Joe Di was shocked that the speed of a Primordial Spirit's escape was actually faster than his own Spirit Shift. If he hadn't prepared a backup plan, that spirit would have truly gotten away.
"Ant..." To Joe Di's speechlessness, even after being trapped by his Deathtrap Array in Savage Beast Gorge, the Primordial Spirit kept calling him an ant.
Joe Di also landed inside the Deathtrap Array. The nearly lifeless Primordial Spirit was pinned by his array at the Soul Bind Array's anchor, twisting and howling in agony.
Joe Di raised his hand and grabbed the giant axe from the ground. His spiritual sense couldn't discern the axe's grade, which showed it was no ordinary item.
"You were pinned in my array by this so-called ant. That means you are even less than an ant now." Joe Di taunted.
"I have no grudge against you. Why did you bring people to attack me?" The twisted Primordial Spirit calmed down, realizing his survival depended on Joe Di's mood.
Joe Di sneered, "No grudge? The first time I came to Savage Beast Gorge, if I hadn’t had some tricks, you would have devoured me for blood. Did I have any grudge with you then? And my friend was preparing to enter the Ascension Array, but you set up a portal there first, waiting to grab people and bring them to Savage Beast Gorge. Now you tell me, do I have a grudge with you or not?"
The Primordial Spirit had always believed in the supremacy of strength, and in fact, no one had ever been able to force him to bow his head. For a long time, he acted with absolute arrogance. Now that Joe Di had caught him, he had no choice but to lower himself.
"What will it take for you to let me go?" The Primordial Spirit's tone weakened.
Joe Di replied indifferently, "Tell me your background."
"My memory isn't fully restored. Only when my physical body is completely healed will there be hope of regaining it. Originally, my body would have recovered in a few hundred years, but now, after your siege, my vital energy is severely damaged. It'll take many more years..."
Before the Primordial Spirit could finish, Joe Di interrupted, "I don't think you have that much time. Tell me everything you can remember now."
"I can acknowledge you as my master, even leave a trace of my Primordial Spirit imprint for you, as long as you don't kill me." The spirit realized Joe Di intended to kill him.
Joe Di's heart stirred, but he quickly dismissed the idea. The Primordial Spirit left in the Genesis Annihilation Array was simply too powerful, far beyond his current perception.
Anything can happen in the cultivation world. Who could guarantee that once the spirit's physical body recovered, he wouldn't be able to sever the Spirit Mark left in Joe Di's possession? With little benefit, such a risky move was not worth it.
With this thought, Joe Di raised his hand and struck down with a Primordial Thunder Sigil.
The Primordial Spirit screamed miserably, "You can't kill me, I'll tell you..."
But this Primordial Spirit was already extremely weak, now pinned by Joe Di's Soul Bind Array flag, and with another Primordial Thunder Sigil, even the strongest spirit was instantly reduced to ashes.
A ring fell to the ground, which Joe Di picked up with a wave of his hand. Compared to the rings of Mei Bashan and Bai Hong, Joe Di had even higher expectations for this spirit's ring.
To Joe Di's disappointment, even with his spiritual sense and understanding of arraycraft, he couldn't break the restriction on the ring. This made Joe Di realize that the Primordial Spirit wasn't from the cultivation world, but truly from the Immortal Realm.
After putting everything away, Joe Di returned to the Genesis Annihilation Array, where everyone was already waiting for him.
"Daoist Di, how did it go?" As soon as Joe Di arrived, Cameron Beck stepped forward to ask.
Joe Di put away his Terraflame Banner and said, "It's been slain by me. There's no need to worry; there shouldn't be any more problems with the Ascension Array in the future..."
Joe Di sensed something odd in the atmosphere and casually asked, "What's wrong?"
Although two people had fallen, two more had lost their bodies, Laurence Brooks was gravely injured, and almost everyone else was wounded, the truth was that, for them, the plan had still succeeded.
"The remnants of bones left here in the Genesis Annihilation Array belong to the predecessors from our True Domain who ascended before. My An Family also has an elder's remains here." Lincoln An sighed and explained.
Joe Di immediately understood. This was within his expectations, so it wasn't surprising to have it discovered.
"Sect Master Di, there's a portal here that leads directly to the Ascension Array. I think maybe in the future we won't need to obtain jade tokens—just teleport from here." Han Wushui, hoping to restore relations with Joe Di, stepped forward to ask.
Originally, this should have been Cameron Beck's matter, but Joe Di didn't ask him. Pointing to the damaged Genesis Annihilation Array, Joe Di calmly said, "Fellow Daoists, this portal gateway must be destroyed, for two reasons. First, if we leave it, too many people will go to the Ascension Array, and I doubt it will last long. Second, even if you teleport here, you probably still need an Ascension Token. The previous True Domain Prodigy Trials were handled well, and I hope that continues. Now that we've destroyed this Primordial Spirit together, the Ascension Array will gradually recover its strength. Each time, sending a dozen or so people should be enough."
Cameron Beck immediately said, "I agree with Sect Master Di."
"I agree as well..."
After Cameron Beck, nearly everyone else voiced their agreement with Joe Di.
First, they all came from major powers in the True Domain; their concern was not about failing to ascend, but about the ascension channel being abused and destroyed. Second, they had witnessed Joe Di's strength—he was now more than twice as powerful as when he slew Mei Bashan.
It was certain that, if the current Joe Di faced Mei Bashan, he wouldn't need to resort to secret schemes.
"Thank you, fellow Daoists. Now, my second point: I hope that from now on, the True Domain and the Central Realm can travel freely, without any restrictions. It is absolutely forbidden to use True Domain resources to suppress the Central Realm, and even more so to bully its cultivators." Joe Di finished, his gaze sweeping the crowd.
Cultivation resources in the Central Realm are becoming increasingly scarce; it's hard enough to reach the Transforming True Stage, let alone the Domain Stage. Even with Little Central Star, there hasn't been a true Ninth Grade Alchemy King. Although it is officially forbidden for True Domain cultivators to enter Little Central Star, in reality, they come openly.
"I agree with Daoist Di." As the leading figure of the True Domain, Cameron Beck was the first to support Joe Di.
Feeling Joe Di's gaze, the rest quickly voiced their agreement. At this moment, opposing Joe Di would have been foolish.
"Good. In that case, I'll remove this portal gateway first." Joe Di made no further demands and decisively began dismantling the portal.
Once the Central Realm's restrictions are lifted, it is only a matter of time before powerful cultivators emerge from there.
......
The events at Savage Beast Gorge were not spread around, known only to the top experts of the True Domain. In fact, after everyone joined forces to kill that powerful figure at the gorge, all the cultivators involved realized the one who set up the Genesis Annihilation Array there had an extraordinary background.
Having worked together to take down someone with such a mysterious origin, only a fool would go around bragging about it.
After the incident at Savage Beast Gorge, Bryce Hu was the first to enter the Ascension Array and teleport away. Laurence Brooks, needing to recover from his injuries, postponed his trip to the array by several months.
However, the True Domain did not quiet down after this. First, travel between the True Domain and Central Realm became completely free—so long as you had spirit stones. Second, Kamine Domain and Starshatter Domain in the True Domain fell into total chaos.
The Domain Lord of Kamine Domain, Mei Bashan, was killed by Joe Di, and May One Domain reverted to Kamine Domain, which everyone knew. But after his son, Jue Zhan, sought revenge, he never returned, making the domain even more chaotic.
As for Starshatter Domain, rumors said its lord had suddenly disappeared. The only true powerhouse was Bai Hong, and with his disappearance, the domain seemed like a tempting piece of meat—everyone wanted a bite.
Joe Di had no interest in the various resource struggles of the True Domain. After setting up the connection between the Central Realm and True Domain, he went to the Ascension Array with Sean Zell.
Debbie Di was still out training, her cultivation advancing rapidly. Miles Phantom, after consuming the Seven-Colored Divine Peach, sat in the spirit-rich Starstream Sect, and his cultivation was steadily rising as well.
As for Miles Phantom's future quota for entering the Immortal Realm, Joe Di wasn't worried. With Debbie Di and Garrett around, both could participate in the next True Domain Prodigy Trials. Given Debbie Di's cultivation rate, she might reach the Domain Stage within a hundred years. As for Garrett, he too might reach Domain Stage by then.