Joe Di saw it clearly—Howard Lane, a formidable cultivator of the True Transformation stage and the sect master of one of the Five Great Sects, had stooped to ambushing someone like him, an insignificant ant in the cultivation world. Howard was determined to capture him and force out the truth.
At this moment, even if he tried to escape, what would it change? Once he fled, he’d never have another chance to return to the Hengyu Star, nor the chance to take his revenge. Worse yet, until his strength grew, he wouldn’t even dare to show his face.
Little Central Star would soon be open, and Joe Di had hoped to return from his vengeance on Hengyu Star and then advance his cultivation to the Cauldron Bearing Realm there. If he couldn’t show himself, sneaking around in the shadows, how long would it take before he could stand against someone like Howard Lane?
Just like that wondrous place beneath the snowy mountain before—encountering such fortune even once was a blessing from the heavens.
Besides, living life in hiding was never Joe Di’s style.
So at this moment, Joe Di saw only one path forward: he had to defeat Howard Lane.
If anyone heard what he was thinking now, they’d laugh themselves silly. A cultivator at the early Sea Cleaving Realm, dreaming of taking down a sect master at the sixth layer of True Transformation. And Howard Lane wasn’t just any sixth-layer True Transformation expert—he was one of the Thirty-Six Kings of True Transformation.
Howard Lane watched as Joe Di was swept by his palm’s force yet refused to collapse. Waves of shock and disbelief surged through Howard’s heart.
Even the residual pressure from his palm could shatter the bones of a Cauldron Bearing cultivator. What was Joe Di’s cultivation level, really? Howard couldn’t see through it—Joe Di must be using a top-tier concealment technique. Suppose he was at the Void Spirit Realm; could someone at that level withstand the edge of Howard’s palm?
After his initial shock, Howard Lane was filled with excitement—Joe Di must be hiding a tremendous secret. And that secret was very likely connected to the Fivefold Dao Disk.
Seeing Joe Di, gravely wounded, flee into Nightlake, Howard Lane didn’t hesitate—he chased right after him. The thought that Joe Di might try to ambush him never even crossed his mind.
With his cultivation, even if he stood still and let Joe Di try to ambush him, Joe Di would never succeed. Nightlake suppressed spiritual consciousness, but what did it matter? If his divine sense was stifled, so was Joe Di’s. Even without his spiritual sense, someone like Joe Di was no threat to him.
When Joe Di saw Howard Lane truly giving chase, he breathed a sigh of relief. What he feared most was Howard not pursuing him—if that happened, he’d have no choice but to run. His blade formation was fierce, but his cultivation was too weak; without the suppression of spiritual sense, it couldn’t trap a True Transformation master like Howard.
When he was thirty paces from Nightlake, Joe Di stopped, blood pouring from his mouth, his whole body nearly collapsing to the ground.
In truth, Joe Di was secretly delighted. Ever since his spiritual sense reached the tenth rank, he felt nothing here. Even when he extended his spiritual sense fully, the suppression was incredibly slow—tenth-rank spiritual sense was truly formidable.
The reason he stopped and spat blood was because Joe Di saw Howard Lane struggling.
Howard Lane was at the True Transformation stage, and here at Nightlake, such cultivators could only approach up to fifty paces. Now Howard was just twenty paces from Joe Di, but those twenty paces felt like an impassable chasm.
Seeing Joe Di collapsed on the ground, coughing blood and unable to move, Howard Lane felt anything but calm. He too was reaching his limit, but he hadn’t expected Joe Di to make it within thirty paces of Nightlake.
Nightlake was a strange place—the ideal cultivators to approach were those at the Soul Core and Void Spirit stages. The higher your cultivation, the harder it was to get close; too low, and you weren’t suited for this place either. That’s why, when Joe Di claimed he’d obtained the Fivefold Dao Disk at Nightlake’s edge, no one doubted him. The Fivefold Dao Tower was the same—too high or too low a cultivation, and you couldn’t ascend.
So now, with Joe Di within thirty paces of Nightlake, Howard Lane was shocked but not surprised. He was certain Joe Di had reached his limit; as long as he got close, he could easily take Joe Di away.
Anywhere else, a distance of twenty paces and Howard Lane could have snatched Joe Di away with a single True Essence palm strike. But here at Nightlake, Howard’s cultivation was less than a thousandth of its usual strength. With every step closer to Joe Di, his power diminished further.
A Dao cultivator with only True Essence and no spiritual sense was no different from a brute relying on raw strength.
Joe Di lay on the ground, so weak he couldn’t even wipe the blood from his lips. All the while, his spiritual sense waited for Howard Lane to come closer. With every step Howard took, he edged closer to the abyss of death.
Fifteen paces, fourteen paces...
Howard Lane stopped, pulling a pill from his ring, but before he could bring it to his mouth, it slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground.
The suppression of spiritual sense here was maddening for a True Transformation cultivator, and Howard’s own spiritual sense wasn’t particularly strong. He could only bend down, pick up the pill, and finally swallow it. After resting briefly, he pressed on.
Eleven paces, ten paces...
Howard Lane couldn’t hold back any longer—a jet of blood burst from his mouth. He felt his sea of consciousness roaring in turmoil. If he kept moving forward, would his mind collapse entirely?
Howard Lane stopped again and saw Joe Di barely turn his head, struggling to wipe the blood from his mouth. "Sect Master Howard, I know what you want. I’ll give you the World Tome—please, just let me go this once..."
"What?" When Howard Lane heard the words 'World Tome,' it was as if he’d been struck by a heavy hammer. His eyes burned with crazed desire.
He’d actually found the World Tome—the World Tome itself...
Howard Lane was laughing wildly inside. At this moment, he wanted to let his laughter burst forth, but he forced himself to hold it in.
Once he possessed the World Tome, who in Little Central World would dare challenge him? When he advanced to the Domain Realm, even the True Domain would be no obstacle—and in the Immortal Realm, Howard Lane would have his place.
Eight paces, seven paces, six paces...
Howard Lane spat several mouthfuls of blood, forcing himself another four or five paces forward.
Crack—a sharp sound echoed in his sea of consciousness. Howard Lane was startled; drawn by the World Tome, he’d forgotten he was pushing past his limit. Now his sea of consciousness had begun to fracture.
Howard Lane dropped to one knee, drawing a deep breath. Joe Di absolutely couldn’t escape now...
Before Howard Lane could decide how long to rest before seizing Joe Di, Joe suddenly sprang to his feet and, like a shadow, darted to Howard’s side.
Not good...
Howard Lane was, after all, a True Transformation master. In that instant, he realized Joe Di had been playing possum the whole time. Even with his sea of consciousness fractured, Howard didn’t care—he spun around and tried to retreat in desperation.
A massive footprint slammed toward his face. Howard Lane sneered coldly—even if his sea of consciousness had cracked, how could a mere Void Spirit ant dare to kick him? What arrogance. Besides, it was only a minor fracture.
Howard Lane burned his vital essence, and though the fracture in his sea of consciousness widened, he twisted his body with speed, determined to escape first and deal with everything else later.
"Impossible..." Howard Lane cried out, echoing the words of Ji Hongchuan, as the giant footprint still landed before his eyes despite his frantic dodge.
It truly was impossible. Even with his spiritual sense suppressed to the extreme, how could a Void Spirit ant possibly land a kick on him?
Crack! Howard Lane’s facial bones shattered as immense force swept over him, sending him flying toward Nightlake.
Crack, crack, crack! Still airborne, Howard Lane heard his sea of consciousness shatter like popcorn. He spat a jet of blood and stared wide-eyed at Joe Di, who followed up with another kick. Howard understood now—it was the law of space.
That kick carried the law of space—how was that possible? How could Joe Di have grasped the law of space? Of course, it had to be the World Tome. It was definitely the World Tome.
Even in midair, Howard Lane twisted his body in a frenzy. Even with his sea of consciousness shattered, there was no way a Void Spirit ant could kill him.
Sure enough, as Howard Lane was sent flying by Joe Di’s kick, he managed to regain control in midair and halted his momentum. This time, Howard even began burning his lifespan—he had to escape Nightlake as quickly as possible. To be forced into such a state by a Void Spirit ant was a humiliation.
Swish, swish, swish! The sound of blade energy tearing through the air echoed overhead. Howard Lane looked up, stunned.
Thousands of blades formed a grand array, sweeping down like a tidal wave. If he tried to charge out of Nightlake, he’d be shredded to pieces by the countless blades.
Without spiritual sense, no matter how great his abilities, he couldn’t escape the slaughter of this blade formation.
Despair welled in Howard Lane’s heart. To retreat was unthinkable—he couldn’t accept it.
At that moment, he heard Joe Di’s voice: "Get back where you belong!"
That massive footprint landed on his face once more. Shame flooded Howard Lane’s heart—he nearly spat blood from the humiliation. Perhaps he was the only True Transformation cultivator ever defeated by a Void Spirit ant.
Boom! The overwhelming force of the footprint drove Howard Lane straight into Nightlake.
Knowing death was certain, Howard Lane didn’t beg for mercy. He knew Joe Di would never spare him, so why disgrace himself further? He’d already suffered enough humiliation before dying.
Splash! Howard Lane plunged into Nightlake. The hissing sounds filled him with dread, and endless darkness swept in to claim him.