Taking Away the Phantom Bridge Without Reincarnation
Percy Ping smiled faintly and said in a clear voice, "Since that's the case, let's proceed with the second round of Dao debate. As Longsun Arlo has already entered the Immortal Sovereign Stage, do any of the other four inheritors wish to challenge Longsun Arlo in Dao debate? If not, my suggestion is to declare Longsun Arlo as the first place winner."
No one spoke up. Even the most self-confident among the remaining four wouldn't dare pit an Immortal King against an Immortal Sovereign.
Seeing that no one responded, Percy Ping continued, "Sect Masters, since that's settled, let's move on to the second round of Dao debate. The rules remain the same: each of the remaining four will fight three matches—winning earns three points, a draw earns one point, and a loss earns none. Rankings will be determined by total points."
After Percy Ping's announcement, even Marlon Jace and Leon Yue, who were inclined to nitpick, had nothing to say.
If you're dissatisfied, you can have your inheritor challenge Longsun Arlo. It's not that you're forbidden to challenge him—the real question is, do you even dare?
......
Nina Di circled the perimeter of Lethe Temple. Her grandfather had said he had matters to attend to, and now three years had passed. In all that time, he hadn't shown himself or sent her a single message. Over these three years, she had advanced to the second level of the Golden Core Stage, and even her Five Elements Escape Technique had reached a certain level of mastery.
If it weren't for her grandfather's instructions, she would have already tunneled down to see what was really going on with him.
At this moment, Joe Di sat atop a black wooden bridge. His Ninth World was still devoid of life, but the laws of reincarnation were gradually taking shape.
In Joe Di's mind, a voice kept reminding him: to truly master the Reincarnation Bridge, he must take the bridge through a cycle of reincarnation.
To reincarnate, or not to reincarnate...
Joe Di's powerful will made him open his eyes. With a flick of his hand, the Reincarnation Bridge appeared deep within his sea of consciousness.
He no longer wished to go through reincarnation—it was simply too much of a waste of time. How long would a single cycle take? Nina Di was still waiting alone at Lethe Temple.
Right now, he needed to take Nina Di into the Immortal Realm, to search for Nora Xiu and the one he had never met, Autumn Waters.
"Grandfather..." The bored Nina Di brightened instantly when she saw her grandfather appear, and rushed over in delight.
"Not bad. In just a few years, you've reached the second level of the Golden Core Stage." Joe Di smiled at Nina Di. For her to advance from the fifth level of Foundation Establishment to the second level of Golden Core in three years, she must have worked extremely hard.
Hearing her grandfather's praise, Nina Di's face lit up with joy. "Grandfather, can we leave here now?"
"You haven't left at all these past years? You've just been cultivating here?" Joe Di looked at Nina Di in surprise. For a girl not yet twenty to suppress her nature and remain hidden in the Lethe Mountains for three years, such focus was no small feat.
Nina Di replied shyly, "I did go out once last year after I reached Golden Core, but the people outside were too strange, so I came back."
Nina Di had gone to a bustling city, where she saw many girls her age dressed revealingly, even kissing in public and doing things she couldn't begin to understand. It left her quite shocked.
Within just two or three days, she found herself unable to adapt to the city’s atmosphere, so she simply returned to Lethe Temple to continue her secluded study of escape techniques.
“This place really isn’t suitable for you. I’ll take you to the Immortal Realm, or perhaps you can find your mother there.” Joe Di lifted his hand, gathering Nina Di close, and with a flick of his palm, tore open a rift in the void.
Stepping into the void, Joe Di quickly located the Central Realm with his divine sense, and in a single stride, arrived at Fivefold Plaza.
The Central Realm had changed little; though a few familiar faces remained, his sister Debbie Di and the Di family’s Uncle Fu were nowhere to be seen.
What astonished Joe Di most was that the Fivefold Dao Tower, which had always stood at the heart of Fivefold Plaza, had vanished. Without the tower, the plaza was no longer what it once had been.
If the Fivefold Dao Tower was gone, the only one capable of refining it and taking it away had to be Faye Dee. But Faye Dee only possessed one Fivefold Dao Principle—didn’t she still need the Fivefold Seal to refine the tower? The Fivefold Seal was in his hands. How could Faye Dee have managed to refine and remove the Fivefold Dao Tower?
“Grandfather, is this where you used to cultivate?” Nina Di saw Joe Di standing in a daze at the empty Fivefold Plaza and couldn’t help but ask.
“Yes, though things have changed here. Hm…” Joe Di had only begun to answer when he suddenly exclaimed. Without another word, he took another step, leading Nina Di away from Fivefold Plaza.
……
In terms of heritage, Starstream Order in the Central Realm was undoubtedly the weakest among the sects. Yet when it came to actual power, Starstream Order was second to none.
Not to mention the founder, Joe Di—even after his ascension to the Immortal Realm, his sister Debbie Di and closest friend Garrett remained. Each one was a supreme cultivator of the Central Star.
Even the Destiny Guild and True Domain treated Starstream Order of the Central Star with utmost respect.
At that moment, a one-armed man stood outside Starstream Order, his voice tinged with excitement as he asked the disciple guarding the sect, “May I ask, who is the sect master of Starstream Order?”
“Who are you?” The disciple guarding the entrance stared at the one-armed man, his tone unfriendly.
“My name is Timothy Xiang. I once served as sect master of Starstream School on the Aurora Continent…”
Before Timothy Xiang could finish, the disciple lashed out with a kick. “Courting death, daring to impersonate our sect master! How could the sect master of Starstream Order be a cripple like you?”
Timothy Xiang hurriedly tried to dodge, but hadn’t expected the disciple to also control the binding array at the gate. Under its restraint, he failed to evade the attack.
Bang! Timothy Xiang took the full force of the kick and was sent flying backward.
Yet he hadn’t flown far before a force caught him, allowing him to land safely and unharmed.
“Sect Master Xiang, it’s been a long time.” Joe Di smiled faintly, cupping his fist in greeting.
Joe Di had always held Timothy Xiang in high regard. Back when he and Garrett slew members of the Qi family, Timothy Xiang knew full well how powerful the Qi family was, yet insisted on protecting them because they were disciples of Starstream School. Clearly, Timothy Xiang was a bold and responsible sect master—not a coward.
Later, he’d heard that Elder Liu had barely advanced to a false soul stage, and forcibly drove Timothy Xiang out when he tried to continue protecting them.
“You are…” Timothy Xiang found Joe Di strangely familiar, yet didn’t dare ask. In truth, he’d never met Joe Di in person—only seen images of him and Garrett.
“I’m Joe Di, from Starstream School. By rights, Sect Master Xiang, we’re of the same sect.” Joe Di quickly explained.
Timothy Xiang’s face lit up with joy. “So you’re Joe Di! I never imagined you’d come to the Central Realm as well. This is wonderful—truly wonderful…”
All these years, he’d wandered the void, and hadn’t even heard about Joe Di destroying the Qi family.
Halfway through, Timothy Xiang suddenly recalled something. “Joe Di, did you found Starstream Order?”
Joe Di nodded. “That’s right, I did establish Starstream Order. Come, let’s go inside and have a seat.”
Joe Di planned to ask about Debbie Di and Garrett, then leave. Before returning to the Immortal Realm, he still needed to visit Aurora Continent and save Qian Fenghua. With his current understanding of heaven and earth’s laws, and his mastery of rule Dao, he should be able to barely repair the rules of Aurora Continent.
“Who is your sect master?” Joe Di approached the disciple guarding the sect’s protective array, his tone icy.
He’d seen clearly how the disciple had activated the binding array and kicked Timothy Xiang.
Timothy Xiang’s actions were not out of line, yet the disciple had attacked him. Joe Di found such behavior deeply distasteful.
Crushed by Joe Di’s aura, the disciple couldn’t help but answer, “Our sect master is Zane Dee…”
But after uttering the sect master’s name, the disciple abruptly realized—why was he being so polite to this stranger?
“Zane Dee?” Joe Di repeated the name. The surname matched his own, but the name itself was entirely unfamiliar.
“Who are you? This is Starstream Order, and you dare address our sect master by name!” The disciple snapped back, tempted to kick Joe Di as well. Yet, having just blurted out the sect master’s name, he felt something was off.
Joe Di ignored the disciple, sending his divine sense sweeping through the entire Starstream Order.