After being teleported back to Cauldron Haven, Joe Di didn't even have time to return to his own restaurant before Quentin Qu dragged him to the Cauldron Alchemy Guild.
Quentin Qu's first question was once again, "Joe Di, are you truly an Immortal Pill Emperor?"
Joe Di originally wanted to say no, but seeing Quentin Qu's anxious tone and incredulous expression, he asked in confusion, "Guild Master, do you think it's impossible for me to become an Immortal Pill Emperor?"
Quentin Qu sighed and said, "Yes, at least I have never seen anyone in the Four Immortal Continents, or within their range, become an Immortal Pill Emperor."
"Isn't the Guild Master an Immortal Pill Emperor?" Joe Di looked at Quentin Qu in confusion. Quentin Qu was recognized as an Immortal Pill Emperor, so how could he not be one?
Quentin Qu sighed again, "I've only ever refined one batch of Grade Nine Immortal Pills. After that, I've never managed to refine even a single Grade Nine Immortal Pill again."
Joe Di frowned as well. He recalled that he had failed dozens of times trying to refine Grade Nine Immortal Pills. Could it be that the cosmic laws of this universe are incomplete?
"Guild Master, could it be that the alchemy laws of this universe are incomplete, so there are no Immortal Pill Emperors?" Joe Di asked as soon as the thought occurred to him.
Quentin Qu shook his head. "It has nothing to do with the cosmic laws, since there are plenty of Immortal Emperors in this universe. I suspect it has to do with ascension. Grade Nine Immortal Pills touch upon Dao opportunity, and after the ascension grounds of the Four Immortal Continents disappeared, no cultivators have ascended..."
Joe Di clasped his fists and said, "Guild Master, although I can refine nine-pattern Grade Eight Immortal Pills, I am indeed not a Grade Nine Pill Emperor. I am only a Grade Eight Immortal Pill Venerable. Previously, I tried refining nearly thirty batches of Grade Nine Immortal Pills, and without exception, all of them failed."
"You can refine Nine-Pattern Grade Eight Immortal Pills?" Quentin Qu asked excitedly again.
Before Joe Di could answer, Sam Shen on the side said, "Yes, Guild Master, Pill Emperor Joe refined a Nine-Pattern Exalt Will Pill."
Although Sam Shen hadn't seen the Nine-Pattern Exalt Will Pill himself, Joe Di had used it in a transaction before, so it was clearly refined by him.
"No wonder..." Quentin Qu finally understood why Joe Di wasn't a Grade Nine Immortal Pill Emperor, even though everyone thought he was.
An Immortal Pill Venerable who can refine Nine-Pattern Exalt Will Pills is entirely different from a regular Grade Eight Immortal Pill Venerable.
After a long contemplation, Quentin Qu suddenly took out an ancient book from his ring and handed it to Joe Di. "Joe Di, these are some of my insights into alchemy, since I once succeeded in refining a batch of Grade Nine Immortal Pills. Take a look, it might help you."
"Thank you, Guild Master. This book is very useful to me." Joe Di quickly stood up to accept the book. After dozens of failed attempts at refining Grade Nine Immortal Pills, he was eager to see how others succeeded.
"Joe Di, I plan to search for the ascension grounds. Only you can truly support the Cauldron Alchemy Guild. I hope you will take over as the next Guild Master." Seeing Joe Di accept his book, Quentin Qu was overjoyed and quickly shared his true feelings.
Joe Di hurriedly waved his hand, "Guild Master, even if you go searching for the ascension grounds, you can still remain Guild Master. I have a lot on my plate and will be traveling far soon. I'm afraid I can't handle the Guild's affairs."
Quentin Qu's tone grew somber. "Joe Di, this time when I leave, I might never have the chance to return. You can entrust the Guild's matters to Sam Shen..."
Joe Di understood Quentin Qu's meaning and simply said, "Guild Master, I hope you can delay your search for the ascension grounds for a few years. Once I've handled matters here, I'll go into seclusion for a while. In the future, I'll go with you. I'm skilled in array formations and have studied cosmic laws, so I might be able to help."
"That's right, Guild Master. Pill Emperor Joe is telling the truth—his mastery of formation arrays is the strongest I've ever seen," Sam Shen quickly added from the side.
Quentin Qu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "In that case, Joe Di will serve as the Protector of the Guild. Protector Joe, feel free to take care of your own matters. I'll look after Cauldron Haven; there won't be any problems."
Joe Di quickly thanked him, "Thank you, Guild Master. I'll return to Peace Inn first. Once I've made arrangements, I need to repair the teleportation array to Quadrant Immortal Continent."
Nate Shee's ring was also a true spirit world. Not only did Joe Di obtain a large amount of cultivation resources from Nate Shee's ring, but most importantly, he got the vital Severed Earth he urgently needed.
With Severed Earth, and with Zhong Ao's help, he could finally perfect the teleportation array to Quadrant Immortal Continent. It had been many years since he left there, and he wondered how his Starhaven City was doing. Had his sister Di Di already ascended to the Immortal Realm...?
Only after handling these matters would he join Quentin Qu in searching for the ascension grounds.
As for Cauldron Haven, Joe Di believed that with his current reputation, no one would dare to provoke him.
...
Joe Di brought Zhong Ao to Peace Plaza, and the first thing he saw was a long-haired young man sitting outside the plaza.
The protective array around Peace Plaza was set up by him, and with his understanding of spatial laws, he instantly judged that this long-haired young man had been sitting here for quite some time.
"What are you doing sitting here?" Joe Di asked with a puzzled frown. Even if one wanted to cultivate, they could sit inside Peace Plaza—there's no restriction against it.
"I'm waiting for someone," the long-haired young man replied calmly.
Joe Di chuckled, "Even if you're waiting for someone, you can wait inside Peace Plaza. The immortal spirit energy inside is far richer than outside. And as long as you don't stay at the inn, waiting in the plaza is free."
The long-haired young man snorted coldly, "Even if my cultivation regresses every day, I, Ian Yan, wouldn't dare use the immortal spirit energy of Peace Plaza. I'm just here to wait for two beasts to come out so I can kill them. Peace Inn may protect them, but I don't believe it can do so forever."
Joe Di's tone grew cold as well. "You're just an Immortal King. Even if you don't kill anyone at my Peace Plaza, if you try to kill someone elsewhere in Cauldron Haven, it's still a dead end for you."
This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!
After saying this, Joe Di ignored Ian Yan and stepped directly into the plaza.
Almost as soon as Joe Di stepped into the plaza, a man and a woman rushed out from Peace Inn, both with extreme joy on their faces.
Ian Yan saw the pair rush out and immediately summoned his long halberd, which transformed into a flurry of halberd shadows, sweeping toward the two.
Joe Di's expression darkened. The rules prohibiting fighting at Peace Plaza were written clearly, yet this long-haired youth still dared to make a move.
However, Ian Yan was acting on the edge of Peace Plaza, skirting the boundary between breaking and not breaking the rules.
"Hmph, you've got nerve, daring to attack my disciple..." With this cold snort, a massive handprint struck toward Ian Yan.
A terrifying pressure swept over, and Ian Yan found that even moving was now a luxury. Despair flickered in his eyes as he watched the handprint descending toward his head.
Joe Di casually tossed out a formation flag, and the defensive array on Peace Plaza erupted with a white beam, blasting toward the handprint.
Bang! The powerful immortal essence handprint was instantly shattered.
The long-haired youth felt the pressure ease and quickly retreated several steps, entering Peace Plaza.
"Master, he's the one who tried to kill us! Earlier, Senior Brother Jing and I were severely wounded by him and nearly died," the young woman urgently said to a thin man who had just arrived.
The thin man didn't bother looking at Joe Di or Zhong Ao. He stepped into Peace Plaza, murderous intent in his eyes as he stared at Ian Yan. "You've got guts, daring to attack my disciples."
After saying this, the thin man finally glanced at Zhong Ao beside Joe Di. "I am Hugh Hayes of the Thundercrest Sect. I was disciplining the man who injured my disciples—why did you intervene, fellow Daoist?"
"Master, this is Peace Inn—fighting is not allowed here," the female cultivator hurriedly transmitted to Hugh Hayes. She knew her master had just returned from the outer realms and wasn't familiar with Cauldron Haven's rules.
Thundercrest Sect? Joe Di deeply disliked that name. He snorted, "This is Peace Inn's territory. Trash from Thundercrest Sect isn't welcome here. Get lost."
"Haha, I've only been away for a few decades, and the world has changed so much. Even an ant dares to tell me to get lost. Let's see if you have the qualifications..." The thin man finished speaking and reached for Joe Di.
"Old Zhong, this old guy is just too noisy. My ears are getting annoyed..." Joe Di said as he dug at his ear.
Zhong Ao chuckled and sent a vital energy handprint grabbing forward.
Joe Di knew Zhong Ao was far stronger than the opponent, but to grab him with a vital energy handprint still required his cooperation.
A rule formation flag was set up, and the spatial trapping array of Peace Plaza instantly activated. The space around Hugh Hayes thickened, and combined with Zhong Ao's domain, he was completely restrained—at that moment, Hugh Hayes found it nearly impossible to move.
He could only watch helplessly as, despite being a sixth-tier Immortal Emperor, he was grabbed by the throat and lifted by a seemingly ordinary cultivator he'd never seen before.
(That's all for today's update, friends. Good night!)