The instant Joe Di stepped inside, he was seized by a chilling aura of death. His heart clenched, and for a moment, even Gavin Strider ahead faded from his awareness; all his senses locked onto the terrifying spatial distortions twisting through the area. His Eye of the Way opened fully, vigilant against the lurking danger.
If anyone were to fall into this warped space, not even Joe Di could escape its grasp. Even if there were several Joe Di, this would still be a one-way path to oblivion—a death so absolute, not even the soul would remain.
Dodging the dreadful spatial distortions, Joe Di kept his guard high, chastising himself for his recklessness. How could he have dared to follow Gavin Strider into such a perilous place? If he had relied only on his divine sense to move, he would have been finished. Fortunately, he still had his rule evasion technique to depend on.
He had no idea how much time had passed. Eventually, Joe Di's attention to Gavin Strider's position faded, and the oppressive space around him suddenly cleared. The spatial distortions vanished without a trace. In front of him stood a blindingly white, massive boulder—Gavin Strider was already atop it, as if he had just landed.
Without hesitation, Joe Di stepped onto the giant boulder.
Gavin Strider was stunned as he watched Joe Di step onto the boulder, completely unharmed. He had expected Joe Di might keep pace with him, perhaps even set foot on the first step of the Stellar Stairway, but to arrive here without a scratch—he had never imagined such a feat.
Even Gavin Strider himself, had he not acquired the Stellar Cradle, would never have been able to land on the first step of the Stellar Stairway completely unscathed.
“Impressive skills, Daoist Di.” Gavin Strider beamed, raising a thumb in genuine admiration.
Joe Di fixed Gavin Strider with a cold stare, his domain intermittently locking onto him. "No matter how strong I am, I’m nothing compared to you. If I hadn’t had a bit of luck, I doubt I’d be standing here now."
Gavin Strider spread his hands. "Daoist Di, if you believe leaving the Five Elements Universe is as simple as tearing open a void boundary, then there’s little I can do for you."
"So you mean, we’ve already left the Five Elements Universe?" Joe Di asked. Though Gavin Strider clearly had his own agenda, Joe Di understood this was an open scheme—Gavin was walking the same road as him. The only difference was, Gavin likely knew the way, while Joe Di relied solely on his own skill.
Gavin Strider shook his head. "Of course not. We’ve only taken the first step. To truly leave the Five Elements Universe would take many, many years. But rest assured—so long as we don’t linger here for more than a year, Dominic Du won’t be able to track us down."
Joe Di replied coolly, "Dominic Du can’t find me—not us."
"You’re right, I suppose. Either way, Dominic Du won’t be finding this place anytime soon." Gavin Strider’s wariness toward Joe Di deepened. For a moment, he considered leaving immediately—even giving up on the Lethe Bridge. If Joe Di truly reached the Third Step after leaving the Five Elements Universe, Gavin feared he would no longer be a match for him.
But Gavin Strider quickly dismissed the thought. As long as Joe Di hadn’t reached the Third Step, there were still plenty of chances to eliminate him—perhaps even letting others do the job along the way. If he could obtain the Lethe Bridge, he would have the means to confront Dominic Du. Otherwise, Dominic Du would remain an insurmountable obstacle.
Joe Di’s domain remained tightly locked onto Gavin Strider as he spoke in an even tone, "Old Gavin, I have a few questions for you. If you can’t answer them, don’t blame me for turning hostile. I may be kind, but I’m not someone to be easily deceived."
Gavin Strider replied with a genial smile, "Ask away, Daoist Di. If I know the answer, I promise I won’t hold anything back."
"Alright." Joe Di stared at Gavin Strider. "You say this is the path out of the Five Elements Universe, and I’m willing to believe you. But how do you know? And how did you escape Dominic Du’s pursuit? As far as I know, your escape techniques aren’t that formidable."
Gavin Strider nodded. "Daoist Di, I intended to answer you before, but the timing was too rushed. Very few people know my origins—certainly not Dominic Du. Tell me, do you know what the most precious thing was when the Five Elements Universe was first created?"
Joe Di answered casually, "It must have been the Prime Law, right?"
Gavin Strider nodded. "Correct, the Prime Law was the most precious. In the beginning, there were nine Prime Laws…"
"Are you sure there were nine?" Joe Di pressed, his gaze sharp on Gavin Strider.
Gavin Strider chuckled at Joe Di’s question. "To be precise, there were ten. I didn’t expect you’d heard about it. But that tenth one—no one could obtain it. As long as you remain within the Five Elements Universe, it’s impossible to get, because it is the One That Escapes."
Joe Di looked suddenly enlightened. "I always thought there were only eight. I didn’t expect there to be ten…"
Gavin Strider nearly spat blood at Joe Di’s words. He’d assumed Joe Di knew about the One That Escapes, but it turned out Joe Di was just ignorant. Only the uninformed believed there were eight Prime Laws after the universe’s birth.
"Keep going. Why stop now?" Joe Di glared impatiently at Gavin Strider.
Gavin Strider was furious inside—clearly, it was Joe Di who had interrupted him. But now wasn’t the time for conflict; unable to suppress Joe Di, he swallowed his frustration and continued, "I happen to know there’s something just as valuable as those ten Prime Laws…"
"What is it?" Joe Di asked urgently, his curiosity ignited by the prospect of something rivaling the Prime Law.
Gavin Strider spoke slowly, "Dominic Du knows about it too—it’s the Stellar Cradle. When the Five Elements Universe was first formed, nine of the ten Prime Laws were nurtured within the Stellar Cradle. That alone shows how precious it is."
"The Stellar Cradle? So while Dominic Du went after the Prime Law, you seized the Stellar Cradle?" Joe Di scrutinized Gavin Strider from head to toe.
Gavin Strider shivered under Joe Di’s scrutiny but could only admit, "That’s right. I did go after the Stellar Cradle. While Dominic Du seized the Prime Law, I managed to claim the Stellar Cradle and escape. Too many people fought over the Prime Law, so I grabbed the Stellar Cradle and fled. Dominic Du’s Dao mostly derives from the nine Prime Laws, but mine comes from the Stellar Cradle. I know about the Stellar Stairway because of the information I obtained from the Prime Universe Cradle—something Dominic Du doesn’t know."
"Can you show me your Stellar Cradle?" Joe Di asked with a friendly smile.
Gavin Strider cursed inwardly, but kept his smile. "If I still had it, I wouldn’t mind showing you. But after I fused my Dao with the Stellar Cradle, it merged with my physical body. Now, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t take it out."
Joe Di sighed inwardly. No wonder Dominic Du hadn’t been able to catch Gavin Strider, and no wonder Gavin managed to escape his grasp. This man was a different kind of existence altogether.
"Then how did you end up suppressed within the Lethe Bridge?" Joe Di asked, focusing his divine sense on one of the reincarnation principles embedded in the bridge.
He had refined this reincarnation principle. It seemed to be just one among countless principles forming the Lethe Bridge, but now he realized it had been forcibly separated from Gavin Strider’s Dao and fused into the bridge—likely originating from the Stellar Cradle itself.
This man was not only ruthless, but also meticulous. If Gavin Strider hadn’t been relentlessly pursuing him, Joe Di might never have found that particular Dao imprint.
Gavin Strider sighed. "Back then, when I fought Dominic Du, my cultivation was still lacking and I was severely wounded. Although I wasn’t his equal, when I tried to escape, Dominic Du couldn’t stop me. But as I fled, I was ambushed by the Lethe Dao Lord, who tried to suppress me within the Lethe Bridge. He overestimated himself. In the backlash, I dragged him into the bridge with me. After all these years, I’m still here, while that Lethe Dao Lord probably hasn’t even had a chance to reincarnate."
So the Lethe Bridge belonged to the Lethe Dao Lord? Joe Di mused to himself. He truly was fortunate—he’d practically stumbled upon the bridge.
"That’s right, you really are lucky. Too bad you haven’t repaid your savior yet." Joe Di chuckled, plotting to extort something from Gavin Strider. After all, someone from Dominic Du’s era surely possessed many treasures.