Lan Xiaobu stared in a daze at the man standing before him. The fact that he was at the fifth step of the Great Dao wasn’t the point; the point was that this man had waited outside the Great Cosmos Valley for over two hundred years. Lan Xiaobu recognised him as the male cultivator who had tried to call out to him when he entered the valley.
“Hand over the Heavenly Court Token for the Great Cosmos Valley, and I’ll let you go, I keep my word,” the man said, his domain already locking the space around Lan Xiaobu. His voice trembled slightly, as he was certain that with the token, he could ascend to the sixth step.
The Great Vault Silence Dao had many fifth-step powerhouses, eleven including him and Aqian, but only three at the sixth step. If he could reach the sixth step, he, Feng Qi, might one day control the Great Vault Silence Dao. With the sixth step within reach in the valley, how could he not be thrilled?
The female cultivator’s domain didn’t lock onto Lan Xiaobu but sealed the surrounding space, ensuring that if he tried to flee, she could restrain him instantly.
“Are you here for the Longevity Conference?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
“Brother Feng Qi, don’t waste words with him. The Chaos Dao Body for the conference was obtained by our sect. Let’s deal with him and head to Anluo Heavenly City to gain insights early,” the woman said, finding Lan Xiaobu’s chatter excessive.
Feng Qi didn’t act. He noticed Lan Xiaobu’s strength had grown significantly since leaving the valley. If he had surpassed the fourth step, Feng Qi might not be able to breach his world quickly. Two hundred years of waiting would be wasted, and missing the sixth-step opportunity would haunt him forever.
Lan Xiaobu, however, had no patience for further talk. Having just reached the fifth step, he was eager to test his strength. When they didn’t answer, he stepped forward and unleashed a punch, the divine ability Feather Sound Kill.
*Crack!* Feng Qi retreated in horror as Lan Xiaobu’s single step shattered his saint domain inch by inch.
“You’re at the seventh step? No, that’s impossible, you’re at the sixth step…”
Before Feng Qi could finish, Lan Xiaobu’s punch surged forward, carrying dao laws that seemed to sweep up the autumnal essence of the entire cosmos.
A cool breeze brushed Feng Qi’s cheek, and he shivered, wondering if he was underdressed. No, beneath this autumnal chill was a deathly aura stripping away his vitality.
The deathly aura grew heavier, sweeping over him in the autumnal intent. Feng Qi snapped awake, realising he was caught in the opponent’s divine ability intent.
He retreated frantically, summoning his Qilin Seal to break the intent.
But the autumnal intent, as if gathered from the entire cosmos, engulfed him again. His heart and body grew colder, and despair rose from the depths of his being.
*The fist stirs an autumn breeze; when autumn fades, vitality wanes, and grass turns to frost.*
*Boom!* Blood sprayed as Feng Qi’s body was torn apart by the autumnal intent, only then regaining clarity. The deathly aura had pinned him, leaving him no chance to break free.
“Aqian, run! This man is at the seventh…” Before he could finish, Lan Xiaobu’s punch shredded his primordial spirit, and his world was torn open. Everything in it was swept away by Lan Xiaobu.
An instant can be brief, yet sometimes it feels eternal.
From Lan Xiaobu’s domain locking Feng Qi, to Feng Qi urging Aqian to flee, to his death and world being torn open—it all happened in an instant to Aqian. By the time she realised that she and Feng Qi together were no match for Lan Xiaobu, or that he might be a seventh-step powerhouse, he had already killed Feng Qi and taken everything.
How could this be? Feng Qi was a fifth-step powerhouse…
Aqian snapped awake, realizing Lan Xiaobu might truly be at the seventh step. She burned her dao charm frantically, her form fading. Her heart pounded—if she had just one breath’s time, she could escape.
But in less than half a breath, her fading form sharpened again.
A powerful saint domain suppressed the space. Aqian knew escape was a fantasy before this powerhouse.
“Senior, I was blind. For the sake of me representing the Great Vault Silence Dao at the Longevity Conference, please show mercy,” Aqian said, rushing her words.
She hoped mentioning the Great Vault Silence Dao would give Lan Xiaobu pause. Deep down, she knew if he was truly seventh-step, her sect posed no threat to him.
Lan Xiaobu ignored her words, looking at his palm. He knew he had just killed a fifth-step cultivator with a simple divine ability. Yet, being fifth-step himself, he could crush someone of the same realm so easily…
After a few breaths, he exhaled, certain his strength rivalled the sixth step. As for the seventh step, he hadn’t faced one, but logically, he couldn’t win yet, though they could no longer trap him.
“You said Anluo Heavenly City found another Chaos Dao Body?” Lan Xiaobu’s domain restrained Aqian, but he didn’t act immediately.
Aqian quickly replied, “Yes, it was obtained by my Great Vault Silence Dao. If Senior spares me, I can arrange for you to comprehend that Chaos Dao Body first, or even gift it to you.”
She knew even she would struggle to see the Chaos Dao Body back at her sect, and gifting it was beyond her power. But to survive, she said whatever might help.
“What’s the Chaos Dao Body’s name?” Lan Xiaobu’s voice turned cold.
“I don’t know. Feng Qi and I were waiting here for you, so I’m unaware of Anluo Heavenly City’s details,” Aqian said urgently.
“You’re not very useful,” Lan Xiaobu said, raising his hand to deliver a slap.
Feeling the deathly aura, Aqian frantically summoned her Golden Sun Hairpin, unleashing a beam that nearly tore through the domain.
*Splatter!* The beam grazed Lan Xiaobu’s hand, drawing blood, and its divine dao laws held.
Aqian was elated. Feng Qi must have been careless, allowing Lan Xiaobu to outwit him. If she fought desperately, she might escape. She burned her dao charm fiercely, her hairpin unleashing billions of golden rays towards Lan Xiaobu.
Lan Xiaobu realised he’d underestimated her. Against Feng Qi, he’d used Feather Sound Kill. This woman, also fifth-step, he thought he could kill with a slap. He could overpower her, but not instantly.
Still, he didn’t draw his Longevity Halberd, instead delivering another palm strike. This time, his divine dao charm formed six dao laws.
In an instant, these laws constructed the Entry Cycle and Build Cycle dao laws, forming a reincarnation passage.
His Reincarnation Dao Pattern divine ability, usually executed with the Longevity Halberd and Reincarnation Bridge, was now unleashed with a single palm. The six dao laws enveloped Aqian.
*One breath, one cycle; one palm ferries three lives.* Despite her desperate struggle, Aqian was ensnared by the six dao laws and pulled into the reincarnation passage.
“Don’t kill me…” Aqian screamed as an alien reincarnation aura engulfed her, realising this was his passage. Once drawn in, she’d vanish from the cosmos.
Lan Xiaobu, as if deaf to her pleas, closed his eyes to contemplate the six-path reincarnation he’d constructed. As Aqian’s cries faded, he seemed to spot a flaw in his divine ability.
…
In Anluo Heavenly City, the Great Vault Silence Dao’s status had soared recently, securing a section of cave residences in Jinluo Tower.
This was because they had obtained a Chaos Dao Body, which they would offer at the Longevity Conference, elevating their standing. Daily, visitors came, but the sect only received top dao sects or Heavenly Court Emperors, rejecting others.
Today, after meeting a Saint Minister, the sect leader sensed something amiss. When he saw two of the identity tokens for the conference’s geniuses shatter, his face darkened instantly.
