“Is this the God-Locking Net?” Lan Xiaobu nodded, “Bai Shengxun, start refining it now. I’ll hide nearby to ambush Ji Yige.”
Lan Xiaobu was certain that as soon as Bai Shengxun began refining the God-Locking Net, Ji Yige would rush over immediately. This net wasn’t ordinary—it was undoubtedly among the finest of innate treasures.
“Dao Lord Lan, should I hide nearby too?” Pi Zuling asked eagerly.
Lan Xiaobu replied coolly, “You and Sect Leader Zhuo should leave for now. Come back after we’ve dealt with Ji Yige.”
“Ah…” Pi Zuling let out a surprised sound before saying, “Wouldn’t that waste our strength here?”
Lan Xiaobu sneered, “Do you think I need to ambush Ji Yige or call for help to take him down? He’s strong, sure, but I don’t even consider him a threat.”
Pi Zuling froze, then quickly understood, nodding, “Yes, yes, I get it. Sect Leader Zhuo, let’s go now.”
He realised Lan Xiaobu wasn’t refining the net himself to avoid scaring Ji Yige off—if Ji Yige saw Lan Xiaobu working on it, he’d never show himself. But with Bai Shengxun refining it, Ji Yige would strike without hesitation.
Lan Xiaobu glanced at Pi Zuling, knowing he hadn’t fully grasped the plan. Pi Zuling likely thought Lan Xiaobu was just worried about Ji Yige not appearing. In truth, that wasn’t his goal. He wanted Ji Yige to learn a lesson: after escaping once, he shouldn’t have come back. And just because Lan Xiaobu seemed stronger didn’t mean he wouldn’t resort to ambushes.
Sneak attacks weren’t Ji Yige’s exclusive trick—others could play that game too.
“Dao Lord Lan, you’ve got to act fast. Ji Yige’s too strong—I doubt I could last a single move against him,” Bai Shengxun said, exaggerating his concern to ensure Lan Xiaobu wouldn’t delay. In reality, he could hold out for a few moves against Ji Yige.
“Don’t worry, I guarantee you’ll be fine,” Lan Xiaobu replied, stepping to the edge of the God-Locking Net and transforming into an ordinary stone.
Bai Shengxun blinked, stunned. He knew Lan Xiaobu had shape-shifted, but he couldn’t spot him anywhere. Lan Xiaobu had changed right in front of him, yet everything seemed perfectly normal—no trace of anything amiss.
For a moment, Bai Shengxun hesitated to start refining the net, wondering if Lan Xiaobu had actually left. He scanned the surrounding grass, trees, and stones—nothing stood out.
“Bai Sect Leader, can you handle it? If not, I’ll call Pi Zuling back,” Lan Xiaobu’s displeased voice rang in his ear while he was still dazed.
“Ah, I can, I can!” Bai Shengxun snapped out of it, not daring to delay further. He sent out a strand of divine sense, connecting with the God-Locking Net, and began refining its restrictions with full force. But inside, his heart churned like a stormy sea. Lan Xiaobu was terrifying—hiding right in front of him, yet leaving no hint of his presence. A powerhouse like that could kill him as easily as squashing an ant.
Bai Shengxun had always seen himself as a Ninth-Turn powerhouse, standing at the peak of this plane. But now, he was just grateful he’d made the right call. Had he joined Da Pan Dao Sect’s plot, he’d likely have died by Lan Xiaobu’s hand. Forget everything else—just this concealment skill alone meant that even Da Pan Dao Sect and Qian Xu Saint Dao, teamed up with Ji Yige and other star-level sect powerhouses, couldn’t touch him. It was pure instinct telling him so.
…
Farther from Xuanyuan Dao Sect, Ji Yige frowned. He’d invited seven people, but only five responded. Worse, none of the five were elders from Jiu Suo Void City—they were all from its peripheral forces.
When Lan Xiaobu had wiped out nine Ninth-Turn powerhouses in Jiu Suo Void City, Ji Yige had been away with two elders, avoiding a direct clash. This time, invited by Da Pan Dao Sect to take down Lan Xiaobu, he’d naturally called on his own people. He hadn’t expected outsiders to agree while his own elders didn’t even bother replying.
Ji Yige’s face darkened. Had he been out of action too long, causing his elders to doubt his authority?
He’d made it clear that thirteen Ninth-Turn powerhouses would unite against Lan Xiaobu, yet they still didn’t dare come. With such cowardice, why bother cultivating the dao? In that moment, he conveniently forgot how he’d fled Jiu Suo Void City without looking back after learning Lan Xiaobu had killed nine powerhouses.
Suppressing his rage, Ji Yige exhaled. He swore that once he’d dealt with Lan Xiaobu and claimed the Cosmic Mill, he’d make those treacherous elders understand exactly who he was.
Just then, his mind jolted—he stared in disbelief. Someone was refining his God-Locking Net?
Unbelievable! Did they think he, Ji Yige, was made of clay? He quickly calmed himself, casting dozens of dao rules. The scene around the net’s perimeter gradually clarified in the void before him.
“Bai Shengxun!” Seeing who was refining his net, Ji Yige laughed in fury. He hadn’t even gone looking for trouble with Purple Cloud Valley, yet this guy dared come for him first.
Despite his boiling anger, Ji Yige carefully checked the surroundings through his monitoring array, confirming no one else was there—just Bai Shengxun. He figured Bai Shengxun had gone to Xuanyuan Dao Sect and stumbled upon the net by chance.
Probably planning to refine it and take it before Ji Yige could return, huh? Ji Yige sneered inwardly, then flashed forward, appearing beside Bai Shengxun in an instant.
“Didn’t expect me to leave a teleportation array rune here, did you?” Ji Yige’s voice rang out abruptly. Bai Shengxun seemed startled, lurching back.
Ji Yige snorted, about to lock him down, when a sudden, intense unease gripped him. Without hesitation, he hurled a massive seal outward.
*Boom!* Dao charm exploded as his seal was blasted back.
Ji Yige didn’t even extend his divine sense. He triggered the God-Locking Net and immediately tried to flee.
He was certain only Lan Xiaobu could have that kind of power. The seal had been met with halberd gleam dao charm—proof the hidden attacker was Lan Xiaobu.
Even after triggering the net, Ji Yige kept retreating, not even bothering to retrieve it. He knew the odds of activating it were one in ten thousand. If it was really Lan Xiaobu, there was no way he’d let the net activate—or let Ji Yige take it back.
Sure enough, within half a breath, Ji Yige confirmed his suspicions. The net was locked down by an array he couldn’t even detect. The feeling was oddly familiar—he realised that back at Da Pan Dao Sect, he’d sensed something off. Lan Xiaobu must’ve been lurking there too.
A chill ran from his head to his toes. They’d been plotting against Lan Xiaobu while he hid right beside them, unnoticed. Ji Yige swore that if he escaped this time, he’d never provoke Lan Xiaobu again.
Several space blades laced with deathly aura appeared on his escape path. If they couldn’t easily tear his body apart, he’d have let them hit him and kept running, even if it meant heavy injury. But these blades could kill him outright—he had to dodge.
*Bang!* Ji Yige felt like he’d thrown himself into Lan Xiaobu’s fist dao rules. His back tore open under a single punch, his divine essence and dao rules collapsing like a punctured balloon.
*Thud.* His broken body hit the ground. Looking up at the approaching Lan Xiaobu, his eyes burned with despair—and rage.
Yes, rage.
“Didn’t expect me to be here, did you?” Lan Xiaobu said as he walked over.
“You… you actually ambushed me? I…” Ji Yige couldn’t finish, spitting out a stream of blood.
He wasn’t beaten to death—he was pissed to death. Lan Xiaobu was far stronger than him. Otherwise, why would he fear facing Lan Xiaobu head-on and rally over a dozen Ninth-Turn Saints instead? For someone of Lan Xiaobu’s caliber to ambush him—and even bring Bai Shengxun along—was beyond comprehension.
He couldn’t fathom how someone so shameless, so devoid of honor, existed. If he had Lan Xiaobu’s strength, he’d never stoop to ambushes—he’d crush his foes openly and declare…
Ji Yige’s thoughts faltered. He saw his world pried open, Lan Xiaobu shredding the soul fragments he’d left scattered.
The last words he heard were, “If I were you, too scared to enter Jiu Suo Void City, I’d have stayed far away. Why come back to die? Now, not only are you dead, but you dragged Da Pan Dao Sect and Qian Xu Saint Dao’s Ninth-Turn powerhouses down with you.”
“So it was you…” Ji Yige muttered his final four words, watching his primordial spirit dissolve in unwilling despair.
Bai Shengxun felt like he’d fallen into an icy abyss. He’d tried to imagine Lan Xiaobu as overwhelmingly powerful—otherwise, he wouldn’t have rejected Lu Qi’s offer and come to curry favor instead. But now he saw how wise that choice had been. Da Pan Dao Sect and Qian Xu Saint Dao’s four Ninth-Turn Saints had been silently wiped out, and no one even knew.
