When Joe Di left the Taiji Realm, apart from two guardians and a few senior elders, no one else knew about it.
He took the four Five-Direction Flags with him. The Taiji Realm's protective treasure is the Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram, and he plans to retrieve it and return it to the Taiji Realm in the future.
However, before leaving this realm, Joe Di decided to first destroy the Bay Family of the Bay of Legends. Returning to the Immortal Realm from the Taiji Realm is not just traveling between realms, but moving from a higher realm to a lower one, which even involves the planes themselves.
Even for Joe Di, he could not be certain if he would be able to return in time after leaving, or when he would return. So he had to eliminate the ticking time bomb that was the Bay of Legends; otherwise, he truly wouldn't feel at ease leaving like this.
To deal with the Bay of Legends, it would be best to find a few helpers. There were two good ones, but he couldn't contact them right now. One was Lord Voidbreaker, and the other was Leonard Brown. Lord Voidbreaker was only at the Dao Fusion Realm; if he waited until Voidbreaker stepped into the Third Step, he would likely far surpass Leonard Brown.
Thinking of Lord Voidbreaker and Leonard Brown, Joe Di recalled the mysterious Cyrus. Both Voidbreaker and Leonard Brown were wary of Cyrus, and even Eugene Yi was cautious around him. No one knew exactly what kind of being Cyrus was.
It was as if they shared a telepathic bond—just as Joe Di thought of the mysterious Cyrus, Cyrus's greeting echoed in his ears, "Haha, Brother Di, I didn't expect we'd meet here. Thank you so much this time. I will remember your kindness, and I will certainly repay it in the future."
As soon as he finished speaking, the small, thin Cyrus appeared before Joe Di. Judging by how he addressed Joe Di, he truly considered him a good friend.
Joe Di felt that Cyrus's strength had risen another level compared to when they were in the Grandway Abyss. If not for Cyrus's deliberate concealment, he would hardly have sensed his presence at all.
Joe Di smiled and cupped his fists, saying, "It was nothing, just lending a hand. Meeting a capable friend like you is a blessing."
What surprised Joe Di was that when he humbly spoke, Cyrus simply smiled and accepted it without the slightest care. Clearly, Cyrus also considered knowing Joe Di a blessing.
Joe Di was at a loss for words. Just as he was about to bid farewell, Cyrus suddenly asked, "Brother Di, where are you heading?"
Joe Di made no attempt to hide his plan to destroy the Bay of Legends. He replied straightforwardly, "A few from the Bay of Legends offended me, so I'm going to wipe them out. Brother Cyrus, I'll take my leave now. Let's have tea together another time."
Cyrus listened to Joe Di's words in a daze. After a while, he gave a thumbs up and said, "Brother Di, I was mistaken about you before. I thought you were the type who believes 'taking a step back opens up a vast sea and sky,' but I didn't expect you to be so forthright."
Apparently, Cyrus considered Joe Di's intention to take out the Bay of Legends as a sign of forthrightness.
Joe Di was both amused and exasperated. He could only say, "I think for most matters, it's best to take a step back when possible. But the grudge between me and the Bay of Legends can't be resolved by retreating. Since stepping back won't solve it, I might as well move forward."
"Exactly!" Cyrus said loudly. "Brother Di, I support you. A true man should act decisively in this world, not hesitate or beat around the bush. Let's go, I'll join you—I must help you with this!"
To be honest, Joe Di didn't quite agree with Cyrus's perspective. He believed a person's emotional intelligence lay in knowing when to compromise. The saying 'taking a step back opens up a vast sea and sky' was not nonsense; sometimes, retreat was necessary. In some matters, he didn't think backing down was shameful—on the contrary, it was a sign of wisdom.
It's like if a dog bites you—would you bite it back? Generally, if a dog bit him, Joe Di wouldn't even bother with it. Only if the dog tried to take his life would he strike back decisively and kill it. Simple and direct.
Whether it was in the Cultivation Realm, the Immortal Realm, or the Dao Realm, there were simply too many sects and cultivators who had offended him. Later, when his strength grew, he didn't seek to exterminate them all. In the end, even the sects that once wanted him dead had to follow behind him, because they were no longer on the same level.
Why would a strong person bother arguing with ants who aren't even on the same level? That's just how it is. Those who feel they must retaliate and make the ants understand who is truly strong—it's simply because they aren't strong enough yet.
As his cultivation grew, he cared less and less about those minor figures who had once offended him. As for the Bay of Legends, if he didn't destroy it, it might lead to the destruction of Taiji. That's why he had to act. Besides, compared to him, the power of the Bay of Legends was no mere ant.
Originally, Joe Di hadn't planned to invite Cyrus along, but considering Cyrus's mysterious nature, he changed his mind and said, "Thank you, Brother Cyrus. The thing is, I only know the general location of the Bay of Legends..."
Before Joe Di could finish, Cyrus laughed heartily, waved his hand, and said, "Brother Di, it's only the Bay of Legends—I know where it is. In fact, in this universe, there's no place I don't know. Let's go, I'll lead the way."
Joe Di followed behind Cyrus. At first, Cyrus's speed wasn't very fast, but as they delved deeper into the void, his pace quickened.
No matter how fast Cyrus traveled, there were always fluctuations of spatial Dao rhythm, making it easy for Joe Di to track his direction.
Joe Di's most powerful technique wasn't really an offensive one, but his escape technique. No matter how fast Cyrus was, Joe Di could easily keep up using his Mindshift.
After a day of rapid travel, Cyrus's speed finally surpassed what Joe Di's Mindshift could keep up with. Joe Di was quite surprised—he rarely used Mindshift, not because it was slow, but because his Lawstride was even faster. What he hadn't expected was to meet someone faster than his Mindshift. Cyrus truly was mysterious.
Although his Mindshift couldn't keep up with Cyrus now, it wasn't a problem with the technique itself, but rather because his cultivation was weaker than Cyrus's. This only proved how advanced Cyrus's escape technique was.
In fact, Cyrus was even more shocked by Joe Di. He could tell that Joe Di's cultivation method was extraordinary; otherwise, he couldn't have led them out of the Grandway Abyss and escaped the Mountainview Forbidden Zone. Cyrus also knew Joe Di was a formidable fighter, thanks to his powerful Dao, which was no weaker than any creation technique. Plus, Joe Di carried top secrets. But Joe Di's cultivation should only be at the early Dao Fusion Realm—Cyrus could see that.
For an early Dao Fusion cultivator to barely keep up with him using escape techniques was no simple feat. Many thought his real strength lay in his deadly moves, but in truth, what he was most proud of was his escape technique.
Just as Cyrus was about to slow down, he was shocked to find Joe Di's speed rose another level. In other words, Joe Di hadn't been going all out before.
What kind of escape technique was this? Cyrus immediately pushed his own escape technique to the limit. He didn't believe anyone with lower cultivation could keep up with him.
Soon, Cyrus realized Joe Di's escape technique was not weaker than his—possibly even stronger. No matter how fast he went, Joe Di always followed right behind, as if he could surpass Cyrus at any moment.
"Brother Di, your escape technique surpasses mine—it's the most formidable I've ever seen." Even Cyrus, who looked down on everyone, couldn't help but praise him.
Joe Di smiled slightly. "Compared to you, Brother Cyrus, I still have a long way to go."
Cyrus shook his head. "I've never spoken false words. Now, I'm just glad we're friends. Otherwise, I doubt I could escape your pursuit."
Joe Di didn't reply. If it had been before Cyrus led the way, even though his escape technique was faster, he might not have been able to hunt Cyrus down. Like mercury, Cyrus surely had the ability to vanish without a trace.
But now, Joe Di knew that as long as Cyrus was swept by his divine sense, Cyrus would never escape it again. Because he cultivated Lawstride—once he grasped the rules of an escape technique, there was no escaping his pursuit.