Whether it was Zachary Zephyr, Nick Ning, or Emperor Ye, when they saw Chi Yao step into the Fourth Step and witnessed so many Dao Lords from various universes actively rallying to his side, their hearts sank.
The Five Elements Universe already had few people, and since its cosmic laws had only recently been restored, its combat strength was not superior to other universes—in fact, it was overall weaker. Under such disadvantage, once the struggle began, the scene that occurred after entering the Gate of Creation years ago might very well repeat itself.
After they block Chi Yao, who will stop the rest of the powerful cultivators from the other universes?
"Is there any news from Joe Di?" Zachary Zephyr couldn't help but look at Nick Ning and ask.
Nick Ning shook his head. He exchanged a glance with Emperor Ye; both felt a sense of foreboding.
Logically, with such events unfolding at the Saint Seat Plaza, Joe Di should have returned on his own—he had inscribed his name at the Saint Seat Plaza and would surely be aware of what was happening. Yet, not only has Joe Di failed to return, even the messages sent to him have received no response.
"Dao Lords, my Westgold Universe has decided to stand together with the Five Elements Universe." A middle-aged cultivator with slightly messy hair walked over, interrupting their worries. He brought not only hundreds of Third Step powerhouses, but also over ten thousand Hunyuan and Hedao cultivators.
"Thank you, Gene Young." Zachary Zephyr quickly expressed his gratitude, knowing that Gene Young was already allied with Joe Di. Now, not only had he come in person, but he had brought so many powerful cultivators.
"And my Tanyuan Universe—even if Joe Di is absent, my Tanyuan Universe vows to advance and retreat together with the Five Elements Universe..." The burly, bearded Dao Lord of Tanyuan Universe, Howard Zuo, also arrived with a thousand Third Step powerhouses.
Even though Joe Di had killed Charles Shao, Howard Zuo was still willing to cooperate with the Five Elements Universe. To follow a Fourth Step powerhouse meant risking even one's soul being enslaved—Howard Zuo would rather die than submit.
After cultivating for so many years, what was it all for? Certainly not to become someone else's lapdog.
"Haha, looks like my arrival from Kenworld isn't too late..." In the distance, a silver-haired man stepped out from the void, landing at the Five Elements Universe's Dao position. Beside him was Fiona Yuen. The many powerhouses at Kenworld's Dao position hurriedly cupped their fists when they saw Lord Kenneth the Creator arrive. Kenworld cultivates the Tianhuang Dao, and he is Kenworld's foremost Dao Lord.
Emperor Ye laughed heartily. Back then, at the request of Leon Starfield, he had spared Lord Kenneth the Creator. Unexpectedly, this had won Kenworld's support.
Emperor Ye understood well that Lord Kenneth's support wasn't because he had spared him, but because Chi Yao sought to dominate the cosmos and crush all powerhouses beneath his feet, demanding submission. A powerhouse like Lord Kenneth would never live under another's shadow.
Although the Five Elements Universe was still slightly weaker than Chi Yao's side, Zachary Zephyr and the others had steadied themselves. At least, they were no longer utterly powerless—just as some Dao Lords led their followers to pledge allegiance to Chi Yao, others continually arrived to join the Five Elements Universe.
What was originally a chaotic scene of universes debating the Dao quickly became clearly divided: one side led by Chi Yao, the other by the Five Elements Universe.
"Our strength is still a bit lacking. If Brother Joe returns, we should have a chance to win." Standing slightly behind, Zach assessed both sides and spoke up.
"Haha, it's lively here indeed. I can already see the Five Elements Universe's Dao position..." With a hearty laugh, a cultivator of average build descended from the void, bringing several thousand followers.
Although powerhouses had been arriving steadily, it was rare for several thousand to come at once—and all of them were Third Step cultivators.
"Are the three Dao Lords here Zachary Zephyr, Emperor Ye, and Nick Ning?" As soon as the leading cultivator landed at the Five Elements Universe's Dao position, he eagerly cupped his fists and asked the trio.
Zachary Zephyr said in surprise, "That's right. And you are...?"
Zachary Zephyr vaguely sensed familiarity with some of them, but for the moment couldn't recall their names.
"Haha, my name is Fabian Farr, from the Lost Dao Domain of the Five Elements Universe. Not long ago, Brother Joe rescued us... Eh, has Brother Joe not returned yet?" Fabian Farr laughed heartily.
Only now did the crowd at the Saint Seat Plaza realize that these thousands were allies of the Five Elements Universe. With such an influx of Third Step powerhouses, the balance of strength shifted dramatically.
Regardless of how strong Chi Yao was, in terms of Third Step powerhouses, the Five Elements Universe now held the advantage.
Some Dao Lords who were still hesitating, upon seeing the Five Elements Universe suddenly gain thousands of Third Step cultivators, immediately chose to side with them without a second thought.
Perhaps Chi Yao was stronger, but even if they stood with him, they might eventually be enslaved.
Given that, why not join forces with the many powerhouses of the Five Elements Universe and challenge Chi Yao, the Fourth Step? No matter how strong the Fourth Step is, when enough opponents unite, even he can't rule unchallenged.
Chi Yao's expression remained calm; he didn't care about any of this. If not for waiting for the Debate and the appearance of the Saint Seats, he would have already started a massacre.
......
Joe Di wanted to open his eyes, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't. His eyelids felt as heavy as a mountain, beyond his control. The first thing he sensed was pain all over his body, as if his bones had completely fallen apart.
Ever since his physical body broke through to the Sacred Physique, reaching a new level, he had never felt this way before. Joe Di knew well that his Blood-Seeking Grand Array combined with the universe's Dao Vein had triggered a terrifying transformation—one that still left him disoriented.
As long as his life remained, nothing else mattered. With his Rule Dao, survival meant everything would be fine.
Joe Di tried to extend his divine sense to scan his surroundings, but was stunned to find it couldn't reach out at all. If he couldn't still sense his sea of consciousness, he would have thought something was wrong with it.
Joe Di's first thought was to probe his own inner world, and he breathed a sigh of relief—his world was intact. Everything inside was still there, complete and unbroken.
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His sea of consciousness was still present, and his inner world intact—first, he would focus on recovering his strength. Joe Di began circulating his Rule Dao, but as soon as he started, it vanished without a trace. It was as if his cultivation of the Rule Dao had always been a dream, and now that he had awakened, it was lost to him.
Joe Di focused his intent on constructing the rules of his own world. With his Rule Dao, he no longer needed to rely on the cyclical operation of rules to shape the surrounding space. As long as he could establish the rules of the space around him, his divine sense would be able to extend outward.
To Joe Di's shock, not only could he not construct his own rule space, he couldn't even outline a single formation flag.
After a determined effort, Joe Di finally managed to open his eyes. He saw a hazy, gray space, and realized he was lying amidst a field of gravel—everywhere he looked, it was all the same gravel.
As for the rules of space and spiritual energy, he couldn't sense any of them.
Joe Di drew a sharp breath. With his current strength and understanding of the Rule Dao, this situation should have been impossible—yet here he was, experiencing it firsthand.
Thinking back to the sensation of being swept away, the feeling of shattered void, Joe Di's heart skipped a beat. Had he, after reaching Perfection in the Creation Realm, ascended to a higher domain? Was this realm beyond the vast universe itself?
If that were so, his cultivation should have been stronger, and the rules of heaven and earth in this realm even more profound. Yet here, there were no rules, no spiritual energy, not even a space for his divine sense to penetrate.
Joe Di struggled to stand, glancing around—everything looked the same. It reminded him of the twilight in the Immortal Realm, but even there, there was heaven and earth energy and rules...
But here, there was nothing at all...
What was even more unsettling was the absolute silence—aside from himself, there was no other sound. Joe Di could even hear his own heartbeat clearly...
(That's all for today's update, friends. Good night!)