As Zhong Ao sensed the distinct breath of the world's laws, he was not only merging his primordial spirit with his physical body—his cultivation was also surging at an astonishing pace. He even forgot that his goal wasn't to ascend in rank, but to accelerate the fusion of his spirit and body.
Not only did the dozens of prime immortal ley lines nearby begin to dissolve, even the blue essence vein slowly faded away.
Two massive vortices of immortal energy enveloped Joe Di and Zhong Ao. Joe Di's cultivation rose even more rapidly—Immortal Venerable fourth layer, fifth layer...
Even Blackfire, who lingered at the outermost edge, saw its cultivation soar. By the time Joe Di reached the sixth layer of Immortal Venerable, Blackfire had already gone out to face its eighth-level Immortal Fiend Thunder Tribulation.
Blackfire's eighth-level Immortal Fiend Thunder Tribulation jolted Zhong Ao awake. He snapped out of his exhilarating cultivation trance, realizing that his primordial spirit and physical body had nearly fused. At this moment, he could even feel the suppression of the world's laws.
He absolutely couldn't let this continue. If he did, how would he ever have the chance to help Joe Di?
But Zhong Ao quickly discovered he couldn't stop his cultivation from skyrocketing. If he waited any longer, he wouldn't be helping Joe Di—instead, the world's laws would crush him to dust.
"Brother Joe Di, I have to leave. If fate allows, we'll meet again. Also, be careful when you seek out the Thunder Emperor. That bastard is even stronger than Night Xi..." Unable to wait any longer, Zhong Ao raised his hand to tear open space. Yet, even with cultivation far beyond Immortal Emperor, this space was not so easily torn.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Several thick arcs of thunder crashed down. Zhong Ao seized the opportunity, using the thunder to rip open a weak spot in Ascension Gorge. His body rode the thunder tribulation into the gap, vanishing from sight.
As soon as Zhong Ao disappeared, Joe Di snapped out of his cultivation. He saw that the several-yard-long blue essence vein was now less than half a yard in length. Over twenty prime immortal ley lines had also shattered into fragments.