The Unfixed Sea was truly worthy of being the Indeterminate Lord’s treasure. As the Indeterminate Lord led the way for Joe Di, the Unfixed Sea parted before them, forming a passage that appeared right at their feet.
Joe Di landed on the shore. Extending his divine sense, he searched for Octavian Beard, but found no trace of him.
"Fellow Daoist, there is only one pair of Duality Blossom here, and aside from me, no one knows about it." The Indeterminate Lord continued to lead the way, speaking flatteringly to Joe Di, fearful that Joe Di would consider him useless.
After half a day’s journey, the Indeterminate Lord came to a halt. Joe Di surveyed the area, still filled with fierce winds and swirling blade vortices, and asked in confusion, "You say the Duality Blossom is here?"
Joe Di swept his divine sense across the area several times, even opening his Dao Eyes and carving dozens of array flags, but found no natural formations or restrictions related to the Duality Blossom.
The Indeterminate Lord offered eagerly, "Fellow Daoist, this place requires that fragment. As long as you take out the Creation Jade Plate Fragment, you’ll be able to sense the Duality Blossom here."
With some hesitation, Joe Di took out the Creation Jade Plate Fragment. Instantly, a clear message appeared in his mind. He hadn’t even activated the fragment before the surrounding fierce winds weakened. Joe Di stepped forward, raising his hand to tear open the space.
A gray stone appeared before Joe Di. He had seen such stones more than once—the Duality Blossom always grew upon them. Typically, one black and one white blossom would face each other, but now, there was no Duality Blossom atop the stone.
Joe Di’s expression darkened, just as he was about to speak, the Indeterminate Lord exclaimed with delight, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist! The Duality Blossom has actually condensed into a Duality Fruit. As far as I know, even a hundred thousand pairs of Duality Blossom cannot produce a single Duality Fruit. Its power far surpasses that of the Duality Blossom."
Duality Fruit? Joe Di’s gaze immediately fell upon a gray fruit on the stone. It, too, was gray—so inconspicuous that it would have been easy to miss.
Joe Di reached out and grasped the Duality Fruit. Instantly, he sensed its name through the World Tome—it was indeed the Duality Fruit. The World Tome affirmed that the Duality Fruit was far more powerful than the Duality Blossom. Yet, since the Duality Blossom only grew between realms, it was already exceedingly rare, making the formation of a Duality Fruit even more difficult.
Joe Di was ecstatic. With the Duality Fruit, Nora Xiu could be saved. He carefully stowed the fruit, released the spatial restraint around the Indeterminate Lord, and handed him a ring, saying, "For helping me find the Duality Blossom, I’ll overlook your previous disrespect. This ring is for you."
Not only had the Indeterminate Lord led him to the Duality Blossom, but he had also enabled Joe Di to obtain a fragment of the Creation Jade Plate—an extraordinary item capable of revealing the Duality Blossom hidden within layered spaces.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist. Your generosity truly makes you my greatest benefactor," the Indeterminate Lord exclaimed with emotion. He had never expected Joe Di not only to spare him, but to gift him a ring as well.
Joe Di sneered, "No need for thanks. But if there’s a next time, I won’t be so forgiving. One last piece of advice—though the Unfixed Sea is a top-tier artifact, sometimes it’s better not to use such things."
With those words, Joe Di’s figure vanished in an instant.
The Indeterminate Lord paid no heed to Joe Di’s warning. To have escaped with his life was fortune enough. What mattered now was to find a safe place and restore his physical body. To him, the Unfixed Sea was far more valuable than the Creation Jade Plate Fragment—how could he abandon it?
[Section break; skip translation.]
After departing, the first thing Joe Di did was tear open the boundary between realms. If he was to save Nora Xiu, he could not remain between worlds.
Joe Di left the interrealm space, seeking a place to rescue Nora Xiu. What he did not expect was that, just as he tore through the boundary, his divine sense detected a familiar presence.
Ethan North? Joe Di was instantly delighted—Ethan North was a worthy ally. Since he’d encountered him here, he decided to visit the Primordial World for a while. Its perfected laws and abundant divine energy made it ideal for Nora Xiu’s cultivation.
Joe Di quickly sensed something was wrong—Ethan North was covered in wounds, clearly fleeing for his life. Sure enough, as Joe Di extended his divine sense again, he immediately spotted the one pursuing Ethan North.
"Old Ethan, what happened to you? Getting chased like this?" Joe Di landed in front of Ethan North, laughing heartily.
Ethan North, in the midst of his desperate escape, was startled by Joe Di’s sudden appearance. But his shock quickly turned to joy as he landed beside Joe Di, grabbing his hand. "Brother Joe, it’s truly wonderful to see you again!"
While Joe Di and Ethan North spoke, the cultivator pursuing Ethan North stopped not far away. Seeing them converse, he did not attack, but instead began sizing up Joe Di.
Joe Di also studied the pursuer. Though he was short, he radiated an indescribable pressure. His hair was wild, his fingers unusually long—two or three times the length of a normal cultivator’s—and his ears were extremely small. His skin was a dull gray, almost corpse-like, yet the vitality he exuded far surpassed that of ordinary people. Clearly, he was no dead man.
Ethan North let out a breath and pointed at the strange pursuer. "This man entered the Primordial World and, without reason, slaughtered several Genesis Realm cultivators. Then he massacred billions of innocent people in the Primordial World..."
Joe Di’s eyes grew cold. He despised those who killed innocents without purpose—such people were the most loathsome in his eyes.
"I tried to stop him, but his strength was terrifying—I couldn’t even withstand a single blow before being gravely wounded. If not for my escape technique, I’d have been killed already." Ethan North was furious, finally able to vent his anger to Joe Di.
[Irrelevant passage; skip translation.]
To massacre billions in the Primordial World for no reason—Joe Di could only hate his own lack of strength, unable to destroy such evil. At least he was relieved not to have gone to the Outer Heaven of Xuanhuang; that would have been a disaster for all.
Joe Di extended his hand, and the Azure Veil Blade appeared. At the same time, he began to trace out array flags with the laws.
Ethan North was clearly at the late stage, even the peak of Dao Fusion. His strength far surpassed most Dao Fusion cultivators, yet he was still no match for this strange enemy—defeated in a single move. This foe had likely stepped into the Third Step, and not just any Third Step.
"You, a Genesis Realm cultivator, want to fight me?" The strange man recognized Joe Di’s true cultivation and asked in surprise.
The Azure Veil Blade in Joe Di’s hand rang out with a clear cry. Calmly, he replied, "State your name. I want to know who falls beneath my blade."
"My name is Owen Jarvis. You’ve probably never heard of me." Owen Jarvis spoke with surprising composure, showing no sign of hostility.
Seeing Joe Di’s impassive face, Owen Jarvis continued, "By the way, the technique I cultivate is called the Cataclysmic Art. My master is Eugene Fay. You probably haven’t heard that name either, but perhaps you’ve heard of the Calamity Lord."
"Calamity Lord?" Joe Di and Ethan North exchanged glances—they had never heard the name before.
Owen Jarvis sighed, "Ah, I’ve been gone too long—people have forgotten my master and me. In that case, there’s no need to say more."
As he spoke, Owen Jarvis stepped toward Joe Di. Instantly, Joe Di sensed the spatial laws warping around him. The void’s rules collapsed into nothingness, and a terrifying aura of decay swept in, weakening not just his domain, divine essence, and spiritual sense, but even his will itself.
[Irrelevant passage; skip translation.]