Leonard Brown chuckled and raised his hand to cast a restriction before speaking. "All I know is that his surname is Ye. He is the most resolute person I have ever met. After the Creation War, the Gate of Destiny opened. In truth, any cultivator who arrived before the Gate of Destiny could enter it. In fact, nearly everyone did, because the Gate of Destiny is where the threads of Creation Resonance converge. Only by stepping into the Gate of Destiny can one truly enter the Creation Realm..."
At this point, Leonard Brown instinctively shrank his neck and glanced toward Mountainview, lowering his voice as he continued, "Do you know? That person actually didn't go in. It wasn't because he lacked strength—he was extremely powerful."
Joe Di suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine and promptly asked, "Are you saying that this Ye fellow didn't revive through Creation Resonance, but never perished in the first place? He gave up entering the Creation Realm and chose to stay here, ruling as a king?"
It sounded almost unbelievable, but wasn't that exactly what Leonard Brown meant?
Leonard Brown sighed and nodded. "That's right. Think about it—this man had already stepped into the Third Step, and he's even a Boundary Fusion Realm powerhouse. With him staying here, who would dare disrespect him? I am utterly helpless. I know that even if I kneel before him, I'd still be nothing more than a dog. So I might as well seize this opportunity and fight for myself. If I truly can't win, I'd rather choose reincarnation than suffer such humiliation."
For as long as Joe Di had known Leonard Brown, he always found him cunning. What surprised Joe Di was that Leonard Brown possessed such pride. This revelation changed his opinion of the corpulent cultivator before him.
"Doesn't that mean he's already entered the Creation Realm?" A shadow cast over Joe Di's heart. This Ye was already a formidable force—if he leveraged the Creation Aura from the Grandway Abyss and stepped into the Creation Realm, it wouldn't be impossible.
Leonard Brown shook his head. "No. It's said that the Five Elements Universe does not permit the existence of the Creation Realm. Anyone who steps into the Creation Realm must leave the Five Elements Universe. When the Gate of Destiny opened, every cultivator above the Dao Fusion Realm rushed in, and even a handful of Genesis Realm experts joined them. In fact, even if a Dao Fusion Realm cultivator chose not to enter, the Creation Resonance would drag them in. It's not something that personal strength can resist."
"Then why did that Ye..." Joe Di immediately noticed a flaw in Leonard Brown's explanation.
Leonard Brown's tone grew somber. "That's the problem. When that Ye appeared, we immediately saw that he wasn't a reborn remnant soul, but a powerhouse with a perfect physical body. The key is that many people recognized him and knew of his ruthlessness and strength in the past. He was one of those peerless cultivators who charged into the Gate of Destiny back then. After he came out, no one saw him fall, nor did anyone witness him wounded.
An undefeated cultivator, unharmed and unkillable—why would he appear here?
Joe Di was beginning to understand, looking at Leonard Brown in astonishment. "Brother Leonard, are you saying that the Sovereign Lord Ye crippled his own cultivation, deliberately avoided entering the Gate of Destiny, and stayed at the foot of Mountainview?"
Leonard Brown nodded. "That's the only explanation. He must've calculated everything perfectly. He crippled his own cultivation, yet preserved his Primordial Soul and Dao Vein flawlessly. Then, by leveraging the Creation Resonance right after the Gate of Destiny closed, he restored himself instantly—and even advanced further."
Joe Di sucked in a cold breath. If things were truly as Leonard Brown described, then this Ye was terrifying indeed. Such a person was either a peerless cultivator or a supreme schemer.
"But wait, if he's that formidable, why hasn't he come to deal with me yet?" Joe Di looked at Leonard Brown in confusion, though there was another question he hadn't voiced. Not only had Ye not dealt with him, but if Ye was truly so powerful, Leonard Brown shouldn't dare betray him either.
Leonard Brown pointed toward Mountainview and whispered, "Rumor has it that he left long ago to climb Mountainview. The one giving orders here is nothing but his lackey. Do you think I'd dare help you if the Sovereign Lord Ye were still here?"
Could it be that all those empty Creation Resonance Pools were consumed by this Ye? If that's the case, and he doesn't leave soon, he's in grave danger.
With that thought, Joe Di tore open the protective array and shattered the Voidbreaking restriction with a wave of his hand.
"Brother Joe, you..." Voidbreaker had long since mourned for Joe Di. Facing four Third Step powerhouses, even if Joe Di had reached Dao Fusion, he was doomed.
In truth, after the explosion of divine essence in the void, Voidbreaker thought Joe Di had fallen. Yet now, Joe Di had reappeared and shattered his restraints.
Not only was Voidbreaker stunned—even the other cultivators in the plaza were frozen in shock. This scene was all wrong. By rights, shouldn't Joe Di have been slain, leaving four Third Step powerhouses in the center of the plaza? Why was Joe Di unharmed, and why was Leonard Brown now standing with him? Where had the other three Third Step experts gone?
Soon, everyone understood—Leonard Brown must have joined Joe Di, and the other three had been eliminated by Joe Di. Realizing this, all hearts trembled. Just who was this Joe Di, to be so overwhelmingly powerful?
Joe Di smiled. "The other three have been dealt with. Recover quickly—we're leaving soon. I suspect another great battle is on the horizon. Surely you four aren't the only Third Step cultivators here, are you?"
As he spoke, Joe Di's gaze fell on Leonard Brown.
Leonard Brown chuckled, "Don't worry. After you subdued the four of us, no one else will come."
Just as Leonard Brown said, the Third Step cultivators here were no fools. With the Sovereign Lord absent and Joe Di able to suppress four Third Step experts and slay three, no one else would dare emerge. Who would risk their life for no benefit?
"Since everyone's fine, let's leave now." Joe Di understood—if the Sovereign Lord Ye didn't show, no one would risk their life against him. In that case, it was best to leave early. When he perfected Dao Fusion or reached the Third Step, he could return to settle things with the Sovereign Lord Ye.
Leonard Brown waved his hand. "Daoist Joe, we can't leave just yet. There's someone we still need to find."
"Who?" Joe Di looked at Leonard Brown, puzzled as to why they needed to find another person before leaving.
Leonard Brown pointed toward a small path. "No one knows his real name, but his nickname is Mercury. Do you know why? It's because he's as elusive and pervasive as quicksilver."
Joe Di understood Leonard Brown's meaning—he simply didn't fully trust him yet.
Leonard Brown clearly caught Joe Di's meaning and smiled. "It's not that I don't trust you, Daoist Joe. It's just that if we search for an exit on our own, it might take years. But if we cooperate with Mercury, we'll be out of the Grandway Abyss in three days at most. Mercury's already replied—just give him half a day to finish his business and he'll be ready to leave."
"Alright, I'll wait half a day then." With that, Joe Di cast a restriction and summoned Mandy Chu, gifting her a Soul Lotus.
"You really managed to get a Soul Lotus?" Mandy Chu wrapped herself around the Soul Lotus, so excited she could barely speak coherently.
Joe Di nodded. "Just focus on recovering. In half a day, we'll be leaving this place."
After speaking, Joe Di cast another restriction, retrieved Emily Ye's Thunder Pearl, and sent in another Soul Lotus.
He was confident that in two hours at most, Emily Ye and Mandy Chu would recover. By then, Mercury would arrive, and together, they could leave the Grandway Abyss.