“Guan Qi greets the Dao Lord.” Seeing Lan Xiaobu appear, the cultivator guarding the realm array gate was overjoyed, quickly bowing in respect, a trace of blood still lingering at the corner of his mouth.
Lan Xiaobu nodded and asked, “What happened?”
Guan Qi hurriedly explained, “This man isn’t from our Great Desolate Divine Realm, yet he tried to force his way in. I wouldn’t let him enter, so he attacked.”
Lan Xiaobu’s gaze fell on the grey-robed cultivator. His aura was unstable, clearly indicating serious injuries. His cultivation, however, was decent—already at the Third-Turn Saint level.
Evidently, this man hadn’t intended to kill Guan Qi. Otherwise, even injured, he could’ve easily taken him out. But whether he meant to kill or not, daring to attack a guard of the Great Desolate Divine Realm meant Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t let him off.
“You’re no match for me. Step aside. Don’t make me keep fighting, or I might end up killing someone,” the grey-robed cultivator said calmly, eyeing Lan Xiaobu. Inside, he was shocked. Lan Xiaobu’s cultivation wasn’t obvious, and he was clearly young, yet he was a realm’s Dao Lord.
Lan Xiaobu chuckled and slapped down with his palm.
Seeing Lan Xiaobu so arrogantly aim a slap at his face, the grey-robed cultivator laughed in anger. He, Ting Mu, had once been a notable deity, and now, having used the perfected heavenly rules to reach the Third-Turn Saint level, his strength was hundreds of times greater than before. Even injured, he wasn’t someone a mere ant could slap.
In his mind, Lan Xiaobu was that ant. Not just Lan Xiaobu—likely no one in this divine realm could match him. His current strength surpassed even the former Luo Xu Saint, a figure he’d once looked up to.
With greater strength came a shorter temper, and at this moment, his rage flared.
Ting Mu was about to teach Lan Xiaobu a lesson, not to kill him, but to show him what an ancient powerhouse was capable of.
But the next moment, his expression changed. The surrounding space seemed to solidify, and within it, he couldn’t move an inch.
This terrifying binding of the Dao’s laws—let alone his current injured state—would’ve been impossible to break even at his peak. How could such a powerhouse exist here? Even in the Tai Xu Grave, this would be a formidable presence.
*Slap!* A crisp sound rang out as half of Ting Mu’s face was obliterated by Lan Xiaobu’s qi imprint, sending him flying.
Tumbling dozens of miles through the void, Ting Mu finally stabilised himself and swallowed a pill. Instead of fleeing, he returned to Lan Xiaobu, bowed, and said, “This junior, Ting Mu, was too reckless earlier. Please punish me, Dao Lord. I accept it.”
As a former deity, he was seasoned and far more adept at survival than most cultivators. He was even grateful he hadn’t killed earlier, or he suspected this Dao Lord would’ve ended him instead of just slapping him.
Lan Xiaobu was surprised. This guy adapted quickly. If Ting Mu had tried to escape after that slap, Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t even need to chase him— a few rule-infused blade strikes would’ve destroyed his body. Considering he’d shown no killing intent, Lan Xiaobu might’ve spared his soul. Yet, given the chance, Ting Mu didn’t flee but returned to confess.
Had he been unable to escape, that’d be one thing, but Lan Xiaobu suspected Ting Mu could’ve gotten away—or at least thought he could. His body carried traces of void escape techniques imbued with spatial rules, suggesting he possessed a top-tier spatial escape art.
“Why didn’t you run?” Lan Xiaobu asked lightly.
Ting Mu replied respectfully, “This junior was once a deity in a Dao Court, a being with a divine rank, and I understand that a Dao Court’s laws must not be trampled. After the apocalyptic calamity, I thought no proper holy courts or Dao Courts remained, which led to my reckless actions. After witnessing the Dao Lord’s might, I was filled with fear and dared not flee.”
So he was from the system, Lan Xiaobu thought, understanding dawning. He casually asked, “How did you get here?”
Ting Mu quickly replied, “During the apocalyptic calamity, the Time Saint fell in the Tai Xu Grave…”
“Time Saint?” Lan Xiaobu’s heart stirred. The Time Saint surely possessed a Time Dao scroll. If he could obtain it, advancing to the Sixth-Turn Saint would be effortless. And if the crystal orb from the Fallen Saint was real, he could seek the Fate Dao scroll afterward. Should he find it, he could even reach the Seventh Turn.
Ting Mu answered, “Yes, the Time Saint couldn’t escape the calamity and fell in the Tai Xu Grave. I’d just succeeded in reaching the Third Turn when I learned of the Tai Xu Grave’s existence. Many went there seeking the Time Dao scroll, and I followed. But my cultivation was too weak. While fighting over a Time Dao crystal, I was gravely injured and used a realm-breaking escape talisman to flee here. When I arrived, I was blocked, so I found this realm entrance.”
Lan Xiaobu realised the void passage in the Great Radial Gobi Valley, which he’d sealed, must’ve stopped Ting Mu from entering.
“I won’t kill you, but you need to tell me how to get to the Tai Xu Grave,” Lan Xiaobu said evenly.
Ting Mu froze, then said with a bitter expression, “Dao Lord, I came from the Tai Xu Grave using a realm-breaking talisman. I don’t know how many planes and realms lie between there and here—I truly can’t find the way back.”
At that, Lan Xiaobu frowned slightly.
“Dao Lord, I have another talisman like this,” Ting Mu said, producing another realm-breaking talisman and handing it to Lan Xiaobu. “I think the distance from the Tai Xu Grave to here was the talisman’s limit. Going back from here, if the direction aligns perfectly, there’s a slim chance it could take you near the Tai Xu Grave,” he added cautiously.
Lan Xiaobu took the talisman, ignoring Ting Mu’s words. A slim chance? He knew there was no chance at all.
How vast was the cosmos? A hair’s breadth off course meant missing by a thousand miles.
The moment the talisman touched his hand, Lan Xiaobu’s heart jolted. This was undoubtedly a top-tier realm-breaking talisman.
“How do you have two of these?” Lan Xiaobu stared at Ting Mu, puzzled. One such talisman was a treasure—two seemed impossible.
Ting Mu explained, “I got them in the Tai Xu Grave. There’s so much treasure there. Two realm-breaking talismans aren’t rare—twenty wouldn’t be surprising. I saw someone obtain a primordial Dao pearl, and another got the Saint-Slaying Sword…”
Lan Xiaobu was inwardly shocked. He knew of the Immortal-Slaying Sword, his brother Zhao Gongming’s master’s treasure, and the God-Slaying Sword, Guang Ye Chang’s weapon. He wasn’t sure if the God-Slaying Sword outclassed the Immortal-Slaying Sword, having never seen the latter. Now a Saint-Slaying Sword emerged—were they progressively stronger?
This only deepened his desire to visit the Tai Xu Grave, but this man didn’t know its location. How could he go?
Still, Lan Xiaobu quickly made a decision. First, he’d head to the Land of All Gods, return to the Five Universes Immortal Realm, and bring Luo Caishi to Longevity Sacred Dao City. Then he’d seek the Fate Dao scroll to reach the Sixth Turn, consult the Reincarnation Saint about the World Stone’s realm flags, and after that, search for the Tai Xu Grave.
This journey would take an unknown amount of time, and he wasn’t at ease leaving Luo Caishi alone in the Five Universes Immortal Realm. Longevity Sacred Dao City, teeming with powerhouses, was far safer.
“Ting Mu, didn’t the apocalyptic calamity involve countless powerhouses fighting to the death? Did the Time Saint not participate?” Lan Xiaobu pressed.
Ting Mu shook his head, “The calamity wasn’t caused by a war of powerhouses. That war was just one Dao Court’s saints fighting Mo Saint and his allies—it didn’t affect the entire cosmos. There are countless planes like that one in the vast expanse.
The calamity targeted the whole cosmos, though, and countless supreme saints fell under it. But most only fell on the surface—their remnant souls reborn in other realms. Recently, as the cosmos’ rules began to mend, many not only regained their strength but used the opportunity to grow stronger.”
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “Carve a rough map of the void around the Tai Xu Grave for me. I’ll allow you to live in the Great Desolate Divine Realm. But remember: every cultivator here must follow our laws, or you’ll die miserably.”
“Yes, thank you, Dao Lord,” Ting Mu said, thrilled, bowing respectfully before carving a void coordinate sphere.
Though he hadn’t entered the Great Desolate Divine Realm yet, he could already sense it was the place he’d longed for. Here, he might step into a higher realm.
…
Luo Caishi stepped out of the teleportation array with Gu Dao, instantly stunned. The array was still outside Longevity Sacred Dao City, yet she felt an unprecedented density of divine energy and crystal-clear rules she could sense immediately.
Cultivating here, she could soon reach the Divine King realm. But the thought of seeing Lan Xiaobu soon made her tremble with excitement as she walked.
“Gu Dao, let’s hurry into the city,” Luo Caishi said, her voice quivering, ignoring the crowded masses.
Even on Earth, she’d never seen a place as densely packed as this—it was prosperity beyond prosperity.
“Stop,” two guards outside Longevity Sacred Dao City blocked her path.
“Can’t we enter?” Luo Caishi asked, puzzled, looking at the guards. Though she hadn’t been in populated areas of the Great Desolate Divine Realm long, she knew it was a place with well-established laws. There shouldn’t be a rule against entering, right?
