The Dao Array Gate of Starhaven City was extremely rudimentary, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the streets. As soon as he arrived at the auction, Joe Di guessed that probably everyone in Starhaven City had come for the event.
The auction hall wasn't very large, but the crowd nearly burst the small square at its entrance.
"Heh, quite the crowd, isn't it? Let me tell you, aside from those who went to the Dao Refining Universe, almost half of the cultivators in this Starhaven City will come here." Quentin Gong chuckled and patted Joe Di's arm.
"Quentin Gong, you didn't bother arriving a few hours early this time—getting bold, huh?" came a slightly sharp voice. The speaker was a male cultivator, as skinny as a monkey.
This guy's strength was probably not much weaker than that of Cyril Night, and he was likely from the Divine Clan. Joe Di didn't even need to use his spiritual sense; a glance was enough to discern the man's background.
What surprised Joe Di most was that this guy walked right up to Quentin Gong and even patted his shoulder twice.
Allowing an opponent to casually touch you was a major taboo. Earlier, Quentin Gong had patted him twice on the arm, but that was because Joe Di knew Quentin Gong meant no harm—and most importantly, even if Quentin Gong did harbor ill intent, Joe Di could easily counter him.
As for Quentin Gong, Joe Di was certain his strength wasn't greater than the skinny monkey's. If the latter bore even a hint of malice, Quentin Gong would suffer greatly. The key was, from the skinny monkey's tone, Joe Di couldn't detect a trace of goodwill—only pure hostility. Apparently, Quentin Gong used to arrive hours early to avoid entering the auction hall with the crowd.
"Eh, are you another Human Clan locust?" The skinny monkey's gaze shifted from Quentin Gong to Joe Di, his tone utterly lacking respect.
Before Joe Di could reply, Quentin Gong reached out to block him, sending a voice transmission, "Ignore these guys. They don't dare do anything to us. Normally, I arrive early to avoid running into this trash."
Joe Di was speechless—Quentin Gong had guessed right. No sooner had he arrived than someone mocked him. It seemed Quentin Gong didn't fare much better here; at best, he could barely protect himself.
Seeing Quentin Gong ignore the other and head into the auction hall, Joe Di followed suit. Just as Quentin Gong predicted, the man didn't make another move.
"In this Starhaven City, Sixth Step powerhouses are forbidden from fighting. Whoever strikes first will be instantly slain by the Strangler Array." After entering the auction hall, Quentin Gong finally whispered this to Joe Di.
Joe Di was startled—was there really a Strangler Array here that could kill Sixth Step experts? How had he not noticed?
Thinking of this, Joe Di grew cautious, sending out Law Array Banners imbued with his own laws into the void. His Dao Tree manifested countless Dao laws, all of which permeated the space around him.
Joe Di said nothing, simply following behind. Quentin Gong didn't mind. Newcomers here were always as careful as Joe Di. Yu Zhiyi trailed silently after them; with his weak cultivation and no backing, he truly was like an ant in this place.
The auction hall had no private rooms; regardless of your background, everyone sat together in the main hall. There was no admission ticket—anyone could come and go as they pleased.
Joe Di, Quentin Gong, and Yu Zhiyi sat toward the back. Once seated, Quentin Gong began explaining the auction rules to Joe Di, detailing the kinds of top-tier treasures that might appear, including even fortune artifacts.
Joe Di remained silent. In truth, he wasn't listening to Quentin Gong at all; instead, he was searching the void for the Strangler Array flags he hadn't detected. He vaguely sensed the auction had begun, with fierce bidding already underway.
After chatting with Joe Di for a bit, Quentin Gong noticed Joe Di was distracted and realized what he was doing, so he focused all his attention on the auction.
When the auction was halfway through, Joe Di subconsciously clenched his fist, feeling a surge of satisfaction—he had finally located the Strangler Array.
This Strangler Array was hidden in the void, and had formed a set of resonating Dao Law Banners. Once activated, these banners would link together, creating entirely new, complete rules. Under these new rules, control of the entire Starhaven City would fall into the hands of whoever activated the Strangler Array.
This array technique was remarkably similar to his own method of constructing grand arrays with Law Array Banners. Still, Joe Di felt that forming banners with his own Dao laws was ultimately inferior to grand arrays built from the world's natural rules. His array skills might not surpass the person who set up the Starhaven Strangler Array, but his Dao of Arrays should be higher. After all, it took him less than a day to uncover the array's existence—that was proof enough.
Joe Di had no idea how long he would stay in Starhaven City, but there was no way he'd let such a terrifying thing hang over his head. Without hesitation, he began constructing Law Array Banners, merging them into the resonating Strangler Array banners.
At the same time, Joe Di couldn't help but marvel—his Dao of Arrays truly stood at the pinnacle, yet even here, he discovered techniques he hadn't considered or mastered before. If not for Quentin Gong's warning, he'd have been living under someone else's Strangler Array, thinking he was in control.
A thousand years in seclusion is nothing compared to a thousand years of wandering.
As the auction neared its end, Joe Di still sat calmly, neither making a move nor asking any questions.
After several failed bids, Quentin Gong patted Joe Di beside him. "Brother Joe Di, do you have any Supreme Ley Lines? Superior Ley Lines would do too—could you lend me some?"
Joe Di opened his eyes at just the right moment—he had finished setting up the Law Array Banners, and had even placed a few of his own, constructing rules of heaven and earth that belonged solely to him. Others might notice these new rules, but it didn't matter; in this place, the Dao was ever-changing, and the sudden appearance of new rules was nothing strange.
"How many do you need?" Joe Di looked at Quentin Gong. Ley Lines were no different from trash to him—in his universe world, they were piled up like endless mountain ranges.
"Ten Supreme... Actually, if you don't have Supreme Ley Lines, High-grade ones will do." Quentin Gong replied with an embarrassed smile.
Joe Di took out a ring and handed it to Quentin Gong. "There are a thousand Supreme Ley Lines inside—take them and use as you wish."
"Ah..." Quentin Gong was stunned by Joe Di's generosity. He'd possessed a thousand Supreme Ley Lines before, even tens of thousands, but this was the Grand Way Path—Ley Lines here only grew more valuable. Many cultivators had thought Supreme Ley Lines were worthless when they first arrived, but years later, they regretted squandering them so carelessly.
Quentin Gong hurriedly declined, "Brother Joe Di, as much as I want them, you should know that without Supreme Ley Lines, you'll be stuck here. They're consumables. Just lend me fifty—keep the rest, you'll need them in the future."
Joe Di smiled, pressing the ring into Quentin Gong's hand. "Take them. If I have anything in abundance, it's Supreme Ley Lines."
As Joe Di spoke, several divine senses swept over him, filled with greed and longing.
Joe Di looked helplessly at Quentin Gong. He'd been searching for the strangling array and setting up his own Law Array Banners, never expecting Quentin Gong to neglect even the simplest shielding restriction.
Sensing Joe Di's gaze, Quentin Gong explained via voice transmission, "I set up a soundproof restriction, but someone tore it down. Here, as long as you don't attack a Sixth Step cultivator, nothing else is a problem."
Quentin Gong's words carried a sense of helplessness. Joe Di patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, just focus on the auction."
The auction was hosted by a female cultivator at the Fifth Step. Her voice rang out, "Congratulations to the previous Daoist friend for winning ten pieces of Dao Refining Gold. Next up is the Ascendant Shield crafted by Daoist Qian Xun. I won't bother with an introduction—everyone knows its value. The starting price for the Ascendant Shield is ten Supreme Ley Lines, with each bid increment no less than one Supreme Ley Line or one hundred High-grade Ley Lines. The bidding may begin..."
"Eleven Supreme Ley Lines..."
"Twelve Supreme Ley Lines..."
...
Here, bidders simply called out their prices directly. From the frenzy of bids, Joe Di could clearly sense the auction's intensity. Yet he had no idea what an Ascendant Shield was. He was about to ask Quentin Gong when Quentin Gong suddenly shouted excitedly, "I bid twenty Supreme Ley Lines!"
At this auction, everyone knew each other, and Supreme Ley Lines were precious—mostly because Dao veins were extremely rare. That's why most bids only increased by one or two Ley Lines. It was rare for anyone to jump straight to twenty.
Quentin Gong was truly excited. He'd wanted an Ascendant Shield for ages, but had never managed to gather even ten Supreme Ley Lines. Now, with this chance, how could he hold back?