Chapter 917: Cosmic Grind Heart

Lan Xihé stared at Ding Huan in shock.

Is he really that strong?

She knew well that no matter how hard one trained in Xiao Tian Xu, one could never oppose Qu Qu Beige.

Not to mention Qu Qu Beige—even she herself dominated this plane.

Where did Ding Huan train to become this powerful?

Wrong, after being wounded by the Cosmic Grind Heart, her Dao rhythm scattered; if this continued, her Dao foundation would be corroded.

But this man was also wounded by the Cosmic Grind Heart—why is he unaffected?

Even able to counterattack and slay Qu Qu Beige after being wounded?

Clearly, he possesses a method to counter the corrosion of the Grind Heart's Dao rhythm on the Dao foundation.

The thought that Ding Huan might have cracked the Dao corrosion of the Cosmic Grind Heart struck her.

Lan Xihé's eyes immediately lit up, even forgetting for a moment how Ding Huan had slain Qu Qu Beige.

"Qin Qin, what's the name of that young cultivator? I heard them call him Brother Ding?" Lan Xihé whispered to Qin Qin beside her.

Qin Qin was still stunned, unable to recover.

She knew Ding Huan's strength.

When she first went with Ding Huan to search for Guangming Star Continent, Ding Huan had to avoid even the cultivator who trapped Qiao Qianhe—how could he possibly defeat Qu Qu Beige?

Rumors said Qu Qu Beige had reached some primordial realm—was it the seventh or eighth step of the Dao?

They also said Qu Qu Beige could casually conjure an entire universe, his cultivation supreme beyond measure.

Ding Huan actually killed him?

What level is this?

Too stunned, Qin Qin didn't respond to Lan Xihé's quiet question.

Only when Lan Xihé called her a second time did she snap back, letting out a startled "Ah!"

"Master, what did you say?" Qin Qin regained her composure.

"What's the name of that young cultivator?"

"Ding Huan."

"Where is he from? How long have you known him? How is your relationship with him?"

A barrage of questions left Qin Qin utterly speechless.

How could she know where Ding Huan came from?

She knew Ding Huan because he saved her life.

Although after spending time with him, she felt he was extraordinary and had developed feelings for him.

But Ding Huan clearly didn't care for her—he even actively rejected her advances.

The woman who came with him now was clearly far superior to her.

Thinking of this, Qin Qin unconsciously glanced at Jia Baihe and sighed inwardly.

A touch of self-pity crept in.

Seeing Qin Qin ignore her question again, Lan Xihé grew irritated:

"Qin Qin, you're familiar with Ding Huan—could you ask him to help me heal?"

"Master, he saved my life—I've always owed him. Asking him to help… this, this…"

Qin Qin answered evasively; deep down, she didn't want to beg Ding Huan.

Earlier, when she intervened to help Lan Xihé, she was wounded by Qu Qu Beige's domain.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Ding Huan never lifted a finger to help her—not even to stop her.

It showed he held deep resentment toward the founding master of Tian Huan Nü Gong.

He didn't kill her—that was already a mercy; how could she ask him to save her?

She would never open her mouth to make such a request.

Seeing Qin Qin silent, Lan Xihé grew anxious and knew she couldn't press further.

She could only frantically search for another solution.

Meanwhile, Ding Huan stared in shock at the space before him.

The rift torn open by the Cosmic Grind Heart's explosion was slowly healing, yet before Ding Huan's eyes floated a single Grind Heart.

Wasn't the Grind Heart just destroyed?

Why is it still here?

Whether or not the Grind Heart had exploded, Ding Huan raised his hand, summoning hundreds of seals to encase it, then seized it in his grasp.

An immense, boundless aura immediately surged into his senses.

Ding Huan stared in astonishment at the Grind Heart in his hand.

Is this the Cosmic Grind Heart?

This Grind Heart doesn't look like a fake at all.

If anyone could forge such a replica, that person must have existed before Chaos itself.

The power of this aura seems comparable to his Eternal Divine Wheel.

Whether or not the Cosmic Grind Heart was a fake, this Grind Heart was almost certainly genuine.

Ding Huan wrapped the Cosmic Grind Heart in seals, sent it into his world, then turned toward Guan Huan and the others.

"Brother Ding, wasn't Qu Qu Beige at the seventh step of the Dao—or even the eighth?"

Guan Huan rushed forward, excited.

Ding Huan's realm was lower than his, yet his actual strength was undeniably immense.

He wasn't even a match for Ding Huan back when he was at the Creation Realm.

No matter how strong Ding Huan is, he can't leap across realms to fight a Seventh Step of the Dao.

"Yes, this guy is indeed a Seventh Step of the Dao, but I can kill him now. As for why, we'll talk about it later when we have time."

"This isn't a good place for cultivation. You'll come with me soon."

Ding Huan patted Guan Huan on the shoulder.

Yi Jie snorted: "So what if he's a Seventh Step of the Dao? Even an Eighth Step of the Dao serves under Master Huan."

It was desperately trying to assert its presence.

Yi Jie's greatest fear was that Master Huan would kick it away.

If Master Huan abandoned it, it would be finished.

"Fine, there's no point staying here—I've wanted to leave for a long time."

"Old Guan, what's going on with the Little Tianxu? There are battle scars everywhere. If this keeps up, the Little Tianxu won't last much longer."

The Little Tianxu was covered in battle scars because constant magical duels had made its celestial and terrestrial laws extremely unstable.

This couldn't have been done by Qu Qu Beige alone.

Guan Huan sighed: "After you left, not long after, the Tianxu Dao Court was jointly carved up by the other Dao Lords."

Wu Qiu was gravely wounded and died—he deserved it.

He didn't even know his own worth, yet dared to ally with people like Chang Yun.

After Wu Qiu was killed, we left the Tianhuan Abyss of the Tianhuan Women's Palace and went our separate ways to find new places for cultivation."

Ding Huan nodded; Wu Qiu truly deserved his fate.

They were cooperating well with them, then turned around and stabbed them in the back to ally with Chang Yun and those other flesh-eating bastards.

Now look where he ended up—dead, his Dao destroyed, and the Tianxu Dao Court seized.

"After Wu Qiu's death, the Little Tianxu was peaceful for a while. But then another incident sparked fresh conflict—it involved the Desert Dao Lord…"

The Desert Dao Lord?

Guan Huan hadn't mentioned him, and Ding Huan had forgotten about the Desert Dao Lord.

This guy still had the task Ding Huan gave him.

"The Desert Dao Lord stole a top-grade Dao vein from Zuo Qiong, the Dao Lord of the Ji Yuan Dao Court, and was chased by Zuo Qiong. The Desert Dao Lord deliberately fled to Meng's seclusion."

No wonder Zuo Qiong could step into the false Fourth Step—he had a top-grade Dao vein hidden so well.

Don't think Ding Huan now has a pile of Dao veins.

In the Little Tianxu, Dao veins weren't ordinary things, let alone top-grade ones.

"If Meng Chuan hadn't stepped into the Fourth Step, even with the Desert Dao Lord's help, she still wouldn't have been Zuo Qiong's match, right?"

Ding Huan interjected.

"Actually, even together, Meng Chuan and the Desert Dao Lord weren't weaker than Zuo Qiong. But then the three of them were spotted by Chang Yun."

When all three were nearly mortally wounded, Chang Yun struck suddenly and severely injured Zuo Qiong. Meng Chuan and the Desert Dao Lord fled the Little Tianxu.

After that, the Little Tianxu was never peaceful again. The Ji Yuan Dao Court and the Chang Xing Dao Court have been fighting endlessly for territory, turning the skies black and the earth red.

Later, the Da Lun Dao Court joined in too. The already chaotic Little Tianxu became even more chaotic—fighting, seizing, killing, every moment, every second… sigh…"

When Guan Huan reached this point, he shook his head in silence.

"Under endless battle, the celestial and terrestrial laws of the Little Tianxu grew more and more shattered. Later, Zhong Dao and Yue Dao voluntarily left the Little Tianxu to seek new Dao paths."

I and Qiao Dao originally planned to leave too, but before we could, Qu Qu Beige returned to the Little Tianxu. Qu Qu Beige blocked the exit, so we had to retreat to Da Lun Mountain…"

Guan Huan didn't mention Lan Xihuo, probably to spare Qin Qin some face.

Lan Xihuo also played a major role in destroying the Little Tianxu.

"Then let's go," Ding Huan said, summoning the Cosmic Cauldron—he planned to pass through the Cosmic Wall and leave.

Even before he entered the Eternal Life Realm, he had been able to pass through the Little Tianxu's Cosmic Wall.

Now that he was a Fourth Step of the Dao, a Saint of Utterance, controlling the Cosmic Cauldron to pierce the Cosmic Wall should be effortless.

"Ding Daoist, I was too reckless before—I apologize to you," Lan Xihuo knew begging Qin Qin was useless, so she came to plead with Ding Huan.

If she didn't remove the corruption Dao rhythm from her body, she wouldn't just face falling from the Seventh Step—she'd face worse.

Ding Huan stared coldly at Lan Xihuo.

He held her in utter contempt.

"Big Brother Ding, I'm sorry, I…" Qin Qin hurried forward and bowed deeply in apology.

Ding Huan knew why she was apologizing.

Lan Xihuo had targeted him and Guan Huan, and Qin Qin couldn't stop her.

Then when Qu Qu Beige turned on Lan Xihuo, Qin Qin went to help Lan Xihuo.

Ding Huan waved his hand: "No need to apologize. You're a disciple of the Tianhuan Women's Palace. Let's part ways here—until we meet again."

Out of respect for Qin Qin, he wouldn't kill this woman—but helping her heal? Absolutely not.

"Qiao Daoist, are you coming with us, or staying here?" Ding Huan asked Qiao Qianhe.

Qiao Qianhe didn't even hesitate: "Of course I'm leaving with Ding Daoist."

Ding Huan was about to call everyone onto the Cosmic Cauldron.

Suddenly, Lan Xihuo spoke: "Ding Daoist, have you heard of the World of Gods?"

The World of Gods?

Ding Huan had never heard of it, but he didn't activate the Cosmic Cauldron—he turned to face Lan Xihuo:

"Tell me—what is the World of Gods?"

Lan Xihuo didn't dare hesitate: "The World of Gods is also called the World of Gods Universe. They say anyone from there could easily crush a Seventh Step of the Dao outside."

"You're not from the Gods' World?" Ding Huan looked at Lan Xihe in confusion.

Lan Xihe said with a bitter smile, "How could I possibly qualify to enter the Gods' World? But I've seen the Gods' World from afar. I heard people say it's the center of all planar universes, and that it never experiences Heavenly Tribulations…"