The fury in the Golden Armored Paragon's eyes flared up instantly; never before had anyone dared act so arrogantly in front of him.
But when his gaze once again fell upon the three corpses of the Edict Saints, the fury in his eyes vanished.
The three Edict Saints slain by Joe Di were all at least as strong as he was—Bugen was even a cut above him. If he dared to show anger here, he’d likely be the next corpse. He didn’t believe for a second that Joe Di wouldn’t kill him; after all, Joe Di had just killed three Edict Saints of the Redlin Clan—would he hesitate to kill him?
"May I ask, fellow Daoist, where do you hail from?" After sending out several messages, the Golden Armored Paragon asked Joe Di politely.
Joe Di had actually hoped the other party would attack, so he could take out another one. He was certain that before long, there would be a great battle, and those who joined would be Fourth Step powerhouses, maybe even a few Fifth Step cultivators. Now, killing one would mean one less enemy later. He hadn’t expected this guy to hold back, which left him rather disappointed.
"Where I come from is none of your business. Get lost—don’t waste my rest time."
After speaking, Joe Di ignored the Golden Armored Paragon and turned to the woman, asking, "Daoist Meng, do you know which is the largest Resthaven Inn in Allclan Sanctuary?"
Rowena Meng had long been stunned by Joe Di’s methods. In Allclan Sanctuary, she’d seen many powerful cultivators—just none who were human.
What shocked her wasn’t just Joe Di’s strength, but also his decisiveness. In Allclan Sanctuary, every kind of powerful clan cultivator could be found. Yet no matter how strong they were, she’d never seen anyone dare to kill Edict Saints here—let alone three of them.
Normally, over sixty percent of those killed in Allclan Sanctuary were human cultivators; the remaining few percent, though not human, were never from any major clan—just weak existences like the humans. Joe Di hadn’t just killed three Edict Saints of the Redlin Clan; he’d even ordered the Golden Armored Paragon to get lost. How brazen was that?
The Golden Armored Paragons of Allclan Sanctuary weren’t mere stewards or errand runners—they truly controlled the city. Allclan Sanctuary had a single City Lord, a Fifth Step Paragon. Besides the City Lord, there were ten Golden Armored Paragons. The one Joe Di had just told off was one of them.
Joe Di’s question snapped Rowena Meng out of her daze. She quickly replied, "It’s the Celestial Grand Inn—that’s the Divine Clan’s inn, and the prices are sky-high. Ordinary people can’t even get in…"
Joe Di waved his hand. "Let’s go. We’re heading to the Celestial Grand Inn."
Saint Henry Yi could see it clearly now—Joe Di was here to stir up trouble. It was obvious: Joe Di had seen human cultivators being slaughtered and oppressed in Allclan Sanctuary and was fed up with it.
With a sigh, Saint Henry Yi didn’t mention leaving; wherever Joe Di went, he could only follow. For a Saint Seat Lord who’d ruled for countless ages, the slaughter of human cultivators here wouldn’t stir the slightest ripple. What he couldn’t understand was why Joe Di cared so much.
"Senior, may I go with you?" Rowena Meng’s voice was timid; she knew full well that if she didn’t follow Joe Di, she’d be killed by a Redlin Clan powerhouse the moment she left Allclan Sanctuary.
Joe Di nodded. "Let’s go together—to the Celestial Grand Inn."
Seeing Joe Di’s brazen words and his carefree departure, the killing intent in the Golden Armored Paragon’s eyes grew even fiercer. If they couldn’t kill Joe Di in Allclan Sanctuary, the Golden Armored Paragons would become a laughingstock.
……
"Senior Joe…" Rowena Meng called out softly.
Joe Di waved his hand. "My name is Joe Di—just call me by my name."
"Yes." Rowena Meng replied, but continued, "Senior, the Celestial Grand Inn is Divine Clan territory. Rumor has it a Fifth Step Paragon of the Divine Clan resides there—humans have no right to stay at the Celestial Grand Inn."
"Fifth Step Paragon?" Joe Di repeated, then muttered to himself, "Why is the Fifth Step called Paragon?"
Saint Henry Yi smiled and said, "In Saint Seat Plaza, there are tens of thousands of Saint Seat Holders. Each of them became a Saint by stepping into the Fourth Step within their own vast universe. For each universe, there can only be one Fourth Step Saint—and that’s us."
But here, the Fourth Step Edict Saints establish their own Saintly Edict, and their Dao grows according to that edict. As for the Fifth Step Paragon, that’s an Edict Saint who has further perfected their edict and reached a higher level. ‘Paragon’ means ‘not yet complete.’ So, even a Fifth Step Paragon can’t be called a true Saint. For the Fourth Step, you must add ‘Edict’ before ‘Saint.’ To put it plainly, the essence of an Edict Saint isn’t being a Saint, but establishing an edict. Because Edict Saints aren’t truly Saints at all."
"Right, I’ve heard that even the Sixth Step isn’t a true Saint, and can’t be called one." Rowena Meng added from the side.
Joe Di pondered. According to Saint Henry Yi, an Edict Saint is a Saint who has established a Dao Edict. No matter how strong the edict, it’s still just one branch of the Dao. Every branch on his Dao Tree should be equivalent to a Dao Edict. By this logic, when he steps into the Fourth Step, he might not need to establish a Dao Edict—because he has the Dao Tree.
"Apologies, but the Celestial Grand Inn is fully booked. If you walk a bit further, there are several fine Resthaven Inns ahead…"
As soon as the three of them stepped through the doors of the Celestial Grand Inn, a clerk greeted them with an ingratiating smile, his tone exceedingly polite.
Rowena Meng instantly understood from the clerk’s words that he must have heard about Joe Di killing three Edict Saints of the Redlin Clan in the street. Otherwise, the clerk would never be so courteous. The clerks at the Celestial Grand Inn usually have their eyes on their foreheads—not only would they ignore human cultivators, but even powerhouses from major clans wouldn’t get such polite treatment.
Joe Di said coldly, "You have ten breaths. If you haven’t found a place for me to rest by then, the Celestial Grand Inn will vanish from Allclan Sanctuary."
The clerk was stunned, his face turning ugly. The Celestial Grand Inn had always been the one showing off its arrogance—when had anyone ever dared to act arrogant toward it?
Just as the clerk was about to say this was Divine Clan territory, a voice sounded nearby: "That man not only killed three Edict Saints of the Redlin Clan in the street, he even made Ethan Mu, a Golden Armored Paragon of Allclan Sanctuary, get lost. Do you think he’d dare destroy the Celestial Grand Inn?"
The transmission abruptly stopped—the Dao cultivator who’d sent it felt a divine sense lock onto him, and cold sweat drenched his body.
He didn’t need to investigate; he knew the divine sense was Joe Di’s. Joe Di’s divine sense had silently pierced his defenses and found him—if Joe Di wanted to kill him, it’d take just a single punch. This was definitely a Fifth Step Paragon.
The clerk at the Celestial Grand Inn also broke out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Please wait, Senior. There are still a few top-tier rooms—I’ll vacate them immediately."
Joe Di withdrew his divine sense. The one who’d sent the transmission was just a Third Step cultivator—how dare a Third Step try to transmit in front of him?
"Hurry up. My patience is limited." Joe Di didn’t ask about the price, nor did he mention Dao crystals. If the clerk insisted, he’d just say to put it on his tab.
He’d come here looking for trouble—slaying Redlin Clan powerhouses, ordering Golden Armored Paragons to get lost, and now putting the Celestial Grand Inn in its place. Soon, a mob would surely come to attack him, which was exactly what he wanted—he’d use the opportunity to tear down Allclan Sanctuary.
The clerk moved quickly. In less than ten breaths, he returned, saying, "Senior, the rooms have been vacated. Allow me to show you to your rest."
(That’s all for today’s update. Good night, friends!)