After setting everything up, Lan Xiaobu decided to use the small “Cosmic Mill” tablet to locate and refine the real Cosmic Mill.
No, something felt off. Lan Xiaobu gripped the small “Cosmic Mill” stone tablet in his hand, a sudden unease rising in his chest.
His journey to Da Mo Void Star had been smooth, without encountering any troublemakers. Logically, the four star-level sects of Da Mo Void Star should have heard about his actions in Jiu Suo Void City and been intimidated into leaving him alone.
But in reality? If they were truly afraid, they wouldn’t just avoid him—they’d actively seek to befriend him. That would be the normal reaction. Of course, avoiding him didn’t necessarily mean they were plotting something. Still, it’s better to be cautious than sorry. He was alone on a strange planet that harboured ill intentions towards him.
The planet’s grand array wasn’t under his control but belonged to the four star-level sects. Lan Xiaobu began to ponder. Even if those sects only had five Ninth-Turn powerhouses combined, what if they could contact Ji Yige, the city lord of Jiu Suo Void City whom he hadn’t killed?
If Ji Yige then reached out to the other factions’ planets under Jiu Suo Void City’s influence, even one Ninth-Turn powerhouse per planet would mean five more. Add that to the four star-level sects of Da Mo Void Star and Ji Yige himself…
The more Lan Xiaobu thought about it, the more alarmed he became. The four star-level sects of Da Mo Void Star surely had more than five Ninth-Turn Saints.
He knew full well that his feat of taking down nine Ninth-Turn powerhouses in Jiu Suo Void City wasn’t because his strength could truly overwhelm nine united Ninth-Turn Saints. It was due to his swift, decisive strategy, his mastery of arrays, and the fact that those nine weren’t cohesive—each hoping to escape.
If he got trapped on Da Mo Void Star and faced a dozen or so Ninth-Turn powerhouses surrounding him, could he escape?
Lan Xiaobu took a deep breath. He realised that after suppressing the four star-level sects on Li Zhou Star and killing Yi Xie, he’d grown complacent. Add to that his easy crushing of the Eternal Night Saint and the nine Ninth-Turn powerhouses in Jiu Suo Void City, and his mindset had shifted.
No matter how much he wanted the Cosmic Mill, he couldn’t refine it now.
“Senior Lan…” Zhuo Xuantian emerged with several Proven Saints, seemingly ready to welcome Lan Xiaobu into the sect.
“Sect Leader Zhuo, have your people head back first. Stay behind and have a word with me,” Lan Xiaobu nodded. His plan had to change—otherwise, if something went wrong, he’d either die or lose a layer of skin.
“Yes.” Zhuo Xuantian waved off the elders behind him. Once they left, he said, “Our Xuanyuan Dao Sect was locked down by the four star-level sects. Everyone’s paths were sealed by them, and several elders, disciples, even the vice sect leader, were killed. It was only after they heard of your deeds in Jiu Suo Void City that they hurriedly withdrew from Xuanyuan Dao Sect and released our elders and disciples.”
Lan Xiaobu replied, “Old Zhuo, I’m afraid this isn’t over. Have the four major sects come here to build ties with us? They haven’t, so what does that suggest?”
Zhuo Xuantian had been lost in the sect’s woes, but Lan Xiaobu’s words jolted him awake. After a long pause, he said, “You’re right… How did you think of this, Senior?”
Normally, upon returning, he’d be too caught up in sect matters to think of anything else, and Lan Xiaobu, upon arriving, would focus on refining the Cosmic Mill—not other concerns. He knew the small tablet was in Lan Xiaobu’s hands, and once outside Xuanyuan Dao Sect, Lan Xiaobu could sense the Cosmic Mill’s presence.
Who wouldn’t prioritise refining the Cosmic Mill over everything else?
“Heh, if I couldn’t figure this out, I wouldn’t have survived this long,” Lan Xiaobu chuckled, boasting a little.
In truth, his realisation was a fluke. His sole purpose here was the Cosmic Mill, so when he sensed it, he’d planned to find and refine it. Setting up a protective array and a trap-kill array at the refining site was already him being extra cautious.
Perhaps another reason was that, while he came for the Cosmic Mill, he didn’t share the same obsession as other Ninth-Turn Saints. He simply had too many treasures already, so he didn’t get so excited as to overlook other matters.
“What do we do now?” Zhuo Xuantian calmed down, knowing that if Lan Xiaobu were ambushed, Xuanyuan Dao Sect would vanish in smoke.
Lan Xiaobu grinned, “These people want to scheme against me? It’s not that easy.”
As he spoke, he casually pulled out a puppet. In an instant, it transformed into his likeness.
“That’s a Ninth-Grade Saint Puppet?” Zhuo Xuantian wasn’t inexperienced. Spotting Lan Xiaobu’s puppet, he immediately recognised it. Though not as strong as a Proven Saint, it had the combat power of a First-Turn Saint.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “Got it from some bloke’s world. Comes in handy now.”
It was from Yi Xie’s world—nine such saint-level puppets had been found there. Lan Xiaobu hadn’t cared much for them at the time and had no plans to use them, but they proved useful now.
“Senior, just give the word, and I, Zhuo Xuantian, will follow your instructions to the letter,” Zhuo Xuantian said respectfully.
Lan Xiaobu waved it off, “I’ve already called you Old Zhuo, so drop the ‘Senior’ business. I’m a sect leader too, not some elder figure.”
Zhuo Xuantian had long wanted to get closer to Lan Xiaobu. Hearing this, he beamed, “Yes, Dao Lord Lan.”
Lan Xiaobu pointed at the puppet now mimicking him and said, “Take this puppet into the sect, then find a place where divine sense can’t penetrate and send it in. Say I’m injured and need to heal. Also, you need to tell me the locations of Da Mo Void Star’s four major sects.”
Zhuo Xuantian froze at Lan Xiaobu’s words, “Dao Lord Lan, are you saying there’s a spy in our sect?”
Lan Xiaobu glanced at Xuanyuan Dao Sect’s location without replying, trusting Zhuo Xuantian would get the hint.
“Rest assured, Dao Lord, I’ll handle it properly,” Zhuo Xuantian didn’t need an answer to understand.
The four star-level sects had controlled Xuanyuan Dao Sect for so long—if they hadn’t left a spy, even he wouldn’t believe it. He’d been too preoccupied with the sect, treating it as his sanctuary, to consider spies earlier.
Handing over a jade slip with four locations, he said, “Dao Lord Lan, Da Pan Dao Sect and Qian Xu Saint Dao are the strongest, each with two Ninth-Turn powerhouses. Purple Cloud Valley and Hundred Dao River are weaker, with at least one Ninth-Turn each.”
“Which is the strongest sect?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
“That would be Da Pan Dao Sect. Their sect leader, Lu Qi, is said to have unfathomable strength. Though Lu Qi looks rough and is powerful, he’s not particularly bold. On the other hand, their vice sect leader, Guang Ning, is ruthless and loves taking risks,” Zhuo Xuantian answered carefully.
“Good, I’ll leave this to you. Don’t send me any messages. If something urgent comes up, tell this puppet,” Lan Xiaobu added further instructions.
…
Da Pan Dao Sect wasn’t close to Xuanyuan Dao Sect—even with the Reincarnation Pot, it’d take half a day. But Lan Xiaobu had a faster method. Travelling alone now, without Zhuo Xuantian, he used his Longevity Rule evasion technique.
In just the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he appeared outside Da Pan Dao Sect.
At the entrance to Da Pan Dao Sect’s protective array stood what looked like withered reeds. Lan Xiaobu knew these weren’t dead plants—they were Source-Gathering Reeds. Though they appeared dry and yellow, they could absorb the heaven-and-earth vitality from billions of miles around. The more of them there were, the denser the gathered vitality. Beyond that, they stabilised the array’s core.
This patch of Source-Gathering Reeds was here not just to absorb divine energy but to reinforce Da Pan Dao Sect’s protective array core.
Lan Xiaobu transformed into one of the reeds, waiting. Once a Da Pan Dao Sect cultivator returned, he’d grab them, kill them, then take their form to infiltrate the sect and take out their Ninth-Turn powerhouses first.
Whether Da Pan Dao Sect was plotting against him or not, in a place this fraught with danger, better them than him. After eliminating Da Pan’s Ninth-Turns, he’d move on to the other three star-level sects. He avoided a direct assault to prevent alarming the others and letting their powerhouses escape.
He refused to believe that if he killed all of Da Mo Void Star’s Ninth-Turn powerhouses, Jiu Suo Void City’s lord would still dare bring people here to take him on.
Barely had Lan Xiaobu transformed into a Source-Gathering Reed when a grey figure abruptly landed outside Da Pan Dao Sect’s protective array.
Lan Xiaobu had come to snag a disciple and sneak in, but the moment this grey figure appeared, he completely suppressed his aura.
He was certain this person’s strength far surpassed any Ninth-Turn Saint he’d encountered—even the Eternal Night Saint, touted as half-step immortal, was nothing compared to this one.
Lan Xiaobu cultivated his own Great Dao. Though he’d transformed into a reed and concealed all his dao rule aura, he still felt a powerful divine sense sweep over his position. He was sure that if he didn’t follow his own Great Dao, that scan would’ve detected him.
What a wary bloke—this guy wasn’t just strong but incredibly vigilant. Could this be Da Pan Dao Sect’s sect leader, Lu Qi? Yet his cautious demeanour didn’t quite match Lu Qi’s profile.
“Haha, City Lord Ji gracing my Da Pan Dao Sect with your presence brings honour to us!” A hearty laugh rang out.
“Sect Leader Lu, you’re too kind. Today’s matter is no small thing—let’s head inside to discuss,” came a calm reply, carrying an undeniable authority.
Lan Xiaobu instantly pieced it together. This must be Ji Yige, the city lord of Jiu Suo Void City, and the one greeting him was Da Pan Dao Sect’s sect leader, Lu Qi.
His suspicions were spot on—these bastards were indeed plotting against him and had teamed up. If he wasn’t mistaken, the other three star-level sects were likely involved too. Good thing he’d caught on early.
