Nearly twenty years had passed since Liu Li’s departure, and with the Eternal Life Conference looming, another key figure from the Burial Dao Sect arrived at Jinluo Building, the sect’s First Grand Elder, Burial Wuhua.
Burial Wuhua, at the Fifth Step of the Great Dao, wasn’t held back by a lack of resources but by her limited aptitude and talent, which prevented her from advancing to the Sixth Step.
“Sister, why did Liu Li leave?” was Burial Wuhua’s first question upon seeing Burial Qionghua.
She had long known of Liu Li’s departure but, preoccupied with her own affairs, only now, upon arriving in Anluo Heavenly City, did she ask her sister directly. She didn’t care much about Liu Li’s exit, but Liu Li was her son Ke Jianping’s chosen woman, her pride, and she couldn’t let her son be wronged over a woman.
Burial Qionghua said slowly, “Because of someone named Lan Xiaobu, this person…”
Burial Wuhua nodded, “I know of him. The fall of two Seventh Step cultivators from True Derivation Holy Dao might be tied to him. It’s said he’s cultivating in the Great Universe Valley now, quite capable. What, did Liu Li fall for him?”
Burial Qionghua shook her head, “Liu Li and this Lan Xiaobu were already acquainted. Before she left, I uncovered something significant.”
“What?” Burial Wuhua asked eagerly.
Burial Qionghua said word by word, “The one who killed Peng’er is very likely this Lan Xiaobu.”
“How is that possible?” Burial Wuhua said, shocked.
Burial Qionghua’s tone turned cold, “For years, I wandered the void outside the great universe, waiting for the divine sense mark I left, but found nothing. Lan Xiaobu entered the great universe shortly after Peng’er’s death. At this point, I only suspect him. When I learned he and Liu Li were close, I planned to press Liu Li for information about him, but then I learned something crucial, he despises the Burial Dao Sect, calling it a rubbish sect.
“For such a potential enemy, I wouldn’t let him off easily. But his record is too formidable, even the death of True Derivation Holy Dao’s leader might be linked to him, so I could only investigate discreetly.”
“What did you find?” Burial Wuhua asked urgently.
Burial Qionghua nodded, “I did find something. After entering the great universe, Lan Xiaobu spent centuries cultivating in Moru World. He only recently came to the Central World, and I found no record of him on any ruin-breaking ships heading here. That suggests he came via teleportation array with the Moru Heavenly Emperor. But his name wasn’t on the array’s list, instead, I found someone named Shang Wei.
“After Shang Wei arrived in the Central World, he went to One Purity Holy City. After he left, both the Holy Sword Palace and Great Ice Palace were destroyed. Then Shang Wei vanished, and Lan Xiaobu appeared out of nowhere. This could be clarified by asking Shi Changxing, but we don’t have the standing to question him.”
“That doesn’t prove Lan Xiaobu killed Peng’er,” Burial Wuhua said doubtfully.
Burial Qionghua clenched her fists, “If Shang Wei is Lan Xiaobu, it means he never interacted with the Burial Dao Sect after entering the great universe. So why would he insist on calling our sect rubbish?”
“The only possibility is that Lan Xiaobu had contact with the Burial Dao Sect before and clashed with it?” Burial Wuhua realised, continuing instinctively.
Burial Qionghua nodded, “Exactly. Apart from Peng’er, no disciple of our sect left the great universe. If Lan Xiaobu had contact with our sect, who else could it be but Peng’er? Plus, the timing of his entry into the great universe aligns closely, there’s a ninety percent chance he killed Peng’er.”
Burial Wuhua frowned. If Lan Xiaobu was indeed the killer, this grudge would be hard to settle. His notorious reputation, tied to the destruction of the Holy Sword Palace, Great Ice Palace, and the deaths of two True Derivation Holy Dao leaders, made him untouchable. For the Burial Dao Sect to seek revenge was like walking into a latrine with a lantern, seeking death.
“It’s a pity we’re so far from Moru World, otherwise we could investigate Lan Xiaobu’s past there and check which ruin-breaking ships he took,” Burial Wuhua sighed.
With Lan Xiaobu as the opponent, she felt helpless. Even capturing Liu Li now seemed difficult. If Ce Kuhui Sheng were on good terms with them, they could investigate Lan Xiaobu’s ship records, but Ce Kuhui Sheng was Lan Xiaobu’s friend, and Lan Xiaobu was a division head of Moru Heavenly Court.
Both fell silent. After a while, Burial Wuhua continued, “This Lan Xiaobu is so audacious, could the hijacking of the Broken Ruins Holy Dao’s ship be related to him?”
Burial Qionghua’s eyes lit up, “Yes. Who else would dare hijack a ruin-breaking ship? For someone like Lan Xiaobu, that’s probably routine.”
She stood immediately, “I’m going to find the Broken Ruins Holy Dao.”
Others might not dare touch Lan Xiaobu, but the Broken Ruins Holy Dao wasn’t to be trifled with. Whoever hijacked their ship would face their wrath.
“Sister, Brother-in-law is coming to Anluo Heavenly City too. Should we tell him about this? After all, Peng’er might have been killed by Lan Xiaobu,” Burial Wuhua said again.
Burial Qionghua’s expression soured. Everyone thought Qu Peng was her and Qu Beige’s son, but only she and Chen knew Qu Peng was hers and Chen’s. Qu Beige likely had suspicions, which led to their separation. Yet, given Qu Beige’s temperament, he endured it, likely knowing Chen backed her.
“First, find the Broken Ruins Holy Dao. Put other matters aside for now,” Burial Qionghua said slowly.
…
*Crack!* As if some shackle had been torn apart, Ce Kuhui Sheng nearly let out a triumphant roar, but feeling the surging Great Dao charm, he restrained himself, frantically drawing in universal energy to solidify his Seventh Step.
At the same time, the sixth branch of Lan Xiaobu’s dao tree fully formed. Torrents of vitality energy, far greater than Ce Kuhui Sheng’s, and chaotic vitality flooded in, rapidly nourishing his Longevity Dao Tree.
His Great Dao aura kept rising, and Lan Xiaobu even wondered if he might break through the Sixth Step and reach the Seventh. But he remained calm, knowing this was an illusion. If he truly believed he could reach the Seventh Step like this, he risked being deceived by the Great Dao, becoming a mere machine of it.
The top-grade vitality dao vein, over ten thousand feet long, kept shrinking, filling the space with an almost tangible vitality dao principle aura.
*Boom!* The vast Longevity Dao principles broke through all barriers, the sixth branch of the dao tree not only formed but now flowed with dao charm.
Lan Xiaobu took a deep breath, knowing he had stepped into the Sixth Step. Moreover, his sage domain, infused with the rich vitality from the top-grade dao vein, brimmed with life.
Though he hadn’t fought a Seventh Step cultivator, he believed his current strength was no less than theirs. Watching Ce Kuhui Sheng reach the Seventh Step before his eyes showed him that the Seventh Step no longer posed a threat.
With a stretch of his hand, he grasped the killing dao principles of the Seven-Tone Kill, as if they were tangible.
The Seventh Step wielded divine abilities with a mere gesture, that must describe his current state. Yet he wasn’t at the Seventh Step, just a Sixth Step cultivator who could already do what the Seventh Step could.
Lan Xiaobu lowered his hand, stepped out of his cultivation spot, and laughed, “Congratulations, Brother Ce Ku, on reaching the Seventh Step.”
Ce Kuhui Sheng knew that even as a Seventh Step cultivator, he likely couldn’t defeat Lan Xiaobu. After a thousand years of cultivation, he understood that Lan Xiaobu’s dao seemed tied to eternal life, not a passive eternity, but one infused with a killing dao.
“Brother Xiaobu, without you, I might not have reached the Seventh Step in ten million years. In the great universe’s current state, I might not even survive that long,” Ce Kuhui Sheng said sincerely, fully aware that his breakthrough was thanks to Lan Xiaobu.
With turmoil brewing in the great universe, reaching the Seventh Step now was crucial.
As Lan Xiaobu was about to speak, he glanced at Qi Manwei’s position. Sure enough, she stepped out joyfully, “Xiaobu, I’ve reached the Sixth Step, we can get married now.”
Qi Manwei hadn’t expected to reach the Sixth Step here. During her seclusion, the universal principles suddenly became clear, and endless vitality energy flooded in, boosting her cultivation rapidly.
“Great, I’ll handle this. Once we return to Anluo Heavenly City, I’ll arrange your wedding,” Ce Kuhui Sheng said joyfully, eager to do something for Lan Xiaobu, and the opportunity had arrived.
“Big Brother Lan, I’ve reached the Fifth Step too. Following you was the best decision of my life,” Du Bu emerged from seclusion, equally thrilled. Lan Xiaobu’s top-grade vitality dao vein and the universal rule and energy changes from Ce Kuhui Sheng’s Seventh Step breakthrough had propelled his dao forward.
In contrast, he gained less insight from Lan Xiaobu’s Sixth Step breakthrough.
For a Fourth Step cultivator to gain insights beside a great sage successfully breaking through to the Seventh Step, what an opportunity!
Before Lan Xiaobu could offer congratulations, Taichuan let out a long roar, tearing through the restrictions of its seclusion spot.
“A Fifth Step holy beast?” Ce Kuhui Sheng couldn’t help but exclaim. Holy beasts reaching the Fourth Step were rare, yet here was a Fifth Step one. He looked at Lan Xiaobu with concern, a Fifth Step holy beast was something even a Dao Ancestor would covet.
