At this point, Kong Xinjian’s tone grew grave, “If we were powerless, so be it. But if the Cosmic Tree is endangered and we can unite to stop it from being selfishly taken, yet we don’t step forward, we’re unworthy of being cultivators of the Great Universe. Protecting the Cosmic Tree isn’t just for the Great Universe, but for our own Dao hearts and survival.”
As he spoke, Kong Xinjian’s emotions seemed to surge. Lan Xiaobu, however, felt no resonance. After Kong Xinjian finished, he said, “Since the Cosmic Tree is so vital, why doesn’t Hongjun intervene? With Hongjun Dao Ancestor’s strength, surely Di Lan wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Who’s Hongjun? A Dao Ancestor?” Kong Xinjian asked, puzzled.
Now it was Lan Xiaobu’s turn to be confused. He asked, “Isn’t the Dao Ancestor of the Great Desolate World Hongjun?”
Kong Xinjian shook his head, “I don’t know any Hongjun. The Dao Ancestor of the Great Desolate World is Yang Tian, with terrifying strength. I suspect he’s the only one who’s stepped into the ninth step of the Great Dao.”
Yang Tian? Lan Xiaobu frowned. He’d never heard of this person. According to Liu Li, it was Hongjun Dao Ancestor who led the people of the Great Desolate Universe to the Great Universe, establishing the Great Desolate World for their survival.
Yet now, a Dao Ancestor like Kong Xinjian claimed ignorance of Hongjun’s existence. That was laughable.
Unfortunately, Liu Li had left Anluo Heavenly City, or he could’ve asked her about the Great Desolate World. If need be, he and Mo Wuji could visit it after the Eternal Life Conference.
“If Yang Tian is so formidable, why doesn’t he intervene?” Lan Xiaobu dropped the Hongjun topic and asked about Yang Tian.
Kong Xinjian said, “Yang Tian Dao Ancestor is a newcomer, less attached to the Great Universe than we are. There may be other reasons he’s unwilling to act, but I don’t know them.”
“How should we unite then?” Lan Xiaobu asked, not delving further.
Kong Xinjian said, “The Eternal Life Conference is three months away. When it begins and the Cosmic Tree appears, that’s when Di Lan and his allies will be most excited. That’s when we strike. I’ll handle Di Lan, you handle Quan, your friend handles Lin Jie, Qi Zhou Tian handles Chang Tian, Shi Changxing handles Xing Jia. As for Ling Zhuzhen and Lei Yunhan, I’ll find allies. You shouldn’t leave Anluo Heavenly City, lest you arouse suspicion.”
Lan Xiaobu said, “How can I trust you?”
Kong Xinjian waved a Great Dao principle and declared, “I, Kong Xinjian, swear here: if I don’t join Lan Xiaobu to ambush Di Lan at the start of the Eternal Life Conference, may my Great Dao collapse, my soul perish, and I vanish into the vastness.”
“Good, I like your straightforwardness,” Lan Xiaobu praised, then added, “Mo Wuji, Shi Changxing, and I are no issue. But I’m unsure if Qi Zhou Tian is truly with us. I worry he might betray us.”
Hearing this, Kong Xinjian frowned slightly. Lan Xiaobu smiled, “Old Kong, no need to worry. Though I’m not certain about Qi Zhou Tian, we have another ally, Xing Jia.”
“Xing Jia?” Kong Xinjian frowned at the name, then said, “You’re from the Moru World, and Xing Jia is its Dao Ancestor, but he might not help you. He could be deceiving you to scheme against you.”
Lan Xiaobu laughed, “Old Kong, rest assured, I understand Xing Jia’s intentions. If I were so easily fooled, I wouldn’t be alive today.”
“Fine, I’ll say no more. Fu Chong is a good ally. I’ll seek him out. He needs some Chaos Rule Sap, which I heard your friend has. Just give him some,” Kong Xinjian agreed.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “Brother Kong, don’t worry. I’ll definitely ask my friend for some Chaos Rule Sap. As long as he has it, I’ll get it.”
Those familiar with Lan Xiaobu knew that when he kept changing how he addressed someone, he was already disdainful of them.
“Let’s exchange communication principles and meet at the Eternal Life Conference,” Kong Xinjian said, swapping principles with Lan Xiaobu before swiftly departing.
Watching Kong Xinjian’s back, Lan Xiaobu sneered inwardly. Initially, he’d believed Kong Xinjian, as his words made sense. Now, he just wanted to say, I believe you, my foot.
“Xiaobu, back so soon?” Mo Wuji asked, puzzled, seeing Lan Xiaobu return.
Hearing Lan Xiaobu was back, Qi Zhou Tian hurried over. Lan Xiaobu smiled, “Guess who I ran into just now?”
“You didn’t bump into Fu Chong right after leaving, did you?” Mo Wuji joked.
Lan Xiaobu shook his head, “I met Kong Xinjian.”
“The Dao Ancestor of the Bucheng World?” Qi Zhou Tian was shocked. “With the Eternal Life Conference nearing, it’s normal for him to come here. What’s wrong?” Mo Wuji asked, seeing Qi Zhou Tian’s surprise.
Qi Zhou Tian shook his head, “No, Kong Xinjian has issues with his Dao and is close to the Great Desolate World’s Dao Ancestor. By rights, he shouldn’t be in Anluo Heavenly City.”
“Do you know who the Great Desolate World’s Dao Ancestor is?” Lan Xiaobu asked casually, hearing Qi Zhou Tian mention him.
“Yang Tian, a terrifying figure. We suspect he’s the only one possibly at the ninth step of the Great Dao,” Qi Zhou Tian said gravely.
“Yang Tian?” Mo Wuji was equally puzzled. Like Lan Xiaobu, he thought the Great Desolate World’s Dao Ancestor was Hongjun. Where did Yang Tian come from?
Lan Xiaobu said, “Wuji, that’s what’s puzzling me. I always thought it was Hongjun, but they say it’s Yang Tian, someone I’ve never heard of.”
“I don’t know much about him,” Qi Zhou Tian interjected.
“Let’s talk about Kong Xinjian. Did he come to ally with us? Doesn’t he have issues with his Dao? Why would he join us?” Mo Wuji asked.
Qi Zhou Tian was also puzzled. Lan Xiaobu said, “There’s no doubt Kong Xinjian’s Dao is damaged. His aura is decaying, clearly nearing the end of his lifespan. For an eighth-step Great Dao powerhouse to run out of lifespan, that’s a joke.”
“Regardless, if he’s willing to step up, our chances improve. Kong Xinjian isn’t simple. Despite his damaged Dao base, his strength is formidable,” Qi Zhou Tian said, pleased at the prospect of Kong Xinjian’s alliance.
Lan Xiaobu sneered, “I feel this guy’s intentions aren’t pure. He keeps saying he wants to protect the Cosmic Tree to save the Great Universe from disaster, but I’m skeptical.”
Qi Zhou Tian sighed, “The Cosmic Tree is indeed vital to the Great Universe. If it’s taken, collapse isn’t impossible. But it won’t acknowledge a master, and no one can take it. Kong Dao Ancestor’s worrying too much.”
Mo Wuji, having worked with Lan Xiaobu many times, knew he wouldn’t make baseless claims.
Sure enough, Lan Xiaobu continued, “I suspect him for two reasons. First, he knows too much. Where’s this information coming from? At one point, I even wondered if he’s with Di Lan, allying with us to play double agent. That’s just a guess, though.
The second point makes me more suspicious. He claims it’s to protect the Cosmic Tree and the Great Universe. If so, why not stop the Cosmic Tree from being forced out? If we prevent Di Lan from sacrificing the Chaos Dao Body and stop millions of Great Dao powerhouses from pressing it with Eternal Life Dao principles, the Cosmic Tree won’t appear, right? I can’t believe he didn’t think of that, yet he never mentioned it.”
Qi Zhou Tian chuckled, “That’s because Kong Xinjian’s Dao needs restoration, and he requires a ten-patterned Cosmic Dao Fruit.”
Mo Wuji nodded, “So, Kong Xinjian might not be with Di Lan but acting alone, aiming to snatch the ten-patterned Cosmic Dao Fruit while we clash with Di Lan. If he were with Di Lan, he wouldn’t get a share.”
“Then why bother intercepting Xiaobu? He could just lurk in the shadows,” Qi Zhou Tian said.
Lan Xiaobu explained, “He didn’t stop me out of kindness. He knows the full picture, maybe even suspects Di Lan had several Dao Ancestors swear Dao realm oaths. That’s why he feared we’d learn of Di Lan’s strength and back off. If we left, how could Kong Xinjian compete with Di Lan? Before leaving, he insisted I stay in Anluo Heavenly City while he sought allies.”
“That must be it,” Qi Zhou Tian sighed.
As Lan Xiaobu said, if he and Mo Wuji realised Di Lan’s strength and chose to retreat, Qi Zhou Tian would likely follow. If they all left, how could Kong Xinjian profit?
“What about Shi Changxing? Could he be a problem?” Mo Wuji asked.
Shi Changxing’s information came from Kong Xinjian. If he was Kong Xinjian’s man, their side would lose another ally.
“That blasted thing, I just want to walk away and let them tear each other apart,” Lan Xiaobu cursed angrily.
Everyone fell silent. Without more allies, gaining anything between Di Lan and Kong Xinjian’s groups would be tough. Yet with the Cosmic Tree about to appear, leaving felt unbearable.
“Xiaobu, why don’t we strike first?” Mo Wuji suddenly suggested.
“How so?” Qi Zhou Tian looked at him, puzzled.
Mo Wuji chuckled, “They’re waiting to act when the Eternal Life Conference starts, right? Let’s move before it begins. The other Dao Ancestors are in Anluo Heavenly City. We’ll visit them one by one.”
Lan Xiaobu slapped the table, “Great idea, let’s do it.”
Qi Zhou Tian was stunned by their decision. This was a great idea?
