Emperor Ye was anxious to find Serena Green. After exchanging a few words and leaving a message for future contact, he bade farewell and departed.
Joe Di watched Emperor Ye leave, and only after a long while did he let out a sigh. His enemy was gone, and so was his friend.
The pressure in his heart hardly lessened. The only relief was that Sean Chen would not be able to reach the Five Elements Universe for now. After that punch from Emperor Ye, even if Sean Chen survived, recovery would take far more than a few days—unless he was incredibly lucky and found the ultimate treasure of the vast chaos.
If that really happened, then his actions today had inadvertently helped Sean Chen.
Sean Chen had always hunkered down in Genesis City, living cautiously, even currying favor with people like Zane Edge. It wasn't that Sean Chen was weak, but the dreadful law within him that destroyed his Dao was truly terrifying.
It was easy to imagine how powerful Chi Yao must be to leave such a fearsome Dao Law within Sean Chen.
Now, although Sean Chen had lost ninety percent of his physical body from their joint attack with Emperor Ye, and even had his Dao Foundation shattered, the terrifying law shackling him had also been removed. If Sean Chen found a supreme recovery treasure, he might actually benefit from this disaster. But such treasures are not easily found.
Shaking his head, Joe Di decided not to dwell on these matters. Everyone else was advancing, and he had to climb higher as well. Even if he couldn’t step into the Fourth Step, he would strive to get as close as possible.
Just as Joe Di was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something.
He could dismiss Emperor Ye, but why had he and Sean Chen been warped by space and sent to the same place? Was this really just coincidence?
Even when his strike landed upon the void, Joe Di could feel the backlash of Dao resonance, his sea of consciousness roiling violently. Yet his expression remained composed as he stowed away the Azure Veil Blade and turned to leave, his steps slow and measured.
For the first time, a chill crept into his heart. He was certain that, aside from those who might have reached the elusive Fourth Step, his current strength was unrivaled in any universe. Perhaps there were those who could withstand him, but surely none who could utterly overwhelm him.
Yet now, he finally understood what it meant to be crushed. Just moments ago, he hadn’t even seen his opponent, but an invisible cosmic law had invaded his Dao with that single blade strike.
Had he not cultivated the Dao of Laws, Joe Di would never have realized when that foreign law fully merged with his own Dao. It would have happened without his knowledge.
At this moment, Joe Di understood everything—he and Sean Chen had been brought here by design. The enemy hadn’t expected him to ambush Sean Chen so suddenly, so now he was the sole target. No, there was still Emperor Ye.
Just now, he had unleashed a blade, yet saw no opponent—only for the enemy to force a cosmic law into his body.
No wonder Sean Chen had been unable to dispel the disruptive law within his Dao after all these years.
He had to pretend to leave unaffected, then find a way to resolve the law within him. Whether the schemer was Chi Yao or not, with his current strength—even if he called upon countless allies—he would still be powerless against such an adversary.
His enemy had plotted against him from realms unknown, embedding a cosmic law into his Dao without him noticing. If they met face to face, he would be no more than an ant before such power.
That law would merge with his Dao foundation in a mere instant—how many could ever separate it again? Had he not cultivated the Dao of Laws and understood its intricacies, he too would be powerless to remove it.
For Sean Chen to maintain such formidable strength after so many years was truly remarkable.
.......
"Pfft!" A spray of blood burst forth. A young man in violet robes wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and slowly rose to his feet. His gaze lingered on the place where Joe Di had stood, and after a long while, he murmured, "Fortunately, I did not underestimate you."
Though his Dao intent had been wounded by Joe Di’s blade, he had accounted for this. The law he implanted—if not detected and severed within three breaths—would fuse with the cultivator’s Dao foundation, making them his puppet forever.
Joe Di’s formidable strength would surely become a powerful obstacle on his path to sweep away all rivals.
But for now, he could set Joe Di aside; his priority was to find Serena Green.
This chapter is not yet finished~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting story!
He knew that Serena Green had appeared—she was in Jade Wall City.
Years ago, he missed his chance with Serena Green for the sake of the Dao. This time, he would not let her slip away again. The pain of that missed opportunity had taught him that sometimes, pausing and waiting was not a mistake.
If he had abandoned everything to search for Serena Green back then, would he have been ambushed when stepping into the Fourth Step? He would have long since solidified his Dao foundation and stood atop the vast cosmos.
Heaven’s Dao, Human Dao, and the Vast Dao were never truly separate. Sadly, he realized this truth only as he was being betrayed by a band of fools.
First comes emotion, then comes Dao; those without feeling can never truly cultivate the supreme Dao. Today, he understood this principle—so before stepping into the Fourth Step once more, he would mend his regrets. In this life, he would never again allow that woman to be left lonely, no matter where she was.
When he and Serena Green walked hand in hand into eternity, that would be the day his Vast Dao was truly perfected—the moment he seized the chance to step into the Fourth Step.
......
Emperor Ye had no idea where that void vortex had spat him out. With his mastery of evasion, he had traveled for over a decade, yet still had not escaped this desolate domain.
He increased his speed, fleeing for another year before finally bursting out of a vast marsh.
Splash! Just as Emperor Ye escaped the last stretch of marsh, a terrifying pressure from heaven and earth swept over him. Forced from the void, he crashed into a massive boulder, shattering it to pieces.
Was this the suppression of cosmic laws?
Feeling the crushing force, Emperor Ye’s heart sank. Though his Dao was not yet perfected, he was still a cultivator of the Creation Realm. Yet under this pressure, his cultivation was forcibly suppressed to barely the Shaping Realm—he was nearly knocked out of the Third Step.
Where was this place? How could such terrifying cosmic rules suppress even his Dao? Under this force, he was utterly powerless to resist.
"Friend, did you come out of there?" A voice interrupted Emperor Ye’s shock. He looked up to see two cultivators staring at him in awe and fear. The one who spoke pointed to the marsh Emperor Ye had just escaped.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)