Joe Di glanced once more at the nine Genesis Realm Saint Emperors still bombarding the Flame Guardian Array, his gaze settling on his two Five Direction Banners. He could not touch the Chaos Lotus, but neither could these people take it.
Yet for now, he still had no way to reclaim his own Five Direction Banners. Though they belonged to him, Jason Silentwood, that scheming bastard, had tampered with them. If it were just Jason Silentwood alone, Joe Di would have taken the banners without hesitation. But with nine Genesis Realm Saint Emperors present, retrieving them was clearly unrealistic.
There was no way Joe Di would ever abandon his Five Direction Banners.
Without lingering any longer, Joe Di turned and swiftly departed.
No one pursued Joe Di. Even Jason Silentwood knew catching him was impossible. Besides, they all understood Joe Di would never leave so willingly—he still had two Five Direction Banners here.
As for the collateral they offered, it wasn’t worth even a fragment of the Five Direction Banners.
Joe Di quickly retreated to the entrance of the Eight Trigrams Array. He intended to set up a seventh-rank Deathtrap Array here. With his current level in arraycraft and the aid of two Five Direction Banners, he could easily construct such a formation.
A seventh-rank Deathtrap Array still wasn’t enough to kill all nine Genesis Realm experts here, but Joe Di didn’t need to slay them all—he only needed to eliminate Warren Wraith and Jason Silentwood.
Warren Wraith was someone he absolutely had to kill. He’d promised Tammy Tang that Warren would never leave this place alive. If Warren got out, it would be disastrous for Tammy Tang.
As for the two Five Direction Banners, Joe Di was certain that once those people failed to obtain the Chaos Lotus, they would turn their attention to his banners—and Jason Silentwood would have the upper hand. So long as he could trap Jason Silentwood, he could reclaim the banners.
One array banner after another was set in place by Joe Di, along with his continual inscription of Law Array Banners. In just three days, he had constructed a Deathtrap Array here, with the remaining two Five Direction Banners embedded within it. This was now a true seventh-rank Deathtrap Array.
Joe Di refused to believe that, sitting here, he couldn’t trap Jason Silentwood.
As soon as Jason Silentwood emerged, he would inevitably step into Joe Di’s Deathtrap Array. Jason’s lack of fear stemmed from his certainty that Joe Di lacked the skill of a Seventh-Rank Formation Sovereign. Unfortunately for him, with the help of two Five Direction Banners, Joe Di was now exactly that.
Thinking of how Jason Silentwood and the others had exhausted so much effort only to discover, like him, that the Chaos Lotus was unattainable, Joe Di couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.
The Eye of the Way was a remarkable ability. After leaving here, he must find a way to advance it further.
Without the Eye of the Way, he would never have known that the White Lake was completely inaccessible; perhaps he wouldn’t have the resolve to leave even now. But these people would only realize it after breaking through the Flame Guardian Array—that was the difference. Besides, with a treasure like the Chaos Lotus, once the array was broken, it would surely vanish on its own...
As Joe Di pondered the lotus vanishing on its own, his heart suddenly skipped a beat—a bold idea sprang forth, making his heart pound uncontrollably.
If the Chaos Lotus escaped, no one could possibly catch it. But there was only one exit here—if the lotus fled, it would have to leave through this place.
If he set up a net here...
Joe Di’s heart nearly leapt into his throat. He realized his idea was sheer genius. It was just like catching fish—Jason Silentwood and the other experts were helping him herd the fish, and all he had to do was cast the net.
What kind of net could possibly stop the Chaos Lotus? Use an array formation? Joe Di dismissed that idea without a second thought. If a trap array could stop the Chaos Lotus, he wouldn't be needed here at all.
Joe Di suspected that even a seventh-rank formation wouldn’t be enough to stop the Chaos Lotus. The only thing that could was his Ninth World.
Exhaling deeply, Joe Di started setting up array banners once again without hesitation.
A day later, Joe Di’s Ninth World had already been embedded into the void, its entrance perfectly aligned with the exit of the Eightfold Formation Seal. Anything that tried to escape from within would inevitably be drawn into his Ninth World.
Even if the Chaos Lotus didn’t escape and instead hid somewhere in this patch of void, once he dealt with the nine Genesis Realm Saint Emperors, as long as he guarded this exit with his Ninth World, he could still find the lotus. Unless the Chaos Lotus could break through the boundaries of the void itself, he’d have no way to stop it.
But that possibility was slim. If the Chaos Lotus were truly that powerful, it wouldn’t be hiding in this corner to begin with.
Once the Ninth World was opened, even though Joe Di tried to conceal it with a formation, chaotic energy still seeped out. Luckily, the presence of the Chaos Lotus here masked it; otherwise, Joe Di doubted he could fully hide the vast aura of the Ninth World.
Now that the aura of the Ninth World was leaking out, the nine Genesis Realm Saint Emperors would simply assume it was emanating from the Chaos Lotus.
After finishing all this, Joe Di still didn’t go inside. He just waited at the entrance of the Eightfold Formation Seal.
No matter how strong the guardian array was, it would eventually be broken.
......
The nine Genesis Realm experts continued to assault the Flame Guardian Array, but the threat of its flames was held at bay by Joe Di’s two Five Direction Banners. No matter how strong the array was, under such relentless attack, it began to falter.
Four months later, the Flame Guardian Array finally gave a crisp crack, and dense chaotic energy began to leak out. Everyone was ecstatic—they all knew the array was about to be broken.
"Island Master Silentwood, once the guardian array is broken, we must prevent the Chaos Lotus from escaping!" an excited black-faced cultivator exclaimed.
Jason Silentwood chuckled, "Don’t worry, everyone. I have a solution."
With that, he produced a handful of array banners and began setting up a formation, saying, "I’ve prepared these banners for years. This time, we’ll definitely trap the Chaos Lotus."
Several Genesis Realm Saint Emperors skilled in arraycraft grew vigilant, but soon realized that Jason Silentwood was setting up a Binding Array. Since it was a binding formation, it wouldn’t affect them.
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"Island Master Silentwood, I doubt this array can actually restrain the Chaos Lotus," Warren Wraith said, frowning. Although the formation Jason set up was decent, it was only a fifth-rank formation. To bind the Chaos Lotus with a fifth-rank array was nearly impossible.
Jason Silentwood laughed, "Of course I know this array can’t truly restrain the Chaos Lotus. But don’t we have five more people here? When the lotus is bound for an instant, all nine of us will strike at once. With the suppression from our domains, we’re sure to seize the lotus."
"Agreed." Unexpectedly, the ever-scheming Cody Cobb, who’d been squinting with a calculating look, was the first to support Jason Silentwood’s proposal.
No one realized that within Jason Silentwood’s Binding Array, there was also a ninth-rank array disk.
"Crack!" The Flame Guardian Array was finally torn apart by the group, releasing thick chaotic energy. All nine Genesis Realm Saint Emperors instinctively took a deep breath, their eyes locking onto the Chaos Lotus, each wishing to seize it and flee.
Yet everyone remained rational—they knew the lotus wouldn’t be so easily taken.
"Spiritual sense can’t penetrate the White Lake—it’s completely cut off, and flight is impossible here," Mark Mariner was the first to speak.
No one needed Mark Mariner’s warning; everyone already knew flight was impossible in this place.
Jason Silentwood swept his gaze over the group. "Who wants to try first? We’ll be ready to back you up."
No one spoke. In a place where spiritual sense was sealed, no one dared to take the risk.
Jason Silentwood frowned, then produced a Spirit-Seeking Fox and tossed it toward the Chaos Lotus. The beast immediately fell from the void, landing in the White Lake.
The Spirit-Seeking Fox scrambled for the shore, and everyone’s eyes followed its progress. When the beast reached land unharmed, the crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the water in the White Lake was safe, things would be manageable.
Jason Silentwood smiled, "The White Lake is safe. Colin Frost, you try first."
Colin Frost’s expression darkened. He was the Grandmaster of Surging Alchemy Hall, hailing from the Void Sea. Now Jason Silentwood had singled him out to test the lake first. If he refused, he’d likely lose his life in the next moment.
"Alright." Knowing he couldn’t refuse, Colin Frost took a deep breath and walked to the lake’s edge. He eyed the water, thinking to himself that at least the lake wasn’t immediately lethal. If anything went wrong, he’d get out as quickly as possible.
After making thorough preparations, Colin Frost stepped forward, channeling his spiritual essence. With spiritual sense sealed, he could still move through the void using his spiritual power.
Colin Frost had barely stepped onto the lake’s surface when a terrifying force swept over him—a vortex in the White Lake. No matter how desperately he channeled his spiritual essence, the force dragged him straight into the lake.
"Ssssss!" The moment Colin Frost hit the water, a hissing sound erupted. In the next instant, he was reduced to a pile of white bones before even his soul could escape. Then the bones vanished, leaving nothing behind.