Jun Wu nodded, “Yes, Mo Nianyan is very overbearing, and his strength is formidable, likely at least that of a First-Turn Saint.”
“Did he think the Great Wilderness Divine Realm belonged to him, so he wanted to take control?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Jun Wu replied, “At first, he only said the Great Wilderness Divine Dao City was his turf, but later he indeed tried to seize the entire Great Wilderness Divine Realm. However, he soon realised controlling it would be tough, the Great Wilderness Dao Court is entirely loyal to you, Dao Lord, and you’re recognised by the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s Heavenly Dao, which left him furious and helpless. Then, right at that moment, Wen Keshu returned…”
“Junior Sister Keshu came back?” Lan Xiaobu knew Wen Keshu had left the Great Wilderness Divine Dao City with Mu Tongzhu to seek opportunities.
Jun Wu answered, “Yes, she returned alone, her cultivation breaking through to the Quasi-Saint Realm, likely from some great fortune. Wen Keshu held great respect for Mo Nianyan, and when he saw her return, he seemed to abandon his plans to take over the Great Wilderness Dao Court.”
Lan Xiaobu sneered inwardly, “Take over the Great Wilderness Dao Court? Let alone a mere First-Turn Saint, even if Mo Nianyan were a Fifth-Turn or higher saint, he couldn’t easily seize it. The Dao Lord of the Great Wilderness Dao Court is recognised by the realm’s Heavenly Dao and backed by its fortune.”
Like himself, as long as he was in the Great Wilderness Divine Realm and its meridians weren’t shattered, he had the realm’s fortune stacked in his favour.
Besides, how many years had he spent building up the Great Wilderness Divine Realm? Even if he wasn’t around much, his people were everywhere. For Mo Nianyan to take it over, he’d have to start from scratch.
Mo Nianyan probably realised he had no shot at claiming the Dao Lord position and gave up.
“Mo Nianyan hoped Wen Keshu would leave with him, and everyone understood his intentions—he had feelings for her. Wen Keshu rejected him outright, saying that after the Longevity Realm merged, she’d go find you, Dao Lord. Perhaps that comment angered Mo Nianyan, he looked quite displeased,” Jun Wu said with a sigh.
“Then he tried to forcibly take Wen Keshu away?” Killing intent flared in Lan Xiaobu’s heart.
Jun Wu shook his head, “No, but at that moment, someone else arrived—Dai Feirao, the woman who’d been gravely injured by Saint Mo Xi and fled. She’d broken through to First-Turn Saint. Upon seeing Mo Nianyan, she immediately cried that she’d been bullied here, claiming Wen Keshu had instigated it. She even said Wen Keshu poisoned her with Yin Jue Toxin, sealing her for countless years.
“Mo Nianyan was furious and tried to take Wen Keshu away on the spot. Brother Zai tried to stop Dai Feirao from attacking Wen Keshu and was killed by her instantly. Senior Kong intervened but was severely injured. Senior Hu Qingjia, on the verge of First-Turn Sainthood, stepped in to save Kong, but she was no match for Mo Nianyan and Dai Feirao. She could only flee with Kong.
“Mo Nianyan and Dai Feirao didn’t pursue them, instead occupying the Dao Lord Mansion, this shameless pair openly secluded themselves there to cultivate. What’s more, Mo Nianyan demanded Wen Keshu move into the mansion too. She refused, saying if forced, she’d self-destruct. Perhaps fearing her threat, Mo Nianyan didn’t push her into the mansion, instead imprisoning her in the Great Wilderness Divine Dao City’s divine prison. His actions left Nian ashamed, since he’d brought Mo Nianyan here, so he left the city and hasn’t been seen since.”
Lan Xiaobu’s face darkened, back when he’d left the Great Wilderness Divine Dao City, his cultivation was low, so his Dao Lord Mansion lacked top-tier protective arrays. If it were now, even if he left, Mo Nianyan wouldn’t get in. As for Dai Feirao’s claims, Lan Xiaobu was certain Mo Nianyan knew they were lies—he was just using them as an excuse to imprison Wen Keshu.
“What about Qin Ku and Qiao Aolun?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Jun Wu replied, “After Senior Kong and Senior Hu vanished, Brother Qin knew he couldn’t handle Mo Nianyan, so he went to find them, leaving things here to me. As for Qiao Aolun, he left the Great Wilderness Divine Dao City long ago, supposedly to perfect his Great Dao.”
“Did Qin Ku find Kong Fusheng and Hu Qingjia?” Lan Xiaobu pressed.
Jun Wu shook his head, “No, after Senior Kong and Senior Hu escaped, there’s been no word, and Brother Qin hasn’t sent any news back either.”
“When did Mo Nianyan and Dai Feirao leave?” Lan Xiaobu’s killing intent burned strong, but his tone grew calm. He knew his Dao Lord Mansion was empty now, though it had been used for cultivation.
Jun Wu said, “They left right after hearing your Dao Declaration, I reckon they were scared, afraid you’d come settle the score.”
“Did they take Junior Sister Keshu with them?”
Jun Wu shook his head, “No, Wen Keshu was rescued by Xiao Xi and her father, Mo Qiu, half a month before your declaration. Mo Nianyan didn’t know she’d been freed because no one bothered to tell him. Though he cultivated in the Dao Lord Mansion for a while, he couldn’t meddle in Great Wilderness Dao Court affairs. Unless he wiped out every cultivator here, it’s all your people.”
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “I’ve seen it, the Great Wilderness Dao Court is doing brilliantly, exactly as I envisioned.”
“Dao Lord…” Jing Ziju, Shi Yi, and others, hearing of Lan Xiaobu’s return, came to greet him.
“You’ve all done well,” Lan Xiaobu said with emotion. These were the folks he’d met when he first arrived in the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, and they’d stayed by his side ever since. Though their cultivation wasn’t high, they’d held up the Dao Court.
“With the strongest powerhouses and cultivator army, and no nearby realms invading, plus the tasks you gave us, Dao Lord, if we couldn’t manage this, we wouldn’t deserve to stay,” Xiong Nanfeng said excitedly, rushing over.
He’d made many choices in life, but staying in the Great Wilderness Divine Dao City with his partner Ye Lu to aid Lan Xiaobu was the best one.
Lan Xiaobu waved a hand, “The Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s Dao Court will soon move to the Longevity Sacred Dao City, and I’ll connect the original Longevity Realm and Great Wilderness Divine Realm domains, so everyone get ready.”
No one opposed his words, all agreed.
Before, the Longevity Realm wasn’t part of the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, so the Dao Lord Mansion stayed in the Great Wilderness Divine Dao City, now that they’d merged, moving it was only natural.
…
Lan Xiaobu dearly wanted to hunt down Mo Nianyan and Dai Feirao now, but he knew he couldn’t leave yet. Still, whoever killed his people wouldn’t live peacefully. He’d wanted to deal with Dai Feirao for ages but hadn’t crossed paths with her.
A year later, Lan Xiaobu opened a passage between the original Longevity Realm and Great Wilderness Divine Realm, even setting up teleportation arrays.
The chaotic realm formed by the Primordial Dao Rules was sealed by Lan Xiaobu, becoming a secret realm of the Great Wilderness Divine Realm called the Longevity Secret Realm. Only those who’d made significant contributions to the realm could enter.
By the time Lan Xiaobu finished, the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s conflicts had fully ceased. In truth, after he’d announced the merger and saint fruit positions, the Longevity Realm had seen little fighting—only the suicidal would resist the Great Wilderness Dao Court then.
Some sacred sects and courts unwilling to submit left the realm, while those staying went to the Longevity Sacred Dao City to request permission to reestablish their foundations.
When Jun Wu and the others followed Lan Xiaobu to the Longevity Sacred Dao City, they were quietly awestruck. Back then, Qin Xuxi had seemed the pinnacle of sainthood to them.
Now they realised Pseudo-Saints were nothing here, the Great Wilderness Dao Court had numerous First-Turn Saints and even plenty of Second-Turn Saints. Someone like Jun Wu, at the God-Unification Realm, couldn’t even rank.
But Jun Wu soon steadied himself, he remained the commander of the cultivator army, and with the resources Lan Xiaobu gave him, he could reach First-Turn Sainthood.
Clearly, the Dao Lord valued loyalty, not sidelining them for their lower cultivation. In a place like the Longevity Sacred Dao City, rich with heavenly yuan qi and thick with fortune, even without resources, Jun Wu could soon reach Quasi-Saint.
As the realm’s Dao Lord, Lan Xiaobu had now truly taken full control of the Great Wilderness Divine Realm. With the Great Wilderness Dao Court issuing a series of laws, the realm’s entire atmosphere transformed. Anyone daring to fight would be nabbed by the arrays without needing a report.
All sects wanting to reestablish foundations had to gain Great Wilderness Dao Court approval, bearing a decree stamped with the Dao Lord’s seal.
Though Lan Xiaobu hadn’t yet assigned the Dao Court’s various fruit positions, everyone knew it was only a matter of time, the saint fruit positions were already set. Beyond those, other fruit positions existed too.
Not everyone could become a saint or leave the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, making any fruit position invaluable. With one, you’d enjoy the realm’s fortune protection, accelerating cultivation, and few would dare scheme against you lightly.
