"That woman was definitely a Dao Fusion Realm cultivator. She ambushed me, and in my haste to retaliate, I suffered backlash—my Dao rhythm became blocked, and my Dao Foundation collapsed. However, my instant counterattack after being ambushed left her seriously wounded as well. Even so, she still had the power to kill me. Just when I thought I was doomed and was preparing to seek reincarnation, Elder Yale, the Grand Elder of Winterhold Valley, happened to pass by and saved me." Charlotte Ling sighed as she recounted this.
She was simply too unlucky. If she had just one more chance, she would at least be a top Dao Fusion Realm expert by now, instead of ending up in such a miserable situation.
Di Jiu asked, "Afterward, did you follow Elder Yale to Winterhold Valley in the Taiji Realm?"
Charlotte Ling nodded, "Yes. Elder Yale was also injured after saving me. He said that since my Dao Foundation was destroyed, I might as well come to Winterhold Valley with him to recover. While Winterhold Valley may not heal me completely, at least my injuries wouldn't worsen there."
"Was that woman still formidable after being injured?" Di Jiu followed up.
Charlotte Ling shook her head, "I felt her strength was average. In fact, if she hadn't ambushed me at the exact moment I stepped into Dao Fusion Realm, I could have killed her outright. Even so, she was severely injured by my retaliation."
"How did Elder Yale fare in his fight against her?" Di Jiu pressed.
Charlotte Ling clearly remembered that scene vividly and answered immediately, "Elder Yale attacked her first. Because she was injured and slow to react, she was wounded again. But that woman was terrifying—she charged at Elder Yale, locked him within her domain, and then self-destructed. Elder Yale was gravely injured by her self-destruction."
Di Jiu immediately caught on to the crucial point, "Charlotte, let me ask you a few questions. According to what you said, the woman who ambushed you was already seriously injured, and Elder Yale was also gravely wounded by her self-destruction. So, does that mean she had no chance to escape at all? Otherwise, why would she choose to self-destruct?"
Charlotte Ling was stunned, then frowned. At the time, Elder Yale was blocking the entrance to the protective array of the cave residence, and the woman who ambushed her had been seriously injured by backlash. Still, if that woman had tried her utmost to flee, there was at least a glimmer of hope.
"At the time, her chances of escaping were slim, but there was still a faint possibility," Charlotte Ling admitted frankly.
Joe Di chuckled, "That woman ambushed you clearly to seize something from you, or perhaps to take your opportunity. Such people are always ambitious—they would never self-destruct so easily. Yet from what you said, when Elder Yale fought her, she self-destructed after just a single attack from him. That doesn't add up."
Charlotte Ling was taken aback. She understood what Joe Di meant, but quickly shook her head and said, "That's impossible. Elder Yale was badly injured, and he even forced that woman to self-destruct."
She was unwilling to speculate on the darker side of human nature, nor did she believe Elder Yale had ulterior motives or would even collaborate with that woman against her. To achieve his goal, he wouldn't go so far as to kill his own companion.
Joe Di continued, "Here's the thing: Elder Yale said your injuries wouldn't worsen in Winterhold Valley, but in reality, they've clearly deteriorated here."
Charlotte Ling could only say, "Brother Joe, Elder Yale must have genuinely wanted to save me. In my condition, even surviving in the void would have been nearly impossible. He brought me to Winterhold Valley probably to help me. Perhaps even he didn't realize my injuries were beyond recovery. I know there are many treacherous people in the universe, but I still believe there is more goodness than evil. I've met many kind and selfless friends who have helped me greatly."
She was gently reminding Joe Di that while it's wise to be cautious, one shouldn't go overboard—otherwise, it would only wear oneself out.
Joe Di replied calmly, "If I were as trusting as you, I can't imagine how many times I'd have been taken advantage of. Now, I'm certain Elder Yale harbors ill intent toward you, and I know you possess something he desperately wants—even if I don't know where you're keeping it."
If this had been long ago, Charlotte Ling would never have continued the conversation with Joe Di. But now, she was no longer the naive girl she once was.
After a moment of contemplation, she looked seriously at Joe Di and asked, "Brother Joe, since you say this, you must have your reasons, right?"
"That's right," Joe Di said. "Do you remember when I asked you if you'd cultivated here, and even confirmed that you'd practiced here before?"
"Yes, but I haven't cultivated here," Charlotte Ling replied in confusion.
"That's exactly where the problem lies," Joe Di sneered. "I'm extremely sensitive to the laws of heaven and earth. Winterhold Valley's laws contain a unique aura, and even though you say you haven't cultivated here, I can sense that aura within you."
In fact, what Joe Di sensed wasn't some special law aura, but the fundamental Dao rhythm of the laws. Every place's laws of heaven and earth are constructed from countless basic laws, and Winterhold Valley is no exception.
Joe Di cultivated the Dao of Laws, and his understanding of various fundamental laws was extremely profound. As long as he was present, he could clearly sense them. It was precisely because he detected Winterhold Valley's fundamental Dao rhythm on Charlotte Ling that he suspected she had cultivated here.
Since Charlotte Ling hadn't cultivated here, the only possibility was that before she was injured, she fought with a cultivator from Winterhold Valley, and the fundamental Dao rhythm from that cultivator's attack still lingered within her.
"Ah..." Charlotte Ling exclaimed, then frowned. If anyone else had said this, she might have thought it was just mysticism. Could someone really sense the aura contained in the laws of heaven and earth? That sounded far-fetched. Yet she didn't doubt Joe Di at all—her trust was instinctive.
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Just as Charlotte Ling was thinking about how coincidental Elder Yale's timing was, Joe Di said, "Don't you think Elder Yale's arrival was a little too perfect? If he'd come any later, you might have already left—whether it was your soul or your consciousness that left."
"But it wasn't Elder Yale who ambushed me. Could that woman have been from Winterhold Valley too? After I arrived, I only heard that Winterhold Valley had produced one Dao Fusion Realm expert—Elder Yale himself." Charlotte Ling was increasingly puzzled, her confidence shaken by Joe Di's words.
Joe Di replied calmly, "I can't be sure yet, but once I meet Elder Yale, I'll know immediately whether that woman was really him."
"What?" Charlotte Ling was shocked, but quickly regained her composure. Joe Di's words weren't that mysterious. Still, Elder Yale was a male cultivator—how could a man cultivate an avatar technique into a woman?
Seeing Charlotte Ling's expression, Joe Di knew she had guessed what he was about to say, and continued, "I suspect Elder Yale practices an avatar technique, and that woman was likely his avatar. Let me clarify a few points for you to confirm: First, did he arrive to save you especially quickly? Because the greatest strength of an avatar is this ability to instantly transfer."
Second, after that woman was gravely injured, she wrapped herself around him and self-destructed. After she self-destructed, was there nothing left of her? If so, that fits—the self-destruction of an avatar would also injure the main body. I suspect Elder Yale absorbed all the Dao rhythm, essence, and blood from the avatar's self-destruction. Although he was injured, a retreat of ten thousand years or so would see him recover. If I'm right, Elder Yale should be back to full strength very soon. If it was a real Dao Fusion Realm cultivator who self-destructed, not his own avatar, then even ten thousand years wouldn't be enough to recover more than a fifth of his strength."
Charlotte Ling took a deep breath. Suddenly, she understood why Valley Master Quinn Su hesitated when Joe Di asked her to let Charlotte leave. She had never considered leaving before, but if she had wanted to, she probably wouldn't have been able to escape.