Zane Booker shuddered instinctively at Joe Di's words. If Joe Di hadn’t brought out the Lethe Bridge, he might have suspected Joe Di was just trying to intimidate him. But now, with the Lethe Bridge right in front of him, it was clear every word Joe Di spoke was true.
But betraying the Supreme Sage...
Seeing Zane Booker still hesitating, Joe Di sneered again, "Zane Booker, you’ve offended me, and now your soul will be burned and forever suppressed within the Lethe Bridge. You’d best stop thinking about the future—because you won’t have one."
Joe Di couldn’t tell what Zane Booker was weighing, but whatever it was, it had to be the cost of telling the truth.
Zane Booker let out a sigh. He knew Joe Di was speaking the truth. No matter how the Supreme Sage might punish him, that was a concern for later—and the Supreme Sage’s punishment probably wouldn’t be much different from what Joe Di would do.
"It was the Supreme Sage who sent us..." Zane Booker said.
"Who is your Supreme Sage?" Joe Di interrupted.
The moment Zane Booker uttered his first words, his attitude completely changed, and he answered without reservation, "I’m from the Trinity Universe. Our Supreme Sage is Henry Vaughn."
"Wait, I’ve met cultivators from the Trinity Universe before—they all have three eyes. Where’s your third eye?" Joe Di interrupted again.
"You? It’s you? You killed Keith Searle and Hugh Yuen..." Zane Booker finally understood who the Supreme Sage was after—it was this young man standing before him. No wonder he could kill Keith Searle and Hugh Yuen so easily; in front of this powerhouse, he had no chance to resist. Even Keith Searle and Hugh Yuen, no matter how strong, couldn’t survive against such a force.
A wave of bitterness surged in Zane Booker’s heart. Why had they come here? Wasn’t it just to hunt down the man before him? But now, facing this young cultivator, he realized that the idea of hunting him was a joke. Unless the Supreme Sage himself came, but how could the Supreme Sage possibly leave the Trinity Universe to personally pursue an ordinary cultivator?
"It’s true, I killed Keith Searle and Hugh Yuen—but it was self-defense. The moment they arrived, they tried to kill me, so I fought back. Tell me, why do you only have two eyes?" Joe Di didn’t need to explain, but since his actions were being recorded, he decided to clarify.
Zane Booker hurried to explain, "The Third Eye of Insight is only awakened by supreme cultivators in the Trinity Universe. My talent is mediocre, so I’m not qualified to awaken the Third Eye of Insight."
Joe Di’s lips twitched in disdain. Were so-called supreme cultivators just like Keith Searle and Hugh Yuen?
Zane Booker clearly understood what Joe Di was thinking. He hesitated, then explained, "In the Trinity Universe, there aren’t many who can awaken the Third Eye of Insight. Keith Searle and Hugh Yuen were strong, but they only awakened the Imitation Third Eye. More than ninety percent of those with a third eye in the Trinity Universe only have the Imitation Third Eye. The true Third Eye of Insight is extremely rare. For someone with mediocre talent like me, I couldn’t even awaken the imitation version..."
It was precisely because he was so mediocre that he’d been sent out as a scout. If he was killed, it would at least give the real powerhouses a heads-up.
So that’s how it was. Joe Di asked again, "Why does Henry Vaughn, Supreme Sage of the Trinity Universe, want to target my Five Elements Universe?"
Zane Booker explained, "It’s because you killed two of our Trinity Universe’s powerhouses. The Supreme Sage was furious and sent people through the cosmic teleportation channels to hunt you down. They didn’t find you, but stumbled into a Law Fragment Vortex in the vast chaos. After entering the vortex, they discovered it was the Swarmlands of the Five Elements Universe. You know the rest..."
"What I’m asking is, why does Henry Vaughn use insects to attack the Dao Domain of my Five Elements Universe?" Joe Di’s voice grew cold—Zane Booker really thought he wouldn’t get angry.
As they spoke, the Lethe Bridge beside Zane Booker unleashed wave after wave of reincarnation energy, locking Zane Booker in place.
Sensing the killing intent radiating from Joe Di, Zane Booker quickly said, "It’s the Supreme Sage Henry Vaughn who wants to enslave the Five Elements Universe. I only know a little about it."
"Speak." Joe Di’s tone was no longer gentle.
Zane Booker hurried to explain, "To reach the Third Step, we must create our own world. But the worlds we create cannot surpass the rules of our current universe, because our cultivation techniques are derived from its laws."
To transcend the laws of one’s universe, one must create a realm at least equal to those laws. The Supreme Sage likely wants to use the Five Elements Universe to forge a stronger cosmic world for himself, to surpass the Creation Realm. And also... for the Cosmic Throne..."
"What’s that supposed to mean?" Joe Di frowned. The world he was building would eventually rival, even surpass, the Five Elements Universe, so he understood Zane Booker’s earlier words. But this Cosmic Throne—what was that?
Zane Booker didn’t dare slack off. "All universes are born from vast Chaos. Chaos gives birth to universes, universes give birth to realms, and realms give birth to planets... When Chaos stabilizes, it needs a cosmic order. That order comes from a maker, and to become the Order Maker, one must possess the Cosmic Throne. As for where the Cosmic Throne comes from, or how to obtain it—that’s truly beyond me."
Joe Di fell silent; he didn’t doubt Zane Booker’s words. The Gate of Destiny had opened twice in the Five Elements Universe, and legend had it those battles were for the Throne. That Throne was likely the Cosmic Throne Zane Booker spoke of.
After a long pause, Joe Di finally said, "How do I know you’re not lying to me? Henry Vaughn isn’t here, so you could say anything."
Zane Booker immediately produced a Waystone Badge. "This is the mission badge bestowed by Supreme Sage Henry Vaughn of the Trinity Universe. It’s inscribed with his Dao resonance—it’s impossible to fake."
Joe Di took the Waystone Badge and nodded. "Good, you haven’t lied to me. Has the Swarmlands established a universe transmission passage with Chaos?"
Zane Booker explained, "The passage from the Swarmlands isn’t within Chaos itself, but at a Celestial Knot on the Universe Stairway. From that knot, there’s a stone stairway unlike any other, leading straight to the Sea of Defiance in the Swarmlands."
"Not bad. Your answers are acceptable..." Joe Di said, though he hesitated inwardly. Zane Booker was at least playing by the rules—should he kill him, or let him live?
Sensing Joe Di’s hesitation, Zane Booker didn’t dare delay and quickly added, "Actually, Henry Vaughn’s attack on the Five Elements Universe may involve something else..."
"What is it?" Joe Di asked immediately.
Zane Booker knew better than to bargain at this moment. He answered without hesitation, "It’s said that when Chaos gave rise to countless universes, the place with the most treasures was the Five Elements Universe. But despite its abundance, the Five Elements Universe was incomplete. Some of its treasures were suppressed by the Oath Platform, and others were sealed away by the Chaos Gate. Back then, Supreme Sage Henry Vaughn of the Trinity Universe was one of the participants. I don’t know the specifics..."
Joe Di was secretly shocked. It was easy to guess: these powerhouses split the Five Elements Universe and suppressed its chaos essence, clearly intending to come back for the spoils. But for some reason, they hadn’t returned for so long. In the end, he refined the Oath Platform and merged with the Five Elements Universe’s Dao laws—a blessing in disguise.
"Given your performance, I’ll allow you to recuperate on my Lethe Bridge for ten thousand years. When the time is up, I promise to let you go." Joe Di finished speaking and, without waiting for Zane Booker’s consent, directly tossed him onto the Lethe Bridge.