After berating Ding Chongchen, Cong Ang unleashed a ferocious saint domain that swept outward.
Ding Chongchen, closest to Cong Ang, was caught off guard by this domain’s surge, sent tumbling backward. Though ambushed, he knew the vast gap between himself and Cong Ang. At that moment, a deathly aura enveloped him, and he was certain that if Cong Ang attacked now, he could resist but would ultimately be slain.
Ding Chongchen crashed into a massive pillar, shattering it into debris and collapsing to the ground.
“Eighth Step of the Great Dao,” Ding Chongchen muttered, stunned.
He had never imagined an Eighth Step cultivator existed within his own ranks. Though Cong Ang seemed slightly weaker than Dao Ancestor Qin Chun, he had undoubtedly reached the Eighth Step. Cong Ang was usually unassuming, diligently following orders, yet he had concealed such terrifying strength, capable of killing Ding Chongchen in an instant.
If Ding Chongchen had doubted Cong Ang’s earlier words, he now believed Lan Xiaobu’s trio were Seventh Step cultivators. His own cultivation was too low to discern their true strength, but Cong Ang, an Eighth Step, could.
Ignoring the fallen Ding Chongchen, Cong Ang strode toward Mo Wuji and swung a palm at him.
Apart from Ding Chongchen, who had been blasted away, Mo Wuji bore the brunt of Cong Ang’s attack. Though his palm targeted Mo Wuji, Cong Ang was prepared for Lan Xiaobu to intervene, as intelligence suggested Lan Xiaobu was the strongest of the three. To his surprise, Lan Xiaobu merely watched, unmoving.
Ding Chongchen, shocked that Lan Xiaobu was only Seventh Step, felt a chill seeing him stand idle as Cong Ang attacked Mo Wuji.
Was this fear of Cong Ang’s strength, refusing to act?
Not only did Lan Xiaobu stay still, but Ju Mang also remained motionless. Ding Chongchen began to question his decision. If they wouldn’t help their own against a stronger foe, how could they cross the Great Universe?
But his thoughts halted abruptly. He had been blasted away by Cong Ang’s domain, caught unaware, yet why hadn’t Mo Wuji moved an inch?
Cong Ang sensed something amiss as his palm struck. Mo Wuji hadn’t budged. Even if Mo Wuji was stronger than Ding Chongchen, he should have been forced back under Cong Ang’s powerful domain.
The next moment, Cong Ang’s scalp tingled. Not only did Mo Wuji stand firm, but he stepped forward, delivering a palm strike of his own. Cong Ang’s domain seemed ineffective against him.
A deafening clash of divine dao rules erupted, shattering the warship under the impact. Cultivators scattered in retreat. Cong Ang felt his domain crumble under Mo Wuji’s strike, effortlessly suppressed by Mo Wuji’s own domain.
Mo Wuji chuckled, “I thought you were truly Eighth Step. Turns out you haven’t even crossed into it. If you’re not Eighth Step, why act so arrogant?”
Mo Wuji realised he’d misjudged. Cong Ang’s dao aura was potent, carrying a hint of cosmic creation, leading him to believe Cong Ang rivalled Di Lan. Now he saw it was a facade, likely due to a supreme treasure on Cong Ang’s person.
Though Cong Ang was half a step into the Eighth Step, the qualitative gap between him and a true Eighth Step was vast.
Mo Wuji’s overpowering domain bore down, and Cong Ang retreated frantically, desperate to escape its grip.
He had sensed Mo Wuji and the others as Seventh Step, so why was this domain so formidable? Though not yet Eighth Step, Cong Ang had glimpsed its threshold, ready to break through at any moment.
Yet no matter how desperately he retreated, he couldn’t break free from Mo Wuji’s domain.
Then, he saw Mo Wuji appear before him, a fist hurtling forward.
Cong Ang roared, burning his essence blood and summoning his treasure. If he didn’t block this fist, his body might collapse.
As Cong Ang raised a giant axe, Mo Wuji’s fist struck. Savage killing dao rules tore through the axe’s nascent divine domain, and Cong Ang heard his bones crack as his body began to disintegrate.
Mo Wuji understood—it was the axe. This weapon gave Cong Ang’s dao aura the illusion of cosmic creation, making him seem far stronger.
“Senior, spare me! I’m willing to serve…” Cong Ang’s soul trembled, crying out in terror.
He had believed his axe’s activation would annihilate Mo Wuji’s domain and dao. He hadn’t hoped to destroy Mo Wuji’s domain entirely, only to break free and flee. But now, the axe’s annihilation dao rule failed to even activate under Mo Wuji’s divine fist.
“Alas, I misjudged. Thought you were Eighth Step, but you’re just Seventh Step. Nice axe, though,” Lan Xiaobu sighed.
If Cong Ang had been Eighth Step, Lan Xiaobu would have been eager to test his strength outside the Great Universe, where Eighth Step cultivators faced no suppression from the Tianmeng Clan’s Universe Tree-infused rules. Their easy victories in the Great Universe didn’t reflect true Eighth Step power. Here, in the vast void, an Eighth Step could unleash their full strength without cosmic rule constraints.
Standing in the void, Ding Chongchen watched Cong Ang’s trembling primordial spirit, gasping in shock. He had thought Lan Xiaobu was the strongest, but Mo Wuji was equally formidable. Cong Ang could blast him away with his domain, nearly Eighth Step in strength, yet he seemed powerless against Mo Wuji.
“Everyone, board the Seven Realms Stone,” Lan Xiaobu called, stepping onto the summoned stone in the void.
With the warship shattered by Mo Wuji and Cong Ang’s clash, the cultivators looked to Ding Chongchen.
Ding Chongchen took a breath and declared loudly, “Stow the warships, board the Seven Realms Stone together. Whether Daoist Lan and Daoist Mo are Eighth Step or not, their strength rivals a Dao Ancestor.”
Mo Wuji landed on the Seven Realms Stone. Cong Ang’s primordial spirit dared not flee, locked by Mo Wuji’s killing dao rules. Any attempt to escape would reduce him to fragments.
“Speak. Why were you hiding among Daoist Ding’s group?” Mo Wuji’s gaze fixed on Cong Ang.
Cong Ang, trembling, said, “I’ll answer any question, Senior, just spare my life.”
“Open your world and answer my questions. I’ll allow you to reincarnate. As for surviving this life, don’t even think about it,” Mo Wuji said calmly.
Though Mo Wuji didn’t specify whether Cong Ang could refuse, Cong Ang sensed Mo Wuji could easily tear his world apart.
“Yes, Senior,” Cong Ang complied, opening his world without hesitation. His void-honed instincts told him any delay would lead to soul-searching and annihilation.
Mo Wuji swept his hand, collecting everything from Cong Ang’s world.
“I cultivate the Great Universe Dao, a disciple of Huan…” Cong Ang began.
Mo Wuji interrupted, “Huan cultivates the Great Universe Dao and takes disciples? To him, entire planets and domains are just cultivation resources.”
Cong Ang replied respectfully, “Yes, Huan sent me to follow Ding Chongchen, fearing he might find a new Great Universe world, to establish the Heaven-Opening Dao Rule for the Great Universe Dao.”
Mo Wuji nodded, seeing the logic. The Tianmeng Clan controlled the Great Universe because they were the first to find it in chaos and develop it. As the first, the Great Universe’s Heaven-Opening Dao Rules favoured their dao. If humans had found it first, the Universe Tree wouldn’t favour the Tianmeng Clan, nor would the cosmic rules be infused with dao rules hostile to humans.
Cong Ang, cultivating the Great Universe Dao, could follow Ding Chongchen to a new chaotic Great Universe, a new great world. This world would take humans as its foundation, deriving heavenly dao rules. As a Great Universe Dao cultivator arriving first, Cong Ang would ensure the new world’s rules favoured his dao.
“Nice plan,” Lan Xiaobu approached, sneering. “Tell us, why did Huan believe Daoist Ding could find the other end of the Great Universe and create a new world in chaos?”
“Because Ding Chongchen possesses a supreme treasure, the Heaven-Opening Banner. With it, the chances of finding a new Great Universe world are high,” Cong Ang explained, trembling.
