Paul Chi had survived in the Mad Domain for so many years, so he was certainly no ordinary cultivator. He immediately thought of two possible paths. The first was to rally Eugene Zhou, the Domain Lord of the Mad Domain, along with the domain’s many powerful experts, to stand against Arthur King.
But Paul Chi quickly dismissed this idea. Although he now worked under Domain Lord Eugene Zhou, he was certain Eugene would never risk offending Arthur King for his sake.
After all, Eugene Zhou and Arthur King were close friends, and with Arthur King being a master refiner, many of Eugene’s treasured artifacts had been forged by him.
If even Eugene Zhou was unwilling to help him, then there was no point considering anyone else. Who would risk offending a half-step Domain Stage master refiner like Arthur King for a mere second-level Truth Transformation cultivator?
That left him with the second option: to seek out the young man who had killed Arthur King’s son. This youth gave him an intensely terrifying feeling, and Paul Chi was confident his instincts were not wrong. If that was the case, it meant the young man was backed by a top-tier powerhouse.
Knowing time was of the essence, Paul Chi immediately sent out a message. Moments later, he learned which Resting Pavilion Joe Di was staying at.
......
Joe Di was not staying at the Resting Lodge. He actually had tens of thousands of top-grade spirit stones on him. However, after inquiring at one lodge and learning that the Mad Domain offered caves for rent, he immediately left to lease a cave residence.
The caves in the Mad Domain were divided into three tiers. The highest tier was far too expensive for Joe Di to afford. The lowest tier was cheap, but the environment was mediocre, and Joe Di found it unacceptable. He ended up renting a mid-tier cave residence for ten thousand top-grade spirit stones per year.
Joe Di had just entered his cave residence and hadn’t even had time to arrange anything when the restriction at the entrance was triggered.
When Paul Chi appeared in Joe Di’s divine sense, Joe was a bit surprised. Normally, Paul wouldn’t be this polite. The fact that he triggered the restriction instead of barging straight in was unusual.
Joe Di casually lifted the restriction and said calmly, "Come in."
"May I ask how I should address you, friend?" Paul Chi cupped his fists to Joe Di as he entered, his tone exceedingly polite and sincere. In his mind, Joe Di was his only hope for survival.
"Joe Di," he replied calmly, feeling neither favor nor dislike toward Paul Chi.
Paul Chi sat down with a sigh and said, "Daoist Joe, you might be wondering why I didn’t attack you and instead came to visit, right?"
Joe Di still didn’t speak. He was waiting for Paul Chi to explain.
Paul Chi said with shame, "Although I'd like to claim that Gavin King wasn’t worth much and that you were right to kill him, I know such a lie wouldn’t last three hours."
Joe Di nodded. "Since that’s the case, just tell me the truth."
"Alright." Paul Chi straightened up and carefully chose his words. "The one you killed, Gavin King, wasn’t much by himself, but his father is Arthur King. Arthur King is the strongest master refiner in the Mad Domain, capable of forging supreme spirit artifacts. He’s very close to Domain Lord Eugene Zhou and is also on good terms with many of the domain’s top experts."
"It’s rare for the son of a master refiner to be assigned gate duty," Joe Di remarked blandly.
Paul Chi slapped his leg and said, "Exactly! These people with too much time on their hands just love doing pointless things. He deserved to be killed."
"If that’s the case, why didn’t you help Arthur King take me down and curry favor with him afterward?" Joe Di’s tone remained completely calm throughout.
This only made Paul Chi more certain his instincts were right—Joe Di must have an unparalleled powerhouse backing him.
Paul Chi answered honestly, "Even if I did capture you, Arthur King would still kill me in the end. I know him too well. His son was killed by you, and as the strongest cultivator in the Mad Domain right now, and the steward responsible for protecting his son, he would never let me live. I wouldn’t believe it myself if he didn’t kill me."
"You’re very honest," Joe Di had to admit.
Paul Chi sighed and said, "My only way out now is to cooperate with you, because I believe that if you’re not afraid of me, you must be no ordinary cultivator."
But Paul Chi was not telling the whole truth; he would never reveal his special abilities.
Joe Di didn’t care whether Paul Chi was being truthful. He chuckled and said, "I believe I’m your only way out, but what use are you to me? If you’re of no use, why should I cooperate with you?"
Paul Chi was stunned. He’d always thought that as a Truth Transformation expert, teaming up with Joe Di—a Soul Realm cultivator—was a given. Now, he suddenly realized the real powerhouse wasn’t him, but whoever was behind Joe Di. With just a few words, Joe Di had shattered all his previous plans.
"What do you need?" After only a few breaths, Paul Chi asked directly.
If Joe Di needed something he couldn’t provide, then his only option would be to run. Even though the chance of escape was slim, he had to at least try.
Joe Di placed a few spirit stones on the tea table and said, "I need cultivation resources—preferably spirit veins and spirit stones. As for pills, no matter how good they are, they’re of no use to me, so don’t bother."
Paul Chi immediately produced a ring and handed it to Joe Di. "I have a million top-grade spirit stones here, as well as several top-grade spirit veins..."
Joe Di was delighted. With so many cultivation resources, he might be able to open his own world. Just as he was about to agree, Paul Chi suddenly added, "Daoist Joe, I’m not trying to stir up trouble. If you really want cultivation resources, I know an even better place."
"Where?" Joe Di asked immediately.
Paul Chi slowed his tone and said, "Actually, the place with the richest spiritual resources in the Mad Domain is King’s Forge. King’s Forge is Arthur King’s cave residence, and it’s rumored that there are two supreme spirit veins beneath it. Arthur King’s own talent isn’t remarkable, but because he occupies those two supreme spirit veins, his cultivation has soared, and now he’s a half-step Domain Stage..."
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Joe Di stood up, took Paul Chi’s ring, and looked at him. "Then what are we waiting for? You lead the way—I’ll go cultivate at King’s Forge."
He hadn’t wanted to cause trouble before because Paul Chi hadn’t offended him. Now, his decision to go to King’s Forge was because, whether he stirred up trouble or not, Arthur King would never let him go once he returned. Since that was the case, there was no need to hold back.
"Alright," Paul Chi replied without hesitation. Then he lowered his voice, "Daoist Joe, when will the person behind you be arriving here?"
Joe Di was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood. Paul Chi placed his hopes not on Joe himself, but on the formidable figure backing him.
"Don’t worry. When Arthur King returns, there will be a solution," Joe Di said with a wave of his hand.
Still uneasy, Paul Chi added, "Arthur King will be back in the Mad Domain in at most half a month."
"I know," Joe Di replied offhandedly, his mind already focused on King’s Forge.
......
King’s Forge was not close to Joe Di’s cave residence, but with Paul Chi leading the way, it took them just over half an hour to reach its entrance.
"The protective array here is locked. If we want to get inside, we’ll have to break it," Paul Chi said, looking at Joe Di. He was eager to see how Joe would break a ninth-grade protective array.
Joe Di didn’t hesitate. He raised his fist and struck, finally getting a chance to unleash his Peak Gathering technique.
A barrage of mountain-like fist shadows crashed down. Paul Chi’s eyes widened—he actually sensed the aura of death from Joe Di’s punch.
Boom! With just one punch, the ninth-grade protective array shattered, leaving a massive gap where Joe Di had struck.
Paul Chi’s eyes bulged. A ninth-grade array! Even a Domain Stage expert couldn’t break it with a single punch, but Joe Di had just done it.
(That’s all for today’s update. Good night, friends!)