Joe Di had no intention of immediately coming ashore and leaving the Lunar Celestial Sea. He was certain that Eugene Xiling's speed was faster than his own; by the time he reached the Lunar Celestial Sea, Eugene Xiling might already be waiting for him at the shore. Even if he did want to land, he needed to find a place to break through to Immortal King first.
He did not discard the Spirit Mark; instead, he placed it on another small wooden boat. After inscribing a self-operating array on that boat, he set it adrift on the sea. Joe Di himself followed the direction of that boat, speeding up his own vessel and leaving the boat with the Spirit Mark far behind.
Joe Di had only been gone for a few days when Eugene Xiling appeared on the abandoned small wooden boat, reaching out to seize the Spirit Mark.
Eugene Xiling sneered. Suddenly, his boat spun around and sped off in the opposite direction of the boat carrying the Spirit Mark.
Although Joe Di had killed his son Ryan Xiling, Eugene Xiling still admired Joe Di's skill—being able to strip away his Spirit Mark in just a few days was impressive.
Since Joe Di had separated his Spirit Mark and placed it on a self-operating boat, he must be escaping in the opposite direction. Even if there was some deviation, Eugene Xiling believed he could still find him. Spending a month on the Lunar Celestial Sea wouldn’t cover much distance.
After searching rapidly for about ten days, Eugene Xiling suddenly stopped. He realized he had been tricked. Back in Cauldron Haven Grand Auction, Joe Di had shown such cunning; if he truly wanted to escape, he might well travel in the same direction as the boat with the Spirit Mark.
Eugene Xiling sighed and gave up on chasing after him. Whether Joe Di went in the direction of the Spirit Mark boat or deviated slightly, with his cunning, Eugene Xiling could never catch up. The only option was to wait at the edge of the Lunar Celestial Sea for this ant to show himself.
No matter how cunning an ant is, it’s still just an ant.
News of Joe Di’s appearance in the Lunar Celestial Sea—and his killing of Eugene Xiling’s son Ryan Xiling—spread rapidly.
Suddenly, many mysterious strangers appeared along the edge of the Lunar Celestial Sea. These powerful cultivators wandered near the sea, and everyone understood the reason—they had come for Joe Di, though no one spoke of it openly.
...
For the first time, Joe Di felt truly anxious under the scrutiny of so many powerful cultivators. Even when he was hunted by Immortal Kings, he had never felt this tense.
Before entering the Lunar Celestial Sea, Joe Di already knew that the most terrifying thing here was not the sea’s tempests or its fierce spirit beasts, but the Lunar Celestial Mist.
It was said that once you encountered the Lunar Celestial Mist in the sea, it meant almost certain death. No one had ever returned alive after meeting the mist.
The Lunar Celestial Mist followed its own rules. As long as cultivators conducting trials in the Lunar Celestial Sea set sail at designated times, the chance of encountering the mist was very low.
Joe Di’s anxiety stemmed from his suspicion that he had just encountered the Lunar Celestial Mist.
Before his eyes, milky white mist began to rise and merge with the pale sea water. In just half a stick of incense’s time, Joe Di could no longer distinguish between the sea and the air. Even the small boat beneath his feet started to dissolve, turning into white mist.
He hurried to jump off the boat...
As soon as the thought arose, Joe Di realized he couldn’t do that. Even after jumping off, he was still in the waters of the Lunar Celestial Sea.