The Allclan Sanctuary had regained its bustling prosperity, yet the territory claimed by Joe Di remained impenetrable. Not only was no one able to enter, but at this moment, waves of decay and deathly aura erupted from the lands Joe Di had occupied.
Did he fail in his breakthrough to a higher realm? It didn’t take long for powerful cultivators to realize what had happened—Joe Di’s cultivation had encountered a setback, shrouding his domain in a suffocating death energy.
The key lay within that swirling death aura: some could faintly sense the dense Cosmic Law Essence, unmistakably the breath of the Extreme Vein.
Peter Fan, who had been lingering outside Joe Di’s territory, could no longer restrain himself. He strode forth, standing outside the protective formation and shouted angrily, “The Allclan Sanctuary was ruined once because of this man, and now again, his death aura and decay spread everywhere! If this continues, must our Allclan Sanctuary face destruction once more?”
He had coveted the Extreme Vein before, but hesitated. Now, with Joe Di’s cultivation gone awry, fortune had delivered the perfect opportunity.
“Absolutely not...”
“Yes, absolutely not! We firmly oppose such selfish behavior!”
...
Countless cultivators rose to echo Peter Fan. Delight surged in his heart; he knew those supporting him all coveted the Cosmic Dao Vein. He feared fighting alone, but now, with so many eager for a share, no one would let this opportunity pass them by. Everyone saw Joe Di’s cultivation falter—when it came to seizing advantage, no one would fall behind.
Peter Fan’s voice grew sharper: “After the reconstruction of the Allclan Sanctuary, every street has been open and unobstructed—except the territory isolated by this man’s protective formation! Does he not realize, even if the land is his, the streets of the Sanctuary belong to everyone? What right does he have to lock them away?”
“Break the protective array!” As this cry rang out, the entire Allclan Sanctuary erupted like a powder keg—countless voices began to clamor.
“I support breaking the array—I’ll be the first to act!” a sharp voice declared.
Suddenly, everyone saw a blood-red halberd descend from the void, crashing directly onto Joe Di’s protective array.
The crowd was stunned. Though many shouted to shatter the array, only Peter Fan truly dared to attack it. There were two reasons: first, Joe Di’s battle record was terrifying; second, neither James Wan nor the Redlin Patriarch wished to kill Joe Di. Even those who voiced support for the attack did so because Joe Di’s cultivation had faltered.
Peter Fan was even stronger than Austen Ao, the City Lord of Allclan Sanctuary. Though his cultivation was beneath the Redlin Patriarch and James Wan, his status was nearly equal to theirs. If Joe Di hadn’t encountered trouble, Peter Fan might have hesitated—but now, with Joe Di weakened, he feared nothing.
Unexpectedly, before Peter Fan could take the lead, someone else did it for him.
“Ha! So it’s Darius Redlin. Joe Di’s actions have truly angered the heavens—not only did he brazenly slay Saint Liyan, he even seized a woman of the Redlin Clan. I support Darius Redlin. Count me in for this attack!” Originally, Peter Fan was meant to lead, but now he found himself following Darius Redlin in the assault on Joe Di’s array.
Whether Darius Redlin acted for Rowena Meng or not, now that he led the charge, Peter Fan followed suit—and the rest showed no restraint. Their words even claimed Rowena Meng belonged to the Redlin Clan.
Darius Redlin called out sharply, “Attack freely—there will be no interference for a while!”
Clearly, Darius Redlin’s words signaled that James Wan and the Redlin Patriarch were absent from the Allclan Sanctuary, so everyone could act as they pleased. He’d been pondering how to deal with Joe Di all along, and though he’d never seen Joe Di fight, he’d heard of his formidable strength—even Austen Ao had fled before him.
Now that Peter Fan and a horde of greedy seekers of the Extreme Vein had made their move, how could Darius Redlin let such a golden opportunity slip by? Even if, in the end, none could defeat Joe Di, Darius Redlin could escape at any moment—he possessed a top-grade escape talisman. Most importantly, Joe Di had finally encountered trouble; with decay swirling around him, his strength was sure to have plummeted several tiers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Streams of divine power and Dao resonance crashed against Joe Di’s protective array. Magical treasures unleashed multicolored brilliance, and countless fragments of cosmic law exploded around the array’s perimeter.
In less than half a stick of incense, the crowd heard a sharp, cracking sound from Joe Di’s protective array.
Peter Fan’s heart sank—he felt no excitement at breaking Joe Di’s array. Clearly, Joe Di hadn’t poured much effort into it; for such a hastily laid protective array to withstand the combined assault of so many powerhouses, including himself—a mid-Fifth Step Quintessence Saint—and only crack after half a stick of incense, it spoke volumes of Joe Di’s mastery of array arts.
What worried him most was that if they failed to kill Joe Di and he managed to escape, the consequences would be dire.
Inside the array, Saint Haiyi and Rowena Meng did not stop cultivating. Though they knew this was the most dangerous moment, it was also the critical juncture for their breakthrough to the Fourth Step. To halt now would be to betray their Grand Dao.
Crack! Countless shattered array flags burst apart, and fragments of cosmic law infused the formation array, saturating the entire space.
“The protective array is broken!” someone in the crowd shouted excitedly.
Darius Redlin laughed heartily—then sensed something amiss. Though the aura of decay lingered, it seemed to be weakening.
Peter Fan also sensed the weakening decay aura. He stared, uncertain and shocked, at the hazy center of the array. Could Joe Di have suppressed the decay and succeeded in his breakthrough in such a short time? If not for Joe Di’s fearsome reputation, Peter Fan would have charged in immediately—this was the perfect moment to strike.
Darius Redlin was about to ask Peter Fan what was happening when, suddenly, a surge of boundless Dao resonance erupted from the shattered array’s core. The lingering decay aura rapidly faded, swept away in an instant by the overwhelming power of the Grand Dao.
“Someone is advancing...”
Before Peter Fan could react, a long howl echoed through the air. The space around them was instantly flooded by a terrifying torrent of rule essence. The Cosmic Extreme Vein beneath the ground was nearly drained, and the array’s center overflowed with rule essence at its peak.
The concentrated heaven and earth essence formed a massive funnel vortex at the array’s center. The aura within the vortex grew ever more powerful, ever more unfathomable.
Peter Fan realized things had taken a turn—Joe Di must have advanced. Before Joe Di’s breakthrough, he might have held the upper hand, but now that Joe Di had crossed into the Fourth Step, Peter Fan feared he would no longer be a match.
“Ha ha ha ha!” Saint Haiyi’s laughter rang out, and he stepped from the array, Dao resonance of a Fourth Step powerhouse swirling around him.
Peter Fan actually breathed a sigh of relief—as long as it wasn’t Joe Di advancing, he didn’t care. An outsider advancing from Third to Fourth Step was nothing to worry about.
“Brother Di, thank you...” Rowena Meng also stepped out from the array, her eyes brimming with joy and excitement.
If not for Joe Di, she might never have known when—or if—she could reach the Fourth Step. Yet today, she had crossed that threshold with the aid of the Cosmic Extreme Vein.
A gentle voice replied, “You reached this point through your own accumulation—I merely lent you a helping hand.”
Joe Di also stepped out from the center of the array. His aura seemed to merge seamlessly with the surrounding space, showing little outward change.
No one realized that Joe Di’s Dao Tree had ascended—he had truly stepped into the Fourth Step. He was not a Saint Liyan, yet his power far surpassed any Saint Liyan.
Darius Redlin stared dazedly at Rowena Meng. She had always been stunning, but now, crossing into the Fourth Step and becoming a Saint Liyan, she drove him utterly mad with desire.
She was the most perfect woman—yet she radiated a warmth and gentleness that drew others in, lacking any sense of aloofness. In Darius Redlin’s eyes, Rowena Meng was now all light and brilliance.