"You're the boldest newcomer I've ever seen. You actually dared to transmit all the Divine Spirit Veins in your ring away at the very moment of the exchange." Ezra Hu walked up to Joe Di, his tone calm. Everything was within his expectations; Joe Di could not escape his grasp.
But what Ezra Hu didn't know was that Joe Di hadn't tried to escape at all. If Joe Di wanted to, he could have broken through the Grand Array Gate and Starhaven City's protective formation.
Joe Di replied indifferently, "If you're interested in the rest of my Prime Divine Spirit Veins, just say it outright. Why beat around the bush? I transmitted the contents of my ring back—do you think the friends at the auction wouldn't notice? Are you the only one capable, and everyone else can't even sense the transmission fluctuation? Heh, are you just here to put on a show?"
The surroundings fell silent; clearly, Joe Di's words were more convincing to the crowd. With Joe Di's strength, it shouldn't be possible to transmit items from his ring without anyone noticing the spatial fluctuations. Unless Joe Di wasn't in this space, or the rules of this space were unlike anything they'd seen before.
Ezra Hu didn't continue to argue with Joe Di. His gaze shifted to Quentin Gong and Zachary Yu. "It seems the three of you are working together. Although Starhaven City is home to powerful cultivators from all corners of the cosmos, we don't tolerate troublemakers like you. I'll give you one chance, and that is..."
Before Ezra Hu could finish his words about having Quentin Gong and Zachary Yu report Joe Di, Zachary Yu calmly said, "I believe in Brother Joe. Your reputation, Ezra Hu, is well known here; there's no need for reminders, nor for any more pretenses."
For Zachary Yu, if Joe Di could win, it didn't matter what he said. If Joe Di couldn't win, he'd die anyway, so why bother compromising?
Ezra Hu had often put on airs before, but this time he truly wasn't pretending. He still needed to stay in Starhaven City for a while, and even if he wanted to keep up appearances, he'd have to get Joe Di's companions to report him. Besides, what he'd just said was an ironclad fact: Joe Di had indeed broken a major taboo by taking away the Divine Spirit Veins and Dao Veins after the transaction.
Quentin Gong didn't say a word; he knew that no matter what he said, he'd be implicated by Joe Di. Either way, it meant death.
"Ezra Hu, you've killed far too many people in Starhaven City, many for no apparent reason. I suggest you refrain from slaughtering innocents today, or I won't stand idly by. If Starhaven City continues like this, who would dare stay here to pursue the Grand Way?" A lazy voice rang out, followed by a burly, bronze-skinned, bearded male cultivator.
Seeing this man approach, many people immediately cupped their fists and saluted from afar. Their attitude toward him was far more respectful than toward Ezra Hu.
Quentin Gong bowed deeply and said in a clear voice, "Quentin Gong greets Senior Andrew Sun."
Ezra Hu's expression darkened, but he did not erupt—because the newcomer was no weaker than him. This was Andrew Sun, one of the three Saintmasters of Starhaven City.
In Ezra Hu's eyes, Andrew Sun was clearly meddling for the sake of the Cosmic Extreme Vein and Vast Iron Crystal. Andrew Sun's words sounded noble, but to Ezra Hu, it was all nonsense.
"Andrew Sun, this matter has nothing to do with you." Even if it meant fighting Andrew Sun, Ezra Hu would never let him take Joe Di away. The Cosmic Extreme Vein was something he had to obtain—there was no room for negotiation.
Andrew Sun seemed not to hear Ezra Hu's words. Instead, he looked straight at Joe Di and said, "Fellow Daoist, if there is any injustice, I can stand up for you. Would you like to stay at my residence? I doubt anyone would dare cause trouble there."
Joe Di smiled faintly. "Thank you, Daoist friend, but I have nothing to complain about. Since arriving here, I've felt quite comfortable. Everyone's been great, and Ezra Hu has been so friendly it's almost surprising. Honestly, deep down, I'm truly grateful to him."
Andrew Sun was taken aback. He'd expected Joe Di to immediately gravitate toward him after hearing this offer, but instead received such a reply. Was Joe Di not afraid of death? Or did he not know what kind of person Ezra Hu was? No, Quentin Gong must have already told him about Ezra Hu's character.
Ezra Hu could not risk giving Andrew Sun more chances to speak. He immediately said, "Joe Di, this is a matter between you and me. If you agree, let's leave Starhaven City and discuss it elsewhere."
If Andrew Sun hadn't intervened, Starhaven City would have been the best place to resolve this. But now, the city offered no security. If Joe Di refused to leave, Ezra Hu would have no choice but to risk everything and strike immediately—preferably catching Joe Di off guard.
Joe Di looked at Ezra Hu with puzzlement. "What business do I have with you? If you need me to go out with you, that's fine, but I won't do it for free..."
Ezra Hu was so angry he laughed instead. He casually pulled out a ring and handed it to Joe Di. "See if what's inside is enough."
Joe Di took the ring, broke through the simple restriction with his divine sense, and saw a pile of Dao-refining Gold. He immediately put away the ring and laughed, "It's barely enough, I suppose."
After speaking, Joe Di turned to Yu Zhayi and Gong Qianyi, saying, "You can either wait here for me, or go ahead to the Dao-refining Universe. I'll go out with Ezra Hu to discuss some matters first."
Gong Qianyi didn't hesitate and cupped his fists. "Then we'll head off first. Until we meet again."
With that, he shot a glance at Yu Zhayi and turned toward the entrance to the Dao-refining Universe. Joe Di taking Ezra Hu away was their only chance to escape.
"Let's go too." Joe Di smiled at Ezra Hu, then quickly stepped out of the Grand Array Gate of Starhaven City.
Almost as soon as Joe Di left, Gong Qianyi and Yu Zhayi were stopped by two people. "You are not allowed to leave until the Sovereign Lord returns."
"Haha, Turtle Gong, let's see how you get away today." Behind the two cultivators blocking Gong Qianyi, a shrill voice piped up—it was the skinny monkey-faced man who had mocked Gong Qianyi earlier.
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Gong Qianyi's face darkened. Without hesitation, he drew his magical weapon. If he didn't fight now, once Ezra Hu returned, he wouldn't have another chance.
"Oh? The turtle sticks his neck out today and dares to bring out a weapon?" The skinny monkey-faced cultivator sneered, his eyes full of disdain.
"Bing Tongchou, if you dare touch Brother Joe's friends today, try me." The voice was slightly hoarse, and the burly figure was no less imposing than Yang Sian.
Bing Tongchou looked up and, seeing who had arrived, immediately broke into a smile. "So it's Brother Siye. I'm not the one who wants to move against them, it's the Sovereign Lord's orders. Of course, if Brother Si wants to intervene, I have no objections..."
As Bing Tongchou mentioned Ezra Hu, he subconsciously thought of Yang Sian. Looking up again, Yang Sian had already disappeared, leaving without anyone noticing. Bing Tongchou forced a couple of awkward laughs and quickly retreated.
Yang Sian had left, obviously to chase after Ezra Hu. It was hard to say if Ezra Hu would win this confrontation. As for Siye, he was someone Bing Tongchou definitely didn't want to offend.
"Daoist Si, what do you mean by this?" The two cultivators blocking Gong Qianyi and Yu Zhayi glared coldly at Siye.
Siye replied calmly, "Anyone who harms Brother Joe's friends is my enemy."
The two blockers hesitated, but Siye was already leading Gong Qianyi and Yu Zhayi away. Siye was no weakling—he was also a top powerhouse in Starhaven City's Grand Array Gate. They couldn't afford to offend him. Besides, there was no need to risk their lives for Ezra Hu.
Seeing Siye leave, several cultivators who knew Yu Zhayi were secretly astonished. They remembered that Siye had once chased Yu Zhayi away. Now Siye had returned, not only refraining from attacking, but also protecting both of them. What was going on?
Yu Zhayi understood better than anyone what was going on. Others might think Siye was repaying Joe Di for sparing his life, but Yu Zhayi knew that wasn't the main reason. The real reason was that Siye had witnessed Joe Di's terrifying power. Now, with Siye helping him and Gong Qianyi, it was likely because he believed Ezra Hu couldn't do anything to Joe Di.
......
"No need to go any further. I'm certain no one can find this place, not even Yang Sian in the short term." Ezra Hu blocked Joe Di's path. Joe Di knew that this space was already wrapped up by one of Ezra Hu's net-like magical treasures.
"You've got guts, daring to touch my belongings. Let me see how capable you really are..." As Ezra Hu spoke, he had already summoned a massive white ring.
Joe Di couldn't be bothered with more words. The Tiansuo Blade swept up a vast curtain of blades, slashing toward Ezra Hu. "You're the one who talks too much. If you want to fight, just fight."
Ezra Hu sneered, and the giant ring seemed to swallow a miniature sun at its center, radiating scorching, dazzling Dao light that enveloped everything. The black hole in the center was like a giant maw devouring all life, filling one with despair.
At the same time, the giant net binding this space began to contract.
Ezra Hu attacked with full force from the start, worried about Yang Sian. With the Cosmic Extreme Vein appearing, Yang Sian would not just stand by and watch—he would definitely keep an eye on the vein. Ezra Hu had to capture Joe Di as soon as possible.
But to preserve Joe Di's cosmic world, he couldn't kill him outright.
Joe Di acted as if he hadn't noticed the giant net closing in from the void. His endless blade curtain transformed into wave after wave of blade surges, sweeping forward.
The Threefold Mechanism unleashed boundless killing intent, and all that could be seen were rolling waves of blades pouring forth.
Ezra Hu frowned. Under his cosmic domain and the binding power of the Chaos Net, Joe Di was still able to unleash his blade surge technique. Not only was the technique undiminished, it seemed to be growing even stronger.
As Joe Di's blade waves reached the fifth layer, Ezra Hu sensed something was wrong. Not only was his Chaos Net not contracting faster, it was actually slowing down, as if blocked by a brand new set of spatial rules he had never encountered before.
With Ezra Hu's experience, he instantly understood that these must be spatial rules constructed by Joe Di.
Ezra Hu's expression changed. Only now did he realize that Joe Di wasn't some inexperienced rookie, a calf unafraid of tigers—he was a true tiger himself, perhaps even stronger than Ezra Hu...
At this moment, Ezra Hu could no longer afford to hold back to preserve Joe Di's life. The white light ring roared through the void, almost ignoring all cosmic rules, speeding up as it swept toward Joe Di's head.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)