"Brother Di, please ask anything. I, Cyrus Flame, will speak without reservation and hold nothing back." Having resigned himself to death, Cyrus Flame suddenly saw a glimmer of hope for survival—how could he possibly let it slip by?
Not only that, he even changed his address to "Brother Di."
"You said there's a way to get out of here—how exactly?" This was Joe Di's biggest concern; he vaguely sensed that leaving the Realm of Sevenfold Rebirth wouldn't be so simple.
Even if Joe Di's promise was uncertain, Cyrus Flame answered without hesitation, "There's only one way to leave the Realm of Sevenfold Rebirth—tear open the Realm Boundary and escape."
Joe Di frowned at this. He'd tried before, and with his current strength—not to mention even if he reached Dao Fusion—it was unlikely he'd be able to tear open this Realm Boundary.
Cyrus Flame seemed to know what Joe Di was thinking. He cupped his fists and said, "Brother Di, only I know this place. In fact, I control it."
"If that's the case, why are you still here?" Joe Di looked at Cyrus Flame with suspicion.
Cyrus Flame's physical body had mostly recovered, and before Joe Di ambushed him, his soul had also healed well. As for the Chaotic Magma here, judging by Cyrus Flame's condition, he hadn't gained much from it. If so, there was no reason for Cyrus Flame to remain here.
Hearing Joe Di's doubt, Cyrus Flame gave a bitter smile. "Just because I know this place doesn't mean I can tear it open. With your cultivation, Brother Di, you'd probably need to reach the Second Step in full before you could breach it." (Second Step: an advanced stage of cultivation, beyond Dao Fusion.)
Joe Di saw the look on Cyrus Flame's face and knew he wasn't being sincere. Clearly, Cyrus Flame believed that even at the peak of the Second Step, Joe Di couldn't tear open this place. Joe Di didn't bother to expose him, only replying blandly, "So, whether you reveal this place or keep it secret, isn't it all the same?"
Cyrus Flame shook his head. "No, while the Realm Boundary here can't be forcibly torn open, it can be breached by detonating a special Boundary-Breaking Grand Array and then tearing it apart. But that array requires a Seventh-Rank Formation Sovereign. I've spent years studying formations here, but I still can't set up a seventh-rank array. Brother Di, I'm sure you're a Seventh-Rank Formation Sovereign—if you try, you might be able to break open this place."
As he spoke, Cyrus Flame's eyes began to shine. Joe Di hadn't even glanced at the sixth-rank Divine Slaughter Array he'd set up—clearly, Joe Di was a Seventh-Rank Formation Sovereign.
"I'm afraid I can't set up such a Boundary-Breaking Array," Joe Di shook his head. He's still a step away from becoming a Seventh-Rank Formation Sovereign, and that gap seemed insurmountable. If he had the Five Direction Banners here, he could manage a seventh-rank array.
But using the Five Direction Banners just to break open a realm—he couldn't bear to do it.
Cyrus Flame clearly misunderstood Joe Di's words. He thought Joe Di wasn't saying he couldn't set up a seventh-rank array, but rather that he didn't know the method for arranging the Boundary-Breaking Array.
Without hesitation, he handed a jade slip to Joe Di. "Brother Di, this jade slip is an Ancient Array Slip I once obtained. It contains various ancient grand array formation methods—including the Boundary-Breaking Grand Array."
Joe Di accepted the jade slip. As soon as his divine sense swept inside, he was moved. This was truly a priceless jade slip—many arrays in it were ones Joe Di had never even heard of.
For Joe Di, the reason he could become a Sixth-Rank Formation Grandmaster in such a short time wasn't because his array inheritance was extraordinary, but because his Dao of Laws was remarkable. Many arrays he'd never seen before, but was able to arrange them by leveraging simple low-level formation methods and deducing with his Dao of Laws.
The top-level arrays described in this jade slip opened a new door for him. If he could gain inspiration from these arrays, he might soon reach a new level in array mastery.
"Excellent. May I buy this jade slip from you?" Joe Di instantly took a liking to the slip—he also possessed a top-level technique: the Blade Array.
With his current strength, if he returned to Celestial Beyond and used the Blade Array, he was confident that even if many Prime Realm cultivators besieged him, he could trap them.
Previously, his Blade Array was decent, but as his cultivation advanced, it fell behind. Now, with the Array Jade Slip, he could upgrade his blade technique. The Prime Realm cultivators of Celestial Beyond were nothing to him. Especially that Nora—if he didn't go looking for trouble with her, that was already generous. When had it ever been Nora's turn to trouble Joe Di?
Cyrus Flame hurriedly saluted and said, "Brother Di, you're too polite. I've already studied this jade slip, so of course I'll gift it to you. If you like Array Jade Slips, I have plenty more."
As he spoke, Cyrus Flame produced another ring and handed it to Joe Di. All the Array Jade Slips in the ring were ones he'd collected, just to reach Seventh-Rank Formation Sovereign as soon as possible.
Joe Di took the ring and swept it with his divine sense, finding a pile of various Array Jade Slips. He was instantly delighted. "Excellent, all of these are useful to me. That's the end of my first question. Now for the second—do you know how the Realm of Sevenfold Rebirth came to be? Why does Chaotic Magma appear every forty-nine days, and where does it go when it disappears?"
Cyrus Flame answered with a troubled expression, "Brother Di, although I've lived here for years, I really don't know the origin of the Chaotic Magma. Nor do I know where it goes when it vanishes. If I did, I wouldn't be limited to collecting just a dozen drops each time."
Joe Di believed Cyrus Flame and patted him on the shoulder. "Go cultivate—I'm quite satisfied with your answer to the first question."
"Thank you, Brother Di!" Cyrus Flame almost couldn't wait to rush into the Chaotic Magma and frantically restore his body and cultivation.
Joe Di didn't continue cultivating; instead, he began studying the Array Jade Slips in his hand.
But just as Joe Di was gaining new insights from the Array Jade Slips, the temperature around him suddenly dropped. Immediately, his Dao Fire sent a message—the Chaotic Magma had receded.
"Brother Di, the Chaotic Magma is about to recede—quick, gather some while you can!" Cyrus Flame stopped cultivating, urgency clear in his voice as he warned Joe Di.
Joe Di's first instinct wasn't to collect Chaotic Magma, but to search for the Sacred Sun Pearl. To his shock, the Sacred Sun Pearl vanished along with the magma.
With the Sacred Sun Pearl gone, that meant Charlotte Ling had disappeared as well.
Seeing Joe Di silent and frowning at the receding magma, Cyrus Flame grew anxious. He guessed Joe Di was troubled by Charlotte Ling's disappearance—likely, just as he was, because of the pearl.
Though it had only been a little over a day, Cyrus Flame's recovery was impressive—already at mid-stage Prime Realm, thanks to his familiarity with the Chaotic Magma. Still, he knew he was no match for Joe Di. (Prime Realm: a high cultivation stage, typically after Dao Fusion.)
"Brother Di, thank you! I've reached the early stage of the Prime Realm!" Shelby Young rushed over, her voice trembling with excitement. She had thought her future was lost, and everything that had happened felt like a dream.
"Congratulations, Sister Shelby." Joe Di congratulated Shelby Young as he picked up Emily Ye's Storm Pearl. Emily Ye's soul had long since solidified, and she was still circulating her cultivation technique to recover—even with the Chaotic Magma gone, she hadn't awakened.
Joe Di sent the Storm Pearl beneath the World Tree in the Ninth World, without disturbing Emily Ye's recovery.
"Brother Di, did you find Sister Charlotte..." Shelby Young started to ask, but fell completely silent.
She saw a young man approaching with a group. She knew him all too well—he was once her sky, her everything, and the husband and Dao companion of her sisters: Morgan Song.
Morgan Song hadn't died—or rather, he'd actually recovered in the Realm of Sevenfold Rebirth? How could Morgan Song recover? She knew perfectly well he'd been utterly destroyed in both body and soul.
Morgan Song also saw Shelby Young. His gaze locked onto her as she stood beside Joe Di, and his fists clenched so hard that blood seeped from between his fingers.
(That's all for today—good night, friends!)