Without hesitation, Joe Di tore open the fabric of this domain’s space. Icy, sinister currents surged toward him. Having visited the Netherworld before, Joe Di instantly realized he had entered a realm much like it—oppressive, chilling, and haunted by shadows.
In the next moment, Joe Di’s spiritual sense swept across the distance and detected Jaxon Di.
Jaxon Di was pinned in the void, surrounded by a bleak, ghostly aura that pervaded every corner.
Almost at the very instant Joe Di saw Jaxon Di, divine energy erupted from Jaxon Di, crashing fiercely into the words ‘River of Divine Rebirth’.
The Dao resonance around the five characters ‘River of Divine Rebirth’ trembled violently. Suddenly, with a muffled groan, a gray handprint reached out toward Jaxon Di.
Joe Di was alarmed. Without a moment’s hesitation, he unleashed a Primordial Thunder Sigil.
Joe Di had mastered the Primordial Thunder Sigil long ago, but later devoted himself to the Way of the Blade, setting aside both the Primordial Thunder Sigil and the Primordial Thunderblade.
Yet here, the Primordial Thunder Sigil’s power was clearly much greater.
Boom! The Primordial Thunder Sigil struck the gray handprint head-on, tearing it apart instantly.
“Ha! You refuse the path to heaven and insist on barging into hell…” Chi Yao’s Avatar’s sharp laughter echoed through the void, as a violet figure blocked Joe Di’s path.
Joe Di could no longer spare a thought for Jaxon Di. The Azure Veil Blade whirled once more, unleashing the power of Time’s Third Loom.
As Joe Di invoked Time’s Third Loom, Chi Yao’s Avatar’s jade disc sent forth billions of radiant veils. Clearly, he would not allow Joe Di another chance to escape.
...
Jaxon Di had resigned himself to death, only to witness a bolt of thunder appear out of nowhere, smashing the gray handprint into fragments.
Before Jaxon Di could make sense of what had happened, the gray handprint once again reached from the void, grasping for him.
Just then, a shadow tumbled down from the void. The handprint that had been reaching for Jaxon Di suddenly paused, as if frozen in place.
Jaxon Di immediately sensed who the fallen shadow was. His spiritual sense swept out, helping steady the figure, who soon regained her composure and stopped not far from Jaxon Di.
"It’s you? Hannah..." Jaxon Di exclaimed in shock. He never expected Hannah Bei to appear here as well. Clearly, she had descended from the Everbloom Sanctuary.
“Jaxon, you really did come here... Ah, you—” Hannah Bei immediately saw Jaxon Di’s dire state, pinned in the void.
Jaxon Di’s thoughts returned to the void handprint. What shocked him was that it remained suspended in the air, as if someone had pressed pause.
Hannah Bei suddenly realized what was happening. She glanced at the handprint, then immediately summoned her magical artifact and hurled it toward the handprint. In her mind, it was the handprint that had pinned Jaxon Di here.
Boom! Hannah Bei's artifact struck the handprint. Aside from the rippling Dao resonance, the handprint remained utterly unmoved. Yet the violent force swept Hannah Bei off her feet, sending her crashing into Jaxon Di.
Jaxon Di stared blankly at the handprint, unable to comprehend why it hadn't moved. Logically, the handprint should have crushed both him and Hannah Bei to dust.
Wait, where did that arc of lightning come from just now?
Just as Jaxon Di pondered this, a surge of violent Dao resonance swept over them. He had no chance to observe its source, for he saw a shadow, first blurry then gradually clearer, appearing before him and Hannah Bei—a tall cultivator.
Hannah Bei gripped her artifact tightly, standing beside Jaxon Di. Moments ago, she had tried to remove the nails from Jaxon Di, but the Dao resonance was utterly beyond her control.
The person who appeared before Hannah Bei and Jaxon Di was pale-faced, with only a faint breath of life remaining. Everything else about him exuded an extreme, chilling coldness.
The pale-faced, tall cultivator simply stared at Hannah Bei, his eyes lost and muddled.
"Who are you?" Hannah Bei felt a chill run down her spine under that penetrating gaze. She could sense that, compared to this pale-faced cultivator, her own strength was utterly insignificant.
"Hannah, do you notice that this person's appearance is somewhat similar to yours?" Jaxon Di whispered beside her.
Hannah Bei noticed it too—the pale-faced cultivator did indeed resemble her. Not only that, but his features were also similar to those of the Bei Family ancestor.
The pale-faced cultivator kept staring at Hannah Bei, his brows furrowed tightly as if lost in deep thought.
"Senior, we mean no offense by coming here. Could you please release my senior brother?" Hannah Bei could no longer hold back and began to plead.
She was completely powerless against the nails pinning Jaxon Di.
The pale-faced cultivator continued to stare at Hannah Bei, showing no intention of responding. Fortunately, he did not make any further moves.
"Senior..." Hannah Bei sensed something was wrong. "Do you know Charles Bei?"
Charles Bei? At last, the pale-faced cultivator's expression shifted. His brows furrowed even deeper, and he even raised a hand to clutch at his hair.
"It's all right if you can't remember, Senior." Hannah Bei's voice trembled; she feared the pale-faced cultivator might suddenly lose control and crush both her and Jaxon Di.
"What is your name?" The pale-faced cultivator finally spoke, his voice hoarse and indistinct.
"My name is Hannah Bei, from Serene Lake, of the Bei Family..." Hannah Bei answered cautiously.
At last, color flickered in the pale-faced cultivator's eyes—a mix of fear, despair, struggle, and unwillingness. His hands began to tremble, and soon his whole body shook.
"Senior..." Hannah Bei called out again, her voice filled with worry.
"Give me some blood..." The pale-faced cultivator's eyes turned crimson, his complexion shifting to a purplish-red. He gasped for breath, shouting desperately at Hannah Bei.
"Ah..." Hannah Bei cried out in shock, bewildered and at a loss. Give blood to this pale-faced man? Was she crazy?
"Give it to him..." an urgent voice rang out, followed by thunderous explosions in the void.
Hannah Bei finally noticed, in the distance, blades of light and sheets of yellow radiance shattering the dim space. The sight of those knife waves made her heart tremble; she felt dwarfed by their sheer power. It was as if the entire universe were tipping and collapsing—a terrifying, awe-inspiring spectacle.
Yet those terrifying knife waves were being crushed by endless yellow light.
Was the cultivator who spoke just now one of the fighters? As Hannah Bei wondered this, she heard Jaxon Di call out urgently, "Hannah..."
Hannah Bei snapped back to her senses and, without hesitation, split her wrist open, sending streams of blood flying toward the tall, pale-faced man.