Thunderous rumblings echoed through the void, and suddenly, a blurry outline appeared between Joe Di, Nick Ning, and Emperor Ye. The outline resembled an uncolored sketch of a sphere, but it quickly became clear.
The roaring sound continued to roll as Joe Di, Nick Ning, and Emperor Ye unleashed various cultivation arts, constructing one cosmic law after another.
Crack! The outline of the cosmic laws they built suddenly split open, and a violent aura of Genesis swept over them. However, the Genesis laws were soon blocked by the world of cosmic laws the trio had constructed.
The sweeping aura of Genesis grew weaker, and soon a massive palace appeared.
"Haha..." Nick Ning laughed heartily. "Back then, we entered the Genesis Universe from here. Today, we've reconstructed the gate to the Genesis Universe once more."
"This palace should be related to Senior Zachary Zephyr. I wonder how Senior Zephyr is doing now," Emperor Ye said with some emotion.
Joe Di had never met Zachary Zephyr, but he guessed Zephyr wouldn't be so easily dealt with. "The Gate of Destiny is now open, but we still need to set up some defensive measures here. For now, I suggest we only allow entry into the Genesis Universe, but not a return to the Five Elements Universe."
Emperor Ye and Nick Ning wholeheartedly agreed with Joe Di. There were too many powerful beings in the Genesis Universe; if they could freely travel between the two universes, the Five Elements Universe might become a battleground.
"You set up the barrier formation for the Gate of Destiny, while Emperor Ye and I will arrange the Compass Hall," Nick Ning said without hesitation. He knew Joe Di had mastered a new formation technique. With Joe Di's skills, even Chi Yao might not be able to break through the barrier.
As for the main coordinates of the Compass Hall, naturally, they would be based on Genesis City. Likewise, the planet perfected by Joe Di in the Mortal Realm must also be marked in the Compass Hall.
......
Outside the Gate of Destiny, explosive rumblings rang out, and everyone instinctively looked toward the source of the sound.
A towering peak, its summit invisible, appeared before the crowd. The Destiny Sovereign exclaimed in astonishment, "Mountainview has reappeared?"
Every time Mountainview appears, it signals the opening of the Gate of Destiny. Now that Mountainview is here, the Gate of Destiny is sure to open soon.
Sure enough, after just a moment, a massive gate marked with Dao patterns appeared before Mountainview.
Zefron Ye murmured, "This can't be. I've already been refining Mountainview, how could it break free from my formation and appear here?"
Just as he had this thought, Zefron Ye felt as if a colossal hammer struck his heart. He spat out a stream of blood.
Zefron Ye instinctively retreated several hundred meters, his face pale as he stared at Mountainview. His formation was shattered—clearly, stronger cosmic laws had taken over this space, tearing apart his formation techniques.
"Who is it?" Zefron Ye roared, his voice filled with unwillingness. His powerful Dao, nearly at the Genesis Realm, was entirely due to Mountainview. If he could one day fully claim Mountainview, his Dao would be perfected, and then, who would dare defy him?
No one answered, but Zefron Ye quickly realized what was happening.
Just now, the Destiny Sovereign said that Emperor Ye, Joe Di, and Nick Ning were constructing the Gate of Destiny—could it be true? If so, once the Gate of Destiny is completed, Emperor Ye will soon emerge.
Zefron Ye's heart immediately sank. He was certain his strength had increased a hundredfold since before, but he was sure he couldn't reconstruct the Gate of Destiny and open that place again. Didn't that mean Emperor Ye was still stronger than him now?
Whether Emperor Ye was stronger than him or not, Zefron Ye had to leave now.
With this thought, Zefron Ye reached for Nora Xiu again. Before leaving, he wanted to take Serena Green and Nora Xiu with him—even if he couldn't destroy Joe Di and Emperor Ye, he had to get something in return.
The Destiny Sovereign saw Zefron Ye's move and knew exactly what he was thinking. She immediately summoned the Celestial Map. But Zefron Ye had already anticipated that only the Destiny Sovereign could intervene here. His black book appeared like a sudden domain, and the innate treasure Celestial Map couldn't protect Nora Xiu at all. Instead, it crashed into the domain, the Celestial Map vanishing like a drop of water into the sea—without a trace.
Boom! Crack!
Zefron Ye's hand, reaching for Nora Xiu, suddenly turned into a mist of blood. Immediately, Zefron Ye saw Joe Di, his face full of murderous intent.
"Joe Di?" Zefron Ye instantly knew who stood before him. His heart chilled—he had made great progress, but Joe Di had clearly advanced even further.
"You've got some nerve," Joe Di snorted coldly as the Azure Veil Blade swept out, sending waves of blade energy that locked down the space.
Zefron Ye shivered. Even a casual sweep of Joe Di's blade could bind him with spatial blade intent—this was the power to condense worlds with a mere gesture.
He thought he could crush Joe Di, but now he realized he was worlds apart from him.
"Emperor Ye, are you just going to watch me get killed by someone else?" Zefron Ye screamed wildly, the black book in his hand unfurling.
Boom! Endless Azure Veil Blade laws crashed into the massive black book, killing intent surging and blade force exploding, tearing rifts in the surrounding space.
Zefron Ye's heart sank. Though he blocked Joe Di's strike, the aura of death only grew stronger. He couldn't see Emperor Ye anywhere. Clearly, he'd misjudged—only Joe Di had emerged from the Gate of Destiny; Emperor Ye and Nick Ning hadn't come out yet.
Splurt! Blood scattered from the void. Before Zefron Ye, split in half by Joe Di's Azure Veil Blade, could hit the ground, Joe Di punched downward.
Bang! Blood mist exploded—Zefron Ye was reduced to bloody residue, not even a trace left behind. Joe Di's fury at Zefron Ye daring to target Nora Xiu meant he held nothing back. Zefron Ye and his world were obliterated, his soul utterly destroyed.
After killing Zefron Ye, Joe Di felt his anger finally ease.
The Destiny Sovereign sighed, "What a pity about that book."
"Which book?" Joe Di asked instinctively, then immediately realized—during his fight with Zefron Ye, Zefron Ye had wielded a massive black, thread-bound book. That book was definitely above the level of innate treasures, no less than the Chaos Gate. Eager to kill Zefron Ye, he hadn't considered the book at all.
With the Destiny Sovereign asking, Emperor Ye hurriedly inquired, "Where's the book?"
The Destiny Sovereign pointed to the void. "Just now, your blade tore through the spatial domain. When you killed Zefron Ye, the book escaped into the void. I couldn't catch it."
"What couldn't you catch?" Emperor Ye's voice came just in time, as he and Nick Ning stepped out of the Gate of Destiny.
"Just now, Zefron Ye tried to seize Sister Xiuqi, and Joe Di killed him. His treasure escaped into the void, and we couldn't catch it," said the Destiny Sovereign.
"Ah..." Emperor Ye exclaimed, then sighed. He hadn't expected Zefron Ye to survive until now, still coveting Nora Xiu. Truly, he brought disaster upon himself.
"He was about to take Serena Green and Nora Xiu away. Fortunately, Brother Di arrived in time, or we wouldn't have been able to stop him," Yan Ji said from the side.
Here, only the Destiny Sovereign was truly powerful, but even she was clearly no match for Zefron Ye.
"A leopard can't change its spots," Emperor Ye snorted inwardly. If not for Ye Ling, he would have killed Zefron Ye long ago. He wondered how Ye Ling was now—had she gone to the Genesis Universe with Susan?
The Destiny Sovereign paid Zefron Ye no mind, instead gazing in delight at the Gate of Destiny. "You really did it—the Gate of Destiny has opened once again."
"Let's go. We'll head to the Genesis Universe, where we'll shape our own destinies." Joe Di took Nora Xiu's hand, his tone full of heroism.
With so many powerful allies, and now knowing some of Chi Yao's weaknesses, he refused to believe they couldn't defeat a Fourth Step cultivator.
......
At the same time, in every corner of the Five Elements Universe, anyone who had reached the Dao Integration Realm clearly sensed that the Gate of Destiny had opened again.
Although the reopening of the Gate of Destiny didn't compel them to enter, most cultivators who learned of it hurried toward the gate.
The cosmic laws of the Five Elements Universe had been perfected, and some had even reached the Genesis Realm. Yet the Gate of Destiny was a place every cultivator longed for.