However, Shi Wanrong was no fool. Though her cultivation had greatly diminished, she was still barely a Saint of the Derivation Realm. Even without direct experience of curse principles, she knew this was undoubtedly a curse principle.
“Don’t touch me. My father is Shi Changxing, and he’s on his way. If you harm me, he’ll know,” Shi Wanrong said, her voice trembling. She was aware that the Cursed Dao City harbored curse principles, likely the work of a cultivator of the Curse Dao. Her father had said this was one of the most repugnant Daos, scarcely better than the Great Universe Technique.
As if hearing her words, the faint, icy aura didn’t dissipate but paused, as though hesitating after her warning.
At the same time, tens of thousands of miles from the Cursed Dao City, two women halted.
“Elder Yan, the thought imprint seems to have vanished,” said a tall woman, her body radiating an unceasing flow of ice-attribute Dao charm, clearly from the Great Ice Palace.
The other woman, petite in stature, closed her eyes to sense for a moment before opening them, frowning. “That shouldn’t be. With her level of cultivation, it’s impossible for her to strip away our Great Ice Palace’s thought imprint in such a short time, especially since we’ve been pursuing her. She couldn’t have had the chance to remove such a thought imprint.”
“Could she have found…” The tall woman trailed off mid-sentence.
Elder Yan clearly understood her meaning and immediately shook her head. “That’s impossible. If it were as you suggest, do you think she’d bother hiding the thought imprint? She’d have stripped it away and gone straight to our Great Ice Palace.”
“Fair point,” the tall woman nodded, then asked, “Could she have shielded the thought imprint on herself?”
Elder Yan shook her head again. “Impossible. She has nothing on her. How could she shield a thought imprint? To do so, she’d need a treasure. Though we still don’t know how she escaped using the Great Severing Technique, but…”
“What is it, Elder Yan?” the tall woman asked quickly, seeing Elder Yan pause mid-sentence.
Elder Yan said, “I know where she might have gone.”
“Where?” the tall woman asked immediately.
“The Cursed Dao City,” Elder Yan stated firmly. “Only the Cursed Dao City can block thought perception. With the thought imprint on her, she’s likely hiding in its ruins, where our divine sense can’t find her.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go to the Cursed Dao City,” the tall woman said at once.
They were both familiar with the Cursed Dao City. It had once caused the deaths of countless cultivators due to its curse principles. Later, it was destroyed by Yu Yong of the Central World, and the curse principles were eradicated. However, the spatial array patterns of the Cursed Dao City remained, still capable of blocking cultivators’ thought perception. In other words, divine sense could only reach the city’s edge, unable to penetrate further.
Controlling the Seven Realms Stone, Lan Xiaobu suddenly stopped. Qi Manwei quickly asked, “Xiaobu, what’s wrong?”
Lan Xiaobu gazed into the distance, soon confirming his suspicion. “I sensed a familiar aura. I’m going to check if I can help. You wait for me in the Immortality Realm.”
“Be careful,” Qi Manwei cautioned. Though she was at the seventh step of the Great Dao, her cultivation wasn’t consolidated, and her combat strength was far inferior to Lan Xiaobu’s.
Lan Xiaobu used his rule-based escape technique, which was no slower than the Seven Realms Stone. He wasn’t worried about his Seven Realms Stone being recognized. Though it couldn’t yet transform, it had only briefly appeared at the edge of his divine sense. Unless the other party was exceptionally powerful, they couldn’t identify the Seven Realms Stone in such a short time.
Despite Lan Xiaobu’s swift rule-based escape technique, the two figures—one pursuing, one fleeing—were even faster. Fortunately, they stopped, or Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t have caught up.
“It’s you?” The pursued figure, seeing Lan Xiaobu, flashed a look of despair. He had hoped for help, but only an ordinary Derivation Realm cultivator had arrived.
“Ceku Tian Emperor, we meet again,” Lan Xiaobu stopped, clasped his fists from a distance, and greeted politely.
Inwardly, he groaned. He had only come to check because he knew someone was pursuing Hui Sheng of the Moru Heavenly Court, hoping to offer assistance. Had he known the pursuer was someone whose cultivation he couldn’t even sense, he wouldn’t have been so reckless. Even if he wanted to help, he should’ve planned more carefully.
“A mere seventh-step Great Dao dares to come help, heh,” said the pursuer, a short man with long arms and hair, most notably carrying a massive planet on his back.
Lan Xiaobu’s heart sank. He couldn’t gauge the man’s strength, yet the man had instantly seen through his disguised Derivation Realm cultivation. Lan Xiaobu had hidden his cultivation at the Derivation Realm, and until now, almost no one had seen through it. Yet this short man had, just how powerful was he?
It was likely that this man not only saw through his seventh-step Great Dao cultivation but also recognized he was in disguise.
“You’re a seventh-step Great Dao?” Ceku Tian Emperor Hui Sheng of the Moru World stared at Lan Xiaobu in shock. Lan Xiaobu had hidden his cultivation at the seventh step, and even he hadn’t noticed.
Lan Xiaobu quickly addressed the short, long-haired man, “Senior, I’ve offended many, so I’ve had to conceal myself slightly. Please forgive me.”
The short man snorted coldly, “Your offenses have nothing to do with me. Get lost, don’t waste my time.”
Lan Xiaobu persisted, “I know Ceku Tian Emperor Hui Sheng, an upright man. I don’t know how he offended you, Senior. If Ceku Tian Emperor has indeed wronged you, I wouldn’t meddle. My concern is whether there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“Hahaha…” The short man laughed, looking at Lan Xiaobu coolly. “Are you qualified to ask that?”
Though he mocked Lan Xiaobu, he regarded him slightly higher. A mere seventh-step Great Dao daring to plead for an opponent in his presence.
Ceku Tian Emperor hadn’t expected this. He had only stood firm on his principles, refusing to send that cultivator… no, a seventh-step wasn’t a great cultivator. He hadn’t sent the man onto the teleportation array, yet this man was so loyal as to come help. It was due to insufficient cultivation; if his cultivation were enough, he might actually be saved today. Truth be told, as Ceku Tian Emperor, ruler of a world, he had vast experience. Yet he had never seen someone like Lan Xiaobu, daring to come here to plead with such a powerhouse on his behalf.
“Daoyou, you should leave. This has nothing to do with you,” Ceku Tian Emperor said, clasping his fists to Lan Xiaobu before turning to the short man. “Dao Venerable Changxing, I truly don’t know why you insist on attacking me. I have only respect for you, no disrespect.”
The short, long-haired man sneered, “If so, explain why my beloved’s Primordial Dao Seed is in your hands. Don’t tell me you bought it. With a Primordial Dao Seed, would you sell it?”
“Primordial Dao Seed?” Ceku Tian Emperor was stunned. After a moment, he recalled something, took out a jade box, opened it, and said, “Dao Venerable Changxing, is this what you mean?”
Lan Xiaobu waved his hand, and the jade box landed in his grasp. His eyes reddened, and his killing intent locked onto Ceku Tian Emperor, and even Lan Xiaobu was caught in the ferocious aura.
Lan Xiaobu was inwardly shocked beyond measure, for he too possessed such a seed. When he had fought for the Breath Soil, he saved a man named Fan Yueqing, who gave him a similar seed, saying he didn’t know what it was. (See Chapter 1016)
He hadn’t realized it was a Primordial Dao Seed. What was it used for? Even knowing its name, Lan Xiaobu had no idea of its purpose.
Wait, Ceku Tian Emperor called this man Dao Venerable Changxing, and he mentioned his beloved. Could it be Shi Changxing?
At that moment, Ceku Tian Emperor explained, “Dao Venerable Changxing, I truly didn’t know what this seed was. I was studying it when you came with killing intent. I instinctively used an escape talisman to flee. This seed was actually given to me by a man, and I didn’t know what it was.”
“Who gave it to you?” Lan Xiaobu’s tone was sharp, though his killing intent seemed to lessen slightly. He realized that, apart from a few Dao Ancestors and a handful of others, few knew what a Primordial Dao Seed was.
Before Ceku Tian Emperor could answer, Lan Xiaobu interjected, “Ceku Tian Emperor, if I’m not mistaken, that seed was given to you by Gu Yuer, right?”
