Joe Di was quite satisfied. Although he had spent over a decade here, obtaining the Sacred Yin Pearl made it all worthwhile. In fact, his greatest gain here wasn't just the Sacred Yin Pearl, but the creation of his own new cultivation method—the Rule Cycle.
This cultivation method could probably only be practiced by himself; even if he tried to pass it on, it would be impossible for others to inherit.
By comparison, the advancement to the eighth layer of the Grand Celestial realm was actually the least remarkable.
Joe Di tidied himself up, then walked over to the corpses. With a gentle wave of his hand, the bodies turned to dust.
This showed just how terrifying the Sacred Yin Pearl's chilling aura was—all these corpses had been corrupted by its yin energy. It was only because no one had disturbed them that they appeared intact.
Even the rings on the later corpses had crumbled. As for the Immortal King at the front, named Howard Hao, he too had been reduced to ashes.
He had been here for decades now—he wondered how Moria Lane and the others were doing. Right now, Joe Di only wanted to return to Harmony Hall as soon as possible. But before that, he still needed to obtain the Liora Starfruit. He just hoped that the dead-faced man hadn't deceived him.
Bang! Just as Joe Di turned around, he heard a faint sound from the corner.
Joe Di suddenly spun back, staring at a corner of the underground chamber. He had spent years here, mostly refining the Sacred Yin Pearl, but he was always aware of any movement in the room. For over a decade, nothing had happened. Now, just as he was about to leave, something stirred—he couldn't help but be startled.
There was nothing in the corner. Even as a top-tier level-eight Immortal Array Master, Joe Di couldn't detect the slightest movement there.
Could it be that the concealment array here is beyond the eighth level? Just as Joe Di was about to focus his Eye of the Way, another muffled bang sounded from the corner of the room.
Joe Di was certain now—someone was indeed hiding in that corner, and they were trying to draw his attention just as he prepared to leave.
He opened his Eye of the Way, and the faint traces of the array’s foundation appeared before him. Joe Di summoned his Azure Veil Blade and struck down with a single slash.
Crack! With just one strike, the concealment array in the corner was revealed. Though the array was of a high grade, its defensive power was sorely lacking.
Under the gaze of the Eye of the Way, Joe Di saw a faint shadow bound in the corner of the room.
Is this another one like Eugene Yu? No, Eugene Yu was just a remnant soul, but this one is a complete Primordial Soul.
Joe Di’s spiritual sense settled upon the Primordial Soul, and he immediately felt a vast, powerful aura emanating from it.
Joe Di was extremely sensitive to the laws of heaven and earth. He vaguely sensed that, no matter how weak this Primordial Soul was, he would not be able to destroy it. The spatial aura surrounding the soul made Joe Di suspect that, if he tried to attack, the soul could slip away through the fabric of space itself.
After a moment’s hesitation, Joe Di took out a seventh-grade healing pill, crushed it into powder, and sprinkled it toward the soul. Then, with a wave of his hand, he tore apart the concealment array in the corner. Since he could not keep the Primordial Soul here, he might as well offer a kindness and forge a karmic bond.
"Thank you..." Although Joe Di’s healing pill had little effect on the weakened Primordial Soul, the soul still managed to express its gratitude.
"Could you spare me some of the pure yin chaotic aura from the Sacred Yin Pearl?" The remnant soul’s voice remained frail.
Joe Di did not move. He was well aware of how precious the pure yin chaotic aura within the Sacred Yin Pearl truly was.
"I don’t even know who you are," Joe Di replied coolly, his words already a rejection. He was not afraid of being possessed by this Primordial Soul, but he did not wish to give it any chaotic aura and help it grow stronger.
The weakened Primordial Soul fell silent for a while, then suddenly said, "Though I’ve lost much of my memory, I feel like the Sacred Yin Pearl you obtained was brought here by me... No, perhaps it was the Sacred Yin Pearl that brought me here... No, that’s not right..." The soul began to mumble to itself, as if struggling to recall something important.
Yet Joe Di believed the soul’s words. The Sacred Yin Pearl most likely was indeed brought here by this Primordial Soul. Moreover, he sensed that the soul harbored no intent of possession toward him. After a brief hesitation, Joe Di took out a wisp of chaotic aura and tossed it to the weakened Primordial Soul. "Here. Restore your physical body, then go your own way. Farewell."
"Wait..." The weakened Primordial Soul called out to Joe Di, continuing, "There’s something very important I can’t remember, but it seems to be related to the Sacred Yin Pearl. You mustn’t take the Sacred Yin Pearl away."
Joe Di’s expression turned cold. "The Sacred Yin Pearl is mine. Why shouldn’t I take it?"
He was certain the Sacred Yin Pearl did not belong to this weakened Primordial Soul. The pearl had already been refined, and its ownership was not for the soul to decide.
The Primordial Soul was stunned by Joe Di’s words. Indeed, the Sacred Yin Pearl belonged to the other party—why shouldn’t he take it? The soul vaguely sensed its connection to the pearl’s presence here, but was certain it wasn’t its own.
Wait, now the soul remembered—the Sacred Yin Pearl cannot be refined, nor does it recognize an owner. How could the other party possibly take the Sacred Yin Pearl away? Something isn’t right.
"Where will I find you in the future?" Sensing that Joe Di was about to leave, the weakened Primordial Soul called out anxiously, as if afraid that once Joe Di left, everything would vanish.
Joe Di looked at the weakened Primordial Soul calmly and said, "You should be grateful you met me. If you’d encountered someone else, you’d likely have been destroyed already."
The Primordial Soul flared with anger. "Then try to kill me! Do you think I’m so easily slain?"
"Perhaps you were once an Immortal Emperor, but now you’re nothing more than a weakened Primordial Soul..." Joe Di paused, sensing the soul rapidly solidifying—the power of chaotic aura was indeed formidable. As for the soul’s claim that it was not so easily killed, Joe Di believed it.
The Primordial Soul snorted, "Immortal Emperor? That’s nothing—I could slap a whole crowd of them to death... But who am I, really...?"
As he spoke, he fell once again into deep thought, struggling to remember.
Immortal Emperor is nothing? Joe Di’s mind stirred—this soul was definitely a top-tier powerhouse. His own cultivation was still low; if he kept this soul by his side...
But as soon as that thought arose, Joe Di dismissed it. To keep someone who didn’t even regard Immortal Emperors as a threat by his side—even if the soul was currently muddled—was simply too risky.
[SKIP]
"Could you take me with you?" The Primordial Soul, realizing it could not recall anything important, simply asked Joe Di again.
Joe Di replied coldly, "You don’t even regard Immortal Emperors, and to you, my cultivation is nothing but an ant among ants. Do you think I’d dare keep you by my side?"
"Why not?" The Primordial Soul seemed confused, its mind clearly dulled by long years of confinement.
Joe Di could only reply, "I’m worried you’ll destroy me the moment I let my guard down, and then snatch away my Sacred Yin Pearl."
Upon hearing Joe Di’s words, the Primordial Soul erupted in anger. "The Sacred Yin Pearl can be snatched? That thing doesn’t recognize an owner, nor can it be refined... Wait, that’s not right—how did you obtain the Sacred Yin Pearl?"
The question of how Joe Di obtained the Sacred Yin Pearl was precisely what had puzzled the Primordial Soul before—now, it was finally voiced.
Yet Joe Di believed the soul’s words—the Sacred Yin Pearl truly could not be refined. The only reason he had managed to refine it was because he had pioneered a unique cultivation and refinement method based on the laws of the cosmic cycle.
Seeing the Primordial Soul once again lost in deep thought, Joe Di stretched his body and swiftly departed.
Once outside the Starfire Trading Hall, Joe Di immediately saw that the entire street had changed again. When he first arrived, there had been scattered bones and remnants within the shops. Now, everything had become like the corpses inside the trading hall—transformed by a chilling yin force.
Joe Di rushed toward the entrance, sweeping his spiritual sense outward. The protective array at the entrance remained, but now it was little more than a hollow shell. In a little while, it would likely collapse entirely.
Half an incense stick’s time later, Joe Di landed once more above the Lunar Celestial Sea. He was in no rush to leave—he still needed to visit the place where the Liora Starfruit was said to be found.
...
The jade slip given to Joe Di by Grim indicated a location on one of the Lunar Celestial Sea’s islands, a place strewn with chaotic boulders, far from Yin Fire Island.
Joe Di wandered the Lunar Celestial Sea alone, not daring to casually study artifact refinement—the dangers here were simply too many. One careless moment and even his wooden boat could be swallowed by the sea’s raging storms.
Fortunately, Joe Di’s spiritual sense was powerful. After only half a month, his senses detected a stretch of chaotic boulders.
One of the islands in the Lunar Celestial Sea looked so much like a coastline that Joe Di almost mistook it for one.
Joe Di stowed away his wooden boat and landed on the boulder-strewn shore, discovering it was hardly a secret place—his spiritual sense swept over dozens of other cultivators.
A vague premonition stirred in Joe Di’s heart: Grim had tricked him.
With so many people here, if the Liora Starfruit were truly still present, that would be a miracle.
The jade slip Grim gave him hadn’t mentioned any hidden spot on the boulder beach where the Liora Starfruit was concealed.
"Are you here in search of the Liora Starfruit as well, friend?" One of the cultivators spotted Joe Di landing on the boulder beach and hurried over, grinning broadly as he asked.
Joe Di was furious. If Grim were here, he wasn’t sure he could restrain himself from attacking. He’d actually thought Grim was a decent trading partner, but that bastard had wasted several months of his time, sending him to a place where everyone knew about the Liora Starfruit on the boulder beach.