Though Lan Xiaobu was at the Fifth Step of the Great Path, he was clearly no ordinary Fifth Step cultivator. With the Cosmic Mill, a top-tier offensive treasure, and the trapping-killing array locking down Chen Huangzi’s divine path rules, Chen Huangzi, desperate to escape, found his strength severely diminished.
Meanwhile, Fang Zhiqian, whose power rivalled Chen Huangzi’s, feared Lan Xiaobu’s retribution and attacked with reckless abandon.
Curse dao rules typically erode an opponent’s Great Path, body, and soul through subtle curse rhythms. But now, Fang Zhiqian unleashed his curse dao rules like a torrential sword river, pouring out with ferocious intensity.
*Crack!* Chen Huangzi’s arms were obliterated by the curse dao rules, blood mist exploding outward.
Fang Zhiqian, elated, was about to finish Chen Huangzi when a chilling, terrifying aura surged from within. He’d been careless. Frantically extending his domain and activating defensive dao rules, he still couldn’t stop a silent beam of light from exploding in his chest, shattering his heart into fragments.
Though he’d heavily injured Fang Zhiqian, Chen Huangzi felt no joy. His heart sank, knowing escape was impossible. His focus on fleeing had left him at a severe disadvantage, his divine path rules torn apart by Fang Zhiqian’s curse dao rules. If Lan Xiaobu acted now, the Cosmic Mill could shred his entire body, perhaps even kill him outright.
Lan Xiaobu knew he could kill Chen Huangzi at this moment but held back, instead weaving more trapping-killing array patterns while the Cosmic Mill’s slaughter domain surged, sealing off all of Chen Huangzi’s escape routes.
Regaining his composure, an enraged Fang Zhiqian furiously lashed out with his curse rope at Chen Huangzi. Though injured, Chen Huangzi was far worse off, further restrained by the array and Lan Xiaobu’s Cosmic Mill. This time, Fang Zhiqian was certain his curse rope could finish him.
Because Lan Xiaobu hadn’t struck immediately, Chen Huangzi had a moment to recover. He knew his survival hinged on this fleeting breath. Desperately burning his Great Path rules and even his lifespan, he tried to unleash his trump card. But Fang Zhiqian, a furious Seventh Step cultivator, struck with full force. Before Chen Huangzi could fully deploy his counter, the curse rope bound him completely. His body collapsed inch by inch, and as his soul emerged, it was locked down by the curse dao rules.
Without hesitation, Lan Xiaobu unleashed countless spatial dao rules, tearing through various spatial laws until Chen Huangzi’s world began to open.
What wealth! Lan Xiaobu gazed at the mountain of treasures in Chen Huangzi’s world—nearly ten thousand high-grade dao veins and various top-tier artifacts. He unceremoniously swept them into his Longevity Realm.
Fang Zhiqian watched Lan Xiaobu reap the rewards, thinking bitterly to himself, *I do all the work, and Lan Xiaobu gets rich.* He recalled how Lan Xiaobu had also taken his exquisite vitality dao vein earlier.
After collecting everything, Lan Xiaobu snorted, “Still not finishing it?”
Fang Zhiqian snapped to attention, his curse dao rules fully extinguishing Chen Huangzi’s last spark of life.
“Idiot…” Chen Huangzi’s soul, on the verge of being obliterated by the curse dao rules, couldn’t help but curse.
Furious, Fang Zhiqian, already wounded by Chen Huangzi and now insulted in his final moments, twisted his curse dao rules, reducing Chen Huangzi to nothingness, his soul utterly destroyed.
“Good job, Old Fang,” Lan Xiaobu patted Fang Zhiqian’s shoulder, swiftly erasing all traces of the array. Simultaneously, his spatial dao rules erupted, obliterating the area’s rules and divine path traces several times over.
“Let’s go,” Lan Xiaobu said, turning to leave after wiping out all evidence.
Fang Zhiqian stared at the destroyed spatial rules, suddenly understanding why Chen Huangzi had called him an idiot in his final moments.
Lan Xiaobu could have killed Chen Huangzi himself but deliberately left it to Fang Zhiqian. Killing a Seventh Step Great Path cultivator left lingering dao rhythm traces that only time could erase—no other method worked. Fang Zhiqian had done the killing, Lan Xiaobu had taken the spoils, and Fang Zhiqian would bear the consequences, while Lan Xiaobu walked away clean.
Realising this, Fang Zhiqian nearly spat blood, but knowing he was at Lan Xiaobu’s mercy—his life could be ended with a thought—he swallowed his anger. Even if he understood now, when Lan Xiaobu ordered him to kill, he had no choice but to obey.
After flying tens of millions of miles, Lan Xiaobu said, “Old Fang, Anluo Heavenly City’s a bit chaotic lately. You just killed Chen Huangzi, so it’s best you don’t enter the city. Once your injuries heal and no one can tell you killed Chen Huangzi, come find me in Anluo Heavenly City. But don’t stray too far, or I might get upset, yeah?”
With that, Lan Xiaobu vanished from the spot.
Fang Zhiqian knew Lan Xiaobu had entered the city, but he couldn’t. Having just killed Chen Huangzi and still injured, even as a Seventh Step cultivator, exposure would mean being hunted down.
…
Almost the moment Lan Xiaobu entered Anluo Heavenly City, Guan Chong and Chong Ying in Jinluo Tower received news: True Derivation Sacred Path’s Huangyan Dao Tower had collapsed—the second tower to fall after the Yuyan Dao Tower.
Stunned by the news, Guan Chong and Chong Ying couldn’t believe it. Impossible…
Guan Chong could no longer endure this oppression. With a furious roar, he nearly stormed out of Jinluo Tower but calmed himself just in time.
Chong Ying, radiating slaughter dao rhythms so intense that weaker cultivators nearby might be torn apart, said coldly, “Let’s go. We’ll head straight to beat the Dao Ancestor Drum. If the Central World keeps bullying True Derivation Sacred Path and doesn’t welcome us, we’ll leave the Central World entirely.” Her tone was calm but carried the unyielding authority of a Seventh Step cultivator.
Guan Chong’s roar had already stirred Jinluo Tower. As he and Chong Ying stormed out, brimming with killing intent, everyone knew something major had happened.
Without needing to be told, the crowd followed as Guan Chong and Chong Ying headed toward the Dao Ancestor Drum.
Were they really going to beat the Dao Ancestor Drum?
The drum’s significance surpassed even the Heavenly Court Dao Hall. It was only to be struck in dire circumstances—like the annihilation of a world’s Heavenly Court, the death of a Heavenly Emperor, or the destruction of a world. Striking it for lesser matters was a death wish.
The death of a True Derivation Sacred Path Saint Lord was a major event for them, but for the Dao Ancestor Drum, it was trivial.
Did True Derivation’s two Saint Lords rushing to the drum mean they thought their entire sect’s destruction and the deaths of all four Saint Lords justified it? Hardly.
When Ku Yichi received the news, he was discussing the dao with Pei Qionghu, both Seventh Step cultivators of immense strength, each gaining much from the exchange. Xing Ni, listening nearby, benefited greatly as well.
But upon hearing that True Derivation’s Guan Chong and Chong Ying were heading to the Dao Ancestor Drum, possibly to strike it, Ku Yichi thought he’d misheard. Once confirmed, he couldn’t stay and discuss with Pei Qionghu any longer. Apologising briefly, he rushed off. Pei Qionghu, receiving the same news, took Xing Ni and followed. Strike the Dao Ancestor Drum? In all these years, no one had dared.
“Let them through!” Guan Chong reached the restriction around the Dao Ancestor Drum, raising his hand to dismiss the two guards. The guards panicked—letting them through would cost their lives. The Dao Ancestor Drum wasn’t to be struck lightly.
“Saint Lords Guan and Chong, why trouble a mere guard? If you have issues, take them up with me, Ku Yichi,” Ku Yichi said, his tone calm but his anger barely contained. Did True Derivation Sacred Path think they could just strike the Dao Ancestor Drum? If he’d arrived a moment later and the drum was struck, disturbing the Dao Ancestor, it would be no small matter.
“Is True Derivation Sacred Path not part of the Central World? Are we not under the Central Heavenly Court’s protection?” Chong Ying’s voice was icy, devoid of any respect for the Heavenly Emperor.
Ku Yichi replied coolly, “As long as you’re within the Central World, you’re part of it. What do you mean by this, Saint Lord Chong?”
Chong Ying snorted, “Not long ago, our Saint Lord Chong Jiu was killed, and we endured it. The Heavenly Emperor himself promised in front of everyone to give True Derivation an explanation. But before those words could settle, our Saint Lord Chen Huangzi was killed outside Anluo Heavenly City. So, we’re here to ask the Heavenly Emperor directly: is someone trying to wipe out True Derivation Sacred Path?”
