Lan Xiaobu was certain no one was pursuing him. He found a quiet place to restore his original appearance before calling Qi Manwei out.
In Lan Xiaobu’s view, it should now be safe to revert to his true appearance. He had used the alias Tingdao hundreds of years ago, and the only one who might have noticed him then was Hu Youqing. After so many years, Hu Youqing likely no longer remembered him. Besides, Hu Youqing was in the Moru World, while this was the Central World. Even by ship, it would take several hundred years, so Hu Youqing probably wouldn’t come here.
The Broken Ruins Holy Dao didn’t know his appearance either, and any warrant for him would likely only be issued in the Moru World.
“Xiaobu…” As soon as Qi Manwei appeared, she excitedly embraced Lan Xiaobu. Having faced life and death, her restraint had long vanished.
After being taken from the Great Derivation Realm, she had thought she would perish and had even prepared to end her own life. She never imagined she would survive, let alone that Lan Xiaobu would save her. The moment she saw him at the Sword Palace Tree, she could hardly contain herself. But Lan Xiaobu had been calm, urging her to suppress her excitement and cooperate to avoid revealing their connection.
Now, with no outsiders around, Qi Manwei fully released her emotions. Even as she held Lan Xiaobu, her body trembled slightly.
Lan Xiaobu wiped the tears from Qi Manwei’s eyes, looking down at her flawless face, silently marveling that it was fortunate Guan Yuxue was a woman, or Qi Manwei might already be dead.
“Manwei, tell me what happened back then. Taichuan couldn’t explain clearly,” Lan Xiaobu said after a long pause, once Qi Manwei’s emotions had settled somewhat.
Qi Manwei gradually calmed down and quickly asked, “Xiaobu, how did you find Taichuan?”
She had seen Taichuan in the Immortality Realm, but Taichuan couldn’t clarify many details, only that Lan Xiaobu had rescued it from the Great Ice Palace. Before she could ask more, Lan Xiaobu had called her out.
Lan Xiaobu began explaining how he came to the Great Universe, how he learned of Taichuan’s trouble, and how he discovered that she was to be sent to the Immortality Conference for others to comprehend the Chaos Dao Charm…
“Xiaobu, the one to be sent to the Immortality Conference wasn’t me, but another woman…” Qi Manwei quickly interjected.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “I know. When I saved you, I also rescued her. She’s still unconscious in my Universe Dimension Model. I’ll call her out later to ask her some questions.”
“Xiaobu, be careful of the Heavenly Poison Saint. He’s aligned with Guan Yuxue. If he spots you, he’ll surely guess you saved me,” Qi Manwei recalled.
Lan Xiaobu realized he had overlooked the Heavenly Poison Saint. Unlike Hu Youqing, the Heavenly Poison Saint not only knew him but was aware of his connection to Qi Manwei. It seemed he couldn’t show his true face if he passed through Anluo Heavenly City in the future.
“I heard from Taichuan that Yi Qingshan was killed? What about Dubu?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Qi Manwei’s emotions had calmed from the initial excitement of seeing Lan Xiaobu, the warmth in her heart gradually settling. Hearing about Yi Qingshan and Dubu, she sighed, “In truth, how many who cultivate to the point of reaching the Creation Saint Realm and leave their low-tier universe are ordinary? Sister Qingshan was not only a Heavenly Charm Body, but her appearance was even more beautiful than mine…”
Lan Xiaobu was stunned. He knew Yi Qingshan, having met her at the Qin Heaven Ancient Path. Back then, Yi Qingshan was merely pleasant-looking, not particularly striking, and certainly not a Heavenly Charm Body.
“While cultivating with Sister Qingshan, even when she was breaking through to the fourth step of the Great Dao, I didn’t know she was a Heavenly Charm Body or her true appearance. It wasn’t until that man named Guan Chong captured us all…” Qi Manwei’s tone carried a hint of sorrow as she recalled the events.
Lan Xiaobu suddenly had a premonition that Qi Manwei wasn’t spared by Guan Chong but was saved by Yi Qingshan.
Qi Manwei continued, “Guan Chong immediately recognized I was a Chaos Dao Body and was overjoyed. But then he discovered Sister Qingshan was a Heavenly Charm Body. He grabbed her, tore off her clothes on the spot, and removed her disguise, revealing her true appearance. When he took her into the room, I was trembling. I even considered ending my life, but I wasn’t resigned—I kept hoping to see you again…”
Qi Manwei clenched her fists, “When Sister Qingshan came out, her face was streaked with tears. I could sense a resolute impulse in her. Later, I heard from Guan Yuxue that Sister Qingshan tried to escape and was killed on the spot by her grandfather, Guan Chong. I always feel it was Sister Qingshan who saved me. She was a tragic woman, I…”
Lan Xiaobu took a deep breath, softening his tone, “Manwei, your feeling is correct. It was indeed Qingshan who saved you.”
In terms of Great Dao techniques and universal principles, Lan Xiaobu understood far more than Qi Manwei. If Yi Qingshan was truly a Heavenly Charm Body, her primal yin would have been the perfect complement to Guan Chong’s Great Derivation Dao. Though Lan Xiaobu hadn’t cultivated the Great Derivation Dao, he had fought Great Derivation Saints and visited the Great Derivation Realm, so he was familiar with its principles. This Dao derives everything and greatly benefits from the primal yin of a Heavenly Charm Body to perfect its traces.
Once Guan Chong took Yi Qingshan, he couldn’t touch a Chaos Dao Body, as it would harm his Dao.
After a while, Lan Xiaobu comforted, “Don’t worry, I’ll kill Guan Chong eventually to avenge Qingshan.”
Yi Qingshan had always pursued the Great Dao, only to be discovered and killed by Guan Chong just as she was about to reach the fourth step and cultivate in a mid-tier universe. For a woman with a Heavenly Charm Body to reach the Creation Saint Realm was no small feat. Without knowing her past, Lan Xiaobu could imagine her journey was fraught with hardship.
It was her Heavenly Charm Body that allowed her to reach the Creation Saint Realm and enter a mid-tier universe, yet it was also the reason for her demise in the Great Universe.
“Any news about Dubu?” Lan Xiaobu knew killing Guan Chong wouldn’t be easy. Guan Chong was likely a seventh-step Great Dao expert, while his own strength was worlds apart from that level.
“I haven’t seen Dubu. To find him, we’d likely need to ask Guan Yuxue,” Qi Manwei said.
Lan Xiaobu fell silent. Finding Guan Yuxue would mean going to the True Derivation Holy Dao, which was far more formidable than the Great Ice Palace or Holy Sword Palace. Entering True Derivation Holy Dao to find Guan Yuxue would require meticulous planning.
“At the Immortality Conference, Guan Yuxue will definitely go to Anluo Heavenly City. I suspect she’s already on her way there. We might not need to go to True Derivation Holy Dao to find her,” Qi Manwei said.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “No matter what happened to Dubu, we must save him. First, we’ll check if Guan Yuxue is going to Anluo Heavenly City. If not, we’ll head to True Derivation Holy Dao. If she’s there, we’ll find an opportunity to act.”
With that, Lan Xiaobu waved his hand, and a jade bed appeared before him and Qi Manwei. On it lay a woman in a yellow dress, still unconscious, her brow slightly furrowed but less tense than before.
“That’s her, also a Chaos Dao Body. I don’t know how the Holy Sword Palace found her,” Qi Manwei said, marveling at the woman.
But thinking of her fate, Qi Manwei shivered. If not for this woman, Qi Manwei herself might have been the one sent to the Immortality Conference.
“She sealed her senses with a forbidden technique, alas…” Lan Xiaobu shook his head with a sigh.
In a place like the Great Universe, forbidden techniques were meaningless. Even if you severed your own head, others could easily restore you. The yellow-dressed woman’s actions were like covering her ears to steal a bell or an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
Perhaps she knew it was futile, but what else could she do?
Lan Xiaobu didn’t even use a Dao pill. He merely tapped a few times at the center of the yellow-dressed woman’s brow, and she opened her eyes, sitting up in panic.
“Don’t worry. Xiaobu saved us. We’re no longer in the Holy Sword Palace, we’re safe,” Qi Manwei said, seeing the fear in the woman’s eyes and offering comfort.
Hearing Qi Manwei’s words, the yellow-dressed woman’s eyes flashed with excitement. She recognized Qi Manwei, the other Chaos Dao Body captured by the Holy Sword Palace. Though she didn’t know Qi Manwei’s fate, she knew her own—she was to be sent to the Immortality Conference, stripped bare for others to comprehend the Chaos Dao Principles. Seeing Qi Manwei safe and sound confirmed they had indeed been saved.
Realizing she was rescued, she quickly stepped off the jade bed and bowed deeply, “Zhuang Xiyue thanks this elder brother for saving my life.”
