Dubu fully realized that Lan Xiaobu had saved him. He bowed deeply, “Brother Lan, you probably know I only joined you initially because I thought you had a chance to escape the Qin Tian Ancient Path. Later, my cultivation soared because of our time together, and I saw your sincerity and open heart, so I stayed. But I never imagined you’d come to save me.”
Indeed, Dubu hadn’t expected Lan Xiaobu to rescue him. He’d been captured by the True Derivation Holy Dao. Initially unaware of its significance, he’d learned from Guan Yuxue’s jade slips what it represented. Being taken by such a sect, even the Heavenly Emperor might not intervene, let alone someone like Lan Xiaobu him. Yet, against all odds, Lan Xiaobu not only tried but succeeded.
Lan Xiaobu waved it off, “We’re friends. Since we’ve fought together, it’s only right to help.”
Dubu knew this was uniquely Lan Xiaobu Xiaobu—others wouldn’t have done the same. He bowed again, “The luckiest thing in my life isn’t reaching the Creation Saint Realm, escaping a low-tier universe, or coming to the Great Universe. It’s meeting you, Brother Lan. From now on, my life is yours. Whatever you command, I’ll do.”
Dubu had seen plenty of scheming among cultivators. Rising from a low-tier universe, he’d witnessed all sorts of treachery but mostly stayed true to his principles. Someone as upright and clear-cut as Lan Xiaobu, risking life and death to save a not-so-close ally from the True Derivation Holy Dao, was a first.
Lan Xiaobu patted Dubu, understanding his emotions. Dubu had walked the Qin Tian Ancient Path with him and stayed to cultivate in the Great Derivation Realm. Even if not close friends, they were teammates. Saving Tai Chuan and Qi Manwei but abandoning Dubu was something Lan Xiaobu couldn’t do. His only regret was failing to save Yi Qingshan.
Sighing, he turned to Guan Yuxue, “Threatening me with the True Derivation Holy Dao is pointless. If you hadn’t killed Yi Qingshan or sold Qi Manwei, I might’ve spared you. But you missed your chance.”
“Don’t kill me…” Sensing Lan Xiaobu’s killing intent, Guan Yuxue cried out in panic. She was truly terrified now. As someone of her status, she never kept a soul fragment, believing herself untouchable.
For a Great Dao cultivator, keeping a soul fragment hindered progress to higher realms. Those who relied on multiple fragments were hard to kill but rarely reached the true Great Dao path. They were only “safe” against peers or slightly stronger foes. Against vastly superior opponents, no number of fragments could save them—Lan Xiaobu had done this before, more than once.
Any hindrance in cultivating the Great Dao could trap one in a realm forever, let alone keeping soul fragments.
Without hesitation, Lan Xiaobu tore open Guan Yuxue’s world, seizing everything inside, then incinerated her into nothingness with a flame.
A seventh-step Great Dao expert? So what? If he hadn’t acted in time, Qi Manwei would’ve suffered a fate worse than death. Keeping such an enemy alive would only torment him.
Guan Yuxue’s world was a treasure trove. The Dao pills Lan Xiaobu had planned to study were abundant, mostly mid- and high-grade, with few low-grade ones.
While there were no top-tier Dao veins, there were over a thousand high-grade ones and a pile of mid-grade ones.
What thrilled Lan Xiaobu was finding a Cosmic Heart in her world.
He knew its immense value, suspecting it was what the Holy Sword Palace traded for the chaos Dao body. Yet, he also knew a single Cosmic Heart wouldn’t suffice for such a trade.
He’d encountered a Cosmic Heart before and even used one to advance his Dao, but his strength then couldn’t retain it. Now, seeing another—though sealed—its aura was unmistakable.
No matter how Guan Yuxue obtained it, Lan Xiaobu claimed it. He wondered what the Great Ice Palace traded for Tai Chuan, but that could wait. Once he had time, he’d refine all the sealed jade boxes in her world to find out.
Seeing Lan Xiaobu’s gaze, the Heavenly Poison Saint knew his fate. With Guan Yuxue dead, Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t spare him. Desperately, he said, “Dao Lord Lan, what must I do for you to let me go?”
Lan Xiaobu didn’t respond, striking with a palm. A deathly aura enveloped the Heavenly Poison Saint, who shouted, “Qin Qingtian escaped because he transformed into a Dao principle—something even Guan Chong doesn’t know…”
His words cut off as Lan Xiaobu’s palm killed him. Simultaneously, Lan Xiaobu tore open his world, finding it nearly empty—Guan Yuxue had likely plundered its treasures.
The Heavenly Poison Saint’s final words alerted Lan Xiaobu. Qin Qingtian could transform into Dao principles? That was troublesome. Why had the Saint mentioned this?
Lan Xiaobu knew how hard it was to detect transformed Dao principles. Without his skill, even with the Cosmic Dimension Model, he couldn’t have infiltrated the True Derivation Holy Dao undetected.
“Boss Bu, there’s a Dao principle here!” Tai Chuan called out in surprise.
Lost in thought about Qin Qingtian’s transformation, Lan Xiaobu hadn’t noticed. At Tai Chuan’s prompt, he grabbed it, binding the principle.
“Heavenly Poison Dao principle?” Lan Xiaobu exclaimed, then probed it with his divine sense. After a moment, he sighed, “This guy had incredible luck, getting a Heavenly Poison Dao principle.”
He didn’t say aloud that the Heavenly Poison Dao Scroll was hidden within it, which explained why Guan Yuxue hadn’t found it. Lan Xiaobu sealed the principle immediately—it was valuable, even if he didn’t use it, for trading.
“Boss Bu, I could use that,” Tai Chuan said, swallowing hard.
Lan Xiaobu shook his head, “If it was a Heavenly Poison Heart, I’d give it to you. But the Heavenly Poison Dao principle would harm your Dao, even hindering your progress. I traded a Heavenly Poison Heart to the Qixing Holy Dao Merchant House. If they’re smart, they’ll bring it to Anluo Heavenly City before the Immortality Conference. I’ll try to buy it back for you then.”
“Brother Lan, we can’t show ourselves now, can we?” Dubu said urgently, hearing Lan Xiaobu planned to go to Anluo Heavenly City.
Lan Xiaobu smiled, “You and Tai Chuan can’t, but I’m different. The Great Derivation Realm is in this ring. I’ll open its entrance, and you two can cultivate inside. It’s a true mid-tier cosmic realm, not the True Derivation Holy Dao’s domain, so it won’t affect your cultivation. As for me, I’m indeed heading to Anluo Heavenly City.”
Besides retrieving the Heavenly Poison Heart for Tai Chuan, Lan Xiaobu wanted to see if Mo Wuji and Ou Ping would attend the Immortality Conference.
The moment Guan Yuxue was killed, Guan Chong sensed it, roaring in fury. Even when she was abducted, he hadn’t been this enraged, believing no one would dare kill his granddaughter. As a True Derivation Holy Dao saint, he’d scour the Great Universe to find her killer.
But reality showed his influence wasn’t that great—someone had killed her anyway. When had a True Derivation Holy Dao saint’s granddaughter become so disposable?
Unable to stand idly by, Guan Chong rushed to the Heavenly Emperor’s Palace. Before, he’d searched alone, but now he demanded answers from the Central Heavenly Court. If they ignored someone infiltrating his sect and abducting a saint’s granddaughter, did that mean the True Derivation Holy Dao could act without restraint, since the Heavenly Court’s laws were meaningless?
Though unlikely, Guan Chong knew this was his only chance to possibly summon a Dao Ancestor.
