Boom! A soul-shaking crack resounded as an endless, furious curtain of blades smashed against the edge of Chaos. Blood spurted from all seven apertures of Joe Di, his hair turned gray in an instant, and his face aged within the blink of an eye!
For Joe Di, that instant felt like an eternity. In that moment, he burned away all his vital essence and lifespan.
Crack! The vast expanse of Chaos was torn open by Joe Di's boundless blade wave. Yet his vitality and breath were spent, and the endless Chaos was merely split, not shattered. Now, the once-unyielding tide of blades had begun to wane, like gentle waves lapping the shore, echoing with powerless sighs.
Crack! Another splitting sound rang out—the Azure Veil Blade, which had accompanied Joe Di through his life, shattered into fragments, torn apart piece by piece.
A pang of pain gripped Joe Di's heart, and he could not help but shed tears.
These tears were not for failing to cleave open the realm of Chaos, nor for his own body withering and his life about to dissipate. These tears were shed for his Azure Veil Blade alone!
At last, as his life was about to fade, the Azure Veil Blade collapsed before he did. This blade was born because of him, and it died because of him.
Yet, the realm of Chaos remained unopened. Joe Di's strength was still lacking—just a little, just a tiny bit more. A sense of sorrow welled up within him: unable to break this realm, he would vanish like dust, just as his Azure Veil Blade had. No, not even a speck of dust would remain.
In that moment, Joe Di fully comprehended Time's Third Loom.
Triple Loom: beneath the dim winds and sands, the sea lies below; above, waves surge in innocent grandeur. Blade light stretches ninety thousand miles, yet not a speck of dust remains.
That phrase, 'not a speck of dust remains,' refers not only to the place struck by Time's Third Loom, but also to Joe Di himself. If he cannot annihilate all beneath the Endless Blade Curtain, he himself will become nothing—leaving not even dust behind.
Within the boundless Chaos, it seemed as if a voice echoed forth. The sound was like a drum beating straight into the weary, fragile depths of Joe Di's heart.
"Sacrifice the body to open this realm!
Sacrifice the soul to perfect this realm!
Sacrifice the Way to prosper this realm!
..."
That voice stirred a wild impulse in Joe Di—he wanted to howl to the heavens, to offer his body as a sacrifice and let it carve out mountains and rivers in this new realm. He longed to offer his soul, to perfect the birth of life here. He yearned to offer his Grand Way, to let this world flourish evermore!
To unleash the sixth blade, I have burned away my lifespan; to escape from Chaos, my body has withered to old age.
Rather than dying outright, why not offer everything I have to this realm I have carved out, and let it grow? Just as that voice suggested, giving my last hope before I perish.
Years of solitary cultivation and overcoming countless hardships have left Joe Di with a stubborn will. Deep inside, a lingering question remains: Why? Why must it be this way?
Why did I burn away my lifespan and exhaust my vital essence to carve out this realm? I did it to survive. I did it to live freely—not to become a stepping stone for others.
Joe Di let out a long howl: "I, Joe Di, came into this world naked, and I can leave naked as well. I can die, but I will never sacrifice my body for anything else. I was born in the universe and will perish in the universe—reincarnation or not, no one can dictate my cycle of rebirth, nor force me to do what I refuse! Sacrifice my body, my Way, for a realm I carved? Why? Lethe Bridge, rise!"
With a gesture, Joe Di summoned the Lethe Bridge in a thunderous eruption.
In this moment, even if Joe Di entered his own Lethe Bridge to reincarnate, he would not heed the cosmic order, nor would he sacrifice his body or soul for any realm.
Life and Death, Ten Law Realms; Six Paths, Self-Rebirth!
This Lethe Bridge is mine. No matter how many Law Realms I construct, within my bridge, I can reincarnate as I wish—no one can control me.
Joe Di, hunched and aged, with white hair atop his head, stepped onto the Lethe Bridge.
The Lethe Bridge appeared within Chaos. Standing atop it, Joe Di laughed heartily: "Lethe Bridge, grow! I, Joe Di, will never sacrifice myself. If I reincarnate, then wherever my bridge spans shall be my domain of rebirth."
This realm of Chaos was carved by my own hand, and to demand my body, soul, and Way as sacrifice for it is nothing but a dream. Even if I must reincarnate, I will use the Lethe Bridge to claim more territory—wherever the bridge reaches, it will be my ground for rebirth.
Here, there is no life, no Grand Way, no rules, and none of my loved ones or friends! Why should I sacrifice for this realm? I am not selfish, but no one will ever selfishly seize what is mine. My Lethe Bridge will claim more ground for my rebirth, because this realm of Chaos was carved by me—even if I have yet to fully create it.
Beneath Joe Di's Grand Way, the Lethe Bridge surged skyward—ten zhang, a hundred, ten thousand, billions...
Even as Joe Di's Dao resonance faded, the Lethe Bridge continued its wild expansion.
Crack! The realm of Chaos, split but not shattered by Joe Di, was torn open by the Lethe Bridge. As the bridge kept expanding, it slowly ripped apart the portion of Chaos his blade had failed to cleave.
With his last shred of will, Joe Di transformed the World Tome into its true form to shield his body, then reached out to the World Tree.
Though he knew his chances of survival were slim, Joe Di would not self-destruct, nor would he sacrifice himself. The World Tome shielded him, just in case a sliver of hope remained—it could block some of the chaotic blasts within Chaos.
Reaching out to the World Tree was a desperate gamble. As the sovereign of all trees, the World Tree was also a primordial creation of Chaos. Who could say it wouldn't grant him a thread of life?
...
Within Chaos, the passage of time left no trace at all.
Joe Di's lifespan and vital essence were spent, yet thanks to the World Tree, a sliver of life remained. As endless ages slipped by, his Grand Way fused with Chaos itself.
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Unaware, Joe Di grasped the chaotic laws of the realm he had split open, fusing them into his own cosmic rotation.
Thanks to the World Tree, Joe Di's cosmic rotation grew smoother, and the vitality he had burned away began to flourish again. In the haze between waking and sleep, he felt he was about to seize the most important thing within his Grand Way...
Yet, though it was right before him, within reach, he could neither grasp nor touch it.
Who knows how many ages of Chaos slipped by!
That elusive thing Joe Di had never been able to grasp—after endless ages, he finally caught a tangible feeling.
It was just like when he first forged his Dao, severing his own divine abilities; just like when he unified his Dao, cutting away his rules and Grand Way!
Today, to ascend even higher, he must once again cut away what cannot bear the weight of his Third Step.
It is not a divine ability, nor a Dao—it is his world.
All this time, his world had been the Ninth World, forged from the Sacred Yin Pearl, his soul's will, and the Ninth Law.
The Ninth World is harder than innate treasures, and can even revive the World Tree.
Such a world—should he sever it?
His hesitation lasted only a moment—a fleeting instant of nostalgia—then, without a second thought, he chose to sever it!
Almost the moment Joe Di made his decision, his eyes snapped open.
All around him was still Chaos, but now it was no longer the Chaos he could not cultivate in. Half of it had been split open, and the Lethe Bridge held it in place, preventing it from reverting to a realm of pure Chaos.
Joe Di looked down—he stood atop the Lethe Bridge, just as when he lost consciousness. The only difference now was that the bridge spanned both ends of this chaotic realm.
The moment he opened his eyes, the voice urging him to sacrifice vanished without a trace. Joe Di let out a long howl, venting his frustration and sorrow, and mourning the Azure Veil Blade he had lost.
Only after a full incense stick's time did Joe Di finally sweep up the endless Dao resonance and shout, "Sever it!"
(Only one update today. Good night, friends!)