Ruby Lan was gravely wounded and could only offer advice here. Her father, Albert Lan, had also perished in the recent Insect Disaster. Given Ruby Lan's close relationship with Joe Di, her status in this place was no lower than Felix Xuan's.
The one who suggested evacuation was Jason Jie, City Lord of Eternity Saint City. If not for Evelyn Young's insistence, he would have fled Dao Domain long ago.
"Palace Master Lan, we understand your feelings. But have you considered that once the Guardian Array is breached, we won't even have a chance to retreat? Are you willing to let the entire Dao Domain perish here? Dao Domain is not just us, but also our descendants. If Dao Domain is buried here, who will avenge us? Who will save Dao Domain?" Jason Jie's tone was harsh.
After Albert Lan's death, Ruby Lan had become the Palace Master of Cloudveil Hall. Jason Jie called her Palace Master Lan, partly to remind her that her father was gone, and also to warn her that if she insisted on staying, she too would perish here, and Cloudveil Hall would be destroyed as well.
Ruby Lan spoke slowly, "Senior Evelyn is right, we cannot leave Dao Domain so easily. If we abandon Dao Domain, the insects will break out with us. Our defense here is not only for Dao Domain, but for our entire universe. Right now, we are the last line of defense. If we run away, the insects will occupy this place and swarm into the vast universe, and countless Dao Domains will suffer the same fate as ours."
Jason Jie sneered, "Such lofty virtue! I, Jason Jie, don't possess your high morals, so I must leave."
"We can't leave. Only by staying here can we hold out until Big Brother Joe arrives. This is also Senior Evelyn's intention—she wants us to hold on until Big Brother Joe comes." Ruby Lan clenched her fists, her eyes reddening.
In her heart, Ruby Lan deeply despised Jason Jie. As a senior of Dao Domain, he spoke without a shred of integrity.
"Hahahaha..." Jason Jie burst into wild laughter. "Joe Di? We sent a Dao Fusion expert to invite Joe Di, but where is he now?"
King Leto, one of the Ten Dao Prodigies, stepped forward and said, "Sister Ruby, City Lord Jie's concerns aren't just about running away. Even if Sister Sylvia manages to find Joe Di, and even if they return to Dao Domain, it won't happen overnight. By the time they arrive, Dao Domain might already have been devoured by the insect swarm."
Ruby Lan said firmly, "That's why we must hold the Dao Domain here and wait for Brother Joe to arrive."
...
Joe Di didn't need to travel by conventional means. After leaving Celestial Beyond, he immediately used Lawstride. In just half a stick of incense's time, he repeatedly tore open the Void Domain barriers.
In less than a full stick of incense, Joe Di landed on Lostlake. As he stepped out of Lostlake, even his divine sense was shaken by the scene before him.
Swarms of insects filled every corner of his divine sense. Of the entire Dao Domain, barely one ten-thousandth remained uninfested.
All cultivators of the Dao Domain had gathered in that last sliver of space, their backs to the sea as they fought off the endless insects. Joe Di had visited this sea before—Lightless Sea. In terms of cultivation resources, Lightless Sea was one of the most impoverished places in the Dao Domain, lacking even basic spiritual energy.
No wonder Sylvia Wu was so anxious. With the Dao Domain in this state, even a minute's delay was intolerable. During the brief time Joe Di stood there, dozens perished to the endless insect tide within his divine sense.
This was only possible because the Dao Domain cultivators had formed a Guardian Array. Without it, even that last ten-thousandth of territory would have long since vanished.
But even so, the complete occupation of the Dao Domain by insects was only a matter of time.
Joe Di's divine sense swept over a Prime Realm female cultivator who was repairing the Guardian Array. She was struck by a blade ray from an insect, likely one at Prime Realm Perfection, and was sent flying with grievous injuries, leaving a breach in the array.
As countless insects surged toward the breach, Joe Di had no time to hesitate. He quickly sent Sylvia Wu away, saying hurriedly, "We've returned to the Dao Domain. I have urgent matters to attend to—go on ahead..."
Sylvia Wu, still dazed, glanced around in confusion. Her divine sense swept out, and in just a breath's time, her eyes widened in disbelief as she muttered, "We're already in the Dao Domain? How could it have been so fast?"
Sylvia Wu was certain—this was indeed the Dao Domain. She had entered Joe Di's True Spirit World for less than a stick of incense, yet in that short span, Joe Di had traversed a journey that had taken her half a year.
It had to be a targeted tearing of the Void Domain barriers.
Sylvia Wu shivered. To accomplish this, one must be at the Third Step.
Was Joe Di truly a Third Step powerhouse now? Her heart surged with excitement. The Third Step—a realm she’d never dared even to dream of.
Once the Dao Domain crisis was over, she would leave for the vast, boundless void to cultivate. Even though she hadn't trained in Celestial Beyond, she was certain the world's laws there were incomparably complete—far beyond her imagination.
Not only were the laws complete, but the world’s spiritual energy was incredibly rich.
Fortunately, Sylvia Wu did not know that, in the Five Elements Universe, Prime Realm cultivators were now everywhere. Otherwise, she might not have been able to resist leaving the Dao Domain immediately to strive for the Third Step.
...
Jason Jie no longer paid attention to Ruby Lan and quickened his pace toward the grand hall's entrance. For him, leaving the Dao Domain immediately was imperative. He had already done his part for the Dao Domain's survival. Now, he had neither the power nor the obligation to perish alongside it.
But just as Jason Jie was a few steps from the entrance, jubilant shouts erupted outside. A disheveled female cultivator burst in, crying, "The insects are retreating! They're retreating..."
Retreating insects? In that instant, everyone leapt to their feet. Since the insect tide had emerged from the wormhole, it had never once retreated. That was why Dao Domain cultivators had continually fallen back, until there was nowhere left to retreat.
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At that moment, no one paid Jason Jie any mind. Everyone rushed outside.
The insects truly had retreated. Countless insect corpses were piled outside the Guardian Array of Lightless Sea Divine City. Severely wounded, Yijin stared blankly at the endless sea of insect bodies, lost in thought.
Around Yijin stood many cultivators clutching their magical treasures, equally stunned, as if still reliving the events that had just transpired.
"Senior Yijin..." Fei Xuan rushed forward excitedly, calling out. What he wanted to ask was why the insects had suddenly retreated.
But before he could ask, he understood—the insects had been slaughtered. The terrifying blade intent still lingered outside the Guardian Array. Even a sweep of his divine sense made his sea of consciousness ache. Such blade intent was truly terrifying.
Ruby Lan finally rushed over, quickly producing a pill and handing it to Yijin. "Senior Yijin, was it Brother Joe who came?"
Yijin exhaled slowly, finally coming back to herself. She accepted Ruby Lan's pill and said softly, "I don't know who arrived—I didn't see anyone. All I saw was a boundless blade light, as if the sky and sea had burst open. The Blade Wave formed by that blade light swept out like a torrent, surging across the heavens and earth.
Even standing behind that terrifying Blade Wave, I could still feel the presence of death... It's impossible to describe that feeling. Under that overwhelming blade force, there was no room for survival. No matter how powerful the insects, they were all cleaved in two..."
Even after regaining her composure, Yijin was still shaken by the Blade Wave's terrifying power. In all her years of cultivation, she had witnessed countless mighty techniques, but never anything like this. The insect king, which had gravely injured her with a single blade ray, was obliterated without even a chance to resist.
"It must be a cosmic powerhouse from our side who came to aid the Dao Domain. What a blessing!" Jason Jie exclaimed joyfully from the back.
Ruby Lan immediately said, "It must have been Brother Joe!"
Jason Jie replied calmly, "First, Friend Joe isn't that powerful. Second, he couldn't have arrived so quickly. Even if Sylvia Wu found him at her fastest speed, it would still take some time for them to return."
(That's all for today—good night, friends!)