Bolt immediately pushed the spaceship to full speed, then sent a message to Joe Di.
At this moment, Joe Di's rule-infused Dao Rhythms had already merged seamlessly with the vast surrounding void—a first in his cultivation journey. This fusion made Joe Di feel as if his Dao was constantly climbing toward a higher realm, and his Dao Rhythms were growing ever more substantial. At this time, not only did he fail to notice Bolt's message, but even if he had, he would not have stopped.
Such opportunities do not come often. Once he snapped out of this void integration, it was impossible to say when he might enter the state again. In this condition, Joe Di could reach Transformation Realm Perfection in the shortest time. If he lost it, attaining Transformation Realm Perfection would be far more difficult.
Joe Di entered a deep state of void rule comprehension and cultivation, and Dean Carter sensed it as well. At this moment, he felt his own Dao becoming increasingly clear, and his cultivation was soaring rapidly—he was on the verge of reaching Dao Nurturing Perfection.
Bolt sent several consecutive messages, but received no response from Joe Di. He could only keep piloting the spaceship, fleeing through the void.
The reason the spaceship behind couldn't catch up to Bolt's vessel in a short time was twofold: Bolt had been flying through the void for over a decade and had vast experience, and the pursuing ship was also a mid-grade artifact.
In fact, within the Dao Domain, possessing a mid-grade artifact ship was already considered quite impressive.
As for high-grade artifact ships, they were even rarer.
Seeing Bolt escape, the pursuing spaceship accelerated even more.
On the deck of the ship chasing Bolt stood two women. The one in front was a strikingly beautiful young woman in red, while behind her was a middle-aged woman with dusky skin dressed in gray.
Dao Rhythms flowed around the middle-aged woman in gray, her aura powerful—she was clearly a Prime Realm expert. The beautiful young woman, too, had a presence no weaker than Dean Carter; she was a cultivator in the late Dao Nurturing stage.
"Aunt Jin, why do I sense such concentrated divine energy from the ship ahead? It feels just like the aura of a Prime Ley Line," asked the beautiful young woman, her willow-shaped brows shining with intelligence.
The middle-aged woman replied gravely, "Xiao Xiao, you sensed correctly. That is definitely a Prime Ley Line..."
After a pause, the middle-aged woman spoke with a hint of concern, "Not only is there Prime Ley Line energy leaking from the ship ahead, but I can also sense a trace of Primordial Chaos Essence..."
"Primordial Chaos Essence?" Xiao Xiao's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Aunt Jin, does that mean..."
Aunt Jin replied in a low voice, "I'm not entirely sure. It seems like Primordial Chaos Essence, but there are subtle differences from the pure kind—it feels almost..."
After hesitating, Aunt Jin continued, "It feels like the pure yin chaos energy from the dawn of creation... If that's the case, then doesn't it mean..."
Aunt Jin stopped herself, startled by her own speculation, and instinctively dropped the topic.
"What is it, Aunt Jin?" Xiao Xiao pressed anxiously. She was currently stuck at Dao Nurturing Perfection. If she obtained Primordial Chaos Essence, she could easily break into the Transformation Realm, and then into the Prime Realm.
Aunt Jin's expression grew even more serious. Even with restrictions on the ship, her voice dropped to a whisper. "Xiao Xiao, I suspect that’s a top-tier world, perhaps even the legendary Sacred Yin Pearl. But the Sacred Yin Pearl is just a rumor—I've never heard of anyone actually seeing one..."
"Then what are we waiting for, Aunt Jin? Let's catch up and seize it!" The young woman's tone grew increasingly urgent.
Aunt Jin gazed eagerly at the ship ahead, but after a moment, she said, "Xiao Xiao, my worry is that anyone who possesses such a thing is no ordinary person."
Xiao Xiao snorted, "So what if they're not ordinary? Do you think my mother would be afraid of them?"
Aunt Jin sighed, "Your mother left for the Xuanhuang Outer Heaven and never returned. If that person has connections in the Void Market, then we..."
Xiao Xiao retorted sharply, "If that ship is fleeing, it means their strength isn't great. So why don't we just..."
As she spoke, Xiao Xiao slashed her hand downward forcefully, her expression growing ever more ruthless.
Aunt Jin nodded as well. Encountering such a treasure and not seizing it would be nothing short of a crime.
The spaceship accelerated even more. Despite Bolt's decade of experience flying through the void, he could still sense the pursuing ship drawing ever closer.
......
Crack! In Joe Di's spiritual sense, he heard the shattering of a Dao restriction, and the vortex of divine energy around him spun even faster.
At this moment, the Dao rules around Joe Di grew ever clearer, infused with the vast aura of the void.
Boom! When all the shackles binding him were blasted apart by Joe Di's Dao sense, he suddenly stood up and let out a long howl.
He had finally reached the peak of the First Step of Dao Ascension—Transformation Realm Perfection.
From now on, he was just one opportunity away from stepping into the Second Step of Dao Ascension. That opportunity, he would seek in the Void Market.
Hmm? Joe Di gave a surprised sound—he had just noticed several messages, all sent by Bolt.
Being hunted? Joe Di's spiritual sense swept out in all directions, and he immediately saw the spaceship pursuing him.
Joe Di stretched out his hand, and the Ninth World sank deep into his sea of consciousness, causing all the divine energy on the ship to dissipate.
At the same time, Dean Carter also awakened from his closed-door cultivation. He too had reached Dao Nurturing Perfection, just one step away from Transformation Realm. For him, that step was not a problem—he already possessed a Purple Sky Pill.
"Brother Di, I've struck it rich!" Dean Carter exclaimed in delight as soon as he emerged.
Joe Di understood immediately, gave Dean Carter a pat, then walked out onto the deck and said, "We're being hunted."
Bolt still couldn't speak, but his intent was clear to Joe Di. The spaceship behind had been chasing him for nearly a year. If Joe Di didn't end his seclusion soon, Bolt would be caught.
(Irrelevant system message omitted.)
"Someone's hunting us?" Dean Carter realized the situation. At this point, there was no need to scan with spiritual sense; a glance at the monitor showed the pursuing ship clearly.
"Yes, it must be because our cultivation stirred up so much commotion. The ones behind probably think we're easy prey and came to profit off us." Joe Di chuckled and brought the ship to a stop.
The fact that the ship behind hadn't caught up after so long showed they weren't particularly formidable. Joe Di was curious to see what sort of people were trying to get rich off him.
"Right, you two go back into the cabin and don't come out." Joe Di suddenly remembered something and told Dean Carter and Bolt.
Once Dean Carter and Bolt entered the cabin, Dao Rhythms swirled around Joe Di. Beneath the rules of the Dao, his features quickly shifted—he disguised himself as Jaden Dai.
Joe Di still didn't know who these pursuers were, but anyone daring to travel the void likely had some background. He was wary of a repeat of the wormhole incident—not out of fear, but because he didn't want to waste time on such chases.
"The vortex of divine energy ahead has vanished, and the ship has stopped." Xiao Xiao saw Joe Di's ship halt, and her tone grew wary.
Aunt Jin grew serious as well and said to the young woman, "Be ready to escape at any moment. Let's first find out who they are dealing with."
Joe Di's ship came to a stop, and the pursuing vessel arrived in front of it in just a few breaths.
The restriction opened, and Joe Di was surprised to see that the ones who had been chasing them for nearly a year were actually two women.
Aunt Jin and Xiao Xiao were equally surprised to find that the person they had been chasing was a young man with a heavy murderous aura.