Two years later, at the Holy Sword Palace.
Lan Xiaobu had always thought the Holy Sword Palace was built within chaos, requiring passage through chaotic regions to enter or exit. Standing outside the palace now, he realized it was merely established near a chaotic area. The palace’s grounds weren’t in chaos—not even at its edge.
Heh, what kind of “built in chaos” sect is this?
Outside the Holy Sword Palace’s grounds, countless swords floated—long, short, wide, narrow, unsheathed, sheathed, broken, some just tips, in a chaotic array of colors.
These swords hung haphazardly, without order.
Sweeping his divine sense over them, Lan Xiaobu sensed vast sword intent and sword path rules crisscrossing. Yet, to him, it was a junkyard of discarded swords.
If the Great Ice Pan Palace’s grounds had impressed him, the Holy Sword Palace’s left him with one feeling: utter garbage.
This is a top-tier holy sect?
Despite his disdain, Lan Xiaobu knew the Holy Sword Palace had strength—at least sixth-step Great Path experts resided here.
Tai Chuan, in the Longevity Realm, could still observe the outside with divine sense. “Master Bu, are we going straight in?”
“No, we’ll first head to the chaotic region behind the palace,” Lan Xiaobu said, using the Cosmic Dimensional Model to construct the palace’s dimensional structure while circling to the chaotic area at its rear.
As the Eternal Life Conference drew nearer, Anluo Heaven City saw an influx of cultivators.
Many were still en route, or the city, vast as it was, would’ve been overcrowded.
Today, a major incident shook Anluo Heaven City. A tall, long-haired man arrived at the city’s gates and was stopped by guards.
Anluo Heaven City, a Heavenly Court city, barred those without entry qualifications—a standard practice. But when the guards blocked this man, he casually swatted them aside, tore through the city’s protective barrier, and entered.
This was no small matter. Breaching a Heavenly Court city’s barrier was tantamount to declaring war. The city lord, deputy lord, and several protectors mobilized, with the Heavenly Court’s cultivator army ready to engage.
All the city’s news towers buzzed with discussion, many anticipating a battle. Some, fearing collateral damage, left the city.
Others followed City Lord Chong Ni and the Right Pivot Holy Chancellor Da Suoxian, eager to witness a clash. A cultivator bold enough to tear the city’s barrier was a top-tier powerhouse, and Da Suoxian, rumored to be near the seventh step of the Great Path, was a legend. Even sensing the divine path’s charm from their fight could elevate one’s own path.
Da Suoxian was furious. Anluo Heaven City, a Central Heavenly Court city, had never had its protective array challenged since its establishment, let alone torn apart.
With the city already packed, the streets soon became impassable as crowds followed.
Yet Da Suoxian calmed himself. Under his divine sense, he couldn’t locate the cultivator who breached the barrier. That shouldn’t be possible—the intruder entered under his surveillance, so why was he invisible?
“Looking for me?” A cold voice interrupted Da Suoxian’s thoughts.
A figure appeared before him—tall, with unusually long arms and large hands, long hair draped over his shoulders, carrying a massive star on his back. The star’s dao charm flowed, as if from ancient chaos.
A name flashed in Da Suoxian’s mind, and cold sweat ran down his back.
“Anluo Heaven City Lord Chong Ni greets Long Path Venerable,” Chong Ni said, bowing before Da Suoxian could speak.
Da Suoxian, not daring to hesitate, bowed as well, “Central Heavenly Court Right Pivot Holy Chancellor Da Suoxian greets Long Path Venerable. Your visit honors us, and we apologize for not welcoming you properly.”
Long Path Venerable—Shi Changxing. In the Seven Cosmos Heaven World, who was the strongest? The Dao Ancestor Seven Cosmos Heaven and Shi Changxing. The Seven Cosmos Heaven World ranked among the top two of the ten great worlds, rivaling the Central Heavenly Court in strength.
In the Seven Cosmos Heaven World, whether Shi Changxing or Seven Cosmos Heaven was stronger was unclear. Their ties offered clues.
The Seven Cosmos Heaven World’s Dao Ancestor was named Seven Cosmos Heaven, but his cultivated path wasn’t the Seven Cosmos Heaven Path. The Seven Cosmos Heaven-Cleaving Technique was Shi Changxing’s. His treasure wasn’t the world’s top artifact, the Seven Cosmos Heaven Star, but the Seven Cosmos Heaven Grief, a supreme attack spear.
The Seven Cosmos Heaven World’s greatest treasure was the Seven Cosmos Heaven Star—the star Shi Changxing carried on his back.
If their relative strength wasn’t clear, a saying in the Seven Cosmos Heaven World clarified: “Long Path walks slowly, Seven Cosmos breaks the heavens!”
Seven Cosmos Heaven used the Seven Cosmos Heaven Grief, phonetically similar to “heaven’s shirt.” The only question was why, if Shi Changxing was stronger, he wasn’t the Dao Ancestor.
Such a figure arriving in Anluo Heaven City, slighted by guards, could’ve razed the city, and the Heavenly Court would only rebuild, not seek justice.
Shi Changxing stared coldly at them, his tone icy, “My daughter Wanrong went missing in the Central World. I’m here to demand her from the Central Heavenly Court. If anything’s happened to her, don’t blame me for heavy-handedness.”
Da Suoxian’s heart sank. Shi Changxing’s daughter missing in the Central World? This was no trivial matter. Without resolution, an enraged Shi Changxing could annihilate the Central Heavenly Court.
If he did, the Central World’s Dao Ancestor might not intervene. To the Dao Ancestor, any Heavenly Court would do. If this one fell, another would rise. As long as the Central World endured, it was fine.
“Calm yourself, Long Path Venerable. If Fairy Wanrong came to the Central World, the Central Heavenly Court will surely find her. Rest assured,” Da Suoxian said, his only option.
Shi Changxing nodded, about to speak, when his expression shifted. He stepped forward and vanished.
As he disappeared, a woman in the crowd paled. She knew where Shi Wanrong was—and that she’d escaped the Great Ice Pan Palace. If Shi Wanrong had stayed, even Shi Changxing and the Dao Ancestor together couldn’t have traced her. But her escape spelled disaster for the palace. Their only hope was to find and eliminate Shi Wanrong before Shi Changxing did.
—
“Master Bu, I can move freely in chaos without hindrance. If the Great Ice Pan Palace hadn’t imprisoned me, I might’ve reached the Derived Realm Sacred Beast stage by finding chaos,” Tai Chuan said boastfully at the edge of the chaotic region near the Holy Sword Palace.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “I know. When you enter chaos, circulate your Great Path technique fully. I’ll check your condition.”
“But how will you enter, Master Bu? This chaos isn’t like the Tai Xu Tomb—it can annihilate any path or physical existence.”
“Don’t worry about me. Enter chaos and follow my instructions,” Lan Xiaobu said, waving him off.
“Be careful, Master Bu. I’m going in,” Tai Chuan said, stepping into the chaos and vanishing from Lan Xiaobu’s perception and divine sense.
Prepared, Lan Xiaobu kept the Cosmic Dimensional Model locked on Tai Chuan, continuously constructing its dimensional structure.
As Tai Chuan circulated its Great Path technique in chaos, everything became clear. Its body, path rules, blood, aura, and primordial spirit flowed smoothly, but one point stood out as incongruous.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t need analysis to know it was Guan Chong’s dao intent imprint.
