Nancy Yan had never heard of another place in the mortal realm. Now that Roxie was fleeing in desperation, she had no choice but to follow closely behind. If they waited any longer, Miranda Qian would surely lock down her escape route—and she had no more escape talismans left.
"Roxie, if we keep fleeing at full speed, that woman isn't even using her full strength. She's deliberately draining our divine essence and toying with us. Instead of this, let's fight her together." Nancy Yan caught up to Roxie, her voice resolute.
She no longer tried to persuade Roxie to escape while she blocked Miranda Qian herself. She knew that even if she did block Miranda Qian, it would only buy a brief moment. In that short time, Roxie would have no chance to get away.
Roxie understood Nancy Yan's meaning: instead of being toyed with like mice by Miranda Qian, it would be better to die swiftly—or to choose reincarnation on her own terms.
Roxie didn't slow down; instead, she burned her divine essence to accelerate. "We can't stop, Nancy Yan. This is our only chance to survive. Miranda Qian is strong, but Senior Brother Joe Di should, should..."
Roxie trailed off, unable to continue. Joe Di was powerful, but compared to Miranda Qian, he was still lacking.
Who was Miranda Qian? She was a top-ranked powerhouse in Genesis City, second only to Lyle Yew. Could Joe Di really handle someone of her caliber? As for Keith Searle, the one Joe Di had killed, in Miranda Qian's eyes, he was no more than an ant. So what if Joe Di had slain Keith Searle?
Yet, even facing death like this, Roxie couldn't accept it. If she could, she wouldn't have spent so many years hiding from Keith Searle in the One-Inch Abyss.
Hearing Roxie's words, Nancy Yan paused and sighed, saying nothing more.
But Roxie clenched her fists and declared, "Nancy Yan, I can't die. I must survive. I..."
As Roxie spoke, she couldn't help but slow down. She didn't want to die—did Joe Di want to die? Bringing Nancy Yan to Joe Di felt just like when Nancy Yan had come to her before, except now Miranda Qian would simply claim another victim.
Nancy Yan clearly understood Roxie's thoughts. She said gently, "Roxie, let's try another direction. There aren't many of us from the Five Elements Universe to begin with. If..."
Nancy Yan didn't finish her sentence. If they died, then so be it—but if others were dragged down with them, it would be too much... Wait, is this Blue Star...?"
Startled, Nancy Yan stopped in her tracks. Of course she knew Blue Star—a place devastated long ago by Genesis City's powerhouses, left in ruins.
But there was no sign of ruin here. A misty grand array locked down all of Blue Star, and even divine sense couldn't penetrate it. She could tell by instinct that Blue Star was completely different now.
"It really is the Mortal Realm—no wonder..." Roxie exclaimed in surprise. She immediately understood: Joe Di must have restored the Mortal Realm. Otherwise, how could there be such a majestic Starguard Array?
No matter how many times a Starguard Array was set up on a ruined planet, it would always show signs of decay and desolation. But right now, Blue Star radiated only vitality and prosperity—and they hadn't even entered it yet.
"Oh? So you dared flee here, even set up a Starguard Array on this ruined planet. Should I call you clever, or just foolish? Either way, it doesn't matter—it's only a matter of time." A crisp, mocking voice rang out as a stunning woman in pale blue descended near Roxie and Nancy Yan.
Roxie and Nancy Yan said nothing; they understood exactly what Miranda Qian meant.
Originally, the rebuilding of Blue Star by cultivators from the Five Elements Universe—even the establishment of the Starguard Array—was unknown to Genesis City. But now, these two doomed women had led Miranda Qian here, exposing Blue Star. If that isn't foolish, what is?
As Miranda Qian spoke, her gaze remained fixed on the Mortal Realm’s protective array. At first, there was a hint of a smile at her lips, but as she watched, the mockery faded from her eyes. In an instant, she unleashed her Celestial Mace, smashing it downwards.
With a single strike, she would know if her suspicions were correct. How could a mere seventh-tier divine array possess such overwhelming might?
Boom! Crack! As the Celestial Mace crashed down, Dao resonance crystallized into a glazed brilliance, shattering the protective array. Sure enough, beneath the broken array was a Ninth-Rank Starguard Array at its peak.
Miranda Qian breathed a sigh of relief—her guess had been correct. The outer seventh-tier divine array was a fake; this Ninth-Rank Guardian Array was real.
A mere Ninth-Rank Starguard Array? She truly didn’t care about that.
"Who are you? Why did you attack the Starguard Array of my Mortal Realm without cause?" As the voice fell, Joe Di appeared in the void plaza outside the Mortal Realm.
The Seventh-Tier Starguard Array outside the Mortal Realm had been shattered by Miranda Qian; inside was a Ninth-Rank Starguard Array, which was actually a decoy Starguard Auxiliary Array. Joe Di had set up this grand array specifically to deal with Lucas Pearl.
If Lucas Pearl dared to break his Ninth-Rank Guardian Array, he would enter the true Slaughter Array Joe Di had set up in the Mortal Realm.
This grand array was constructed according to Heaven-Earth laws—even if Lucas Pearl was several times stronger than Joe Di, Joe Di didn’t believe he could see through the Slaughter Array in such a short time. It was a new array path of his own; unless someone had studied it, it would be impossible to spot at a glance.
What Joe Di hadn’t expected was that Lucas Pearl didn’t come—instead, it was a woman. And her strength wasn’t low; she was probably not much weaker than Lyle Yew.
"Brother Di, I'm sorry—I had nowhere else to run, so I could only come here..." Seeing Joe Di appear, Roxie felt a bit embarrassed. She hadn't planned to come here at all, but with nowhere left to escape, she ended up here and dragged Joe Di into it.
"It's fine—I invited you here in the first place..."
As Joe Di finished speaking, an excited voice rang out nearby: "Roxie, Sister Nancy Yan!" It was Lora Shen.
(Irrelevant passage about reading the next page—skip translation.)
Trailing behind Lora Shen were more than a dozen cultivators.
Roxie exclaimed with delight, "Lora Shen, Grandmaster Gordon Bone, Ethan Yi..."
After her initial joy, Roxie's face turned pale. She hadn't expected so many cultivators from the Five Elements Universe to be gathered here. By revealing the secret of the Mortal Realm, would Genesis City spare it?
"Back then, a man named Zixiao led the founding of a wretched den here, and my Genesis City wiped it out completely. Who would have thought, after so little time, the den has risen again. Tsk, such vitality..." Miranda Qian clicked her tongue twice, showing not the slightest concern—not even bothering to call for help.
Though Joe Di hadn't fully recovered, he was nearly back to his peak. Not to mention Miranda Qian, even if Lucas Pearl came, this was his domain—he would not be afraid.
"Since you don't want to answer Grandpa Di, then there's no need—see my blade!" Joe Di couldn't be bothered with more words. He stepped out onto the void plaza, and his Azure Veil Blade swept forth, summoning a storm of blades against Miranda Qian.