A major incident shook the Moru World: a rift-breaking ship was ambushed and robbed, and its lord was killed outright.
Many knew that beneath the Great Universe’s facade of peace and prosperity, countless dark deeds occurred in the shadows. However, those targeted were typically without backing. No one dared touch those with significant influence or background.
But now, someone had openly robbed a rift-breaking ship, an act far beyond mere “trouble.”
In terms of influence, the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao’s power surpassed even the Heavenly Court. While the Moru Heavenly Court nominally governed all forces, in reality, it had no control over entities like the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao.
Not just in the Moru World, but across the entire Great Universe, the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao was a top-tier daoist stronghold. It wasn’t merely a daoist institution of the Moru World; it was akin to a world itself.
In the Great Universe, over ninety percent of rift-breaking ships were built by the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao, and over sixty percent were directly managed by them. If that wasn’t telling enough, every rift-breaking ship traveling the Great Universe required a saint talisman from the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao—a pass, essentially.
Thus, while some might target the interests or officials of various Heavenly Courts, no one dared touch the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao. Robbing their ship, killing its lord, and seizing the vessel was unthinkable.
So, when Lan Xiaobu killed Chong Yi and took the Tingdao Ship, he had effectively poked a hole in the heavens.
At this moment, four of the ten worlds’ Heavenly Courts issued warrants for Lan Xiaobu. It was said that the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao dispatched several Fifth Step Great Dao powerhouses with one goal: to find the true culprit behind the Tingdao Ship robbery and bring them to justice.
…
Meanwhile, Lan Xiaobu had reverted to his true appearance and was hiding in a desolate mountain range, inspecting his spoils. After all, the Dao crystals and veins were visible the moment he opened Chong Yi’s world.
Beyond that, Chong Yi’s world yielded a pile of materials and several jade boxes with restrictions, which he needed to check for any overlooked top-tier treasures. More importantly, there were stacks of jade slips.
Some jade slips couldn’t be bought in trade halls. For instance, Lan Xiaobu had long sought a map jade slip of the Moru World at Chenwu Market but never found one.
Examining the miscellaneous items from Chong Yi’s world, Lan Xiaobu was somewhat speechless. While there were many good things, nothing was particularly stunning.
The most valuable items were already apparent: the top-grade Dao vein, ten thousand high-grade Dao veins, and a mountain of Dao crystals. Chong Yi’s world seemed to lack even a single decent treasure. Lan Xiaobu refused to believe Chong Yi’s treasures were limited to a few innate items. Logically, Chong Yi wouldn’t store more valuable items elsewhere.
Thankfully, he found jade slips detailing the locations of Tianmo City and Jiubian Sea City, as well as an overview of the Moru World’s top daoist sects. Besides the top-grade Dao vein, these were what Lan Xiaobu urgently needed.
Originally, he planned to go to Jiubian Sea City, but after reaching the Fourth Step in the Jiuyuan Chaos Zone, he abandoned that idea. His goal in Jiubian Sea City was to achieve the Fourth Step, which he’d already done. Now, with a jade slip for Tianmo City, he decided to head there.
Tianmo City was the Moru World’s Heavenly Court Dao City, with entry requiring specific conditions. Lan Xiaobu didn’t know what those conditions were, but he was confident he’d find a way in once there.
For such a long-distance journey to Tianmo City, Lan Xiaobu could only use the Seven Realms Stone. Before reaching the Fourth Step, he hesitated to use it for travel. Now, having comprehended the chaotic Dao principles of spatial rifts, he could wrap the Seven Realms Stone in a concealment barrier and add a barrier to avoid spatial rifts, ensuring no major issues.
When he first arrived in the Great Universe, Lan Xiaobu lacked the materials to create such barriers, even if he wanted to. While Qu Peng had many good items, top-tier Dao materials were scarce. Chong Yi’s world made up for that.
Besides the top-grade Dao vein, Chong Yi’s world, though lacking jaw-dropping treasures, contained a pile of high-quality crafting materials, many of them top-tier Dao materials.
With plenty of time, Lan Xiaobu wasn’t rushed in setting up barriers on the Seven Realms Stone, striving for perfection to avoid detection. He hadn’t realized the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao’s immense influence, initially thinking it was just another daoist sect. Only after reading the jade slip’s overview did he understand it was a top-tier force rivaling the Heavenly Court.
…
In the Great Universe, most Heavenly Court Dao Cities were structured from low to high. At the base were ordinary daoist fields, trade halls, and the like. Higher up were the residences of Heavenly Court military cultivators, then officials, and finally the Heavenly Court Grand Hall.
The exception was the Great Wilderness World, where the Heavenly Court, called the South Heaven Gate, wasn’t in the Dao City but built in the void. To reach it, one had to climb a void staircase.
Thus, among all Heavenly Courts in the Great Universe, the Great Wilderness Heavenly Court was the most grandiose.
Tianmo City, the Moru World’s Heavenly Court Dao City, like most, was divided into five levels, with the Moru Heavenly Court on the fifth.
At this moment, in the Heavenly Court Dao Hall, two rows of officials stood solemnly. The Moru Heavenly Court’s Emperor, Ce Ku Huiyi, sat on the throne, his face equally grave.
A shocking incident had occurred in the Moru World: a Rift-Breaking Saint Dao ship was robbed, and its lord, Chong Yi, was killed.
“Does anyone have a strategy?” Ce Ku Huiyi broke the hall’s silence. As the incident happened in the Moru World, the Heavenly Court bore undeniable responsibility. As its emperor, Ce Ku Huiyi was deeply troubled.
Despite the hall being filled with officials, no one stepped forward to respond.
Ce Ku Huiyi,无奈, turned his gaze to a red-faced burly man, “Saint Pang, what’s your view?”
All eyes turned to the red-faced man. In the entire Moru Heavenly Court, only one person earned the emperor’s respectful title of “Saint”: Pang Jie.
Pang Jie was not only the court’s strongest figure but also its top strategist. Normally, unsolvable issues were handled by him. In fact, the Moru World rarely had issues the Heavenly Court couldn’t resolve, so Pang Jie had seldom acted in recent years.
Now, with the emperor’s question, Pang Jie stepped forward, “Your Majesty, in my view, someone robbing the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao’s ship is actually a good thing…”
“What?” Ce Ku Huiyi thought he’d misheard, exclaiming in surprise.
Pang Jie sighed, “The only downside is that it happened in our Moru World. Consider this: the Great Universe seems peaceful, but the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao is like a troublemaker. Everyone knows the shady practices of their ships, yet no one speaks out. Isn’t it normal for a near-bandit-like ship to be robbed? Truth be told, if I weren’t the Left Saint Minister of the Moru World, I’d want to take action myself. They’ve gone too far.”
“Left Saint, watch your words,” a yellow-bearded elder stepped forward, lowering his voice in caution.
Pang Jie nodded helplessly, “I know. Everyone here is from our Moru Heavenly Court; no one will leak this.”
“Then, Saint Pang, what’s your plan?” The emperor looked at Pang Jie expectantly.
Pang Jie said, “The Rift-Breaking Saint Dao isn’t just a problem for our Moru World. I believe other worlds’ Heavenly Courts are equally fed up with them. We can unite with other courts to use this opportunity to pressure the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao.”
The emperor sighed, “That’s for later. If I’m not mistaken, the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao’s people will arrive soon. Even though we’ve issued a warrant, their first move will likely be to hold us accountable. Since this happened in our Moru World, we must give them an explanation before discussing anything else.”
Almost as the emperor finished, a loud report came from outside, “An envoy from the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao has arrived to visit the Heavenly Court.”
The officials exchanged glances, and the emperor’s face darkened. Only someone from the Rift-Breaking Saint Dao would dare arrive without submitting a formal visitation request, simply having it announced.
Despite his displeasure, the emperor could only say, “Quickly, invite the envoy in.”
