Joe Di came to a halt in front of the cultivator. This was a Transformation Realm cultivator, tall and imposing, with a faint aura of blood lingering around him. At a glance, Joe Di could tell this man had spent years slaughtering in Lostlake, having slain countless fiend beasts.
This Transformation Realm cultivator had clearly noticed that Joe Di’s strength was inferior to his own, so he wasn’t worried about being followed. In fact, he felt a bit of admiration for Joe Di’s courage in chasing after a Transformation Realm cultivator—he himself would never dare to do such a thing.
“Greetings, fellow Daoist. I just accidentally wandered into Lostlake. Do you happen to know the way out?” Although Joe Di knew the other man surely didn’t know the way out of Lostlake, he still asked, just to make it clear that he was lost.
The cultivator nodded, seeing that Joe Di was indeed lost. As for the claim of accidentally entering Lostlake, he pretended not to hear it. How many cultivators truly enter Lostlake by accident? Those who come in are either seeking the Void Sea or fleeing pursuit.
“There’s no way out once you’ve entered Lostlake. I’ve been trapped here for hundreds of years and still can’t escape.” The Transformation Realm cultivator spoke calmly.
Joe Di looked at the Transformation Realm cultivator in surprise. He’d just seen this man chasing after a fiend beast—how could he be trapped here?
“Did you see me chasing the Lostlake Peacock just now and think I wasn’t trapped?” The Transformation Realm cultivator saw through Joe Di’s thoughts.
Joe Di replied, “Yes, was that a Lostlake Peacock?”
The Transformation Realm cultivator nodded. “That’s right, that was a Lostlake Peacock. In Lostlake, the Lostlake Peacock is the most valuable thing you can find. Its fiend core is used for advanced cultivation and is almost as potent as a Dao Pill, though it carries a heavy baleful aura. Its feathers are top-tier crafting materials. You’ll understand all this in time.
Don’t be fooled by how fast I was chasing the Lostlake Peacock just now. In truth, I only dare to move within a certain area—a range I’ve carefully mapped out over centuries. Otherwise, I’d have perished in Lostlake long ago. Honestly, the fact that you managed to escape to this place means you’re quite lucky.”
After speaking, the Transformation Realm cultivator glanced at Joe Di, as if to say: you’ll soon understand just how terrifying Lostlake truly is.
Joe Di understood what he meant, but wasn’t concerned. He had indeed encountered some frightening places in Lostlake, such as those spaces where even divine sense couldn’t penetrate, as if reality itself was displaced.
But such places weren’t enough to threaten his life. With the Eye of the Way, he could see them coming in advance. Even without it, his sensitivity to the rules of heaven and earth meant he wouldn’t easily fall into a spatial misalignment.
How many people have ever reached the fifth layer of the Grand Ruins? He had—even if it was just the entrance, it still counted.
He was certain Jaden Dai wouldn’t dare go to the fifth layer. If even someone like Jaden Dai wouldn’t risk it, yet he had, it proved his survival skills far surpassed those of ordinary cultivators.
He wasn’t worried about dying in Lostlake; what concerned him was losing his sense of direction here.
“Fellow Daoist, have you encountered any other cultivators over the years?” Joe Di asked again, hoping to gather more information before moving on. He had no intention of being trapped for centuries like this man.
The Transformation Realm cultivator replied, “Of course. There are at least dozens of cultivators trapped in this area alone. The rest, like me, each have a fixed range they can move within. Every so often, we gather to exchange items. Other than that, we mostly discuss our experiences in Lostlake and any possible ways out.”
Joe Di was delighted and quickly asked, “Fellow Daoist, when is your next meeting for exchanging items? Could you take me along?”
Joe Di had plenty of treasures on him, and as both a Dao Pill Saint and Transformation Pill Saint, he wasn’t interested in others’ belongings. What mattered was that with so many cultivators trapped here, someone was bound to have clues about Lostlake.
His comprehension of the rules was decent, but among cultivators who had survived in Lostlake for centuries or even millennia, there was sure to be far more experience. That kind of knowledge was the most precious thing—and exactly what he urgently needed. He wanted to attend these exchanges not for cultivation resources, but for the wisdom of surviving in Lostlake.
The Transformation Realm cultivator hesitated before saying, “The next exchange is the day after tomorrow. Your cultivation is lacking—I suggest you hunt some Lostlake Peacocks. Otherwise, if you show up empty-handed, not everyone will be willing to talk to you.”
Clearly, this Transformation Realm cultivator was reminding Joe Di that not everyone was as patient as he was in answering a Dao Nurturing cultivator’s questions. With Joe Di’s cultivation, if he attended such a gathering with nothing to offer, the strong would look down on him and not even bother speaking.
“Thank you, my friend. Could you tell me where the exchange will be held? I’ll come the day after tomorrow,” Joe Di said.
The Transformation Realm cultivator shook his head. “It’s no use going alone—you won’t be able to enter that place. I can take you there the day after tomorrow.”
With that, the cultivator took out a Direction Stone and handed it to Joe Di. “This marks the area where I operate, and it has my contact information. Today and tomorrow, you can hunt Lostlake Peacocks within my range, but it’s best not to leave it. Honestly, with your cultivation, reaching this place is already quite lucky.”
This Transformation Realm cultivator was rather decent. Joe Di accepted the Direction Stone and thanked him, “My name is Joe Di.”
The Transformation Realm cultivator nodded. “I’m Sean Yu. In a place like Lostlake, there’s not much more I can do to help you.”
“You’ve already helped me a lot,” Joe Di replied. He’d entered Lostlake completely unprepared. Who could have guessed Jaden Dai would return so quickly—and that his escape techniques were so terrifying?
Sean Yu added, “Lostlake Peacocks are incredibly fast, but not very smart. When hunted, they love to flee back to their nest. Their nests are usually in places rich with divine energy and quite safe. If you find a Lostlake Peacock’s nest, you might get more than one bird. Once you catch a peacock, you can use that area as the center to carve out your own safe zone.”
[This chapter is not yet finished~ Please click the next page to continue reading the exciting story!]
After saying this, Sean Yu finally turned and left.
From Sean Yu’s words, Joe Di realized that there were probably no Lostlake Peacocks left in this area. Sean Yu had been catching them here for hundreds of years—any peacock found now would just be passing through.
Joe Di didn’t follow Sean Yu’s advice. After leaving Sean Yu’s territory, his divine sense quickly detected a Lostlake Peacock.
Lostlake Peacocks were indeed fast—and beautiful. Aside from their tails, their bodies were a vivid blue-green, and their tail feathers shimmered with seven colors. When their tails spread, they looked just like peacocks.
Joe Di’s divine sense had just locked onto the Lostlake Peacock, but it was already about to escape his range. If Sean Yu were here, he’d probably have to give up too. Joe Di wasn’t chasing peacocks at the edge of his divine sense—no one in this area could catch a Lostlake Peacock at the edge of their range.
Yet Joe Di didn’t even use his rule-escape technique—he simply performed two divine sense shifts, and the Lostlake Peacock appeared clearly within his perception.
The Lostlake Peacock clearly realized Joe Di was chasing it and let out a sharp cry, its speed suddenly doubling.
But no matter how fast the Lostlake Peacock was, it couldn’t escape from Joe Di.
In less than half an incense stick’s time, Joe Di’s divine sense locked onto the Lostlake Peacock. The bird seemed to realize it couldn’t escape, so it turned and flew straight toward a small island—not very large, but likely its nest.
Just as Sean Yu had said, there wasn’t just one Lostlake Peacock here—there were two.
The Lostlake Peacock Joe Di had chased back wasn’t looking at him in terror. Instead, it nestled tightly with another peacock. The one already on the island clung just as closely to the one that had fled here.
It was clearly a male and a female. Only then did Joe Di understand what Sean Yu meant.
A surge of indescribable emotion welled up in Joe Di’s heart. When hunted, the Lostlake Peacock knew returning would mean both would die, yet it never hesitated. It would rather die together than leave its mate to a lifetime of loneliness.
Joe Di’s divine sense fell upon the World Tome, and he saw the Lostlake Peacock recorded there. In the World Tome, this kind of peacock also had another name: Azure Peacock.
Once born, these peacocks search for their other half. Once they find their mate, they never separate. If one dies, the other will take its own life.
Silently, Joe Di tossed a ring to the Lostlake Peacock he’d chased back, then turned and left.
No matter how valuable the Azure Peacock was, he couldn’t bring himself to kill either one.