Yiyai cautiously lurked beyond the void plaza of Beast Soul Dao’s star, realizing only now that she had no clue how to find Lan Xiaobu.
Even if he was here, how would she locate him? Forget locating him—she couldn’t even enter the star itself.
After hovering outside for a while, she noticed no one guarded the star’s protective array. Observing longer, she confirmed it—empty. With Li Zhou Palace on the brink, Yiyai steeled herself and landed on the void plaza outside the array.
Her divine sense swept over—buildings in ruins, two corpses sprawled.
Could this all be Big Brother Lan Xiaobu’s doing? Though many Li Zhou disciples saw him as a senior, Yiyai knew from Zhi Yi that he wasn’t old. Zhi Yi called him “Brother Lan,” so “Big Brother” felt right to her.
Recalling Elder Zhi’s words, Yiyai grew certain Lan Xiaobu had slain every Beast Soul Dao cultivator here. She edged toward the star array’s entrance—no attacks, no interference. Breathing easier, she was convinced Elder Zhi was right—Lan Xiaobu had single-handedly crushed Beast Soul Dao.
She searched for a way in, hoping he hadn’t left yet. If he had, she’d never track him down.
But as she reached the entrance, a surge of power engulfed her, teleporting her away.
When Yiyai hit the ground, she was in a blood-stained hall. A recent battle had clearly raged here—corpses gone, but the carnage lingered. The stench of blood hinted at a massacre.
She tried to bolt, only to despair—she was trapped, the hall sealed by an array she couldn’t dent in a thousand years.
…
Lan Xiaobu spotted Yiyai the moment she hit the entrance. He’d stayed to loot Beast Soul Dao’s resources and ambush returning members, aiming to wipe them out.
He’d set a sealing array and teleport trap outside—anyone stepping onto the plaza couldn’t leave, ending up in the council hall. If someone dodged the teleport, even better—he’d kill them in batches, less pressure.
He hadn’t expected a lone Harmony God Realm girl instead of Beast Soul Dao elites.
Seeing just her, he didn’t bother investigating, resuming his work on the Great Dao Pure Spirit Pool’s restrictions.
As he peeled away each layer, he sensed its depth—brimming with dao laws that could purify anything alien to one’s intent.
Nearing the final 108 restrictions, something felt off. A fierce backlash erupted from the pool, slamming into his sea of consciousness. He spat blood, and a chilling voice echoed, “You destroyed my legacy—I’ll be waiting.”
Lan Xiaobu froze. The voice came from the pool. Sure enough, a shadow tore through the void, and the pool vanished.
It escaped? He stared, stunned, not even wiping the blood from his lips.
After re-proving his dao and adding seven more dao patterns to his Eternal Dao Tree, he’d thought no one in this universe could threaten him. He’d proven it—slaughtering over a hundred Beast Soul Dao proven cultivators, including seven above Seventh-Turn and two Ninth-Turns, with only moderate injuries, thanks to his arrays. But now, he saw the gulf between him and a true Eternal Saint. That voice—clearly an Eternal—had snatched the pool across countless planes and injured his consciousness with a mere soul remnant. If his sea weren’t so robust, it’d have shattered.
“Whew!” He stood, calming his shock.
So what if it was an Eternal Saint? He hadn’t survived this long on anyone’s mercy. If he lagged now, he’d aim for Eternal himself. Why could Beast Soul Dao’s ancestor achieve it, but not him?
If they wouldn’t return, he’d hunt them down and erase their legacy himself.
He entered the council hall, face grim.
He’d come to grill this trapped girl—why hadn’t Beast Soul Dao’s elites returned? Waiting irked him.
But stepping in, he realized she wasn’t Beast Soul Dao. He’d killed enough of them to know their fierce, kill-heavy aura and dao rhythm—she lacked it.
“Senior…” Yiyai called, thrilled to see him. She’d planned to call him “Big Brother Lan” like Zhi Yi’s “Brother Lan,” but his dour entrance made her falter, opting for “Senior.”
Lan Xiaobu waved her off, “Speak. Who are you? Why’re you here?”
“Are you Big Brother Lan, Senior?” she asked, voice shaky.
Amused by the awkward mix, he said, “Yes, I’m Lan Xiaobu. Who are you? Why’re you at Beast Soul Dao?”
Yiyai fumbled out a jade slip, “Big Brother Lan, I’m Yiyai. This is from Sister Zhi Yi—she’s in danger, asking you to save her. Four star sects are besieging Li Zhou Palace. Our elites are holding on with a treasure, but it won’t last—they’ll all die. If Li Zhou Palace falls, the whole star’s life is at stake. I’m here begging you to help.”
Lan Xiaobu took the slip—Zhi Yi’s, no doubt. But he was speechless. One sect like Beast Soul Dao? He’d help. But four? He wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could solo that.
He’d crushed Beast Soul Dao because no one saw it coming—his traps and arrays set in secret. Against four sects’ top dogs on Li Zhou Star, what could he do? Risk his life for a casual acquaintance like Zhi Yi? Not worth it. Could he even succeed?
“Big Brother Lan, our Palace Lord says if you help, Li Zhou Star’s Time Tree is yours…” Yiyai added, seeing his silence.
He sighed, “It’s not that I won’t—it’s that I can’t. Four star sects—seven or eight Ninth-Turn Saints, plus heaps of Eighth- and Seventh-Turns? You want me to hit an unfamiliar star, facing that? Your lord overestimates me. I doubt I’d even get in.”
He wasn’t bluffing. After taking Beast Soul Dao, he’d locked its array tight. The Time Tree tempted him, but not enough to die for.
Yiyai’s eyes reddened, “Big Brother Lan, Beast Soul Dao’s ruthless—they wipe out whole stars. Please save ours. I’ve got the Palace Lord’s token—it can slip us into Li Zhou Star past the array…”
She thrust a jade token at him.
The moment it hit his hand, he sensed a teleport array rune capable of piercing boundaries. She might be right—it could get them inside Li Zhou Star.
