He Ku said calmly, “The moment the Kun Chen Sacred Court disbanded, I was no longer part of it. Whether the Curse Saint is here or not has nothing to do with me.”
Lan Xiaobu looked at He Ku in surprise. This guy truly had no shred of integrity. He’d once thumped his chest, proclaiming, “I’m from the Kun Chen Universe, so of course I’ll serve the Kun Chen Sacred Court.” Now, the Kun Chen Sacred Court meant nothing to him. But Lan Xiaobu quickly understood—people like this wouldn’t still be standing here if they had any principles.
“Friend He Ku, I’m here today because we’re on the same side, so I hope you can help me out a bit,” Lan Xiaobu said with a smile, patting He Ku on the shoulder.
He Ku’s expression shifted. When Lan Xiaobu patted him, he hadn’t noticed a thing—or perhaps he couldn’t dodge it. What kind of technique was this?
In an instant, he regained his composure. He knew Lan Xiaobu’s strength had likely surpassed his own entirely. Back in the Great Radial Gobi Valley, Lan Xiaobu had just barely been able to spar with him—not his match, but capable of a move or two. Now, in terms of raw power, He Ku feared he was no longer Lan Xiaobu’s opponent.
Realizing Lan Xiaobu might now outmatch him, He Ku immediately grinned warmly. “What are you talking about, Dao Lord Lan? Putting aside the fact that you saved my life back then, even after leaving the Gobi Valley, you and I got along famously. Your business is my business.”
Lan Xiaobu pointed at the golden Sacred Dao City. “What’s the story with this place? And where did Saint Island come from?”
Hearing that Lan Xiaobu was only asking about this, He Ku breathed a sigh of relief and said, “They say Saint Island was originally a cosmic heart. Later, it was enveloped by chaotic qi and absorbed a massive amount of heaven-and-earth fortune. After merging into the Eternal Life Realm, it became Saint Island.”
“Who’s the strongest here? What are the rules of this island?” Lan Xiaobu pressed further. Though his Cosmic Dimension Model had analyzed the island’s defensive array, it was still someone else’s territory—better to be cautious.
“It’s the Mad Saint and the Tree Saint. They set the rules and then stepped back. As long as you follow the rules on this island, everything’s fine. The main ones are: first, no fighting on the island. Second, you can’t take anything from it. Third, you must embed a high-grade divine spirit vein before entering the city…”
After He Ku finished, Lan Xiaobu grew more puzzled. “Friend He Ku, these are just prohibitions—what about punishments?”
“Punishments?” He Ku paused, then chuckled. “There are no punishments. Violators are all killed.”
Lan Xiaobu frowned. “So if I don’t attack anyone, but someone attacks me, I’m still in the wrong?”
He Ku nodded. “Yes. As long as there’s fighting, whether you’re the one being attacked or not, you’re killed. Anyone involved in a fight gets executed—no exceptions.”
Lan Xiaobu felt a wave of unease. So if the Curse Saint attacked him now, he’d just have to take it? If that was the case, his life was at risk. The Curse Saint was a madman—who could guarantee he wouldn’t strike? If the guy was desperate enough to drag Lan Xiaobu down with him, what then?
No wonder Fang Zhifan stopped running once he got here—he had nothing to fear.
Seeing Lan Xiaobu fall silent, He Ku, unaware of his thoughts, continued, “This place is full of powerhouses, but they can’t touch us. We’re the ones who come out ahead here.”
Though Lan Xiaobu was stronger than him, in He Ku’s eyes, his cultivation was still just average on Saint Island.
“One divine spirit vein lets you stay here permanently?” Lan Xiaobu asked, astonished.
He Ku nodded. “Of course. Unless you leave Saint Island for more than three years. If you do, you’ll need to embed another high-grade divine spirit vein to come back. But if you never plan to leave, one vein lets you cultivate and live here forever.”
“Who owns the land inside the golden Sacred Dao City? Do the Mad Saint and Tree Saint rent or sell it out?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
From what He Ku described, the land here had to be valuable. Just one high-grade divine spirit vein for permanent residency?
Residency wasn’t the big deal—the place was saturated with rich heaven-and-earth vitality and clear rules. Any cultivator would be happy to settle here.
He Ku smirked. “It’s first-come, first-served. Whoever gets to the golden Sacred Dao City and claims a spot owns it. If you took the whole city, others would have to buy or rent from you. But you can’t seize land that’s already claimed. The city’s huge, but the good spots are all taken. If you don’t mind, Dao Lord, you could set up near my cave—I’ve still got some space.”
“Thanks, I’ll go take a look first,” Lan Xiaobu said appreciatively. He decided to enter the golden Sacred Dao City and check it out. The Mad Saint and Tree Saint seemed pretty generous, letting people claim so much territory.
“Great. If you need me, Dao Lord, feel free to drop by anytime,” He Ku said enthusiastically, his expression practically screaming he’d die for Lan Xiaobu if needed.
Before walking off, Lan Xiaobu remembered something and turned back. “What’s the highest cultivation level here? Any Third-Turn Saints?”
“Third-Turn Saints?” He Ku gave him a surprised glance, then lowered his voice. “They say the Mad Saint is a Fourth-Turn Saint, and the Tree Saint is a Fifth-Turn Saint. What do you think? Besides them, there’s more than one Third-Turn Saint here. But don’t worry—no one will dare bother you.”
Lan Xiaobu’s mood sank. Why were all these powerhouses gathered here? And another thing—why had the Eternal Life Realm’s fortune stagnated, yet this place still brimmed with such dense fortune and clear rules?
“By the way, Friend He Ku, why don’t all these powerhouses head to the Eternal Life Realm?” Lan Xiaobu asked again.
He Ku laughed. “The Eternal Life Realm? Even without the war between the Sacred Gates and Courts, its fortune would’ve stopped growing eventually. Do you know what this place was formed from? A cosmic heart. In any realm with a cosmic heart, it becomes the hub of fortune and the best cultivation spot. With a place this good, who’d go toil in the Eternal Life Realm?”
“So, it’s because of the cosmic heart that the Eternal Life Realm’s fortune stopped increasing?” Lan Xiaobu felt he was starting to grasp something.
He Ku nodded. “You’re not wrong. Where there’s a cosmic heart, fortune gathers around it. Usually, a cosmic heart is a realm-suppressing treasure, so you get the picture. As for the Eternal Life Realm, if the Sacred Courts and Gates hadn’t fought, it might’ve kept improving slowly. But their wars damaged the realm’s meridians, and fortune couldn’t hold. What didn’t diminish in the realm naturally flowed to Saint Island, where the cosmic heart resides.”
Lan Xiaobu lost the desire to keep chatting with He Ku. He walked toward the golden Sacred Dao City, his steps heavy. His mind churned: What were the Mad Saint and Tree Saint staying here for? Were they using Saint Island’s unique properties to hoard the Eternal Life Realm’s fortune? Once it was drained, would they move on to devastate the Great Desolate Divine Realm?
Entering the city gates, no one stopped him. He didn’t even sense a defensive array—just a monitoring one.
If He Ku was telling the truth, this array’s purpose was obvious: break the rules, and you’re wiped out.
A Fifth-Turn Saint—a figure of legend. Erasing someone like Ti Fo wouldn’t even be a challenge for them.
Before stepping onto the city streets, Lan Xiaobu saw a massive array vortex for embedding spirit veins. He tossed in a high-grade divine spirit vein, and a wide street appeared before him.
The street wasn’t overly crowded, but it wasn’t sparse either. Sweeping it with his divine sense, he was floored. In the Eternal Life Realm, major Sacred Gates might have one or two First- or Second-Turn Saints. Here, within his divine sense’s range, he spotted five: three First-Turn and two Second-Turn. Most others were False Saints, with Quasi-Saints being relatively scarce.
Lan Xiaobu was at a loss for words. What a place to stumble into.
“Lan Xiaobu, you…” An furious voice cut through. Another familiar face—Pu Heng Saint, a False Saint. How’d he end up here?
“Hey, how’d you get so skinny? Not eating or sleeping well lately?” Lan Xiaobu said casually, strolling over to Pu Heng, sizing him up with a grin.
“Give me back my Yin-Yang Mirror. Name your price,” Pu Heng said, glaring at Lan Xiaobu, his chest heaving. If he didn’t know where he was, even if he couldn’t beat Lan Xiaobu, he’d have attacked by now.
Lan Xiaobu said coolly, “One more word of nonsense, and Grandpa Bu will slap you dead. Tell me—I chased Fang Zhifan here. Where’d he go?”
Pu Heng had been about to sneer, “Go ahead and try,” but hearing Lan Xiaobu had chased Fang Zhifan here, he swallowed his words.
Forcing himself to calm down, he said, “I didn’t see him.”
With that, Pu Heng turned and walked off. Not only did he not dare fight Lan Xiaobu here, but even if he did, he feared he’d lose. Chasing Fang Zhifan? Who’d have the guts?
Pu Heng said he hadn’t seen him, but Lan Xiaobu spotted Fang Zhifan heading toward a general store. Fang Zhifan had likely seen him too but wasn’t afraid—thanks to the golden Sacred Dao City’s rules.
