Joe Di immediately tossed out a handful of Array Banners, but to his disappointment, no matter how many he threw, they were all blocked outside the rock formation.
Helpless, Joe Di tried constructing Law Array Banners again. But like ordinary Array Banners, no matter how many Law Array Banners he created, not a single one worked.
Joe Di sighed. His arraycraft level was still too low. Maybe when his skills improved, he could return and unlock this place.
"Let's go..." Joe Di instinctively patted the Prism Thunderbird. Since he couldn't enter, staying here was pointless.
To Joe Di's surprise, while he wanted to leave, the bird had no intention of going. It kept tugging at Joe Di, chirping incessantly.
"I can't open it..." Joe Di started to explain, but suddenly paused, recalling the Five Direction Banners he carried.
Was there any grand formation that the Five Direction Banners couldn't penetrate? Without hesitation, Joe Di grabbed four banners and tossed them down.
Aside from the Golden Apricot Banner, Joe Di had obtained the other four: Cloudrealm Banner, Terraflame Banner, Azure Lotus Banner, and Starwater Banner.
As soon as the four banners landed, the Array Gate that Joe Di could only see with his Dao Eyes began to reveal itself. He quickly supplemented it with Law Array Banners, and soon the gate became completely clear. Without hesitation, Joe Di stepped inside.
The Prism Thunderbird followed Joe Di into the Array Gate in a flash. Joe Di quickly retrieved his banners, unsure where the gate led—he couldn't risk losing his four Five Direction Banners.
......
"The Five Direction Banners?" In the depths of a magnificent palace, countless miles away from Joe Di, a man in a python-embroidered robe suddenly stood up, gazing excitedly in Joe Di's direction.
The moment Joe Di took out the Five Direction Banners, Lord Python sensed it. Even though he was in the midst of a critical closed-door cultivation, he immediately deactivated his restrictions and focused intently on the banners’ location.
Although Joe Di cultivated the Rule Dao and was intimately familiar with the rules of heaven and earth, his cultivation was simply too low. He had no idea that the Five Direction Banners he thought he had fully refined would be detected the moment he brought them out.
Fortunately, he put them away quickly; otherwise, he wouldn't need to continue comprehending Dao at Grandridge.
As Joe Di stowed away the Five Direction Banners, Lord Python frowned. The banners had appeared and vanished so quickly that, aside from their general location, he could glean no other information.
This wasn’t right. With the measures he’d set, any cultivator bringing the Five Direction Banners into the Dao Domain should be immediately detected.
Could it be that during his years in seclusion, something had changed in the Four Immortal Continents?
The thought that his countless years of planning might be at risk made Lord Python unable to stay put. He rushed toward the general location where the Five Direction Banners had appeared, clutching a pitch-black talisman.
The fate of the Four Immortal Continents determined whether he could achieve Dao Integration, or even step into the Third Realm. He could not afford any mistakes.
The Dark Fate Talisman was activated, but instantly turned to ash.
Lord Python abruptly stopped, staring in disbelief at the talisman that had turned to ash. Each Dark Fate Talisman was priceless, but what concerned him was not its value. Its destruction meant that his agent collecting fortune in the lower realm had perished.
Not only had the agent died, but no successor was left behind.
How could this be? To collect fortune for him, each agent was a peak powerhouse of the Immortal Realm—how could such a cultivator possibly die?
Lord Python drew out three more talismans and activated them, but watched as all three likewise turned to ash.
"Whoever you are, if you dare destroy my arrangements, you walk the path of death!" Lord Python roared, his hands nearly squeezing the very space into rifts.
In mere moments, he pieced everything together. He had sensed the aura of the Five Direction Banners in the Immortal Realm—clearly, the cultivator possessing them had slain his pawns.
......
At the same time, Joe Di frantically summoned the Reincarnation Bridge. He hadn’t landed yet, but his divine sense clearly saw a vast Shadow River swirling with yin energy beneath his feet.
He didn’t know what would happen if he fell into the river, but he knew for certain that his divine sense vanished the moment it touched the water. With a Shadow River capable of even swallowing his divine sense, falling in could only mean disaster.
At this moment, Joe Di was fully prepared: if the Reincarnation Bridge couldn't support him, he'd immediately retreat into the Ninth World.
To Joe Di's relief, as soon as the Reincarnation Bridge appeared, it began wildly absorbing the terrifying yin energy of the river. The Shadow River's sinister aura quickly diminished, while the bridge itself grew more solid and majestic.
Just as Joe Di was about to check on the Prism Thunderbird, waves of profound Dao resonance surged toward him.
Reincarnation! Reincarnation!
You were born into this world for the sake of reincarnation!
Violent energies surged into Joe Di's Stellar Meridian, flooded his Spiritual Sea, and even began to seize control of his will...
Suddenly, Joe Di felt a longing—a desire to use this reincarnation aura and reincarnate. After reincarnation, he could rewrite every regret; after reincarnation, he could seize every missed opportunity...
As his thoughts scattered and his will slowed, a faint aura of spiritwood erupted from the Ninth World, instantly jolting Joe Di awake.
He didn't want reincarnation—he wanted to master reincarnation. He had lost much, but also gained much. He had Xiuqi, his sister Di Di, and many friends...
Reincarnation was just one rule among many in heaven and earth—why should Joe Di submit to it? He cultivated the Rule Dao; all rules were part of his Dao. Why should he reincarnate?
The existence of the Rule Dao was precisely to master reincarnation.
Waves of Dao resonance formed around Joe Di, merging into his Rule Cycle. Suddenly, Joe Di raised his hand and unleashed countless God Origin Pills.
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At the same time, his hands continuously cast various Dao techniques, and the traces of Dao resonance around him grew clearer and more harmonious.
The Prism Thunderbird, which had been competing with the Reincarnation Bridge for the Shadow River's yin energy, now stopped and stared in shock at the surging reincarnation resonance swirling with Joe Di's gestures.
Boom! The reincarnation resonance erupted with a thunderous roar, and the aura around Joe Di grew ever stronger, ever more majestic.
"My Dao—Nurture!" Joe Di shouted, and the majestic aura condensed completely. At that moment, he opened his eyes, filled with joy. In just a short time at Grandridge, he had truly nurtured his Dao.
It was only after comprehending the rule of reincarnation that he naturally nurtured his Dao—this was the kind of Dao nurturing he truly desired.
Looking down at the Reincarnation Bridge, the Shadow River still surged beneath it. But now, the river and the bridge had fused into one, no longer separate as before.
Joe Di took a step into the void atop the Reincarnation Bridge, swept his left hand, and shouted, "Reincarnation!"
Endless reincarnation aura surged forth like a torrent. In that instant, every living being blocking his path would be swept away by the force of reincarnation.
The Prism Thunderbird was swept up by the reincarnation aura, shrieking in terror.
Joe Di reached out and pulled the panicked bird away from the Reincarnation Bridge. Though he hadn't planned to bring it along, he felt grateful to the bird. Without its help, his reincarnation Dao wouldn't have been perfected, nor would the Reincarnation Bridge technique have formed. More importantly, by leveraging the rules of reincarnation, he perfected his Dao and succeeded in nurturing it.