"Where are the two of them?" Joe Di asked anxiously.
Zen Leif and Jules Jyn, suppressed underground by Joe Di, exchanged a fearful glance. Zen Leif wished he could slap himself a thousand times—he’d suspected this place might be a trap, so why had he still returned to the First Sovereign Domain?
Thinking of this, Zen Leif glared angrily at Jules Jyn. If it weren’t for this bastard claiming Nick Ning couldn’t return after entering the Gate of Creation, Zen Leif would have become the number one in Brightrealm. Why would he have come here?
No matter what, he had to save himself.
At that moment, hearing Joe Di ask about Faye Dee and Sarah Farmer, Zen Leif quickly said, "Senior, I never touched them. Faye Dee and Sarah Farmer were captured by the Jules Clan, and Faye Dee’s Fivefold Dao Tower was also taken by Jules Jyn. They imprisoned Faye Dee here just to wait for you to come, then plot to seize the Fivefold Seal…"
Jules Jyn’s face was pale; he knew he was finished. He even thought about self-destruction, but in this terrifying space governed by unfamiliar laws, even suicide was a luxury. He’d always known Zen Leif was only a fair-weather friend, but he had to rely on Zen Leif’s strength. He just hadn’t expected that after Nick Ning entered the Gate of Creation, a terrifying powerhouse like Joe Di would come to Brightrealm.
"I secretly let them go. They should have already left the Light-Dark Universe. As for where they went, I don't know…" Tanya Tang said.
"You let them go?" Joe Di looked at Tanya Tang in astonishment. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her, but her claim was simply too unbelievable.
If Tanya Tang could have freed Faye Dee and Sarah Farmer, she wouldn’t have ended up nailed to the plaza of the Sovereign Domain.
Tanya Tang lowered her head in shame. "Yes, back when Faye Dee and Sarah Farmer were captured, my Tang family was also involved. Since everyone participated in capturing them, they were locked up together in the First Sovereign Domain’s prison. My Tang family still holds some status in Brightrealm, so we have the privilege to enter and leave the prison."
I persuaded my grandfather to give me the formation token and entered the prison, using two puppets as substitutes for Faye Dee and Sarah Farmer, then spirited them away. After I led them out of the First Sovereign Domain, Sister Faye said she had a World-Breaking Talisman; they used it on the spot to escape Brightrealm and flee the Light-Dark Universe.
"Why did you help them escape?" Joe Di fixed his gaze on Tanya Tang, ready to see through any hint of falsehood.
Joe Di didn’t know the status Tanya Tang’s grandfather, Tang Shi, held in Brightrealm. If he had known, he wouldn’t have doubted Tanya’s ability to rescue Faye Dee and Sarah Farmer.
Tanya Tang’s voice grew more remorseful. “Back then, Nick Ning came here and helped me a lot; he even left me the Radiance Scroll. Sister Faye and Sister Sarah are both from the Five Elements Universe, just like Sister Sarah Farmer in the past—they were targeted because of their treasures. Sister Faye even said she received kindness from Nick Ning…”
Now Joe Di understood—Nick Ning had come here as well.
"So you were imprisoned here because you helped them escape?" Joe Di asked.
Tanya Tang’s eyes brimmed with sorrow. “I had just helped them escape when my Tang family was besieged by the other clans in the First Sovereign Domain. Not a single member survived. As for why I was nailed to the plaza instead of being killed, I still don’t understand.”
"It was my family that brought disaster upon yours," Joe Di said apologetically. If it hadn’t been for Faye Dee and Sarah Farmer, the Tang family might not have been destroyed.
Tanya Tang shook her head. "No. Before my grandfather died, he told me that even without Faye Dee’s incident, the Tang family would have been wiped out sooner or later. It was because of the Radiance Scroll—the fact that we possessed it was already known. This time, the matter with Faye Dee and Sarah Farmer merely gave those greedy clans an excuse."
So that was it. Joe Di’s gaze fell upon Jules Jyn.
Before Joe Di could ask, Zen Leif hurriedly explained, "Senior, they nailed Tanya Tang here in hopes that Tang Xing would return with the Radiance Scroll to rescue her."
Hearing this, Tanya Tang was momentarily stunned, then her eyes dimmed, as if she finally understood.
Seeing Tanya Tang remain silent, Zen Leif, desperate to survive, added, "Tang Xing is Tang Shi's grandson, and Tanya Tang's cousin. After the Tang family was destroyed, no one found the Radiance Scroll. That’s because Tang Shi foresaw the reason for the Tang family’s demise and had already entrusted the Radiance Scroll to Tang Xing, helping him escape through special means."
Joe Di understood now—no wonder Tanya Tang’s eyes were so bleak. The Radiance Scroll belonged to her, yet Tang Shi had given it to Tang Xing to help him escape, not Tanya. These people nailed Tanya Tang to the plaza, hoping Tang Xing would come to her rescue. But clearly, Tang Xing never intended to return.
"Who were the ones hunting Faye Dee back then?" Joe Di’s voice carried a murderous edge.
Sensing Joe Di’s chilling killing intent, Zen Leif shuddered and stayed silent. He knew that no amount of begging could save his life—Joe Di would kill him regardless.
Tanya Tang replied, "Every power in Brightrealm’s First Sovereign Domain took part in the hunt—all for the Fivefold Dao Tower."
Joe Di’s gaze swept across the aura-shrouded First Sovereign Domain. His tone was calm, yet foreboding: "It seems there are many innocents here."
At this moment, Joe Di was certain that Faye Dee’s Saint Spirit Eye had not been exposed—otherwise, Tanya Tang could never have rescued her.
"Joe Di..." Tanya Tang was stunned. She had understood his words—was he going to wipe out the entire First Sovereign Domain?
Joe Di’s divine sense swept outward, spotting the Grand Yin Chamber of Commerce, the Jules Clan, and beneath his feet, the vast estate belonging to Brightrealm’s so-called strongest—Zen Leif.
"Joe Di, nearly all the powerful cultivators of Brightrealm are gathered in the First Sovereign Domain. If you kill everyone here, Brightrealm will soon be seized by Darkrealm." Tanya Tang’s voice trembled as she spoke.
Joe Di did not reply. His divine sense tore through every sect’s barriers and defensive arrays. In less than half an incense stick’s time, he withdrew his divine sense and looked at Tanya Tang, speaking mildly, "Perhaps there are some innocent cultivators here, but this so-called Sovereign Domain truly has no reason to continue existing. As for Darkrealm seizing Brightrealm—what difference does it make? This kind of Radiant Sovereign Domain serves no purpose at all."
You were only nailed here openly by them, but the sordid secrets hidden within those sects and clans are far worse. What I saw just now was only a fraction—and you know even less. In truth, when the avalanche comes, not a single snowflake is truly innocent. Maybe my words aren’t appropriate, but even if there are a few innocents here, it’s just their misfortune…"
After sensing the darkness behind these powers, Joe Di had already decided to erase this unworthy First Sovereign Domain. Whether Darkrealm replaced it was none of his concern. Anyone who harmed Faye Dee had crossed his bottom line.
Tanya Tang was stunned for a long while before she spoke. "Maybe you’re right, Joe Di. Back then, Samuel Farmer devoted his life’s blood to Brightrealm, only to fall for its sake. His daughter, Sarah Farmer, was bullied here and couldn’t even leave her home, all because she possessed the Genesis Pearl. At that time, not a single person stood up for her—only Nick Ning saved her in the end. Truly innocent people never had the right to live in the First Sovereign Domain."
She was well aware of the many shady dealings among the great powers here, or perhaps she had simply grown numb to them. After all, her own Tang family had been no different.
Joe Di raised his hand and struck down. The entire First Sovereign Domain immediately collapsed; all its laws shattered and space began to cave in, even the Radiance Vault—which could never be forcibly opened—started to crumble.
With a single motion, every item in the Radiance Vault was swept into a ring. Joe Di plucked a black fingernail from the ring and handed it to Tanya Tang. "Take this. Your future achievements will depend on your own fortune."
There were countless treasures in the Radiance Vault, but to Joe Di, few were of any real use.
As the First Sovereign Domain collapsed, Jules Jyn and Zen Leif turned pale, muttering to themselves, lost in shock.
Whatever they said, they knew it was over—everything was finished. Joe Di had destroyed the First Sovereign Domain, and with all of Brightrealm’s powerhouses gathered here, it was only a matter of time before Darkrealm’s cultivators claimed the remains.
What kind of existence had they provoked?
Before the two could recover from their terror, Joe Di raised his hand again, striking them down. Twin clouds of blood erupted, and Joe Di opened their worlds, sweeping away everything within.
Just as Joe Di expected, inside Jules Jyn’s world he found the Fivefold Dao Tower.
"Joe Di..." Tanya Tang instinctively accepted the ring he handed her, her lips trembling. Perhaps from today onward, the Light-Dark Universe would have no more Brightrealm.
Joe Di tore open the Void Domain with a wave. "Let’s go. I’ll take you away from this place. Cultivation here is based on the laws of light and darkness—there’s little future in it. I know the Dao Lord of the Light-Dark Universe, and frankly, he’s nothing special."
"Senior, do you mean Senior Wu Yu?" Tanya Tang finally managed to regain her composure.
Joe Di asked in confusion, "Who is Wu Yu? I was referring to Qin Mutian."
Tanya Tang had heard of Wu Yu—Sarah Farmer had told her about him, and she’d even met his descendant, Wu Ziyuan. But as for Qin Mutian, she had never heard the name.