"I want to go outside and take a look," Ethan North suddenly said.
Joe Di smiled, "That's easy. Just follow me out."
Ethan North's cultivation had recovered somewhat, though in Joe Di's eyes, the recovery was limited—likely no more than the Dao Origin Realm. Still, since Ethan North was only afflicted by fire poison, his recovery should be much faster than that of Mo Zhou.
Upon re-entering the Silent Abyssal Magma, Ethan North saw that Joe Di didn't even need to use Array Banners. The surrounding entrapment arrays formed and shattered one after another, leaving Ethan North inwardly awed by Joe Di's mastery of arraycraft.
The Silent Abyssal Magma was filled with countless fragments of natural forbidden laws, which constantly formed Radiant Lake Divine Deathtrap Arrays. Joe Di moved through these deadly formations with ease, and the arrays shattered as he passed, further proving the strength of his array mastery.
Although the Deathtrap Arrays formed from forbidden law fragments delayed Joe Di's exit, after several days, he still managed to lead Ethan North out of the Silent Abyssal Magma.
The Ninth-Tier Deathtrap Array outside was man-made. Joe Di couldn't be bothered to use Array Banners to break it—he simply slashed out with his blade.
With just a single slash, a crack appeared in the Ninth-Tier Deathtrap Array outside. Then, Joe Di's Azure Veil Blade unleashed wave after wave of blade curtains upon the array.
In less than half a stick of incense, the top-tier Deathtrap Array emitted a crisp cracking sound.
When Ethan North's divine sense finally passed through without obstruction and he saw the vast open world before him, tears streamed down his face. How many years had it been? Ethan North had finally escaped the Silent Abyssal Magma.
......
Standing outside Sovereign's Vale, Nora watched the changes within with growing unease. She could clearly sense the ripples of Dao resonance and waves of spatial fluctuation inside. Yet Sovereign's Vale was perpetually shrouded in Dao mist, impenetrable even to divine sense, so she had no idea what was truly happening.
The ten-year mark was nearly up, and Nora had just relaxed, ready to leave—only for this strange development to make her uneasy once again.
Her Rainbow Glass Sash was already at the ready, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Silent Abyssal Magma. If Joe Di showed himself, she would attack without hesitation.
Though she thought it impossible for Joe Di to escape, she had to prepare for the worst.
Boom! A deafening explosion rang out, and Nora saw two figures rush out. Her mind buzzed in confusion, but she immediately unleashed her Rainbow Glass Sash in a frenzied attack at the figure in front.
She was sure she hadn't mistaken it—the figure in front was Joe Di. Her worst-case scenario had come true: Joe Di hadn't perished, and after nearly ten years, he had emerged. As for why Joe Di entered alone but came out with another, she ignored it completely.
Joe Di gave a cold snort, not even bothering to summon his Azure Veil Blade. His domain surged, making the Dao resonance of the Rainbow Glass Sash instantly clear. Joe Di reached out and grabbed one end of the sash within his domain, then sent a massive footprint kicking outward.
The space around Nora solidified. Despair flashed in her eyes; before she could react, the giant footprint crossed the distance and slammed into her chest.
"Pfft!" A spray of blood burst forth as Nora felt her entire body ignited by the kick, sending her flying uncontrollably.
Boom! After demolishing a mountain peak, Nora crashed into the rubble below.
Only then did Joe Di and Ethan North land. Ethan North sighed inwardly. Joe Di's cultivation was clearly below the Prime Realm, yet the woman he'd sent flying with a single kick was at the late Prime Realm. A Genesis Realm cultivator sending a late Prime Realm expert flying with one kick—such power...
Ethan North was certain that even if he reached the Prime Realm, he might not be a match for Joe Di now. Perhaps only after stepping into the Third Stage could he hope to balance their strength. To truly defeat Joe Di would still be difficult.
Joe Di was the strongest Genesis Realm cultivator Ethan North had ever seen, bar none. If such a cultivator ever reached the Third Stage, who in the vast universe could possibly restrain him?
"Joe Di..." Nora shakily rose from the dirt, not even bothering to wipe the blood from her lips. She knew she wouldn't survive today. Before dying, she desperately wanted to know: how had Joe Di survived ten years beneath Sovereign's Vale? Was it not Silent Abyssal Magma down there?
Nora had barely uttered Joe Di's name before freezing, her gaze locked in shock on Ethan North behind him. She murmured, "Could you be my Primordial World's Dao Sovereign, Lord Taiyi—Ethan North himself...?"
Ethan North looked at Nora in puzzlement. "After all these years, someone still recognizes me?"
"Are you truly my Primordial World's Lord Taiyi Dao Sovereign?" Nora suddenly knelt. "Junior Nora is striving to restore the Primordial World, but my strength is limited and the task is arduous. Now that you've returned, I gladly entrust the Primordial World to you—even if it means my death, I do so willingly."
Ethan North frowned. "Are you the current Dao Sovereign of the Primordial World?"
Nora sobbed, "I am unworthy of the title Dao Sovereign. It's just that the Primordial World lacks talent, so I do what little I can."
Ethan North could tell at a glance that Nora wasn't lying. He turned to Joe Di, "Little Joe, could you spare this woman, for my sake?"
Nora was overjoyed—this was exactly what she wanted. If Lord Taiyi protected her, she might survive.
Joe Di ignored Ethan North and instead asked Nora, "Where did you get that Commsphere?"
Nora understood immediately. She hurriedly replied, "I didn't capture Vera Tang. Back then, Jack Nie duplicated Vera Tang's Commsphere, and I made use of it."
Joe Di nodded. Suddenly, his Azure Veil Blade swept down in a flash of blade light.
(This chapter isn't finished ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!)
Ethan North saw the strike and sighed inwardly—Joe Di ultimately refused his request. If Ethan North still had his strength, he could have blocked the attack; now, he could only watch Nora be slain.
"Ah..." Just as Nora thought Joe Di wouldn't strike, she saw his blade come down and cried out in shock. She hadn't expected Joe Di to disregard even Lord Taiyi's plea.
With that strike, Nora's soul didn't even escape—Joe Di obliterated her completely.
After killing Nora, Joe Di put away his Azure Veil Blade and finally addressed Ethan North. "Old North, it's not that I refused your request, but this woman slaughtered countless innocents across other realms. Not only did she murder indiscriminately, she even built a blood altar in Celestial Beyond, intending to sacrifice an entire domain's worth of lives. No matter who intervened, I would not hesitate to kill her today."
To Joe Di, he was the one who saved Ethan North, not the other way around—he owed Ethan North nothing.
"Why did she want to sacrifice an entire domain's living beings?" Ethan North asked in confusion. He sensed that Nora wasn't the sort who cultivated such cruel arts.
Joe Di replied, "I heard the Primordial World was shattered in a great war long ago. This woman wanted to sacrifice the lives of the separated domain and fuse it back into the Primordial World. But that domain, split off years ago, has long become a complete realm thanks to a powerful cultivator's efforts, and now countless lives thrive there."
"The Primordial World was split and shattered?" Ethan North murmured, repeating the words several times before sighing deeply and clasping his fists to Joe Di. "Little Joe, there is much I do not understand. I need to investigate further. I was once the Dao Sovereign of the Primordial World, and I've long realized that one cannot attain the Supreme Dao through a single realm. I want to uncover the truth of the past, and someday, I'll thank you properly for saving my life."
"Old North, we're friends now—no need for thanks. I have things to attend to as well. Until we meet again." Joe Di clasped his fists in farewell.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)