In just a dozen breaths, a chilling burst of laughter echoed at the entrance of Seaking Palace's sect. A short, stocky man with a rust-stained face and faint markings on his arms appeared at the gate. As he landed, he clasped his fists and laughed heartily, "To have Sect Master Joe Di of Starstream Order visit Seaking Palace—what an honor for us! I am Eldon Blade, Grand Elder of Seaking Palace. Sect Master Di, please, please, please..."
He repeated his invitation three times, as if to express his enthusiasm and Seaking Palace's hospitality. Joe Di could hear the forced tone in his voice, even a hint of reluctance.
Joe Di paid it no mind. He simply didn't want to be used by Faye Dee; it didn't mean he feared Seaking Palace.
"Thank you, Elder Blade." Joe Di clasped his fists in return, then stepped unhesitatingly into the portal array.
A whirl of energy swept over him, and Joe Di landed on solid ground. The true Seaking Palace now appeared before him. The sect's grandeur surged forth like raging waves—a staircase of jade carved from the ocean floor led all the way to the palace entrance.
Rich water-attribute spiritual energy filled the air. Joe Di couldn't help but marvel at the ambition of those who built Seaking Palace, finding such a treasure land and establishing their sect here.
Eldon Blade kept introducing the history of Seaking Palace and sharing rumors about the Boundless Sea along the way, but Joe Di listened with little interest.
Eldon Blade was both angry and uneasy inside; he had no idea what Joe Di's true intentions were in coming here.
Indeed, it was Seaking Palace's master, Howard King, who once schemed against Joe Di, but that was in the past. Howard King had long since fallen; logically, this matter should have been laid to rest.
After half a stick of incense, Joe Di—led by Eldon Blade—arrived at the guest hall of Seaking Palace. Three men seated inside rose at once upon seeing Joe Di enter, each clasping their fists in greeting.
Joe Di swept his divine sense around and instantly noticed a ninth-level trapping and killing array outside the guest hall. Inside, there was an elder at the third stage of Ascendant Realm—he'd just introduced himself as Grant Marshall. The other two were cultivators at the Tribulation Stage. It was clear that everyone from Seaking Palace was uneasy and on guard about Joe Di's arrival.
After taking a sip of tea, Joe Di got straight to the point. "I just finished my closed-door cultivation and heard that Howard King of Seaking Palace met with misfortune. I came specially to offer my belated condolences. When Starstream Order was founded, Howard King came to offer his congratulations. Now, in the blink of an eye, he is gone from this world. It is truly lamentable."
The two Grand Elders and two inner sect elders of Seaking Palace exchanged glances, unsure what Joe Di meant by these words.
Joe Di had no intention of seeking Seaking Palace's friendship. After finishing his words, his tone shifted. "I heard that after Howard King's death, the blame was placed squarely on me. So I have to come and clarify. If I killed a sect master, I would admit it without hesitation. When the masters of Kun Sect and Swordcloud Sect fell, I never thought to clarify—I only wanted to destroy those sects. But Howard King's death has nothing to do with me. After rescuing Sect Master Yan Xueyi and Sect Master Shen Feng in the Mojiang Forbidden Zone, I went into seclusion in my sect. When I emerged, I learned of Howard King's tragic end."
"But when the sect master died, a message was sent with the character 'Di,'" one elder couldn't help but interject.
Eldon Blade rebuked him, "How could Sect Master Di speak falsely?"
Joe Di ignored this duet and continued, "If I had acted, Howard King wouldn't have had the chance to send out even a single character, let alone take out a jade slip. That character was clearly sent with intent by the real culprit—to make Seaking Palace suspect me."
The elders of Seaking Palace fell silent. Joe Di didn't care whether they believed him or not, and continued, "The reason I'm here to clarify is not because I fear Seaking Palace, but because I don't want to be used by a woman."
"A woman scheming?" Grant Marshall looked at Joe Di in confusion, not understanding his meaning.
Joe Di replied calmly, "Because I know who killed Howard King."
"Who was it?" All the elders asked in unison. If Joe Di had killed Howard King, they wouldn't dare seek vengeance. But if Howard King's death truly wasn't by Joe Di's hand, Seaking Palace had no reason to hold back.
"The one who killed Howard King was Faye Dee from Little Central World. If I'm not mistaken, it was likely the work of her and her father."
After saying this, Joe Di stood up. "If you seek vengeance, I hope you won't take it out on the rest of the Di family. Although my blood ties to the Di family of Little Central World are thin, we are still kin. That's all I came to say. Farewell."
No matter how Eldon Blade tried to persuade him, Joe Di turned and left without the slightest hesitation. He had come here just to say these few words; whether Seaking Palace believed him or not was of no consequence to him.
......
"What do you all think of Sect Master Di's words?" After seeing Joe Di off, Eldon Blade returned to the guest hall and immediately asked.
"I think what Young Master Red Tassel said is true." Grant Marshall was the one who spoke.
Without waiting for questions, Grant Marshall explained, "Given Joe Di's status and position, there's no need for him to come here and deceive us. As he said, if our sect master truly died by his hand, he wouldn't hide it—he simply wouldn't need to. I heard that Kun Sect and Swordcloud Sect survived mainly because disciples of Puregate Sect intervened. Howard King and Joe Di had no major conflicts of interest, and unless provoked, Joe Di wouldn't have had the intent to kill."
A seventh-stage Tribulation Elder also said, "I agree with Elder Marshall. Young Master Red Tassel has always been proud; he wouldn't stoop to lying about something like this. Faye Dee is rather mysterious—she broke the record at the Fivefold Dao Tower, reaching the one hundred and eighth tier. Our sect master was always obsessed with the Fivefold Dao Disk, so it's likely he followed Faye Dee after she reached the one hundred and eighth tier. That woman is unfathomably cunning, and her father Simon Dee is also deeply scheming. It's not impossible that they plotted against our sect master."
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Eldon Blade said gravely, "Exactly. I'm certain Young Master Red Tassel is telling the truth—he was provoked by Faye Dee. With a woman scheming against him like that, Young Master Red Tassel is not someone who takes such things lying down."
......
When Joe Di returned to the sect, Miles Phantom and Sean Zell were already waiting at the gate. As soon as Joe Di arrived, Miles Phantom said, "Joe Di, you and Sean Zell should head to the True Domain at once. Leave things here to me."
Joe Di asked in confusion, "Senior Phantom, weren't you going to the True Domain with me?"
Miles Phantom shook his head. "My lifespan may well outlast yours, so it's best if I stay in Starstream Order. If we both leave, the strongest cultivator left in Starstream Order would only be Geng Ji, who's at the late Tribulation Stage."
Miles Phantom didn't finish his sentence, but Joe Di understood his meaning: if all the strong cultivators left, the newly established Starstream Order could easily fall apart again.
Sean Zell spoke up as well, "Phantom has already shared his thoughts with me. As long as I reach the Immortal Realm, I can help out. Phantom is right—Starstream Order's Ascendant cultivators can't all leave."
"I'm still here. Once I return from the True Domain, I'll definitely come back to Starstream Order," Joe Di said.
Miles Phantom chuckled, "Joe Di, it's only been a few years, and you're already at the Ascendant Realm. Even if you stay in Starstream Order, you probably won't remain here longer than I will. If you can take first place this time, you and Sean Zell should go together. If not, you don't need to return to Little Central World—stay in the True Domain and cultivate until you reach the Domain Stage."
"Yes, Sect Master. Senior Phantom is right—a sect can't grow if it's always under protection. Starstream Order has just been founded and will surely face many trials. Only by enduring hardship can we reach greater heights," Shannon Wei added.
Not only Shannon Wei, but aside from Geng Ji, Di Di, and Yu Jie who were out training, everyone Joe Di knew was present.
Joe Di's original plan was to go to the True Domain with Miles Phantom and Sean Zell, then participate in the Genius Ascension Trials. Once he secured a spot to enter the Immortal Realm, he would give it to Sean Zell and Miles Phantom, and return to Little Central World himself.
His main reason for returning to Little Central World was that Starstream Order had just been founded and lacked a solid foundation, making it vulnerable to destruction. Now, after hearing Miles Phantom's words, he agreed. If he led the sect with such a mindset, even if it grew, it would lack initiative. In this respect, he couldn't compare to Miles Phantom. Besides, Mo Yu Xuan had promised him that Starstream Order would be safe for a hundred years.
In a hundred years, with the resources he left behind, Starstream Order should be able to produce a group of Ascendant cultivators.
With this thought, Joe Di took out a ring and handed it to Miles Phantom, sending a message, "Senior Phantom, inside are eight True Luodan pills, along with some pills for advancing to Tribulation and Cauldron stages. There are twenty high-grade spirit veins and twenty supreme-grade spirit veins. There are also two rings—please give them to Geng Ji and Di Di for me. Once I leave, Starstream Order will be in your hands."
"What?" Miles Phantom's hand trembled and he almost dropped the ring.
Even after Joe Di and Sean Zell had left, Miles Phantom still couldn't believe what he was holding. He had once been the master of the Celestial Secrets Pavilion, but even so, he had never seen so many treasures at once.
......
At the same time, in a spirit-rich cave residence in Little Central World, Faye Dee let out a soft cry and rose to her feet. She had finally reached the second stage of Ascendant Realm before the Genius Ascension Trials in the True Domain.
Her gaze fell upon the distant location of Starstream Order, and a trace of mockery appeared at the corner of her eye. She muttered to herself, "Such a coward."
In her eyes, Joe Di was nothing but a coward. When she first came to use him, she thought he would surely take advantage of Miles Phantom to kill the masters of the Five Grand Sects. But he turned out to be useless, only killing Xiao Wu—and even that, it wasn't certain if Joe Di was truly responsible.
Howard King, the master of Seaking Palace, had gone to Starstream Order and left unharmed. In the end, she had to personally take action to kill him.
Unfortunately, she was out of time. If she'd had more, she would have found a way to deal with Yan Xueyi and Shen Feng as well. Now, she could only go to the True Domain to participate in the Genius Ascension Trials.
(End of this volume. Next volume: Genius Ascension Trials in the True Domain. Please support with your monthly votes!)