Joe Di's cultivation was recovering very slowly. This world seemed to be filled with nothing but desolate, ruined mountains and rivers. Spiritual energy was scarce between heaven and earth, and Joe Di guessed that this was what Zane Du meant by a shattered universe. Though the universe was broken, it hadn't collapsed to the point of complete destruction.
Though cultivation was impossible here, ordinary people could still survive. At least, it was far better than the Heavenly Shaman Realm.
After traveling for three months, Joe Di finally stopped. He realized that continuing on like this was not a solution. At his current level, it was nearly impossible to fully recover. He was reluctant to use the Cosmic Essence, knowing it would be pointless.
Even if he returned to his peak, in the end, he would probably still have to drink Dominic Du’s foot-washing water.
He dared not use the Reminiscent Bodhi Seed again, but he had to perfect his Dao Heart; otherwise, he couldn't enter the Third Step. If he couldn't attain the Third Step, it would be no different from using the Reminiscent Bodhi Seed.
He couldn't use the Reminiscent Bodhi Seed, but he didn't dare throw it away either. If his suspicions were correct, Dominic Du had given him the Reminiscent Bodhi Seed with a purpose. Since there was a purpose, if he discarded it, Dominic Du might come after him immediately.
According to Joe Di’s thinking, if a powerful cultivator intercepted him now and snatched the Reminiscent Bodhi Seed, he would actually be lucky.
Unfortunately, after three months of travel, he hadn’t seen a single soul—let alone a powerful cultivator who might intercept him for the Reminiscent Bodhi Seed. In other words, even if someone did snatch the Reminiscent Bodhi Seed, would they know how to use it? If it was taken but couldn’t be used, Dominic Du would still come to reclaim it.
The Reminiscent Bodhi Seed was no ordinary item—it surpassed even the top-tier Dao Fruits. Dominic Du would never be so kind as to wait here just to give him, a complete outsider who had obtained the Ninth Law and the Vanished One, a Reminiscent Bodhi Seed.
Setting aside the idea of someone else snatching the Reminiscent Bodhi Seed, he still needed to perfect his Dao Heart as soon as possible.
Zane Du’s advice was clearly no longer viable. Whether Zane Du had deceived him, Joe Di no longer wished to consider. Yet deep down, he still sensed that Zane Du hadn’t lied. Zane Du was a genuine person, and if Dominic Du tried to influence Zane Du through the Dao Mark, Zane Du probably couldn’t avoid it.
Zane Du’s advice was useless. If Joe Di wanted to look back on his past and perfect his Dao Heart, perhaps his only choice was reincarnation.
Joe Di fell into deep thought. He knew very well that reincarnation was entirely different from what Zane Du described as looking back. Once he reincarnated, he might become an ordinary person, never regaining his current cultivation, perhaps even unable to find a way to cultivate. Even those like Xing Xi and Yi Ji Sanren, after reincarnation, never regained their former strength—let alone him. He was neither a reincarnated powerhouse nor a primordial opener. To put it bluntly, he was just an ordinary person.
Moreover, if he reincarnated, the Lifeblood Pendant he had given to Nora Xiu would shatter. Once she knew he had fallen, Nora Xiu would be in danger as well.
After sitting for forty-nine days, Joe Di suddenly opened his eyes. He had found a path for himself—reincarnation. And he had to reincarnate.
For most, reincarnation meant complete annihilation, never returning. But he was different—he possessed the Lethe Bridge.
Joe Di clenched his fist. His Dao Heart had encountered problems—why consult others? He would perfect it in his own way.
Using the Lethe Bridge to reincarnate, he needed to preserve his physical body and soul—he absolutely could not let them dissipate, as Zane Du or Sage Bodhi had warned.
But after choosing reincarnation, what would happen to the Reminiscent Bodhi Seed?
Joe Di focused his divine sense on the Lethe Bridge. Dao resonance flowed through it, reverberating with the vast, boundless aura of reincarnation.
With a thought, the Lethe Bridge hovered in the void before him. Joe Di stood silently beside it, saying nothing.
After a full day had passed, Joe Di suddenly raised his hand and cast countless Dao-seal hand signs. A broken soul was pulled out from beneath the Lethe Bridge and appeared before him.
This was a soul once swept up by the Lethe Bridge, now retrieved by Joe Di once more. As for who it was, Joe Di didn’t bother to consider.
After extracting the soul, it seemed dazed and confused. Joe Di didn’t wait for it to recover; he pressed the Reminiscent Bodhi Seed into it without hesitation.
A passage of reminiscence appeared. The Reminiscent Bodhi Seed swept up the soul, instantly passing through the channel and vanishing without a trace.
Whew! Joe Di let out a long breath, finally disposing of this ticking time bomb. To other cultivators, the Reminiscent Bodhi Seed was a priceless treasure, impossible to obtain. But for Joe Di, it was a hot potato.
The Lethe Bridge continued to flow with Dao resonance, its aura of reincarnation surging in full.
Gazing at the Lethe Bridge, Joe Di made his decision. The Lethe Bridge belonged to him, and he would enter the reincarnation passage through his own bridge.
After reincarnation, he would have to return through the Lethe Bridge someday. So his physical body couldn’t be destroyed—even if it was already battered, it must not be lost…
Wait, Joe Di frowned and fell into thought again. If he was reincarnated, he would surely have a new body—so why keep the old one?
But now, his body had surpassed the Saint Physique. After reincarnation, to cultivate such a body again would be unimaginably difficult.
A day passed. A year passed…
This time, Joe Di sat for a full ten years before opening his eyes again. The first thing he confirmed was that Sage Bodhi had left this universe, and secondly, that there truly was no one else left here.
Ten years had passed, and no one had disturbed him, nor had anyone touched his Lethe Bridge.
After ten years of contemplation, Joe Di found his own solution. His Dao did not come from his flesh, but from himself. As long as he existed, his Dao would exist. If he hadn’t comprehended the Vanished One before, his physical body was indeed important—once lost, his Dao would gradually dissipate.
But now he had grasped the Vanished One and truly understood his own Dao. As long as his will remained, so would his Dao. With his Dao intact, his will, soul, and body would remain as well.
When he reincarnated, all imperfect aspects of his Dao could be discarded, leaving his will and Dao on the Lethe Bridge. In the future, when he returned to the Lethe Bridge, his scattered Dao resonance would once again gather, allowing him to restore his body beyond the Saint Physique in the shortest time possible.
Having understood the path he should walk, Joe Di stood up. At this moment, there was no hesitation or uncertainty left—only unwavering resolve.
This time, when he returned, he would confront Dominic Du head-on. No matter why Dominic Du hadn’t killed him yet, one day, Dominic Du would pay the price for today’s mistake.
Even though he had found a way to perfect his Grand Way, he had never done this before, nor had anyone else. Whether it would succeed or fail, no one could know.
Perhaps this time, he would never be able to return. Or perhaps, when he did, he would rise like a dragon amidst the winds and clouds.
A sudden clarity surged in his heart. Joe Di let out a long howl, drawing a great bow of void with one hand. Turning, he aimed toward the direction where Dominic Du had vanished and howled again.
In that moment, he comprehended his own "Two Looms of Time."
Two Looms: weaving life and death into endless uncertainty. Looking back, he draws his bow northward, aiming for the Sirius Star.
Dominic Du, no matter how you scheme, when I, Joe Di, return, I’ll show you that not everyone in the Five Elements Universe is caught in your machinations—not everyone can be held in your grasp.
His howl stretched on and on, as if casting away all his sorrows and burdens, emerging reborn.
(That’s all for today’s update—good night, friends!)