Joe Di's body refinement was now infinitely close to the perfection of the Immortal Spirit Physique. Despite being gravely wounded by spatial dislocation, it only took him a few days to recover completely.
After several days hiding in the Moon Ruins, Joe Di finally felt at ease enough to survey his surroundings.
Just as the rumors claimed, the laws within Moon Ruins were chaotic and unstable. Possessing the Ninth Prime Law, Joe Di could sense this disorder even more acutely.
Such a place could very well yield top-tier treasures, but cultivating here was dangerous—one careless mistake could destroy one's Dao path.
Joe Di did not venture deeper. Even if the Crescent Trade Tower's people pursued him here, he had nothing to fear. In a place with such chaotic laws, his advantage over Crescent Trade Tower was several times greater.
First, he possessed Spirit Shift; second, he wielded the Ninth Prime Law. Who could claim a deeper understanding of cosmic laws than him? Even an Immortal Emperor would not dare make such a boast before him.
Joe Di inspected several rings, but found little of value from the Crescent Trade Tower. Aside from some basic cultivation resources, there were only low-grade materials and Celestial Herbs.
The only consolation for Joe Di was finding a detailed map of Moon Ruins and a jade slip introducing the area in the ring of the female cultivator he had slain.
Joe Di ignored the map for now and focused his spiritual sense on the jade slip describing Moon Ruins.
He scanned the jade slip quickly. Within minutes, Joe Di set it aside, weighing his options for where to go next.
According to the jade slip in his hand, there were many places in Moon Ruins where treasures could be found. The most abundant source of high-grade materials was the Lunar Celestial Sea, whose waters were milky white and extremely viscous. The Lunar Celestial Sea produced all kinds of premium Celestial Herbs, but it was also extremely dangerous—falling into the sea meant almost certain death.
Furthermore, every so often a mist would rise over the Lunar Celestial Sea. If one failed to leave before the mist appeared, they would be trapped forever.
Despite the tremendous danger, countless cultivators still flocked to the Lunar Celestial Sea. The high-grade materials found here could be traded for vast cultivation resources. Not only did the sea offer top-tier materials, but also numerous Celestial Treasures.
The place where top-grade Celestial Herbs appeared most frequently was Shadow Ruin Gorge. Its dangers rivaled those of the Lunar Celestial Sea, but anyone who entered and managed to return would gain immense rewards.
What delighted Joe Di most was that he saw the location where Chrono Crystals were found—Chaos Rift.
Chaos Rift was not only the source of Chrono Crystals but also Space Crystals. The laws here were utterly chaotic; entering was almost a death sentence. Anyone who managed to enter and return would become a legendary figure. Rumor had it that the strongest cultivator of Aurora Immortal Continent, Nate Shee, had once entered Chaos Rift and emerged unscathed.
Many Chrono Crystals and Space Crystals found in Moon Ruins were not obtained by cultivators entering Chaos Rift, but rather collected outside its boundaries.
Because the laws within Chaos Rift were so unstable, fallen cultivators would sometimes have their remains ejected by the chaotic spatial rules. These corpses often carried valuable items, including Chrono Crystals and Space Crystals.
According to the jade slip, the best way to trial in Moon Ruins was to spend ten years in ordinary areas, then venture into the Lunar Celestial Sea. If one desired even greater gains after that, they could try Shadow Ruin Gorge.
As for Chaos Rift, the jade slip advised against going there.
Joe Di put away the jade slip and focused his spiritual sense on the map. He quickly located Chaos Rift. According to the map’s scale and Chaos Rift’s position, it would take at least a year or two to reach it without using Spirit Shift.
Joe Di had no patience to wait that long. Without hesitation, he activated Spirit Shift. His destination was neither the Lunar Celestial Sea nor Shadow Ruin Gorge, but Chaos Rift.
Only by obtaining a Chrono Crystal could he hope to touch upon the Law of Time. Once he grasped the Law of Time, his power would soar to an entirely new level.
After he acquired a Chrono Crystal and comprehended the Law of Time, perhaps he could then visit Shadow Ruin Gorge and the Lunar Celestial Sea.
At present, he could only refine low-grade immortal artifacts. Yet his Blade Array required many supreme-grade immortal artifacts for assembly. Purchasing them outright was unrealistic—he had to learn to craft them himself.
As for the Dao of Alchemy, to enter the next grand hall of Harmony Hall, he would need to advance to Seventh Grade Alchemy King or even Eighth Grade Pill King.
Thus, the places Joe Di chose to go were the exact opposite of the jade slip’s recommendations. He wanted to first visit Chaos Rift to elevate his strength, then go to the Lunar Celestial Sea and Shadow Ruin Gorge to advance his alchemy and artifact refinement.
Joe Di possessed Spirit Sense Level Six, yet even in Moon Ruins, he dared not use his full power. By restraining his use of Spirit Shift, he could avoid danger should it arise.
Given Joe Di’s sensitivity to cosmic laws, even using Spirit Shift in Moon Ruins had resulted in him being severely injured by chaotic laws more than once.
Fortunately, as a cultivator of the Immortal Spirit Physique, unless the injuries affected his tendons or bones, his speed would not be compromised.
What should have taken nearly two years, Joe Di accomplished in just three months—his spiritual sense soon detected the location of Chaos Rift.
Even before arriving, Joe Di saw that the area around Chaos Rift was crowded with cultivators pacing back and forth.
Joe Di paused, feeling speechless. These cultivators loitering outside Chaos Rift were clearly waiting for treasures to be expelled from within. It was no different from idly waiting for scraps—there were plenty of such people in the vast cosmos.
Joe Di had no intention of risking his life recklessly. In his view, the best approach was to first observe and comprehend the chaotic laws outside Chaos Rift, then cautiously enter. But with so many cultivators lingering at the entrance, how could he meditate here?
[Irrelevant passage about chapter ending and reading prompt skipped.]
With no other choice, Joe Di approached the entrance to Chaos Rift, carefully extending his spiritual sense inside.
Boom! As soon as Joe Di’s spiritual sense penetrated Chaos Rift, his Sea of Consciousness erupted in a deafening roar, as if it were about to shatter. His face turned pale and he quickly withdrew his sense.
How was anyone supposed to enter such a place?
"First time here, friend? You can't probe this place with your spiritual sense, or your Sea of Consciousness will collapse," said a gray-robed cultivator beside Joe Di. He was a late-stage Immortal Lord, and seeing Joe Di’s pale face, he chuckled.
Joe Di nodded. "Yes, I’m not very familiar with this place. If my Sea of Consciousness nearly collapses just standing outside, how could it survive inside?"
The gray-robed cultivator didn’t care about Joe Di’s concerns and replied casually, “It’s possible to enter here, but not everyone can make it. Most cultivators who go in never come out. Of the few who do, their Sea of Consciousness is shattered or their bodies are on the verge of collapse. What’s the point of gaining treasures if you’re left like that?”
Joe Di frowned and asked, “But I heard that Senior Nate Shee once entered Chaos Rift. Was he already an Immortal Emperor at that time?”
Another cultivator nearby snorted, “Who can compare to Senior Nate Shee? When he entered, he wasn’t even an Immortal King, or so the stories say.”
Joe Di calmed down. If Nate Shee could enter before reaching Immortal King, why couldn’t he? After all, he had the World Tome and the Ninth Prime Law, and even his body had been reborn using a fragment of the Cosmos Membrane. No matter how extraordinary Nate Shee was, he couldn’t have been stronger than Joe Di at the Grand Celestial stage.
“Friends, I just received word that a natural restriction has appeared on Fury Realm Mountain. The restriction is too high-grade for a small group to break, but there are top-tier treasures inside. Anyone interested in teaming up?” A late-stage Grand Celestial cultivator suddenly called out.
As if to confirm his words, spatial ripples spread out as soon as he finished speaking, and even the ground began to tremble.
“They’ve already started attacking the natural restriction. If you want to join, form a team quickly!” the Grand Celestial cultivator urged again.
“I’m in…”
“Count me in as well…”
Nearly ninety percent of the cultivators stood up to join.
Joe Di was just thinking that with everyone leaving, he could finally meditate on the chaotic laws outside Chaos Rift, when he suddenly sensed an extraordinary aura.
Joe Di had once used a fragment of the Cosmos Membrane to rebuild his body, and still carried a piece with him. Coupled with the Ninth Prime Law, he instantly realized this aura was anything but ordinary.
A treasure was appearing—how could he wait? Joe Di stepped forward as well and said, “I’m going too.”
[Author’s note about feeling unwell, using medicated oil, and accidentally rubbing eyes—irrelevant to the novel, so this line is skipped.]