"This is the place." Lora Shen stopped.
Even if Lora Shen hadn't spoken, Joe Di could see it too. In front of them was a massive ripple guardian array. Floating outside the array were three characters: Lockway Prison.
Lockway Prison was also the Lockway jail of the Outer District.
Apparently, word had spread that a ruthless cultivator had come to Genesis City's Outer District, intending to forcibly break into Lockway Prison. For a while, many cultivators hurried over to watch.
Every cultivator living in Genesis City came from vast, boundless universes. Anyone who could make it here was a top elite from their own universe. To become an elite in a grand universe—who among them wasn't proud and ambitious?
Yet after arriving in Genesis City, these proud and ambitious cultivators mostly kept to themselves and lived quietly. No one dared to cross the line here, much less attempt a prison break. Those who didn't behave had already vanished from Genesis City.
Today, someone dared to break into the prison—whether out of ignorance of the rules or reckless bravado, it was bound to attract a crowd of powerful onlookers. Many were curious to see how the Vice Mayor of Genesis City's Outer District would handle it. If things weren't dealt with properly, it could set a dangerous precedent.
But no one had high hopes for Joe Di. Everyone knew how severe the consequences of a prison break in Genesis City could be. Even those cultivators who committed the tiniest offenses had disappeared without a trace—let alone someone trying to break into the prison.
All eyes were on Joe Di. Some also noticed the long blade strapped to his back. After all, every cultivator here possessed top-tier treasures.
Any treasure could be wielded as one pleased. Joe Di's blade, for instance, was over five feet long—carrying it on his back looked rather cumbersome.
There were only two reasons Joe Di carried the Azure Veil Blade on his back. First, perhaps he simply liked to show off—carrying the blade was a statement that he was a blade wielder, projecting his aura. Second, he might not yet have full mastery over the blade; if a cultivator couldn't wield their artifact with ease, it meant the artifact was still growing and hadn't fully matured.
Only a growing artifact would be kept outside, not in one's own world or storage ring—merging with the rules of the outside world would help it grow faster. Seeing Joe Di attempt a prison break the moment he arrived, he probably just liked to show off.
Joe Di reached out, and the Azure Veil Blade fell into his hand.
"It's your first time here, and you want to forcibly break into Lockway Prison in Genesis City?" A chilling voice rang out. With the voice, a yellow-robed man descended. His expression was calm, showing no trace of anger. Yet Joe Di felt a terrifying pressure—the man hadn't expanded his domain, but it seemed as if this entire domain was already under his control.
Joe Di didn't mind. If he couldn't withstand this level of pressure, his attempt at a prison break would be a joke. He didn't answer the yellow-robed man's question; instead, his gaze fell on the man. Between the man's brows was a deep Dao mark, resembling countless cosmic starfields.
His palms were broad and his arms long. Joe Di vaguely sensed the aura of artifact mastery in the surrounding rules. He was certain this man was a powerful cultivator of the artifact path.
"Joe Di, it's your first time here. May I ask who you are?" Joe Di cupped his fists in greeting.
He guessed the man must be in charge of the Outer District—most likely Neil Payne, the sixth Vice Mayor. If Neil Payne wasn't interested in talking, then a fight would start immediately. But if he was open to dialogue, it was best to seek peace.
The strength of Neil Payne before him was likely much greater than Henry Vaughn's. Even so, Neil Payne probably wasn't among the top ten in Genesis City. No matter how formidable Joe Di was, he couldn't claim to crush the entire city single-handedly.
"You're not qualified to know my Dao title. Since you dare to attempt a prison break here, let me see if you have the skill." Neil Payne finished speaking and threw a punch at Joe Di.
As that punch landed, Joe Di was struck by a sudden illusion: it felt as if all the rules of space had been shattered by the blow...
No, it wasn't just shattered—the space itself was being refined. Neil Payne's punch seemed to carry endless Dao laws, seizing control of this entire space and turning it into a massive furnace, mixed with a terrifying aura of flames. Rather than simply attacking, it was as if he meant to refine Joe Di as a material.
So arrogant—he didn't even consider Joe Di a threat. Without hesitation, Joe Di swung the Azure Veil Blade, unleashing his Chronoweave Blade Art.
The surrounding cultivators quickly retreated. In Genesis City, every City Lord—regardless of title—was among the most terrifying beings in the universe.
Of course, with a few exceptions, most Vice Mayors rarely took action. So people could only speculate about the strength of the other Vice Mayors based on the techniques of those who did act, or from the Honorary Lord Mayor. Neil Payne, before them now, was one of the Vice Mayors who seldom intervened—previously, Zoe Belling had already stepped in.
Of all Joe Di's time-based divine abilities, the Chronoweave Blade Art was both the weakest and the strongest. Its power depended entirely on his control—if he unleashed only one strike, it was the weakest; if he unleashed seven, it was the strongest.
In fact, Joe Di believed he could now unleash an eighth strike—but that depended on his opponent. If the opponent was too weak, he couldn't even trigger the eighth strike.
Joe Di's intuition was correct—the rules of Neil Payne's fist instantly transformed into countless tearing Dao laws, truly turning this space into a vast furnace. In this furnace, everything was illusory.
At first, Joe Di thought his opponent was underestimating him. But as the punch completely locked down the space, turning it into a furnace, Joe Di's expression changed—he was sure this was Neil Payne's strongest punch. Within it, he sensed a vast aura of artifact mastery:
This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting story!
Let the heavens and earth be the furnace, creation the craftsman; yin and yang the charcoal, all things the copper!
With this punch, heaven and earth became a great furnace, and the aura of creation was transformed entirely into the Dao laws of artifact refinement.
Space tore apart, rules shattered—Joe Di felt himself become just like the myriad things in this broken space, transformed into copper, awaiting refinement.
"Blade waves stretch for ninety thousand miles—let all Dao laws turn to dust!"
Joe Di's blade momentum surged—how could he hold back now? If Neil Payne wanted to refine him like a chunk of copper, then let him be ground to dust beneath Joe Di's blade waves.
With three strikes, he raised a ten-thousand-foot wave of blades; with the fourth, the blade wave soared to a hundred thousand feet.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The wild blade waves crashed one after another, stacking layer upon layer, slamming into Neil Payne's endless Dao laws of creation.
Crack! Crack, crack, crack—
The great furnace of heaven and earth emitted a series of cracking sounds, and the Dao of creation that refined all things began to falter.
Neil Payne's eyes lit up—such terrifying Dao laws! He had never seen a Convergence Realm cultivator as powerful as Joe Di. With a furious roar, the Dao laws of creation in the great furnace surged again, and a deep, cosmic resonance exploded forth. The rules boiling within the furnace seemed enraged, ready to crush Joe Di's blade waves.
The cultivators watching from outside were utterly shocked. All they could see were the endlessly surging Dao laws and the overlapping, boundless waves of blade force.
No matter what happened to Joe Di in the end, to be able to clash with City Lord Neil Payne using such blade waves was already something to be proud of.
Feeling the crushing force of even more terrifying Dao laws, and with the surrounding space furnace growing harder and wilder, Joe Di let out a long howl, "Triple Loom—windswept sands, the way lies below; surging waves, pure and true. Blade light stretches for millions of miles, not a trace of dust remains! Break!"
The fifth and sixth strikes swept forth together, transforming into a million-foot wave of blades crashing down. If Neil Payne's punch had turned the space into a cosmic furnace, with rules shattered and roiling to refine Joe Di, then Joe Di's endless blade waves were like the blade sea of the creation universe, suddenly torn apart and exploding in fury, smashing down into the cosmic furnace.
Neil Payne's furnace was terrifying, condensing even a tiny cosmic world, yet it still couldn't withstand Joe Di's million-foot wave of blade force.
The waves of blade force crashed into the swirling Dao laws of heaven and earth—the furnace shattered, and the Dao laws broke apart!
Neil Payne's expression changed. After his cosmic furnace was torn apart by the wild blade waves, he had no choice but to retreat and summon his defensive artifact.
If Joe Di hadn't unleashed a seventh strike, Neil Payne wouldn't have needed to summon his artifact. But if Joe Di managed seven strikes, Neil Payne had no choice—otherwise, he'd suffer a heavy loss.
(Until Creation's Gate and Strongest Abandoned Son are finished, there won't be too many double updates. I'm afraid of writing conflicts. That's all for today—good night, friends!)