After half a year with no word from Tai Chuan, Lan Xiaobu decided to find someone to ask about the Time Dao Scroll. His primary goal here—perfecting his dao—was achieved. With that done, his next step in the Taixu Tomb was to seek the Time Dao Scroll.
The Taixu Tomb was vast beyond measure. Even deliberately searching for someone to guide him, it took a full day before he spotted a Quasi-Sage hurrying along. Lan Xiaobu teleported over, landing in front of him.
“Senior…” The Quasi-Sage froze, panic flashing across his face. But as he looked up and recognised Lan Xiaobu, he gasped, “It’s you?”
Lan Xiaobu, unfazed by the recognition, asked, “I’ve heard there’s a Time Dao Scroll here. Where is it?”
The Quasi-Sage quickly replied, “It appeared in the Years Valley. I have a map, but I’d advise you not to go, Senior.”
“Why not?” Lan Xiaobu asked, puzzled.
“The Time Dao Scroll’s already been found and taken to Taixu Hall. Word is, they’re auctioning it soon,” the Quasi-Sage explained.
“Taixu Hall has it?” Lan Xiaobu echoed, surprised but thrilled. The Time Dao Scroll—the key to his Longevity Dao Tree’s seventh principle—was a must-have.
The Quasi-Sage sneered, “You’ve been to Taixu Hall, Senior—you know how they operate. An outsider found the scroll, but the news leaked. Taixu Hall snatched it and now plans to auction it.”
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “Grabbing anything valuable—classic Taixu Hall. I just didn’t expect they’d sell something like the Time Dao Scroll.”
The Quasi-Sage chuckled dryly, “Too many in Taixu Hall want it. To avoid infighting, they’re selling it. Otherwise, it’d spark chaos.”
“Excellent. Thanks, friend,” Lan Xiaobu clasped his fists and turned to leave.
His target had shifted—not Years Valley, but securing the scroll at Taixu Hall.
“Don’t go to Taixu Hall Square now!” the Quasi-Sage called out. “They’ve got your wanted poster up there. With the auction coming, two Eighth-Turn Sages are present.”
“No worries, I’ll be careful,” Lan Xiaobu replied with a nod. He knew many resented Taixu Hall’s tyranny but were powerless against it.
Watching Lan Xiaobu speed off, the Quasi-Sage sighed. No amount of caution would help.
The square’s array was Level Nine, keyed to Lan Xiaobu’s essence. No disguise would fool it—he’d be caught and swarmed.
…
Lan Xiaobu said he’d be careful, but he didn’t bother with the Reincarnation Pot or stealth. He boldly rode his Longevity Halberd, roaring straight for Taixu Hall Square.
The square was a maze of strict rules, often executing outsiders on a whim. Arriving so brazenly, flaunting a top-tier divine beast? That was begging for death.
Yet, despite the harshness, the square teemed with cultivators. The Taixu Tomb’s allure was unmatched—few places could boost a cultivator’s dao or abilities at higher realms, making it a hotspot.
These days, the crowd swelled further. The auction featured not just the Time Dao Scroll but Time Dao Crystals and fragments of Eternal Sage treasures—irresistible bait for powerhouses.
Riding his halberd, Lan Xiaobu reached the outer edge of Taixu Hall’s entrance. A massive trapping-killing divine array loomed—absent last time, now clearly set to stop someone like him.
He didn’t bother asking questions. His halberd flared with billions of piercing rays. Without lifting a hand, he shredded the array to pieces.
As it collapsed, the guards at the tomb’s entrance reacted, but Lan Xiaobu charged through on his halberd before they could respond.
The defensive arrays at the entrance crumpled like eggshells under his assault.
“It’s you…” A guard recognised him as he stormed in.
Lan Xiaobu’s infamy here was colossal—his wanted poster had hung for over a millennium. His arrival was unmistakable.
After tearing through the entrance arrays, he glared at two stunned Harmony God Realm guards. “Scram, or I’ll kill you.”
They bolted without a word. Lan Xiaobu had slain Jiang Sen in a breath—two Harmony Gods mouthing off wouldn’t last half that.
Besides, his rampage had already alerted Taixu Hall—no need for them to report.
“No more protective arrays at Taixu Hall. Everyone can come and go freely,” Lan Xiaobu announced to the onlookers.
No one dared enter. Even with his declaration, bypassing Taixu Hall’s jade tokens to access the tomb was a direct challenge to their authority.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t care. He tossed out eighteen cocoon array flags, which vanished into the void. As they settled, he sensed the core of the square’s trapping-killing array.
With a sweep of divine sense, the flags locked onto the core, giving him control.
Only then did he stroll toward Taixu Hall Square. Before reaching it, rage erupted within him.
Three cultivators were nailed outside the hall—all people he knew. First was Mo Xiao Xi, followed by Kong Fusheng and Hu Qingjia.
Pinned there for years, they endured a soul-fire array scorching their spirits below.
He didn’t need to ask—his pursuit had dragged them into this. Fury mingled with guilt.
Taixu Hall, over time, would attract people who knew him. Obsessed with hunting him, they’d catch anyone connected.
The two guards who’d fled earlier lingered nearby, certain he’d be killed soon. But in the next instant, two blade arcs tore through space, cleaving them in half.
Seeing Mo Xiao Xi and the others’ souls burning, Lan Xiaobu resolved to spare no one running Taixu Hall. Not a single decent soul here—just trash to be purged.
He stepped before the trio, reaching to pull out the soul nails.
“Friend, don’t touch those. Remove the nails, and they’ll die instantly,” a voice transmitted to him.
His hand didn’t hesitate. He yanked out the twelve soul nails, lowered Mo Xiao Xi, Hu Qingjia, and Kong Fusheng, then infused them with three strands of Primordial Life Essence. He followed with three Jialan Dao Fruits, slipping one into each mouth.
The fruits melted on contact, and with the life essence, the three realised rescue had come. Too weak to speak, they frantically cycled their techniques to heal with the essence and fruits.
“You’re courting death…” An enraged voice boomed, followed by a crushing Sage domain pressing toward Lan Xiaobu.
A red-robed elder landed opposite him but froze, stunned, staring at the trio.
How was this possible? Lan Xiaobu had removed their soul nails, yet they hadn’t perished—they were actively recovering.
Those nails were set by a Ninth-Turn Sage. Under the soul-fire array’s torment, removal meant instant death—no exceptions. Not even another Ninth-Turn Sage could defy that outcome.
