The Genesis Cradle has neither settlements nor sects, but every cultivator who dwells here must know the territories of the top experts. Otherwise, a single misstep could spell certain death.
Soulfall Ridge is one such place, home to the Soulfall Sovereign—a supreme cultivator whose name alone makes countless experts tremble. Within the Genesis Cradle, the Soulfall Sovereign’s power ranks among the very highest.
Yet these are not the reasons why the Soulfall Sovereign is so feared. In the Genesis Cradle, no one truly knows who the strongest is; unless a life-or-death duel occurs, few reveal their ultimate trump cards. Aside from treasures like the Lawless Cradle, it is rare for top experts to risk everything in mortal combat.
The Soulfall Sovereign is different—his title is self-bestowed. Unlike others, his ultimate technique is known to all: the Soulfall Lock.
Whenever the Soulfall Sovereign unleashes his Soulfall Lock, there are almost no survivors. No one knows how many stages the Soulfall Lock possesses, because to this day, no opponent has withstood even the first three stages.
If the first three stages are so terrifying, what would happen if a fourth appeared? Most believe the Soulfall Sovereign’s Soulfall technique only has three stages. But speculation is not fact, and so he remains a figure of immense dread.
Fortunately, the Soulfall Sovereign rarely seeks trouble and has long been in seclusion. Rumor has it his Soulfall Dao has reached a critical juncture.
At this moment, atop Soulfall Ridge, the Soulfall Sovereign opens the gates of his cave abode, ending a millennium of secluded cultivation.
A woman guarding the entrance sees the Soulfall Sovereign emerge and quickly bows, "Congratulations, Sovereign, on attaining perfection in your cultivation."
The Soulfall Sovereign sighs, "Alas, not perfection—only necessity forced me out. If I waited any longer, Damon Tai would truly seize the Lawless Cradle."
Soulfall Sovereign was overjoyed, laughing heartily. "Good, good! To be able to frighten Damon Tai away, this person's array mastery must have reached its peak. Impressive! When did the Genesis Cradle get a Convergence Realm cultivator with such formidable array skills?"
In Soulfall Sovereign's view, since it was a Convergence Realm cultivator, their array mastery must be truly fearsome and exceptional. Otherwise, how could they have the qualifications to drive Damon Tai away?
The female cultivator hesitated before saying, "Sovereign, what concerns me is that Damon Tai might return after leaving."
Soulfall Sovereign laughed again, "It would be strange if Damon Tai didn't return. Do you really think that Convergence Realm cultivator could drive Damon Tai away with just a grand array?"
Seeing the female cultivator's confusion, Soulfall Sovereign, in high spirits, explained, "Damon Tai was simply worried about getting injured. You think he doesn't know that many people are eyeing the Lawless Cradle? If he gets hurt, even if he kills that Convergence Realm cultivator, he will have no chance at the Lawless Cradle. For the sake of the Lawless Cradle, Damon Tai absolutely cannot afford to be injured. So he would rather let that cultivator guard the Lawless Cradle for a while than risk injury trying to break the array.
As for that Convergence Realm cultivator, to set up a deathtrap array capable of injuring Damon Tai is truly remarkable. Keep monitoring that area for me, and report any news immediately. I'll continue my seclusion. There is sure to be a fierce battle ahead, and once my divine art breaks through, I'll have greater confidence."
The great battle Soulfall Sovereign spoke of had nothing to do with Joe Di. No matter how powerful Joe Di's array mastery was, breaking the array would only make him another Convergence Realm cultivator.
"Yes, Sovereign." The female cultivator quickly bowed in response.
...
Joe Di's recovery this time was exceptionally swift. In just half a month, he had fully healed.
Damon Tai had not been injured, and had even left without truly fighting him. Joe Di knew very well that Damon Tai had only left temporarily. According to Karmic Sage, even if the Lawless Cradle was found, it would take ten thousand years to obtain it. Karmic Sage was likely speculating or repeating rumors; perhaps it would only take a thousand or two thousand years, or even less.
In Soulfall Sovereign's view, since it was a Convergence Realm cultivator, their array mastery must be truly fearsome and exceptional. Otherwise, how could they have the qualifications to drive Damon Tai away?
If this was true, then Damon Tai's departure meant he was certain that Joe Di could not obtain the Lawless Cradle in a short time. When Damon Tai returned, Joe Di would still be here, helplessly guarding the Lawless Cradle.
If Damon Tai thought this way, could others not think the same? Perhaps when Damon Tai tried to open the Lawless Cradle, someone else would be waiting for him to waste his efforts, then swoop in to seize it just as it was about to open.
Joe Di's arrival was simply doing what others wanted to do but hadn't managed yet. Therefore, he had to take the Lawless Cradle away in the shortest time possible.
Joe Di released his divine sense. Aside from some rule spaces broken by Damon Tai, everything beyond was a field of chaos. Or rather, it wasn't exactly chaos; his divine sense couldn't detect anything, but he could vaguely sense it was a blurred space. It resembled vast chaos, yet lacked its clarity.
Joe Di summoned the Azure Veil Blade, gathering his divine energy and slashing down. The blurred space in his divine sense shattered, forming a gap. He stepped forward, only to face another stretch of blurred space.
Joe Di finally understood what Karmic Sage meant. If he continued using brute force, not to mention ten thousand years—even if the Lawless Cradle's space was layered, tens of millions of years might not be enough. He didn't have that much power to keep hacking open this blurred space.
Brute force wouldn't work, so Joe Di began to examine the aura of the rules within. His divine sense could only probe a few meters around him, where many broken fragments of rules existed. Without needing to think, Joe Di knew these fragments were Damon Tai's doing. It seemed Damon Tai had tried to find the Lawless Cradle by breaking the rules of this space.
Damon Tai had used this method for over a thousand years and still hadn't opened the Lawless Cradle. Naturally, Joe Di couldn't continue with the same approach.
Letting the rules circulate, Joe Di began to construct laws, then refined the rules through those laws to create space. Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the previously blurred, rule-less space now revealed a stretch of normal space about a meter wide. Joe Di advanced another meter and paused.
He cultivated the Dao of Rules, so this method was certainly faster than Damon Tai's. Damon Tai had spent over a thousand years and still hadn't found the Lawless Cradle. With Joe Di's approach of constructing new rules, if luck was on his side, he might obtain the Lawless Cradle in just a few hundred years.
Joe Di was not satisfied with this speed. Although there were no powerful beings here now, he was certain many experts were watching. If he waited several hundred years, the opportunity might be lost.
His cultivation level was lower than others, but he had an advantage they lacked—his cosmic world. Few people possessed a cosmic world like his, constructed with self-refined laws and world rules.
No matter how vast this space was, it surely couldn't match his cosmic world. Since there were no outsiders around, he simply opened his cosmic world, using its world rules to circulate, and combined that with his method of constructing world rules. He believed that soon, he could assimilate the rules of this blurred space.
As long as this space had rules—especially rules under his control—how could any cosmic cradle escape?
[Omitted: Author's closing message, not part of the story.]
Joe Di finally understood what Cause and Effect Sovereign meant. If he continued using brute force, not to mention ten thousand years—even if the Lawless Cradle's space was layered, tens of millions of years might not be enough. He didn't have that much power to keep hacking open this blurred space.
Brute force wouldn't work, so Joe Di began to examine the aura of the rules within. His divine sense could only probe a few meters around him, where many broken fragments of rules existed. Without needing to think, Joe Di knew these fragments were Damon Tai's doing. It seemed Damon Tai had tried to find the Lawless Cradle by breaking the rules of this space.
Damon Tai had used this method for over a thousand years and still hadn't opened the Lawless Cradle. Naturally, Joe Di couldn't continue with the same approach.
Letting the rules circulate, Joe Di began to construct laws, then refined the rules through those laws to create space. Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the previously blurred, rule-less space now revealed a stretch of normal space about a meter wide. Joe Di advanced another meter and paused.
He cultivated the Dao of Rules, so this method was certainly faster than Damon Tai's. Damon Tai had spent over a thousand years and still hadn't found the Lawless Cradle. With Joe Di's approach of constructing new rules, if luck was on his side, he might obtain the Lawless Cradle in just a few hundred years.
Joe Di was not satisfied with this speed. Although there were no powerful beings here now, he was certain many experts were watching. If he waited several hundred years, the opportunity might be lost.
His cultivation level was lower than others, but he had an advantage they lacked—his cosmic world. Few people possessed a cosmic world like his, constructed with self-refined laws and world rules.
No matter how vast this space was, it surely couldn't match his cosmic world. Since there were no outsiders around, he simply opened his cosmic world, using its world rules to circulate, and combined that with his method of constructing world rules. He believed that soon, he could assimilate the rules of this blurred space.
As long as this space had rules—especially rules under his control—how could any cosmic cradle escape?
[Omit closing message: This is not part of the story.]