Nearly everyone present was a sect master or the leader of a powerful force. Under Zane Fate's command, none believed that the defensive array protecting Starhaven City's auxiliary city could withstand the assault.
“Attack!” Zane Fate brandished his artifact, launching the first strike at the auxiliary city's barrier.
No one lagged behind; as soon as Zane Fate unleashed his artifact, all the sect masters following him did the same. None held back—each attacked with full force.
Their concern was not the strength of the auxiliary city's array, but that Zane Fate would notice if they held back. Only by attacking with full strength could they show the Fatespire Sect's master that they were loyal followers.
Loraine Puregate had already drawn her artifact. Even if she fell today, she would make sure to wound Zane Fate—if not for the Immortal Realm, then to avenge her junior, Lorraine Lin.
Everyone around Joe Di brandished their artifacts, but their trembling hands and pale faces revealed their fear; compared to these sect masters, if the array was breached, they would be powerless.
Aside from Loraine Puregate, only Joe Di remained calm. He watched the barrage of artifacts strike the barrier, then turned to Loraine Puregate and asked, “Sect Master Puregate, are there any top-tier array masters here? Perhaps a King of Immortal Arrays?”
What Joe Di feared most was the presence of a seventh-tier King of Immortal Arrays. If such a master were here, even if he could protect Starhaven City today, he might lose most of his life force.
But becoming a seventh-tier King of Immortal Arrays was no easy feat. Joe Di only achieved it thanks to the golden Dao principle, the World Book, and the Cosmic Membrane fragment. Without that golden Dao principle, even ten thousand years of study might not have sufficed.
After that Dao principle departed, Joe Di used the Cosmic Membrane fragment to rebirth his physical body. His flesh had become an extension of the universe itself; at this moment, his insight into all things surpassed that of any single realm.
Loraine Puregate was surprised, admiring Joe Di's composure. "No, the strongest in arraycraft is the Evertrue Array Sect. Since the Twilight of the Immortal Realm, they've sealed their gates. Their mountain gate is said to be protected by arrays beyond immortal grade; once sealed, no one can locate it unless the Immortal Realm is utterly destroyed."
Apart from the Evertrue Array Sect, the next strongest in arraycraft is the Grand Array Guild. Their top array master is only a sixth-tier Immortal Array Master, and they're not participating in the attack. Among the attackers, Zane Fate is the strongest in arrays—he should be a sixth-tier Immortal Array Master.
Joe Di breathed a sigh of relief; the gap between a sixth-tier Immortal Array Master and a seventh-tier King of Immortal Arrays was enormous. Without opportunity or talent, Zane Fate would never reach the seventh tier.
Boom! Crack! With just one round of attacks—before the assault was even finished—the auxiliary city's barrier shattered into nothingness. Even the floating characters above the city were torn apart.
A broad avenue to the auxiliary city appeared before everyone, exposing Joe Di, Loraine Puregate, and the others to all eyes.
Now, anyone could rush forward and easily seize Joe Di.
Of course, this was the thought of every cultivator attacking the city's barrier—not Joe Di's.
Far off, Lucas Infinity and others who hadn't joined the attack could only shake their heads speechlessly. Was the cultivator who built Starhaven City a fool?
A third-tier Immortal Array is an insurmountable barrier for newly ascended cultivators—something they could never breach in a lifetime. But for these sect masters and powerhouses, a third-tier barrier was as fragile as paper.
These were the survivors after the Twilight of the Immortal Realm. If it had been before the Twilight, any Immortal Lord could have crushed Starhaven City to dust with a single blow.
“Sect Master Lucas, what should we do now?” a Grand Ether Immortal asked Lucas Infinity worriedly.
The auxiliary city of Starhaven was so easily breached, and with nothing unusual revealed after the third-tier barrier fell, the cultivators following Lucas Infinity grew even more anxious.
Lucas Infinity frowned, then said, “Once Zane Fate and the others break the auxiliary city, we’ll go right in. This place doesn’t belong to just one person—everyone can have a share. If Zane Fate tries to stop us, we’ll fight.”
At this point, reason no longer mattered. To give up Starhaven City was to forfeit their chance at survival.
“Don’t hold back—kill them all!” Zane Fate shouted harshly, charging straight at Joe Di.
Joe Di had his own plans. He would show this ant from the lower realm that death was not the hardest thing—living was far harder.
Joe Di sneered, tossing a dark red Array Banner from his hand. Suddenly, the entire space of the auxiliary city transformed.
The broad avenue vanished, replaced by a hazy space. The resonance of interlocking arrays echoed, and a terrifying killing intent swept through, saturating the space with chaotic, lethal energy.
Thousands of cultivators rushing toward the auxiliary city suddenly found they could only see three feet around themselves. The five elemental auras of heaven and earth vanished, as if they were trapped in a vacuum where all elements were suppressed.
A Grand Ether Immortal sect master lunged wildly to the side, his artifact unleashing thousands of rays of light. He poured all his power into this strike.
Boom! As his artifact struck out, countless deadly beams whirled like a vortex, shredding him to pieces.
The spent immortal energy was quickly replenished from the direction of Starhaven City, filling the Grand Slaughter Array.
Joe Di handed an Array Banner to Loraine Puregate, saying, “Sect Master Puregate, this banner points the way to safety. Please follow me and lend your aid.”
Having said this, Joe Di charged directly into the misty, murderous array.
In her shock, Loraine Puregate finally understood—this was no third-tier array. It was not even a seventh-tier, but an Eighth-Tier Grand Slaughter Array…
No, Loraine Puregate quickly realized it wasn’t even an eighth-tier array. She couldn’t discern its level at all. She recalled what Joe Di had once told her at the City Lord’s Mansion.
This is my domain—why should I run?
Only today did she truly understand his words. Joe Di gave her an Array Banner and asked for her help—likely to deal with Zane Fate and other Immortal Kings. He would never ask her to help with ordinary cultivators.
With this thought, Loraine Puregate dashed into the Grand Slaughter Array without hesitation.
Whether for the Puregate Sect, to avenge her junior, or for the Immortal Realm, Loraine Puregate could not afford to hesitate. She had planned to fight to the death, but with this chain array, as long as she followed Joe Di, she could press the enemy.
Joe Di was indeed a Seventh-Tier Immortal Array King, but he had brought the Terraflame Banner when he came to the auxiliary city. Now, he activated the banner, triggering the Grand Fivefold Array, which in turn powered his Seventh-Tier Strangler Array, Deathtrap Array, Concealment Array, and Illusion Array…
With the Starwater Banner resonating, the array advanced to an Eighth-Tier Grand Slaughter Array. As long as the Terraflame Banner remained, the array would not weaken.
With two high-grade immortal veins supplying energy, Joe Di had no intention of holding back. Before founding Starhaven City, he had declared that to establish a new order in the Immortal Realm, killing was necessary to end killing. If he didn't destroy this selfish rabble, Starhaven City would be a joke.
“No, this is a Seventh-Tier Deathtrap Immortal Array…” Zane Fate was the first to realize he'd been caught in a deadly array.
He hadn't even finished speaking before he understood—this was no mere seventh-tier array. With two top-tier treasures resonating, the seventh-tier Deathtrap Immortal Array was forcibly raised to an Eighth-Tier Grand Slaughter Array.
But at this moment, no one could hear his words. Once Joe Di activated this chain slaughter array, those inside had no chance to communicate.
Zane Fate reacted instantly, summoning his defensive artifact rather than attacking. In this chain slaughter array, the more one attacked, the stronger the backlash.
He was not overly panicked; no matter how strong the chain slaughter array, the immortal energy here was insufficient to sustain it. As long as the others kept attacking, eventually the energy would be spent, and even a ninth-tier array would be useless.
Anger burned in his heart—how could an ant arrange an Eighth-Tier Grand Slaughter Array?
It wasn't carelessness; even in this place, he could only set up a fourth-tier Deathtrap Immortal Array. For an ascended cultivator like Joe Di to manage a third-tier array was already impressive. Who would have guessed that the third-tier array was just bait?
Baffled, he was trapped.
At the same time, all cultivators who entered, like Zane Fate, were trapped by the chain slaughter array. Those who attacked, except for the strongest, were annihilated.
How many sect masters were weak? They quickly realized they just needed others to attack the array. Once the immortal energy was spent, they could escape.
The chaos in the Deathtrap Immortal Array soon subsided. Joe Di did not activate the array; if he did, they would have to attack even if they didn't want to. He planned to kill them one by one, whittling down their strength.