"Voidmount..." Jaden Dai cried out in shock, his expression changing instantly. His hands formed a continuous stream of seals, unleashing endless incantations. The Fivefold Dao Tower transformed into a five-colored tower shadow, blocking in front of him.
He knew better than anyone how terrifying Voidmount was. Voidmount was not just a mountain—it contained endless Dao resonance and suppression. Once locked by that Dao resonance, death was inevitable. Without the Fivefold Dao Tower, Jaden Dai wasn't sure he could escape from beneath Voidmount.
Although Xavier White came from Voidmount, Jaden Dai never truly regarded him as a threat. He knew that neither Xavier White nor his father possessed the real Voidmount—the place they resided was only a false Voidmount.
But now, Joe Di had summoned the true Voidmount. Remembering that Joe Di also possessed his Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram, a chill crept deeper into Jaden Dai's heart.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Even before Voidmount and the Fivefold Dao Tower collided, the Dao resonance in this space had already erupted, the laws thrown into chaos. If a lesser cultivator were caught in this chaotic space, the exploding Dao resonance alone would reduce them to dust.
Crack! Crack! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Voidmount and the Fivefold Dao Tower finally collided. Terrifying divine energy exploded outward; Joe Di's true essence faltered, and cracks appeared across his domain.
Jaden Dai's domain shattered completely, and a mouthful of blood shot out like an arrow.
In just a single exchange, Jaden Dai was horrified to discover he was no match for Joe Di. He was certain Joe Di had not yet stepped into the Mixed Origin realm, yet even so, Jaden Dai could not defeat him.
If word got out, not just himself—no one would believe it.
He thought of Emperor Xinren, proud and aloof, who wouldn't even deign to stand with them. Jaden Dai was certain that, even for the so-called First Saint Emperor Xinren, if he faced Joe Di, there would not be the slightest hope of victory.
Joe Di was simply too terrifying.
No, how could he be thinking of such things at a time like this?
A suffocating aura of death enveloped Jaden Dai. He saw a vast, blinding curtain of blades. Before his shattered domain could re-form, this blade curtain had already engulfed the entire space.
This was the highest tier of blade domain! Jaden Dai was no fool—he knew better than anyone that not only had he lost to Joe Di, but there was no way Joe Di would return the Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram. If he didn't have a way out, he would die here today.
Jaden Dai dared not hesitate for a moment; his body flickered and twisted as he tried to escape in that fleeting instant.
But in the next moment, Jaden Dai was stunned—his Five Element Escape Technique was useless. The space for his escape technique had vanished; it was as if the very soil needed to anchor the technique no longer existed.
A sense of despair thickened. In that instant, Jaden Dai understood—the failure of his Five Element Escape Technique wasn't due to Joe Di's blade domain, but rather to a divine ability within that blade strike. This ability could tear apart the laws of his escape technique, rendering it useless.
Was this the law-shattering divine ability? How could there be such a terrifying power?
Jaden Dai roared, spitting another arrow of blood as his body twisted violently. If he didn't escape now, he was doomed. No matter how highly he estimated Joe Di, Joe Di was even more terrifying than he'd imagined.
Splurt! Joe Di's blade curtain had already torn off one of Jaden Dai's arms. But before the laws of the blade domain could shred Jaden Dai into fragments, he suddenly vanished.
Joe Di saw it clearly—he truly couldn't understand it. Was Jaden Dai courting death? He'd actually fled into the Fivefold Dao Tower.
Without hesitation, Joe Di threw out a handful of array flags, the law flags starting to converge. But before his binding divine array could fully take shape, the Fivefold Dao Tower let out a piercing howl, tearing open the void and escaping inside.
Joe Di was momentarily stunned. The Fivefold Dao Tower could do this—escape into the void? He hesitated for less than half a breath, then charged into the void rift in pursuit. Jaden Dai had to die; leaving him alive would bring Joe Di no peace.
Almost at the instant Joe Di disappeared, the void rift torn open by the Fivefold Dao Tower closed completely behind him.
Now, even if Joe Di wanted to return, it would be almost impossible.
Joe Di stopped—he did not continue chasing Jaden Dai. Not because he didn't want to, but because his divine sense could no longer locate Jaden Dai anywhere. This time, Jaden Dai had truly vanished, together with his Fivefold Dao Tower.
He knew he'd made a foolish mistake. When Jaden Dai tore open the void, Joe Di should never have followed. The void was vast—just because he'd entered the same rift as Jaden Dai didn't mean they were even on the same plane.
......
Cloudveil Hall was a renowned force in the Dao Domain—one of the three great hidden sects that everyone knew of. Cloudveil Hall stood among the top three hidden sects.
Cloudveil Hall was named for its location at the summit of Cloudveil Peak, the highest mountain in the Dao Domain. Shrouded in mist year-round, the mountain's base was perpetually veiled in clouds—no need for arrays, the ground itself was a sea of clouds.
At this moment, in Cloudveil Hall's grandest palace, a handsome middle-aged man in blue sat at the head seat, his expression dark.
Ruby Lan stood below, head bowed, explaining something. When she finished, she pleaded, "Father, please save him. If we arrive too late, he may truly lose his life."
"Nonsense!" The middle-aged man slapped the armrest of his chair, his tone stern. "The trouble you caused back then nearly cost you your life. You barely escaped, and now you're stirring up more problems. From now on, you are not allowed to leave Cloudveil Hall."
This middle-aged man was none other than Ruby Lan's father, Albert Lan, the master of Cloudveil Hall—a figure known throughout the Dao Domain.
"Father, must you force your daughter to become a despicable person? Joe Di saved my life—if I don't return the favor, I will never be at peace." Ruby Lan cried out, her voice tinged with misery. She knew her father would never agree, but she couldn't help but plead.
Albert Lan snorted, "Look at the people you associate with! Just a lowly ant who only ascended a few thousand years ago—how could he be worthy of my help?"
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"Father, but he saved my life, and he did it with his own!" Ruby Lan looked at her father with unwavering resolve, not backing down an inch.
"Hahaha..." Albert Lan burst into laughter. "Saved your life? Tell me—if you hadn't left, would Jaden Dai have killed him?"
Ruby Lan could only reply, "He would."
If she hadn't left, at best they would have been killed together.
"Since that's the case, isn't it obvious? Whether you left or not, he was doomed—so what's this talk of trading lives? Besides, you saved him once before; if it weren't for you, he wouldn't have survived until now." Albert Lan's tone grew heavier.
There was one thing he didn't say: he knew just how terrifying Jaden Dai was. Even if he went himself, he might not be able to save Joe Di from Jaden Dai.
A trace of despair flickered in Ruby Lan's eyes. She slowly turned and walked toward the palace doors.
"You're staying in Cloudveil Hall for now. You've spent enough time wandering outside; it's time to settle down. Soon, Zach You and King Leto will visit Cloudveil Hall—they were among the Ten Dao Prodigies in Jaden Dai's generation. You'll join us as their companion." Albert Lan's tone softened slightly.
Ruby Lan didn't stop; she simply replied calmly, "Father, I will not stay in Cloudveil Hall."
"Don't you dare!" Albert Lan's anger flared instantly.
Ruby Lan turned to look at her furious father, still calm. "Wasn't this how you drove Mother away back then? If you want your daughter dead, I can die right now. But if you want me to flatter people I dislike, I'd rather die than comply."
With those words, Ruby Lan turned again, quickening her pace as she left the palace.
Albert Lan stared blankly at his daughter's disappearing figure, unable to call out to her for a long moment.