After handing Quinn King over to Austin Ninefold, Joe Di turned to Max Lune and immediately noticed something odd—Max Lune's eyes were closed.
What was going on with this guy? Just as Joe Di wondered, Max Lune's aura suddenly surged. Startled, Joe Di didn't hesitate to throw a punch.
Joe Di simply couldn't understand how Max Lune could suddenly grasp the Grand Way and attempt another breakthrough at this moment. Joe Di never knew Max Lune's true background, and now, he couldn't allow Max Lune to advance any further.
Boom! Joe Di's punch unleashed wave after wave of divine Grand Way laws, landing squarely on Max Lune's domain without the slightest deviation.
Max Lune's domain was torn apart by Joe Di's strike, but Joe Di's expression immediately darkened. Dao resonance surged around Max Lune—he had clearly gained insight into Joe Di's rule-based Grand Way technique during his fight with Quinn King.
Joe Di realized that his punch had missed the best opportunity. Max Lune was comprehending his rule-based Grand Way divine technique, and yet Joe Di foolishly used that very technique to strike.
This punch certainly injured Max Lune, but it also deepened his understanding. In a way, Joe Di was actually helping him.
Without hesitation, Joe Di summoned the Azure Veil Blade. But before he could unleash his next technique, Dao radiance flickered around Max Lune, and from within its glow, Max Lune spat out a blood arrow, followed by a long, piercing howl.
Joe Di did not attack further—he knew Max Lune had succeeded. If he was not mistaken, Max Lune had just crossed from the Seventh Step into the Eighth Step, and the instigator was none other than Joe Di himself.
Dao rhythm surged unceasingly around Max Lune, but having just stepped into the Eighth Step, he lacked the world energy and conditions to stabilize his Grand Way.
The long howl ceased. Max Lune did not attack immediately; instead, he offered Joe Di a respectful cultivator's salute and calmly said, "Max Lune thanks you for your generosity, Daoist. Only today have I realized how many astonishing and brilliant cultivators exist in the vastness. Others merely let their Grand Way become part of the rules and influence the cosmic order. Yet you, Daoist, entered the Dao through the rules themselves and still reached such heights. I am deeply impressed. May I ask your name?"
"Joe Di," he replied coldly. There was nothing he could do about this situation.
As for becoming friends with Max Lune, that was utterly impossible. Had he returned a few years later, the new universe he and Emperor Ye and Nick Ning built would likely have already been destroyed by these two.
As he spoke his name, the Azure Veil Blade at Joe Di's side gathered its blade momentum, killing intent rising steadily. Chaos was once again torn open beneath the rules of Joe Di's blade force.
Max Lune did not move, but the domain of his Grand Way had already extended outward, blocking Joe Di's blade momentum and killing intent from entering.
Seeing Joe Di's blade momentum and killing intent still rising, ready to strike at any moment, Max Lune waved his hand and said, "Daoist Joe, I don't think we should be enemies. The chaos and vastness cannot be controlled by one person alone. I've never seen such a genius of the Grand Way as you. You could join me in mastering the vastness, building a more complete cosmic universe. Someday, all of the vastness may become a universe under our control."
Joe Di smiled faintly. "You're not wrong..."
Before Max Lune's words faded, the Azure Veil Blade erupted in a curtain of blades. In the distance, Quinn King saw Joe Di's blade curtain and instantly understood that Joe Di's technique had ascended to a new level.
Quinn King tried to extend his divine sense outward, thinking that if Joe Di and Max Lune fought, perhaps he could use the opportunity to escape.
Joe Di calmly stared at Max Lune. Though he had never dealt with Max Lune before, he understood this type of person all too well.
Joe Di was certain: once Max Lune stabilized his Eighth Step and built his own universe, the first person he would seek to kill would be Joe Di himself.
For Joe Di, he had broken through the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Steps in rapid succession. But to reach the Seventh Step in such a short time was nearly impossible. His strength had not fundamentally changed, while Max Lune would only grow stronger. Rather than face a more powerful Max Lune in the future, it was better to fight now.
Joe Di's speculation was mostly correct. There was another reason: Max Lune had only abruptly comprehended Joe Di's Grand Way rules during Joe Di's battle with Quinn King. Though he had barely forced his way into the Eighth Step, his foundation was unstable. If he fought Joe Di now, it would not be to his advantage. Even though he believed Joe Di was far from his match, he never picked an unsuitable fight.
Max Lune had already calculated everything. Once Joe Di left the new universe discovered with Quinn King, Max Lune would immediately sever it and go into seclusion to attempt the Ninth Step.
Seeing Joe Di remain silent, Max Lune spoke again, "Since we will both command the vast cosmos in the future, I will not mention Ascendant Gold again."
Joe Di smiled faintly. "You're not wrong..."
Before his words faded, the Azure Veil Blade erupted in a curtain of blades. In the distance, Quinn King saw Joe Di's blade curtain and instantly understood that Joe Di's technique had ascended to a new level.
Indeed, Joe Di's Triple Loom technique had ascended to a new realm. As the blade curtain unfurled, waves of blade force surged one after another in an endless tide. Unlike before, when Joe Di could at most sustain five waves in succession, with the sixth and seventh waves merely serving as supplements, this time the continuity was flawless.
Previously, there had been a break in continuity, and any such interruption would significantly weaken the technique's power.
Now, Joe Di's blade waves poured forth in seven uninterrupted surges, the seventh nearly spanning billions of zhang. This divine technique tore through the vast chaos as if rending the cosmos itself.
The endless golden leaves seemed unaffected, continuing to press down like the tilt of the cosmos. Joe Di's domain shattered inch by inch; even breathing became a struggle.
Almost as Joe Di's seven waves of blade force swept forward, Max Lune summoned his own artifact. He did not wish to duel Joe Di now—not out of fear, but because he was confident he could utterly crush Joe Di.
The moment Max Lune's artifact appeared, chaos seemed to vanish. The boundless void and chaos were transformed into a universe of cosmic rules.
Golden leaves, like a myriad of stars, swept across the sky, blotting out everything. Chaos disappeared beneath this endless rain of gold.
Joe Di had seen countless artifacts, but this golden leaf artifact was a first. He couldn't even tell how many golden leaves made up Max Lune's weapon.
As the divine rules collided, Joe Di's seven waves of blade force collapsed one after another beneath the endless golden leaves. Even the seventh wave, spanning billions of zhang, could not withstand the overwhelming deluge.
As the rules of Triple Loom were shredded into dust, the golden leaves did not diminish—instead, they multiplied.
Joe Di's face grew pale, while Max Lune remained calm, his fingers forming a flower seal as he recited aloud, "Vast flowers and leaves are beyond compare; leaves enter chaos, flowers turn to dust. Leaf after leaf, sound after sound, the body is a tomb, the Dao is untrue..."
Crack! Joe Di's seven waves of blade force were blasted into nothingness. Blood spurted from his mouth, and even the Dao resonance of his Dao Tree became chaotic.
The endless golden leaves seemed unaffected, continuing to press down like the tilt of the cosmos. Joe Di's domain shattered inch by inch; even breathing became a struggle.
In the distance, Quinn King's face turned even paler. Only now did he realize just how vast the gap was between him and Max Lune. Instinctively, he glanced at the dazed Nick Ning, instantly recognizing this was his only chance.
Quinn King's face grew even paler. Only now did he understand that the gap between him and Max Lune was not just a matter of degrees—it was an abyss. He glanced subconsciously at the dazed Nick Ning and immediately realized this was his only chance.
(End of today's update. Good night, friends!)