Zhao Gongming was feeling quite downcast. He looked at Pang Buqing bowing before him and cursed inwardly, “You’re a First-Turn Saint, for heaven’s sake, can’t you show a bit of backbone?”
Pang Buqing was a First-Turn Saint of the Sacred Dao Alliance. Zhao Gongming could clearly overpower this fellow and finish him off, but after hearing Lan Xiaobu’s Dao Declaration merging the Longevity Realm into the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, Pang Buqing had lost all will to fight and surrendered willingly.
Not just him—every cultivator army of the Sacred Dao Alliance had no desire to keep fighting, all throwing in the towel.
As Zhao Gongming’s aide, Xi Nianmo could sense his frustration. This man was a war hawk, still itching for a fight, only to find his opponents had gone soft.
“Brother Zhao, I think we should focus on establishing a proper order for the Great Wilderness Dao Court now. Continuing to fight won’t do our Great Wilderness Divine Realm much good,” Xi Nianmo quickly advised.
Zhao Gongming sighed, “Fight what? There’s no one left to fight, who am I supposed to take on?”
“Brother Zhao, with the surge in heavenly fortune and the rules growing more refined, I feel you’re on the cusp of breaking through to First-Turn Saint. Why not seize the chance to go into seclusion and aim for that?” Xi Nianmo suggested.
Zhao Gongming nodded, “Alright, I reckon there’s not much worth fighting over elsewhere either.”
Just as he’d guessed, Pu He had fought a couple of tough battles at first, but after Lan Xiaobu announced the merger and the need for fruit positions to achieve sainthood in the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, no one dared to clash head-on with the Great Wilderness Dao Court’s cultivator army anymore.
Aside from a few sects that disbanded, their top fighters vanishing without a trace, most sects and sacred courts all pledged allegiance to the Great Wilderness Dao Court.
What followed was straightforward: the surrendering sects awaited the Great Wilderness Dao Court’s reauthorization to reestablish themselves. As for the sacred courts, they all dissolved voluntarily. Under the Heavenly Dao and the tide of events, resisting was just a death wish.
But not all saints cared about the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s fruit positions. Many top-tier powerhouses, including some saint-level experts who’d come from outside, didn’t take Lan Xiaobu’s words to heart. At worst, they’d be saints without fruit positions, their Dao wasn’t proven in the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, so they wouldn’t drop to Quasi-Saint status.
It wasn’t that they doubted Lan Xiaobu’s words—his declaration had been acknowledged by the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s Heavenly Dao, so it held weight.
But that weight only applied within the Great Wilderness Divine Realm. Saints without fruit positions here might be slightly weaker than those with them, but that was no big deal. Once they left the realm, everyone was on the same footing again.
Outside the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, what did its fruit positions matter to them? Besides, proving sainthood here would tie them to the realm—better to leave and seek greater opportunities elsewhere.
…
Seeing Lan Xiaobu declare the saint fruit positions, Kun Wei was green with envy. This was something he’d always wanted to do but never managed. Not just him—every sacred court here dreamed of controlling a realm’s fruit positions. Yet Lan Xiaobu had pulled it off. Despite Kun Wei’s constant opposition, he’d watched Lan Xiaobu rise from a minor cultivator who could’ve been crushed anytime to where he stood today.
“Dao Lord, actually, we could have more saint fruit positions, especially for Ninth-Turn Saints. It’d benefit the Great Wilderness Divine Realm. With countless realms merging into it, it’s gradually becoming a complete divine realm, with fortune and strength soaring. But in the vast expanse, there must be others like the Great Wilderness Divine Realm that have gained supreme fortune…” Kun Wei trailed off.
Lan Xiaobu knew what he meant: if the Great Wilderness Divine Realm had too few saints, it might lack the strength to face other divine realms in future conflicts.
Lan Xiaobu waved a hand, “No need to worry, the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s fortune and resources can barely sustain this many saints as it is. More saints would leave no room for other cultivators to thrive. A realm isn’t held up by saints alone—it’s the countless ordinary cultivators who sustain it. As for Ninth-Turn Saints, I believe anyone reaching that level will inevitably seek to leave the Great Wilderness Divine Realm for a shot at Eternal Sainthood. One Ninth-Turn Saint is enough for us.”
Let alone others, even Lan Xiaobu himself, if he reached Ninth-Turn Saint here, would do everything to pursue Eternal Sainthood.
He didn’t believe all the strong were in the Great Wilderness Divine Realm. Having been to Sky Street, he knew its powerhouses far outclassed those here.
“Dao Lord, your foresight surpasses mine by miles,” Kun Wei said, feeling his face flush—not from flattery, but from realising how far his own attempts at it fell short of Lan Xiaobu’s finesse.
Lan Xiaobu gazed toward the Longevity Sacred Dao City, “You can stay there to cultivate, I’m heading back to the Great Wilderness Divine Dao City to check on things.”
Kun Wei breathed a sigh of relief. With his grand ambitions gone, he threw himself into the Great Dao, determined to reach Third-Turn Saint during this fortune surge.
When Lan Xiaobu returned to the realm formed by the Primordial Dao Rules in the Longevity Sacred Dao City, he immediately felt the boundless heavenly fortune. As the realm’s Dao Lord, this fortune made him feel he could step into Fourth-Turn Sainthood any moment.
He decided to open a passage in the Primordial Dao Rules realm and then go into seclusion to break through to Fourth-Turn Saint.
Entering the sealed Primordial Dao Rules, Lan Xiaobu’s divine sense swept over the prehistoric land it had formed, spotting countless treasures.
This new realm was brimming with divine spirit herbs, top-grade materials, even Dao Fruits and primal chaos qi. Lan Xiaobu didn’t plan to touch them—the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s future growth would rely on these as opportunities and resources for others.
Back when the Great Wilderness Divine Realm and Longevity Realm were separated by several void realms, after the Primordial Dao Rules fused them, even without spatial teleportation vortexes, Lan Xiaobu, with the Samsara Pot, reached the sealed barrier outside the Great Wilderness Divine Dao City in just a few days.
Before stepping out of the Primordial Dao Rules seal, he sensed the thick heavenly fortune. It seemed the Great Wilderness Divine Dao City had been well-managed in his absence.
As he emerged from the seal, his divine sense scanned the bustling Great Wilderness Divine Dao City beyond the hidden divine array. Though outside the city proper, cultivators came and went, the scene buzzing with life.
Lan Xiaobu nodded to himself—this was the divine realm he envisioned. In the future, like a mortal city, people would just be stronger and live longer, but otherwise, it should resemble one. Cultivators pursued the Dao, not to strip away human warmth.
“The Dao Lord’s back!” An excited voice rang out as he stepped out.
“Brother Jun? Why are you waiting here?” Lan Xiaobu was surprised to see Jun Wu. Jun Wu was his right-hand man—how did he have time to linger here?
Compared to before, Jun Wu was now at the sixth layer of the God-Unification Realm, his cultivation progressing swiftly.
“Dao Lord, after hearing your Dao Declaration, I knew you’d return to the Great Wilderness Divine Realm soon, so I’ve been waiting,” Jun Wu said eagerly.
As the Dao Court Dao Lord, his declaration reaching every cultivator in the realm was expected. But scanning with his divine sense, Lan Xiaobu only saw Jun Wu, a slightly stronger figure, and none of Qin Ku, Hu Qingjia, Qiao Aolun, or even Kong Fusheng, whom he’d sent back to help. Kong Fusheng, a Quasi-Saint who’d willingly joined him, should’ve had the best shot at breaking through to First-Turn Saint under the realm’s fortune.
Even without Lan Xiaobu around, with Kong Fusheng here, the Great Wilderness Divine Dao City should’ve been fine.
To his relief, he spotted Shi Yi, Yan Ying, Pang Bulin, Xiong Nanfeng, and a few others. Their cultivation had improved variably, with Shi Yi at the first layer of the God-Unification Realm, making the most progress.
“Did Kong Fusheng come? Where are Qiao Aolun, Hu Qingjia, and Qin Ku? And Nian and Zai Jinchen—still not back?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Jun Wu quickly replied, “Senior Kong came, but something happened later. A hundred years ago, Nian and Zai Jinchen returned, along with someone else—Nian’s master, Mo Nianyan…”
“Mo Nianyan?” Lan Xiaobu had heard the name, Nian’s master. Back then, he’d thought Mo Nianyan impressive, capable of raising a disciple like Nian.
But after rescuing Wen Keshu and learning the truth about Mo Nianyan, that impression faded. Now, to Lan Xiaobu, Mo Nianyan was just an ordinary cultivator.
“Yes, when Mo Nianyan arrived, he was shocked by the changes here. He wanted to take control of the Great Wilderness Divine Dao City, but Senior Kong stopped him. Kong wasn’t his match and was gravely injured by Mo Nianyan…” Jun Wu explained.
Lan Xiaobu frowned immediately, “You’re saying Kong Fusheng was badly hurt by Mo Nianyan?”
