At this moment, the Saint Seat Plaza was filled with cultivators furiously training. Besides those immersed in cultivation, others were racing toward the plaza.
This was a grand feast for power advancement. Except for rare cultivators like Joe Di, who could no longer greatly benefit here, no one wanted to miss this opportunity.
Joe Di cast a jealous glance at Chi Yao. Though Chi Yao's strength surpassed his own, Chi Yao could still advance, while he, having reached the peak, found further progress nearly impossible.
Nora Xiu knew her time was precious—here, she needed to enter seclusion for cultivation immediately. So, she entrusted the task of finding Diana Di to Joe Di.
With Emperor Ye and Nick Ning absent, Joe Di could not leave the Saint Seat Plaza to search for Autumn Waters. Not only were his loved ones cultivating here, but many cultivators from the Five Elements Universe as well. If he left, no one could restrain Chi Yao.
Working together with Zachary Zephyr, Joe Di could barely make Chi Yao cautious. As long as the Saint Seat Debate had not begun, Chi Yao would not dare to act recklessly.
Joe Di simply constructed a concealed defensive grand array. Since he could not leave, he decided to continue peeling away Chi Yao's Dao principles.
He had already confined several of Chi Yao's avatar Dao principles, and there was much left for him to do.
...
Time flew by, and the entire Saint Seat Plaza seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement. No one quarreled or fought; everyone entered seclusion upon arrival. As more broke through their realms, the Dao rules of the Saint Seat Plaza became ever clearer and more vigorous.
At this moment, Joe Di was also fully immersed in peeling away Chi Yao's Dao principles. He vaguely caught a glimpse of the direction of Chi Yao's Dao—it was like a newborn child, and yet like...
The answer seemed to become clearer and clearer, shifting from haziness to a vague outline in Joe Di's mind.
Chi Yao, his injuries almost fully healed and his Dao about to reach a new realm, suddenly opened his eyes. Without hesitation, he abandoned his cultivation at this crucial moment and lunged at Joe Di, throwing a punch at him.
"Old man, trying to ambush my brother again? Take a punch from me!" Almost at the same time as Chi Yao struck at Joe Di, a voice echoed through the void, and a massive fist was hurled at Chi Yao.
Though someone blocked the punch for Joe Di, his nearly-clear insight vanished in that instant. With the aura of death surging toward him, how could he possibly continue comprehending Chi Yao's Dao?
That deadly aura was blocked in just a short moment. Joe Di charged out of the protective array and, without hesitation, also threw a punch at Chi Yao.
Boom! Crack!
Countless cosmic rules shattered in the Saint Seat Plaza, Dao resonance exploded, and divine essence surged out like the shockwave of a cosmic explosion.
Countless cultivators were swept up by the shockwave, forcing them to summon treasures for defense. Yet, the vast rules and energy flooding from the Saint Seat Plaza instantly repaired the damage.
Chi Yao's face flushed slightly, but he did not move. In the next moment, Nick Ning landed beside Joe Di, followed by Emperor Ye, who arrived a step later and did not make a move.
"Joe Di, why is this bastard trying to ambush you?" Nick Ning ignored Chi Yao in the distance and questioned Joe Di directly.
Joe Di sighed and said, "If this bastard hadn’t suddenly attacked, I would have already peeled away the direction of his Dao. He must have sensed I was about to do so and struck to interrupt my insight. Congratulations to both of you on your Dao achievements."
A hearty laugh echoed, and Zachary Zephyr’s figure landed beside the three.
"Senior Zephyr, it’s great that you’re safe," Emperor Ye and Nick Ning exclaimed joyfully upon seeing Zachary Zephyr unharmed.
Joe Di clearly sensed that Zachary Zephyr was different from before. He guessed that Zephyr’s Dao had elevated after perfecting the Jade Disc.
Zachary Zephyr glanced at the retreating Chi Yao and laughed, "I knew you two wouldn’t disappoint me. As expected, you’ve both transformed your Daos."
Joe Di immediately suggested, "Since everyone’s here, why don’t we join forces and take down Chi Yao? I’ve had enough of this bastard."
Joe Di was eager for battle; with the four of them against Chi Yao, their chances of victory were high.
Moreover, Joe Di knew that Chi Yao’s reincarnation Dao had been destroyed by him. Even if Chi Yao stepped into the Fourth Step now, it would be incomplete. Besides, Chi Yao hadn’t fully entered the Fourth Step yet.
Upon hearing Joe Di’s words, Emperor Ye and Nick Ning’s eyes lit up. Clearly, Zachary Zephyr had also perfected his Dao. With the four of them united, they had a real chance to defeat Chi Yao. Moreover, with Joe Di’s array mastery, they could set up a grand trapping array here to prevent Chi Yao’s escape.
Zachary Zephyr shook his head, "We can’t take him down now. There are still two top-level experts here. Neither of those guys is weaker than us…"
"Who?" Joe Di, Emperor Ye, and Nick Ning asked almost in unison.
Zachary Zephyr’s gaze settled on the Dao Seat of the Octaverse. "The first is Xiang Chenchen. He arrived not long ago, and since Joe Di was in seclusion, he didn’t notice. But I did. This guy could ambush Chi Yao back in the day, and now his strength has recovered, even surpassed his former self. If he teams up with Chi Yao, even the four of us couldn’t handle them."
Joe Di said doubtfully, "I don’t think so. Xiang Chenchen and Chi Yao are bitter enemies, and he would never let Chi Yao step into the Fourth Step and control Vastness…"
Zachary Zephyr sighed, "That’s the problem. Something must be wrong with Chi Yao’s Fourth Step. If I’m right, the issue is with you three. Earlier when Chi Yao suddenly attacked you, it was because you had grasped some secret about him, right?"
Joe Di nodded, "Yes, I obtained Chi Yao’s avatar Dao principles. When I was about to peel away his Dao, Chi Yao interrupted me. But it doesn’t matter. Last time, Nick Ning and I already peeled away one of his imperfect Dao principles. He interrupted me this time, but I’ll continue next time."
Emperor Ye and Nick Ning both sighed. Once the process of peeling away a Dao is interrupted, it’s much harder to recover the previous state.
Zachary Zephyr nodded, "Right. If Chi Yao is willing to share the secret of the Fourth Step with Xiang Chenchen, even share control of Vastness, what do you think?"
The three fell silent. There was no need to say more—someone as unscrupulous as Xiang Chenchen would surely join forces with Chi Yao. Besides, they had deep grudges with Xiang Chenchen, and Joe Di and Emperor Ye had even ambushed him once.
Zachary Zephyr continued, "Aside from Xiang Chenchen, there’s another one—the first Dao Lord of the Yao Sea Universe, Xin Nuo."
"Yao Sea Universe?" Joe Di frowned, then said, "I know that place. I killed someone named Huan Chuan Zhi from there before. His strength seemed pretty ordinary."
Zachary Zephyr explained, "You can’t judge Xin Nuo by the rest of the Yao Sea Universe. Xin Nuo is extremely patient, even more so than Xiang Chenchen. Many in Vastness know of Xiang Chenchen, but few know how formidable Xin Nuo is. He’s already arrived and is currently focused on rapidly increasing his strength."
Following Zachary Zephyr’s guidance, the three saw the territory of the Yao Sea Universe. In its center was a place shrouded in white mist. Joe Di hadn’t noticed it before, but now he saw that the misty area was swirling with Dao resonance and profound Dao mysteries, exuding a fierce and powerful aura.
"Since you killed Huan Chuan Zhi, Xin Nuo will definitely come for you. But for now, his priority is to increase his cultivation," Zachary Zephyr said.
The three fell silent. If Zachary Zephyr was right, they would have to reconsider taking down Chi Yao.
But Zachary Zephyr continued, "That’s not all of Chi Yao’s trump cards. In his universe, there are surely more powerful experts, perhaps stronger than those of our Five Elements Universe. If they emerge, even without Xiang Chenchen and Xin Nuo’s help, the four of us would still struggle to kill Chi Yao."