Benjamin Edge and the other three were constantly setting up defensive array wards at the entrance, while Joe Di carved law formation flags and searched for the array core.
Time now seemed to pass far too quickly for Joe Di.
Half an hour slipped by in the blink of an eye, yet Joe Di still hadn't found the array core. His eyes grew anxious.
Even though Byron True truly didn't want him to fall into Quinn Yan's hands and helped delay things a bit, that time would not last long.
Boom! A thunderous roar echoed from the entrance of the Treasure Hall—someone was attacking the defensive array there.
The defensive array was set up by Benjamin Edge and his companions; if the attackers went all out, it wouldn't hold for long.
"Brother Joe, someone's attacking our array wards. If they go all out, we won't last much longer..." Cameron Yan's voice called out.
Before Joe Di could respond, a Dao resonance vortex several meters wide suddenly appeared in the farthest corner of the Treasure Hall. At first, it seemed unremarkable, but as it grew, Joe Di and the others felt a powerful suction sweeping toward them.
"I get it now—Byron True wants to teleport us away," Woody Kee suddenly realized.
Joe Di nodded. "That makes sense. Looks like Quinn Yan won't rest until he sees me. Byron True must have had no choice but to activate this hidden teleportation vortex."
As the two spoke, the teleportation vortex grew increasingly violent.
Benjamin Edge said gravely, "Brother Joe, if the force of this teleportation vortex keeps intensifying, I'm afraid none of us will be able to hold out—we'll all be swept away."
Everyone else fell silent. The attacks outside came and went, but they all knew those assaults were just for show, meant for Quinn Yan. As long as they hadn't been teleported away, the array wouldn't be breached. The real danger was the teleportation vortex—once they were swept away, they'd fall right into Byron True's hands.
Joe Di frowned tightly, still uncertain—where was the array core of the Treasure Hall?
At this moment, Woody Kee, whose cultivation was the lowest, couldn't help but edge closer to the teleportation vortex. The others looked anxiously at Joe Di, hoping he would come up with a solution. After all, Joe Di was the strongest here, both in cultivation and in formation arts.
"Wait a moment..." Joe Di suddenly realized something. Since Byron True had set up the Dao resonance vortex teleportation array to sweep everyone out of the Treasure Hall, why place it at the very edge of the hall instead of right in the center?
Logically, setting the teleportation array in the center of the hall would mean they'd be swept away much faster. For a Dao resonance vortex teleportation array, even a single step farther away would require a much stronger Dao resonance.
Unless...
Joe Di's gaze fell on the center of the hall. Unless something was there—most likely the array core. He promptly closed his eyes and began to sense the flow of Dao resonance around him.
"Brother Joe, please help me! I really can't hold out any longer. If I lose focus even for a moment, I'll be swept away!" Woody Kee pleaded, genuinely desperate.
At this moment, the three with Benjamin Edge could no longer spare a thought for Woody Kee—they too felt the overwhelming suction of the Dao resonance vortex.
Joe Di ignored Woody Kee and continued to sense the flow of Dao resonance with his eyes closed. After another half incense stick's time, he suddenly opened his eyes and strode over to the giant bell.
He had assumed the array core was at the center of the hall, which explained why the teleportation array wasn't placed there. Fortunately, his cultivation path was the Rule Dao, making him extremely sensitive to fluctuations in rules. As the Dao resonance vortex appeared, he sensed that every position had Dao resonance flowing toward the vortex—except for one place, the Inquiry Platform, which was the giant bell.
There was definitely no array core or hidden Dao resonance flags around the giant bell. The only possibility was that this bell itself was the array core of the protective formation for the entire universe land.
Joe Di was now completely certain—the giant bell, the Inquiry Platform, had been there from the beginning. The protective array of this continent spread outward from the Inquiry Platform as its core.
When Byron True arrived, he discovered this secret and used the bell's array core as the foundation to construct the Treasure Hall.
Joe Di sighed inwardly—one should never jump to conclusions. He had always believed Quinn Yan held the key to the array core of this land's protective formation, since Quinn Yan could control its activation and shutdown.
Only now did he realize the true control over the protective array lay with Byron True; Quinn Yan only had superficial authority. If Byron True wanted to wrest control of the array from Quinn Yan, he could do so with a flick of his hand. The reason was simple—the Inquiry Platform, the array core, was under Byron True's command.
"Brother Joe, do you have a way out? If not, we'll have to burn our essence blood." Benjamin Edge's deep voice called out. Even as he spoke, he was pulled closer to the Dao resonance vortex.
Woody Kee's face was flushed red—he had clearly already used a secret technique.
Joe Di nodded. "Hold on just a bit longer, everyone. I'll have this sorted out soon."
Joe Di didn't need to check—he already knew this Dao resonance vortex teleportation array was leveraging the Inquiry Platform as its array core. Otherwise, even someone as strong as Benjamin Edge would not be so powerless. Only because Joe Di cultivated the Rule Dao could he resist such a powerful vortex; the other four simply couldn't.
Woody Kee wanted to say something more, but at this moment, he couldn't utter a single word.
Joe Di circled the Inquiry Platform, sending out endless Dao resonance rules with both hands. Fortunately, he'd spent a whole day here earlier setting up law formation flags; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to save Benjamin Edge and the others.
The Dao resonance rules around the Inquiry Platform grew increasingly violent—even Benjamin Edge and the others felt it from afar. It was a force akin to the rending of a massive planet.
No one spoke, though everyone knew that if this force erupted, they could be killed as well. But stopping Joe Di now was impossible—if he stopped, they'd fall into Byron True's hands anyway. Better to risk survival in the explosion than be captured.
The explosive Dao resonance around the Inquiry Platform finally reached a critical mass. The laws of heaven and earth began to fracture, and the entire area rang with cracking sounds.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The terrifying sound of Dao resonance and law explosions echoed as space collapsed again and again. The rules of the Treasure Hall suddenly descended into chaos.
Benjamin Edge and the others watched in astonishment—Joe Di's explosive formation didn't affect them at all. He had confined the blast to every corner around the Inquiry Platform. Such mastery of formations was simply overwhelming.
But the next moment, their joy vanished. A terrifying, oppressive Dao resonance descended, making them want to kneel before the Inquiry Platform and pray. They realized that the restriction around the platform had truly been shattered by Joe Di.
Joe Di knew that from this moment on, every single breath of time was precious.
He tossed out a formation flag. Combining it with his law formation flags, Joe Di immediately wrapped the Inquiry Platform and tried to bring it into his own world.
Joe Di didn't attempt to move the Inquiry Platform with his own Dao resonance—he wasn't that naive. The Inquiry Platform was the foremost treasure here, surpassing even the Five Elements Universe. Though his strength was considerable, he still couldn't move it.
The only way to move the Inquiry Platform was to draw on the chaotic aura of this land to provide world energy, then leverage the surrounding cosmic rules.
Joe Di's only worry was whether his world could contain the Inquiry Platform. If it couldn't, he'd have to retreat immediately—no second thoughts.