To be honest, although Huan’s strength might be slightly greater than Hui Zhi’s, for Lan Xiaobu, Huan’s devouring vortex was far less threatening than the Voidless Arrow. If Hui Zhi hadn’t held back from killing him back then, Lan Xiaobu might have already been obliterated under the Voidless Arrow.
Even now, if he hadn’t seized the Voidless Arrow, he would never seek out Hui Zhi before reaching the Eighth Step of the Great Dao. That would simply be suicidal.
Huan’s devouring domain techniques, while formidable against others, were less effective against him. Perhaps his Rift Divine Ability allowed him to escape Huan’s divine law techniques, or perhaps he had some understanding of the Great Cosmic Technique himself.
In front of him, someone had snatched his world.
Finding another secluded spot, Lan Xiaobu set up a concealment formation and entered his Cosmic Dimensional Model.
The Cosmic Tree Spirit was, in a sense, part of the Cosmic Tree. He didn’t dare bring this thing out in the middle of the Great Cosmos. If the Tree Spirit escaped, he might never catch it again.
“Friend Lan, are you planning to keep me trapped here forever? If I’m not mistaken, the best you’ve obtained is a Ten-Pattern Cosmic Dao Fruit. Work with me, and I can give you a Twelve-Pattern Cosmic Dao Fruit,” the Cosmic Tree Spirit rambled as soon as it appeared.
Lan Xiaobu waved his hand, casually conjured a chair, and sat down. Looking at the Cosmic Tree Spirit, which resembled a small tree, he said, “Are you trying to fool me? Never mind whether a Twelve-Pattern Cosmic Dao Fruit even exists. Tell me, is eating you, the Tree Spirit, more nourishing, or is eating a Dao Fruit more nourishing?”
The Cosmic Tree Spirit froze. Indeed, what on the Cosmic Tree could be more valuable than itself? Its very existence was priceless, having absorbed the essence of the Cosmic Tree over the years. Its value far surpassed that of a Twelve-Pattern Cosmic Dao Fruit.
“Answer a few questions, and I might consider not roasting you. At most…” Lan Xiaobu paused, realising he had no intention of letting the Cosmic Tree Spirit go, so he didn’t continue.
The Cosmic Tree Spirit eagerly asked, “What questions? If I answer, will you let me go?”
“Letting you go is unlikely, but I might spare you from being roasted. First question: hand over the Great Cosmic Rules controlled by the Cosmic Tree for me to study. Second question: take me to the Cosmic Tree. Third question…”
Before Lan Xiaobu could finish, the Cosmic Tree Spirit interrupted, “Friend Lan, I can’t help with the first or second question.”
Lan Xiaobu was furious. “You’re the Cosmic Tree Spirit, and you can’t even help with these? What kind of useless Tree Spirit are you? Forget it, I’ll stew you.”
The Cosmic Tree Spirit sighed. “The Cosmic Tree originally only had the intelligence of the Great Dao and wouldn’t have birthed a Tree Spirit. By a twist of fate, I clouded the Cosmic Tree’s Great Dao intelligence and became its Tree Spirit.”
Lan Xiaobu stared, stunned. After a moment, he said, “So you’re not a true Tree Spirit birthed by the Cosmic Tree. You’re a fake!”
No wonder the Cosmic Tree felt off. As the rule-defining tree of a realm, it altered the Great Cosmos’s natural laws and even used those laws to aid the Tianmeng Clan against the human race—an act that defied the cosmos itself. It was illogical for a Cosmic Tree, born of this universe, to act against its own realm. He hadn’t understood why until now: it was all due to this impostor Tree Spirit.
Though the Cosmic Tree Spirit appeared calm, it trembled inwardly, perhaps already sensing how Lan Xiaobu would deal with it.
“If I’d known, I should’ve helped Di Lan kill you, you piece of trash,” Lan Xiaobu cursed.
The Cosmic Tree Spirit said weakly, “Even killing me would be pointless. I’ve already fused with the Cosmic Tree. Over the years, I’ve imprinted my Great Dao will onto it. If anything happens to me, the Great Cosmos’s rules will collapse under the Cosmic Tree’s influence.”
Lan Xiaobu sneered. “Are you threatening me? So if I kill you now, the Great Cosmos’s rules will collapse?”
The Cosmic Tree Spirit nodded rapidly, its green hat-like top bobbing. “Yes, the Cosmic Tree will shatter the natural rules. I feared being captured, so I imprinted my Great Dao will onto the Cosmic Tree.”
Lan Xiaobu slapped it. “You little thing, trying to threaten your Grandpa Bu? You’re too green for that.”
A few green leaves flew off from the slap. If the Cosmic Tree Spirit could change colour, its face would surely be pale now. It knew Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t let it go.
But the Cosmic Tree Spirit felt utterly wronged. It hadn’t lied. It was a cowardly creature by nature, and after becoming the Cosmic Tree Spirit, it had immediately sold its soul to the Cosmic Tree. The benefit was that as long as the Cosmic Tree existed, so would it. And as long as the Great Cosmos existed, the Cosmic Tree wouldn’t die. But if anything happened to it, the Cosmic Tree would instantly shatter the natural rules.
“What’s your true form?” Lan Xiaobu asked, already decided on refining the Cosmic Tree Spirit into a Dao Pill.
“My true form is a Great Chun Tree…” the Cosmic Tree Spirit didn’t dare hide the truth.
A Great Chun Tree? Lan Xiaobu felt a flicker of recognition. It seemed to be one of the five legendary divine trees from Earth’s myths, on par with Jianmu and Fusang. This thing had quite the origin.
“Friend Lan, you must let me go, or the Great Cosmos’s natural rules will truly collapse,” the Cosmic Tree Spirit pleaded, looking at him desperately.
Lan Xiaobu slapped it again. “Tell me, you’re clearly not part of the Tianmeng Clan, so why help them against the human race?”
The Cosmic Tree Spirit inwardly scoffed. Why help the human race? Look at how you’re treating me, and you’ll know why. But it didn’t dare say this, instead explaining cautiously, “When I was still a Great Chun Tree, a vile human trapped me. He planted me in his cave and drank my sap daily, using me to cultivate. In the 160,000 years he held me, my cultivation didn’t progress; it regressed. On top of that, he stripped my bark to trade with others…”
Lan Xiaobu understood. This thing harboured a grudge against human cultivators for being mistreated and wanted to wipe them out.
Just as he thought this, something felt wrong. His divine sense swept out, revealing the Great Cosmos trembling as if in a massive spatial quake—mountains collapsing, seas splitting, plains vanishing abruptly…
Lan Xiaobu was alarmed. He immediately exited the Cosmic Dimensional Model. Without even using his divine sense, he could feel the natural rules shifting.
Countless rules were tearing and breaking; the Great Cosmos seemed on the verge of collapse.
Lan Xiaobu grabbed the Cosmic Tree Spirit, which trembled in his hand.
“Speak. Is this because I captured you, causing the Cosmic Tree to tear apart the Great Cosmos’s rules?” Lan Xiaobu asked coldly.
The Cosmic Tree Spirit nodded frantically, inwardly mocking him: Didn’t believe your Grandpa Chun, huh? See, the Great Cosmos’s rules are collapsing now. Think I spent millions of years with the Cosmic Tree for nothing? Heh.
“Tell me, how can I stop the Great Cosmos from this rule-shattering?” Lan Xiaobu shouted.
“Senior, let me go like you’d release a fart, and I can definitely make the Cosmic Tree stop tearing the rules,” the Cosmic Tree Spirit said urgently, no longer daring to call him “Friend” but “Senior” to save itself.
“If a single word of yours is a lie, you’ll regret still being alive,” Lan Xiaobu said.
Hearing this, the Cosmic Tree Spirit trembled harder and cried, “Senior, I lied earlier. There’s no way to stop the Cosmic Tree’s rampage until all the Great Cosmos’s rules are torn apart.”
“You little wretch, imprinting such a malicious intent on the Cosmic Tree,” Lan Xiaobu said, his killing intent now unrestrained.
Feeling the chilling killing intent seep into its bark, the Cosmic Tree Spirit hurriedly shouted, “Senior Lan, I have a way to help you find the Cosmic Tree!”
Lan Xiaobu chuckled. “If you’d been this cooperative earlier, wouldn’t things have been easier? Why the hassle? Speak, and you should know: if I find out you’re lying, heh, you know what’s coming.”
