Lan Xiaobu might have thought this way, but his opponent clearly didn’t share the sentiment. The man fixed Lan Xiaobu with a deep, piercing stare, suspecting that what Lan Xiaobu had taken was the Cosmic Dimensional Model. Yet, with his current strength, he knew he couldn’t seize it back. To reclaim the Cosmic Dimensional Model, he’d need to ascend to a higher realm. But by then, who could guarantee it would still be recognized as his, Ling Yi’s?
“You’re strong—though not the strongest I’ve encountered, you’ve exceeded my expectations. Still, that belongs to me. Keep it safe for me; I’ll come back for it someday.” With those words, the man’s figure flickered and vanished in an instant.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t give chase, nor did he feel much anger at the man’s brazen declaration. He simply gazed into the boundless void, a sense of茫然 (bewilderment) settling in his heart.
Not only was the man’s strength nearly on par with his own, but his escape technique seemed to outclass Lan Xiaobu’s teleportation.
Lan Xiaobu’s teleportation had been comprehended from the divine essence pill sea in the Yishen Abyss—a place he suspected belonged to an Eternal Saint, possibly the Nether Saint. Yet the rhythmic fluctuations of this man’s teleportation surpassed his own. The opponent’s teleportation might have been derived from his own Great Dao, while Lan Xiaobu’s stemmed from someone else’s.
Taking a deep breath, Lan Xiaobu reflected. Even before Zhu Ku had pointed out that his Dao wasn’t among the top tier, he’d sensed something amiss. The issue wasn’t the Dao itself but its initial derivation—he’d relied on the Cosmic Dimensional Model.
If no Eternal Saints existed, holing up in the Great Desolate Divine Realm might suffice. But beyond its borders, where powerhouses abounded, he’d never rank among the elite.
After standing in contemplation for a long while, Lan Xiaobu cast aside these thoughts and summoned the Samsara Pot. He realized that to find his true Dao, he couldn’t remain confined as before, shuttling between the Rootless Divine Realm and the Great Desolate Divine Realm. He needed to step into the broader cosmos.
Taking out the directional orb for Tai Xu Tomb again, he was pleasantly surprised to find its coordinates had grown clearer.
First, he’d head to Tai Xu Tomb to see if he could obtain the Time Dao Scroll. Regardless of his Dao’s nature, acquiring a primordial dao scroll like that would be an immense opportunity.
Almost the moment Lan Xiaobu departed, the man he’d fought reappeared abruptly at the spot he’d left. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a series of arcane dao principles. Hours later, his expression darkened. He couldn’t trace Lan Xiaobu’s origin route—evidently, Lan Xiaobu had arrived via some void passage.
Letting Lan Xiaobu go was out of the question. The Cosmic Dimensional Model was a treasure that, once in his possession, would propel him, Ling Yi, to the pinnacle of the vast void. Despite telling Lan Xiaobu to “keep it safe,” he had no intention of letting him escape with it.
He’d hoped to pinpoint Lan Xiaobu’s origin, but with that proving impossible, he’d have to track him instead. With his abilities, even if the Samsara Pot was swift, he could still detect Lan Xiaobu’s flight path.
The Samsara Pot was a top-tier treasure, true, but in Ling Yi’s eyes, it paled in comparison to the Cosmic Dimensional Model. Killing Lan Xiaobu to claim the Model and snagging the Pot as a bonus—why wouldn’t he?
…
With a clear goal in mind, though still uncertain of his Dao’s true direction, Lan Xiaobu calmed himself, setting aside thoughts of his path. He knew he couldn’t settle his mind to ponder it while in flight.
Once composed, he recalled the man who’d intercepted him, intent on stealing the Cosmic Dimensional Model.
Normally, given his temperament, if someone knew of the Model’s existence and tried to kill him for it, he’d have pursued and eliminated them. He hadn’t chased this time—not just because the man’s escape technique outmatched his, but because his mind had been muddled, clouded by his musings on the Dao.
Now, something felt off. That Fourth-Turn Saint was undeniably strong—only slightly weaker than him, a gap that wasn’t vast.
The man’s desire for the Model was unquestionable, yet reflecting on his words and actions, something didn’t add up.
If he so desperately wanted the Model, why merely ask Lan Xiaobu to “keep it safe”? In the vast cosmos, did he even know who Lan Xiaobu was? Or where he was headed? With his strength, he lacked the ability to plant a divine sense mark on Lan Xiaobu.
A growing sense of danger gnawed at him. If it were Lan Xiaobu, wanting something from a stranger whose origins and destination were unknown, would he just toss out a line and leave?
Never. If he couldn’t mark them, he’d track them.
The Samsara Pot was fast, and since his Dao left traces, its flight would too. An ordinary saint might not catch him, but this brown-robed saint’s Dao was extraordinary—likely capable of following those traces. With his teleportation speed, tracking wasn’t implausible.
Lan Xiaobu was now almost certain the man hadn’t truly left but was tailing him.
“Phew!” Lan Xiaobu exhaled, realizing he’d nearly fallen for Zhu Ku’s scheme. Zhu Ku’s words might have held truth, influencing him. Had he not calmed down in time, that brown-robed man might have ambushed him.
Nothing was worse than being targeted, and Lan Xiaobu was certain he’d been marked.
The Samsara Pot maintained its pace, but Lan Xiaobu began observing the void around him. Two days later, he steered it onto a shattered meteor.
The meteor was small, barely a thousand miles across, but sufficient for his purposes. If his hunch was right, that Fourth-Turn Saint would follow him here.
Upon landing, his first act was to set up an eighth-level defensive divine array and an eighth-level trigger array. Most saints, even Ninth-Turn ones, didn’t necessarily excel in array mastery. An eighth-level array was above average but not exceptional.
Beyond that, he used array flags to erect a ninth-level entrapment-killing array. His cultivation Dao might not be top-tier, but he hadn’t reached this point by being easy prey.
The ninth-level array wasn’t his trump card—his true ace was a void array.
Outside the ninth-level array, he began constructing a void entrapment-killing array and a void shredding array, finishing with a void illusion array. The last might prove unnecessary, but it was a precaution. These void arrays, though not yet at a higher tier, faintly surpassed ninth-level divine arrays.
If that man caught up, Lan Xiaobu was confident he could take him down. A foe weaker than him, trapped in his arrays—there’d be no escape.
After setting these up, he added a spirit-gathering array. As he prepared to embed divine spirit veins for cultivation, a lingering unease persisted.
A Fourth-Turn Saint would have keen danger senses. These entrapment and killing arrays might alert him if triggered.
With that in mind, Lan Xiaobu wove void array patterns to create a fortune-trigger array.
Unlike typical fortune arrays, this one would bless anyone entering with a sense of fortune, suggesting great opportunity awaited. Having proved his First Turn through fortune, he could manage this trick.
Faced with grand opportunity, most would risk slight danger. Lan Xiaobu was betting the brown-robed man would too.
With every detail accounted for, he planted several divine spirit veins and began cultivating.
A faint vortex of divine essence swirled above the meteor, restrained by the spirit-binding array yet still perceptible to passersby.
Just two days later, a faint shadow appeared beyond the meteor. As it solidified, it was none other than Ling Yi, the man who’d sought the Cosmic Dimensional Model days before.
His gaze fell on the eighth-level defensive array, a cold smirk curling his lips.
An eighth-level array against him? With an eighth-level trigger array to boot—laughable.
Ling Yi cautiously approached, about to break it, when he sensed something off. In his view, Lan Xiaobu’s strength was considerable—not that of an ordinary cultivator. How could such a figure settle for mere eighth-level arrays?
He hesitated outside the meteor for a while before deciding to test it. Carefully dismantling the eighth and trigger arrays, he spotted a ninth-level defensive array.
Seeing it, Ling Yi relaxed. This was more like it.
A faint sense of danger brushed him, but he didn’t retreat. Lan Xiaobu was stronger, and entering his arrays without risk would be abnormal. Yet amid the danger, a hint of opportunity lingered—undoubtedly the Cosmic Dimensional Model.
Taking a deep breath, Ling Yi didn’t break the array further. Instead, he began frantically setting up ninth-level entrapment-killing and counter-killing arrays around the meteor. He’d slain foes stronger than Lan Xiaobu before; today, he refused to believe a mere Fifth-Turn Saint could elude him.
As a failsafe, he added a one-way teleportation array. If things went awry, he’d escape instantly.
