After saying these words, Joe Di was determined to kill Henry Yue. Henry Yue had likely discovered something and suspected that he possessed a technique for tempering divine sense. Since that was the case, he had to act quickly and eliminate him.
It wasn't Kun Sect that he feared, but rather Lord Goldwin, the ruler of the Heavenly Gold Domain.
The surrounding cultivators did not doubt Joe Di's words. Previously, Joe Di claimed not to know the two bound cultivators, but that was merely to mislead Henry Yue. Since he couldn't fool him, there was nothing left but to fight.
Many people were eagerly anticipating the battle between Joe Di and Henry Yue. Joe Di had once ranked in the top ten of the Genius List, and a few years ago entered the top hundred of the Sea List. With Joe Di's rate of progress, perhaps he could really exchange a few blows with Henry Yue.
As for Joe Di defeating Henry Yue, no one believed it possible.
"Haha..." Henry Yue laughed heartily, grabbing a Universe Thorn. "You really do have guts!"
No one doubted Henry Yue's words. After all, he was ranked second on the Cauldron List and at the ninth level of Cauldron Ascendant Stage. Even a cultivator at the early Tribulation Realm might not be his match.
"Enough talk. Face my blade!" Joe Di stepped forward, and his Azure Veil Blade slashed down.
The distance of more than ten zhang between him and Henry Yue vanished in a single step. In an instant, the Azure Veil Blade transformed into a terrifying killing intent, sweeping toward Henry Yue.
All the cultivators watching were stunned by Joe Di's strike. They could only see a blade light tearing through heaven and earth, filling the space around them. Their divine sense could not penetrate it at all.
Only now did they realize just how powerful Red Tassel Joe truly was. This kind of blade intent was something they had never witnessed before.
The relentless Bleakwind Blade intent swept in, sending a chill through Henry Yue. His scalp felt as if it were about to explode. At this moment, his expression changed dramatically—Joe Di was definitely not a Seabreaker Stage cultivator. Not only was he not at the Seabreaker Stage, he was at least at the Cauldron Ascendant Stage. No, not even that...
When he realized Joe Di might be at the Tribulation King Stage, Henry Yue dared not be careless for even a moment. He unleashed the Universe Thorn, which trembled in the air, transforming into a colossal spike that looked capable of piercing a planet.
Even with his Universe Thorn fully activated, Henry Yue still felt no confidence. Joe Di's blade carried an unstoppable momentum, making him feel as though he stood on a battlefield among thousands of warriors. The killing intent of an entire army seemed to converge in that single strike. Under such relentless blade intent, there was nowhere to hide—he had to block this attack to even hope for escape.
Boom! The blade intent crashed into the colossal spike, and spiritual energy exploded across the sky, causing waves of space to ripple. Several Void Spirit cultivators instinctively retreated.
The violent backlash of spiritual energy sent Henry Yue's Universe Thorn flying, even shaking the divine sense imprint he had left on it. Blood spurted from his mouth, and his spiritual sea buzzed with pain.
If anyone else were in this situation, their only thought would be to flee—immediately.
But Henry Yue was a veteran of countless battles, having slain many cultivators above his level. He knew that with Joe Di's killing momentum, trying to escape now would only hasten his death. Besides, he had a trump card—though he hated to use it, he had no choice.
The Universe Thorn split into countless shadowy spikes. What puzzled Joe Di was that these shadows didn't strike at him, but instead swept toward Henry Yue himself.
Could it be that Henry Yue knew he was no match and was trying to commit suicide? That was absolutely impossible.
Just as Joe Di thought of this, a sense of deadly crisis swept over him. There was no way Henry Yue was trying to kill himself—Joe Di's Azure Veil Blade transformed into a blade curtain, enveloping himself as well.
In that moment, he understood—Henry Yue's Universe Thorn wasn't an act of suicide, but a shield.
Battles shifted in an instant, and these things happened in mere moments. By the time Joe Di realized it, it was already too late.
Boom! A terrifying Domain Spirit Sword Intent swept down upon Joe Di, so overwhelming that even cultivators below the Void Spirit Stage, standing far away, spat blood and retreated in panic.
Crack! Joe Di's blade curtain shattered. The sword intent was only slightly hindered before it surged toward Joe Di once more.
Joe Di slashed out with his Azure Veil Blade, blade intent and sword intent clashing yet again. The blade intent exploded, and at that very moment, the Azure Veil Blade's grade soared, advancing to a mid-grade spiritual weapon.
At this point, Joe Di had no time to rejoice over his Azure Veil Blade's advancement. The sword intent, after being blocked twice, still pierced straight into his chest without any resistance.
Boom! The Cosmic Flame within Joe Di's body wrapped around the sword intent. The power of his ninth-grade flame erupted, burning the invading sword intent to ashes.
Pain surged through his body, and Joe Di exhaled, staring at Henry Yue standing several zhang away. That sword intent definitely wasn't Henry Yue's—even a Transforming True Stage cultivator couldn't have refined it. The only possibility was that it was forged by a Domain Stage expert.
Henry Yue looked just as battered. Despite unleashing the sword intent, the backlash forced him to cough up blood.
He sighed inwardly. Originally, he hadn't wanted to kill Joe Di—he still wanted to capture him and ask about the method for refining divine sense. Unfortunately, Joe Di's strength far exceeded his expectations, forcing him to use his trump card: Domain Spirit Sword Intent.
Once the Domain Spirit Sword Intent was unleashed, no matter how strong Joe Di was, he would be torn to pieces, his soul utterly destroyed.
When the sword intent faded, Henry Yue saw the gravely wounded Joe Di still standing before him, his eyes filled with disbelief. Impossible—absolutely impossible! This sword intent was left behind by an ancient Domain Stage swordmaster. Even a Transforming True Stage cultivator would have been torn apart by it.
"Since you struck me with a sword, it's my turn to hit you back." Joe Di couldn't even be bothered to wipe the blood from his lips. He stood his ground and threw a punch straight out.
If not for his ninth-grade divine body, and if he didn't possess a ninth-grade Cosmic Flame... Even with the Skyveil and Azure Veil Blade defending him, his body would have been torn apart by that sword intent.
With a single punch, the surrounding space itself began to suffocate...
Mountains gathered like peaks, waves surged with fury!
Under the violent wind of his punch, everything was flattened, transformed into an endless Dao. This was—Shanhe Biaoli, the Tongguan Road!
Boom! One after another, fist-shaped mountains crashed forth, the space itself crushed beneath their gathering peaks.
Henry Yue forgot the terrifying oppression—or perhaps he knew that even if he tried to escape, he couldn't outrun this devastating punch. He could only mutter, "Impossible..."
As the fist-shaped mountains bore down on him, he finally snapped back to awareness, a look of utter hopelessness flickering in his eyes.
He had never imagined he would die at the hands of a nobody. Henry Yue was second on the Cauldron List not only because of his talent, but also because he was more cautious and experienced than others.
Whenever he formed a team, Henry Yue never suffered losses—his calculations always kept him ahead. Today, he waited here for Joe Di, certain that Joe Di was no match for him. Even if Joe Di's cultivation was higher, his trump card would still easily finish him.
Transforming True Stage cultivators weren't even allowed on Little Central Star. No matter how strong Joe Di was, he couldn't be at that stage. In fact, his Domain Spirit Sword Intent was enough to handle even Transforming True Stage cultivators.
But now, he had miscalculated. Joe Di's strength far surpassed anything he had imagined—even surviving the Domain Spirit Sword Intent. This shattered the confidence Henry Yue had built over years, and for a cultivator, losing confidence was the most terrifying thing of all.
Bang! The massive fist-shaped mountain struck Henry Yue, shattering his body. Before his primordial spirit could escape, a second fist-mountain crashed down, obliterating his soul. And it didn't end there—a third fist-mountain swept in...
After the peaks converged, all that remained was a flat plain. In front of Joe Di, not even Henry Yue's clothes were left—only a pool of blood. Joe Di reached out and collected a ring. If he hadn't wanted it, not even a bloodstain would have remained on the boulder.
Joe Di waved his hand, and the man and woman tied to the pillar were gently placed on the ground. To him, Henry Yue's restriction was child's play.
The female cultivator clearly understood why Joe Di had saved them—he'd used them as a pretext to kill Henry Yue. After all, Henry Yue was an Inner Elder of Kun Sect, one of the five great sects. If Joe Di had killed him without reason, it would have caused public outrage. But if they were Joe Di's friends, his actions would be justified.
"Zhong Yu thanks you for saving us, big brother. Without you, my husband and I would never have escaped this calamity." The woman bowed in gratitude.
The man also bowed, saying, "Yuan Jia thanks Senior Brother Di for your kindness. I have something to tell you."
Joe Di nodded. Zhong Yu was clever and seemed to understand his intentions. This couple were both at the third and first levels of the Seabreaker Stage—their talent was not bad.
He said casually, "We'll talk about other things later. Do you know what's going on with Cultivator's Mount?"
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends—and one more request for your monthly votes!)