Joe Di hurriedly took out a jade box and handed it to Rona Snow, then apologized, "I had planned to discuss Dao with Immortal Emperor Rongxue, but just after returning to Cauldron Haven, I learned of something major. I must leave immediately. Before I go, please accept this..."
Hearing that Joe Di sat down without giving anyone a chance to speak, the blush on Ivy Snow's ears instantly faded, and her face turned slightly pale. She knew very well why her master brought her here today. In fact, she did not object in her heart. She deeply admired Joe Di's style and methods, and even more so his innate talent. The first time at Magic Garment Mountain, Joe Di hadn't given her master a chance to speak; now, once again, Joe Di did the same.
Rona Snow also frowned slightly. Twice now, Joe Di had not given her a chance to speak. She even suspected that Joe Di knew her intentions and was deliberately preventing her from speaking.
Yet with Ivy's beauty and talent, she should not be unworthy of Joe Di. Why was Joe Di acting this way?
"By the way, why are the two Guildmasters of the Alchemist Association not here?" Joe Di ignored Rona Snow and Ivy Snow's expressions. Thinking of Quentin Qu and Sam Shen, he turned to ask Miles Silent again.
The Realmshatter Talisman Quentin Qu gave him carried traces of a toxic rune. He wanted to ask where exactly this talisman came from.
Miles Silent quickly replied, "After the Alchemy Emperor returned from Radiant Immortal Continent’s Huanghu Palace, Cauldron Haven's Alchemist Association became even more prosperous. Alchemists from all over flocked here, causing the price of immortal pills in Cauldron Haven to drop. This attracted more and more cultivators to the city. With Cauldron Haven’s fairness and justice, the city has grown ever more bustling.
Not long after the two Guildmasters returned from Thunder Court Immortal Continent, Guildmaster Quentin Qu left Cauldron Haven. After he left, there was no news for decades. Deputy Guildmaster Sam Shen was worried and also left the city but likewise did not return. Right now, I am barely managing the Association myself."
"Do you know where they went?" Joe Di felt something was wrong, but couldn't pinpoint it.
Miles Silent shook his head, "I don't know. I only heard Deputy Guildmaster Sam Shen say that Guildmaster Quentin Qu wanted to resolve an old grudge, and then neither of them returned."
"Mayor Silent, focus your efforts on managing Cauldron Haven. Let the Alchemist Association elect a new Guildmaster on their own." Joe Di felt that having Miles Silent run the Association was not beneficial for its development.
"Yes, I will make sure to handle this matter well." Miles Silent quickly bowed in response.
"Also, you know Garrett, right? After he came to Cauldron Haven, where did he leave from?" The crystal ball Garrett left behind showed a strange place. Although it was said to be the Quadrant Immortal Continent, there was nothing familiar about it.
Miles Silent quickly nodded, "I know, but after he left Cauldron Haven, he didn't tell me where he was going."
Joe Di did not ask further, but instead apologized to the pale-faced Rona Snow, "Friend Rona, I truly have urgent matters. When I return next time, I will personally visit to apologize. Please excuse me for now."
After saying this, Joe Di did not wait for Rona Snow to respond. With a flicker of his figure, he had already disappeared.
Miles Silent also offered an apologetic farewell and hurried after Joe Di. Since Joe Di was about to use the teleportation array, Miles needed to ensure its timely operation.
......
After Joe Di left, Rona Snow, whose complexion had been poor, actually returned to her normal self. She sighed and said, "Ivy, let's go."
With that, she took the lead and stepped out of Cauldron Haven.
"Master..." Ivy Snow felt a bit aggrieved. She was, after all, considered the greatest beauty in the region, yet she was so thoroughly ignored.
Rona Snow shook her head, "You and he simply have no fate... Eh?"
As she uttered the word "Eh?", Rona Snow stopped and looked at the jade box in her hand in astonishment.
"What is it, Master?" Ivy Snow asked quickly.
Rona Snow opened the jade box and said in disbelief, "Joe Di gave me an Abyssal Dao Fruit. This..."
The most precious thing in the Immortal Realm is, naturally, the Abyssal Dao Fruit. Yet now Joe Di had casually given one to her, someone with only a modest connection to him. What did this mean? If Joe Di and Ivy had settled things, that would be another matter.
"Ah..." Ivy Snow stared blankly at the Abyssal Dao Fruit in the jade box, her heart skipping a beat. Suddenly, she wondered if Joe Di was interested in her master.
Ivy Snow was raised and taught by Rona Snow from childhood, so Rona Snow could easily guess Ivy's thoughts. She tapped Ivy on the head, "What nonsense are you thinking? Joe Di is likely about to leave this realm soon. If I'm not mistaken, he probably also gave one to Master Bowie Zhou."
"Why?" Ivy Snow asked instinctively.
Rona Snow put away the jade box and sighed, "Perhaps in this Immortal Domain, only the two of us are worthy of his regard. Joe Di is broad-minded, far beyond me. His hurried departure is surely not a ploy, but truly an urgent matter. I believe that if he didn't want to, he'd say so to our faces, rather than resort to such means."
"Then Master..."
Rona Snow shook her head, "I won't mention your matter to him again. Let the Dao decide what happens in the future. If you and he are destined, you will be together. If not, bringing it up may only create flaws. Sometimes, letting things take their natural course is best."
......
Joe Di returned once more to the Quadrant Immortal Continent, and it was clearly different from before. Now, the continent had basically regained the appearance of a normal Immortal Realm. Except for the sparse population, everywhere was vibrant and full of life.
Starhaven City had become the foremost city of the Quadrant Immortal Continent, and outside its gates stood a giant statue of Joe Di. He guessed it was built by the people of Starhaven City after he left.
Joe Di did not enter the city. His divine sense had already swept over Starhaven City and found no new arrivals. Even the few newcomers were certainly not from the True Domain or the Five Continents. As for Nora Xiu, his sister Dee Di, or even Garrett, Joe Di was sure they had not come to Starhaven City. If they had, he would have sensed their presence.
Since Garrett referred to the place as the Quadrant Immortal Continent, it must be somewhere within it. Joe Di guessed it was likely in one of its corners.
The Quadrant Immortal Continent is so vast that to find this place, he would have to search the entire continent and compare every corner.
Fortunately, his Five Elements Escape Art and Divine Sense Escape Art were both powerful, and he had even evolved the Starspace Spiritual Sea, making his divine sense formidable. Searching the whole continent was unimaginable for others, but for Joe Di, it was not an impossible task.
Thinking of the Five Elements Escape Art, Joe Di suddenly recalled Jaden Dai. That art was left by Jaden Dai—could there be a hidden trap? This was no trivial matter. When he had time, he must thoroughly examine his Five Elements Escape Art to see if Jaden Dai had tampered with it.
Someone like Jaden Dai would never leave such a top-tier divine art like the Five Elements Escape Art behind for no reason. If he intended to harm someone, why would he gift them this technique?
Thanks to his Divine Sense Escape Art, Joe Di did not need to find a special place to study the Five Elements Escape Art. He barely needed to use it; just with his Divine Sense Escape Art alone, Joe Di was able to traverse almost the entire Quadrant Immortal Continent in just three months.
What disappointed Joe Di was that, in three months, he even entered the Skyveil Pit again. During these months, he saw the vibrant life of the Quadrant Immortal Continent and witnessed countless rare treasures of heaven and earth.
The only thing he failed to find was any trace left by Garrett in the location orb. This made Joe Di a bit annoyed with Garrett—if he was going to leave a crystal orb, why not leave the entrance location as well?
Logically, Garrett shouldn't be so careless. How could he forget the way into the place where the crystal orb was left?
No, if that place was so secretive that even veteran Immortal Lords were enslaved, how did Garrett escape and return to Cauldron Haven?
If Garrett had an advantage over others, it was only his lightning-based attacks. Garrett possessed a mutated lightning spirit root, with a thunder affinity nearly unmatched...
Lightning! Joe Di once again thought of Stormhaven Island.
He had entered and exited Stormhaven Island twice and was quite familiar with it, so he hadn't considered it before. Maybe it really was connected to Stormhaven Island. With this thought, Joe Di's figure flickered as he sped toward Stormhaven Island.
(That's all for today's update, friends. Good night! My cough is so bad my organs are about to come out. As for the updates, please forgive me if you can, and if you can't, there's nothing I can do. Ten years of writing, always trading my health for rice money. My health is much worse now than a few years ago. Good night.)