Owen Jarvis moved with astonishing speed, traversing hundreds of thousands of miles in a single thought. Yet, as soon as his escape technique ended, he froze—his divine sense had already detected Joe Di ahead of him. Joe Di was somehow still in front.
Joe Di's movement could hardly be called an escape technique; it was more like a cosmic translocation across the void.
Owen Jarvis didn't hesitate for an instant and immediately activated the Escape Talisman on his wrist. In the next moment, he vanished again. He knew that even the slightest hesitation would mean certain death.
Joe Di hadn't locked onto Owen Jarvis yet, but he knew Owen had escaped once again. Still, even with an Escape Talisman, Owen couldn't hope to flee from the grasp of Joe Di's Lawstride.
There was no denying Owen Jarvis’s Escape Talisman was formidable. Joe Di suspected that if Owen managed to flee a bit farther, he might not even be able to sense the mark left by his Azure Veil Blade.
Joe Di pushed his Lawstride to the absolute limit. With every leap, his sense of the blade mark grew clearer, yet the distance still felt insurmountable.
At that moment, Owen Jarvis finally stopped. He only had one Escape Talisman left. Joe Di’s Lawstride terrified him—he had never encountered such a fearsome movement technique. Without a talisman, it felt as though no matter how far he ran, Joe Di’s Lawstride would always allow him to effortlessly overtake him.
Though he had wasted an Escape Talisman, Owen Jarvis felt no regret. Not only was Joe Di’s Lawstride terrifying, but Joe Di was also strong enough to kill him. If Owen wanted to crush Joe Di, he would have to break through to the Third Step.
Before advancing to the Third Step, Owen needed to dispel the blade intent and Dao rhythm left by Joe Di on his wound. Otherwise, even a hundred Escape Talismans wouldn’t save him from Joe Di’s lethal pursuit.
Owen Jarvis raised his hand and cast out hundreds of Array Banners, setting up a simple defensive formation before immediately starting to refine away the traces of blade intent and Dao rhythm from his injuries.
After just a month or two, Owen Jarvis grew increasingly agitated. The wound Joe Di had left between his brows was too powerful—erasing the traces of blade intent and Dao rhythm would take centuries. In that time, Joe Di could find him hundreds of times over.
Just as Owen Jarvis had this thought, he was startled by something in the distant void. His face went pale, and without a second thought, he rushed into a Ruined Array Gate.
The moment Owen Jarvis dashed into the Ruined Array Gate, Joe Di arrived at the spot where Owen had been healing.
He did not pursue further. Outside the Ruined Array Gate were several blood-red characters: Mountainview Forbidden Zone.
Around the periphery of the Mountainview Forbidden Zone lay crumbling walls and streets abandoned for ages.
Joe Di walked over and bent down to pick up a battered sign from the ground. Though the four characters on it were faded by time, he could still make them out: Mountainview Tavern.
Joe Di frowned. From the battered tavern sign in his hand, he could almost see the bustling prosperity this place once knew.
Now, all that remained was ruin and decay—a sense of desolation deepened by the passage of time. Joe Di’s gaze shifted from the sign to the Ruined Array Gate where he had just seen Owen Jarvis enter.
The words 'Mountainview Forbidden Zone' outside the Ruined Array Gate made it clear this was no ordinary place. Though Owen Jarvis had yet to reach the Third Step, his strength was extraordinary. If someone like him preferred to heal outside rather than enter the forbidden zone, it spoke volumes about its danger.
It was clear that if not for Joe Di’s relentless pursuit, Owen Jarvis would have left immediately after healing, rather than entering the Mountainview Forbidden Zone.
Joe Di hesitated for a long moment, then began setting up a trapping array around the Mountainview Forbidden Zone’s protective formation. He had no idea what lay within, and now was not the time to enter; he knew nothing about the forbidden zone. He had two urgent tasks: first, to rescue Nora Xiu; second, to advance the Genesis Opening Incantation divine art.
Since he couldn’t achieve union with the Dao in the short term, he had to find other ways to increase his strength. Now that he possessed the Creation Brush, nothing could boost his power faster than the Genesis Opening Incantation.
The sole purpose of the trapping array was to prevent Owen Jarvis from escaping while Joe Di was distracted. Joe Di suspected that leaving the forbidden zone was no easy feat, so caution was paramount.
Once the array was complete, Joe Di summoned a top-tier Sanctuary Relic he had refined. It transformed into a massive, tangible sanctuary, blocking the Ruined Array Gate to the Mountainview Forbidden Zone.
Afterward, Joe Di hesitated, then decided not to bother with a new nameplate for the sanctuary. Instead, he repaired the battered Mountainview Tavern sign and hung it outside.
This wasn’t just for amusement; it was so Bolt could guard the sanctuary. If any cultivator familiar with Mountainview Tavern arrived, Bolt would greet them at once.
Anyone who knew of Mountainview Tavern had to explain its origin—and why this place was called the Mountainview Forbidden Zone.
When Joe Di entered the depths of the sanctuary to rescue Nora Xiu, Bolt was quite pleased. Now a fifth-rank divine beast, Bolt could easily dispatch most cultivators with a single blow. More importantly, as the innkeeper of Mountainview Tavern, Bolt could welcome guests for drinks or drive them out at will—a far more interesting job than staying in the Ninth World.
The Ninth World was a great place for cultivation, but it was endlessly lonely—there wasn’t even anyone to talk to, let alone anything interesting happening.
Deep within the sanctuary, Joe Di immediately entered the Ninth World. Nora Xiu’s soul had been burned; even though he’d found her in time and used cosmic essence to preserve her life, her soul remained beyond repair.
Now that he had obtained the only Duality Fruit, Joe Di dared not squander it. If he tried to heal Nora Xiu outside, any interruption—even if he killed the intruder—would be disastrous.
Joe Di carefully placed the Duality Fruit in Nora Xiu’s mouth. As soon as it touched her lips, it dissolved into countless wisps of Dao resonance, nourishing her shattered soul and body.
Joe Di watched Nora Xiu anxiously, then grew elated as he sensed her soul steadily growing stronger. Though the process was slow, there was no stagnation at all.
Not a trace of Dao resonance from the Duality Fruit was wasted. Joe Di was grateful—if he’d only had the Duality Blossom, it might not have been enough to save Nora Xiu.
Joe Di estimated it would take a long time for Nora Xiu to fully recover. If things weren’t so urgent, he would have stayed to watch over her.
Now Joe Di knew he didn’t have that luxury. As long as Nora Xiu remained in the Ninth World and Joe Di survived, she would be perfectly safe.
Leaving the Ninth World, Joe Di immediately took out the Creation Brush. He had already stripped away all mixed Dao resonance from the brush—now all that remained was to continue refining it.
Time passed. Joe Di refined the Creation Brush inside the sanctuary, Nora Xiu’s soul recovered within the Ninth World, and Bolt kept watch over Mountainview Tavern.
At first, Bolt found the job novel, but after just over a month, he began to feel bored.
There wasn’t a soul in sight—not a single person, not even a ghost. Earlier, Bolt had planned to show off his Starlight Tea and Supreme Dao Wine, but with no guests, there was nothing to boast about.
One day, Bolt sat idly at the tavern entrance, looking utterly listless. Suddenly, a hoarse voice snapped him out of his stupor: "Excuse me, are you the innkeeper here?"