Chi Yao glanced at Serena Green, hesitated for only a moment, then tore open the void with a single gesture and stepped through, vanishing instantly without a trace.
Serena Green stared in shock at Chi Yao for a long moment before finally asking in puzzlement, "Logically, he shouldn't have been able to leave, right?"
Emperor Ye gazed into the void where Chi Yao had vanished, remaining silent for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn before finally saying, "He must have something even more urgent to attend to, something extremely pressing. Since Chi Yao couldn’t do anything to me in the short term, he chose to deal with that matter first. I’m certain Chi Yao has a way to find us—once he’s done, he’ll come for us again…"
Emperor Ye paused here. By rights, Serena Green should be extremely important to Chi Yao as well. If it were him, he would have killed himself first before handling anything else. What could be so urgent that it forced Chi Yao to leave so hastily?
"Emperor Ye, if Chi Yao can still find us, what should we do?" Serena Green asked anxiously. Emperor Ye’s strength had multiplied several times, but Serena Green could tell from his recent strike that, compared to Chi Yao, Emperor Ye was still lacking.
It wasn’t that Emperor Ye’s Dao was inferior to Chi Yao’s, but Chi Yao had once stepped into the Fourth Step, standing at a higher vantage point with a broader vision.
Emperor Ye smiled faintly, "Chi Yao isn’t as invincible as you imagine. Since he couldn’t do anything to me for now, he chose to leave first. But he overestimates himself. Maybe I’m still weaker than him, but as long as he hasn’t stepped into the Fourth Step again, my disadvantage is limited. Even if he stayed, he couldn’t kill me."
Chi Yao must have left a Way Mark on you. He thinks he can freely break into my world and see everything, but I’m certain he can’t open my world right now. As long as you enter my world, I’ll be able to find the mark he left. It’s just…
"Just what?" Serena Green asked.
Emperor Ye frowned, seemingly lost in thought. After the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "I understand now."
Emperor Ye looked at Serena Green and said, "Chi Yao might be looking for a Dao companion, and he chose you. I’m sure I’m not his main concern—his priority is to take you away."
"Why?" Serena Green asked, perplexed.
Emperor Ye had his reasons for saying this. A powerhouse like Chi Yao was proud to the core. Serena Green clearly had feelings for Emperor Ye, and Chi Yao, having witnessed this, still pleaded with her to leave with him and promised not to hold it against her—this was not in line with the pride of someone like Chi Yao.
Emperor Ye said, "I suspect that when Chi Yao was ambushed back then, it wasn’t mainly because seeing you pinned in the void affected his Dao heart. It was because of you that he allowed himself to be ambushed on purpose…"
Serena Green was stunned by Emperor Ye’s words. He said Chi Yao wasn’t ambushed because of her, yet also said it was because of her, and that it was intentional—wasn’t this a contradiction? Why would Chi Yao abandon the Fourth Step and allow himself to be ambushed?
Emperor Ye explained, "It’s not that Chi Yao loves you to his core and lost composure seeing you pinned in the void. It’s because his Fourth Step Grand Dao lacked a thread of vitality; he must obtain you, for you are the key to perfecting his Fourth Step Grand Dao. Chi Yao must have realized this only after attaining the Fourth Step."
Serena Green finally understood. Perhaps Chi Yao did have some love for her, but more importantly, it was her Grand Dao that mattered. In her first life, she had refined a strand of boundless vitality, and for Chi Yao’s Fourth Step Grand Dao to become truly perfect, he needed that strand.
So Chi Yao truly wished to become her Dao companion. Yet if he succeeded, the very first thing he would do is transform her entire being into a thread of vitality within his own universe.
Serena Green shuddered. If Emperor Ye hadn’t come, would she really have had a chance to ambush Chi Yao? If she failed, she would become nothing more than a thread of vitality, utterly vanishing in the cosmos.
Sensing Serena Green’s unease, Emperor Ye gently embraced her. "Serena, don’t worry. There’s no way Chi Yao can find you now. In fact, you might be the key to defeating him. Even if Chi Yao steps into the Fourth Step again, without you, his Fourth Step will never be truly complete. As long as there’s a flaw, we’ll have a chance to defeat him."
It was only after stepping into the Fourth Step that Emperor Ye vaguely sensed what Chi Yao was lacking. Likewise, he knew it was impossible to stop Chi Yao from reaching the Fourth Step. As long as Chi Yao’s Fourth Step remained incomplete, he, Joe Di, and Nick Ning would have a chance to defeat Chi Yao together.
"So, what do we do now?" Serena Green asked, no longer concerned about Chi Yao, who was now irrelevant to her.
"Now, enter my world. We’ll leave this universe immediately. Chi Yao definitely won’t be able to find us; he can’t peer into my universe. Once we’re somewhere safe, I’ll find a way to remove the Way Mark Chi Yao left on you. After it’s gone, we’ll head to the Genesis Universe," Emperor Ye said without hesitation.
If this were before meeting Serena Green, Chi Yao might have had a way to track Emperor Ye’s universe. But now, Emperor Ye was absolutely certain—Chi Yao could do nothing to his world.
By giving up this chance to take Serena Green away, Chi Yao would never get another opportunity.
"Alright." Serena Green naturally had no objections.
After speaking, Serena Green suddenly remembered something and quickly added, "Emperor Ye, when I went to the Saint Dao Sect, Sister Soso and Sister Bingyu both said they were heading to the Genesis Universe to look for you. I think they’re already there by now—is that place dangerous?"
Emperor Ye’s expression changed slightly, but he quickly said, "We’ll go to the Genesis Universe right now. There’s a ruined planet there where we once stayed. We’ll remove the Way Mark from you on that planet, and then search for Soso and Bingyu."
Joe Di nodded. “It’s not just worry—Chi Yao will definitely come for us. Right now, he hasn’t reached the Fourth Step, so we’re not afraid. But even if we work together, we probably can’t stop him. What I’m worried about is that he’ll take it out on the Five Elements Universe, and that universe can’t withstand his fury.”
Chi Yao tore through the boundaries of the realm in a frenzy, grasping at his own Dao Principle. With his means, he could retrieve his Grand Dao Principle at any time. Even if he couldn’t, he could destroy it with a thought.
What terrified Chi Yao now was that he could only sense his Dao Principle being broken down and deduced by someone else, but he couldn’t retrieve it. This was because an invisible Prime Array was blocking his Way Intent. Not only that, he couldn’t even destroy his Grand Dao—again, because of the array.
In this vast chaos, someone could actually use a Prime Array to block his methods, and even he couldn’t break it. This was no ordinary array—it might be a new form of Arraycraft, surpassing all existing ones in this universe.
The more this happened, the more alarmed Chi Yao became. After stepping into the Fourth Step, no one could stop him—he was sure of it. Yet now, his Fourth Step was still missing something essential, though he was confident he could perfect it. But if someone could glimpse traces of his Grand Dao, it would be no simple matter.
If his Grand Dao was ever glimpsed by someone else, he would no longer be absolutely confident in crushing everyone.
"It’s done!" Nick Ning exclaimed, standing up in excitement.
Joe Di waved his hand, sending out more than a dozen wild Dao Auras. The Grand Dao Principle that he and Nick Ning had spent days separating and breaking apart exploded in the midst of Joe Di’s wild Dao Auras, turning instantly to dust.
Nick Ning chuckled, "You’re worried Chi Yao will come for us, aren’t you?"
Joe Di nodded. "It’s not just worry—Chi Yao will definitely come for us. Right now, he hasn’t reached the Fourth Step, so we’re not afraid. But even if we work together, we probably can’t stop him. What I’m worried about is that he’ll take it out on the Five Elements Universe, and that universe can’t withstand his fury."
"Right, he’s probably already on his way. Let’s go—we’ll head to Celestial Beyond, then go together to the Genesis Universe." Nick Ning said energetically, knowing that the real danger lay in the unknown.
No matter the situation, the worst thing is to have no chance at all. Now, they finally had an opportunity to defeat Chi Yao—and this was their source of confidence.