"Quick, send word to the Dao Lord..." Upon learning that the intruders were powerhouses from the Bay of Legends, almost everyone’s first thought was Joe Di.
At this moment, what else could they do besides contacting Joe Di? Of the two who came from the Bay of Legends, the elder was clearly a Third Step cultivator.
Since the great battle of fortune years ago, any Third Step cultivator in this world was a sovereign—an invincible existence.
"Absolutely no transmissions. Seal off the entire Taiji Realm immediately." Just as Jason Ren was about to send word to Joe Di, a sudden voice interrupted his movement.
Everyone thought they should contact Joe Di, yet someone insisted otherwise. All eyes turned toward the cultivator who opposed sending word—Jiang Sheng, Master of Peach Blossom Sanctuary. Though Jiang Sheng’s cultivation wasn’t especially high, he was still one of the five Pillars of the Taiji Realm, appointed by Joe Di.
"Why?" Fang Jianxi and several others stared intently at Jiang Sheng.
Before Jiang Sheng could respond, Jason Ren had already summoned the array banner. In that instant, the Taiji Realm’s guardian array groaned, and the next moment, it was as if two colossal iron peaks slammed shut, locking the entire realm within.
Now, everyone’s gaze shifted to Jason Ren. When Joe Di departed, the master array banner of the Taiji Realm was entrusted to Jason Ren; only he possessed the authority and skill to seal the grand array in the shortest time.
After sealing the array, Jason Ren let out a breath and said, "Master Jiang is right. If we try to contact Dao Lord Joe now, it will likely be meaningless. Even if he receives the message and rushes back, the Third Step from the Bay of Legends would have already torn through our outer defenses and invaded the Taiji Realm. Everyone knows what the Bay cultivators are capable of—they’re rumored to have destroyed entire realms. That realm, back then, was far greater than ours."
After Jason Ren’s explanation, everyone fell silent. He was right—Joe Di would never make it back in time. By the time he arrived, it would all be far too late.
"But you could have sent the message and then sealed the guardian array. As I understand it, once Dao Lord Joe’s array is closed, no message can be sent out anyway," Quinn Su said, frowning.
Jason Ren sneered, "Valley Master Su, Dao Lord Joe is the hope of our Taiji Realm, the one source of unity and strength we possess. As strong as he is, he hasn’t stepped into the Third Step, has he? You want him to return and face a Third Step cultivator? And do you not know how many Third Steps the Bay of Legends has? If Joe Di gets entangled, how much chance do you think he has to escape?"
With that, Jason Ren clasped his fists toward Jiang Sheng. "Thank you for the reminder, Master Jiang. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Jason Ren’s words were blunt, clearly displeased with Quinn Su’s selfishness. Deep down, Quinn Su’s intentions were likely more than what she let on—she wanted Joe Di to draw away the Bay of Legends’ powerhouses.
"Protector Ren, how do you know the Taiji Realm’s guardian array can withstand a Third Step from the Bay of Legends?" Fang Jianxi asked.
No one had ever witnessed the might of a Third Step cultivator, but everyone could imagine it. Even if the Taiji Realm’s guardian array was a ninth-rank divine formation, it likely couldn’t withstand repeated assaults from a Third Step.
Both Fang Jianxi and Jason Ren were Protectors, and his question was one everyone wanted to ask.
Jason Ren replied firmly, "Because I trust Dao Lord Joe. Before he left, he handed me the array banner and told me personally—if anything critical happened, seal off the entire Taiji Realm at once. I don’t know how Sect Master Joe arranged the realm’s array, but I trust he wouldn’t deceive me. I believe what we must do now is to immediately form a cultivator army within the Taiji Realm."
Most people agreed with Jason Ren’s words. Few truly understood the strength of the Bay of Legends’ cultivators, but many had witnessed Joe Di’s power firsthand. With a single slash, Joe Di killed a mid-stage Integration cultivator from the Bay of Legends and prevented the Taiji Realm’s Nirvana transformation—a feat even late-stage Integration cultivators could not accomplish.
Jiang Sheng followed up, "I agree with Protector Ren. Dao Lord Joe is the strongest person I’ve ever met. Since he said so, he must have confidence. Once we seal off the Taiji Realm, Dao Lord Joe will soon know—there’s no need to send a message. He’ll understand, when we choose to seal the realm rather than contact him, exactly what’s happening."
With the words of Jason Ren and Jiang Sheng, everyone felt reassured. They truly couldn’t contend with the Bay of Legends’ powerhouses now, but sealing the Taiji Realm meant they could focus on assembling a cultivator army in peace.
...
"Uncle Eugene, I sense something odd about this guardian array." After attacking the Taiji Realm’s array a dozen times, the young cultivator frowned and spoke up.
He was a consummate Integration cultivator—against ordinary arrays, even domain-level ones, his repeated attacks would leave visible damage. Yet, after striking the Taiji Realm’s guardian array a dozen times with all his strength, he hadn’t even left a scratch.
The elder named Eugene was none other than Eugene Bay, a true Realm Creator from the Bay of Legends. He hadn’t attacked; while the young cultivator assaulted the array, Eugene Bay watched from the side. In fact, ever since Jason Ren sealed the Taiji Realm’s array, Eugene Bay had been observing it closely.
Hearing the young cultivator’s words, Eugene Bay still didn’t answer. Instead, he summoned a crescent blade and struck. The pale blade aura, faint at first, grew to hundreds of feet wide as it crashed against the Taiji Realm’s guardian array.
Boom! The crescent blade slammed into the array, erupting with Dao resonance and shaking the entire space violently. The young cultivator felt as if something in the void was splitting apart, issuing a series of cracking sounds.
The young cultivator shouted in excitement, "Uncle Eugene, the array is breaking! If we keep at it, we’ll shatter it. I’d like to see how a mere Taiji Realm dares to block the Bay of Legends!"
But Eugene Bay didn’t attack again. He shook his head, sighed, and said, "You’re wrong. This array isn’t something we can break—not in a short time, at least. Though it looked like I broke it, the array instantly repaired itself."
The young cultivator stared at Eugene Bay in disbelief. Uncle Eugene was one of the Bay of Legends’ few Realm Creators. After the second great battle of fortune, it was said there were no Third Step cultivators left in this universe. If so, Uncle Eugene should be able to tear this array apart easily—why couldn’t he break through?
Eugene Bay said gravely, "Yifei, I’ve examined this array—it’s definitely a super ninth-rank divine formation. Surpassing ninth-rank isn’t the point; this array contains at least two Five Direction Banners. The banners resonate with each other—there’s no way I alone can break through."
"Five Direction Banners..." Bei Yifei’s voice trembled with excitement.
Eugene Bay nodded. "That’s right—the Five Direction Banners. I never imagined they’d end up in the Taiji Realm, used to set up the guardian array. Whoever did this has remarkable audacity."
"Uncle..." Bei Yifei’s tone grew even more excited; the Five Direction Banners now consumed his thoughts.
Eugene Bay waved his hand. "The Five Direction Banners aren’t something the two of us can take. Even if we break the array, we can’t seize them. The banners have been refined—refined in a way far beyond ordinary. If the array is shattered, the banners will be retrieved across realms. To take them, we’ll need more of the Bay Family’s powerhouses. Once the Bay Family locks down this universe with our treasures and attacks the Taiji Realm together, then, even if the banners try to escape, they won’t succeed."