Frederick Qi's longsword was utterly unable to block the Skyveil Blade. Terror-stricken, Frederick Qi cried out desperately, "I'll tell you how to leave Aurora Continent for the Central Realm..."
"Splurt!" A flash of blood swept by, and Frederick Qi's head fell to the ground behind the arc of the Skyveil Blade.
Central Realm? Joe Di instantly realized his strike had been too swift, and Frederick Qi's words had come too slowly. He wanted to head to the Central Realm, and now the hard-won clue had vanished just like that.
The only remaining Soul Ancestor at the fifth tier now looked deathly pale.
Joe Di had killed six Qi Family Soul Ancestors in a row, slain Frederick Qi, and crippled Ezekiel Qi's limbs—this was simply terrifying.
"Do you know anything about the Central Realm?" Joe Di's gaze fell upon the Qi Family Soul Ancestor at the fifth tier.
The Soul Ancestor at the fifth tier didn't even dare to resist. If Frederick Qi couldn't handle Joe Di, resisting would only mean a faster death.
"I don't know..." The Soul Ancestor uttered four words, but sensing Joe Di's intense killing intent, he quickly added, "But I do know the Central Realm must be related to the Darkstar Ruins..."
"Where is the Darkstar Ruins?"
"We only followed the family head there. The family head's ring should contain a fragmentary map of the Darkstar Ruins..." In his bid for survival, the Soul Ancestor revealed everything he knew.
"Who is your family head?"
"Frederick Qi."
A flash of blade light swept out, and even this Soul Ancestor did not survive.
...
Joe Di left Jinghai City, but the city could no longer find peace.
The largest power in Jinghai City, Qi Trading House, was wiped out by Joe Di—this time, completely. Not a single person walked out of the Qi Trading House. Whether they were Qi Family cultivators or customers, all were slain by Joe Di inside.
In addition, three Qi Family cultivators were nailed to death on the ruins outside the Trading House. These were Ezekiel Qi, Simon Qi, and Hugo Qi. Ezekiel Qi was a Void Spirit Stage powerhouse—yet he was killed so easily.
Simon Qi and Ezekiel Qi were the masterminds behind the destruction of Starstream School, while Hugo Qi was said to have destroyed Elder Geng Ji Hua's home. Now, all three were killed by Joe Di—truly, karma repaid.
Joe Di's ruthlessness left many sects that had offended Starstream School trembling with fear. Even the Qi Family was destroyed by Joe Di—there aren't many sects stronger than the Qi Family on Aurora Continent.
Although Joe Di wanted to check Frederick Qi's ring, he knew it was more urgent to destroy the Qi Trading House, so he left Jinghai City for another branch as soon as possible.
This time, Joe Di came up empty-handed. No matter how fast he was, he couldn't outrun the speed of rumors. After the Qi Trading House headquarters in Jinghai City was destroyed, almost every branch across Aurora Continent was looted overnight. Except for a few that quickly disbanded and fled, the Qi Trading House vanished from the continent entirely.
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter—that describes the Qi Trading House now.
...
At the ruins of Starstream School, Joe Di stood there, feeling a bit melancholic.
He hadn't planned to rebuild Starstream School; instead, he was grateful to Yu Jingyan and the sect leader Xiang Tianyi. According to what he'd learned, Xiang Tianyi disappeared after losing an arm while defending him and Geng Ji. Afterwards, he and Geng Ji were expelled from Starstream School.
Though Joe Di knew that he and Geng Ji were expelled from Starstream School out of helplessness, and the school likely didn't want to do it, once it happened, he became a discarded disciple. Since it all started because of him, now that he has avenged the school and destroyed the Qi Trading House, his task is complete.
As for rebuilding Starstream School, as a discarded disciple, he wouldn't do it. Besides, even if he did, he wouldn't have time to stay and develop the school.
Starstream School's philosophy was different from his; Xiang Tianyi's philosophy matched his own. If he were the sect leader or decision-maker, he would never have driven out disciples over such matters—it would only sap a sect's vitality and spirit.
In fact, even after driving him and Geng Ji out, Starstream School still suffered extermination.
After a moment of sadness, Joe Di left Starstream School. According to what he'd heard, the Skyveil had already closed. He hadn't sensed Tree Brother, which meant Tree Brother hadn't come out of the Skyveil.
Now, rumors about the whereabouts of the World Tome were spreading everywhere. After destroying the Qi Trading House, Joe Di didn't want to draw more attention, so he simply rented a cave-dwelling in a small cultivation town called Longhill Town.
Joe Di rented the cave-dwelling mainly to sort through his spoils. This time, he had killed ten Soul Ancestors and two Void Spirit cultivators from the Qi Family, claiming all twelve of their storage rings. As for the Golden Core cultivators' rings and bags, he had collected dozens, if not hundreds.
What Joe Di most looked forward to, of course, was Frederick Qi's ring. If he could find a way to reach the Central Realm in Frederick Qi's ring, that would be the most important thing. Joe Di had traveled much of Aurora Continent, and things were a bit different from what his master Quinn Windflower had said. He hadn't found any records about the Central Realm in any of the major shops, let alone purchased a star map. Even the Qi Trading House, though sizable, had no star map detailing how to reach the Central Realm.
He had nothing left to worry about on Aurora Continent; the Qi Trading House was destroyed, and Geng Ji shouldn't be in any danger. As for Tree Brother, he wasn't even on Aurora Continent. His master Quinn Windflower was trapped underground, and with his current strength, he couldn't help even if he wanted to.
Now, as soon as he found a way to reach the Central Realm, he would go there immediately.
...
The setting sun cast long shadows over Ruinsgate City.
Two women and one man entered Ruinsgate City before nightfall—these three were Jing Mo Shuang, Wei Shanshan, and He Tai, who had just come out of the Skyveil.
Compared to before, Ruinsgate City seemed even more bustling.
"Ah, what's going on here?" As soon as he entered Ruinsgate City, He Tai stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at a nearby stretch of ruins.
The Qi Trading House was notorious for bullying and monopolizing the market, acting with utter disregard for others—even daring to attack Senior Joe's sect, Starstream School. This enraged Senior Joe, who wiped the Qi Trading House from the continent and slew all its powerhouses. From now on, there will be no more Qi Trading House.
"Senior Brother He Tai, what's wrong?" Wei Shanshan asked hurriedly.
Of the three, Jing Mo Shuang had the highest cultivation—already at the third level of Golden Core, just a step away from mid-stage. He Tai was next at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, while Wei Shanshan was at the sixth level.
"That ruin over there was the Qi Family's Trading House in Ruinsgate City. Now it's just rubble. Who could be so bold as to destroy the Qi Trading House here?" He Tai exclaimed in disbelief.
Jing Mo Shuang and Wei Shanshan were disciples of Starstream School, which had been destroyed by the Qi Trading House. When they came to Ruinsgate City, they had to keep a low profile, so they didn't know Joe Di had destroyed the Qi Trading House.
"You must have just come out, right? Not only was the Qi Trading House in Ruinsgate City destroyed, but even the headquarters in Jinghai City was razed by Senior Joe. Two Void Spirit and ten Soul Ancestors were all slain by Senior Joe. The Qi Trading House is now history," said a cultivator standing not far from He Tai, laughing.
"What? Senior Joe destroyed the Qi Trading House? Which Senior Joe?" He Tai asked quickly. Although he hoped it was Joe Di, he knew the odds were slim.
"Of course it's Senior Joe Di. You don't even know that? That's quite disrespectful to Senior Joe Di," the cultivator snorted, dissatisfied with He Tai's question, and turned to leave after speaking.
Is it really Brother Joe? He Tai quickly grabbed the cultivator, apologizing, "I just came out of seclusion, so I'm not clear on many things. May I ask, is this Joe Di the same Joe Di who was a disciple of Starstream School?"
Sensing He Tai's respectful attitude, the cultivator nodded, "That's right. Nightfall Starland split into Aurora Continent and Veil Continent countless years ago. Senior Joe Di, with his compassion, courage, and great powers, has now fused Aurora Continent and Veil Continent back together. Every cultivator is grateful to Senior Joe."
The Qi Trading House was notorious for bullying and monopolizing the market, acting with utter disregard for others—even daring to attack Senior Joe's sect, Starstream School. This enraged Senior Joe, who wiped the Qi Trading House from the continent and slew all its powerhouses. From now on, there will be no more Qi Trading House.
He Tai, Jing Mo Shuang, and Wei Shanshan were all stunned by the news.
That Joe Di was still alive was shocking enough, but even more unbelievable was that he had reached a level where he could restore a continent. What kind of cultivation did that require? If the three hadn't heard it themselves or seen the ruins of the Qi Trading House, no one would have believed it.
After a long while, He Tai said excitedly, "Sister-in-law, the Qi Trading House has been destroyed—it really was Brother Joe who did it, and he's all right..."
He Tai had a kind of blind admiration for Joe Di. If you thought about it, restoring a continent required unimaginable power—but He Tai didn't bother to think about that.
He believed Joe Di was capable of anything.
Jing Mo Shuang was at a loss. She had only admitted to being Joe Di's wife after he was presumed dead. But now he was alive and frighteningly powerful—not only avenging Starstream School, but also restoring Nightfall Starland... this—
If Jing Mo Shuang claimed to be Joe Di's wife now, wouldn't that be a joke?
"Sister Mo Shuang, I've heard that rich or poor, true couples never abandon each other. You're Brother Joe's wife, and with his character, he won't abandon you. If Brother Joe has his own pursuits, didn't we agree to rebuild Starstream School together?" After years of tempering, Wei Shanshan was no longer the naive girl who had just joined the sect. She immediately saw through Jing Mo Shuang's worries and gently encouraged her.
"Eh, you're Joe Di's wife? Do you know where Joe Di is now?" A sudden voice sounded beside the three. They turned around and saw a short, dark-skinned man had appeared without them noticing.
"Junior Jing Mo Shuang greets Senior. We don't know where Brother Joe is; we're only here to save two of his friends." Jing Mo Shuang quickly bowed. With her third-level Golden Core divine sense, she could sense the man's boundless, ocean-like power—his cultivation far surpassed hers.