Lan Xiaobu didn’t know how Tifo Saint tracked Minyuan’s trail, but he had a vague sense that Tifo wasn’t leading them astray.
Just half a day later, the Reincarnation Pot came to a halt outside an open-air market.
Lan Xiaobu’s first focus wasn’t the market itself, but the spatial ripples in the distance. His divine sense pierced through them, revealing a sizable void vortex.
The moment he saw it, he knew what it was. When he’d come from the Eternal Life Realm, he’d entered through a similar vortex. This had to be a void passage, likely connecting to the Eternal Life Realm.
There was a void passage between the Eternal Life Realm and the Rootless Divine Realm. Lan Xiaobu had intended to ask around about it, since he’d definitely return once his strength improved. He hadn’t expected to find it without even searching.
As this thought crossed his mind, he saw two cultivators dash into the vortex and vanish.
Lan Xiaobu signaled everyone to disembark, then stowed the Reincarnation Pot. This void passage differed markedly from the one in the Eternal Life Realm. There, it opened to a cliff, but here, an open-air market thrived, a sign that many cultivators sought to cross to the Eternal Life Realm. Over time, their numbers had birthed this bustling hub.
“I see Minyuan,” Meteor said the instant he stepped off the pot.
No need for Meteor to point him out, Lan Xiaobu had already spotted Minyuan. Without a moment’s hesitation, he charged forward.
Minyuan stood outside a stall, examining a tattered leather scroll. As Lan Xiaobu rushed toward him, he seemed to sense something, turning instinctively while extending his divine sense.
When Minyuan saw it was Lan Xiaobu, a flicker of excitement stirred in his chest. But in the next breath, he grabbed an escape talisman and activated it without pause.
The very instant Lan Xiaobu saw Minyuan reach for the talisman, he threw a punch.
Boom! Minyuan’s figure exploded into fragments, and the spot where he’d stood became a deep crater. But Lan Xiaobu’s expression darkened, he’d only shattered Minyuan’s lingering shadow. Right before his fist landed, Minyuan had escaped.
In the next moment, Lan Xiaobu clearly saw Minyuan dive into the void passage vortex. The man was cunning beyond measure. Most people wouldn’t bother with an escape talisman to reach a passage so close, especially with Minyuan’s strength, he could’ve crossed it in no time.
Yet Minyuan had used one, thwarting Lan Xiaobu’s interception. Without it, a single teleport from Lan Xiaobu could’ve blocked his path.
The stall owner, witnessing Lan Xiaobu’s punch force a fearsome figure like Minyuan to flee, didn’t dare linger by his stall, retreating cautiously.
“He’s entered the void passage. Word is, it leads to another complete realm called the Eternal Life Realm,” Meteor said, strolling over with a casual tone.
Lan Xiaobu approached a stall owner and conjured an image of Xi Nianmo with a wave of his hand. “Has this person been here?”
The stall owner tensed as Lan Xiaobu approached. Minyuan had been untouchable in this market lately, even killing a late-stage Harmony God cultivator. Now, Lan Xiaobu’s arrival had spooked him into fleeing, and here he was, questioning him. How could he not be afraid?
“She was here, chased by that guy just now. She looked badly injured. The moment she arrived, she bolted into the void passage. I hear it leads to a place called the Eternal Life Realm. That little-eared guy didn’t catch her…” the stall owner replied, his voice cautious.
Since Minyuan was gone, calling him “little-eared” wouldn’t matter.
So she’d gone to the Eternal Life Realm. Lan Xiaobu breathed a sigh of relief. Last time, even a Divine King had made it there. Even if it was a matter of luck, Xi Nianmo, a Quasi-Saint leagues above a Divine King, should manage it too.
“A lot of people head to the Eternal Life Realm from here?” Lan Xiaobu asked again.
The stall owner quickly answered, “Not many before, but more now than ever. The passage used to appear only occasionally, but now it’s here year-round. They say it’s forming into a proper rule-bound channel, no longer just spatial misalignment.”
Hearing this, Lan Xiaobu’s heart grew anxious. He’d been in the Rootless Divine Realm for centuries. Had the Great Desolation Divine Realm and the Eternal Life Realm already fused fully via the Primordial Chaos Dao Laws? If they had, with Taihan Saint Mountain’s nature, they might’ve enslaved the entire Great Desolation Divine Realm by now.
Tifo stepped over. “Minyuan’s a slippery hypocrite. Once he escapes, catching him again isn’t easy. This time, it’s partly my fault. If I hadn’t shown up, he wouldn’t have bolted. Seeing me, he didn’t dare linger.”
Lan Xiaobu gave Tifo a speechless look. “Can you not brag?”
Meteor chimed in, “Fellow Daoist Lan, Tifo isn’t exaggerating. He was one of the Eight Saints back in the day. His fame might not match Luo Xu Saint or Bing Ying Saint, but he ranked above Tai Luan Saint and Qing Yi Saintess. A pseudo-saint like Minyuan, spotting Tifo, would naturally turn tail and run.”
Tifo chuckled, twirling the prayer beads around his neck, signaling Meteor spoke the truth.
“Who are Luo Xu Saint and Bing Ying Saint?” Lan Xiaobu frowned. If Tifo, ranked lower, was this strong, how formidable were Luo Xu and Bing Ying?
“No need to mind them. Most are dead, and the few still alive aren’t doing as well as me,” Tifo answered before Meteor could.
Lan Xiaobu had asked offhandedly, not really caring. “Fellow Daoist Tifo, I’m heading to the Eternal Life Realm to hunt Minyuan. I’ve got business there too. If it’s inconvenient for you to follow, you can wait here.”
“Convenient, of course it’s convenient. Whatever you say next, Fellow Daoist Lan, I’ll follow. We’re allies now, your matters come first,” Tifo said, patting his chest with a resounding thud.
Lan Xiaobu eyed Tifo suspiciously. “Fellow Daoist Tifo, didn’t you say you needed my help?”
This guy had been eager for assistance before, but now, with Lan Xiaobu leaving the Rootless Divine Realm, he still hadn’t brought it up, leaving Lan Xiaobu puzzled.
Tifo grinned. “Once you’re done with your affairs, I’ll ask for your help then.”
“Alright,” Lan Xiaobu said, too lazy to press further. “I’m off to the Eternal Life Realm to deal with some folks. Alone, I might be stretched thin, so more friends mean more strength. From now on, call me Dao Lord, I’m a realm lord too.”
“Exactly, no rules, no order. Let’s act with Dao Lord Lan leading, it’ll keep things cohesive,” Tifo said, fully trusting Lan Xiaobu’s claim, unlike Pu He’s skepticism. To Tifo, an ancient saint like Lan Xiaobu could be a realm lord or even a rule-master, no question.
Hearing this, Lan Xiaobu grew more wary. Tifo’s strength was immense, yet he was so agreeable, it was hard to believe he had no ulterior motives.
Lan Xiaobu handed out communication beads. “One for each of us. If we get separated, we’ll regroup somewhere.”
He’d once hesitated to visit Taihan Saint Mountain, but now, with Tifo the saint, Pu He the pseudo-saint, and Meteor, who rivaled Pu He, he had the clout to take a trip there. Even if not the mountain, he could openly visit the Primordial Chaos Dao Law site.
After Tifo, Pu He, and Meteor took their beads, the four plunged into the void passage to the Eternal Life Realm.
Lan Xiaobu expected the same turbulence he’d faced coming from the Eternal Life Realm, void vortexes and spatial dislocations. But this passage was remarkably stable, no significant rule fluctuations, no dislocations, no vortexes.
They didn’t need to worry about splitting up, they could cross it at a leisurely pace.
Pu He sighed. “It won’t be long before these two realms fully merge through this passage.”
Pu He knew it, and so did Lan Xiaobu, whose anxiety deepened. If the Rootless Divine Realm and Eternal Life Realm, without Primordial Chaos Dao Laws, were linking up, what about the Great Desolation Divine Realm and Eternal Life Realm, aided by those laws?
Then it hit him, if the Great Desolation and Eternal Life Realms were fusing via Primordial Chaos Dao Laws, who’s to say this merger wasn’t also due to them?
…
With the cultivation strength of Lan Xiaobu’s group, traversing this stable passage was lightning-fast. They often overtook cultivators who’d entered earlier.
Minyuan must be regretting it. Had he known the passage was this steady, he might’ve caught Xi Nianmo. Now, he was the hunted.
Lan Xiaobu thought the same, summoning the Reincarnation Pot. “Everyone, hop on, let’s speed up.”
No one hesitated. In this stable passage, the pot would save heaps of time, and most crucially, they might catch Minyuan.
Meteor even rubbed his hands together. In his mind, his top two robbery targets were Minyuan first, then Lan Xiaobu. He’d gone to great lengths for Minyuan, finally roping in Tifo as a solid ally.
As for Lan Xiaobu, he’d abandoned that plan. Lan Xiaobu, fresh into Quasi-Saint, could already spar with Tifo, no chance for a heist there. As Meteor’s cultivation rose, Lan Xiaobu’s would too.
Meteor was decisive. Since robbing Lan Xiaobu was off the table, he shelved the idea. Unless a golden opportunity arose, he wouldn’t make a move.
