Bang! As Joe Di burst out from the Rift of Annihilation in the Lawless Cradle, the surging flow of Dao resonance around him compressed the surrounding space, causing it to echo with thunderous booms.
Joe Di let out a breath. It was from here that he had first entered the Genesis Cradle, and now, he had returned from the Genesis Cradle to this very place once again.
Even with his strength, it had taken Joe Di nearly a year to travel from the Genesis Cradle back to this spot. Sterling Night and the others, with their cultivation, would likely need more than a dozen years to cross the Rift of Annihilation.
Joe Di had no intention of waiting for the others. Though Sterling Night and his companions would take longer, their cultivation was sufficient to pass through the Rift of Annihilation without falling. He would return to Genesis City first; once they arrived, they would naturally seek him out.
Joe Di’s divine sense swept across the endless void, already reaching the Mortal Realm. The defensive array there was set up by Joe Di himself, and now the Heaven-Earth Law in the Mortal Realm was nearly complete. Moreover, the number of cultivators in the Mortal Realm had grown—at a glance, there were at least several hundred.
It seemed that all the Five Elements Universe cultivators who received word had gone to the Mortal Realm. In the void of the Genesis Universe, it was nearly impossible to find a place to cultivate. The only option for residence and cultivation was Genesis City, but who from the Five Elements Universe would dare enter Genesis City? Now that the Mortal Realm had appeared, everyone naturally gathered there.
Joe Di’s figure flickered. He didn’t need to use Law Evasion techniques; employing only his divine sense, he arrived outside Genesis City after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Joe Di’s divine sense pierced through the barriers of Genesis City, but he did not see Zane Han. Not only was Zane Han absent, but Lucas Pearl was nowhere to be found either. As for Zane Han’s daughter, Jane Huan, and Nate Rivers, there was no sign of them at all.
What was going on? After Zane Edge left, besides Sean Chen, who else in Genesis City could threaten Zane Han? Even so, Sean Chen wouldn’t dare harm Zane Han, not with Lucas Pearl present.
Except for that Zhao...
Joe Di’s divine sense swept past Henry Vaughn’s residence—he wasn’t there either?
Just as Joe Di stepped into the outer city of Genesis City, several powerful divine senses swept over him. When they realized it was Joe Di, they didn’t withdraw; instead, over a dozen figures rushed out.
“Not bad. In less than a thousand years, you’ve stepped into the Genesis Realm—shows you have some foundation. Let me see if your Long Arrow of Time has improved since entering the Genesis Realm…”
With that calm voice, a brown-robed man stepped out of the void, standing before Joe Di. He still wore black hemp shoes, a bamboo hat, and a yellow sash at his waist.
Some people, no matter how often you see them or how striking their attire, leave little impression. Others, even if you’ve met only once and they always wear the same simple clothes, remain unforgettable.
Without a doubt, Zach was the latter. The first and second times Joe Di saw Zach, his attire was the same—yet somehow, that look seemed to take root in Joe Di’s heart, impossible to erase.
Joe Di didn’t answer Zach. Alarmed, he circulated his Dao resonance; after a single cycle, the deep impression Zach had left in his heart faded, until Zach was no more memorable than any passerby.
Joe Di let out a sigh of relief. After stepping into the Genesis Realm, he hadn’t realized how deeply Zach had left his mark on his heart. Fortunately, after obtaining the Lawless Cradle, his Dao was perfected; otherwise, he might have truly fallen to Zach’s path.
“Joe Di…” a voice, nearly grinding its teeth, called out from afar. Joe Di saw Jason Key, his face tinged with blue.
Back then, Jason Key had slunk away in defeat, but now he dared to show such hostility in front of Joe Di—clearly, he had found some backing. Joe Di didn’t need to guess; he knew Jason Key was putting on a show for Zach, signaling a deep grudge. Otherwise, Jason Key wouldn’t be so unable to contain himself.
Zach understood Jason Key’s intention, but it didn’t matter—Jason Key was simply making his position clear.
Joe Di ignored Jason Key. Back then, he could crush Jason Key with ease; now, killing him would take no more than a single slap.
“Where did Zane Han go?” Joe Di fixed his gaze on Zach, his voice calm.
Knowing Zane Han’s whereabouts would reveal where Nate Rivers had gone. If Zane Han escaped, he would surely take his daughter, and since she was close to Nate Rivers, he would bring Nate Rivers too. If Zach had killed Zane Han, then Nate Rivers wouldn’t have escaped either.
As for Lucas Pearl, Joe Di wasn’t worried. Someone like Lucas Pearl would never fall for the same trap twice. In fact, Joe Di didn’t believe Zane Han could be killed by Zach either—unless, like last time, he was cornered inside Genesis City.
The odds of Zane Han being trapped in Genesis City were slim. After such a long absence, with someone like Zach lurking, Zane Han would surely have a backup plan and wouldn’t be caught. If he were so incompetent, he wouldn’t have become Genesis City’s First Vice Mayor and held the position so securely.
Zach smiled faintly, “You’re clever enough to know that Zane Han and Lucas Pearl aren’t much in terms of strength, but their escape skills are quite impressive.”
Joe Di let out a breath of relief. As long as they escaped, that was enough. He softened his tone and asked, “Then what about my friend Henry Vaughn?”
Zach said blandly, “That has nothing to do with me. I heard that after I returned to Genesis City, the Fourth Vice Mayor, Sean Chen, suddenly sought out Henry Vaughn. I can guess a little of what happened next, and it does have something to do with you.”
Joe Di’s face darkened. “Where is that trash Sean Chen? Show yourself!”
As he spoke, Joe Di’s divine sense rampaged recklessly. Every barrier in both the outer and inner city of Genesis City was rendered meaningless before his spiritual might.
Zach, however, frowned slightly. Joe Di’s power seemed to have soared after stepping into the Genesis Realm.
“Daoist Joe, it seems your strength has grown. Come, let me see how much you’ve improved… Oh, right, I suspect Sean Chen took Henry Vaughn to the Five Elements Universe. He once mentioned leaving a treasure there and wanted to retrieve it.”
As Zach spoke, he had already summoned his artifact. In an instant, the surrounding Heaven-Earth Law weakened. The cosmic void darkened, and nine heart-stopping black holes suddenly appeared in the sky above Genesis City.
A soul-rending roar swept out from the nine terrifying black holes, stripping away every trace of Heaven-Earth Law from the void above Genesis City. Some weaker cultivators didn’t even have a chance to retreat before they were swept away by the roar, vanishing without a trace—or, unable to resist, rushed headlong into the deadly black holes.
Clearly, in Zach’s eyes, all life was as insignificant as ants—he didn’t care in the slightest.
With the surrounding Heaven-Earth Law weakened, everyone’s techniques were drastically restricted. Not only was Zach’s own strength terrifying, but his ability to suppress the laws made it impossible for opponents to fight at full power.
Joe Di felt the sudden thinning of Heaven-Earth Law around him. Ordinary cultivators wouldn’t even be able to muster their usual techniques in this environment.
Yet Joe Di was unfazed. He hadn’t even summoned the Third Loom of Time, still wielding only the Second Loom. He drew his longbow, and the Long Arrow of Time was set upon its string.
In that instant, the killing intent of the entire universe converged, yet the Heaven-Earth Law stripped away by Zach had no effect on Joe Di.
The Second Loom was drawn, and the Long Arrow of Time swept through the vast universe, gathering endless time and space. Everything slowed, then gradually faded into nothingness.
To Zach, even Joe Di’s figure began to blur.
Only the soaring killing intent of the long arrow locked onto his bamboo flute and his very life force. Zach’s gaze froze. He hadn’t cared about Joe Di even after he stepped into the Genesis Realm, but now—Joe Di’s power was far beyond a mere step into the Genesis Realm.
Bow drawn, time stands still; arrow released, Reincarnation is locked!
Though everything seemed frozen, Zach felt a chilling wind—this arrow’s terror should not exist in this universe!