Zane Jin and the other two fell silent. They understood perfectly what Joe Di meant. Why had they come here, frantically searching for cosmic Dao Veins? Was it not for a slim chance to break through to the Fourth Step? As long as they could reach the Fourth Step, they would have a chance to seize control of their own fate.
That was their hope, but Zane Jin and his companions knew how slim the odds truly were. Each of them had a backup plan: after the cosmic Dao Veins in the Cosmic Nest were exhausted, they would do everything possible to secure a place in the Cosmic Dao Debate.
Even if someone did break through to the Fourth Step, they could not arbitrarily humiliate or kill a cultivator with a Saint Seat.
Of course Joe Di was aware of their thoughts. He let out a cold chuckle, "If you gentlemen are not interested, just pretend I never said anything. As for the struggle over Saint Seats, I doubt it has much to do with you. From what I know, or from those I've met, there are at least ten cultivators stronger than you. And are there truly ten Great Saint Seats? Even with the Saint Seat Stele I obtained, I wouldn't dare claim that holding a Saint Seat means I can control my own fate—let alone any of you."
Joe Di's implication was clear: in terms of strength, none of you are my equal. As for luck, you don't even have the Saint Seat Stele, so what makes you think you can claim a Saint Seat?
"Joe, you possess the Saint Seat Stele?" Zane Jin stared at Joe Di in shock. With the Saint Seat Stele, if one's strength was solid, the odds of obtaining a Saint Seat were many times greater than anyone else's.
"That's right. Consider it carefully. If you're not willing to cooperate, I'll be on my way." Joe Di did not intend to persuade them further.
Those who refuse to cooperate will be nothing but cannon fodder in the coming war. Joe Di simply didn't believe that anyone who failed to choose a side in the Saint Seat struggle could survive.
At present, he and Nick Ning, Emperor Ye, and a few others formed the Five Elements Universe faction. Besides the power of the Five Elements Universe, their faction needed to rely on experts from other universes.
Aside from their own faction, Chi Yao's was the strongest.
The struggle for Saint Seats after the Cosmic Dao Debate might not necessarily be a desperate battle between them and Chi Yao. In the vast cosmos, countless powerful cultivators exist. The fact that he, Emperor Ye, and Nick Ning could foresee a battle with Chi Yao meant that other universe cultivators could too.
If they could foresee it, they might also form their own factions.
Once these factions emerged, during the struggle for Saint Seats in the Dao Debate, they might not necessarily help them against Chi Yao. They could even aid Chi Yao or have their own agendas.
After all, not every universe is like the Five Elements Universe, able to obtain five Saint Seat Stele after entering the Gate of Destiny.
"Joe, do you really have the Saint Seat Stele?" Zane Jin's eyes lit up as he asked eagerly.
Compared to the zero tolerance Joe Di, Emperor Ye, and Nick Ning had for Fourth Step cultivators enslaving the vast cosmos, Zane Jin and his companions had a different perspective. In their view, whoever reached the Fourth Step—even if they controlled any being in the vast chaos—would not, or could not, recklessly interfere with or enslave those who held Saint Seats.
Joe Di affirmed, "That's right, I do possess the Saint Seat Stele."
"We are willing to follow you, Joe. If you take action in the future, we will stand with you," Zane Jin declared without hesitation.
Joe Di nodded. "Good. Since we are on the same path, if I manage to obtain a Saint Seat, I will not forget any of you."
Zane Jin and the others immediately bowed. This was exactly what they had been waiting for Joe Di to say.
Joe Di spoke again, "However, you must swear a blood oath: if I fight that Fourth Step cultivator, you must take action."
Zane Jin and the other two exchanged glances, then each forced out a drop of essence blood. The blood merged in the void, transforming into a Dao resonance, and the three swore their oath together.
They knew well that without an oath, Joe Di would never trust them. Earlier, when Joe Di killed Ji Pu, none of the three had joined in.
Although he hadn't truly taken Zane Jin and his companions as his followers, their strength was undeniable. When it came time to face Chi Yao, having extra power would be a good thing.
Joe Di had no intention of teaming up with Zane Jin and the others to search for Cosmic Dao Veins. With his Dao Eyes, he could see ordinary Dao Veins himself, so he preferred to search alone.
After parting ways with Zane Jin and the others, Joe Di spent the next several years searching for Cosmic Dao Veins in the Genesis Nest.
In several years, Joe Di found at least twenty Cosmic Dao Veins. These Dao Veins were mostly ordinary, stretching two or three thousand zhang. As for the ones around ten thousand zhang, aside from the initial black and white ones, he never encountered them again.
With more than twenty Dao Veins in hand, Joe Di decided to stop searching. He realized that the truly valuable ones were the black Dao Vein and the white Dao Vein he had obtained. These two Dao Veins both exceeded ten thousand zhang.
Other Dao Veins, though decent, were still far inferior to these two.
The Cosmic Dao Debate at Genesis Saint City was about to begin. Joe Di didn't know if Emperor Ye and Nick Ning had arrived at the Genesis Nest, nor did he plan to contact them. Joe Di decided to find a place to enter seclusion and further improve his strength. Even if he couldn't reach the Fourth Step, perhaps he could, like Chi Yao, touch upon the traces of the Fourth Step Dao.
Joe Di didn't just pick any place for seclusion; he went straight to the dried-up lake where he had nearly lost his life before.
After Chi Yao took away the black half Dao Vein, he definitely wouldn't stay at the original site. That terrifying poison had been transformed by Joe Di into a poison Dao rule of his own. He came back to test whether, under his own poison Dao rule, the poison could still harm him.
Joe Di valued this poison Dao rule greatly; when he fought Chi Yao in the future, he would definitely use it. The only thing to consider was how to deploy it.
Moreover, cultivating within the poison mist shrouded in black fog meant no one would disturb him.
When Joe Di returned to the dried-up lake, the black mist at the lake's center had thinned considerably. With his Dao Eyes, Joe Di could even see through the poison mist and found that nothing remained inside.
It seemed that after Chi Yao took away the black Dao Vein, the black mist and poison began to dissipate as well. Fortunately, Joe Di arrived in time, and the poison mist hadn't completely disappeared.
Joe Di stepped directly into the poisonous mist. The poison mist that had nearly claimed his life before now had no effect on him whatsoever. When the mist touched Joe Di, it was like ordinary fog, not even harming a single strand of his hair.
Joe Di rolled his hands, quickly condensing a poison Dao rule in his palms. In the next moment, the poison Dao rule in his hands transformed into a tangible blade.
As Joe Di continued to move his hands, he constructed one tangible blade after another. Soon, these blades formed from poison Dao rules surrounded him, creating a massive divine blade array.
The blade array circulated, exuding only blade intent, with not a trace of poison Dao rule aura.
With a wave of Joe Di's hand, the countless blades vanished. He laughed heartily. In the future, if he used such a blade array to trap Chi Yao, Chi Yao would surely not take it seriously. By the time Chi Yao realized the blades were formed from poison Dao rules, it would likely be too late.
This blade array was a technique he used in the cultivation world. He hadn't expected that, with this change, it could become a killing move. The key was that, with his array skills, the blade array could vanish at any moment.
"Senior, senior..." As Joe Di was feeling pleased, a voice with a slightly inaccurate pronunciation sounded from outside.
Joe Di was startled. He was certain that when he arrived, there had been no one here, and while constructing the poison Dao blade array, there had been no sign of anyone either. How could someone appear nearby without him noticing? Could it be another Chi Yao?
Joe Di stepped out of the center of the poison mist. When he arrived earlier, convinced there was no one else around, he hadn't set up any protective arrays. Now, as Joe Di emerged, he clearly saw a Dusktail Panther.
After confirming there was no one else, Joe Di looked at the double-tailed leopard in confusion. "Was it you calling me just now?"
What puzzled Joe Di even more wasn't that the double-tailed leopard called him, but how it had appeared so silently.