“If that’s true, then we really should seek this person’s help,” Supreme Elder Cai Pu said, a flicker of unease in his eyes.
On Li Zhou Star, the Cai family had always outshone the Zhi family, producing talent after talent. Take Cai Guyuan, for instance—a top contender in the Time Tree contest.
Honestly, the Cai family never took Zhi Yi seriously. Sure, she was an Eighth-Turn Sage, but she wasn’t even in the same league as Cai Guyuan. Yet this time, Zhi Yi returned from her trip not only grasping her own Time Dao Law but also befriending someone formidable. Talk about dumb luck.
Shan Bu’ang nodded, “Elder Zhi, did Zhi Yi owe this Lan Xiaobu a favor? What kind, exactly?”
Not just Shan Bu’ang—everyone assumed the same. Without a favor, how could Zhi Yi call on Lan Xiaobu? And it couldn’t be minor; a small debt wouldn’t move someone to face multiple star sects to save Li Zhou Star. They all wanted to know what Zhi Yi had done to earn such a debt.
Zhi Ji’s face flushed with embarrassment, “Actually, it’s not Zhi Yi who helped Lan Xiaobu—it’s Lan Xiaobu who helped her, something like saving her life. Plus, he brought her back. She didn’t even dare invite him to Li Zhou Star, just said he’s righteous, heroic, with a senior’s demeanor… ugh…”
Her last words trailed off in self-conscious dismay.
The others were floored. They’d thought Zhi Yi held some big favor over Lan Xiaobu—turns out, he was the one who’d saved her. Asking for help because he’s “righteous and heroic”? Really?
They knew Zhi Yi’s EQ was low, but this was absurd. He’d done her a favor, and now she’s begging him to bail them out in a crisis? “Righteous and heroic”—ha!
Silence fell. If this could summon Lan Xiaobu, it’d be a miracle. If Zhi Yi were stunning, maybe he’d fancy her as a dao partner—like Cai Guyuan’s beauty—but Zhi Yi was plain. Why would he risk his life against four star sects for her?
“Ugh…” Chen Jiutian sighed. Hearing Zhi Yi’s Time Law came from Lan Xiaobu, he’d wondered if Lan Xiaobu was an Eternal Realm master, capable of saving them. But Zhi Ji’s words dashed that hope—even if Lan Xiaobu was Eternal, he had no tie to Li Zhou Star.
The Li Zhou Cauldron rumbled under relentless bombardment. Despite the elites reinforcing it, its breach was only a matter of time.
Shan Bu’ang, quiet for a moment, spoke, “If Zhi Yi’s Time Law really came from Lan Xiaobu, he might be Eternal Realm—or at least a top-tier Half-Step Eternal, qualified to save us. But qualified doesn’t mean willing. Self-rescue is our priority…”
Everyone caught his drift: Lan Xiaobu’s ability didn’t mean he’d come—Zhi Yi’s plea was wishful thinking. Her EQ made this no surprise.
Chen Jiutian, struck by a thought, asked, “Elder Zhi, you said you saw something that gave you courage to mention Zhi Yi’s request for Lan Xiaobu. What was it?”
That jogged their memories—Zhi Ji wasn’t dim. If she’d seen something to justify this, it mattered.
Zhi Ji said gravely, “Do you know why Lan Xiaobu’s here?”
Before anyone answered, she continued, “His beast pet was snatched by Beast Soul Dao during its ascension, enraging him. Zhi Yi met him over this—she pointed him to Beast Soul Dao.”
“Lan Xiaobu went to Beast Soul Dao alone? For his pet?” an elder asked, incredulous.
Going to Beast Soul Dao wasn’t like visiting Li Zhou Palace. Here, he’d be welcomed as aid; there, he’d face a locked star array to reclaim a proven divine beast—vital to Beast Soul Dao.
Zhi Ji nodded, “Yes, I didn’t think much of it then. But when they hit my Extreme Realm Umbrella and the Palace Lord deployed the cauldron, I saw Yi Xie’s face change—pale, shaken, like he’d gotten unbelievable news. His killing intent spiked, like he’d devour someone…”
Shan Bu’ang’s eyes lit up, “Elder Zhi, you mean…”
Zhi Ji didn’t wait, nodding, “Yes, with Yi Xie’s status, only something outrageous could unhinge him like that. What could it be? I suspect Lan Xiaobu went to Beast Soul Dao, breached their array, and killed many. Yi Xie lost it when he learned.”
Shan Bu’ang snapped, “Who’ll go to Beast Soul Dao for Lan Xiaobu? Take my Palace Lord token. Promise him if he saves Li Zhou Star, the Time Tree is his.”
He never thought Zhi Yi’s favor could sway Lan Xiaobu—only the Time Tree might move such a powerhouse. Luckily, Zhi Yi was in first, with a shot at it.
“I’ll go,” a timid voice piped up.
“Yiyai, your cultivation’s too low—this isn’t trivial,” Zhi Ji said instantly.
Shan Bu’ang countered, “Yiyai’s fine. She’s closest to Zhi Yi, maybe the best shot at convincing Lan Xiaobu. My token can teleport her out of Li Zhou Star. Lower cultivation means less spatial disturbance.”
With Shan Bu’ang’s approval, all agreed.
He handed Yiyai his token and a talisman, “Yiyai, you got my words?”
“Palace Lord, don’t worry—I’ll get them to Big Brother Lan Xiaobu,” Yiyai said firmly, taking the token.
“Good. Once you’re out, trigger the talisman—it’ll send you to Beast Soul Dao’s outskirts,” Shan Bu’ang said, spitting blood onto the token. A white glow enveloped Yiyai, whisking her away.
No one batted an eye at his teleport talisman to Beast Soul Dao—or any sect. These star sects schemed against each other endlessly; this time, Li Zhou’s Time Tree just united the others against them.
…
Unlike Zhi Ji’s guess, Lan Xiaobu hadn’t breached Beast Soul Dao’s array—he’d been let in, lured by someone after his Samsara Pot, only to gift them the sect’s ruin.
He spared a few low-loyalty, weaker monks who swore oaths, but slaughtered most elites and disciples. Yi Xie’s rage stemmed from Lan Xiaobu nearly wiping them out.
He hadn’t planned such carnage, but he knew sparing them risked the Great Desolation Divine Realm if they tracked it down. Mercy to foes was cruelty to his own—he got that. Compared to those who’d raze planets, he felt downright tame for a proven cultivator.
Using trapping and slaughter arrays, he’d culled Beast Soul Dao’s proven monks, taking injuries but facing no threat from the rest.
Now, at the sect’s heart, he held a white jade square seal—the Saint Dao Platform, Beast Soul Dao’s treasure. Seven-legged, brimming with primal dao aura, it could smash a planet in a fight.
Pleased, he pocketed it, moving to harvest their dao fruit trees and spirit herb gardens.
He wasn’t leaving yet—having crossed Beast Soul Dao, he’d finish them off. Their elites on Li Zhou Star would return, and he’d kill again.
The dao fruit garden didn’t disappoint. He refined a mountain range and shifted it into his Eternal Realm—unlike his nascent setup, Beast Soul Dao’s ancient legacy offered a bounty of dao fruits and top-tier spirit herbs.
Collecting, he laid array flags. Beyond these, he eyed Bai Xixi’s former retreat—the Great Dao Pure Spirit Pool, a teleporting treasure in his view.
He wouldn’t leave until he’d stripped Beast Soul Dao bare.
