The Eight Trigram Array patterns ahead had indeed been opened by Joe Di, and he had already promised that any further efforts would not concern him.
Joe Di did not take part. The nine cultivators joined forces to attack the protective array, splitting into two groups.
Jason Silentwood and Warren Wraith, together with a mid-stage Genesis Realm cultivator and an early-stage Genesis Realm cultivator, formed the first group. Franklin Young led three mid-stage Genesis Realm cultivators and one early-stage Genesis Realm cultivator, making up the second group.
With the groups set, Jason Silentwood was the first to unleash his artifact, striking at the flame-protected array.
Following Jason Silentwood, the other three also simultaneously unleashed their artifacts, blasting downward.
The attacks of four Genesis Realm Saint Emperors were anything but simple. Their artifacts struck the protective array, sending waves of fluctuation through the entire space.
Boom! With a thunderous explosion, a terrifying burst of flames erupted from the direction of the artifact attacks. Even Jason Silentwood, a late Genesis Realm cultivator, could not escape the backlash of those flames.
Darren Rice, the mid-stage Genesis Realm cultivator, let out a shrill, anguished scream—clearly, he was the most heavily injured, or perhaps simply the weakest among them.
“Retreat quickly!” Jason Silentwood shouted. But before they could fall back, the flames unleashed by the protective array had already subsided on their own.
Joe Di stood at the very back, secretly thinking that if he had joined the attack just now, he would not have been able to escape when the flames erupted from the array. Getting injured was unacceptable—if that happened, his body refinement cultivation would be exposed.
As soon as the flames burst forth, they seemed to seal off the very space around the four who attacked the protective array. If those flames hadn’t receded so swiftly, Joe Di doubted whether even Jason Silentwood could have escaped unscathed.
What a terrifying array, Joe Di thought, a chill creeping into his heart.
Though injured by the flames, the Genesis Realm Saint Emperors quickly recovered. Jason Silentwood did not continue his assault on the flame-guarded array. Instead, he spoke in a grave tone, “This array may be nearly impossible to break. It must be a supreme offensive Flame Guardian Array…”
A heavy silence fell over the group. With such a fearsome array before them, even if more Genesis Realm Saint Emperors arrived, breaking through would be nearly impossible.
Franklin Young let out a sigh. “Now I finally understand why, even though many have discovered the Chaos Lotus, no one has managed to take it away until now.”
Once again, silence descended. With their current Genesis Realm cultivation, even greater numbers would not be enough to seize the Chaos Lotus. To claim it, one would likely need to reach at least the Dao Fusion Realm.
“I do have a method. If we could borrow Joe Di’s Five Direction Banners…” Cody Cobb’s previously narrowed eyes opened as he looked at Joe Di. “With three Five Direction Banners to block the flames, we can keep up a sustained assault. No matter how mighty the guardian array, it can’t withstand so many of us attacking together.”
He too had been badly burned by the flames and was unwilling to let the Chaos Lotus slip away. His resentment toward Joe Di only deepened—if he couldn’t have the Chaos Lotus, he would at least make things difficult for Joe Di.
It was indeed a clever plan—the Five Direction Banners could certainly shield them from these flames. At this moment, not only Cody Cobb but the other Genesis Realm Saint Emperors all fixed their gaze on Joe Di. Warren Wraith’s face was full of menace, clearly ready to strike at any time.
Earlier, for the sake of the Chaos Lotus, Jason Silentwood had planned to settle scores with Joe Di later. Now that the Chaos Lotus could not be taken for the time being, his patience was running thin.
Franklin Young of the Demon Clan and Mark Mariner of the Sea Clan had, intentionally or not, blocked Joe Di’s escape route. Joe Di’s heart sank; he knew that if he didn’t produce the Five Direction Banners now, these people would immediately besiege him. Joe Di was confident he could escape by shifting away, but right now, he had no intention of leaving.
With the Chaos Lotus right before him, could he really just walk away?
“Well, Joe Di, what do you say?” Jason Silentwood fixed a chilling gaze on Joe Di, his tone utterly frigid. At the same time, the aura of his domain surged ever more fiercely.
Joe Di sighed and took out two Five Direction Banners. “These two Five Direction Banners can definitely block the flames, but if I’m to hand them over, I’ll need some collateral. Otherwise, I’ll be the one suffering the greatest loss.”
Warren Wraith burst out laughing. “Kid, who do you think you are? Whether you hand them over or not, you’re handing them over today!” As he laughed, his domain swept toward Joe Di in a frenzy.
Joe Di remained utterly unperturbed. “You turtle-named bastard, try unleashing your domain again and I’ll leave this instant. Let’s see if your grandpa can escape or not.”
Franklin Young stepped in to block Warren Wraith, cupping his fists toward Joe Di. “Joe Di, we accept your terms. You hand over two Five Direction Banners, and we’ll put up collateral.”
He was certain Joe Di could escape. If Joe Di couldn’t, he wouldn’t have dared come here in the first place. And if Joe Di left, without the Five Direction Banners, breaking through the flame guardian array would be nearly impossible.
Jason Silentwood said nothing, only frowning slightly. He knew of another method—before seizing the Chaos Lotus, he could use several Genesis Realm Saint Emperors as sacrifices.
Bringing so many Genesis Realm Saint Emperors here wasn’t just to attack the guardian array—it was also for the sacrifices to come. Once the array was breached, he was confident no one would be able to escape. But for now, he couldn’t reveal his trump card; if Joe Di had a way to flee, it would be troublesome indeed.
Did Joe Di really have no means of escape? Previously, he’d even used the Five Elements Shift Technique—who could say Joe Di didn’t have a way to get away?
“Each of you will put up one Supreme Dao Vein and five Dao Origin Fruits as collateral with me,” Joe Di declared without hesitation.
“Do you think Supreme Spirit Veins grow like cabbages?” Warren Wraith mocked, though he didn’t dare make a move. If Joe Di truly escaped, no one else would be able to produce such treasures as the Five Direction Banners.
“In that case, I’ll take my leave.” Joe Di’s figure flickered, preparing to shift away.
“Wait…” Franklin Young called out anxiously. “I’ll put up five Dao Origin Fruits and one Supreme Spirit Vein. Warren Wraith was right—not everyone can produce a Supreme Spirit Vein.”
Joe Di recalled that the Dao Veins here were called Spirit Veins. After a brief hesitation, he said, “In that case, no less than five Supreme Spirit Veins, and the rest can be top-grade Spirit Veins. The Dao Origin Fruits must total at least thirty.”
The eighteen Dao Origin Fruits he’d gotten before had barely allowed him to reach the Dao Origin Pill Saint level. With dozens more, Joe Di was confident he could advance further.
“Fine, I agree,” Jason Silentwood was the first to accept Joe Di’s terms, then addressed the others: “The Chaos Lotus has twelve petals. We’ll divide them based on contribution—both to the attack and to what we give Joe Di.”
No one hesitated. Forget the Chaos Lotus—even the value of two Five Direction Banners far surpassed everything they were offering combined.
Joe Di traded his two Five Direction Banners and quickly received thirty Dao Origin Fruits, five Supreme Spirit Veins, and four top-grade Spirit Veins in exchange.
With the goods in hand, Joe Di couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—these people were truly wealthy. Especially Jason Silentwood, who alone contributed nearly twenty of the thirty Dao Origin Fruits.
Joe Di activated the two Five Direction Banners, transforming them into a protective wall. Jason Silentwood, without hesitation, grabbed the two banners and left several of his own spirit marks on them.
Joe Di sneered, not bothering to stop him. With his mastery of arraycraft, unless Jason Silentwood took the banners away and spent time refining them, a few spirit marks would never be enough to claim ownership.
After imprinting his spirit marks, Jason Silentwood and the others once again unleashed their artifacts against the flame guardian array. This time, the raging flames were indeed blocked by the two Five Direction Banners, unable to harm anyone.
No one paused for a moment—their artifacts struck again and again, sending tremors through the space. None of them believed Joe Di could ever reclaim his two banners.
Joe Di didn’t need to join the assault. He circled halfway around White Lake, then summoned his Cosmic Flame, letting it slowly seep into the flame guardian array.
Boom! Even without attacking, a terrifying burst of flames erupted, instantly engulfing Joe Di.
In his urgency, Joe Di hurriedly withdrew his Cosmic Flame. Sure enough, as soon as he did, the array’s flames subsided immediately.
Amazing, Joe Di thought. If not for his Saint Body, those flames would have severely injured him.
These flames could definitely help his Cosmic Flame advance, but Joe Di knew his current strength was not enough to control them for such a purpose.
From afar, the nine Genesis Realm Saint Emperors attacking the array saw Joe Di engulfed by the flames and all sneered inwardly. Did they not know what Joe Di was up to? Everyone was aware he possessed a remarkable flame, but hoping to use these flames to upgrade his own was pure fantasy.
Wave after wave of attacks crashed into the flame guardian array, filling the space with thunderous booms and tremors. Joe Di opened his Dao Eyes and sat beside the array, sensing the rules of heaven and earth in this place.
After an hour, Joe Di stood and retreated a few steps. Though he hadn’t entered the array, he had already touched upon the laws governing this place.
Even if the flame guardian array were opened, the Chaos Lotus would remain out of reach. White Lake was utterly inaccessible—entering it meant certain death. Compared to White Lake, Seeking Lake was like a basin of clear water.
Even if the array was broken, the Chaos Lotus would escape before anyone could enter White Lake.
There was no way to obtain the Chaos Lotus—this was the only conclusion Joe Di could reach.
(That’s all for today’s update. Good night, friends!)