As soon as Octavian Beard stepped into the Cloudspire Sanctuary's array gate, he activated the talisman and began to count. When he reached ten and still hadn't found Joe Di, he was startled, but his teleportation talisman had already been triggered.
In the next moment, Octavian Beard was standing right across from Joe Di, and the grand gate of the sanctuary had already shut tightly behind him.
"Why didn't you go in?" Octavian Beard asked Joe Di instinctively, his gaze fixed on him.
Joe Di chuckled, "I don't have your kind of skill, able to teleport out with a talisman. If I go in, there's no teleportation talisman for me to get back out."
Octavian Beard sighed, "Ah, I just wanted your help opening the sanctuary, but I didn't expect you to be so uncooperative. I really have no other choice."
As Octavian Beard finished speaking, the Giant Parasol in his hand was already summoned. This time, the artifact's domain quickly fused with his Dao resonance, locking down all the space around them. His hand reached for Joe Di's neck as he said, "I've never treated a friend this ruthlessly before, it's truly heartbreaking. Don't worry, if you help me, I'll remember it..."
But Octavian Beard's words abruptly stopped. The domain he had controlled shattered like thin ice under the blazing sun. He saw a hazy blue blade light slashing toward him, and it felt as if he was trapped in layers of thick syrup, his movements growing more sluggish.
Not good—Octavian Beard instantly realized what was happening. The person he thought was an ant turned out to be a truly formidable opponent.
Countless cultivators had stumbled between the two realms, all of whom he had sent into the Indeterminate Lord's Cloudspire Sanctuary to activate the Blood Gate Array.
Based on what he'd learned from these cultivators and his judgment of their strength, no matter which realm they came from, Unity was always their peak. Yet he clearly sensed Joe Di was only at the Primordial level—how could he be so terrifying?
In just an instant, Octavian Beard's Giant Parasol shrank rapidly, transforming into a wall that blocked Joe Di's hazy blue blade light.
Boom! The hazy blue blade light struck the Giant Parasol, sending waves of intense Dao resonance trembling through it. The parasol even emitted a faint cracking sound, and the surrounding Dao resonance fluctuations weakened significantly.
After dodging Joe Di's strike, Octavian Beard no longer dared to fight him directly. Twisting his body, he broke free from the restraint of Joe Di's blade aura. Then, he grabbed another array banner and tossed it out, causing cracks to echo through the void. But in the next moment, he was stunned—none of the banners he had set could be activated.
At this moment, Octavian Beard didn't have time to think about why. He frantically swept up his Giant Parasol and retreated.
At the same time, Joe Di's massive footprint slammed toward his chest. Even Joe Di inwardly admired Octavian Beard's combat experience. This guy clearly intended to flee, but instead of attacking, he tried to block Joe Di's next strike before escaping.
Boom! The massive footprint struck the Giant Parasol, and Octavian Beard felt the entire space compress. Then, under Joe Di's footprint, it smashed into his parasol and kicked him in the chest.
Octavian Beard spat out blood on the spot, his Dao resonance scattering. He used the Giant Parasol's resistance to propel himself backward. Suddenly, a cracking sound rang out—the Water-Repelling Array protecting the sanctuary shattered, and the Unfixed Sea's waters surged in.
Joe Di saw Octavian Beard's physical body dissolve as if consumed by volcanic magma, melting away at a visible rate. With a torn scream, Octavian Beard managed to grab a talisman and escape into the Unfixed Sea.
Joe Di glanced at the direction Octavian Beard fled, not even bothering to chase. To him, Octavian Beard was just a minor character; the Duality Blossom was the real focus.
The waters of the Unfixed Sea surged against Joe Di, but only managed to strip away his clothing. His physical body was completely unaffected.
Joe Di casually summoned the Voidmount, which transformed into a shield wall, blocking the endless surge of seawater. In the next moment, his clothes had already changed to a fresh set.
Octavian Beard wasn't exaggerating—the Unfixed Sea was indeed an extraordinary artifact. But Joe Di truly didn't like it. He had already discerned that the Unfixed Sea was an artifact that grew stronger by absorbing fresh blood and souls. Its waters harbored a chaotic, corpse-tainted poison.
...
Now reduced to a skeleton, Octavian Beard had washed up on the shores of the Unfixed Sea. Staring at its waters, he was filled with lingering dread.
He hadn't expected such a ruthless figure to appear between the two realms. He was certain Joe Di had perished, yet his heart still raced with fear. When the Water-Repelling Array protecting the Indeterminate Lord's sanctuary was shattered, his divine sense had caught Joe Di being swept into the sea before he could summon the Voidmount.
Without the Voidmount, no matter how strong Joe Di was, he would have been corroded by the waters of the Unfixed Sea. After all, not everyone could cultivate their physical body to the near-perfection of a Celestial Divine Physique as Octavian Beard had.
...
At this moment, Joe Di was already standing before the sealed sanctuary. He had come for the Duality Blossom; even if the Indeterminate Lord's sanctuary held no trace of it, he still had to enter and find the location of the Divine Herb Garden.
Joe Di drew out hundreds of Array Banners and instantly arranged a divine formation. As his grand array was completed, the rules around the sanctuary gate became clear. Without hesitation, he unleashed a blade strike upon the gate.
Boom! The blade light slammed into the sanctuary gate, which looked sturdy but was immediately torn open by a fissure. After that first strike, a barrage of blade lights poured into the crack.
Crack! The massive sanctuary gate shattered, and Joe Di stepped inside with ease.
Inside was a hexagonal grand hall, likely meant for receiving guests. At the far end stood a golden door, marked by several bloodstains. One look told Joe Di exactly what Octavian Beard had intended by locking him here.
[Irrelevant: Please click next page to continue reading.]
If he stayed in the hexagonal hall for more than half an incense stick's time, the golden door would absorb every last bit of him, leaving only bone fragments. In truth, this golden door was the entrance to the Bloodgate Array; once it absorbed enough blood and soul, it would split open.
Unfortunately, Octavian Beard had miscalculated. Even if Joe Di was locked inside, the Bloodgate Array still couldn't destroy him.
Joe Di had no intention of waiting for the Bloodgate Array to drain his blood. This time, he didn't even bother to summon Array Banners; instead, he carved out hundreds of Law Array Banners. Once the array was formed, his Heaven-Sedge Blade struck directly at the array's core.
Octavian Beard could never find the array's core, but for Joe Di, it was no challenge. Even without the Law Array Banners, his Dao Eyes could instantly pinpoint the Bloodgate Array's weak spot.
Just as the Lotus Saint had taught him to split the realms, Octavian Beard was unable to open this place, but Joe Di felt no pressure at all. Perhaps that's what they mean by 'difficult for the unskilled, easy for the adept.'
Crack! With a single strike, Joe Di tore open the Bloodgate Array. A wave of rich Divine Spirit Qi spilled out, leaving him secretly astonished. Even in the Unfixed Sea between realms, such potent Divine Spirit Qi could be found.
Amidst the dense Divine Spirit Qi, the first thing Joe Di saw was the intact physical body of a cultivator, seated before a Divine Herb Garden protected by an array.
The cultivator before him looked almost alive, but Joe Di knew he had long since passed away. Joe Di couldn't help but marvel—it was his first time seeing a cultivator die of natural causes. If this was the Indeterminate Lord, then he had truly met his end peacefully.
What puzzled Joe Di even more was that he had actually found the Divine Herb Garden inside the Indeterminate Lord's sanctuary. Octavian Beard hadn't lied—someone really had placed a Divine Herb Garden within their own sanctuary.
[Irrelevant: That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!]