Regardless of whether it was true or not, Joe Di had already set foot on this black road. He was determined to give it a try.
Joe Di's original plan was that, if anyone tried to stop him, he would force his way onto this path and deal with it after reaching the Dao Integration stage. Even if the end of this road wasn't Mountainview, he had no other choice.
What puzzled Joe Di was that, after entering this path, no one tried to stop him at all.
Within half an incense stick's time, Joe Di realized that the web-like stone paths behind him in the Grandway Abyss, as well as the densely packed cultivators' sanctuaries, had all been left far behind.
After the first day passed, Joe Di saw his first person. This cultivator was not surprised to see Joe Di approaching, but continued to tread carefully with each step.
There didn't seem to be any obstacles here, which confused Joe Di. The cultivator ahead of him walked as if traversing a mountain of blades, each step taken with extreme caution.
Just as Joe Di was about to quicken his pace, a powerful force suddenly struck him, landing squarely on his chest without warning.
Bang! It felt as if a massive iron hammer had slammed into Joe Di, nearly sending him flying from the impact.
Joe Di staggered, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood. If not for his exceptionally strong physical body, he might have been torn apart by that blow.
The cultivator ahead of Joe Di had long hair and, apart from his eyes which looked weathered, resembled a seasoned wanderer. When Joe Di was struck with a bang, the man stopped, grinned at Joe Di, chuckled, and then continued onward.
This road truly was strange. Joe Di quickly sped up and approached the long-haired cultivator ahead, cupping his fists and asking, "Senior, does this road lead to Mountainview?"
The long-haired cultivator walking ahead of Joe Di stopped, looked him up and down, then chuckled, "If it doesn't lead to Mountainview, why would you come here?"
Joe Di was overjoyed and instinctively asked, "So all the cultivators in the Grandway Abyss know this road leads to Mountainview?"
The long-haired cultivator glanced disdainfully at Joe Di. "Is there anyone in the Grandway Abyss who doesn't know this is the road to Mountainview? You're new here, aren't you? Even a newcomer like you knows—who wouldn't?"
Joe Di was stunned. So Mandy Chu's sudden realization was a truth everyone in the Grandway Abyss already understood. Did people come to Mountainview for other reasons? Clearly, aside from seeking the Third Step, it was all about pursuing the strongest Grand Way.
"Senior, are you preparing to step into the Third Step?" Joe Di could tell the other was likely at the late Dao Integration stage.
The long-haired cultivator gave Joe Di an appreciative look. "Not bad. You're only at the Unity Realm, yet you can tell my cultivation level. You're right, I'm here to see if I can get a chance to step into the Third Step at Mountainview. If even you, a Unity Realm cultivator, are trying to reach Mountainview for Dao Integration, why wouldn't I, who's already at Dao Integration?"
Joe Di sighed inwardly, thinking that Mandy Chu understood the secret of Mountainview the moment she arrived at Grandway Abyss—so how could cultivators who'd spent countless years here not know that Mountainview represented the direction of the Grand Way?
"Senior, why are you walking so slowly?" Joe Di noticed that he had easily overtaken the long-haired cultivator, who was still trudging forward at a snail's pace.
The long-haired cultivator said disdainfully, "You just avoided a disaster by luck—you didn't encounter a stronger Dao Hammer. On this road to Mountainview, besides the Dao Hammer, there are Dao Lightning, Dao Blade... every innate Grand Way divine art you can imagine is naturally formed on this path. I entered relatively late, and even with the little distance I've covered, it's already been over a year. You may be fast, but if you get blasted out, you'll have to wait another million years before you can re-enter."
Only now did Joe Di realize that what had struck him was a naturally formed Grand Way divine art. But with this long-haired cultivator moving at a turtle's pace, when would they ever reach Mountainview?
"Young man, reaching the Unity Realm at your age is impressive. Let me see your ring. If you have something suitable, I'll teach you how to avoid being struck by the Grand Way divine arts."
The long-haired cultivator glanced at the ring in Joe Di's hand, a flash of greed flickering in his eyes.
Joe Di had initially respected this Dao Integration cultivator, but the moment he asked to see his ring, all respect vanished. "If you want to see my ring, come and take it yourself. As for your turtle-paced walking, I'm not interested. Farewell."
With that, Joe Di unhesitatingly sped away from the long-haired cultivator. By the time the man reacted, Joe Di's figure had already vanished beyond the reach of his Spiritual Sense Domain.
"Good lad." The long-haired cultivator snorted, but didn't care much. With Joe Di's reckless pace, he'd be blasted out within an incense stick's time. For the next million years, he wouldn't be qualified to walk this road again.
Joe Di moved so fast that, after passing the long-haired cultivator, he saw more and more cultivators along the way. He began to worry—after so many years, surely someone had already reached Mountainview, maybe even its summit.
He was now rushing ahead—did he still have a chance to be the first to reach Mountainview Summit?
Swish! Just as Joe Di had this thought, a sudden blade light tore through the air. His domain shield was as useless as a decoration, instantly sliced open by the blade light.
Spurt! Blood burst from Joe Di's waist, forcing him to stop in his tracks. That strike nearly severed him in half.
He quickly grabbed several Dao Pills and swallowed them, letting his rule-circulation heal his wounds.
Silent and invisible—what a powerful divine art. Joe Di was utterly shocked. He had battled many formidable foes, but their divine arts always had some warning. Whether great or small, all divine arts were shaped by changes in the laws of heaven and earth, merging with various rules to amplify their power.
Joe Di himself cultivated the Grand Way of Rules, and only when that blade struck him did he sense its terrifying power. Are all natural Grand Way divine arts this formidable? Even the iron hammer blow to his chest earlier—he hadn't sensed it coming until it landed.
(This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Please click next page for more exciting content!)
Joe Di suddenly realized that these divine arts were different from any he'd encountered before. He couldn't find a single trace of law within them—could these be lawless divine arts?
The thought of lawlessness made Joe Di immediately reject the idea. He refused to believe that there could be divine arts without laws in the universe. Every divine art was constructed by laws—without laws, there could be no divine art. But if there were laws, why couldn't he sense them?
"Not bad, kid. You're moving so fast, yet you survived that last strike. Your luck is really something." The gray-haired man whom Joe Di had just passed had caught up.
Joe Di cupped his fists in greeting, still pondering why he couldn't sense any law in that blade divine art. Was it truly lawless, or was it a type of law he'd never encountered before? Logically, that seemed unlikely. He cultivated the Grand Way of Laws—even if he hadn't encountered it before, a new law concept would form upon first contact. As for lawlessness, he believed it even less. Everything in the universe was built on rules, and all rules were constructed from laws—there was no such thing as lawlessness.
"It's rare to walk this path—slow down a bit. If you keep rushing ahead, you might not just get blasted out, but truly killed." The gray-haired cultivator shook his head, kindly warning Joe Di.
Joe Di sighed, "There's nothing I can do—I arrived late. By now, there are probably too many people who've already reached Mountainview, maybe even its summit."
The gray-haired man sneered, "I won't argue that some might have reached Mountainview. But as for reaching the summit—ha! Who in the Grandway Abyss could reach Mountainview Summit?"
Hearing this, Joe Di's spirits lifted. What he wanted wasn't just to reach Mountainview, but to reach Mountainview Summit.
Thinking of this, he ignored his injuries, cupped his fists to the gray-robed cultivator, "Fellow Daoist, take your time—I shall go on ahead."
After bidding the other to take his time, Joe Di once again sped away.
(Due to returning late tonight, the second update will be delayed.)