At the center of the plaza within Celestial Beyond, a middle-aged man with a black beard stood surrounded by a crowd that nearly filled the square. These people were not here by choice; those who refused to come had been killed by Thunder Sound Valley. The man speaking in the center was none other than the master of Thunder Sound Valley, Feng Zhi.
Behind Feng Zhi stood four late-stage Integration Realm experts, one of whom had already reached the same Half-Step Realm Creator level as Feng Zhi.
Feng Zhi's expression was gloomy as his gaze swept across the crowd, his tone icy cold. "Thunder Sound Valley rarely provokes others, and few dare to provoke us. Those who do are no longer alive, for Thunder Sound Valley has eliminated them. Our greatest talent, Finn Brooks, is known to many—he is even recognized as the youngest Third Step cultivator at present.
In terms of strength, aside from the Feng Family's ancestor, there is likely no one in this universe who can match him. Yet, not long ago, he was ambushed. Heh, the person who plotted against Finn Brooks dares not show their face, but unfortunately for them, we have still managed to find them."
At this, Feng Zhi raised his hand and projected a void image—an image of Nina Swan.
Pointing at Nina Swan, Feng Zhi said, "This wretch and her accomplices are the ones who ambushed Finn Brooks. That's right, she's already escaped. However, she has a friend named Shelby Young, with whom she once spent time here in Celestial Beyond..."
Everyone now understood why Thunder Sound Valley had nailed Shelby Young outside Celestial Beyond.
"I believe you all know why the Feng Family has nailed Shelby Young outside Celestial Beyond. As long as Nina Swan does not appear, Shelby Young will remain pinned to the plaza outside Celestial Beyond for another day..."
Feng Zhi's gaze swept across the crowd once more, his tone growing even colder. "If anyone knows whom Shelby Young or Nina Swan is acquainted with, step forward and you will be spared. Otherwise, there will be no mercy. Until the person who ambushed Finn Brooks is found, this universe will continue to bleed, and more will die for the sake of our family's genius. Celestial Beyond is only the beginning."
The crowd stirred uneasily, but no one dared to cross the line. Everyone knew of Thunder Sound Valley's strength, and the elders of Thunder Sound Valley had killed without hesitation in Celestial Beyond before.
At that moment, a disciple of Thunder Sound Valley hurried to Feng Zhi's side and anxiously whispered a few words.
Feng Zhi's face fell, and he spun around to rush out. But before he could move, Joe Di's voice echoed through the square: "Congratulations, you've found me. You don't even need to leave Celestial Beyond—I'm the one who killed Finn Brooks."
Truthfully, Joe Di didn't even need to say it. Just seeing Shelby Young beside him, Feng Zhi understood everything.
Feng Zhi let out a manic laugh, not bothering with words. He summoned his Sun Chisel, sweeping it furiously toward Joe Di. The other Integration Realm cultivators flanking him unleashed their own treasures, surrounding Joe Di in a deadly formation.
Some quick-witted cultivators, seeing this, charged desperately toward the outside of Celestial Beyond. With Joe Di blocking Thunder Sound Valley, if they didn't escape, would they wait for the Feng Family to kill Joe Di and then come for them next?
Just like a domino effect, once a few cultivators started fleeing, the rest quickly came to their senses and all rushed madly toward the outside of Celestial Beyond.
The plaza inside Celestial Beyond instantly descended into chaos, the whole square becoming a jumble. Thunder Sound Valley paid no attention to the disorderly cultivators; all of their experts, led by Feng Zhi, blocked Joe Di and Shelby Young.
Joe Di didn't even bother to summon a treasure; his domain of rules unfurled without restraint, making the void in this part of the world feel utterly cut off from the universe.
All the Feng Family and Thunder Sound Valley cultivators, including Feng Zhi, found their movements growing sluggish. Not only that, even their mystical arts and laws began to shatter rapidly.
Feng Zhi's Sun Chisel hung motionless in the air. Joe Di sneered, "I can't be bothered to wipe out Thunder Sound Valley, yet you still come looking for me—you're bold, I'll give you that. Honestly, I can't imagine how Thunder Sound Valley has lasted this long."
As he finished speaking, Joe Di's slashing laws tore through the void like blades and shearing space. In that instant, every Thunder Sound Valley cultivator trapped in his domain was doomed—none could escape.
Even Thunder Sound Valley's strongest elder, the Half-Step Realm Creator, was slaughtered by Joe Di's Path of Rules resonance.
Joe Di formed a hand seal, his laws surging forth. Feng Zhi, suddenly meek as a lamb, was caught in Joe Di's grip. His Sun Chisel, stripped of spiritual support, clattered to the ground.
"So you've found me—does that make you happy?" Joe Di's voice was utterly cold.
He saw it clearly now. In a world overrun by monsters and fiends, sometimes the only answer is to kill. Some souls can be redeemed, but others are evil to the core—there's no changing them. For those, death is the only justice.
A cold wave swept through Feng Zhi's heart. He realized he was the universe's greatest fool. Finn Brooks was a Third Step cultivator—how could anyone ambush someone like that? If a Third Step expert were so easily ambushed, what was the point of such a realm?
Clearly, Finn Brooks was slain head-on by the expert before him. Yet here they were, a group who hadn't even reached the Third Step, seeking vengeance against this cultivator—it was sheer folly. Wasn't this just courting death?
Truthfully, the Five Elements Universe had always been too weak, lacking any real experts, while Finn Brooks had always been too strong. This led Thunder Sound Valley's cultivators to assume, apart from their ancestor, no one in the universe could stand against Finn Brooks.
"Senior, this matter is the Feng Family's fault. My Feng Family shouldn't have..."
Joe Di interrupted Feng Zhi, saying coolly, "If that's all you have to say, then there's no need to continue."
Sensing the aura of death, Feng Zhi had no time for regret. He cried out urgently, "Senior, my Feng Family still has an ancestor, Ethan Feng, who entered the Boundary Fusion Realm tens of thousands of years ago. By now, he is likely at the Creation Realm..."
"Oh? Your Feng Family has a Boundary Fusion Realm cultivator?" Joe Di asked in surprise. In the Five Elements Universe, it seemed almost impossible for anyone to have reached the Boundary Fusion Realm.
"Yes, yes..." Feng Zhi replied frantically, all traces of his previous sinister and murderous demeanor gone.
Many of the cultivators who had fled the plaza stopped in their tracks, finally grasping the truth. The Joe Di who once claimed dominion over Celestial Beyond's plaza was truly unmatched—without lifting a finger or using a single technique, he had crushed Thunder Sound Valley.
"Oh? Send him a message. Tell him I'll be waiting in Celestial Beyond for a while. If he doesn't come, don't blame me for razing Thunder Sound Valley to the ground."
Joe Di's words sent a chill through Feng Zhi. In that moment, he nearly wanted to smash his own head—why had he ever tried to avenge Finn Brooks? Now that he'd provoked such a monster, could Thunder Sound Valley even survive?
"What? Are my words not enough?" Seeing Feng Zhi hesitate, Joe Di's voice grew even colder, his killing intent sending chills down Feng Zhi's spine.
"Yes, yes..." Feng Zhi dared not hesitate any longer. He pulled out a Hexagonal Gold Talisman, activated it, and spat a mouthful of blood onto the talisman. Then, infusing it with his spiritual sense, he sent several messages. The talisman transformed into six golden rays and vanished into the void.
Joe Di's eyes narrowed—he hadn't sensed the rules of those six golden rays at all, which showed just how powerful the creator of the talisman was.
"Go. You can join your family's genius now..." With a squeeze of his law-forged hand seal, Joe Di reduced Feng Zhi—a cultivator on the verge of the Realm Creator—to nothingness.