“Brother Lan, go ahead and leave. As long as Seven Cosmos Heaven and I are here, the Tianmeng Clan won’t break through the Seven Cosmos Heaven World in the short term,” Kong Xinjian patted his chest, loudly assuring.
The strength Lan Xiaobu displayed made Kong Xinjian realise that if the Tianmeng Clan could be defeated in the future, Lan Xiaobu might very well become the foremost figure in the Great Cosmos. Building a good relationship with Lan Xiaobu was the most important thing right now. Lan Xiaobu was incredibly strong. Despite the Tianmeng Clan suppressing the rules of heaven and earth in the Great Cosmos, greatly weakening human cultivators, Kong Xinjian had a gut feeling that even if he left the Great Cosmos and raised his strength by one or two levels, he likely wouldn’t be a match for Lan Xiaobu.
He knew very well that in Lan Xiaobu’s eyes, he was a petty man with a poor impression. But could he be blamed? Faced with a Ten-Patterned Cosmos Dao Fruit, who wouldn’t think of themselves first? To step into the Ninth Step of the Great Dao, he absolutely needed that Ten-Patterned Cosmos Dao Fruit.
Lan Xiaobu nodded and asked, “Do you know anything about Dilan’s whereabouts?”
Seven Cosmos Heaven shook his head; he genuinely didn’t know where Dilan was.
Kong Xinjian, however, said, “Dilan’s physical body was destroyed, so he must have taken Dilan Mountain and left the Central World. Dilan Mountain is his Great Dao treasure, equivalent to a world-opening artefact. Now that the Tianmeng Clan is wreaking havoc in the Great Cosmos, occupying most places, Dilan only has two possible destinations: the Seven Cosmos Heaven World or my Bucheng World. The Seven Cosmos Heaven World is currently embroiled in a great battle, so I’d wager nine out of ten that Dilan is hiding in Bucheng World, perfecting his physical body.”
“Why not the Great Desolate World?” Lan Xiaobu asked, puzzled.
Kong Xinjian replied, “First, the Great Desolate World is too remote. Second, no one can be sure whether the Great Desolate World is colluding with the Tianmeng Clan. Dilan may be flawed, but he wouldn’t serve the Tianmeng Clan. If the Great Desolate World is working with the Tianmeng Clan, Dilan going there would be like serving himself up on a platter.”
Seven Cosmos Heaven sighed, “Bucheng World is so vast and boundless; how could we find one person?”
Kong Xinjian laughed heartily, “Others might not find him, but that doesn’t mean I, Kong Xinjian, can’t. If I’m not mistaken, Dilan is most likely in Bucheng World’s Wubie Territory. You may not know Wubie Territory; it’s an unremarkable place with no spiritual treasures or notable features. For someone like Dilan, especially in his current injured state, Wubie Territory’s ordinariness makes it perfect. It doesn’t attract attention, and there’s a hidden void vortex there. If someone discovers him, Dilan could use that void vortex to escape the Great Cosmos in an instant. Others couldn’t do it, but he can. For someone as cautious about his life as Dilan, he wouldn’t dare heal in a place without an escape route.”
With that, Kong Xinjian handed Lan Xiaobu a directional jade slip.
Lan Xiaobu scanned the jade slip with his divine sense and immediately said, “Good. If the Tianmeng Clan attacks, I’ll return to support you at once.”
“Brother Xiaobu, be careful of that Ling Zhuzhen,” Seven Cosmos Heaven suddenly recalled something and quickly warned.
Lan Xiaobu’s heart stirred, and he said, “I was just about to ask about that guy. Why was Jicheng World the first to be besieged by the Tianmeng Clan, yet now it’s completely unscathed?”
Seven Cosmos Heaven said gravely, “Ling Zhuzhen is a very strange man. I’ve always suspected he had something to do with the issue with you and Brother Mo’s teleportation array, though there’s no evidence. As for why the Tianmeng Clan isn’t attacking Jicheng World, it’s because they genuinely can’t breach it.”
“The Tianmeng Clan can’t breach Jicheng World?” Lan Xiaobu asked in astonishment. If Jicheng World were that formidable, they wouldn’t have sent Pei Qionghu to beg for reinforcements back then.
Kong Xinjian chimed in, “Yes, because Ling Zhuzhen of Jicheng World obtained a Chaos Supreme Treasure, the only one I’ve ever heard of.”
“A Chaos Supreme Treasure?” Lan Xiaobu was stunned.
He had seen plenty of world-opening treasures, even post-Chaos Supreme Treasures, but a true Chaos Supreme Treasure? Never. His Cosmos Mill wasn’t inferior to a post-Chaos Supreme Treasure and could even ascend to that level, but it wasn’t one yet, let alone a Chaos Supreme Treasure.
Seven Cosmos Heaven sighed, “Yes, it’s said to be called the Cosmos Heart Shield. Ling Zhuzhen used it to protect the entire Jicheng World, and even the Tianmeng Clan can’t break through.”
Cosmos Heart Shield? A Chaos Supreme Treasure? Lan Xiaobu thought to himself that whether or not Ling Zhuzhen had framed him and Mo Wuji, he had to see this Cosmos Heart Shield for himself. If Ling Zhuzhen was using it to protect Jicheng World, he could observe it from outside.
“In that case, I’ll leave for a while. Manwei, don’t cultivate for now, and don’t use the Cosmos Dao Fruit to advance,” Lan Xiaobu instructed.
To reach the Eighth Step of the Great Dao, Qi Manwei would need to leave the Great Cosmos.
Qi Manwei’s eyes reddened slightly. “I understand. Be careful.”
She couldn’t fathom why the Tianmeng Clan and the human race were so irreconcilable, or why the Tianmeng Clan insisted on making the Great Cosmos theirs alone.
Without wasting time, Lan Xiaobu left the Seven Cosmos Heaven World immediately after learning of Dilan’s possible whereabouts.
In the previous battle, he had slaughtered nearly ten million troops from the Tianmeng Clan and Weiju World. He believed that even if they wanted to counterattack, they’d need time to regroup, giving him the chance to deal with Dilan.
Moreover, being in the Great Cosmos, he could return to provide support at any moment. With Kong Xinjian and Seven Cosmos Heaven’s strength, they should be able to hold out for a while.
Using Seven Cosmos Heaven’s teleportation array to reach Bucheng World, Lan Xiaobu summoned the Seven Realms Stone and headed straight for Wubie Territory.
Wubie Territory was easy to find; Lan Xiaobu didn’t even need Kong Xinjian’s jade slip. As Kong Xinjian had said, the spiritual energy in Wubie Territory was indeed much weaker than elsewhere, and the rules of heaven and earth were somewhat vague.
The entire Wubie Territory consisted of a dried-up lake with miasma seeping from its centre, a desolate desert untouched for countless years, and an endless forest of towering trees that exuded grandeur. The mountain ranges stretched on but lacked towering peaks, giving a sense of desolation.
Calling this place a “territory” was generous. It was unsuitable as a cultivation ground, and even low-level cultivators wouldn’t choose to retreat here.
Lan Xiaobu’s divine sense swept over the forest, spotting numerous broken restrictions, likely set up by someone who had stayed briefly. He doubted Dilan would build his abode in the forest. His gaze shifted to the barren desert. If he were Dilan, he’d likely set up his healing cave beneath the desert.
To find Dilan quickly, Lan Xiaobu used the Cosmos Dimensional Model to construct a dimensional structure.
He scanned the lakebed and found nothing unusual, except for a natural concealment boundary at the bottom of the dried-up lake emitting miasma.
Without his high-level array skills, he wouldn’t have been able to enter even if he knew about the boundary. After identifying it, Lan Xiaobu set up a few void array patterns and stepped in.
In one step, he vanished from the lake’s surface and appeared in a small courtyard.
The moment he arrived, Lan Xiaobu knew he’d found the right place. This was Dilan’s retreat; having fought Dilan multiple times, he could sense traces of Dilan’s Great Dao.
Some divine herbs were planted outside the courtyard, but Lan Xiaobu frowned. A healing place should have vibrant life energy, yet he sensed only deathly aura here, with barely any spiritual energy.
He could understand Wubie Territory’s weak spiritual energy—otherwise, it would attract cultivators, and Dilan wouldn’t have chosen it. But this was beneath the miasmic lake, Dilan’s healing spot. Surely Dilan wouldn’t let his retreat lack even a trace of vitality?
An uneasy feeling crept over Lan Xiaobu. He crossed the courtyard in one step and tore open the restrictions on Dilan’s cave.
The restrictions parted, and Lan Xiaobu saw Dilan. But he felt no joy—Dilan had been killed.
From Dilan’s still-open eyes, Lan Xiaobu could tell he died in disbelief. Scanning the area, he found only a simple teleportation array pattern and Dilan’s healing retreat.
There was no doubt Dilan had been murdered, and his expression suggested he was killed in a state of shock. For someone as cautious as Dilan, who could approach him during his healing without raising his guard?
