For a fleeting moment, everyone froze, then it dawned on them: the strength of Lan Xiaobu’s trio lay with the Derivation Realm woman.
“Courting death!” Peng Guan sneered, his hand lunging for Dai Nanjian. With his doubts dispelled, he acted without his earlier caution.
Despite Dai Nanjian’s Derivation Realm strength, she was utterly immobilised under Peng Guan’s dao principle domain.
Lan Xiaobu’s gaze shifted from the array disc to Peng Guan.
He didn’t even move his hand, yet Peng Guan felt his binding domain shatter inch by inch. In an instant, he was in Dai Nanjian’s position, trapped by a powerful spatial domain, unable to move a fraction.
Feeling the pressure lift, Dai Nanjian quickly retreated a few steps to stand beside Lan Xiaobu.
“S-senior…” Peng Guan, no fool, realised the vast gap between himself and Lan Xiaobu.
Lan Xiaobu conjured a vital energy handprint, lifting Peng Guan by the neck. “How many human cultivators have you sold out here?”
Despair gripped Peng Guan. He now understood why he couldn’t gauge Lan Xiaobu’s strength—Lan Xiaobu was far beyond him. But how? He was nearly at the sixth step of the Great Path. Someone far stronger—could it be the seventh or even eighth step?
The universe beyond the divine gate was merely a low-tier one. How could it produce someone beyond the sixth step? Even if such a powerhouse existed, with that universe undergoing dissolution, they’d seek safety, not cross the divine gate to this place.
Seeing Peng Guan, the city lord, powerless against Lan Xiaobu, the cultivators who had followed him were stunned.
Some wanted to flee but knew they couldn’t escape Lan Xiaobu’s grasp. Even if he allowed it, they couldn’t leave Human Yellow City.
Those who left were traded to alien races as discards. Miji, however, was elated. He’d been right—Lan Xiaobu was fearless, and he hadn’t misjudged.
Lan Xiaobu sealed Peng Guan’s cultivation and tossed him to the ground. “Follow me. I have questions.” He headed toward the sealed array disc. Peng Guan couldn’t die yet; Lan Xiaobu needed answers.
Pale and trembling, Peng Guan followed, his steps weak. He suspected he had no chance of survival but lacked the courage to flee. Deep down, he knew escape was a joke against Lan Xiaobu’s strength.
“City Lord, the Great Yuan Saint Son is here to visit,” an enforcer from Human Yellow City rushed over, clearly unaware of Peng Guan’s earlier humiliation. He bowed respectfully to Peng Guan, his tone deferential.
But after speaking, he sensed something off. Peng Guan, the city lord, seemed drained, his spirit gone, trembling faintly. In contrast, a young man walked ahead, as if Peng Guan were a mere follower.
Lan Xiaobu ignored him, reaching the array disc’s perimeter.
Several cultivators were still setting up an attack array against it. Seeing Peng Guan, they stopped and bowed. Lan Xiaobu slapped out, and those cultivators were reduced to blood mist under his palm.
“Hahaha…” A boisterous laugh rang out, and a young man in a green robe approached.
Lan Xiaobu chuckled, “Lord Peng, your Human Yellow City seems open to any alien race. What kind of lord are you?”
Seeing the green-robed man enter, Lan Xiaobu knew Human Yellow City’s existence wasn’t due to its impenetrability but some other reason. This man had strolled in without any resistance.
“Y-yes, this junior is at fault,” Peng Guan muttered, head bowed, hoping his compliance might spare him.
“Lord Peng, I couldn’t wait for your welcome, so I came in. Hurry and gather the best-quality human cultivators in the square. I need a few urgently,” the green-robed man called out before even reaching them.
He expected Peng Guan to ask why a saint son would personally select people. To his surprise, Peng Guan didn’t respond, let alone offer pleasantries. Lan Xiaobu’s gaze fell on the green-robed man, who looked human save for a third eye on his forehead and four-fingered hands. Glancing at his followers, Lan Xiaobu noted they, too, had three eyes and four fingers.
“What do you want human cultivators for?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
“To strip their seas of consciousness and dao veins…” The green-robed man stopped mid-sentence, sensing something amiss, and stared coldly at Lan Xiaobu. “Who are you?”
It wasn’t that he’d revealed his purpose—everyone knew it, and he’d said it before.
Lan Xiaobu ignored him, turning to Peng Guan. Peng Guan quickly said, “The Great Yuan Clan rarely possesses human cultivators, believing their bodies are better suited to the Great Path. But they lack seas of consciousness, and their dao veins are thin and short. So they strip human cultivators’ seas of consciousness, which they can use themselves or refine into worlds. They can turn these seas into small worlds, then develop them into more complete ones. As for dao veins, they try to use them similarly, but they’ve never succeeded.”
Lan Xiaobu snorted, “So these alien trash keep Human Yellow City as a farm, coming to you for humans whenever they need them?”
Peng Guan’s face paled further. “Senior, this junior didn’t dare refuse. They could crush me anytime.”
“Did you place that sword outside, or did someone else?” Lan Xiaobu asked coldly.
The green-robed Great Yuan man sensed trouble. “Let’s go,” he said, turning to leave.
His strength was modest; his boldness came from knowing Peng Guan wouldn’t dare defy him. But now, something was off—Peng Guan seemed subdued by this young man.
Though confident humans wouldn’t dare touch him, with this anomaly, he’d leave and return once the Great Yuan Clan dealt with this new powerhouse.
“Think you can leave?” Lan Xiaobu chuckled.
“Senior, you mustn’t touch him. The Great Yuan Clan is too powerful. If they wanted to crush Human Yellow City, ten thousand cities wouldn’t survive. Killing their saint son would doom not just the city but every human cultivator here. They have seventh-step, even eighth-step powerhouses…” Peng Guan said, trembling.
The cultivators who’d followed Peng Guan, too scared to flee, added, “Yes, Senior, you can’t touch their saint son, or we’re all done. Though you’re strong, you can’t fight them all, and this universe’s rules aren’t kind to us humans.”
“You dare think of touching me?” The green-robed man’s expression shifted, sensing Lan Xiaobu’s intent.
He’d planned to leave to avoid trouble, not because he feared Lan Xiaobu would act. In his mind, Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t dare.
Lan Xiaobu laughed, “Quite the sense of superiority.”
With a wave, he sent the green-robed man and his followers flying. Everyone’s divine senses followed, eyes widening in shock.
They thought Lan Xiaobu meant to expel them from the city, but instead, the group was pinned outside Human Yellow City’s gate, not spared. Each, including the saint son, was impaled with five long nails through their foreheads and limbs, forming a spread-eagle shape.
The saint son, not yet dead, roared furiously but couldn’t break free.
At this sight, everyone froze, a single thought in their minds: the human race’s chance to survive was gone. From now on, the Great Yuan Clan would raze Human Yellow City, and no other race would have reason to intervene.
