“Is Fellow Daoist planning to enter seclusion here?” a sudden voice rang out.
Lan Xiaobu turned and saw a golden-haired youth standing not far away. To his shock, the youth exuded the aura of the sixth step of the Great Dao. Though cultivators at their level couldn’t judge age by appearance, Lan Xiaobu was certain this youth was young. He must have some connection to the Heavenly Court to enter the Great Cosmos Valley.
“Indeed, I just arrived and found this place quite suitable, so I plan to seclude myself here for a while,” Lan Xiaobu said with a smile, inwardly marvelling. Those who grew up cultivating in the Great Cosmos progressed far beyond those from lower universes like himself. But now that he was here, he believed he too could reach the sixth step.
The youth smiled and said, “You don’t seem to know much about the Great Cosmos Valley. If you casually pick a spot to cultivate, you’re missing out. There’s a Chaos Origin in the valley. If you can find it and cultivate there, your achievements could surpass the vastness.”
“Chaos Origin?” Lan Xiaobu asked, surprised. “Is that where you’re cultivating, Fellow Daoist?”
The youth shook his head. “Finding the Chaos Origin is incredibly difficult, requiring both luck and a supreme Great Dao. Did you know that at least half of the ten Dao Ancestors in the Great Cosmos found the Chaos Origin in this valley to seclude and advance to that level? It’s not exclusive to the Great Cosmos Valley; anywhere with chaos, if you locate the Chaos Origin, you can ascend to the ultimate level. The difference here is that you can roam freely without fear of being dissolved by chaos, making it easier to search for the Origin. In other chaos zones, surviving is hard enough, let alone searching for it.”
Lan Xiaobu clasped his fists. “Whether I find the Chaos Origin or not, I, Lan Xiaobu, thank you for the advice.”
“Seeing you enter the valley at the fourth step of the Great Dao, I’m just forming a good connection. I’m Xing Ni from the Jisheng World. I’m not suggesting you search for the Chaos Origin—it’s too hard to find. What I mean is, the closer you are to it, the greater your gains. But this spot you’ve chosen is clearly far from it. If you’re not afraid of trouble, keep moving forward.” After speaking, Xing Ni turned and swiftly vanished.
Whatever Xing Ni’s intentions, Lan Xiaobu appreciated the advice. Finding the Chaos Origin might be tough for others, but not necessarily for him.
He summoned Taichuan, who appeared and exclaimed excitedly, “Lord Bu, this is a great place! No trace of impure dao laws, just the purest chaos. How did you find it?”
Lan Xiaobu seemed not to hear, lost in thought.
“Lord Bu…” Taichuan called again.
Lan Xiaobu snapped out of it, murmuring, “Something’s wrong, there’s a huge flaw here.”
“What flaw?” Taichuan asked quickly.
Lan Xiaobu waved his hand, pondering. Entry to the Great Cosmos Valley was so precious—Moru World only had two slots—so why could he bring several people? Besides Dubu and Taichuan, there was Qi Manwei. If entering one’s own world allowed bringing others, wouldn’t others have thought of it already?
Unable to figure it out, he decided to ask Emperor Cebai later and said, “Taichuan, lead the way. Find the Chaos Origin here.”
At the mention of the Chaos Origin, Taichuan patted his chest. “Lord Bu, leave it to me.”
Taichuan thrived in chaos. Though Lan Xiaobu was sensitive to cosmic energies and rules, he couldn’t sense the Chaos Origin. But as Taichuan led, the chaotic aura grew denser, and dao insights became clearer.
Lan Xiaobu wondered why Guan Chong or the Great Ice Palace hadn’t thought of using Taichuan’s ability here. Or had they, but couldn’t enter the valley?
The Great Cosmos Valley was vast. Lan Xiaobu followed Taichuan, speeding along for nearly a year. He only knew his understanding of dao rules grew clearer, but he had no sense of direction.
“Lord Bu, this should be it,” Taichuan finally stopped at the edge of a lake—or rather, a lake-like shape, with a centre and banks, but no plants or water in the chaos. Lan Xiaobu couldn’t fathom how this “lake” formed.
“You say this is the Chaos Origin?” Lan Xiaobu asked sceptically. His divine sense scanned the area; the chaotic aura and cosmic energies seemed no different from elsewhere. If anything, other spots in the valley seemed better for seclusion.
Taichuan pointed to the lake’s centre. “This is the Chaos Origin. The lake formed from the derivation of chaotic aura.”
Lan Xiaobu stepped to the centre and casually circulated his Longevity Dao. Immediately, his dao insights surged, and previously vague dao laws became clear enough to inscribe. What thrilled him most wasn’t just the dense chaotic aura and cosmic energies, but the presence of complete chaotic dao laws. He’d seen many chaos zones, but chaotic dao laws were rare, usually just fragments.
“Taichuan, you’ve done a great deed! This is the Chaos Origin. Find a spot to cultivate and aim for the fourth step,” Lan Xiaobu said, elated.
With half a foot in the Yanjie Realm, Taichuan’s talent and this Chaos Origin made reaching the fourth step as a sacred beast entirely possible.
“Thanks, Lord Bu!” Taichuan chose a corner of the lake and began cultivating without hesitation.
Lan Xiaobu called out Qi Manwei and Dubu. Qi Manwei, stabilising her cultivation, was stunned by the surroundings before she could speak. Dubu was speechless, mouth agape. Here, reaching the fourth step felt like a dream.
“Dubu, find a spot to cultivate. We have three hundred years,” Lan Xiaobu said. Without needing a second prompt, Dubu rushed to a corner of the lake, thrilled at the near-certain prospect of reaching the fourth step.
“Xiaobu, this is…” Qi Manwei grabbed his hand, trembling with excitement. As a Chaos Dao Body, her ideal cultivation ground was chaos, but her dao couldn’t handle chaos with dissolving laws. Here, she felt no such threat and couldn’t imagine how fast she’d progress.
“Manwei, this is a rare opportunity. I don’t even know how I brought you in. Find a spot to cultivate. I’ll leave in three hundred years, and I can’t risk letting you stay here after. We have this time,” Lan Xiaobu said.
Nodding, Qi Manwei, eager to grow stronger and not burden Lan Xiaobu, said, “I’ll find a spot. Wait for me.” As a Chaos Dao Body, she was a target in the Great Cosmos.
After she chose her spot, Lan Xiaobu set up small shielding barriers to separate her, Dubu, and Taichuan, then placed a defensive barrier around the lake.
He then planted a top-grade dao vein beneath the Chaos Origin lake without hesitation.
Choosing the lake’s centre for his seclusion, Lan Xiaobu circulated his Longevity Dao. In just one cycle, he knew he could reach the fifth step within three hundred years. All Longevity Dao laws—time, space, five elements, fate, light, darkness—flourished here. As his dao rules strengthened, his Longevity Realm expanded, on the verge of breaking through low-level universe rules to form mid-level universe dao laws.
