“I’ve recalled some things,” Ou Ping said, ceasing his intense pondering.
“Tell us everything you’ve remembered,” Mo Wuji urged.
Ou Ping recounted all he had just recalled, though he still couldn’t remember who had saved him.
“I always thought the Principle of Forgetting was linked to Patriarch Hongjun, but I didn’t expect it to be connected to the Tianmeng people,” Lan Xiaobu said with a sigh.
To establish a Principle of Forgetting in the Great Cosmos was no ordinary feat. In Lan Xiaobu’s view, only someone like Patriarch Hongjun could set up such a principle.
Qi Zhe Tian’s expression darkened. “Someone in the Great Cosmos can set up the Principle of Forgetting? If it was done by the Tianmeng people, how strong must that individual be?”
Clearly, Qi Zhe Tian suspected the Principle of Forgetting was set by the Tianmeng people. Since they were nearly exterminated by Great Cosmos cultivators, they likely established the principle to make everyone forget them, allowing them to secretly reproduce and recover.
Once they grew strong, their first target would be the Great Cosmos cultivators, with whom they held a deep blood feud.
Mo Wuji shook his head. “I doubt the Principle of Forgetting was necessarily set by the Tianmeng people.”
“Someone else?” Shi Changxing looked at Mo Wuji, puzzled.
Mo Wuji smiled. “Not necessarily a person, it could be an entity. If it’s the Cosmic Tree, it could easily integrate the Principle of Forgetting into the Great Cosmos’s heaven and earth rules.”
Everyone fell silent, clearly agreeing with Mo Wuji. If the Cosmic Tree set up the Principle of Forgetting, it could indeed seamlessly blend into the Great Cosmos’s rules.
But why would the Cosmic Tree set up such a principle for the Tianmeng people?
“Wuji, if the Tianmeng people set up the Principle of Forgetting, why make everyone forget Patriarch Hongjun? And could Yang Tian be one of the Tianmeng people?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Mo Wuji pondered for a moment before saying, “Perhaps only Patriarch Hongmeng could deal with the Tianmeng people. So, before emerging, they made everyone forget him, leaving the human race in the Great Cosmos scattered and defenceless.”
Lan Xiaobu nodded. “From a certain perspective, Patriarch Hongjun and Patriarch Yangmei should both be considered part of the Tianmeng people, right? If so, it’s possible the Cosmic Tree set up the Principle of Forgetting, as it, too, could be considered Tianmeng.”
Whether Yangmei, Hongjun, or even Great God Pangu, all were born from chaos, making them Tianmeng people. As for the Cosmic Tree, also born from chaos, wouldn’t it be Tianmeng as well?
“And if the one who tipped off Ou Ping was Patriarch Hongjun, what’s he doing?” Mo Wuji couldn’t figure it out.
Ou Ping knew Mo Wuji was addressing him but could only shake his head. “I can’t recall, and I don’t know what he was doing.”
“Ou Ping, you’re not cultivating the Great Dream Principle, are you? Why did you find the Mengmu Dayan’s stronghold?” Lan Xiaobu recalled.
Ou Ping had sensed an opportunity, which led him to the Mengmu Dayan’s stronghold, where he was discovered.
Ou Ping shook his head. “I don’t know. My mind feels muddled.”
Lan Xiaobu used the Cosmic Dimensional Model to construct a dimensional structure for Ou Ping. Previously, his cultivation was insufficient, and even with the Cosmic Dimensional Model, he might not have detected certain things.
As expected, in just half an incense stick’s time, Lan Xiaobu said, “Ou Ping, there’s indeed a principle imprint in your body. This imprint doesn’t currently affect your Dao. I suspect it might allow Mengmu Dayan to track you… but it’s strange, it doesn’t seem like the Great Dream Principle.”
Ou Ping’s face paled, and he quickly said, “Please, Friend Mo, help me remove this principle imprint.”
Lan Xiaobu didn’t act but handed a crystal ball to Mo Wuji. “Wuji, this is the dimensional structure of the principle imprint in Ou Ping’s body. Since you cultivate the Mortal Dao, removing this imprint will be safer.”
Mo Wuji’s Dao was adept at removing imprints without issue, and with the Cosmic Dimensional Model’s structure, he could effortlessly strip the imprint from Ou Ping unnoticed.
Mo Wuji took the crystal ball, his divine sense sweeping over it. He then sent several Mortal Dao principles onto Ou Ping, and in the blink of an eye, a principle imprint was stripped from Ou Ping’s body.
“This definitely isn’t the Great Dream Principle,” Mo Wuji said, sealing the imprint and sighing.
Lan Xiaobu said, “From the cultivation world to the immortal world, and to higher realms and planes, there are Great Dream Dao people everywhere. Some have even let nightmares engulf entire planets and realms. These people aren’t likely aiming to reclaim the Great Cosmos but to control the entire vast expanse. Even if we leave the Great Cosmos, we probably can’t stay uninvolved.”
“Ou Ping, can you lead us to the place you went before?” Shi Changxing suddenly asked.
Ou Ping hesitated briefly before saying, “I should be able to. Even if I can’t find the exact spot, I can get close.”
Lan Xiaobu shook his head. “We can’t go now. That Tianmeng person earlier, though we could defeat it one-on-one, it was still challenging. If there are too many of them there, are we going to our deaths? Besides the Tianmeng people, there’s also Mengmu Dayan, and we have a life-and-death feud with them.”
“Our strength is still too low,” Mo Wuji sighed, then said, “Xiaobu and I must first go to the Great Desolation World to find Yang Tian, then we need to hurry and reach the Eighth Step of the Great Dao.”
Ou Ping seemed to recall something else and said urgently, “That Daoist also told me that while we need to unite to resist, no one here can stop the Tianmeng people from wiping out the human race and reclaiming the Great Cosmos, not even in a million years. So, it’s inevitable that the Tianmeng people will dominate the Great Cosmos…”
“Not necessarily. What if Brother Mo and Brother Lan advance further?” Qi Zhe Tian said, unconvinced.
He knew Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu’s potential and strength, and by saying this, he included himself. From now on, he, too, would cultivate his own Dao, meaning he wouldn’t be ordinary in the future either.
“Xiaobu, I’ll stay here to prepare for breaking through to the Eighth Step,” Qi Manwei said, sensing that if the Tianmeng people attacked, those at the Seventh Step like her wouldn’t last long. Lan Xiaobu had already promised her what she needed, but if all human cultivators in the Great Cosmos were driven out or killed, his promise might become unrealistic. Thus, she needed to improve her strength to help more in the future.
Mo Wuji said gravely, “Yes, everyone should prepare to enter seclusion and cultivate now. Xiaobu and I will head to the Great Desolation World to scout the situation and return immediately. As for cultivation spots, they mustn’t be ordinary places. Since the Tianmeng people can integrate the Principle of Forgetting into the Great Cosmos’s rules, they might do the same with other principles. It’s best to cultivate in the chaos region.”
“Go to the Withered Life Chaos Region. Taichuan, lead everyone there. With you, we can carve out a chaos cultivation dojo in the Withered Life Chaos Region,” Lan Xiaobu said decisively.
He then took out a ring and handed it to Ou Ping. “Ou Ping, you lack cultivation resources. The items in this ring are for you. Strive to reach at least the Sixth Step of the Great Dao by the time we return.”
Cen Kuhui, Du Bu, Fang Zhiqian, and others who had competed for Cosmic Dao Fruits each had a stash, making their advancement easier.
“The Sixth Step?” Ou Ping shuddered. Forget the Sixth Step, he didn’t even dare dream of the Fifth Step.
“There are Cosmic Dao Fruits in the ring. Though your aptitude is average, with their help, you should reach the Seventh Step,” Lan Xiaobu said, understanding Ou Ping’s thoughts.
Qi Manwei thought of the Ten-Patterned Cosmic Dao Fruit in her possession. This time, she was determined to reach the Eighth Step, or she wouldn’t be much help.
Mo Wuji also took out a ring and gave it to Zhuang Xiyue. “Sister Xiyue, your cultivation is a bit weak. With the Great Cosmos on the verge of great change, you need to seize the time.”
“Yes, thank you, Brother Mo,” Zhuang Xiyue said, clutching the ring tightly with excitement. She didn’t care about the ring or its contents but was touched that Mo Wuji showed concern by giving her cultivation resources.
“Alright, let’s go. Jumang, come with us. Since you’re from the Great Desolation World, you know it better than we do,” Lan Xiaobu invited Jumang.
Jumang was actually very strong. If his Dao principles hadn’t been suppressed, he wouldn’t have been chased so miserably.
“We should first return to Anluo Heavenly City and take the teleportation array from there. Otherwise, reaching the Great Desolation World could take forever,” Lan Xiaobu said, summoning the Seven Realms Stone and heading back to Anluo Heavenly City.
“I think we should visit the Weiju World first. Though their scheme against us failed, their Rule-Breaking Sword Artifact is impressive. Plus, Weiju World has teleportation arrays to various places, making travel easier,” Mo Wuji suggested.
“Right, and that Jing Xizhen isn’t simple either. We might be able to cooperate,” Lan Xiaobu agreed.
“Don’t casually reveal the Tianmeng people’s bones. Once they appear, they’ll immediately attract their attention and lead them to us. I suspect the bones we have are significant, possibly from a high-ranking Tianmeng figure,” Mo Wuji warned abruptly.
Lan Xiaobu nodded. Even without Mo Wuji’s reminder, he wouldn’t have shown them. When they realised the bones were from the Tianmeng people, they knew they couldn’t be revealed yet.
