Lan Xiaobu stepped down the stairs, and in just a few breaths, he stood atop the Seven Realms Stone. The moment he set foot on it, he felt an immense and boundless aura of the Great Dao.
At that moment, Lan Xiaobu understood: the Seven Realms Stone hadn’t been bound by someone else, rather, after the World-Destroying Calamity, it had bound itself here automatically.
“Dao Lord, it seems the Seven Realms Stone wasn’t bound by anyone,” Kun Wei, standing beside Lan Xiaobu, sensed this too and spoke cautiously.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “Yes, I think after the World-Destroying Calamity, the Seven Realms Stone lost its original purpose. It was meant to connect to seven realms, but now those realms might have been destroyed by the calamity, so it could only bind itself here, and…”
He didn’t finish, but he suspected that after binding itself, the Seven Realms Stone had condensed seven Seven Realms Stone Realm Flags in the vast expanse. Whoever obtained those seven flags in the future could refine the stone.
Was this the stone’s own spirituality, or was it guided by the Heavenly Dao? Lan Xiaobu frowned slightly. If this was tied to the Heavenly Dao too, what level of cultivation would it take to surpass its control?
“Dao Lord, I’ve heard that obtaining the Seven Realms Stone Realm Flags allows one to refine the Seven Realms Stone, one of the most supreme treasures in the vast expanse. If you could refine it, it’d greatly aid your path to the Eternal Saint Realm. Qia He must have built the Blooming Love Sacred Dao City here because of the Seven Realms Stone,” Kun Wei said from the side.
Lan Xiaobu agreed with Kun Wei’s words, “Let’s go, I’ll seal this place off soon, no one’s allowed near the Seven Realms Stone, nor permitted to come here.”
Logically, since Qia He the Quasi-Saint was a clone of Qu Peng, if Qia He had seen the Seven Realms Stone, Qu Peng’s true self should’ve known.
But Qia He wanted to break free from Qu Peng, so it was very likely he hadn’t informed his true self. Thinking this, Lan Xiaobu was certain Qu Peng’s true self didn’t know. Qia He had built the Blooming Love Sacred Dao City here to claim the Seven Realms Stone for himself, using it to completely detach from Qu Peng’s control.
For a clone to break free from its true self wasn’t easy, but with a treasure like the Seven Realms Stone, it was indeed possible. Qia He’s ambition was immense, he not only wanted to use the stone to escape Qu Peng’s control, but also to modify his own techniques, integrating the Poison Dao into the Great Cosmic Art.
Now that Qia He, who knew about the Seven Realms Stone, had been dealt with by him, only Kun Wei remained…
At this thought, Lan Xiaobu subconsciously glanced at Kun Wei. But he quickly dismissed any further suspicion, Kun Wei wouldn’t dare betray him now. The man had sworn a Great Dao Oath, leaking something like the Seven Realms Stone would bring him no benefit, only a heap of trouble.
Seeing Lan Xiaobu’s gaze, Kun Wei trembled in fear, thinking, “I’ve already sworn a Great Dao Oath, you mustn’t forget that!”
To Kun Wei’s relief, Lan Xiaobu didn’t kill him to silence him in the end.
Once they left the Blooming Love Sacred Dao City, Lan Xiaobu began setting up various divine arrays, even pulling out an array disc he’d obtained from a Saint Island, sealing the entire city tight.
“Dao Lord, how about I announce with a Dao Declaration now, merging the Longevity Realm into the Great Wilderness Divine Realm? My cultivation’s too low, I plan to find a place to go into secluded training, after that, I’ll have nothing to do with the Divine Realm’s affairs,” Kun Wei said after Lan Xiaobu finished.
Standing before Lan Xiaobu, he always felt the title of Longevity Realm Dao Lord made him a target.
“Fine,” Lan Xiaobu nodded, pausing before adding, “You can pick a cave dwelling in the Longevity Sacred Dao City for your seclusion, the heavenly rules there are the clearest, and the fortune’s the strongest, perfect for your training.”
With Lan Xiaobu’s approval, Kun Wei swiftly stepped into the void, raising his Dao Lord Seal and declaring loudly, “I, Kun Wei, Dao Lord of the Longevity Dao Court, hereby make a Dao Declaration: the Longevity Dao Court ceases to exist from this day forth, I am no longer its Dao Lord, and I retract the Heaven-Splitting Canopy. The Longevity Realm will merge into the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, its fortune will stack with that of the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, under the protection of the Great Wilderness Dao Court…”
As Kun Wei’s declaration fell, the entire Longevity Realm rumbled, his words echoing in every person’s ears.
Many stared blankly into the void, they’d seen plenty of Dao Declarations establishing courts in a realm, but someone voluntarily dissolving their own court and making such a declaration? That was a first.
Normally, a Dao Lord making such a declaration would face backlash from the Heavenly Dao, endless thunder tribulations raining down to strike them dead.
Abandoning a realm, from a certain perspective, should’ve triggered such a response—how could a realm be forsaken without thunder striking the Dao Lord?
Yet, puzzlingly, not only was there no destructive thunder, but the declaration was acknowledged by the Longevity Realm’s Heavenly Dao, spreading across the entire realm.
Soon, people understood why, the Longevity Realm’s Heavenly Dao was utterly disappointed in the Longevity Dao Court. Since its establishment, the realm had seen nothing but war after war. Battles between sacred sects and factions had relentlessly shattered the realm’s recovering rules. The fortune that had begun to rise had stalled, if this continued, forget joining the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, the Longevity Realm might’ve been utterly destroyed.
After Kun Wei finished, Lan Xiaobu spoke loudly, “I, Lan Xiaobu, Dao Lord of the Great Wilderness Divine Realm Dao Court, accept the Longevity Realm’s merger into the Great Wilderness Divine Realm. From now on, the Longevity Realm is part of the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, covered by its fortune, enjoying the suppression of the fortune array disc…”
As his voice fell, the sacred courts and sects still gearing up to fight the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s cultivator army grew anxious.
But that wasn’t the worst of it, Lan Xiaobu’s voice continued:
“From this moment, all sacred courts and sects not recognised by the Great Wilderness Dao Court will not receive the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s fortune protection, nor enjoy its rule support. Their Great Dao ends here, degrading…”
Hearing this, panic spread, if you couldn’t cultivate in a realm with its fortune or sense its rule changes, what was the point of pursuing the Dao? Worse, their Great Dao would halt and degrade to mortality—this was forcing them to leave the Great Wilderness Divine Realm.
And there was more:
“From now on, the Great Wilderness Divine Realm will support a maximum of 108 First-Turn Saints, 72 Second-Turn Saints, 36 Third-Turn Saints, 18 Fourth-Turn Saints, 9 Fifth-Turn Saints, 7 Sixth-Turn Saints, 5 Seventh-Turn Saints, 3 Eighth-Turn Saints, and 1 Ninth-Turn Saint…”
Those eager to achieve First-Turn Sainthood were dumbfounded, merging the Longevity Realm into the Great Wilderness Divine Realm wasn’t bad, with fortune surging and rules perfecting, their chances of sainthood would rise.
But Lan Xiaobu’s declaration meant that achieving sainthood up to the Ninth Turn now required the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s Heavenly Dao approval. In other words, he, as Dao Lord, was exercising his authority, these saint positions were the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s fruit positions.
The implication was clear: if the realm already had 108 First-Turn Saint fruit positions filled, you couldn’t become a First-Turn Saint here unless one fell or advanced to Second-Turn, freeing a spot.
That was the theory, but everyone knew that cultivating within the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s bounds meant these saint fruit positions weren’t just up for grabs. From now on, to achieve First-Turn Sainthood and claim a fruit position, you’d need the Great Wilderness Dao Court’s recognition.
The kicker was that Lan Xiaobu’s words were acknowledged by the Longevity Realm’s Heavenly Dao, clearly showing it approved of merging into the Great Wilderness Divine Realm.
As for some First-Turn Saints, their hearts filled with dread, they didn’t know how many First-Turn Saints the Great Wilderness Divine Realm had, but with the Longevity Realm’s rules perfected and boundless fortune dropping treasures everywhere, the number of First-Turn Saints surely exceeded 108. With only 108 fruit positions now, some of them would drop back to Quasi-Saint status.
At that moment, most First-Turn Saints were already plotting how to secure a fruit position from the Great Wilderness Dao Court, it was now conquering the Longevity Realm, if they couldn’t earn merit now, they’d be finished once the conquest ended.
“From now on, the Longevity Realm ceases to exist, there is only the Great Wilderness Divine Realm. Any sect fighting within the Great Wilderness Divine Realm will be erased by the Great Wilderness Dao Court. The Great Wilderness Divine Realm establishes the Forbidden God Division, all disputes between recognised sects or cultivators can be resolved there…”
As Lan Xiaobu’s declaration concluded, everyone felt the endless surge of Heavenly Dao fortune, shattered mountains and rivers from past battles began to heal, and the realm’s rules perfected at a pace dozens of times faster than before.
Sensing the rich increase in fortune, countless cultivators were ecstatic, aside from those vying for First-Turn Saint fruit positions who felt glum, most dove into frenzied secluded cultivation.
At that moment, the void rumbled, many sensed the Heavenly Dao’s message: the Great Wilderness Divine Realm had unified, forming a natural grand array.
Lan Xiaobu was awestruck, he hadn’t even used a Dao Declaration to request a natural array, yet the Heavenly Dao had formed one on its own.
Once a realm’s natural grand array took shape, it meant full independence in the vast expanse, those sects and sacred courts refusing to acknowledge the Great Wilderness Dao Court had no choice but to leave or face no other path.
