True Yan Sacred Dao.
This wasn’t Lan Xiaobu’s first visit, and this time he intended to uproot the sect entirely. Upon arriving with Fang Zhiqian, they began setting up a trapping-killing barrier.
To ensure Guan Chong and Chong Ying couldn’t escape, Lan Xiaobu planned to use the Universe Mill as the core of the attack barrier and the Chaos Dao Heart Disc and Chaos Platform from the Six Paths of the Chaos Road as the core of the trapping-killing barrier. He didn’t care if others from True Yan Sacred Dao escaped; his target was Guan Chong, though killing Chong Ying as well would be ideal, as she was also a threat.
But after laying just a few Dao rules, Lan Xiaobu stopped.
Fang Zhiqian knew why Lan Xiaobu paused but offered no comment. Though Lan Xiaobu was easier to deal with than Ku Yichi, he knew provoking him would lead to a grim fate.
“Old Fang, you understand why I stopped, don’t you?” Lan Xiaobu saw through Fang Zhiqian’s thoughts, asking calmly.
Fang Zhiqian quickly replied, “I’ve got a guess. Setting up a barrier to encircle the entire True Yan Sacred Dao, strong enough to block a Seventh Step cultivator, would take at least a year or two. The outer space is riddled with trigger array patterns. Working among them for so long, even with utmost care, would surely alert Guan Chong and Chong Ying. If they’re alerted, all our efforts would be wasted.”
Lan Xiaobu patted Fang Zhiqian, “Old Fang, I need useful people under me. If you’re not useful, or if you think you are but I don’t feel it, you’re of no value.”
Fang Zhiqian cursed inwardly but said firmly, “Rest assured, Master Bu. I was just about to share my thoughts when you asked. Next time, I’ll speak up sooner and won’t let you down.”
“Good. Since we can’t set up a trapping-killing barrier, we’ll storm in directly.” Lan Xiaobu summoned his Longevity Halberd, ready to openly blast True Yan Sacred Dao’s protective array. As a Sacred Master, Guan Chong wouldn’t flee if someone attacked the sect’s defenses.
Just as the halberd was about to strike, a voice rang out, “Leave some room in your actions for future goodwill. Your grudge with Guan Chong doesn’t justify destroying my True Yan Sacred Dao’s grounds.”
Startled, Lan Xiaobu retreated immediately.
Even a Seventh Step cultivator’s voice would reveal their position, but he couldn’t sense where this voice came from.
Fang Zhiqian, who also heard it, sent a transmission to Lan Xiaobu, “I suspect it’s Fu Chong.”
“Who’s Fu Chong?” Lan Xiaobu asked, puzzled, thinking the speaker’s strength rivaled Shi Changxing’s. If True Yan Sacred Dao had such a powerhouse, would Guan Chong and Chong Ying need to seek a Dao Ancestor? And after he and Fang Zhiqian killed Chen Huangzi, why didn’t this figure appear?
“Master Bu, let’s leave first. I’ll explain this person’s background, then we can decide,” Fang Zhiqian transmitted again.
Lan Xiaobu agreed. If True Yan Sacred Dao had a near-Shi Changxing-level powerhouse, he couldn’t kill Guan Chong today and might not even escape unscathed.
As they withdrew, Lan Xiaobu stayed vigilant, but to his relief, no one pursued.
Far from True Yan Sacred Dao, Fang Zhiqian explained, “Before the four Sacred Masters, True Yan Sacred Dao was renowned because it had two Dao Masters: Fu Chong and Quan Si. They obtained the supreme technique Moon Surge Great Wilderness, which later led to the four Sacred Masters.
The Moon Surge Great Wilderness split True Yan Sacred Dao into four branches: Moon Yan, Surge Yan, Great Yan, and Wilderness Yan. For unknown reasons, Fu Chong and Quan Si clashed, fighting fiercely in the central world. After that battle, Quan Si was gravely injured and near death, while Fu Chong vanished. Most believe Fu Chong perished, so no one paid him further attention.
After Fu Chong’s disappearance, Quan Si, the remaining Dao Master, unified True Yan Sacred Dao and established the four branches. Surge Yan’s Sacred Master was his disciple.”
“What about Quan Si?” Lan Xiaobu asked. Quan Si unified the sect, so why didn’t he act after Lan Xiaobu killed Chen Huangzi?
Fang Zhiqian clarified, “Fu Chong wasn’t easy to defeat. Quan Si paid a steep price—his Dao veins shattered. After勉强 developing the four branches, he underwent soldier dissolution and perished. To reach the Seventh Step and still fall to dissolution, Quan Si might be the first. If that voice was Fu Chong, he wouldn’t intervene even if all four Sacred Masters were killed, as they were Quan Si’s people, his enemies. But with the Sacred Masters gone, True Yan Sacred Dao is his, so he warned us not to touch its protective array.”
“If Quan Si was killed and dissolved, Fu Chong, even if alive, is likely weakened. Otherwise, he wouldn’t just warn us verbally,” Lan Xiaobu mused.
A figure ruthless enough to fight his sectmate to the death for control wouldn’t merely ask Lan Xiaobu to spare True Yan Sacred Dao verbally.
Fang Zhiqian stayed silent, agreeing that if Fu Chong spoke, he was probably barely clinging to life. He awaited Lan Xiaobu’s decision to proceed or not.
At that moment, a figure stepped from the void, appearing before Lan Xiaobu and Fang Zhiqian.
Though the figure hadn’t attacked, Lan Xiaobu felt a potent Dao aura. He instantly deployed his Mortal Domain. This person’s strength matched Shi Changxing’s, possibly Fu Chong, but his aura seemed weak, likely from unhealed injuries.
As Lan Xiaobu was about to signal Fang Zhiqian to act, Fang Zhiqian bowed, “Fang Zhiqian greets the Dao Ancestor.”
Dao Ancestor? Lan Xiaobu didn’t bow, eyeing the figure: pale, beardless, bald, and browless. The figure had deliberately unleashed his aura to instill fear and pressure, so Lan Xiaobu felt no respect. Which world’s Dao Ancestor was this, looking so disheveled?
“I know you, cultivator of the Curse Dao,” the browless man nodded at Fang Zhiqian, then turned to Lan Xiaobu.
“Is this your disciple?” he asked Fang Zhiqian, frowning at Lan Xiaobu’s insolence.
Lan Xiaobu saw the man was heavily injured, his strength no threat. He said calmly, “Old Fang, who’s this arrogant guy?”
Fang Zhiqian hurriedly replied, “Master Bu, this is the Dao Ancestor of Qizhou Tian.”
No further explanation was needed. Shi Wanrong had sought their help against this very Qizhou Tian. Now here, injured, what had become of Shi Changxing?
Master Bu? Qizhou Tian paused. Passing by, he’d spotted Fang Zhiqian and considered enlisting his aid. But Fang Zhiqian called this youth Master Bu. Had the world changed so much during his seclusion?
So it was Qizhou Tian. Lan Xiaobu said nothing more.
Could Fang Zhiqian be controlled by this youth? Qizhou Tian glanced at Fang Zhiqian, then started, “You’ve reached the Seventh Step?”
He’d met Fang Zhiqian once, remembering him for his Curse Dao. In his mind, Fang Zhiqian lacked the potential for the Seventh Step, yet here he was. This…
No matter how formidable this youth was, he shouldn’t control Fang Zhiqian at such a young age. Recalling Fang Zhiqian’s deference, Qizhou Tian felt disoriented.
“Haha, Dao Ancestor, you’re a bit slow on the uptake,” a loud laugh rang out as a lanky, bamboo-thin man stepped from the void.
Lan Xiaobu had been calm facing Qizhou Tian, sensing his injuries posed no threat. But this thin man gave him a faint sense of danger.
“Master Wang, why follow me?” Qizhou Tian’s expression remained composed, though he frowned slightly.
As Lan Xiaobu wondered who this Master Wang was, Fang Zhiqian transmitted, “Master Bu, this is Wang Congjing, second Dao Master of the Broken Ruins Sacred Dao. We killed Xie Chuanqi, but he likely doesn’t know yet, or he’d be targeting us, not Qizhou Tian. He was said to be seeking Dao opportunities far beyond the Ten Directions World, yet he’s back, possibly beyond the Seventh Step, maybe as strong as Qizhou Tian…”
Though transmitting to Lan Xiaobu, Fang Zhiqian was inwardly anxious. Each step in the Great Dao was a vast divide. He feared Lan Xiaobu not just for the Dao mark on him but for Lan Xiaobu’s ability to fight above his level, an unthinkable feat.
At the Seventh Step, he was worlds apart from the Eighth. Otherwise, why would Dao Ancestors inspire such fear?
Wang Congjing? Lan Xiaobu’s eyes narrowed. If this man had cornered him in Anluo Heavenly City, even the Moru Heavenly Court might have been annihilated, as Ku Yichi wouldn’t defend Moru World in a major conflict.
Wang Congjing laughed, “After you left, Dao Ancestor, I noticed something odd. That pool once held chaos rule slurry, and it was removed just before you departed. So I came to inquire…”
