When Joe Di unlocked the universe of Saint Zane Wyne, and the Grand Dao Principle was laid bare before him with no secrets left, he easily captured the shattered soul of Saint Zane Wyne, turning it into a soul imprint and storing it away. Only Joe Di could accomplish such a feat, for to seal a remnant soul and refine it into an imprint, the first step was to open the opponent's universe and strip away their Grand Dao Principle.
Joe Di did not know whether there were any restrictions to entering the Saint Seat, but he had already made up his mind: if he could not leave for the time being, he would settle in the domain of Saint Zane Wyne's Saint Seat. Whether or not there were restrictions, he decided to seize Saint Zane Wyne's soul imprint first, just in case.
When Joe Di finally saw the contents of Saint Zane Wyne's world, he was nearly stunned.
Even the lowest-grade materials here were Ninth Grade Divine Material. Rows upon rows of Dao Fruit Trees, cultivated over countless billions of years, left Joe Di sighing inwardly—there truly was nothing here he couldn't find, only things he couldn't imagine.
As for Supreme Spirit Veins, they could hardly be considered resources here. Within this universe, they formed vast mountain ranges of spirit veins stretching endlessly.
Joe Di discovered seven kinds of Creation Treasures. Most were impressive, but the Cosmic Gourd in particular seemed to surpass even ordinary Creation Treasures by an entire level.
Joe Di immediately grabbed the Cosmic Gourd. Even unrefined, the Cosmic Gourd was so heavy that Joe Di estimated it weighed more than an entire planet.
After refining the Cosmic Gourd at top speed, Joe Di could only sigh that poverty had truly limited his imagination. The gourd had nine compartments; in one, there was top-grade Dao Fruit Wine. Joe Di did not drink it—just a whiff told him it was brewed entirely from Creation Dao Fruit. Aside from a few rare Creation Dao Fruits, most of the ones in this wine were unfamiliar even to him.
Even more crucial was another compartment, which was entirely filled with Cosmic Divine Marrow.
A single drop of Cosmic Divine Marrow could save the life of a Creation Realm powerhouse—how many drops were here? Back when he obtained just a dozen or so drops, they had saved his life several times.
Joe Di decided to keep the Cosmic Gourd for himself. As for the other Creation Treasures, he planned to turn them into Array Banners and completely seal off the Saint Seat Plaza.
The cultivators at the Saint Seat Plaza absolutely could not be allowed to escape. If they did, the new universe they had constructed would face catastrophic disaster.
Joe Di gathered countless treasures and sent them into his own universe. With Saint Zane Wyne eliminated, these things would soon vanish if he did not take them.
What surprised Joe Di most was that he did not see a single Cosmic Dao Vein—not even the lowest grade. He had acquired twenty or thirty of them in the Genesis Cradle before, so why did Saint Zane Wyne, a Saint Seat Holder, not possess even one?
Whether there were any or not, Joe Di no longer cared. He swept his divine sense over Saint Zane Wyne's Saint Seat and quickly moved to its edge.
Before Joe Di could step onto the Saint Seat, he felt a terrifying surge of force. He stopped immediately. Whether or not he could break through the Saint Seat's defenses, was now really the time to try?
No one knew how many Saint Seat Holders were here—if even a few appeared, he would be in serious trouble. More importantly, he still had unfinished business. He had not come here for treasure or to attack the Saint Seat, but to stabilize the Trap Array imprisoning the Saint Seat Plaza, and even merge it directly with the Heaven-Earth Law of the outer universe. That way, even if someone tried to escape in the future, they would be unable to act.
Joe Di's plan was to refine several Creation Treasures first, then completely lock down the Trap Array.
Now that Saint Zane Wyne was gone, even he could not enter the Saint Seat—how could that be? Joe Di took out Saint Zane Wyne's soul imprint and decided to test it. If even the soul imprint could not unlock the Saint Seat, he would have to leave for now.
As soon as Joe Di brought out the soul imprint, he sensed the force outside the Saint Seat vanish before he had even made a move.
Delighted, Joe Di landed on the Saint Seat at once. As he had suspected, each Saint Seat could only be entered by its owner—outsiders were barred.
As soon as Joe Di sat on the Saint Seat, waves of vast Genesis Vitality surged toward him like a sea of mist.
This Genesis Vitality contained no rule power—it was pure cultivation energy. After circulating it through his body once, Joe Di immediately understood its benefits: it could refine his Primordial Soul and temper his Grand Dao.
In other words, even a Primordial Soul without a physical body could continuously improve in this energy. The only imperfection was that, while the Genesis Vitality contained no rule power, it did carry a trace of Nirvana Aura. To use it, one would first need to cleanse this aura before refining the energy.
At this moment, Joe Di felt a secret sense of relief. Had Saint Zane Wyne not recklessly charged into his Spiritual Sea, Joe Di might never have been able to kill him. After years spent refining his Primordial Soul in this place, just how powerful had it become?
Joe Di immediately refined Saint Zane Wyne's soul imprint into a Jade Token, sealing the trace of soul imprint within it.
At least while he remained in the Saint Seat Plaza, Joe Di no longer had to worry about having nowhere to go.
He decided to study the Saint Seat later; for now, Joe Di began refining the remaining Creation Treasures.
Joe Di's cultivation was based on rule and Grand Dao. He could even unlock the worlds of Fourth Step Saint Seat Holders, so refining Creation Treasures now required little effort.
In less than a day, Joe Di had refined six Creation Treasures.
When Joe Di left his Saint Seat and moved to the edge of the Saint Seat Plaza to reinforce the Trap Array, the number of powerful cultivators who had charged into the plaza and had not yet been possessed had dwindled to a mere handful.
To Joe Di's surprise, no one seemed to care about the Trap Array at the Saint Seat Plaza. He found it hard to believe that the Saints here hadn't noticed such a formation.
Since they've discovered the Trap Array yet made no move against it, it clearly means these Saints do not regard it as a threat.
As the rules flowed around Joe Di, the moment the first Array Banner was placed, he understood the situation. The Saint Seat Plaza was actually sealed by a top-tier artifact, locking the Grand Dao Principle from being assimilated. This artifact was a whole level above the Cosmic Gourd he had just obtained.
With no one attacking the Trap Array, and the Saint Seat Plaza protected by a top-tier artifact that prevents the new universe’s laws from assimilating, the only explanation is that the Saints here truly do not care about the outside universe. What matters to them is ensuring the Saint Seat Plaza is never assimilated.
Naturally, Joe Di had no intention of concerning himself with these matters. He dove straight into the Trap Array, continuing to set Array Banners. Banner after banner was cast out, and with the addition of several creation treasures, the traces of the previous Trap Array he, Emperor Ye, and Nick Ning had laid gradually faded away.
Once the rules of this Trap Array completely merged with the Heaven-Earth Law of the outer universe, Joe Di estimated that even a true Fifth Step cultivator might not be able to break it open.
...
While Joe Di was still feverishly perfecting the Trap Array, a golden palace suddenly appeared at the very center of the Saint Seat Plaza.
At this moment, the golden palace was filled with people. Hundreds of them possessed solid physical bodies, while thousands more existed only as Primordial Souls.
Some Primordial Souls, like Saint Zhai Yun, were mere wispy shadows, while others were so condensed they nearly formed tangible bodies, their auras vast and overwhelming. As for those hundreds with flesh, nearly all were Saints who had just undergone possession.
Seated at the head of the golden palace were two figures, both clearly unpossessed. One even had a complete physical body, while the other’s Primordial Soul was so corporeal it was indistinguishable from true flesh.
The man with a physical body at the head seat was dressed as a scholar, his demeanor icy and stern, without a trace of emotion on his face. With just a glance across the hall, he silenced the entire golden palace, leaving not even the sound of breathing.
After dozens of breaths passed, the scholar finally spoke in a calm voice, “Kuihe’s procrastination has left us with some lingering problems. Normally, these would be resolved soon after we present the Dao Debate, but because an exceptional talent has emerged outside, we now face this situation. There’s no need to worry—Saint Seat Plaza is locked by my Great Breath Dao Disk. Without my permission, no law can be assimilated here…”
“Taihong Saint, but the Ninefold Heaven…” one Saint with a physical body began anxiously, but before he could finish, the scholar known as Taihong Saint raised his hand to silence him.
Taihong Saint replied in a gentle tone, “I understand your concern. The Ninefold Heaven has indeed been affected by some fragmented laws. Still, I will never allow it to be assimilated by any law. Later, I’ll have one or two people go out and handle it. What I want to discuss today is something else.”