Mo Wuji was stunned by the contents of Chong Jiu’s world. When he and Lan Xiaobu had opened Qu Peng’s world, the treasures were already piled high, but compared to Chong Jiu, Qu Peng was nothing.
A pair of supreme dao veins. If Chong Jiu knew her veins, meant for her eighth-step breakthrough, now belonged to Mo Wuji, she’d probably weep even in death. Those veins had cost her nearly half her fortune.
Despite that loss, Mo Wuji found over three thousand high-grade dao veins in her world, mountains of high-grade dao crystals, and thousands of supreme dao crystals. Top-tier dao fruit trees, innate and acquired treasures—these were almost trivial by comparison.
What a haul, Mo Wuji marveled. After collecting everything, he decided against heading to Anluo Heavenly City. The Longevity Conference was still three or four decades away. Why not find a place to cultivate for a few decades?
…
At Jinluo Tower in Anluo Heavenly City, Guan Chong felt restless. He couldn’t gauge the depth of Lan Xiaobu’s relationship with Shi Changxing. For Shi to accompany Lan Xiaobu to breach Chong Jiu’s residence restrictions, their bond must be significant, yet he couldn’t pinpoint how close it was.
At that moment, a transmission sword landed in his hand.
Reading its contents, Guan Chong’s mind buzzed. Even when his granddaughter Guan Yuxue was taken, he hadn’t been this shaken.
The Moon Derivation Dao Tower of True Derivation Saint Dao had collapsed. This meant the Moon Derivation Saint Master had fallen. True Derivation had four dao towers—Moon, Tong, Great, and Desolate—each tied to a Saint Master’s dao intent, enduring as long as the Saint Master lived. If a Saint Master fell, the dao intent dissipated, and the tower crumbled.
Chong Jiu had fallen? Impossible. Even injured, with her cultivation dropped, she was a sixth-step powerhouse. And who would dare kill a True Derivation Saint Master, regardless of her strength?
Guan Chong gripped the sword, veins bulging. This was a devastating blow to True Derivation Saint Dao.
When a Saint Master fell, the others, no matter how busy, would gather. Sure enough, within moments, he received messages from Tong Derivation Saint Master Chong Ying and Desolate Derivation Saint Master Chen Huangzi. They were handling a secretive matter elsewhere, but Chong Jiu’s death demanded their presence to seek vengeance.
Chong Jiu was killed outside Anluo Heavenly City, likely tied to the upcoming Longevity Conference. Chong Ying and Chen Huangzi were teleporting to Anluo Heavenly City to convene.
Guan Chong took a deep breath. This required a Dao Ancestor’s intervention. If a True Derivation Saint Master’s fall went unaddressed by a Dao Ancestor, True Derivation had no reason to follow Central World’s laws.
…
As Lan Xiaobu and Cebai Huisheng left Jinluo Tower, they saw Guan Chong emerge, his face grim.
Spotting Lan Xiaobu, Guan Chong paused, his killing intent undisguised. If Lan Xiaobu hadn’t crippled Chong Jiu, how could she have fallen to an ambush outside?
“Old Guan, looking for a fight? Your Lord Bu’s ready. But glare at me like that again, and I’ll tear down your residence restrictions too,” Lan Xiaobu taunted, unfazed.
Guan Chong stopped, staring coldly. “Rest assured, True Derivation Saint Dao will teach you how to behave.”
With Shi Changxing present, he held his tongue. Once a Dao Ancestor arrived, he’d see how arrogant Lan Xiaobu could remain.
“Something’s off with him,” Lan Xiaobu said to Cebai Huisheng as they walked away.
Cebai Huisheng sensed it too. As a Saint Master, Guan Chong wouldn’t reveal such blatant killing intent, even if he wanted Lan Xiaobu dead.
“Could something have happened?” Lan Xiaobu wondered.
Unaware of Chong Jiu’s death, Cebai Huisheng couldn’t answer.
At that moment, two beams of light streaked into Anluo Heavenly City like meteors, crashing down, heedless of the city’s restrictive rules.
Cebai Huisheng’s face changed. “Something’s definitely happened.”
“What?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
“Those beams are seventh-step dao law shifts, appearing together. Combined with Guan Chong’s behavior, it’s likely True Derivation’s other two Saint Masters arriving. With Chong Jiu and Guan Chong already here, all four Saint Masters gathering means big trouble…” Cebai Huisheng halted.
A delayed auction was fine, but a major event involving True Derivation in Anluo Heavenly City demanded his attention.
Lan Xiaobu felt a sinking premonition. Guan Chong’s killing intent, and Chong Jiu’s absence when they left Jinluo Tower, pointed to one possibility: Chong Jiu was dead.
Before, her death wouldn’t have concerned him. But now, it was tied to him—he’d crippled her, leading to her demise.
As an emperor, Cebai Huisheng quickly grasped the situation. He pulled out a communication pearl and sent a message.
“Brother Cebai, I should leave Anluo Heavenly City now,” Lan Xiaobu said. Though he wanted to attend the auction, staying was untenable.
He’d crippled Chong Jiu, who was then killed. With three of True Derivation’s four Saint Masters here, if they sought to seize him over her death, no one in Anluo Heavenly City could protect him.
Shi Changxing could, but their deal was done. They had no ties now, and Shi wouldn’t intervene.
“You can’t escape if you leave now. If I’m right, True Derivation’s Saint Masters are already watching you,” Cebai Huisheng said gravely.
Lan Xiaobu knew fleeing was risky, but he had no choice.
Cebai Huisheng added, “In Anluo Heavenly City, there’s a slim chance. Leave now, and it’s nearly none.”
Lan Xiaobu sighed. He’d missed the best moment to escape. In those few breaths, he saw Guan Chong and two other men approaching. Guan Chong was seventh-step, and the others’ auras were no weaker—clearly seventh-step as well.
“Saint Master Guan, Saint Master Chong, Saint Master Chen…” Cebai Huisheng greeted them with clasped fists, adopting a low posture.
Lan Xiaobu felt uneasy. Though Cebai Huisheng’s cultivation was lower, his status as an emperor outranked them. He humbled himself for Lan Xiaobu’s sake—True Derivation wouldn’t dare act against an emperor otherwise.
Cebai Huisheng messaged Lan Xiaobu: the two with Guan Chong were Tong Derivation Saint Master Chong Ying and Desolate Derivation Saint Master Chen Huangzi.
Lan Xiaobu studied them. Chong Ying resembled a middle-aged scholar, but instead of refinement, he exuded menace, his face expressionless, almost zombie-like.
Chen Huangzi, wearing a yellow crown, looked like a Taoist priest.
Despite Cebai Huisheng’s greeting, the three merely nodded at the emperor, their gazes fixed on Lan Xiaobu.
“You’re a Moru Heavenly Court Overseer?” Chong Ying asked, his saint domain locking the space, enveloping even Cebai Huisheng.
Lan Xiaobu extended his own domain. If they invaded it, he’d strike. Backing down wasn’t his style. He didn’t believe a fight in Anluo Heavenly City would go unnoticed by Ku Yichi.
“Who are you?” Lan Xiaobu asked, knowing full well Chong Ying was Tong Derivation’s Saint Master, yet showing no deference.
“Chong Ying of True Derivation Saint Dao. Did you cripple Saint Master Chong Jiu? Is her death tied to you?” Chong Ying’s voice was icy, each word sharp as a blade.
Chong Jiu was killed? The crowd around them buzzed, drawing closer. A Saint Master’s death and three seventh-step Saint Masters confronting Moru’s emperor and overseer promised a spectacle.
