“I will stay in Longevity Saint Dao City to do some things for the Great Wilderness Divine Realm. However, I have no intention of continuing to search for the Imperishable Great Dao, so please don’t waste your time on my behalf, Dao Lord,” Qiao Aolun said with a bow.
He was staying in Longevity Saint Dao City, but not to help Lan Xiaobu find the Imperishable Great Dao. Though he knew Lan Xiaobu was far stronger than him, he also understood that Lan Xiaobu had no chance of locating the Imperishable Great Dao in the Lost Sea. Only those who had been there could comprehend how terrifying that place was.
If not for Su Cen’s fall prompting him to stop venturing into the Lost Sea, if not for escaping with a talisman before his acquired spiritual treasure armor was fully corroded, Qiao Aolun wouldn’t be here either, he’d have perished too.
“I understand. Just give me the location of the Lost Sea, and I’ll figure out the rest myself,” Lan Xiaobu replied calmly.
Originally, he’d imagined Su Cen living out a quiet life on Earth, their paths never crossing again, forgotten in the rivers and lakes of fate. He hadn’t expected her to leave Earth and fall in the Lost Sea. Since it had happened, he had to go there himself.
Qiao Aolun opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he sighed, took out a spatial positioning disk, and handed it to Lan Xiaobu, “Once you enter the Lost Sea, your Great Dao and life force will erode rapidly.”
“Good. Though Su Cen fell in the Lost Sea, I still thank you for helping her in the Immortal Realm,” Lan Xiaobu said, bowing to Qiao Aolun.
Like Luo Caishi, Su Cen had come from Earth. In the vast void, they were rootless, everything unfamiliar and lonely.
Before meeting him, Luo Caishi had a good master, sparing her worries about cultivation resources or safety. After her master’s trouble, Lan Xiaobu brought her to the Five Universes Immortal Realm, where she never lacked resources and had people protecting her. Su Cen, though, had struggled alone in the Immortal Realm, her hardships and isolation easy to imagine.
Before Qiao Aolun met her, Lan Xiaobu could picture how tough her life had been. He didn’t want Su Cen’s fall to leave her resting place unvisited.
Qiao Aolun froze, but before he could respond, Lan Xiaobu and the Reincarnation Saint had already left Great Wilderness Divine Dao City.
…
Lan Xiaobu sat on the Reincarnation Pot, steering it swiftly toward the direction the Reincarnation Saint indicated, but his thoughts were far from the calm he projected.
The Reincarnation Saint sighed inwardly. Truth be told, though he saw potential in Lan Xiaobu, his Dao heart still needed tempering.
He didn’t know who Su Cen was, but regardless, Lan Xiaobu’s reaction was off. What Lan Xiaobu should be doing now was asking him about the details of the Six Paths Nirvana Land, preparing to comprehend the Six Paths laws and prove the Reincarnation Great Dao.
But he didn’t remind Lan Xiaobu. He believed that with Lan Xiaobu’s great fortune and talent, he still had a shot at proving himself an Eternal Saint.
Half a month later, the Reincarnation Pot burst out of the Great Wilderness Divine Realm.
The Reincarnation Saint glanced back at the realm and suddenly said, “Dao Friend Lan, the protective array of this Great Wilderness Divine Realm, even a Ninth-Turn Saint might not be able to break it.”
He’d intended to discuss the Six Paths Nirvana Land with Lan Xiaobu, noting that the realm’s array was formed by the natural luck of heaven and earth. Aside from Lan Xiaobu, no outsider could enter. Lan Xiaobu’s Dao Lord Seal was the key to activating it.
Unexpectedly, Lan Xiaobu asked an unrelated question, “Reincarnation Dao Friend, you’ve spent your life proving the Reincarnation Dao, reaching the Fifth-Turn Saint level with it. My friend Su Cen has fallen, can you reincarnate her and tell me which realm she’s reborn into?”
The Reincarnation Saint paused, then realized Lan Xiaobu’s intent, asking in surprise, “Dao Friend Lan, are you planning to go to her reincarnation site to prove the Reincarnation Great Dao?”
Before Lan Xiaobu could answer, the Reincarnation Saint was certain his guess was correct.
At that moment, he found his earlier thoughts laughable. A decisive figure like Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t dwell on a mere woman’s fall, this was clearly about using her death to prove the Reincarnation Great Dao. He, the so-called Reincarnation Saint, paled in comparison to this Dao Lord. No wonder Lan Xiaobu was the Dao Lord while he still relied on him.
Lan Xiaobu had planned from the start to use this to prove the Reincarnation Great Dao and perfect his Dao heart, while he’d only just caught on.
If Lan Xiaobu knew what the Reincarnation Saint was thinking, he’d kick him off the pot. He was going to bring Su Cen back, not to prove any Reincarnation Great Dao.
“No, I just want to know where she is, to see if I can bring her back,” Lan Xiaobu answered.
The Reincarnation Saint didn’t buy it, taking a slow breath before saying, “Dao Friend Lan, with my current abilities, I can’t tell where Su Cen will reincarnate. But once I reach Sixth-Turn Saint and can construct my own Six Paths, I could sense which realm she’s in and even help her remnant soul reincarnate. Of course, I’d need a strand of her hair.”
Lan Xiaobu’s divine sense immediately swept into Su Cen’s ring, quickly finding a hair inside.
It had to be Su Cen’s, a few strands falling into the ring during a clothing change were normal.
He carefully extracted the hair, placed it in a jade box, and handed it to the Reincarnation Saint, “Reincarnation Dao Friend, I’m counting on you.”
The Reincarnation Saint took the box, hesitating, “I’m still just a Fifth-Turn Saint. Reaching Sixth-Turn isn’t something I can do quickly. By the time I get there, after Su Cen’s fall, she might have already reincarnated or dissipated into the cosmos. It could be too late.”
Lan Xiaobu replied instantly, “Tell me how to reach Sixth-Turn Saint. We’ll go now and get you there as fast as possible.”
The Reincarnation Saint blinked, then said, “In the Six Paths Nirvana Land, there’s a Six Paths Pool. But it’s controlled by a powerhouse named Wuliang, whose strength is likely close to Ninth-Turn Saint level…”
Lan Xiaobu cut in coldly, “Just tell me, if you gain the Six Paths Pool, can you reach Sixth-Turn Saint?”
The Reincarnation Saint nodded, “Yes, entering the Six Paths Pool and comprehending the Six Paths’ power would let me construct my own Six Paths and prove Sixth-Turn Saint.”
“You mean constructing the Six Paths of Reincarnation, right?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
The Reincarnation Saint gave a self-deprecating smile, “Constructing the Six Paths of Reincarnation? Easier said than done. I’d start by building my own Six Paths, then, when aiming for Eternal Saint, see if I can create my own Six Paths of Reincarnation. Success would make me an Eternal Saint. Failure means I’d enter my own reincarnation cycle and start over.”
“Good, then we’re heading to Wuliang’s turf now to seize that pool,” Lan Xiaobu said without hesitation.
The Reincarnation Saint stared at him, stunned, before saying, “Dao Friend Lan, if you want to die, don’t drag me along. Do you know what Wuliang is? He’s nearly an Eternal Saint, lingering at the Six Paths Pool to prove the Reincarnation Great Dao and step into eternity. We’d just be walking into death. You’re a Third-Turn Saint, I’m a Fifth-Turn Saint, but before a Ninth-Turn Saint, we’re nothing. And Wuliang isn’t an ordinary Ninth-Turn Saint, he’s among the top tier. His Wuliang Great Dao can dissolve all rules in the cosmos.”
Lan Xiaobu replied calmly, “Reincarnation Dao Friend, why do you cultivate the Dao? Isn’t it to stand at the pinnacle, to master your existence, your fate, your future? I believe you once burned with passion, or you wouldn’t have climbed this high.
If you’re scared of every shadow, your Dao ends here. I’d have no interest in partnering with you, your future’s clear at a glance, waiting for easy opportunities without daring to chase the ones that could truly elevate you. If such luck existed, no one would need to strive.”
The Reincarnation Saint’s face darkened, “Dao Friend Lan, that’s not how it works. We do chase top-tier opportunities, even risking our lives for them. But knowingly walking into certain death for some so-called opportunity, that’s not seeking the Dao, it’s seeking death.”
“Heh, Reincarnation Dao Friend,” Lan Xiaobu chuckled, softening his tone, “If I hadn’t ‘sought death,’ you’d have died long ago in the Wangshuang Desert Sea. Teaming up with you is a pity. If an Eternal Saint chained me with their Dao, would you dare save me? I ‘sought death’ and rescued you from an Eternal Saint’s grasp. Yet Wuliang isn’t even an Eternal Saint, and you’re this terrified. It makes me question if I chose the right partner.”
The Reincarnation Saint froze, speechless.
Lan Xiaobu’s words left him no room to argue.
As Lan Xiaobu said, if their roles were reversed and an Eternal Saint chained Lan Xiaobu, he’d flee without a second thought, never daring to confront an Eternal Saint to save him. Saving someone? No outsider’s life outweighed his own.
“Dao Friend Lan, that Eternal Saint was injured…” the Reincarnation Saint began.
Lan Xiaobu cut him off, “Reincarnation Dao Friend, we’re going to help you reach Sixth-Turn now. Besides, when that Eternal Saint was injured, I didn’t know, at least not when I acted to save you. But I did it, and I succeeded. Opportunities favor those with vision and the will to fight for the Dao. So, are you in or out?”
