Outside Cauldron Haven, two women stood together. The one on the left wore a blue dress and had delicate, refined features. The woman on the right looked rather ordinary and was dressed in red.
Standing side by side, the two looked just like sisters.
"Mother, this is Cauldron Haven. Years ago, Grandpa brought me here. I never imagined that after all these years away, this place would be destroyed." The woman in red spoke softly.
These were Nina Ning and Diana Di, who had left the Four Immortal Continents. Diana Di had been lost in confusion ever since her husband was killed by her own mother. After leaving Nora Xiu, her days became even more muddled. If she hadn’t met her daughter Nina Ning this time, she might have already been used and killed by someone.
Fortunately, Nina possessed many valuable items and, as Diana Di’s biological daughter, had stayed by her side for years. Over time, Diana gradually recovered.
"Nina, did you and Grandpa live here together?" Diana Di gazed at the ruined Cauldron Haven, her voice tinged with doubt.
Nina Ning’s eyes reddened as she nodded. "Yes, back then I lived here with Grandpa, and we had many friends. Aaron Jace, Sister Holly Chance, Sprout, Blackfire... Even Mayor Silent, the lord of Cauldron Haven—they were all wonderful. But for some reason, after I left to search for Grandpa and returned, everything had changed."
Cauldron Haven was utterly desolate. Not a single cultivator could be seen—there weren’t even any ants. This left Nina feeling both sorrowful and worried. She wondered how her friends and family, who had always cared for her, were faring now.
"Nina, I want to find your Grandpa. Let’s go together." Diana Di saw her daughter’s sadness and didn’t want to linger here, lest Nina grow even more sorrowful.
Nina Ning responded softly, then said, "Mother, I want to go inside and see if our old Peace Inn is still there. Maybe I can find news of Blackfire, Sprout, or Aaron Jace..."
Diana Di glanced at the ruined Cauldron Haven. It exuded a sense of lifelessness, like a beast lurking in the darkness with its jaws agape, waiting to swallow anyone who came near.
Over the years, Diana Di’s mind had suffered due to her husband’s death. Strangely, with fewer distractions, her cultivation progressed faster, and her sensitivity to the world around her grew sharper.
After reuniting with her daughter, she gradually recovered, but that sixth sense never faded.
"Nina, I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something strange about Cauldron Haven. The people inside vanished mysteriously—it can’t be without reason. We should search for your Grandpa first. Maybe, once we find him, we’ll know what to do." Diana Di stared at the lifeless city, her unease growing stronger.
Nina Ning was gentle by nature. She wouldn’t argue, not even if a stranger claimed the city was strange—let alone her own mother. She nodded immediately, "Alright, Mother, I’ll listen to you. Let’s not go in for now. Let’s leave."
Just as Diana Di and Nina Ning were about to turn away, a terrifying suction force suddenly erupted from Cauldron Haven. It was exactly like Diana’s subconscious feeling—a monstrous maw opening to pull them in.
Even though both Diana Di and Nina Ning were Immortal Emperors, they couldn’t resist the terrifying force. Helplessly, they were swept toward the lifeless Cauldron Haven.
"Nina, when you get a chance, escape and look for your Grandpa. I’ll—" Diana Di frantically surged her immortal essence, trying to send Nina away so she could face Cauldron Haven alone.
But Nina had already drawn out an array banner and tossed it forward. Grabbing Diana Di, she instantly dashed toward the outskirts of Cauldron Haven.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The array banner exploded, as if this patch of void had been torn open. In that split second, Diana Di and Nina Ning felt the pressure around them lighten. Nina whisked Diana away, and together they turned into a shadow, racing out of the suction’s reach.
Once outside the range of Cauldron Haven’s suction, Nina Ning pushed her Spirit Shift technique to the limit, and in a flash, the city was left far behind.
After half a day, Nina finally stopped, still shaken. "Mother, you were absolutely right. We were nearly swallowed by Cauldron Haven."
Diana Di stared at her daughter in disbelief. "Nina, how is your array mastery so powerful? You cultivate and still find time to study arrays? Just now, you set up a top-tier Blast Array in seconds to block the suction! And your Spirit Shift technique—is that really your own? I’m an Immortal Emperor too, but I’ve never seen such a powerful escape technique."
Longing filled Nina’s eyes. Though she never held grudges, her closest bond was still with her grandfather, Joe Di.
Diana Di understood without needing an answer. "Did Grandpa teach you?" she asked.
Nina Ning nodded. "Yes, but what I just did wasn’t setting up a Blast Array—I simply triggered the one outside. Grandpa set it up years ago and gave me the array banner. I never thought I’d actually use it. And the escape technique is called Spirit Shift. When Grandpa left, he engraved it in my sea of consciousness, so my training is twice as effective. Without Grandpa, I wouldn’t be where I am today—I’d probably have died long ago."
As Nina spoke, her eyes reddened. She wondered how Grandpa was doing after all these years. Besides that, the strange events in Cauldron Haven made her uneasy. She didn’t know if Aaron Jace, Blackfire, or Sprout had escaped. But her own strength was limited—she simply couldn’t go in and check.
"Nina, don’t worry. Let’s go find your Grandpa." Diana Di, as Nina’s mother, understood her daughter’s feelings.
Nina Ning nodded. She also knew that Grandpa cared deeply for Aaron Jace, Sprout, and Blackfire. If he learned about Cauldron Haven’s plight, he’d be extremely anxious.
"Mother, let me teach you Grandpa’s Spirit Shift technique." Nina knew very well that finding Joe Di right away was impossible.
...
Crack! With a casual wave, Joe Di tore open a rift in the void. Relief washed over him. His Dao had finally taken shape, and even his world now had a faint outline. Once his Dao was fully formed, his world would be perfected. Perhaps, at that moment, he would step into the Third Step.
But for now, he had to leave the Taiji Realm for a while.
Originally, the Taiji Realm was meant to be part of his foundation for entering the Third Step. But after saving the realm and befriending many of its people, he’d grown attached to it.
Now that everything in the Taiji Realm was back on track, he needed to prepare for his Third Step. To do so, he had to perfect his Dao heart. His own children’s fates remained unknown, and Nina Ning had been left in Cauldron Haven all this time, without his care.
Besides Nina, Blackfire, Sprout, and Aaron Jace were all in Cauldron Haven. So he had to leave, find Nina, Lethe, and Diana Di, and bring Blackfire and the others back to the Taiji Realm.
Because her cultivation was so far behind Joe Di’s, after spending a few days with him, Nora Xiu entered deep seclusion. She had to improve her strength as quickly as possible, or else she would fall further and further behind Joe Di.
As a cultivator from Earth, she always felt a sense of urgency. The greater the gap in cultivation between her and Joe Di, the greater the distance between them would become.
(That’s all for today’s update. Good night, friends!)