The once-long Sky Street was now empty, but as they passed its former site, Lan Xiaobu spotted a broken wall.
“There really is a ruined wall. There were shops here…” Dai Nanjian exclaimed, as if glimpsing the bustling Sky Street of old through the shattered remains.
Lan Xiaobu stepped onto the void plaza beyond Sky Street. Years ago, he’d cultivated here, even advancing to the Divine Monarch Realm. But Guan Huan had warned that the Dao rules comprehended here might be flawed due to issues with the Divine Position Gate itself. That’s why Guan Huan avoided Sky Street.
Later, Guan Huan’s suspicions proved partly true. Lan Xiaobu’s Dao had indeed faltered, but he corrected it in time. His self-cultivated Dao spared him greater consequences.
“Brother Lan…” Dai Nanjian followed, calling out as she saw him lost in thought.
Lan Xiaobu said, “My family and friends were teleported here. I’m certain of it.”
He turned to the Divine Position Gate nearby. They’d arrived here but vanished abruptly. The only path forward was through the gate.
The Divine Position Gate wasn’t easy to cross. Back then, despite Sky Street’s many powerhouses, few could pass it. The place had restrictive rules, limiting strength and preventing divine essence recovery. The more one tried, the weaker they became.
Now, things seemed different. Whatever had happened, the restrictions were gone. Without them, the gate was trivial—anyone could cross.
The gate had grown, too. When Lan Xiaobu first saw it, it was under ten zhang tall, its Dao aura profound. Now, it exceeded twenty zhang.
By its original difficulty, a twenty-zhang gate would be nearly impossible to cross. But Lan Xiaobu sensed that anyone at the Divine Realm could now pass, as the gate’s Dao aura had weakened significantly, hinting at some change.
“Friend Dai, you go first. I’ll follow,” Lan Xiaobu said to Dai Nanjian.
If she couldn’t cross, he’d assist.
“Alright.” Dai Nanjian stepped forward without hesitation. The gate posed no barrier, as if it were an illusion.
Lan Xiaobu’s divine sense couldn’t penetrate the gate. As a Seventh Step Great Dao cultivator, capable of crushing Eighth Step existences, the gate’s ability to block his sense showed its extraordinariness.
“You won’t return if you cross…” A faint voice, barely audible, reached Lan Xiaobu. He stopped, sweeping his divine sense around. The surroundings were silent, devoid of life.
Had he misheard? Impossible. A Seventh Step cultivator wouldn’t make such a basic mistake.
He searched again with his divine sense while his Cosmic Dimension Model began constructing the spatial structure of the area.
After an incense stick’s time, his sense found nothing, but the Cosmic Dimension Model detected an anomaly. Beneath the Divine Position Gate, a remnant soul was suppressed, bound by endless Great Dao rules fused with the gate’s aura. Normally, it would be mistaken for the gate’s broken rules, even under close scrutiny.
What shocked Lan Xiaobu was the unfamiliar cosmic Dao rules binding the soul. Freeing it from such intricate constraints seemed nearly impossible.
Fortunately, his Cosmic Dimension Model began constructing the complex structure of these binding rules.
With the aid of top-grade Dao veins and Chaos Rule Sap, the model completed the structure in two hours. Using it, Lan Xiaobu easily freed the suppressed soul. As it emerged, he placed a drop of Chaos Rule Sap on it.
Lan Xiaobu was elated—not for saving the soul, but for encountering a new realm of cosmic Dao rules during the process. Though not yet at the Eighth Step, his Dao had advanced significantly.
The soul, nourished by the Chaos Rule Sap, quickly reformed a body, becoming an eight-foot-tall man.
“You saved me from the Divine Position Gate and perfectly restored my body?” The man stared at Lan Xiaobu in shock, forgetting he was unclothed.
Lan Xiaobu tossed him a ring. “Put on some clothes. We’ll talk.”
The man, realising his state, grabbed clothes from the ring, dressed, and bowed. “Zi Yuan thanks you for saving my life. Though this is our second meeting, I know you’re no ordinary person.”
“You know me?” Lan Xiaobu looked at him, surprised.
The man’s strength was at the Creation Realm, insignificant to Lan Xiaobu. Yet, in this place, even Sky Street’s powerhouses would seem like ants before him.
Zi Yuan nodded. “Yes. When you came here, you were only at the Heavenly God Realm, but your technique was unique, and you had many recovery treasures. You cultivated here, even advancing by leveraging the local rules. In such a short time, you’ve reached a realm I can’t fathom. Your Dao talent is unmatched.”
“Why did you warn me I’d never return if I crossed?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Zi Yuan sighed. “Don’t underestimate the Divine Position Gate—it’s a Chaos Supreme Treasure. I was suppressed beneath it to collect this universe’s cosmic rules. Once I’m used up, another will take my place. Your cultivation here left a deep impression. Unlike others, I benefited from you while you cultivated. I was about to perish, so I used my last strength to warn you. I never expected you’d free me from the gate’s seals and save me with Chaos Rule Sap.”
He bowed again. Chaos Rule Sap, a treasure coveted even by Ninth Step cultivators, was used to save a stranger—unheard of, even to Zi Yuan.
“Collecting rules?” Lan Xiaobu murmured, frowning.
Zi Yuan explained, “This universe’s cosmic rules differ entirely from those beyond the gate, even following different Dao paths.”
“You’re collecting rules involuntarily, for someone else? What about Sky Street?” Lan Xiaobu began to understand.
Zi Yuan nodded. “Yes, when my lifespan ends, another will replace me. But now, even without your rescue, this universe will collapse into annihilation.”
“Is this universe’s collapse related to whoever’s behind you?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Zi Yuan shook his head. “I don’t know, and I daren’t speculate. Sky Street’s existence is tied to this. Those who cross the gate likely have unique or exceptional Daos, and once they do, their Dao rules are stripped by that being.”
“I need to cross now,” Lan Xiaobu said, worried for Luo Caisi and the others.
“Benefactor, I don’t know your strength, but freeing me from the gate’s suppression proves you’re extraordinary. Still, the gate is no small matter. If you can bind it, your chances improve…” Zi Yuan’s words were tactful, but Lan Xiaobu understood: the gate’s master was formidable, and with the gate’s power, they were even more so.
Lan Xiaobu’s gaze fell on the Divine Position Gate. Why bind it? Why not refine it directly?
