Jaden Dai was remarkably composed, showing no anger. He spoke calmly, "Joe Di, you probably heard of me among the Ten Dao Prodigies of the Dao Domain. If you truly understood, you would know that after our era's official evaluation, all subsequent Ten Dao Prodigies are merely cultivators with slightly superior innate gifts. When ten prodigies emerge in an era, it is an act of Heaven itself, not something achieved through effort alone."
Joe Di couldn't quite grasp what Jaden Dai was trying to express. Jaden Dai didn't seem like someone who would boast or belittle others without reason. Was the Ten Dao Prodigies of Jaden Dai's era truly so extraordinary? At least, Joe Di didn't think so.
Jaden Dai paid no mind to Joe Di's gaze and continued, "From what you've heard about the ranking of the Ten Dao Prodigies, I should be ranked sixth. Let me tell you a fact: Emperor Xander, who ranked first, I won't even mention. The one in second place, Zach You, slept for tens of thousands of years, and after awakening, quickly advanced to Primordial Unity, then progressed to the mid-stage of Primordial Unity in record time."
King Leto, who ranked third, focused on refining his foundation, and within a mere thousand years, broke through from Dao Transformation to Primordial Unity. Xavier White, ranked fourth, was trapped somewhere for countless years, but upon his release, healed his wounds in just two hundred years, then spent a little over a thousand years to enter Primordial Unity, and later another thousand years to reach mid-stage Primordial Unity..."
Joe Di chuckled, "If you have something to say, just say it directly. Don't go in circles and waste everyone's time."
Jaden Dai nodded. "The reason I say all this is to let you know that I held back during the rankings in those years. If I had truly exerted myself, I could have surpassed Zach You and taken second place."
"So you mean, as long as you are willing, you could have reached Dao Integration in a very short time, even the third stage? And then you could hunt me down, leaving me with nowhere to escape?"
Jaden Dai replied calmly, "Though I dare not claim the third stage, I am certain I could reach Dao Integration in a very short time. Once I achieve Dao Integration, even if you escape today, as long as you remain in this universe, you will not be able to evade me."
Joe Di laughed heartily, "Old man, you really aren't one to bluff. If you want to fight, do it now!"
"Since that's the case, let me witness your methods." Jaden Dai moved slowly, drawing forth a treasure pagoda, while the domain around him began to thicken and intensify.
Compared to when he first met Joe Di, when Jaden Dai forcibly locked down a space with his domain's pressure, Jaden Dai now appeared even more unhurried and calm.
Yet in Jaden Dai's heart, a vague and inexplicable sense of sorrow arose. The surprise and excitement he felt upon first seeing Joe Di had long since vanished.
Now, he understood better than anyone: even if Joe Di was not his match, it was nearly impossible for him to reclaim the Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram.
Previously, Joe Di had easily escaped the trap array Jaden Dai set. Even if he couldn't win now, he could still leave just as effortlessly.
If he were truly confident in defeating Joe Di, he would not have wasted words earlier. Those words were not meant to persuade Joe Di to hand over the treasure, but to disturb his mind and increase Jaden Dai's chances when he made his move.
In fact, after speaking, he realized Joe Di was completely undisturbed, and his fighting spirit was even stronger. In a way, Joe Di and Jaden Dai were the same kind of people.
Joe Di stared in astonishment at the treasure pagoda in Jaden Dai's hand. He knew this pagoda all too well—the Fivefold Dao Tower.
Could Jaden Dai have gone to the Central Realm? Was the Fivefold Dao Tower of the Central Realm also refined by Jaden Dai? When he saw the Fivefold Dao Tower disappear before, he had always assumed Faye Dee had taken it.
No, perhaps it was Faye Dee who took it, and it's very likely that Faye Dee's Fivefold Dao Tower ended up in Jaden Dai's hands. But that doesn't make sense—could Jaden Dai have reached the Immortal Realm? Otherwise, Faye Dee couldn't have come to the Dao Domain so quickly.
While Joe Di was still puzzled about how Jaden Dai possessed the Fivefold Dao Tower, Jaden Dai spoke, "Joe Di, I know your fortune is exceptional, which is why you could reach the Dao Domain in such a short time. But every cultivator has their own destiny. Since you have already obtained yours, why take mine? If you keep seizing others' fortunes, your Dao will ultimately be limited..."
Joe Di didn't wait for Jaden Dai to finish his words. The Tiansuo Blade swept out in a flash.
Boom! To Joe Di's surprise, Jaden Dai also didn't finish his sentence; the Fivefold Dao Tower in his hand crashed down.
A series of cracks echoed through the void, as if space itself was about to twist and warp.
In an instant, Joe Di felt his breathing grow difficult. At this moment, the Fivefold Dao Tower actually formed an independent void world.
The rules of heaven and earth in this void world were completely different from those of the Dao Domain. Now, both Joe Di's divine sense and divine essence were locked by the tower, rendering him unable to move.
A flicker of excitement flashed in Jaden Dai's eyes. Only he knew how heaven-defying the tower in his hand truly was. All the rules within this tower were the most fundamental cosmic laws. If he could control the tower's rules, he could temporarily simulate a whole new universe. This was far beyond any cultivator's domain.
Even if Joe Di could comprehend the rules of this universe, that would come later. For now, Jaden Dai was confident he could defeat Joe Di.
The Fivefold Dao Tower suppressed all of Joe Di's aura, including the Tiansuo Blade he had just swung.
Jaden Dai wasted no time. With a swift motion, he reached for Joe Di's brow, intent on shattering his skull in an instant—only then would he feel secure.
Since his rise to fame, Jaden Dai had never feared anyone. Even knowing he was inferior to Emperor Xander, who ranked first, he never felt the slightest apprehension. But now, facing Joe Di, he truly felt fear in his heart.
Only the death of Joe Di could bring him peace of mind.
Jaden Dai worried that the Fivefold Dao Tower might not suppress Joe Di immediately. If it failed, it would be nearly impossible to keep Joe Di here today.
As long as the Fivefold Dao Tower suppressed Joe Di right away, escape would be impossible. By the time Joe Di broke free, his head would already be crushed in Jaden Dai's grip.
A wave of death swept in. In that instant, Joe Di caught hold of the familiar aura of the fundamental laws.
Joe Di had entered the Fivefold Dao Tower before and was familiar with every foundational law within it. No matter whether the tower Jaden Dai summoned was the same one he'd entered, its familiar law aura could not suppress him.
Almost as Jaden Dai's hand neared Joe Di's brow, Joe Di—though suppressed by the Fivefold Dao Tower—suddenly moved, unleashing a punch.
Even with only a hair's breadth between Joe Di's fist and Jaden Dai's palm, that punch conjured an endless world of mountain fists.
The mountain fists surged in waves, gathering like peaks, wild tides crashing upon sand!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Divine essence exploded everywhere, leaving countless fine marks in the space. All the sand, rocks, and earth nearby were pulverized by that punch, and a massive chasm was blasted open.
Joe Di felt as if his internal organs, even his sea of consciousness, were struck by giant iron hammers. Blood spurted from his mouth, and at the same time, the bones in his arm shattered inch by inch.
Even though Joe Di's punch was delivered in haste, Jaden Dai gained no advantage. If Joe Di's arm bones shattered inch by inch, then Jaden Dai's arm had already turned to dust.
Joe Di was furious, but also secretly alarmed. If he hadn't entered the Fivefold Dao Tower before, Jaden Dai's sneak attack with the tower might have killed him. Jaden Dai's strength was nowhere near his own, but he suffered because of the Fivefold Dao Tower.
This incident made Joe Di realize a truth, and also taught him that his Dao of Laws was not omnipotent.
Jaden Dai's spirit was shaken. He hadn't expected that, even in haste, Joe Di could shatter his arm while Joe Di's own arm remained unscathed.
The only explanation was that Joe Di was also a Saint Body cultivator. Before Jaden Dai could recover, Joe Di summoned a vast, boundless mountain and sent it crashing toward Jaden Dai.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)