Joe Di had never used the Lethe Bridge before, simply because he had never encountered a cultivator worthy of it. But today, he had. Yet he knew, no matter what, his Lethe Bridge could not force these four to reincarnate.
As soon as Joe Di summoned the Lethe Bridge and allowed Vera Tang to escape, he immediately realized that continuing to use the bridge to bind the four was suicide. Without hesitation, Joe withdrew part of the Cycle Resonance, leaving only enough to lock Long Nie and the early-stage Dao Integration cultivator.
“The Lethe Bridge?” Nora exclaimed in shock. At this moment, Vera Tang’s escape was secondary; she had never imagined that someone as insignificant as Joe Di could possess the Lethe Bridge—a legendary treasure spoken of only in rumors.
Even after the Cycle Resonance from the Lethe Bridge faded from around her, Nora still tried to charge forward and tear apart its resonance. But Charlotte Ling fought back with all her strength, fiercely restraining Nora and preventing her advance.
Charlotte Ling hailed from a prestigious clan and had befriended top cultivators across the cosmos, gaining countless opportunities through her adventures. She even acquired a treasure in the Chaos Realm that allowed her to break into the Dao Integration Realm.
So even if she was no match for Nora, she could still hold her off for a while.
"Pfft!" The moment Charlotte Ling blocked Nora, Nora’s Rainbow Glass Sash tore through Charlotte’s domain, piercing her chest and sending up a spray of blood.
Frenzied, Charlotte Ling began burning her own blood essence, her hands weaving sword seals one after another. The seals wrapped around her Verdant Lily Sword, relentlessly slashing toward Nora and Sherry Lou.
Waves of pitch-black Cycle Resonance swept forth. Long Nie’s eyes filled with terror; in that resonance, he seemed to glimpse his own future—his path of reincarnation after death.
Long Nie frantically surged his domain, for his domain was far stronger than Joe Di’s.
"Crack!" Before Joe Di’s Cycle Resonance on the Lethe Bridge could fully take shape, a fissure appeared.
Joe Di’s heart jolted in shock. He didn’t hesitate any longer—stepping onto the Lethe Bridge, his hands swept up the boundless Cycle Resonance.
In the next instant, the laws governing this space once again fell under Joe Di’s control. The endless Cycle Resonance, guided by his hands, pressed down upon Long Nie and the other early-stage Dao Integration cultivator like heaven and earth itself.
At the same moment, Joe Di’s Azure Veil Blade materialized. Its sound exploded alongside the rolling surge of Cycle Resonance, "Return to the cycle for me..."
Long Nie’s scalp tingled with numbness as an endless, terrifying darkness swept toward him. He felt as though he was about to be thrust onto the Lethe Bridge and then submerged into the boundless, black Cycle Resonance.
But just as his foot was about to step onto the Lethe Bridge, Long Nie suddenly sensed something amiss. The moment he noticed, the Cycle Resonance swirling around him went wild, blocking his own Cycle Resonance and weakening it. He saw Joe Di standing atop the bridge, his Azure Veil Blade radiating boundless murderous intent.
Something was truly wrong—Long Nie retreated in a frenzy.
Joe Di’s face was pale, and he sighed inwardly. He knew he had lost the chance to kill Long Nie—not because the Lethe Bridge or his Cycle Resonance was inadequate, nor because he’d missed the timing, but simply because his strength was still far inferior to Long Nie’s.
Joe Di could no longer pursue Long Nie at that moment; with a sweep of the Azure Veil Blade, a piercing blade intent locked onto the other early-stage Dao Integration cultivator.
The early-stage Dao Integration cultivator was already suppressed by Joe Di’s Cycle Resonance and stepped onto the Lethe Bridge.
At the instant Joe Di’s Azure Veil Blade slashed down, the early-stage Dao Integration cultivator suddenly snapped to his senses, his spear bursting forth with streaks of light.
Yet within the Cycle Resonance, that spear light lost its spirit, retaining only its shape.
The blade intent of Joe Di’s Azure Veil Blade had already formed an unyielding killing force, locking onto the cultivator's brow.
Far off, Long Nie, who had just escaped the Lethe Bridge and the rolling Cycle Resonance, summoned a gray longbow. He drew it back, and the aura of death masked all of Joe Di’s movements.
If Joe Di dared to move even slightly, that sharp arrow would surely tear his body apart.
Long Nie was certain Joe Di would not dare move again; no one would risk their own death. If Joe Di tried to kill Bill Liu, Long Nie would shoot him dead in the next instant.
Unfortunately, Long Nie misunderstood Joe Di. Not only had Joe Di already locked away all of Bill Liu’s chances of survival, even if he hadn’t, he would never let such a massive opportunity slip away without taking advantage of it.
The Azure Veil Blade fell without hesitation, its white blade intent slicing down onto Bill Liu’s brow.
Long Nie roared in fury, his long arrow already loosed. Joe Di wanted to dodge, but he could barely move.
"Thud!" Blood exploded as Bill Liu was cleaved in two by Joe Di’s blade. The terrifying aura of the Lethe Bridge swept over, trapping Bill Liu’s primordial spirit. No matter how he struggled, the Cycle Resonance held him fast.
Within the black Cycle Resonance, Bill Liu wailed in grief, "I must be mad, to have cooperated with those who sought to dominate Celestial Beyond..."
No one understood his meaning, only he was clear about his regret.
Back then, the Universal Auction was a dazzling affair. Not to mention the third-step powerhouses like Bitterfish, even Lord Xi Lin could hold his own in Celestial Beyond, and had even befriended Ning Daojun of the Prime Realm.
Because of all this, when Xi Lin went to join Ning Daojun in the Creation War, he entrusted the Universal Auction to Bill Liu.
Back then, Bill Liu had offended Ning Daojun, yet was not killed. Now, because he didn’t heed Xi Lin’s advice, he was slain in Xuanhuang Celestial Beyond.
Before Xi Lin departed, he told Bill Liu, "You’ve seen Ning Daojun and Ye Daojun, right? In the future, Celestial Beyond will surely see more such peerless cosmic powerhouses. As long as the Universal Auction stays true to its purpose and does its business well, it will be fine. As for the struggles in Xuanhuang Celestial Beyond, the Universal Auction should not get involved, because it’s meant for commerce. If you interfere, you’ll walk toward decline, the prelude to the Universal Auction’s destruction."
Sadly, he forgot. These years, Xuanhuang Celestial Beyond had no more powerhouses. Rumor had it that after the great war, there would never again be third-step powerhouses appearing. Bill Liu thought Xi Lin was being overly cautious. Yet now, so soon after, he had died in Xuanhuang Celestial Beyond...
Darkness swept in, and Bill Liu could no longer regret the things he had done.
Thud! Just as Bill Liu’s body exploded, Joe Di’s chest was also torn open, leaving a bloody hole. A black arrow shot through the wound, ripping apart the Cycle Resonance.
The Lethe Bridge lost its resonance, once again transforming into an ordinary wooden bridge.
Long Nie was momentarily stunned. His Blood Nether Arrow hadn’t killed Joe Di—only left a gaping wound in Joe Di’s chest, gravely injuring him.
How could this be? His Blood Nether Arrow could tear apart a planet, yet it couldn’t rip through a cultivator’s flesh?
No, in that instant Long Nie understood—Joe Di was a body-refining cultivator, and one who had stepped into the Sacred Physique realm. That was the only explanation.
A surge of excitement rushed through Long Nie. If he could capture Joe Di and refine his flesh and blood, Long Nie was certain he could reach the Sacred Physique realm himself.
The Sacred Physique—a realm that was like a dream come true.
Joe Di staggered, and at the same moment, Charlotte Ling’s body burst into a spray of blood as she rushed toward Joe Di. He knew that if this continued, both he and Charlotte Ling would surely perish here.
Joe Di swept his hand, sending the Lethe Bridge into his sea of consciousness. The next instant, he grabbed Charlotte Ling and activated his only Realm-Shattering Talisman.
"Boom!" Almost as soon as Joe Di activated the talisman, Nora’s Rainbow Glass Sash whipped around his leg, blasting it into fragments.
That brief delay was enough—Joe Di, carrying Charlotte Ling, dashed into the void torn open by the Realm-Shattering Talisman, disappearing without a trace.