Joe Di also spotted the newcomer—a man with gray-white stripes on his face, surrounded by a condensed Dao aura and an intimidating murderous intent. On the surface, his cultivation appeared to be late Dao Origin Realm, but Joe Di sensed he was already close to the Primordial Realm, perhaps half a step into it.
Behind the gray-white striped man stood the one who had previously tried to buy lightning from Joe Di, only to be harshly rebuffed.
Knowing these two were coming for him, Joe Di didn't pause at all. He strode directly into the nearby guesthouse.
"Sorry, there are no vacant rooms right now," the attendant replied without hesitation when Joe Di inquired.
"Friend, the Dao Fruit Tower will open in seven years, and there have been many auctions in the Void Market lately. Finding a place to stay won't be easy. If you're willing, I could help you out," the gray-white striped man offered.
Before Joe Di could reply, another voice transmitted, "It's not that there are no rooms here—there's another reason. As a human, you can't book a room at this establishment. You should try the Phoenix Roost Inn, run by the Phoenix Clan. They have a good relationship with humans..."
Joe Di didn't try to find the one who sent the voice transmission, but he sensed something was off. The speaker was clearly a fellow human cultivator. On the surface, humans still held status in the Void Market, but their words and actions seemed overly cautious, as if they were avoiding something.
"Let's go. We'll find another place," Joe Di said, ignoring the striped-faced man as his divine sense swept out without restraint.
Even if there were simple isolation arrays, Joe Di broke through them without hesitation. Since the Dao Fruit Tower hadn't opened yet, he planned to stay until it did. With several years ahead in this place, he needed to assert his strength.
The striped-faced man who had intended to block Joe Di hesitated when he sensed Joe Di's unrestrained divine sense, frowning slightly and subconsciously slowing his steps.
Joe Di, accompanied by Dean Carter, headed to the Phoenix Roost Inn. The inn was in an excellent location, and upon entering, Joe Di immediately secured a spacious cultivation suite. Besides the main training chamber, there were three auxiliary rooms.
Joe Di, Dean Carter, and Bolt each took one room, leaving one spare training chamber.
"That guy actually didn’t follow us," Dean Carter remarked in confusion once they entered the suite.
"He’s already here—just outside the restriction," Joe Di chuckled.
As soon as Joe Di finished speaking, the restriction at the door was triggered. Joe Di opened it, and the striped-faced man entered unceremoniously, bringing the blue-haired giant with him. They even helped themselves to seats.
"My name is Kyle Key, and you should know I’m from the Demon Clan. I sincerely wish to buy your companion, because Bolt is also one of our clan. I hope he can return to the Demon Clan and no longer be kept as a pet," Kyle Key said, his tone calm but undeniably authoritative.
Joe Di wasn’t bothered by Kyle Key’s assertive tone. Instead, he glanced at Bolt, wondering if there was more to his companion’s background than he realized.
Regardless of Bolt’s background, Joe Di knew he needed to look into it.
"I’ve heard enough. You may leave now. As for my companion, I’ll decide what happens to him. There’s no need for you to worry," Joe Di replied coolly.
"Are you planning to go against the Demon Clan?" Kyle Key’s expression turned cold, his aura surging as if to bind the entire room.
Although Joe Di didn’t need to draw the Azure Veil Blade to kick this guy away, he still reached behind and unsheathed it, preparing to strike without hesitation.
“Fellow Daoist, please stop,” a sudden voice called out, accompanied by a powerful domain aura.
Joe Di halted, certain that the newcomer was a Unity Realm Emperor.
As the voice faded, a slender, golden-haired woman with almond-shaped eyes entered the room.
"Kyle Key greets Senior," Kyle Key, who had just tried to bind Joe Di, quickly bowed in respect.
The blue-haired giant added respectfully, “Zhuge Jiao greets Senior Tang.”
Tammy Tang snorted coldly, then said, “Whatever grudges you have with my Phoenix Roost Inn’s guests are none of my concern. But if you intend to cause trouble here, don’t blame me for being rude. Even if your Demon Clan’s Fan Yuan comes, I’d say the same.”
“Yes, Senior. I’ll take my leave,” Kyle Key replied, bowing respectfully. Although he knew he’d only released his domain aura and hadn’t attacked, he dared not argue and quickly left with Zhuge Jiao.
Had he known Tammy Tang would return today, Kyle Key would never have tried to suppress Joe Di with his domain aura in Joe Di’s suite.
After Kyle Key left, Joe Di cupped his fists and said, “Joe Di greets Senior.”
Joe Di was certain this woman was at the Unity Realm, but he didn’t feel threatened by her.
Tammy Tang sized up Joe Di and said coolly, “You’re bold. If I’m not mistaken, you’re not a human cultivator from the Sacred Dao Domain.”
“That’s right, I’m not from the Sacred Dao Domain. But Kyle Key tried to suppress me with his domain in my own quarters—I won’t stand for that,” Joe Di replied calmly.
Tammy Tang frowned slightly and said, “You must have just entered the Dao Origin Realm, right? Do you know what realm Kyle Key is at? Or do you assume he’s also Dao Origin? To be honest, his cultivation method is unusual—he’s already half a step into the Unity Realm. If I hadn’t come, he could’ve easily killed you. Afterwards, he’d just apologize to my inn and offer some compensation.”
Joe Di didn’t answer. There was no need to argue—if Tammy Tang hadn’t arrived, it wouldn’t have been Kyle Key killing him, but the other way around.
Seeing Joe Di didn’t refute her, Tammy Tang sighed, “You may not know why I helped you. The Phoenix Clan owes Senior Ye many favors, so I help human cultivators in the Void Market when I can. Ever since Senior Ye left, humans have grown weaker here. The only reason no one dares openly bully human cultivators is Senior Ye’s lingering prestige—no one dares offend him.”
Joe Di was secretly astonished. He’d heard of Senior Ye and the title ‘Emperor’ several times. Now, even the Phoenix Clan’s Unity Realm Emperor called him Senior. Clearly, Senior Ye once held immense power and prestige in the Void Market.
“If Emperor Ye was so powerful, why are humans still restricted in the Void Market?” Joe Di asked, voicing his doubts.
Tammy Tang smiled, “That’s because of what Senior Ye did back then. It’s said several Unity Realm Emperors from various clans besieged him, but he slaughtered them all, badly weakening those clans. None dared seek revenge in the Sacred Dao Domain, and even mentioning Senior Ye requires respectful tones.”
Joe Di admired him deeply—this was true strength: killing your enemies so thoroughly they wouldn’t even dare complain.
“Senior, which clans did Emperor Ye offend back then?” Joe Di asked, cupping his fists.
Tammy Tang replied coolly, “Back then, Senior Ye killed the Unity Realm Emperors of the Dragon, Demon, Devil, and Sea Clans. Even the Palace Lord of Guangyuan Palace fell to him. Now, the strongest clans in the Void Market are the Dragon, Demon, Devil, and Sea Clans. Since Senior Ye restored the Sacred Dao Domain, few geniuses from there come to the Void Market. Do you think the humans here have an easy time?”
Joe Di asked in confusion, “Even if the Sacred Dao Domain is rich in resources, wouldn’t its cultivators still come to the Void Market for greater opportunities? Why so few?”
Tammy Tang chuckled, “That’s because Emperor Ye established a teleportation array in the Sacred Dao Domain and a new place—the true holy land for cultivation. All the genius cultivators from the Sacred Dao Domain now go there, not the Void Market.”
“Where is that?” Joe Di asked instinctively. He vaguely guessed it was the place Xuxun mentioned, where third-step experts gather.