Deep within the Rift of Annihilation, a bloodied figure sat suspended in the void, allowing the surrounding destructive Dao resonance to strip away his flesh, skin, and bones. To call him a man would be inaccurate—he resembled more a skeleton drenched in blood.
The Dao resonance around him had grown exceedingly thin, and he knew all too well that, at most, he only had a few years left before he would be utterly destroyed within the Rift of Annihilation.
At this moment, he had yet to comprehend a new Grand Way, nor could he escape the Rift of Annihilation. All he could do was await death. The only difference between resisting and surrendering was whether he died a few years earlier or later. This was thanks to the World Tree—without it, he would have perished in the Rift long ago.
The bloodied skeleton was none other than Emperor Ye. Before he and Nick Ning charged into the Rift of Annihilation, they already knew what they lacked.
He was a man of decisive action. When he reached the Third Step of world creation and realized that his path was not the Supreme Grand Way, he immediately severed his Dao and sought to prove the Supreme Grand Way anew.
Because he understood precisely what he lacked, Emperor Ye quickly found the direction to perfect his Grand Way upon arriving here: he needed to condense his own Dao Seed.
The Rift of Annihilation was the optimal place for Dao Seed condensation. Such a perfect location for forging a Dao Seed could hardly be found elsewhere in the universe.
Knowing the direction in which his Grand Way should be perfected, Emperor Ye did not immediately condense his Dao Seed. He understood that forging a Dao Seed of his own carried a tremendous risk.
Condensing the Dao Seed was indeed the best way to perfect his Grand Way. Once he succeeded, he would stand at the very peak of the vast universe. But what would that mean? Because he was using his own Dao resonance to forge the Dao Seed, something crucial was missing—life essence.
It was precisely this lack of life essence that made Emperor Ye hesitate for so long. After condensing the Dao Seed, he would indeed be stronger—but would he become someone with only Dao and nothing else? If he were to become a cold, emotionless cultivator, he would rather not condense this Dao Seed at all.
Thinking of how cultivators from the Five Elements Universe were like ants here, Emperor Ye quickly made up his mind—no matter what, he must first perfect his own Grand Way; everything else could wait. He believed he could resolve it.
As he activated his Grand Way rules and began condensing his Dao Seed, he immediately sensed that someone else in the universe was also forging a Dao Seed. From the unified Grand Way aura emanating from that Dao Seed, he instantly realized it was Nick Ning.
If it had been anyone else, he would have continued condensing his Dao Seed without hesitation. In the future, his Dao Seed would eventually devour all auras and rules that tried to seize the foundation of his Grand Way. After all, his cultivation technique, the Trilife Sutra, was the most suitable for forging a Dao Seed in the universe.
His Trilife Sutra was born from the Three Golden Pages, but after he severed his Dao and proved his path anew, it no longer had any connection to the Golden Page World.
By evolving his Dao resonance from his own understanding of Grand Way rules, he split it into two, then three, and from three, all things in the universe were born!
His Dao was much like Nick Ning's—wherever the cultivator went, so did their Dao.
The only difference was that his Dao gave rise to all things, while Nick Ning's Dao unified all things.
There was no real distinction between higher or lower, but once the Dao Seed was condensed, his Dao was clearly more suited. As long as he forged the Dao Seed, he might even be able to return and mend the missing foundation of the Grand Way in the Five Elements Universe.
Now that Nick Ning was the first to condense a cosmic Dao Seed, Emperor Ye could no longer proceed. Otherwise, he and Nick Ning would become rivals. Even if they did not, if two people forged a cosmic Dao Seed, their strength would be diminished by several ranks.
Emperor Ye would rather let the destructive aura of the Rift of Annihilation strip away all his blood, bones, and even Dao resonance than compete with Nick Ning for the foundation of the Grand Way.
Thus, Emperor Ye would rather let his flesh and Grand Way be destroyed within the Rift of Annihilation, all the while searching for a new direction for his Dao.
Just as Emperor Ye was about to fall, he suddenly stood up, his gaze fixed urgently on a distant part of the Rift of Annihilation.
Soon, he murmured to himself, "Thank you, brother. If you cannot escape the Rift of Annihilation, then leave everything that follows to me, Emperor Ye."
He hadn’t expected that, just as he was about to collapse, Nick Ning would actually disperse the Dao Seed he had already condensed.
Emperor Ye immediately understood—Nick Ning must have realized this truth as well. That's why he gave up on condensing his Dao Seed, so that Emperor Ye could forge the cosmic Dao Seed.
He had no idea where Nick Ning was, nor did he have the power to stop him. All he could do now was hurry to condense the Dao Seed after Nick Ning had given up. Otherwise, neither of them would be able to avenge their grievances.
Emperor Ye wasted no more time. Dao resonance rules swiftly gathered as he began to evolve his Dao Seed.
As Emperor Ye’s new Grand Way resonance condensed and evolved according to his own Dao principles, something unexpected happened—a surge of life essence suddenly appeared within the evolution of the Dao Seed. This was...
Gazing at the vast, boundless Rift of Annihilation, Emperor Ye understood better than anyone—the surge of life essence did not come from the World Tree, nor from the evolution of his own Dao, but from a woman who had mastered the Way of Life.
"Serena..." Emperor Ye clenched his fist. With Serena Green’s Way of Life essence, his Dao Seed would be flawless, allowing him to stand at the very peak of the vast universe.
The Dao resonance of the condensing Dao Seed rapidly fused with the surge of life essence, forming a verdant hue as the Dao Seed took shape. All the dissipated Grand Way resonance converged, and Emperor Ye’s flesh began to recover at a rate visible to the naked eye.
The destructive aura throughout the Rift of Annihilation was transformed into nourishment for the Dao Seed, allowing it to flourish and grow. Just as Nick Ning had predicted, Emperor Ye did not need to destroy his own world, nor the Three Golden Pages World, to condense his Dao Seed.
.......
Cloudspire Sanctuary Number Eleven had once belonged to Zoe Belling, the Outer City Steward of Genesis Saint City. Now, five more sanctuaries had been built beside Zoe Belling’s main estate.
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However, none of the owners of these five sanctuaries were in the mood to cultivate. All who arrived gathered in Quinn Moten’s sanctuary, waiting for Joe Di.
Ever since Joe Di and Lynn Booker went out to ambush Lyle Yew, they had not returned. Nine days had already passed.
"Quinn, do you think Joe will..." The speaker was Shane Yun. Though he did not finish the sentence, everyone understood his concern.
The former Grand Way Sovereign of Earth no longer possessed his former dignity. In truth, for a cultivator from the Five Elements Universe to survive until now was already a remarkable feat.
Though Shane Yun was the one asking, the others all looked to Quinn Moten. Of everyone here, Quinn was the most familiar with Joe Di and knew best what he was capable of.
Quinn Moten said calmly, "No matter what happens to Joe, we have nowhere else to go. Here, we are safe; if we leave this sanctuary, we’ll be targeted immediately. Besides, although Joe hasn’t returned, Lyle Yew hasn’t come back either. So I think there’s no need to worry."
Just as Quinn finished speaking, a hearty laugh rang out. "Old Quinn is right, I’m fine. Everyone, focus on healing and cultivating. I’m going to see Neil Payne—no doubt that old fellow can barely hold back any longer."
"Joe..."
"Joe, brother, haha, I knew you’d be all right."
Hearing Joe’s voice, everyone in the room perked up. Joe had returned, which meant he and Lynn Booker had succeeded in ambushing Lyle Yew. Otherwise, it would have been Lyle Yew who came back.
......
Deep within the Vice Mayor’s estate in Genesis Saint City’s Inner District, Neil Payne sighed. "Parson, go arrest everyone in Cloudspire Sanctuary Number Eleven and put them in Lockway Prison."
"Yes, City Lord. But..." came a hesitant response from outside the estate. Parson had witnessed Joe Di’s strength firsthand: if Joe unleashed his seventh blade, Neil Payne would surely be gravely wounded, possibly even have his body destroyed.
Neil Payne sighed again. "Perhaps I overestimated that kid. Compared to Lyle Yew, he’s still far inferior. You’re wondering why Lyle Yew hasn’t come back, right? He’s waiting for me to make a move. Before he returns, I’ll lock these people in Lockway Prison—I don’t want to fall out with Lyle Yew just yet. His strength is simply too formidable."
(That’s all for today—good night, friends!)