Outside Genesis City, countless cultivators had gathered.
The area that used to be the Cosmic Seat Plaza was now shrouded in thick white mist. All the cultivators gathered here watched that mist-filled space intently.
The white mist kept spreading outward, and as it expanded, the cultivators surrounding it retreated one after another. Occasionally, those who failed to retreat in time would be swept into the mist and vanish without a trace.
As soon as Joe Di landed in the Outer District plaza outside Genesis City, he knew something was wrong. Between the cultivators surrounding the misty space, there seemed to be restrictions and protective arrays, as if they were preventing others from passing through.
It was Emperor Ye and Nick Ning’s first time here, so they didn’t find anything unusual. They had only heard of Genesis City before, but had never visited.
“This used to be the Outer District, and above that mist-filled space is the Cosmic Seat Plaza I mentioned before. It looks like something has happened here.” As Joe Di explained to the others, his divine sense searched for Henry Vaughn and Zach.
Before he left, Zach was the strongest here, and Zach had agreed as well.
Joe Di was relieved to see Zach. But what puzzled him was that he only saw Zach—he didn’t see Henry Vaughn or any of the helpers he’d invited, like Sterling Night, Soulfall Sovereign, Quinn Young, or Damon Tai.
Not only were these people missing—even Lucas Pearl and Zane Han were nowhere to be seen.
Lucas Pearl and Zane Han had indeed been driven away by Zach, but now that Zach had formed an alliance with him, Lucas Pearl and Sterling Night should have returned to the Genesis Universe by now. Why hadn’t they come back?
The expanse of white mist kept spreading, and Zach continued to retreat. Joe Di noticed that no matter how far Zach withdrew, he always maintained control over a pocket of space around him, not allowing anyone else to claim it. As the mist expanded, many Cloudspire Sanctuaries outside Genesis City were swallowed up and vanished.
But right now, no one cared about those Cloudspire Sanctuaries devoured by the white mist; everyone's attention was fixed on the white mist space itself.
"Joe Di, Emperor Ye, have you noticed how many powerful cultivators are here? If we hadn't undergone Nirvanic Grand Way, perfecting our own universe worlds, we'd be nothing but ants in this place." While Joe Di searched for familiar faces, Nick Ning was busy sizing up the strength of the others.
Joe Di was startled, suddenly realizing that he'd been so focused on finding friends that he'd completely ignored the cultivation levels of those around him.
Only when Nick Ning mentioned it did Joe Di snap back to awareness, sweeping the area with his divine sense. He quickly discovered Nick Ning was right—many here were as strong as Zach, and some even seemed a shade more powerful.
Something felt off. Joe Di frowned. Before he arrived, Zach was unquestionably the strongest cultivator on the surface of the entire Genesis Universe. That strength was genuine, not the hollow reputation of someone like Zane Edge.
How could so many powerful figures have appeared in such a short time? By his rough estimate, there were at least a hundred, most of whom he'd never seen before.
Joe Di couldn't be sure if these people were from Genesis City. Many of the city's top cultivators were often in closed-door cultivation; even after several visits, he couldn't claim to have met them all.
"Wait here for me," Joe Di said. He stepped past numerous barriers and landed directly beside Zach.
Zach's eyes flashed with wild joy at Joe Di's sudden appearance, but his expression quickly turned anxious. Before he could speak, a voice laced with fury exploded in Joe Di's ear: "You little wretch, how dare you trespass on your ancestor's domain! Die!"