With the Tiansuo Blade slung across his back, Joe Di glanced in the direction of the Immeasura Palace before leaving the vast ruins behind. He was going straight to the Immeasura Palace. Was the Immeasura Palace Lord truly that powerful? He intended to see for himself.
The Immeasura Palace Lord was very likely at the Third Step, and not just any Third Step, but the most extreme kind. Yet Joe Di didn't care. His cultivation had already reached its peak, and stepping into the Third Step was not something he could achieve in a short time.
......
When Joe Di arrived at the Immeasura Palace once again, he saw Dao Rhythms swirling and endless heaven and earth essence gathering. Clearly, someone was cultivating here. He didn't need to ask; Joe Di knew it was the Immeasura Palace Lord.
The Immeasura Palace was still in ruins. Seeing it even more dilapidated than when he had left, Joe Di knew his suspicions were correct. The Immeasura Palace Lord had returned, but she had no intention of revitalizing the palace. She was only here to restore her strength using the Dao Domain. Whether the Immeasura Palace flourished or decayed meant nothing to her.
Joe Di closed his eyes and quickly sensed the aura of Dao Rhythms and rules here. The Immeasura Palace Lord had definitely come into contact with the Prime Law. At the very least, she had encountered treasures of the same level as the Prime Law.
Joe Di snorted coldly. This Immeasura Palace Lord was truly arrogant, not even bothering with the slightest defensive measures—there wasn't even a protective array outside. Clearly, this woman was so conceited she believed herself unrivaled in the entire Five Elements Universe. Here, no one could touch her.
If no one in the Five Elements Universe could touch her, then a minor place like the Dao Domain was beneath her notice.
Two supreme artifacts, one on each side, were buried in the void outside the Immeasura Palace. With Joe Di's mastery of formation techniques, he immediately understood what was happening. The old woman was indeed stripping away all vitality and fortune from the Dao Domain to increase her own power. Not only that, she was recklessly disrupting the Dao Domain's heavenly rules for her own benefit.
Leaving aside the woman's cruelty, Joe Di had to admit her methods were superior; in this regard, he felt inferior. He suspected the Immeasura Palace Lord had reached the Creation Realm—otherwise, she wouldn't be so formidable.
Joe Di did not strike immediately. Instead, he meticulously sketched out Law Array Banners, layer upon layer. When his banners perfectly locked down all the Heaven and Earth energy and the rules of this realm, he unleashed the Azure Veil Blade, slashing down with a single, decisive stroke.
A vast, white curtain of blades swept down from the void. In that instant, cultivators across half of the Dao Domain could witness this terrifying blade curtain descending.
Boom! The blade curtain crashed down directly atop Immeasura Palace, splitting it cleanly in two and transforming it into a deep chasm tens of thousands of feet long. With a sharp crack, the entire Immeasura Palace shattered like an eggshell, the ground itself breaking and spreading outward.
Deep within Immeasura Palace, a woman clad in a gray starry robe spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. The Heaven and Earth rules and vital energy she had frantically used to restore her Dao Foundation and cultivation were thrown into chaos. Years of painstaking effort vanished in a single instant, like smoke in the wind.
With just one stroke, Joe Di sent the Immeasura Palace Lord back to square one.
"Ah—!" The Immeasura Palace Lord roared in fury, bursting forth from the depths of the palace. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face twisted with rage. She swore that no matter who had done this, she would devour them alive.
Bang! The Immeasura Palace Lord landed before Joe Di. But when she saw his calm expression, she unexpectedly regained her composure in that instant.
Why hadn't she set up a Guardian Array? Was it because she couldn't? Of course not. It was simply that no one could disrupt her cultivation and recovery here.
Whenever she was restoring herself, the Heaven and Earth rules here would gather, transforming completely into nourishment for her recovery. This convergence of rules was far more potent than any ordinary Guardian Array. Besides, she intended to disrupt all the Dao Domain's rules—her recovery could even destroy the entire Dao Domain. What use was a Guardian Array at such a time? All arrays rely on the rules of Heaven and Earth, but if those rules are destroyed by her, what Guardian Array could possibly matter?
There was another reason: she was certain that no one could affect her cultivation and recovery. Unless someone had also touched the Creation Realm—but this was the Five Elements Universe, and no one could possibly reach the Creation Realm ahead of her.
"Are you Joe Di?" Once she had calmed herself, the Immeasura Palace Lord did not attack right away. She stared at Joe Di, already seeing him as a dead man. But the fact that Joe Di could interrupt her Dao Rhythms at the perfect moment, wounding her and returning her to her previous state—such power was far from ordinary.
"That's right. I am your Old Master Di. I heard you, old hag, have been searching for me everywhere, so I decided to come back early." Joe Di replied coolly.
"Your cultivation must be related to the rules of Heaven and Earth, to be able to shatter my Dao Rhythms." The Immeasura Palace Lord, now composed, seemed to regard her earlier setback as if it hadn't been caused by Joe Di at all. She wasn't even angered by his words.
Joe Di found that he could not discern the Immeasura Palace Lord's cultivation level. One thing was certain: she was just as wary of him as he was of her. Otherwise, she wouldn't waste words—she was searching for his flaws and weaknesses. Likely, she wasn't worried about losing in combat, but rather about him escaping.
Though he couldn't gauge her cultivation, Joe Di sensed that the Immeasura Palace Lord was gravely injured. His guess was correct—even her Dao Foundation had been damaged. This gave Joe Di confidence; a wounded Immeasura Palace Lord would be much easier to deal with. At the very least, if he couldn't defeat her, he could still escape.
Joe Di did not answer her question. Instead, he asked, "Old witch, I heard you went to the Gate of Creation. Why did you come back? And how did you manage it?"
As he spoke, Joe Di continued to sketch Law Array Banners.
The Immeasura Palace Lord frowned and said blandly, "You can even inscribe Law Array Banners. It seems I was right—your cultivation method is indeed related to the rules of Heaven and Earth. Do you really think that a mere Dao Fusion ant can escape from me today?"
Joe Di's heart skipped a beat—this woman was formidable. She was the first to notice him inscribing Law Array Banners and could easily see through his cultivation level. His wariness deepened, and he stopped sketching banners. Since she already knew, continuing was pointless.
"You refuse to tell me how you escaped from the Gate of Creation, but I already know…" Though Joe Di no longer sketched banners, he was just as determined—not to let this woman escape.
Just as she sought his weaknesses, Joe Di searched for hers. Right now, he could not see through the Immeasura Palace Lord, so he dared not attack. When Cassie Cao was at her peak, Joe Di might not have dared to act; but this Immeasura Palace Lord, even now, was stronger than Cassie Cao had been.
"You know?" The Immeasura Palace Lord's eyes flashed with surprise at Joe Di's words, but she quickly realized he was bluffing.
Joe Di laughed heartily. "You think I'm bluffing? You're only here because..."
Just as Joe Di was about to mention the Rift Dao Token, a sudden realization struck him. He understood, "Old woman, you were hunted down by Nick Ning with nowhere to run, so you had to sneak away from the Gate of Creation like a dog."
From what he knew of Nick Ning, he was much like himself. In other words, after the Immeasura Palace Lord killed Nong Xiuqi in front of him, would Nick Ning have let her go? Even if he couldn't kill her right away, he would watch her every move.
Clearly, Nick Ning was just like that. After the Immeasura Palace Lord killed Jane Yan, Nick Ning couldn't kill her immediately, so he chose to bide his time. If it were Joe Di, he would have done the same—never letting her out of his sight. If his guess was correct, Nick Ning had been chasing her in the Gate of Creation, just as Joe Di would have done.
"How do you know?" the Immeasura Palace Lord blurted out, her eyes filled with shock.
To this day, she could not understand why that madman Nick Ning had hunted her in the Gate of Creation. Back then, everyone was frantically rushing toward their own sanctuaries, trying to claim a seat and establish their own domain. But that lunatic Nick Ning had circled around, giving up the chance to seize a domain, just to hunt her down. Not only had she, the Immeasura Palace Lord, failed to anticipate it—she doubted anyone could have.