"Oh, so it seems one of the two people I killed just now was your brother?" Joe Di said calmly.
The man and woman before him—one at Golden Core completion, the other just stepping into Soul Ancestor—were not truly a threat. Even if he couldn't defeat them together, it was wishful thinking for them to believe they could take his life.
The beautiful woman raised her hand, and a Rainbow Glass Sash encircled her. Suppressing her killing intent, she stared at Joe Di and said, "Listen carefully. My brother is Jayden Carter, and I am Jade Carter. We come from the Immortal Watch Sect on the Evernight Continent. My brother's Pocket World is in your possession. Whether or not you killed him, you are definitely involved. If you know what's good for you, tell me exactly how you obtained the Pocket World and return it to me. If you truly have nothing to do with his death, I won't kill you. But you must speak the truth."
Joe Di was momentarily speechless. He had acquired the Pocket World on Celestia, and now, in the Skyveil, someone had come to claim it. His luck was truly extraordinary.
Joe Di did not doubt the woman's words. After refining the second layer of restrictions on the Pocket World, he had triggered the Spirit Mark, which now rested on his arm.
"What, nothing to say?" Jade Carter sneered, the Rainbow Glass Sash transforming into countless arcs that sealed off the surrounding space.
Joe Di had slain two early Golden Core cultivators in an instant, so his strength was likely at Golden Core completion, perhaps even half a step into Soul Ancestor. Killing Joe Di was not the problem; their real concern was whether he could escape.
Although neither Jade Carter nor Zong Min had witnessed Joe Di's escape technique, they had tracked him all this way by following the Spirit Mark and could sense his speed was at least equal to theirs. This was after they had traveled at full speed; if Joe Di hadn't, he would be even faster. It was unlikely, but not impossible.
What Jade Carter and Zong Min hadn't expected was that Joe Di truly hadn't been traveling at full speed.
Upon hearing that the Pocket World belonged to Jade Carter's brother Jayden Carter, Joe Di softened his tone and cupped his fists. "Fellow Daoists, I found this ring on an uninhabited planet. It was on a skeleton's finger, and I have no idea who that skeleton was. I simply picked it up; I've never even met your brother, let alone killed him."
Jade Carter had already guessed that Joe Di couldn’t have killed her brother. She had to reclaim this ring. Now, hearing Joe Di mention Tiangang Star, she quickly asked, "Where is that planet?"
Joe Di spread his hands and said, "I don’t know either. I was originally on that planet, but due to some incident I was injured, and when I woke up, I found myself on a completely unrelated continent. As for how I got here, I have no memory at all."
"Utter nonsense." Jade Carter snorted coldly. Only a fool would believe Joe Di's story.
Joe Di replied calmly, "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."
"Give me back the ring first." Jade Carter took a deep breath. She knew that unless she subdued Joe Di, he would never reveal the whereabouts of Tiangang Star.
Joe Di smiled slightly, "Was this ring crafted by your family?"
Jade Carter replied coldly, "This Pocket World was something my father obtained in a secret realm during his travels. Wouldn't you say it's my family's?"
So that's how it is. Joe Di nodded and said, "First, I found this ring; you have no proof it belongs to your family. The only evidence is a mark on the ring, but anyone could have left that. Second, even if your family once possessed the ring, since it was lost and I picked it up, it now belongs to me. In other words, this ring can't be considered your family's property anymore."
"Heh, I've seen shameless people before, but rarely anyone as shameless as you. So, if my family's belongings are lost and you find them, they're yours? On the Changtian Continent, every sect has their own treasured artifacts. If we followed your logic, any lost treasure would belong to whoever found it, and our continent would be in chaos." Jade Carter retorted sarcastically.
On the Changtian Continent, top-tier sects indeed possess their own sect-defining treasures. Even if these treasures are lost, no one else would dare use them openly. If discovered, the sect would demand their return—otherwise, it would lead to war.
Joe Di burst out laughing, "You just said yourself, your father picked it up in a secret realm. So, things your family finds are yours, but things others find aren't? Honestly, I've never seen anyone as shameless as you."
"That's completely different. Everything in a secret realm is ownerless." Jade Carter had always dealt with elite disciples, never someone like Joe Di. When it came to arguing, she was no match for him.
Joe Di sneered, "Ownerless? Are you saying this ring is a primordial treasure born with the world? Is it your family that's shameless, or is it you? Besides, can you be sure the ring's first owner had nothing to do with me? Maybe he was a friend of my master, or even a companion of a companion."
"Biqin, why bother arguing with someone like him? Just take him out." Zong Min spoke up, and as he did, a pair of gloves appeared on his hands. He stepped forward, launching a punch at Joe Di.
He carried a long spear on his back and was handsome and refined, but those who knew him well knew he rarely used the spear in battle. His true weapon was his fists, which he trusted more than any artifact.
With a single punch, the air seemed to compress as a surge of violent true essence swept toward Joe Di.
Zong Min held nothing back. He wanted to show this cultivator from a small place that even in the same realm, there were differences.
As Zong Min attacked, Jade Carter also made her move. The Rainbow Glass Sash that had already bound the space around Joe Di now transformed into seven arcs of color.
The seven rainbows were clearly illusory, yet at this moment they carried a tearing, howling force. The killing intent swept in from all directions, crashing toward Joe Di at the center.
Jade Carter did not attack with full force; she was worried Joe Di would seize the chance to escape, so she suppressed him with her cultivation aura instead.
Joe Di had no intention of running. He drew his blade, sending a fierce arc of sword light slashing toward Jade Carter—unstoppable, filled with chilling, murderous intent.
Compared to the Wind-Sorrow Blade he used to kill the seventh-stage Golden Core cultivator in the Blue Cave Mansion, this strike was several times more powerful.
As the murderous blade light swept out, the rainbow space binding Joe Di shattered like bubbles.
In fact, Joe Di paid no attention to the rainbow space binding him, nor to Jade Carter’s Soul Ancestor aura. For someone who had just entered the Soul Ancestor realm and whose cultivation was unstable to try and bind his space and suppress him—how shameless.
After unleashing the Wind-Sorrow Blade, Joe Di turned and threw a punch.
Peaks gather, waves rage!
Jade Carter had just entered the Soul Ancestor realm, and her spiritual sense was much stronger than Zong Min’s. Joe Di’s Wind-Sorrow Blade tore through her restraints, and her aura was useless against him. Her heart sank. With this kind of strength, even if he couldn’t defeat her and Zong Min, he could still escape with ease.
Just as her seven rainbows formed a layered killing intent, Joe Di’s blade struck.
Boom! The Wind-Sorrow Blade collided head-on with the Rainbow Glass Sash. The seven-colored rainbow exploded, the killing intent scattered, and the whole space was cast into a dreamlike world.
The violent impact sent Jade Carter staggering back several steps, her face pale. Before she could warn Zong Min about Joe Di’s strength, another burst of violent true essence erupted.
Zong Min’s sweeping fist aura collided with Joe Di’s Peaks Gather technique; the first mountain of fists was shattered. If Joe Di’s Peaks Gather only had one mountain, Zong Min’s punch would have matched his force.
Unfortunately, Joe Di’s technique produced three mountains. Since entering the late Golden Core stage, each mountain was stronger than the last.
Zong Min had just smashed the first mountain when the second swept in.
Crack! Zong Min’s hand bones shattered, then his arm bones crumbled. The third mountain struck his chest, and he was sent flying like shattered stone, a spray of blood arcing through the air.
He was utterly shocked—he had never encountered fists as powerful as Joe Di’s. He hadn’t even blocked a single punch, and Joe Di was fighting Jade Carter at the same time.
Realizing Joe Di’s strength, Jade Carter knew Zong Min was no match for him. Almost as Zong Min was sent flying, she rushed over and caught him, quickly feeding him two pills.
Joe Di did not pursue, but simply watched Jade Carter and Zong Min with a calm gaze.
So this is all Soul Ancestor stage amounts to, Joe Di thought. He even considered killing the two of them—eliminating them would make things much less dangerous for him.
But he quickly abandoned the idea; killing them wouldn’t reduce the risk. Among those who had seen him before, there were surely cultivators from Changtian Continent.
"The two of us aren’t your match. You’re strong, but killing us isn’t possible." Jade Carter no longer had the initial aura of dominance; now, her tone toward Joe Di was tinged with caution.
"What, still want my ring?" Joe Di sneered. If the two dared to attack again, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them.
"The Polar Night Continent is far away, but my Zuoxian Sect might still be able to reach it. Senior Brother Min, let’s go." Jade Carter knew that trying to take Joe Di’s ring now would only invite humiliation. She left a final remark and prepared to leave.
Joe Di carried the Spirit Mark of the Pocket World. As long as the mark remained, her father could track Joe Di’s whereabouts.
Joe Di sneered, "Leaving just like that?"
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(End of Chapter 152)