-tier treasures, even post-chaos treasures, not to mention top-grade Dao veins. We go to the edges of chaotic zones that have been assimilated by the cosmic rules.”
“I see,” Lan Xiaobu said, frowning. “But I’ve never heard of this Burial Dao Sect.”
The beardless man, eager to secure Lan Xiaobu as a customer, patiently explained, “The Burial Dao Sect is no small faction. It’s one of the top Dao sects in the Fanhe World.”
Hearing that the Burial Dao Sect wasn’t from the Moru World, Lan Xiaobu felt slightly relieved. Since it wasn’t from the Moru World, they wouldn’t trace anything back to him for now.
“That’s odd, then. If it’s a sect from the Fanhe World, why would they come to our chaotic zone?” Lan Xiaobu asked, frowning.
The beardless man was a bit exasperated but explained, “In the Great Universe, nearly ninety percent of the regions are chaotic zones. It’s not just the Moru World that has them—every world does.”
Lan Xiaobu nodded, accepting the explanation, then sighed, “It’s a pity your ruin-breaking ship doesn’t have a fourth-step expert. Otherwise, I’d really consider going with you. It would save Dao crystals, time, and let me see a chaotic zone.”
Though he knew the ship lacked fourth-step protection, Lan Xiaobu wanted to confirm it.
The beardless man smiled awkwardly, “If there were a fourth-step expert, it wouldn’t be this price. Besides, ships guarded by fourth-step experts can’t deviate from fixed routes. And honestly, ships departing from Xueru Dao City are almost always safe. Many people prefer not to travel with a fourth-step expert—it’s too restrictive.”
Lan Xiaobu seemed to ponder for a while before making up his mind. “Five million five hundred thousand high-grade Dao crystals. If that’s acceptable, I’ll go with you to Xueru Dao City now.”
The absence of a fourth-step expert was exactly why Lan Xiaobu wanted to go. Otherwise, he wouldn’t consider it. Though he suspected it might be a shady ship, he decided to board it.
“Alright, I’ll make the call—five million five hundred fifty thousand high-grade Dao crystals to board. Let’s go. We’ll buy teleportation tickets to Xueru Dao City here,” the beardless man said after a moment’s hesitation.
“Fine, you go buy the teleportation tickets. I’ll wait for you,” Lan Xiaobu said with a smile.
The man realized Lan Xiaobu didn’t even want to pay for the teleportation ticket to Xueru Dao City. Since he’d secured the deal, he’d have to cover the cost of two tickets. Fortunately, the tickets to Xueru Dao City were cheap, only 100,000 high-grade Dao crystals.
Lan Xiaobu noticed the pity in the ticket-selling female cultivator’s eyes, but she didn’t warn him. It was clear this beardless man had some influence here, or he wouldn’t dare recruit passengers so openly.
“My name is Hu Youqing. May I ask how to address you, friend?” Hu Youqing asked enthusiastically, having quickly purchased two teleportation tickets.
“I’m Lan Xiaobu,” Lan Xiaobu said with a smile, seemingly pleased at saving a large sum of Dao crystals.
The teleportation from Chenji Market to Xueru Dao City was a short-distance trip, and it was available at any time. Following Hu Youqing, Lan Xiaobu wasted no time and appeared outside Xueru Dao City half an hour later.
The teleportation array wasn’t inside Xueru Dao City but outside it. Though Lan Xiaobu didn’t enter the city, just a glance told him this place was several tiers above Chenji Market. The bustling atmosphere here was far beyond what Chenji Market could compare to. The plaza outside the city was filled with cultivators.
This place was less a city plaza and more a void dock. Lan Xiaobu saw not only numerous cultivators but also many airships.
The smallest of these airships were dozens of miles long, standing like islands on the plaza.
Following Hu Youqing, Lan Xiaobu eventually stood beneath an airship about fifty miles long, with two large characters on it: “Listening to the Dao.”
“Follow me onto the Listening to the Dao. After paying the Dao crystals, we’ll depart in at most a month,” Hu Youqing said enthusiastically.
“Didn’t you say we’d leave immediately? Why wait a month?” Lan Xiaobu frowned.
Hu Youqing said apologetically, “It was supposed to be two or three days at most, but we’re waiting for another group of passengers.”
