Mo Shulei clasped his fists, “Brother Lan, I’d like some Primordial Vitality. If you’re willing to give it to me, I can offer a price that will absolutely satisfy you.”
Lan Xiaobu had already guessed that Mo Shulei was likely after the Primordial Vitality. Earlier, it was precisely when Lan Xiaobu revealed the Primordial Vitality that Mo Shulei had volunteered to watch over Mo Xiaoxi and the others.
Though Lan Xiaobu wasn’t concerned about the price Mo Shulei proposed, he still took out a jade bottle and handed it over, “This is some Primordial Vitality. I don’t have much left myself, so consider it a gift.”
The reason he gave some Primordial Vitality to Mo Shulei was that Lan Xiaobu felt this man was far from ordinary, and he didn’t dislike him. He was even certain that before perfecting his own Great Dao, he wouldn’t have been a match for this Mo Shulei.
Not even a match at the same level—how strong must this guy be?
Another reason was that after refining his Great Dao, the Primordial Vitality wasn’t of much use to him anymore.
“Ah, thank you, Brother Lan!” Mo Shulei exclaimed, overjoyed as he accepted the jade bottle. At the same time, he handed Lan Xiaobu a jade box, “This is for you, friend. I hope it can be of some help.”
Lan Xiaobu didn’t pay much attention to it and stored the jade box away. Turning to the crowd of cultivators in the plaza, he said, “I have a beast companion in Tai Xu Tomb. If any friend encounters it, please send me a message. I’d be deeply grateful and will reward you handsomely. Even a copy of the Time Dao Scroll isn’t off the table.”
Lan Xiaobu had come to Tai Xu Tomb with Tai Chuan, and even if he hadn’t said it, everyone knew. It was because of Tai Chuan that Lan Xiaobu had killed Jiang Sen and stormed into Tai Xu Tomb in the first place.
In the distance, Zhi Yi, who was rebuilding Tai Xu Hall for Lan Xiaobu, trembled at his words. She had come for the Time Dao Scroll. All hope had seemed lost, but now a new path had opened—helping Lan Xiaobu find Tai Chuan.
After Lan Xiaobu announced this reward, she decided that once Tai Xu Hall was finished, she’d immediately enter Tai Xu Tomb to search for Tai Chuan. She had to obtain the Time Dao Scroll; otherwise, this trip would be meaningless.
Having acquired the small bottle of Primordial Vitality, Mo Shulei rushed out of Tai Xu Hall plaza in an instant, vanishing to parts unknown.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t mind. Instead, he stood before Jiang Jiechang, still pinned in the void.
Tormented by the burning soul fire, Jiang Jiechang could only endure in agony. The burning hadn’t lasted long enough yet, so he retained his consciousness.
“Friend Lan, spare me, I swear…” Jiang Jiechang was still pleading when Lan Xiaobu raised a hand and grasped at the void, tearing open a world.
Jiang Jiechang froze. What kind of strength was this? Wasn’t it said that no one could breach a ninth-rank saint’s world unless their Great Dao far surpassed his—at least reaching the eternal saint realm? Yet he’d never seen anyone open a ninth-rank saint’s world as effortlessly as Lan Xiaobu.
Opening Jiang Jiechang’s world left Lan Xiaobu stunned. The elders of Tai Xu Hall were all ridiculously wealthy. From Chang Ting and Dong Yan’s worlds, he’d already claimed nearly ten thousand top-grade divine spirit veins. He’d assumed Jiang Jiechang wouldn’t be any less rich.
But when he opened Jiang Jiechang’s world, Lan Xiaobu realized poverty had limited his imagination. There were at least a hundred thousand top-grade divine spirit veins in Jiang Jiechang’s world. How many divine realms had this guy plundered to amass such wealth?
Top-tier refining materials piled up like mountains in his world. Dao fruit trees weren’t single specimens but entire orchards.
A divine marrow crystal river stretched about a hundred miles. He even spotted several innate treasures.
A flame that had advanced to saint-grade was burning a man within Jiang Jiechang’s world. Lan Xiaobu understood—this was Jiang Jiechang using the saint flame to scorch the man’s Great Dao, likely trying to strip it away. But the man’s Great Dao was too perfect, resisting the attempt.
What a vile guy. Without hesitation, Lan Xiaobu unleashed his Ruleless Flame, swallowing the saint flame whole. After devouring it, the Ruleless Flame’s grade visibly rose a level.
Then he sent the man out, letting him fall onto Tai Xu Hall plaza.
At this moment, Jiang Jiechang looked at Lan Xiaobu with no expression. He knew he was doomed today, but he memorized Lan Xiaobu’s face. When he returned, he’d make Lan Xiaobu burn for ten thousand years. He swore he’d never be this careless again.
Killing him, Jiang Jiechang, wasn’t something even an eternal saint could guarantee, and Lan Xiaobu was definitely not an eternal saint.
“Thank you, friend, for saving my life,” the man, who’d been burned by Jiang Jiechang for who-knows-how-long, said. After Lan Xiaobu’s flame consumed the saint fire, he regained consciousness and began healing himself.
Lan Xiaobu glanced at the nearly finished Tai Xu Hall Zhi Yi was building and said casually, “Friend, you can pick any room there to recover. It’s quite safe here now.”
The man bowed once, then staggered toward Tai Xu Hall. He knew his current state left him defenseless. He didn’t know what Tai Xu Hall was, but he had no other choice.
Watching Zhi Yi still diligently working on the finishing touches, along with some assisting cultivators, Lan Xiaobu said, “Thanks to everyone for helping. Now go about your own business. I’m just secluding here temporarily—this place doesn’t need to be lavish. Of course, friends who helped build it can freely choose a cave abode to cultivate in.”
Hearing that aiding in Tai Xu Hall’s construction granted a cave abode, many wanted to join in. But the hall was nearly complete—there was little left to contribute.
Zhi Yi was delighted. She could tell Lan Xiaobu had no real intent to manage Tai Xu Hall. She declared, “Friends who helped build Tai Xu Hall, once it’s done, I’ll set up a simple protective array. Everyone can pick a cave abode. The rest is up to Brother Lan.”
With those words, even if Lan Xiaobu didn’t openly back her, no one would dare seize what was his.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t mind. He took out three rings and handed them to Mo Xiaoxi, Kong Fusheng, and Hu Qingjia, “Let’s seclude here together. I need to comprehend the Great Dao. You’ve been roaming outside for years, rarely able to settle and cultivate. Now, with injuries unhealed, it’s a perfect chance to solidify your Great Daos. Once you’ve recovered, we’ll discuss returning to Great Desolation Divine Realm.”
Even without Lan Xiaobu saying it, the three knew healing was their priority. With Lan Xiaobu’s immense strength beside them, they could recover here with peace of mind.
Lan Xiaobu picked a random cave abode, set up a defensive divine array outside, and entered. He was eager to comprehend the Time Great Dao, aiming to forge the seventh dao pattern on his Longevity Dao Tree.
As universal rules grew more complete, the strong multiplied. Had he not come to Tai Xu Tomb and perfected his Great Dao, he’d be less than a speck when he emerged. Though his Great Dao was refined and his strength had soared countless times, he still felt it wasn’t enough.
Take Tai Xu Tomb—only those of a certain strength came here. Had saints beyond ninth-rank, even eternal saints, long since gone to the Land of Eternity?
Taking out the Time Dao Scroll, Lan Xiaobu felt potent traces of time before even opening it. His divine sense shifted to the pile of Time Dao Crystals—undoubtedly obtained from the Valley of Ages.
He hesitated, then refrained from using them. The Time Dao Crystals bore clear time rules—perfect for comprehending the Great Dao with half the effort. But Lan Xiaobu reasoned they were remnants of a Time Saint’s Great Dao. Using them would mean comprehending that saint’s path, clashing with his own.
Never mind how well he might grasp it—even perfection would trap him in the Time Saint’s framework, offering him no benefit.
He’d come to Tai Xu Tomb to forge his own Great Dao, now nearing success. Why would he study a Time Saint’s path now?
Not only would he avoid the Time Saint’s time rules, he wouldn’t follow the Time Dao Scroll verbatim either. He only wanted it to unlock the Time Great Dao, then comprehend time rules within his own Longevity Great Dao.
Shifting his divine sense from the Time Dao Crystals, Lan Xiaobu casually picked up the jade box Mo Shulei had given him in exchange for the Primordial Vitality.
He hadn’t cared much about its contents, but the box’s restrictions piqued his interest. They seemed fused with the heavens, nearly devoid of artificial traces.
What a masterful touch, Lan Xiaobu thought, impressed, as he opened the restrictions. Seeing what lay inside, he froze. This was…
Soon, he confirmed it: a fragment of Dark Wood. Had he not encountered Ku Cai, who cultivated dark techniques on Saint Island, he might not have recognized it.
In an instant, Lan Xiaobu was ecstatic. Though he’d grasped dark attribute rules, they stemmed from the Cosmic Dimension Model and Ku Cai’s Great Dao. Using those to prove dark rules would diminish his own Great Dao’s caliber.
But with a Dark Wood fragment, it was different. If he could one day nurture it into full Dark Wood, he could comprehend true dark rules. To Lan Xiaobu, dark rules—alongside space and time—were top-tier Great Dao rules, worthy of forming a dao pattern ring around his Longevity Dao Tree.
