"Do you still want a trace of my soul imprint?" Joe Di stepped forward, mocking as he stared at Eugene Yi the Wanderer.
A layer of grayness clouded Eugene Yi the Wanderer's eyes. He cupped his fists toward Joe Di. "This matter was my fault." With those words, he turned and left, vanishing from the plaza in an instant.
Eugene Yi the Wanderer was actually no match for Joe Di's single strike? The countless cultivators who had lived for ages on the plaza were stunned. It was as if they once again saw the figure of a mighty warrior from the great battle before Mountainview years ago. Those who had originally thought Joe Di was a dead man now looked at him with newfound respect and awe.
They understood clearly that a powerhouse like Joe Di, even if he were to fall one day, had nothing to do with them. And if such a powerhouse stepped into the Third Step, he would become a supreme being of the universe.
Some Third Step powerhouses knew that Joe Di hadn’t just used a single strike, but had fused two divine arts together. Yet even so, they were equally shocked—someone like Joe Di could still appear in the post-Creation Era.
Eugene Yi had lost the Golden Page World, fallen and been reborn, leaving his strength barely a tenth of what it once was. But even so, Eugene Yi was no ordinary Dao Integration cultivator. That Joe Di could effortlessly crush Eugene Yi showed just how terrifying his power was.
To them, the Gate of Creation would never open again. Without the Gate of Creation, they were living in the post-Creation Era. Even if they cultivated to the Third Step or succeeded in merging realms, it was impossible for anyone to truly step into the Creation Realm.
With no one able to reach the Creation Realm, when Joe Di eventually attains the Third Step, he may well control this universe and become its supreme powerhouse.
They knew why Joe Di hadn’t killed Eugene Yi. In fact, even if Joe Di had killed him, most would not risk offending someone as boundlessly promising as Joe Di for Eugene Yi’s sake.
"Brother Joe, you’ve become so powerful..." Lord Voidbreaker stared at Joe Di in shock, unable to imagine how strong Joe Di had become after Dao Integration.
Before Joe Di reached Dao Integration, he seemed about the same as Lord Voidbreaker. Now, Lord Voidbreaker was certain that he was far, far inferior to Joe Di.
Joe Di patted Eugene Yi's shoulder. "I'm going to find my beast companion. I'll come back to rescue you soon."
"I believe in you." At this moment, Lord Voidbreaker was filled with confidence in Joe Di.
"Daoist Di, this matter was my fault." A humble voice came from nearby, and Joe Di saw Bolt rush over.
Bolt knew Joe Di had come to rescue him. He also knew it was his own lack of strength that led to this situation. After calling out to Joe Di, Bolt hung his head in shame. While others kept spirit beasts as helpers, Bolt had not only failed to help, but had been captured here, causing Joe Di to waste time searching for him.
Joe Di swept Bolt with his divine sense, confirming he was unharmed. With a wave of his hand, Bolt was sent into the Ninth World. In a battle, Bolt would be of no help here.
Throughout this process, Joe Di said nothing. Instead, Lord Voidbreaker burst out laughing. "Harold Yu, you finally got what you deserved! Weren't you always the one who never returned what you swallowed? Today you’ve come running like a grandson! Hahaha..."
The one who brought Bolt was a man with a purple crown and pale face. He ignored Lord Voidbreaker, saluted Joe Di with an Immortal Head greeting, and said, "Dao Lord Di, in the universe, strength reigns supreme. I did not know your true power before and was disrespectful. I apologize to you now. I have no enmity with you, only fondness for Bolt, but I swear I never harmed him."
Harold Yu had long heard Bolt mention Joe Di's name and had been threatened by Bolt more than once. Previously, he hadn’t taken it seriously, but now, seeing Joe Di in person, he realized how modest Bolt had been.
Even though Joe Di was still just a Dao Integration cultivator, Harold Yu now respectfully called him Dao Lord Di.
"Brother Joe, don’t let this guy off easy." Lord Voidbreaker snorted.
Joe Di had long sensed at least a dozen Third Step powerhouses' divine senses focused here. Although the Dao Integration cultivators were intimidated by him, Joe Di was certain a few Third Step cultivators had their eyes on him. No matter how strong he was, he couldn’t fight them all at once—especially since this wasn’t his territory.
Harold Yu was certainly not an easy opponent—adaptable and formidable. He knew that hiding in his cave mansion could get him killed, so he’d come to the plaza instead. Even if Joe Di wasn’t familiar with the rules here, he knew he couldn’t make a move now.
Seeing Joe Di silent, Harold Yu spoke again, "I offended Dao Lord Di and am willing to offer compensation."
With that, Harold Yu took out a jade slip and handed it to Joe Di.
Joe Di took the jade slip in surprise—he didn’t believe Harold Yu would dare joke at a time like this.
When Joe Di placed his divine sense on the jade slip, he found it contained only a void coordinate. He frowned at Harold Yu, puzzled by the meaning behind this.
Harold Yu cupped his fists and said, "Dao Lord Di, that place is extremely cold and icy. I believe it will help your divine arts cultivation. Others wouldn’t dare go there, but you surely would have no problem."
After saying this, Harold Yu sent a voice transmission to Joe Di: "Dao Lord Di, I know my place—I can’t be your friend, nor would I dare be your enemy. This jade slip is a sincere gift. Though your strength is great, if you encounter a countering treasure, you might still be in danger.
Once, I witnessed a powerhouse whose strength far surpassed yours. He even killed Gavin Bay, but when he faced the Nirvana Mirror of the Immeasura Palace Lord, he nearly perished. Only by using a Frostflower of Renewal did he subdue the Immeasura Palace Lord, severely injuring him and almost killing him."
Immeasura Palace Lord? Joe Di had heard of him and knew he possessed a Nirvana Mirror. It seemed Harold Yu truly wanted to resolve their grudge by telling him the place to fuse extreme ice divine arts.
(Irrelevant passage: 'This chapter isn't finished ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!')
With this in mind, Joe Di put away the jade slip and said to Harold Yu, "Let my friend Voidbreaker be released. As long as you don’t cross me again, I’ll let bygones be bygones."
"Thank you, Dao Lord." Harold Yu cupped his fists again, then walked to the enforcement office at the side of the Grand Exchange Hall and bowed. "Previously, I wronged Lord Voidbreaker. Lord Voidbreaker is innocent. I request to be punished instead."
Just as Harold Yu finished speaking, a giant handprint descended from the void, grabbing him and tossing him to one side of Grandway Plaza. Suddenly, a pillar appeared, and Harold Yu was bound to it by various restrictions. A dignified voice declared, "Since it was slander, accept a hundred thousand years of confinement."
"Wasn’t it ten thousand years?" Harold Yu exclaimed in shock. Ten thousand years was bearable, but a hundred thousand was far too long.
"Hmph." A cold snort echoed from the void. "Are the rules set by you or by Grandway Abyss?"
Hearing this, no matter how resentful Harold Yu felt, he dared not say another word.
Joe Di watched Harold Yu get locked up, but felt no sympathy. This guy had brought Bolt to Grandway Abyss—Joe Di hadn’t killed him, which was already his fortune. It was only the void dweller that annoyed Joe Di.
Since he didn’t want to cause trouble here, there was no point in arguing. Annoyed as he was, Joe Di wouldn’t make a move for someone like Harold Yu.
What surprised Joe Di was that after waiting a while, he still didn’t see Lord Voidbreaker released. He asked in confusion, "Since this was a misunderstanding about my friend Voidbreaker, why is he still locked up?"
"The rules of Grandway Abyss aren’t set by you—they’re set by Grandway Abyss itself. Who told you Voidbreaker must be released?" The voice from the void was icy cold, devoid of warmth.