Before Lan Xiaobu could speak, the man with the eight-shaped moustache bowed deeply to him in an immortal salute. “Gu Du has met Lord Lan.”
“Gu Du?” Lan Xiaobu eyed the frail, moustached man before him. The charm of his Dao was weak, clearly indicating he’d suffered severe injuries. Though the perfected heavenly rules of the Eternal Life Realm had helped him recover somewhat, he was still far from healed. His cultivation seemed to have dropped significantly too—now, at best, he was merely a quasi-sage.
Noticing Lan Xiaobu’s confusion, Gu Du hurriedly explained, “Gu Du is my saintly title. I was once considered a pseudo-sage, but later, driven by greed, I not only coveted the Primordial Chaos Laws but also tried to seize the fate of the Great Desolate Divine Realm, offending the Dao Lord. After being taught a lesson by the Dao Lord, I came to my senses. I’ve long wanted to abandon the dark and join the light under your banner, but my fortune was lacking. Only today have I finally had the chance to see the true face of the Dao Lord.”
“So it’s you.” Lan Xiaobu chuckled, recalling who this man was.
Back then, someone had tried to strip the fate of the Great Desolate Divine Realm using the Primordial Chaos Laws, only to have Lan Xiaobu sever their connection with a single Great Severance Technique. Not only did this man fail to steal the fate, but he lost more than half of his own in the Great Desolate Divine Realm. If Lan Xiaobu’s cultivation hadn’t been limited at the time, he’d have killed the guy outright.
No wonder he looked half-dead—his fate had been stripped, his Dao slashed, and he still hadn’t recovered.
Sensing no killing intent from Lan Xiaobu, Gu Du relaxed slightly. Just then, he heard Lan Xiaobu ask, “I have a friend named Qin Xuxi. Where did she go?”
Gu Du quickly replied, “I did indeed meet Qin Xuxi. I didn’t do anything to her—she left on her own after giving me a few stern words.”
Qin Xuxi had once told him that Lan Xiaobu would never let him off. Now it seemed that if Lan Xiaobu truly wouldn’t forgive him, Gu Du wouldn’t stand a chance of escaping. Clearly, Qin Xuxi had spoken the truth and hadn’t deceived him.
“Since you’ve chosen to come here today to pledge allegiance, I assume you have something to say?” Lan Xiaobu said calmly.
He didn’t care whether Gu Du’s allegiance was genuine. A quasi-sage, even if restored, would only be a pseudo-sage at best. In this lifetime, Gu Du would likely never reach the level of a First-Turn Sage. Plus, this guy had once tried to steal the fate of the Great Desolate Divine Realm—Lan Xiaobu would have to be mad to value him.
“Yes, Dao Lord. Recently, the major saintly sects in the Eternal Life Realm have been waging frenzied wars, turning mountains and rivers pale and reversing the flow of rivers. The realm’s heavenly fate has long ceased to grow—not only that, but its heavenly rules are starting to crumble. Many famous mountains, rivers, and even domains fused in from the void are beginning to detach from the Eternal Life Realm. However, these detaching domains and landscapes are being locked down by powerful saintly sects. The Eternal Life Dao Court has locked down the most—I suspect they’re trying to prevent these places from merging into the Great Desolate Divine Realm,” Gu Du said respectfully.
Lan Xiaobu froze at these words, then erupted in anger. “Kun Wei, you’ve got guts, daring to break your oath!”
He and Kun Wei had an agreement—Kun Wei wasn’t allowed to stop domains detaching from the Eternal Life Realm from merging into the Great Desolate Divine Realm. This move by Kun Wei was clearly a violation of their deal.
Originally, Lan Xiaobu hadn’t planned to interfere in the Eternal Life Realm’s wars, but since Kun Wei had broken his promise first, he couldn’t be blamed for stepping in. Once he acted, Kun Wei’s days as Dao Lord were numbered.
While Lan Xiaobu was still fuming over Kun Wei’s betrayal, Gu Du spoke again. “Dao Lord, I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood Kun Wei. The Dao Lord of the Eternal Life Sacred Dao is no longer Kun Wei…”
Lan Xiaobu paused, staring at Gu Du in astonishment. “You’re saying Kun Wei isn’t the Dao Lord of the Eternal Life Sacred Dao anymore? Then who is?”
Gu Du hurriedly explained, “When Kun Wei fought the Master of the Jie Sect, he was gravely injured by him. Though Kun Wei, with help from others, also severely wounded the Jie Sect Master, his Dao foundation was damaged. Later, when he returned to the Eternal Life Dao Court, he was ambushed and further crippled by Fang Zhifan, the most powerful sage under his command—the Cursed Extinction Sage. Afterwards, Kun Wei vanished. Some say he fell. Then Fang Zhifan took control of the Eternal Life Dao Court and became its new Dao Lord…”
“Fang Zhifan took down Kun Wei? And then became the new Dao Lord of the Eternal Life Dao Court?” Lan Xiaobu was stunned. All this time, he’d thought Kun Wei was the one destined to rise in the Eternal Life Realm, perhaps even its protagonist. Yet, just after establishing the Eternal Life Dao Court, he’d been ousted by Fang Zhifan. This was beyond unexpected.
Gu Du’s tone grew even more deferential. “Yes, the Jie Sect Master was simply too powerful. With the Eternal Life Realm’s heavenly rules bolstering him, he managed to cripple Kun Wei. It was only because Kun Wei was so badly wounded that Fang Zhifan could succeed.”
Lan Xiaobu fell silent. If the Jie Sect Master was indeed the Tongtian Sage, then crippling Kun Wei—a Second-Turn Sage—in the Eternal Life Realm would mark him as extraordinarily powerful. As the Dao Lord of the Eternal Life Realm, Kun Wei would’ve had the support of its heavenly laws. To still injure him so badly—how strong was that? If one day the Tongtian Sage sought to dominate the entire Great Desolate Divine Realm, what would Lan Xiaobu do?
“Hold on. If the Jie Sect crippled Kun Wei, why did the Cursed Sage Fang Zhifan end up seizing the position of Dao Lord of the Eternal Life Dao Court?” Lan Xiaobu asked, puzzled.
Gu Du quickly clarified, “In the Eternal Life Realm, Kun Wei was incredibly strong. Even after the Jie Sect Master wounded him, the Master himself was also heavily injured. Later, I heard that top saintly sects from the original Great Desolate Universe—like the Jie Sect, the Human Sect, and the Western Sect—left the Eternal Life Realm.”
“What do you mean?” Lan Xiaobu asked, having already sent a message to Zhao Gongming, though he hadn’t received a reply yet.
Gu Du explained, “It’s said to be the Great Radial Gobi Valley. A void passage appeared there, rumoured to lead to a higher-tier cosmic world. The Jie Sect Master and other top sages supposedly felt the call of their sects and left through the Great Radial Gobi Valley. Of course, this is just hearsay—I don’t know if it’s true.”
“Let me ask you something. Do you know where Zhao Gongming is?” Lan Xiaobu inquired.
Zhao Gongming was a key disciple of the Jie Sect. If the Tongtian Sage had taken the sect away, he’d surely have brought Zhao Gongming along.
Gu Du replied, “I came here today to tell you this, Dao Lord. I heard Zhao Gongming didn’t leave with the Jie Sect. He said you were his friend and that he’d done all he needed to for the Jie Sect. Now, he wants to do something for himself with his friends.”
Lan Xiaobu felt a pang of emotion. Zhao Gongming had been dragged down by the Jie Sect, yet after it established itself in the Eternal Life Realm, he’d returned without hesitation. Now, with the realm fracturing and the Jie Sect gone, he’d chosen to stay. As he’d said, he’d fulfilled his duties to the sect. As for doing something for himself—it was surely because of Lan Xiaobu.
“Where is Zhao Gongming?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Gu Du answered, “I heard he was taken by the Eternal Life Dao Court. After the Cursed Sage became its Dao Lord, countless lives were lost in the Eternal Life Realm.”
“This bastard dared to use the Great Curse Technique?” Lan Xiaobu asked in disbelief. Only the Great Curse Technique could cause such widespread death.
You’re the bloody Dao Lord of the Eternal Life Dao Court—don’t you know what harm the Great Curse Technique does to your own realm?
Gu Du confirmed, “Exactly. Not only did he use the Great Curse Technique on a massive scale, but he also disregarded the Eternal Life Realm’s fate and heavenly rules, slaughtering everywhere to increase his own karma. If I’m not mistaken, he’s likely close to proving himself a Third-Turn Sage.”
Lan Xiaobu had originally planned to advance to First-Turn Sage before leaving the Eternal Life Sacred Dao City. He hadn’t expected that in less than a century of seclusion, the Eternal Life Realm would undergo such drastic changes.
“Hold on. If the Eternal Life Realm’s war is so catastrophic, even involving the Great Curse Technique, why hasn’t anyone come to me? Or rather, why are you the only one here?” Lan Xiaobu caught the flaw in Gu Du’s words.
Gu Du hurriedly explained, “It’s because the area within ten million miles around the Eternal Life Sacred Dao City is entirely cursed by the Great Curse Technique. No one dares cross this cursed zone to reach here. In truth, many wanted to come to the Great Desolate Divine Realm but were blocked by the Cursed Sage Fang Zhifan. As for me, I got here because, back when I came searching for the Primordial Chaos Laws, I set up a hidden teleportation array nearby. I never thought I’d end up using it.”
Lan Xiaobu’s face darkened. He extended his divine sense and, sure enough, the air within its range was thick with the aura of the Great Curse Technique.
“Well played, Fang Zhifan. You’ve schemed against me, Lan Xiaobu—you’re courting death!” Lan Xiaobu roared in fury.
“Dao Lord, are we attacking now?” Hearing Lan Xiaobu’s anger, the Tifo Sage knew he was enraged and worried he might charge in recklessly.
The Cursed Sage Fang Zhifan wasn’t fearsome for his Dao’s strength but for the sheer terror of his curse techniques.
“Of course! This bastard’s brought his curse techniques right to my doorstep—how can I swallow that? Plus, he’s captured Brother Zhao. That’s absolutely unforgivable!” Lan Xiaobu’s divine sense swept over the Puhe Divine Emperor, who was still comprehending the First-Turn Sage level. Breaking through was only a matter of time, so no need to call him a sage yet. But Liu Xing had to come—this guy had been freeloading on his turf, so he’d damn well contribute.
Tifo hesitated before saying, “Dao Lord, I’m afraid you don’t fully understand the Great Curse Technique. This art goes beyond mere terror—it’s an extinction technique…”
Tifo was pondering how to phrase it so Lan Xiaobu would accept it. The Great Curse Technique’s horror was something he couldn’t counter right now. Without a way to deal with it, going after Fang Zhifan was tantamount to suicide.
