Lan Xiaobu wanted to quickly wrap up the matters requiring his attention at the Dao Court so he could head straight to the Wangshuang Desert Sea. As a Realm Lord, gathering information was a simple task for him.
According to the intel he’d received, Kong Fusheng and Hu Qingjia had fled into the Wangshuang Desert Sea and then vanished without a trace. Qin Ku had followed them in pursuit and similarly disappeared.
That’s why he needed to make a trip to the Wangshuang Desert Sea as soon as possible. After all, neither Kong Fusheng nor Hu Qingjia had achieved true sainthood; they were both lingering at the Quasi-Saint level. As for Qin Ku, his strength was even weaker.
On the other hand, he wasn’t too worried about Wen Keshu. Mo Xiaoxi aside, Mo Qiu was definitely not someone to be trifled with. Back in the day, that man had managed to unify the collapsing Five Great Immortal Realms Universe and even fused them using chaos. If he were simple, that’d be the real surprise.
Lan Xiaobu speculated that Mo Qiu’s escape likely stemmed from his cultivation not yet fully recovering. If he had fully regained his strength, Mo Nianyan wouldn’t stand a chance against him. A person like that, with both experience and power, didn’t need anyone worrying about him.
It was just that the Great Wilderness Dao Court had only recently gotten on track, and there were simply too many things to handle. Various sects were applying for dojo permissions, some proven saints wanted to serve the Great Wilderness Dao Court in hopes of securing a saintly title, and certain sects even sought sect titles.
With all this commotion, staying relaxed would be a miracle. After nearly half a year of relentless work, Lan Xiaobu finally found a moment to breathe. He decided not to wait any longer for the sects that hadn’t yet arrived at the Great Wilderness Dao Court. If they wanted approval for their dojos, they’d have to wait for his return.
Right now, he was going to the Wangshuang Desert Sea, and no one could stop him.
If he weren’t the Dao Lord of the Great Wilderness Dao Court, and if the Great Wilderness Divine Realm hadn’t just been unified, he’d have left for the Wangshuang Desert Sea long ago.
Lan Xiaobu entrusted all matters to Puhe Court Pillar and Tifo Court Pillar, instructing them that for urgent decisions he couldn’t respond to in time, Zhao Gongming would have the final say.
Zhao Gongming was currently in seclusion, aiming to break through to First-Turn Saint, while Xi Nianmo had gone off to establish her Thunder Sword Manor.
“Dao Lord…” Seeing Lan Xiaobu’s hurried demeanor, Puhe hesitated but still called out to the departing Lan Xiaobu.
Though he’d joined Lan Xiaobu early on, Puhe, the Divine Emperor, still felt restrained in his presence. It wasn’t just Lan Xiaobu’s ever-growing strength, but also the fact that this Dao Lord was unlike any other he’d encountered.
Typically, a Dao Lord’s mansion would be the epitome of extravagance. Beyond that, the pomp, circumstance, and thirst for power would be as grand as could be. Lan Xiaobu was the complete opposite—no harem of concubines, not even a single woman in the Dao Lord’s mansion.
To this day, Lan Xiaobu hadn’t bothered with a dedicated saintly palanquin, let alone entourages or servants trailing him every time he stepped out. Puhe couldn’t fathom why someone with Lan Xiaobu’s temperament would take on the role of Dao Lord.
The only time he showed any semblance of a Dao Lord’s authority was during court assemblies, when the hall would be packed. But even then, standing at the forefront was Jun Wucai, a mere Harmony Divine Realm cultivator, with those below him even weaker—aside from divine kings, there were even one or two at the Divine Lord realm.
Puhe still couldn’t understand why the Dao Lord placed such low-level cultivators in key positions within the Dao Court.
“If you’ve got something to say, spit it out,” Lan Xiaobu said, a trace of impatience in his voice.
Puhe Divine Emperor quickly replied, “Aside from opening a void teleportation channel with the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, the Rootless Divine Realm has halted its fusion. I suspect someone’s interfering. And it’s not just the Rootless Divine Realm—other fragmented realms have stopped merging into the Great Wilderness Divine Realm too. Should we look into this?”
Lan Xiaobu frowned. Though the Great Wilderness Divine Realm was now vast beyond measure—even he, as Dao Lord, would need years to circle it—no one would refuse more realm fusion. The more that merged, the better.
The Rootless Divine Realm had been steadily integrating with the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, so this halt might not necessarily be due to interference. To meddle with the fusion of two divine realms, one’s cultivation would have to be not just powerful, but absurdly so.
The Rootless Divine Realm wasn’t like those broken minor realms. Though incomplete, it was incredibly vast. The Great Wilderness Divine Realm could merge with the Longevity Realm because of the Primordial Chaos Laws. There were no such laws between the Rootless Divine Realm and the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, which might be the real reason fusion wasn’t possible.
After a long pause, Lan Xiaobu said, “Whether it’s interference or not, the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s protective array is already in place. We don’t need to keep pushing other realms to merge. If we did, the Great Wilderness Divine Realm would be in constant fusion, never perfecting itself. Now, without other realms merging in, it’ll stabilize faster. However, at the teleportation exit from the Rootless Divine Realm to the Great Wilderness Divine Realm, we must establish a sealed array gate. Every cultivator entering must be thoroughly vetted and carry a Great Wilderness Divine Realm identity jade token.”
“Yes,” Puhe Divine Emperor bowed in acknowledgment.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “Get the identity jade tokens sorted out quickly and distribute them to every cultivator living in the Great Wilderness Divine Realm as soon as possible. We absolutely cannot allow unidentified individuals here, nor any criminal activity. Also, speed up the search for those I’ve put on the wanted list. The Great Wilderness Dao Court’s contribution point system needs to be finalized ASAP too.”
“Rest assured, Dao Lord, I’ll handle it,” Puhe Divine Emperor promised.
He genuinely admired this Dao Lord. The identity system would boost the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s cohesion several-fold and enhance its luck. The contribution point system was a stroke of genius. Want a title? Check your contribution points. Only with enough points could one qualify to apply for a title.
In less than a year since the Great Wilderness Dao Court relocated, the busiest spot in Longevity Saint Dao City was the Dao Court Task Hall. It issued all sorts of missions, offering not just contribution points but rewards too. The grandest prizes, aside from titles, included entry to the Longevity Secret Realm—rumored to be a chaotic primordial zone brimming with treasures and opportunities.
“I’ll be away for a while. If something urgent comes up, contact me. For routine matters, just follow the Great Wilderness Dao Court’s laws,” Lan Xiaobu said, satisfied with Puhe Divine Emperor’s competence.
Puhe had sworn a grand oath of loyalty to him, and Lan Xiaobu held his life in his hands, so his trust in Puhe far exceeded that in Tifo.
This made Puhe quite smug. Back then, Tifo had a saintly title, while he was just a Twelve Divine Emperors title holder. After the World-Destroying Tribulation, the tables had turned. Though titles hadn’t been officially granted in the Great Wilderness Divine Realm yet, with his contributions and proximity to Lan Xiaobu, how could his title be lower than Tifo’s?
“Dao Lord, someone named Jun Li is outside requesting an audience,” Liu Zhi, who managed the Dao Lord’s mansion, reported urgently.
He knew Lan Xiaobu was about to leave on urgent business, but this visitor’s cultivation seemed terrifying, forcing him to report it.
Lan Xiaobu’s divine sense swept out, and upon seeing it was the Reincarnation Saint, he understood Liu Zhi’s urgency. To Liu Zhi, a mere early-stage Divine King, even without the Reincarnation Saint exerting pressure, he’d feel dread.
“I see. Let him in. Puhe Court Pillar, go handle your tasks,” Lan Xiaobu said casually.
As Puhe and Liu Zhi left, Lan Xiaobu pondered why the Reincarnation Saint dared to come see him.
But he wouldn’t kill him—not yet. Puhe had mentioned that when Buzhou Sect Leader Kuachen came causing trouble, it was the Reincarnation Saint who drove him off.
“Long time no see, Dao Lord. Your cultivation has risen again—congratulations!” The Reincarnation Saint entered with a loud, hearty greeting.
Lan Xiaobu replied coolly, “If you hadn’t helped Longevity Saint Dao City back then, with what you did on Saint Island, you’d probably never get to reincarnate.”
The Reincarnation Saint showed no embarrassment, instead saying gravely, “Dao Lord Lan, to us cultivators, those are trifles. We pursue the supreme Dao, the eternal Saint realm…”
Lan Xiaobu waved him off, “To you, they’re trivial, insignificant. But I, Lan Xiaobu, am of a lower realm—I tend to take such trifles to heart. Of course, for that one favor, I’ll let the past slide. But next time, I’ll say it again: scheming against me isn’t a small matter.”
Lan Xiaobu knew full well the Reincarnation Saint had a purpose for coming. He had to make it clear how serious he was, or this man might betray him again for profit.
Sure enough, hearing this, the Reincarnation Saint gave a self-deprecating smile, “Dao Lord, I came to congratulate you on establishing the Great Wilderness Dao Court and unifying the Great Wilderness Divine Realm. But honestly, in the grand scheme of things, the Great Wilderness Divine Realm’s strength is negligible—excluding you, of course. If a realm war breaks out, no matter how strong you are, you can’t fend off a hundred alone.”
Lan Xiaobu stayed silent. He knew the Reincarnation Saint spoke the truth. He’d seen too many powerhouses back in Heaven’s Street.
Seeing Lan Xiaobu take his words seriously, the Reincarnation Saint pressed on, “Dao Lord Lan, I’m here to propose an alliance. And this matter benefits you more than me. You’ve built a Dao Court and perfected a divine realm—a deed of immense causality and fortune.”
Lan Xiaobu said flatly, “Even if the universe beyond the Great Wilderness Divine Realm exploded right now, I’ve got somewhere to be.”
No matter what the Reincarnation Saint wanted, he had to go to the Wangshuang Desert Sea first.
