Joe Di raised his hand and put away the Reincarnation Bridge. His gaze swept over the shattered chaos world before him. Suddenly, his hand stretched out once again to seize something from the void.
Countless shattered blade fragments fell before him—these were the remains of the Azure Veil Blade. Back then, to cleave open this chaotic realm, he had staked everything and unleashed the sixth strike. Although he managed to carve a fissure in the chaos, his Azure Veil Blade was broken in the process. (Azure Veil Blade: Joe Di's lifelong signature blade, forged from cosmic materials. See glossary for details.)
To most cultivators, opening a new chaotic realm would far outweigh the value of a mere artifact like the Azure Veil Blade. But to Joe Di, the Azure Veil Blade was incomparable—even to this world of chaos.
This blade had accompanied him since his weakest days, all the way to the Third Step. Even now, it was still this blade. And now, it had become nothing but fragments.
Cradling the fragments of the Azure Veil Blade, Joe Di stood motionless for a full hour before finally raising his hand and striking downward.
A massive pit was blasted open by Joe Di. He gently placed the Azure Veil Blade within it, murmuring, "Once, your blade curtain stretched ninety thousand miles. Now, you are but a myriad grains of dust... After all these years by my side, today I bury you with this world as your grave." (Azure Veil Blade: Joe Di's lifelong signature blade, forged from cosmic materials. See glossary for details.)
His Triple Loom—every realization was wrought through the Azure Veil Blade. Now, the Azure Veil Blade had been reduced to countless grains of dust. (Triple Loom: A major cultivation technique representing mastery over time and fate through blade arts. See glossary for details.)
After a long moment of sorrow, Joe Di waved his hand again, piling earth to fill the pit until a great mound rose up. He seized a boulder and set it before the mound, then carved a line of words onto the stone: "Azure Veil Blade's Grave! Erected by Joe Di." (Azure Veil Blade: Joe Di's lifelong signature blade, forged from cosmic materials. See glossary for details.)
Having buried the Azure Veil Blade, Joe Di let out a long, mournful howl. It was time to leave. Departing this vast, boundless realm of chaos, he would return to the Five Elements Universe.
From this day forward, Joe Di would see how Dominic Du could possibly stop him from traversing the Five Elements Universe. He would also see how that corpulent wanderer could continue to protect the Immeasura Palace Lord.
Just as Joe Di was about to turn and leave, a crystal-clear message appeared in his mind. Ever since he began cultivating, except for the period of reincarnation, he and the Azure Veil Blade had never been apart. He was intimately familiar with every trace of its presence.
What he sensed just now was undoubtedly the aura of the Azure Veil Blade, and that aura seemed to be growing stronger by the moment.
This is...
Joe Di, overcome with excitement, was about to reach for the fragments of the Azure Veil Blade. Fortunately, he managed to stop himself at the very last moment.
The Azure Veil Blade was in the midst of restoration. This chaotic realm was one he had created, and he had never intended to do anything within it. What he hadn't expected was that by burying the Azure Veil Blade in this world he had forged, it could slowly repair itself by drawing on the realm's essence.
Joe Di closed his eyes. This time, his perception was even clearer. Though the process was slow, the Azure Veil Blade was indeed gradually being restored.
After blasting apart this chaotic realm, he had never cultivated here. Yet now, the world's laws and rules slowly gathered, working to restore the Azure Veil Blade, which had been shattered into countless fragments.
"So this is the highest form of artifact refinement—using the laws of a chaotic realm to temper a Dao artifact," Joe Di murmured. At that moment, he also understood how innate treasures and even creation artifacts come into being.
All these treasures are forged during the creation of worlds, formed from the endless aggregation of Dao rhythm and cosmic rules.
Joe Di's mood brightened instantly. He laughed heartily, Dao rhythm swirling around him, and proclaimed in a loud voice, "I, Joe Di, have forged this chaotic universe and leave my Azure Veil Blade here to restore and grow."
He did not say that the Azure Veil Blade would still be his in the future, because Joe Di knew full well that he might never see the blade again. Its restoration could take countless ages, and in the vast chaos, anything could happen. By then, the Azure Veil Blade might no longer belong to him.
It was entirely possible for the Azure Veil Blade to fall into someone else's hands. Even if it didn't, Joe Di might never be able to find this place again.
Moreover, a treasure like the Azure Veil Blade, absorbing the vast chaos rules of this realm, would one day surpass even the innate grade and perhaps even give birth to a blade spirit. When that time comes, even if Joe Di encounters it again, the blade may not recognize him as its master.
The stronger his Dao became, the more Joe Di realized how far he still had to go. To cover this boundless chaos with his divine sense—he might never achieve it. Because of that, he and the reborn Azure Veil Blade were destined to be strangers. Yet, even if the goal is forever out of reach, he must keep moving forward.
A goal so vast it may never be reached—such a dream is not frightening. What is truly frightening is to have no dream at all.
After saying this, Joe Di reached for a block of refined iron. With a flick of his wrist, it transformed into an ordinary long blade.
He slung the plain, unremarkable long blade across his back and said once more, "If fate allows us to meet again, then together, let us blaze a trail through the Creation Universe!"
With his current strength, unless he faced a peerless figure like Dominic Du, there was little difference between wielding a piece of stubborn iron and an innate blade artifact when confronting other cultivators.
With that, Joe Di took a single stride and left this chaotic world behind.
The Azure Veil Blade would continue its restoration here, but it might take hundreds of thousands, even millions of years before it regained its former glory. Joe Di did not have the time to wait.
......
Leaving the chaotic world he had created, Joe Di landed in the boundless chaos. His world was newly formed, lacking the accumulation of time, and remained within the vast chaos. Perhaps after many years, the realm he forged would break free from the chaos and enter the void, becoming a universe like the Five Elements Universe.
Compared to when Joe Di first entered this vast chaos—unable to move or extend his divine sense—now, his spiritual awareness could reach a certain distance. Moreover, his Dao Eyes could see through a segment of the chaos.
Even so, Joe Di still could not find any way out of the boundless chaos. He worried about Lightning; with his current strength, even he could not find an exit—could Lightning possibly find its own opportunity here?
Joe Di quickly let go of these thoughts. Lightning was an ancient mutated divine beast and surely had abilities of its own. If it truly were to perish here, that would be its fate—at least it had strived for strength.
After stepping into Realm Creation, the one benefit for Joe Di was that he would no longer be shackled by this chaos, unable to breathe or move.
Back when he was trapped by the vast chaos, Joe Di never despaired. Relying on his strength and determination, he cleaved open a chaotic realm and succeeded in creation. Now, able to move freely within the boundless chaos, he was in no rush.
Year after year, Joe Di wandered through the vast chaos. His only goal was to find the multicolored passage he had seen upon entering chaos. As long as he could find that passage—even if he chose any path within it—he could enter a universe.
The boundless chaos—hard to enter, even harder to leave. Unless Joe Di was willing to wait millions of years in the realm he had cleaved, until it finally separated from the chaos.
Chaos has no day or night. As usual, Joe Di used his divine sense to determine his bearings before moving. To his astonishment, after years in this empty chaos, he suddenly saw a human figure. Though still blurry, Joe Di was certain it was a cultivator.
Another cultivator had entered the boundless chaos, just like him?
Joe Di rushed over and landed before the cultivator, finally seeing the person's appearance clearly.
The figure was gaunt, with skin mottled black and white, deep-set eyes, hair like withered grass, and an aura of decay clinging to his body.
As Joe Di landed before the emaciated cultivator, the man noticed Joe Di as well. His fingers and entire body trembled.
"Who are you?" Joe Di sensed the ancient decay upon the man and asked.
The emaciated cultivator murmured to himself, "At last, I've seen another person... at last, I've seen someone..."
(Only one update today. Good night, friends!)