"You?" Owen Sander's eyes widened in disbelief as he instantly recognized the figure before him—it was Joe Di.
How could Joe Di possibly be here in the Forgeworld Universe, and in this very place? Hadn't he lost his Dao Foundation and perished at the Life-and-Death Gate? Even if he'd miraculously survived, how could he have the qualifications to step foot here?
Owen Sander's thoughts were abruptly cut off as a hand formed of divine essence clamped around his neck. In the next instant, his feet left the ground—someone was lifting him up by the throat with overwhelming power.
Staring wide-eyed at Joe Di, Owen Sander finally understood why Joe Di could appear here. His strength was at least ten times greater than Owen had ever imagined—the Life-and-Death Gate hadn't trapped him at all. How laughable, Owen thought, that he'd ever tried to plot against Joe Di, hoping to use him as a sacrifice for the gate.
Owen Sander tried desperately to speak, but not a single word escaped his lips. All he could feel now was his life slowly ebbing away.
Vincent Wen immediately withdrew his artifact, his heart pounding with shock, though his face remained warm and friendly. He cupped his fists toward Joe Di and said, "Daoist Joe, although this is our first meeting, I've actually seen you twice before. I've long wished to make your acquaintance."
Seeing Vincent Wen cease his actions, the others naturally stopped as well. Bolt, the Seven-Clawed Sky Whale, burst out of the trapping-killing divine array, its claws tearing wildly at the void. While it had been powerless inside the formation, now that the gate was open, it shredded both the trapping-killing array and the spatial-lock array with ease.
Vincent Wen's mouth twitched—he'd spent ages setting up those two grand arrays. They weren't meant for the Seven-Clawed Sky Whale, but for refining Ascendant Gold in the Collapse Sand Wastes. Now, the whale had destroyed them in an instant, and he could do nothing about it.
Joe Di's gaze fell on Vincent Wen as he spoke with measured calm, "This isn't the first time I've seen you. When I taught Ezra Hu a lesson, you were there too."
Joe Di had never met Vincent Wen before; back then, he'd thought the person hiding nearby was Andrew Sun. Now, seeing Vincent Wen, he instantly realized that the one lurking in the shadows had not been Andrew Sun, but Vincent Wen.