As soon as Joe Di touched the fruit, it fell into his hand. To his astonishment, the towering tree—over ten meters high—withered instantly after losing its fruit, then dissolved into streams of Dao patterns that vanished into the fruit in Joe Di's palm.
Even though Joe Di had never seen anything like it before, he knew this was no ordinary fruit.
“Leave the item behind.” Just as Joe Di sealed the fruit inside a jade box with a restriction, a violent aura surged toward him.
Without hesitation, Joe Di tossed the fruit into his Quantum Vault Ring and, without a second thought, swung his Azure Veil Blade in a fierce strike.
He was certain he was nowhere near a match for this opponent—the man was at least a hundred li away, yet the pressure from his domain was so intense that Joe Di could hardly breathe.
Boom! The Azure Veil Blade collided with the opponent's domain, unleashing a torrent of Grand Celestial energy. Joe Di spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.
Yet Joe Di felt a wave of relief—he finally had enough space to use his Spirit Shift technique.
Almost the moment Joe Di activated Spirit Shift to escape, a massive handprint struck his shadow, instantly shattering it into nothingness.
A yellow-robed man descended, his spiritual sense sweeping over the spot where the ancient tree had vanished. With a flicker of his figure, he lunged at Joe Di once more.
Peter Duane refused to believe that, having just advanced to late-stage Grand Celestial, he couldn't catch a mere early-stage Grand Celestial like Joe Di.
He knew exactly who the fugitive was—Joe Di, the man wanted across the realm. Peter Duane coveted the treasures Joe Di carried, but what truly terrified him was the fruit Joe Di had seized. Though he didn't recognize it, he sensed a powerful aura of cosmic law—this was likely the legendary Dao Fruit.
As the Law Enforcement Hall Master of Cauldron Haven, Peter Duane had seen countless wonders and knew far more than the average cultivator.
Immortal Emperors may reign supreme in this world, but that does not mean they have reached the true end of the Dao. Legend has it that only by surpassing the Immortal Emperor realm can one truly step onto the path of cultivation.
To transcend the Immortal Emperor realm and become a true cultivator, one must obtain the Dao Fruit. The Dao Fruit contains the highest cosmic laws, allowing cultivators to comprehend the supreme Dao. Many say that Nate Shee of Aurora Immortal Continent once acquired a Dao Fruit and successfully ascended to that level.
Of course, rumors are just rumors. No one truly knows, and no one is foolish enough to challenge a powerhouse like Nate Shee.
But today, Peter Duane had seen a Dao Fruit with his own eyes. He was certain the fruit Joe Di had snatched was the Dao Fruit.
After Joe Di spat out blood and escaped the Natural Seal, his spiritual sense swept over the pursuing Peter Duane. He was familiar with this man—the Law Enforcement Hall Master of Cauldron Haven—and knew he was no friend.
With his current strength—early-stage Grand Celestial and sixth-level spiritual sense—if he truly wanted to escape, it would be difficult for Peter Duane to catch him.
Once he confirmed it was Peter Duane, Joe Di had a plan. He would circle around Moon Ruins, shake off Peter Duane, and then head for the Chaos Rift.
But before Joe Di could retract his spiritual sense, another figure appeared at the edge of his perception.
This figure was moving at least ten times faster than Peter Duane, closing in on Joe Di with terrifying speed.
This was undoubtedly a late-stage Immortal Emperor. At this moment, Joe Di dared not waste time circling with Peter Duane—he charged straight toward the Chaos Rift.
Faced with a late-stage Immortal Emperor, Joe Di knew that besides entering the Chaos Rift, there was nowhere else he could escape to.
Peter Duane stopped, sighing in resignation. He knew the Dao Fruit was now beyond his reach. A massive handprint lunged for Joe Di, and Peter was certain he could no longer escape.
He recognized the owner of that colossal handprint: Eugene Xiling, Sect Master of Unending Immortal Sect. With such a powerhouse present, Peter Duane knew he was no longer relevant.
Though Joe Di was using a spatial escape technique, his speed inexplicably slowed. Another massive Immortal energy handprint reached for him—the terrifying wave of power would bring despair to any cultivator below Immortal Emperor.
Joe Di felt as if he were trapped in a vast quagmire; even turning around was a struggle.
As the aura of death surged toward him, Joe Di grew even calmer. After so many brushes with life and death, he knew panic was useless. If he could just have one more breath—just a moment—he could dash into the Lawbreaker's Domain. But he knew his opponent wouldn't grant him even that, so he had to fight for it himself.
He burned his essence blood in desperation, managed to turn around, and slowly launched a kick. Against an Immortal Emperor, this kick was all he could muster.
At first, his kick was painfully slow, but as it found a gap, the quagmire's grip around him seemed to loosen.
Joe Di was ecstatic—he poured all his immortal energy into the massive footprint.
Boom! His leg bones shattered inch by inch, but Joe Di finally broke free from the quagmire's grip. His figure blurred into a shadow as he darted into the nearby Chaos Rift.
"Spatial law..." Less than half a breath after Joe Di left, a scholarly-looking man landed where Joe Di had kicked, staring in shock at the Chaos Rift that had swallowed him.
Joe Di's kick hadn't affected him, but it had opened a crack in his Immortal Emperor domain, weakening his suppression. In that brief moment, Joe Di had slipped into the Chaos Rift.
It seemed his suspicions were correct—the cultivator who destroyed the Crescent Trade Tower was indeed Joe Di. An ant so far from the Immortal King realm could touch spatial law and even break through his hastily extended domain. If anyone believed this ant had no secrets, they'd have to be a fool.
Peter Duane bowed respectfully, "Peter Duane greets Emperor Xiling."
Eugene Xiling stared at the Chaos Rift. Even as an Immortal Emperor, he dared not enter such a place. After a long pause, he finally turned to Peter Duane and asked, "Were you chasing him just now?"
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Peter Duane replied respectfully, "Yes, I ran into Joe Di by chance in Moon Ruins. I didn't expect him to have such a powerful escape technique—otherwise, I would have caught him earlier."
Peter Duane knew the stakes well, so he didn't mention Joe Di obtaining the Dao Fruit—there was no benefit in revealing that.
He was the only one who saw Joe Di obtain the Dao Fruit. Even though he hadn’t managed to snatch it from Joe Di, Eugene Xiling might still kill him just to check his storage ring. After all, the Dao Fruit was something that could drive any Immortal Emperor mad.
Eugene Xiling nodded. "This man brought his fate upon himself. Leave someone outside to keep watch, just in case he manages to escape. If there’s any news, report to me immediately."
"Yes, sir," Peter Duane replied promptly.
Not to mention the Grand Celestial realm—even Immortal Emperors who enter the Chaos Rift face near-certain death, and those who survive lose most of their strength.
Eugene Xiling instructed Peter Duane to keep someone waiting here because, according to legend, when Nate Shee entered the Chaos Rift, he hadn’t reached the Immortal King realm either. It was just a precaution—truthfully, Eugene Xiling knew Joe Di had no chance of coming out alive.
……
The moment Joe Di entered the Chaos Rift, he was overwhelmed by a terrifying aura of chaotic laws, as if these forces would tear him to pieces.
All kinds of law auras swirled in chaos—metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, ice...
Space, time, and even some dark law auras mingled within.
Weak, strong, distorted, layered...
Joe Di possessed the Ninth Prime Law, giving him a far deeper understanding of cosmic laws than cultivators at his level. Yet even he was stunned by the wild chaos of laws in this place. This must be the outermost edge of the Chaos Rift—if he went deeper...
Joe Di didn’t dare think further. He frantically connected his spiritual sense to the Ninth Prime Law, sweeping through the chaotic space in search of a safe spot. As for hiding in the True Spirit World, he didn’t even consider it—such wild laws would destroy it the moment he entered.
Pfft! As Joe Di swept his spiritual sense, it was shredded again and again by chaotic laws, and fresh blood spurted from his mouth.
Bang! A flash of blood exploded—one of Joe Di’s legs was torn open by a distorted law.
Luckily, Joe Di found a spot where the chaotic laws were weaker. Grabbing his severed leg, he darted over.
In this weakened law zone, Joe Di reattached his leg at lightning speed and activated the Titan Body Technique.
The flesh and bone torn by chaotic laws rapidly reformed under the Titan Body Technique. A wild power surged from Joe Di’s bones, which began to crackle and pop.
Boom! Joe Di felt his flesh ascend to a new level—his body had finally advanced again, stepping into the early stage of Divine Physique.