Lan Xiaobu nodded with a warm smile, “Very good. Knowing your mistakes and correcting them is the mark of a virtuous person. I appreciate that the most…”
Hearing Lan Xiaobu’s words, Lu Qi and the others were overjoyed. Truth be told, begging for mercy was just because they knew they couldn’t beat him—they didn’t actually expect Lan Xiaobu to let them off so easily. Yet, here he was, agreeing without a fuss. As for whether his words sounded a bit odd, their desperate will to survive brushed it aside.
“Thank you, Friend Lan…” Before Lu Qi could finish his gratitude, a wave of deathly aura swept over him. A terrifying halberd gleam enveloped all his vitality. He roared furiously, “You…”
But just like before, he couldn’t finish his sentence. Lan Xiaobu’s Longevity Halberd tore him in half. As for Lu Qi’s fleeing primordial spirit, Lan Xiaobu couldn’t be bothered to chase it, easily cracking open Lu Qi’s world instead.
Fang Sha and Guang Ning realised Lan Xiaobu had no intention of sparing them. They summoned their treasures and lunged at him.
The two ignored the fact that they were still within the trap-kill array, desperate to drag Lan Xiaobu down with them—or perhaps too frantic to care. Unfortunately, Lan Xiaobu’s trap-kill array wasn’t ordinary. Even full focus might not prevent injury, let alone their reckless assault on him now.
*Splatter! Splatter!* Lan Xiaobu didn’t even need to act. Two sprays of blood erupted as Fang Sha’s half-body and Guang Ning’s shoulder were shredded by spatial dislocation blades.
With little effort, Lan Xiaobu finished them off, looting their worlds before swiftly collecting his array flags and leaving Da Pan Dao Sect.
No one knew that, in such a short time, the Ninth-Turn Saints of two top sects—Da Pan Dao Sect and Qian Xu Saint Dao—had been wiped out by Lan Xiaobu.
Even with Ninth-Turn powerhouses, Da Pan Dao Sect wouldn’t easily detect Lan Xiaobu, let alone now, with none left. So, he exited the sect’s protective array without incident.
He refrained from stirring the pot further for now—otherwise, he’d have erased Da Pan Dao Sect entirely.
Once outside, Lan Xiaobu’s domain stretched across a hundred thousand miles. In moments, he caught the subtle shifts in the local heaven-and-earth rules, pinpointing Ji Yige’s direction.
To be safe, he used his Heaven-Reversing Divine Ability again. Sure enough, it traced Ji Yige’s figure clearly—given the short time, even his face was vivid. Lan Xiaobu easily locked onto Ji Yige’s dao charm aura. With this, Ji Yige couldn’t escape his pursuit in the short term, no matter how he tried.
Ji Yige probably never dreamed someone could so effortlessly trace his dao charm.
Instead of using the Reincarnation Pot, Lan Xiaobu tracked him with his ruleless evasion technique. In just half a day, he stopped. He couldn’t keep chasing—Ji Yige was ahead, seemingly setting something up.
Soon, Lan Xiaobu recognised the location: the outskirts of Xuanyuan Dao Sect.
Ji Yige worked for less than an hour before leaving again. Lan Xiaobu landed at the spot Ji Yige had been. He assumed Ji Yige was setting up that strangling array disc, but to his surprise, it was a top-tier treasure instead.
To avoid alerting Ji Yige, Lan Xiaobu didn’t use divine sense. Instead, he employed the Cosmic Dimensional Model.
In no time, the model constructed a structure: a top-grade innate treasure, a net-like one at that.
This net could instantly cover ten thousand miles, ensnaring everything within. If he passed through here, escaping its trap would be tough.
Lan Xiaobu sneered inwardly. Ji Yige was a cunning one—this net wasn’t something he’d mentioned to anyone from Da Pan Dao Sect. Logically, since they were cooperating, all tactics should be shared, yet Ji Yige had kept this ace up his sleeve.
It clicked quickly. This net was Ji Yige’s personal contingency. Though he’d assured Lu Qi and the others that the strangling array disc could trap Lan Xiaobu, Ji Yige himself knew it wouldn’t hold him.
Per Ji Yige’s plan, he’d strike when Lan Xiaobu was either mid-refinement or had just refined the Cosmic Mill. With twelve or thirteen Ninth-Turn powerhouses attacking simultaneously, Lan Xiaobu would have to stow the Cosmic Mill and flee. During his escape, he’d hit the strangling array disc, get delayed again, and face the dozen-strong assault. Even if he escaped, he’d be gravely injured.
This net, then, was Ji Yige’s final blow. Once it snared Lan Xiaobu, Ji Yige would whisk him away from Da Mo Void Star, claiming it was to honour the nine slain powerhouses of Jiu Suo Void City. That way, Ji Yige would nab both Lan Xiaobu’s loot and the Cosmic Mill.
Lan Xiaobu felt a chill. If he’d fled as planned, Ji Yige might’ve actually caught him in this net. Facing twelve or thirteen Ninth-Turn Saints, his odds of escaping were high—but not guaranteed.
His first instinct was to refine the innate net. If he did, when he and Ji Yige converged here, he could capture Ji Yige alive without lifting a finger.
But he quickly dismissed the idea. With his strength, he didn’t need the net to take on Ji Yige alone. Plus, refining it might tip Ji Yige off immediately.
Instead, Lan Xiaobu tossed out a dozen ruleless array flags, binding the net’s space. Whether he came here or not, Ji Yige wouldn’t be able to activate it.
With that done, he sent a message to Zhuo Xuantian, telling him to bring Bai Shengxun and Pi Zuling to meet him.
Just over an hour later, Zhuo Xuantian arrived with the two Ninth-Turn powerhouses.
“Dao Lord Lan…” Zhuo Xuantian bowed excitedly upon seeing him. Before, who among Da Mo Void Star’s four major sects would’ve spared him a glance? Now, both Purple Cloud Valley’s Bai Shengxun and Hundred Dao River’s Pi Zuling treated him with utmost respect.
“Bai Shengxun of Purple Cloud Valley (Pi Zuling of Hundred Dao River) greets Dao Lord Lan,” the two Ninth-Turn powerhouses hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.
Bai Shengxun was lean, resembling a scholarly figure. Pi Zuling, by contrast, was rugged, with grey-brown hair tied into a divine bun and skin that looked coated in rusty water, also grey-brown.
Lan Xiaobu returned the gesture, then asked, “Why didn’t you two go to Da Pan Dao Sect instead of coming to Xuanyuan Dao Sect to see me?”
Bai Shengxun quickly replied, “We’ve long admired Dao Lord Lan—how could we dare oppose you? When Da Pan Dao Sect and Qian Xu Saint Dao invited me and Sect Leader Pi to join them against you, we refused without hesitation and came here instead, eager to lend you our strength. As for our past missteps at Xuanyuan Dao Sect, we sincerely apologise and are willing to offer compensation.”
Zhuo Xuantian seemed about to say something but hesitated and held back. Lan Xiaobu chuckled, “I recently visited Da Pan Dao Sect and saw the four Ninth-Turn Saints from Qian Xu Saint Dao and Da Pan Dao Sect plotting with Ji Yige to deal with me. Not only that, Ji Yige left to round up more allies…”
At this, Bai Shengxun and Pi Zuling’s faces paled. Ji Yige’s involvement changed everything.
Lan Xiaobu could escape if he couldn’t win, but they’d be doomed. Yet Pi Zuling soon caught on—how did Lan Xiaobu know about a meeting of Ninth-Turn powerhouses? If such talks could be casually overheard, it’d be laughable. Unless… Pi Zuling didn’t dare finish the thought, but his spirits lifted.
Seeing their expressions, Zhuo Xuantian couldn’t hold back, “Dao Lord Lan, I suspect Bai Shengxun and Pi Zuling might not be genuine in their offer to help. They could be staying here to stab us in the back during the fight.”
Rattled by Ji Yige’s name, Bai Shengxun panicked at Zhuo Xuantian’s accusation, bowing hastily, “Dao Lord Lan, Sect Leader Pi and I are sincerely here to assist. We never went to see Lu Qi or Fang Sha!”
Pi Zuling chimed in with explanations, even swearing he hadn’t met Lu Qi.
Lan Xiaobu waved it off, “That’s not important. I plan to take out Ji Yige first, so I’ll need your help later…”
He paused mid-sentence. His initial plan was to take Bai Shengxun and Pi Zuling to hunt down Ji Yige. With these two Ninth-Turn powerhouses by his side, even if Ji Yige brought seven or eight allies, he could hold his own.
But then a better idea struck him—why chase Ji Yige? Why not let Ji Yige come to him?
“Dao Lord Lan, just give the order. I, Bai Shengxun, will give my all to assist you,” Bai Shengxun said decisively, knowing he was all-in with no way back.
Pi Zuling echoed, pledging his full effort.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, pointing nearby, “Ji Yige set up an innate treasure over there—a net, likely meant for me…”
“God-Locking Net!” Bai Shengxun and Pi Zuling exclaimed in unison.
