It was certain that if Lan Xiaobu hadn’t been refining the Great Derivation Realm, Guan Chong wouldn’t have sought Shi Changxing’s help. After Fang Zhiqian abducted Guan Yuxue from the True Derivation Holy Dao with the chaos unicorn Tai Chuan, Guan Chong suspected Shi Changxing’s involvement. Tai Chuan had been sold by the True Derivation Holy Dao to the Great Ice Palace, which Shi Changxing had destroyed. Anyone with a brain would deduce that Tai Chuan ended up in Shi Changxing’s hands.
The idea that Shi Changxing, after obtaining a rare treasure like a chaos unicorn, would casually discard it for Fang Zhiqian to pick up was absurd—only an idiot would believe it. Crucially, Lan Xiaobu never appeared throughout the ordeal.
Since Shi Changxing had passed Tai Chuan to Fang Zhiqian, Fang Zhiqian’s actions naturally fell on Shi Changxing’s shoulders.
Even if others suspected Shi Changxing’s involvement, neither the True Derivation Holy Dao nor the Central Heavenly Court had the authority to confront him directly. If they did, he could simply deny it, and no one would dare press further—it would be beneath his status to explain. Yet, his denial would still leave suspicions, as others would think he was responsible. This kid, Lan Xiaobu, not only set up Fang Zhiqian as a scapegoat but also positioned Shi Changxing as an even bigger one. Clever.
Shi Changxing was certain Fang Zhiqian was taking the fall for Lan Xiaobu. First, when he last saw Fang Zhiqian, he was a broken remnant soul relying on the Sacred Soul Wood, with only a false fifth-step cultivation. Second, a chaos unicorn, once bound to a master, rarely switched. Clearly, Tai Chuan’s master was Lan Xiaobu. For Tai Chuan to call Fang Zhiqian “Big Brother” was a deliberate setup to pin the blame on Shi Changxing—otherwise, he’d consider himself blind.
As for why Fang Zhiqian couldn’t have controlled Lan Xiaobu, Shi Changxing didn’t need to think hard. If Fang Zhiqian had the cunning to control Lan Xiaobu, he wouldn’t have cowered in the Cursed Dao City for years or dared to openly massacre a city. If Lan Xiaobu could be controlled by Fang Zhiqian, he wouldn’t have had the ability to rescue Tai Chuan from the Great Ice Palace or save Shi Changxing’s daughter.
This Lan Xiaobu was terrifying. A mere fourth-step cultivator had enabled Fang Zhiqian to reach the sixth step in just two or three years, with a fully restored body no less. Even Shi Changxing couldn’t have done that.
Considering Lan Xiaobu had saved his daughter, Shi Wanrong, should he help Guan Chong?
Shi Changxing glanced at Shi Wanrong, whose eyes held a plea. Clearly, she didn’t want him to assist. Without Lan Xiaobu, she’d still be suffering in the Great Ice Palace, possibly dead by now. How could she be here with her father, roaming the Great Universe and attending the Immortality Conference?
Shi Changxing nodded to Guan Chong, “Very well, I’ll search for your True Derivation Holy Dao.”
He wasn’t Shi Wanrong. Lan Xiaobu had saved his daughter, and he’d given him an identity token in return. But pitting him like this? Don’t blame him for being ruthless. Besides, refusing now would confirm he was tied to Fang Zhiqian and responsible for Guan Yuxue’s abduction.
He didn’t fear the True Derivation Holy Dao or the Central Heavenly Court, but he had a daughter to consider. Shi Wanrong would eventually travel the Great Universe alone. Offending both powers wouldn’t benefit her. And why should he, Shi Changxing, take the fall for Lan Xiaobu?
“Thank you, Venerable Changxing,” Guan Chong bowed eagerly, presenting a crystal ball containing his granddaughter’s Dao principle.
Shi Changxing took it, his hands weaving void array patterns.
Even Ku Yichi, a powerhouse, was awestruck by Shi Changxing’s casual array formation. Many considered Ku Yichi the strongest below a Dao Ancestor, a claim he tacitly accepted, believing no saint at his level could match him. Shi Changxing, though possibly weaker than a Dao Ancestor, was close. Seeing his array patterns, Ku Yichi realized the vast gap between himself and a Dao Ancestor.
The patterns formed a massive crystal screen in the void. As Guan Yuxue’s Dao principle was imprinted, a blurry figure began to appear.
Everyone stared intently, unblinking. They knew once the figure sharpened, the person refining the Great Derivation Realm would be revealed, along with their location.
Only Shi Wanrong clenched her fists, wanting to intervene but restrained by reason, knowing it would ruin everything.
Just as the screen grew clearer, a sharp crack rang out, and the crystal screen shattered into nothingness.
“What happened?” someone asked instinctively.
Shi Changxing’s face darkened. What a cunning kid, using the Great Severing Technique to set up a cosmic boundary around his location. Even a Dao Ancestor might cause the screen to collapse here.
“Venerable Changxing, what…” Guan Chong asked urgently.
Shi Changxing shook his head, “I can’t pinpoint him. He’s crafty, using the Great Severing Technique to create a boundary. Even without it, locating him would be hard. I suspect he’s in a unique world—not his own, yet very powerful.”
Guan Chong was stunned. If even Shi Changxing couldn’t find him, rescuing his granddaughter would be nearly impossible.
“Venerable Changxing, what’s your take on this?” Zhong Jiu, the Yueyan Dao Saint, couldn’t help asking.
Shi Changxing stared coldly at her. How could he not see her intent? This had nothing to do with him, yet she asked for his opinion, implying suspicion and daring him to explain. He, Shi Changxing, was nearly a Dao Ancestor’s equal—how dare she disrespect him?
“I regret wasting my Dao techniques helping you. Move aside, I’m going to rest,” Shi Changxing said, leaving with Shi Wanrong.
If not for his daughter, he’d have told her to scram or even slapped her.
Ku Yichi was exasperated. Shi Changxing had helped the True Derivation Holy Dao and seemed approachable, but that didn’t mean you could question him freely. His temper was mild; otherwise, he could’ve killed a saint like Zhong Jiu. The True Derivation Holy Dao might flex elsewhere, but provoking Shi Changxing was suicidal.
Zhong Jiu, realizing her mistake, paled. Though a seventh-step saint, she was an ant before Shi Changxing.
Back in his residence, Shi Wanrong said fearfully, “Good thing you pretended not to find him, or I’d be ungrateful.”
Shi Changxing shook his head, “No, I genuinely couldn’t. This kid is too cunning. Even a Dao Ancestor might not find him unless he reveals himself.”
Shi Wanrong sighed in relief, “That’s good. Lan Xiaobu isn’t a fool—he won’t show himself.”
Shi Changxing chuckled, “Others might not dare, but Lan Xiaobu? Hard to say. He’s bold, and with a scapegoat, he’s in no danger. It wouldn’t surprise me if he showed up in Anluo Heavenly City.”
*Crack!* Lan Xiaobu broke all the Great Derivation Realm’s restrictions. Though not fully refined, everything within was visible to his divine sense.
He immediately spotted Dubu, diligently nurturing a Great Dao fruit. When Lan Xiaobu’s divine sense landed on him, Dubu sensed it, looking up just as a force whisked him out.
“Brother Lan, you were captured too…” Dubu stopped mid-sentence, realizing something was off. Lan Xiaobu didn’t look captured, unlike Guan Yuxue, who clearly was. Seeing the paralyzed Heavenly Poison Saint, he asked excitedly yet uncertainly, “Brother Lan, you saved me?”
Spotting Tai Chuan, who laughed, “Dubu, of course Boss Bu saved you. He didn’t just save you—he captured this woman and the Heavenly Poison Saint too.”
