Without hesitation, Joe Di placed a single Cold Crystal on his brow. A cool sensation swept over him, instantly blocking the burning Dao rhythm that had been assaulting his spiritual sea.
At this moment, Joe Di sped up even more, stepping directly onto the massive gray stone.
Gavin Strider stared blankly at Joe Di as he stepped over, utterly shocked. When he himself entered the Cosmic Stair, he had to employ many defenses. Yet this was Joe Di's first time—why was he completely unharmed?
Seeing Joe Di rush forward, Gavin Strider forcibly suppressed his urge to attack. His plan was to strike once Joe Di was seriously wounded. But now Joe Di seemed perfectly fine—what would be the point of attacking?
Bang! Joe Di's feet landed on the gray stone, and Gavin Strider felt as if those feet had stomped directly on his heart, leaving him unsettled.
"Old Gavin, I need to heal up. Wait for me, alright?" After landing on the giant gray stone, Joe Di didn't bother mocking Gavin Strider. Instead, he pulled out a Sanctuary Relic and rushed inside.
As soon as Joe Di entered, the Sanctuary Relic was shielded by a protective array. Gavin Strider's expression kept changing. It looked like Joe Di really was injured—should he try a sneak attack now?
After hesitating for a long while, Gavin Strider shook his head. Joe Di's injuries couldn't be serious. If they were, would he dare announce his intention to heal right in front of him? If he tried and failed to ambush Joe Di, his whole plan would be ruined.
His gaze fell on the protective array around Joe Di. This was definitely a top-tier divine formation, designed specifically to thwart any sneak attacks from him.
With a sigh, Gavin Strider gave up on ambushing Joe Di, knowing he'd missed his opportunity.
Spurt! As soon as Joe Di entered the sanctuary's protective array, he coughed up a mouthful of pitch-black blood.
Even with Voidmount and his Cosmic Flame, and the protection of the Cold Crystal, he was still injured. The wounds were neither light nor severe—precisely why he dared to heal in front of Gavin Strider.
Truly frightening—even an innate artifact like Voidmount could be pierced by those Void Arrows. Their power was terrifying to the extreme.
Fortunately, the distance between the white stone and the gray stone was just manageable. If it had been any farther, he might not have been able to withstand it.
What Joe Di was most grateful for was that Gavin Strider hadn't attacked when he stepped onto the gray stone. If Gavin Strider had struck at that moment, Joe Di would have been even more seriously wounded, perhaps forced back into the void.
This rule-less void, or rather, a void whose rules he couldn't even begin to grasp—if he were forced in again, whether he'd live or die would be anyone's guess.
Those Void Arrows could even pierce Voidmount, and his Ninth World was far from fully formed. If he took too many hits from those arrows, who could say it wouldn't be pierced as well?
Gavin Strider had also realized he'd missed his best chance to ambush Joe Di. Regret was useless now; such opportunities, once lost, never came again. He was unwilling to give up on the Lethe Bridge Joe Di possessed, so he could only wait for him atop the gray stone.
After spitting out several more mouthfuls of pitch-black blood, Joe Di finally stabilized. Voidmount and the Cold Crystal had saved his life.
Swallowing several Dao Fruits, Joe Di then took a few Dao Pills. Under the circulation of cosmic laws, his injuries quickly faded away.
After nearly half a month, Joe Di finally let out a long sigh—his injuries had fully healed.
Joe Di didn't leave right away. Instead, his divine sense swept across his spiritual sea. After a moment's hesitation, he raised his hand and brought out the World Tome.
He had plenty of treasures, but even Voidmount had been pierced by the Void Arrows. Other treasures, like the River Mountain Vessel or the Creation Brush, probably couldn't withstand those arrows either.
Besides, the Creation Brush wasn't a defensive treasure—it was a top-tier offensive artifact and one of his trump cards. Naturally, he wouldn't use it for defense.
After thinking it over, only the World Tome was suitable.
Joe Di had always believed the World Tome surpassed innate treasures, and he rarely used it for defense. But today, he had no other choice. He truly wondered what means Gavin Strider had to survive those terrifying Void Arrows.
Joe Di transformed the World Tome into an inner armor to shield his whole body, while Voidmount formed the outer layer. As for the Cosmic Flame, he made it the innermost layer of defense.
Once everything was ready, Joe Di finally stepped out of the protective array and put away his Sanctuary Relic.
He refused to believe that, under these circumstances, the Void Arrows could still pierce his body.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Di, on advancing your cultivation once again." Seeing Joe Di emerge, Gavin Strider—who had been waiting for him all this time—offered a sincere congratulation.
Joe Di said coolly, "Old Gavin, you really have some tricks. If I didn't have a few cards up my sleeve, I'd have fallen into your hands today."
He wasn't exaggerating. If his methods had been even slightly weaker, Gavin Strider would have finished him off with those Void Arrows and the burning Dao rhythm.
Gavin Strider apologized, "Fellow Daoist Di, I know you must resent me, but you really can't blame me for this. It's my first time here too. All I knew was that when the next step stone of the Stellar Stairway appeared, I had to hurry over—otherwise, who knows how long I'd be stuck waiting? Only after entering the void did I realize there were also Void Arrows. But you breezed through the Nether Cycle Layer, the Phantom Flame Zone, the Displacement Realm... I figured you'd be fine. Turns out I was right—your skills are astonishing, far beyond mine. You crossed the first step without a scratch."
"This is the Stellar Stairway?" Joe Di realized from Gavin Strider's clear explanation that the guy definitely knew what was going on. But even so, there was nothing he could do. Gavin Strider was openly setting him up and didn't care if Joe Di knew. Both parties understood the game—no point complaining.
Gavin Strider replied seriously, "That's right. This is the Stellar Stairway."
"How many steps does the Stellar Stairway have?" Joe Di asked.
Gavin Strider sighed, "That's hard to say. I know the end of the Stellar Stairway is the path out of the Five Elements Universe, but as for how many steps there are—I really don't know. But I'm certain we might encounter cultivators who entered the Stellar Stairway long before us."
"Before? How long ago?" Joe Di asked, puzzled.
Gavin Strider replied, "It could be ten thousand years, or a million. Who can say?"
Joe Di's expression darkened. "Old Gavin, are you saying we might have to walk on the Stellar Stairway for a million years?"
Gavin Strider smiled slightly. "Of course not. Each step of the Stellar Stairway appears with a certain randomness. By following me, you'll cross the Stellar Stairway faster than others, because I know the quickest way."
Joe Di was left with no choice. He didn't even bother asking how to go back. Now that they were here, Gavin Strider clearly had the upper hand—Joe Di could only follow him. The only thing he could do was avoid getting tricked by this old fox.
"Old Gavin, is it really so difficult to leave the Five Elements Universe?" As the two waited for the next step of the Stellar Stairway, Joe Di asked Gavin Strider about inter-universal travel.
Gavin Strider chuckled. "Of course it's difficult. There are many ways to leave the Five Elements Universe. If your strength is great enough, you could tear open the cosmic plane directly. But so far, no one has managed that. You could also leave through the Gate of Destiny, but that's not an easy road. The only reason I know about this path is because of the Stellar Cradle."
"I've heard there's a Western Universe not far from the Five Elements Universe, and a Light-Dark Universe too. Doesn't that mean people have already left the Five Elements Universe?" Joe Di had wanted to ask this for a long time.
Gavin Strider glanced at Joe Di, barely concealing his scorn. "Fellow Daoist Di, I don't know how you managed to get such a powerful cultivation technique, or reach such a terrifying level, yet you don't even know these things."
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)