Joe Di stood in the Shaman Realm for a whole day before finally collecting his thoughts and tearing open the realm's boundary.
This too was a testament to his progress. In the past, even if he had restored his cultivation, he might not have been able to tear open the boundary of the Shaman Realm. Now, he did so with ease, without the slightest difficulty.
...
In the Five Elements Universe, amidst the sea of vital energy, a middle-aged man in plain clothes and with an ordinary appearance suddenly opened his eyes. He looked up at the vast, boundless void of the universe, as if his gaze could pierce through countless planes and see endless worlds.
Soon after, he began to frown. Although his current predicament was not entirely due to those Vanished Dao Laws, they played a significant role.
If he had been willing to risk everything, even if Morgan Du found more Third Step powerhouses and tried to take advantage of his weakness, it would have been difficult to plot against him and bring about his demise.
His downfall was indeed partly due to Morgan Du’s schemes, but the more important reason was his realization that his Dao was incomplete. His Dao had witnessed the birth of the Five Elements Universe, making it clearer than anyone else's.
At first, he was always arrogant, never paying attention to anyone in the universe. Even when he accepted eight disciples and had them control the Prime Dao Laws for him, he never considered the possibility of betrayal. In Dominic Du’s eyes, as long as one remained within the Five Elements Universe, no one could betray him. He represented the Five Elements Universe itself—who could possibly betray him?
But when Cassie Cao perished and he experienced true loss and sorrow, he finally understood the flaw in his Dao.
Others’ Dao had all suffered decline, but his Dao had never experienced any weakening. Ever since he attained the Dao, there had not been a single existence in the Five Elements Universe that could threaten him. In his view, there was only one reason: because he was Dominic Du.
This was not Dominic Du’s pride—it was his sorrow.
When he stood at the summit of the Five Elements Universe, with no one left to oppose him and nothing in existence able to threaten him, his Dao had already reached the limits of the Five Elements Universe.
Yet he knew that beyond the Five Elements Universe lay an even vaster cosmic void; the Five Elements Universe was but a corner of the boundless cosmos.
No matter how powerful Dominic Du was, it was only within that small corner.
To surpass his current Dao, he had to experience failure and great decline. This was the insight he gained after losing Cassie Cao in his pursuit of the perfect Great Dao.
Even though he never attained Cassie Cao, in his heart he was always grateful to her. Without Cassie Cao, he would still be chasing perfection and the ultimate extremes of the Five Elements Universe.
It was only after Cassie Cao’s death, after losing what he thought was destined to be his, that he understood: to stand at the peak of a greater universe, he must endure great decline—and he must grasp the Vanished One. For within those laws lies the key Dao Principle to break free from the Five Elements Universe.
So, when Morgan Du schemed against him, he did not choose to risk everything, but instead chose to form a Dao Cocoon. Someday, when he breaks open the Dao Cocoon once more, he will emerge as a butterfly.
No matter how many ages the universe endures, no matter how many cycles others experience, all remains under his control.
Yet today, he sensed the aura of the Vanished One’s Dao Principles fading from his perception—so faint it was almost indiscernible.
He had already endured great decline; though it was not yet time to break the cocoon, that moment was not far off. He must obtain the Vanished One—that was the key to his transformation.
After a long while, Dominic Du slowly closed his eyes again. He believed that aside from himself, no one could perceive the Vanished One’s location. Perhaps only after leaving the Sea of Vital Energy would he sense the Vanished One once more. Since he had not yet become a butterfly, he had to calm his mind and remain unmoved by outside distractions.
...
Tearing open one void after another with ease—even though his Dao was qualified to transcend the Five Elements Universe, Joe Di’s cultivation was still a bit too low.
The Shaman Realm and the Five Elements Universe were clearly separated not just by a boundary, but by an entire plane.
Joe Di did not know how to cross between planes; he could only keep tearing through boundaries in the void, choosing familiar locations within the emptiness.
...
At Mountainview Inn, Lord Voidbreaker lounged on a recliner at the entrance, looking rather bored. Elijah Wells, whom he had once hunted, now seemed miserable, performing the same chores that Bolt used to do.
Back then, Bolt would arrange guest accommodations, treating the act of giving orders as a kind of enjoyment. To Elijah Wells, these tasks felt like punishment. Yet he had no choice—he could not defeat Voidbreaker, nor was he willing to leave. He could only stay, doing the work of a servant while waiting for Joe Di’s return.
Voidbreaker was also waiting for Joe Di to return. After leaving the Mountainview Forbidden Zone, Joe Di and the others had been separated. Since they were scattered, they had agreed to regroup at Mountainview Inn.
Friends like Joe Di, with both great strength and a sense of camaraderie, are rare in the vast universe. Lord Voidbreaker had finally reemerged and did not wish to be dragged into trouble again. So he was determined to stay by Joe Di’s side, waiting for the day when the Mountainview Forbidden Zone would be destroyed and Mountainview would reappear.
Boom! Boom! Boom! From the entrance of the Mountainview Forbidden Zone came a series of thunderous roars, startling all the cultivators at Mountainview Inn and causing Lord Voidbreaker, who had been resting in a recliner, to leap to his feet.
The rumbling grew louder, as if something were about to burst forth from the Mountainview Forbidden Zone.
"Senior Voidbreaker, what’s happening?" a Dao Origin cultivator asked nervously, looking at Lord Voidbreaker.
If not for Lord Voidbreaker, who had participated in the Creation War, some people might have already fled from the commotion in the Mountainview Forbidden Zone.
For countless years, the Mountainview Forbidden Zone had been utterly silent. Now, this sudden roar clearly signaled that something had happened.
Lord Voidbreaker frowned. Before he could speak, he saw a crack open in the sky above the rumbling Mountainview Forbidden Zone, and a cultivator fell through the gap.
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What calmed everyone somewhat was that after the cultivator fell, the roaring gradually faded, and the Mountainview Forbidden Zone returned to its original state.
"I've seen you before. You are..." Lord Voidbreaker pointed at the fallen cultivator, frowning as if trying to recall who he was.
The cultivator who had fallen climbed to his feet. Upon seeing Lord Voidbreaker, his first words were, "Voidbreaker, my name is Galen. You met me once many years ago... We'll catch up later; right now, I must see Dao Lord Di as soon as possible..."
"You came out of the Mountainview Forbidden Zone just to find Joe Di?" Lord Voidbreaker asked Galen in surprise. Since when was it so easy to leave the Mountainview Forbidden Zone? If it were so simple, neither Voidbreaker nor the likes of Poison Sovereign and Yi Ji would have had trouble escaping.
Galen replied urgently, "We can talk about that later. Please, is Dao Lord Di here?"
Voidbreaker returned to his lazy demeanor. "I'm looking for Brother Joe Di myself. Is he here? If you have something to say, just tell me and I'll pass it on to Dao Lord Di."
Hearing that Joe Di was not present, Galen’s eyes filled with deep disappointment. He immediately cast a restriction and said urgently, "Please tell Dao Lord Di: before he steps into the Third Step, he must not meet Zefron Ye, absolutely must not..."
Voidbreaker knew that Joe Di had just succeeded in merging with the Dao, and that he could already defeat Third Step cultivators. Why shouldn’t he meet Zefron Ye before reaching the Third Step? Hearing Galen speak so highly of Zefron Ye, Voidbreaker scoffed, "Zefron Ye only has one head. He could bully me, Voidbreaker, when I hadn’t reached the Third Step, but if he wants to bully Brother Joe Di, he’s far from capable. Tell me, how did you get out? That’s what I’m interested in..."
Voidbreaker’s words suddenly stopped. He saw Galen’s skin begin to shrivel, his vitality start to fade, and hurriedly asked, "Galen, are you alright?"
(That’s all for today’s update. Good night, friends!)