After the shock, Lei Yunhan clenched his fists tightly. Chaotic rule slurry, this was the supreme treasure that could solidify his eighth step of the Great Dao and give him a chance to step into the ninth step.
“Junior Brother Congjing, can you recover?” Lei Yunhan quickly calmed down. He knew that no matter how valuable the chaotic rule slurry was, he alone could never seize it from Qizhou Tian. But if Wang Congjing could recover to the eighth step, the two of them could definitely take down Qizhou Tian.
Wang Congjing shook his head despondently, “There’s no hope for me unless I can obtain a Universe Dao Fruit or a Primordial Dao Seed.”
Hearing this, Lei Yunhan fell silent. If he had a Universe Dao Fruit or a Primordial Dao Seed, he wouldn’t even need the chaotic rule slurry to have a chance at the ninth step.
“Both Dao Masters, chaotic rule slurry has appeared in Anluo Heavenly City,” Li Jie said cautiously.
“Chaotic rule slurry appeared in Anluo Heavenly City? Which Dao Ancestor took it?” Wang Congjing asked, stunned. Besides the Universe Dao Fruit and Primordial Dao Seed, chaotic rule slurry could also give him a chance to recover.
“No Dao Ancestor obtained it. By the time the Dao Ancestors arrived, the person with the chaotic rule slurry had already left Anluo Heavenly City,” Li Jie replied.
“Who was it?” Lei Yunhan asked urgently. He had lingered at the edges of the ten worlds of the Great Universe for years, yet stepping into the ninth step remained elusive. Coming to Anluo Heavenly City this time, he understood that even at the eighth step, he sometimes had to bow to others. If he were at the ninth step, would Shi Changxing dare to speak nonsense? Would Xing Jia dare to protect that so-called Heavenly Emperor?
Li Jie answered, “It was a friend of Lan Xiaobu. This friend of Lan Xiaobu is very strong and severely injured Fairy Qian Yao with a single move…”
“Lan Xiaobu’s friend could severely injure Qian Yao?” Lei Yunhan’s heart sank. He knew Qian Yao’s strength—though at the seventh step, she was half a step into the eighth. Someone who could injure her with one move was practically half a step into the eighth step as well. With chaotic rule slurry, stepping into the eighth step was almost guaranteed.
Li Jie replied, “That person should be at the sixth step. The reason they could injure Fairy Qian Yao was that she didn’t take them seriously. This person was cunning, taking advantage of her underestimation to launch a full-force sneak attack, which is how Qian Yao was injured. After the attack, Dao Ancestor Di Lan was furious and rushed to Anluo Heavenly City, but he was still too late.”
Hearing it was only the sixth step, Lei Yunhan breathed a sigh of relief. Even with chaotic rule slurry, someone at the sixth step could only reach the seventh step in the short term, far from the eighth step.
The difference between the seventh and eighth steps was like heaven and earth.
“Do we know where these two went?” Lei Yunhan was already thinking about the chaotic rule slurry. Since both the slurry and the killing of Jie Chuanqi were connected to Lan Xiaobu, finding him would suffice.
Li Jie answered, “I heard Lan Xiaobu’s friend traded the chaotic rule slurry for a chaotic time crystal. I suspect they’re using it to cultivate in seclusion.”
At this, Lei Yunhan frowned. Using a chaotic time crystal for seclusion would be most effective in a chaotic zone, where it could fully发挥 its potential. But in the Central World, there were too many chaotic zones—who could know where they went?
Wang Congjing considered mentioning the Kusheng Chaotic Zone but dismissed it, as only those at the eighth step could safely stay there. Lan Xiaobu and his friend, both at the sixth step, were unlikely to go to the Kusheng Chaotic Zone.
…
Lan Xiaobu halted his cultivation. Logically, with chaotic rule slurry, top-grade supreme Dao veins, and freely accessible chaotic energy, his progress should have been rapid. For the first few hundred years, his cultivation had indeed surged, his strength soaring. But after those centuries, he hit a bottleneck. Forget breaking through from the sixth to the seventh step—he couldn’t even progress within the sixth step.
“Perhaps I’ve advanced too quickly recently,” Lan Xiaobu sighed. Even with a chaotic time crystal, rising from the Creation Sage Realm to the sixth step in a few thousand years was still too fast.
However, Lan Xiaobu soon noticed the cultivation speeds of Qi Manwei and Tai Chuan. Both were progressing rapidly, their auras steadily climbing. It seemed likely that Qi Manwei might reach the seventh step before him. As for Tai Chuan, becoming a sixth-step sacred beast was almost certain.
A chaotic physique was indeed extraordinary. Qi Manwei had a chaotic Dao body, and Tai Chuan was a chaotic sacred beast. Whether chaotic Dao body or chaotic sacred beast, cultivating with chaotic rule slurry made progress nearly inevitable.
Lan Xiaobu’s divine sense fell on the Primordial Dao Seed in his Longevity Realm. He estimated that using it might give him a slight chance to break into the seventh step. Yet, he felt he shouldn’t rely on it, or his Dao might cease to be the Longevity Dao.
Something wasn’t right—Mo Wuji didn’t seem to be making much progress either; his cultivation aura felt calm.
As Lan Xiaobu was about to investigate further, Mo Wuji’s cultivation space barrier opened.
As Lan Xiaobu had suspected, while Mo Wuji’s strength had improved, he still hadn’t broken into the seventh step.
“Xiaobu, is there a problem with breaking into the seventh step?” Mo Wuji asked as soon as he emerged, noticing Lan Xiaobu had also opened his seclusion barrier, indicating they faced the same issue.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “Yes, my Dao is the Longevity Dao. Back in the Immortal Realm, driven by a desire for longevity, I abandoned other Daos and created the Longevity Dao based on my own ideas. Since creating it, I’ve never encountered a bottleneck until now. As my cultivation grew, my Dao continuously improved, and the longevity rules in my Longevity Realm were derived from my own Dao. Logically, with chaotic rule slurry and supreme Dao veins, I should be able to step into the seventh step.
But when I tried to break into the seventh step, my cultivation stalled. Not only that, I felt my Dao had reached its end, its limit, and I don’t know why.”
Hearing Lan Xiaobu’s words, Mo Wuji frowned slightly and said, “I was inspired by someone else’s Mortal Technique and gradually created my own Mortal Dao. My Dao has never had bottlenecks; sometimes, I even deliberately slowed my progress. But this time, I encountered the same problem as you. I’m stuck trying to break into the seventh step, unable to progress…”
At this point, Mo Wuji seemed to realize something, his brows furrowing tightly.
Lan Xiaobu was the same. Could the limit of their personal Daos be the sixth step?
“Xiaobu, do you think Ancestor Hongjun’s Dao was a personal Dao?” Mo Wuji suddenly asked after some time.
Lan Xiaobu replied, “I have a feeling Ancestor Hongjun’s Dao was a personal Dao.”
“If Ancestor Hongjun’s was a personal Dao and he could make a breakthrough here, it means his strength definitely surpassed the seventh step. So, the limit of a personal Dao can’t be the sixth step…”
“Could it be we’re too fixated? I’m obsessed with longevity, so my Dao is entirely focused on longevity. You’re focused on perfecting the mortal, striving to make your Dao utterly ordinary, so your Dao pursues extreme ordinariness…”
Lan Xiaobu started speaking to Mo Wuji but soon began muttering to himself.
“I understand,” Mo Wuji abruptly interrupted.
“I understand too,” Lan Xiaobu said excitedly, clenching his fists.
“I’ve been pursuing ordinariness, but my Dao is already on the path to immortality. I must break through based on my Mortal Dao, or I’ll be trapped by my own ordinariness, unable to reach the seventh step even with immortality,” Mo Wuji said, overjoyed.
How could one achieve immortality when defined as mortal? Others had seen through Mo Wuji’s Dao, but he had been blind to it himself.
“I’m the same. I’ve been chasing longevity, forgetting that all longevity stems from the most ordinary mortal roots. My Dao’s foundation is unstable. If I don’t change my mindset and solidify my Dao’s base, I’ll never reach the seventh step,” Lan Xiaobu laughed heartily.
He had pursued longevity but forgotten that all longevity is built upon a mortal foundation. To become an immortal of eternal life, one must first remember they were once mortal. Having found the cause, Lan Xiaobu was no longer lost.
“Our Daos should complement each other. During our next seclusion, I’ll let you sense my Mortal Dao Rule.”
“Right, and I’ll let my Longevity Dao Rule fill the gaps in your Dao.”
Realizing the flaws in their Daos, both were elated. They immediately returned to their cave barriers, entering seclusion to continue their charge toward the seventh step.
