Although there is little difference between night and day for cultivators, Joe Di still chose to act at night.
Most cultivators follow the natural cycle of yin and yang, and unless something urgent arises, they prefer to meditate quietly at night.
The Morrison Clan Plaza was illuminated by arrays everywhere; the only difference between night and day was that fewer people walked the plaza at night.
The Law Array Banners Joe Di laid down quickly formed a hidden passage, allowing him to reach the Soulbinding Pillar without even needing to conceal himself.
The Morrison Clan had never imagined anyone would dare rescue someone from their plaza, for in the Sanctuary Realm, the Morrison Clan was a taboo—those who challenged them had long vanished from this world.
Perhaps because of this confidence, the Soul Scorching Grand Array set up in the plaza was only a fifth-grade divine array. In truth, in the Sanctuary Realm, even if someone wanted to tamper with it, they couldn’t. How easily could a fifth-grade array king appear?
But these people did not include Joe Di. He didn’t even need to take out array banners; one Law Array Banner after another quickly locked down the Soul Scorching Grand Array. With ease, he stripped away the Soulseal Restriction that nailed Shelby Young’s soul, and with a wave of his hand, Shelby Young fell into his arms. After all this, the Soulbinding Pillar’s alarm ward was never triggered.
Originally, with her soul locked to the Soulbinding Pillar, Shelby Young could barely cling to life. Now, as soon as Joe Di rescued her, her breath immediately began to dissipate into the world.
This was also why the Morrison Clan did not worry. Not only was there no one who dared offend the Morrison Clan to save Shelby Young, but even if someone did rescue her, Shelby Young’s fate was already sealed. The only difference would be sparing her further suffering.
Unfortunately for them, this time the Morrison Clan encountered Joe Di—a Prime Dao Pill Sage, and one who could step into the ranks of Genesis Pill Saint at any moment.
Before Shelby Young's soul could fully dissipate, Joe Di dropped several precious Origin Dew droplets into her mouth. Then, a Dao Pill transformed into a mist that enveloped her, followed by another healing Dao Pill sent into her mouth. Not to mention the rarity of Origin Dew—just a single Prime Dao Pill is worth a fortune, and there are few sects that could produce one.
In an instant, Shelby Young's soul stabilized, and in just a short while, her aura began to strengthen.
Shelby Young was different from Eva Ye; her physical body remained intact, and her soul persisted. The Morrison Clan had placed her atop the abyssal flames to torment her soul, subjecting her to endless suffering. But once rescued, as long as the proper methods were employed, her recovery would be swift.
Once Shelby Young stabilized, Joe Di departed the Morrison Clan at top speed. With his escape technique, he was millions of miles away in less than half an incense stick's time.
He had two reasons for saving Shelby Young: first, he could not abide the Morrison Clan's cruel punishments; second, he wanted to find out whether the clan truly possessed a Third Step cultivator. If they did, he would have to reclaim his Azure Veil Blade through other means.
......
When Shelby Young awoke, she found herself lying on a jade bed. Startled, she quickly sat up.
Something felt off. She remembered being ambushed by Morrison Clan experts, stripped and nailed to the Soul-Locking Pillar, her soul burned by the foul flames beneath the earth. How had she ended up here? And her cultivation...
Only now did she realize her foundation was intact. Though her cultivation had fallen to the First Step, she was still at the Dao Shaping stage. The spiritual energy around her was not only dense, but of exceptionally high quality.
Had someone saved her? But in the Sanctuary Realm, who could possibly rescue her? It would take more than ordinary pills or rare treasures—at the very least, a Dao Pill, or even a Prime Dao Pill.
To put it another way, even if someone possessed such treasures, what reason would they have to save her? A single Prime Dao Pill alone was worth a city...
Unless it was her closest sister—but after Moira Song provoked Damian Ning, who else was left? Sana, Lady Yin, and Xu Yi all died in battle. She and Shi Yan escaped with Cherry Zhu to the Morrison Clan seeking help. In the end, Cherry Zhu and Moira Song’s uncle, Morris Zhou, conspired together, forcibly disgracing Shi Yan. Shi Yan’s sister committed suicide.
Only Cherry Zhu, that villain, grew stronger and more ruthless with each passing day. Cherry Zhu would never save her; if she saw her, she would likely try to kill her immediately.
Thinking of her sisters—some dead, some lost—and herself suffering in soul-burning torment for tens of thousands of years, grief welled up in Shelby Young’s heart.
"You're awake!" a man's voice suddenly interrupted Shelby Young's sorrow. She looked up to see a young man entering from the doorway.
"Did you save me?" Shelby Young asked subconsciously.
Joe Di nodded. "That's right, I saved you."
"Why did you save me?" Shelby Young looked at Joe Di, her gaze somewhat dazed.
She was indeed beautiful, but after being burned by the foul flames for tens of thousands of years, beauty had long lost its meaning.
Joe Di smiled, "If I said I simply couldn’t stand the Morrison Clan’s ways, and also had a few questions for you, would you believe I saved you on impulse?"
What Joe Di didn't expect was that Shelby Young nodded without hesitation. "I believe you."
Joe Di was taken aback. He thought Shelby Young wouldn’t believe him—after all, cultivators who thought like him were nearly extinct.
Shelby Young looked at Joe Di and said earnestly, "Back then, my sisters had powerful backers and strong cultivation. We looked down on everyone. One day, we encountered a young cultivator not much older than you. Our husbands wanted to take his companion’s mask, but they provoked the youth..."
Shelby Young seemed to fall into old memories again. "We thought killing that youth would be as simple as eating or breathing, but he turned out to be a true powerhouse—the first time we met someone so formidable. That incident taught my sisters a lesson, though it didn’t change much. After that, our husbands were killed by him, and three of my sisters died too. Betrayals and schemes followed, and we never had a second chance..."
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Joe Di raised his eyebrows, suddenly feeling some truth in the rumors he'd heard. This woman’s husband wanted to take someone else’s companion’s mask, and from her words, she seemed to think it was perfectly normal at the time.
This made him feel some distaste—perhaps he really had saved the wrong person.
Shelby Young snapped out of her memories, noticing Joe Di’s raised brows. She laughed self-deprecatingly. "It was only after that incident that I realized how wrong we’d been. At first, I wanted revenge, but eventually I understood: from the moment I followed him, I’d been on the wrong path. Because Shi Yan’s sister was harmed, I wanted revenge for her and killed Morris Zhou. But my cultivation was too weak; if not for Damian Ning, I’d have died by Morris Zhou’s hand long ago."
Hearing the name Morris Zhou, Joe Di immediately perked up—this was the news he’d been seeking.
Shelby Young glanced at Joe Di and sighed, "Damian Ning was the one we once sought to oppose. I never expected him to help me; he’s a true powerhouse and a true man. He showed me there is still justice and kindness in this world, even though by the time I understood that, my sisters were already gone."
"And what happened after that?" Joe Di was most concerned about these details—what became of Morris Zhou?
Shelby Young continued, "Although I didn’t kill Morris Zhou then, being able to challenge him was enough for me. I planned to leave this universe far behind, to find a quiet place where no one knew me and spend the rest of my life in peace. But at that moment, people from the Morrison Clan caught up to me, plotted against me, and nailed me to the Morrison Clan Plaza to burn me with foul flames."
"And Morris Zhou?" Joe Di cared most about Morris Zhou. In his view, Shelby Young—even before her soul was burned—was at best a half-step Dao Integration cultivator. Even if he raised his estimation, she was only at the early Dao Integration stage, not someone he considered a threat.