"Senior..." Shelby Young instinctively took several steps back, her voice tinged with wariness as she called out.
"Heh heh, I'm not a senior..." The Shadow chuckled, and without warning, reached out to grab Shelby Young.
Shelby Young's heart raced as she desperately tried to dodge, only to realize that she was already locked within the other's Spiritual Sense Domain.
Suddenly, Shelby Young felt her whole body lighten, swept sideways by a surge of power for dozens of zhang before coming to a stop.
Shelby Young immediately understood that she hadn't been caught by The Shadow—instead, Joe Di had appeared and moved her aside.
"Brother Di, you're all right!" Shelby Young exclaimed in delight.
"Yes. Who is this person?" Joe Di had sensed the domain's binding as soon as he emerged, so he broke through with Shelby Young without hesitation.
From the momentum of the other's domain, Joe Di could tell that this fellow's domain was equivalent to a mid-stage Genesis Realm.
"Hmm..." The Shadow paused, staring in astonishment at Joe Di who had just appeared.
He wasn't surprised that Joe Di could easily break free from his domain and escape—he hadn't used his full strength. What truly astonished him was the aura surrounding Joe Di: a surge of Primordial Chaos Essence, most intense when Joe Di first emerged, but fading rapidly and vanishing in moments.
He stared intently at Joe Di, a suspicion forming in his mind. When Joe Di first appeared, he was surrounded by Primordial Chaos Essence, which faded away almost instantly. This indicated that, before emerging, Joe Di must have been cultivating in a place rich with Primordial Chaos Essence.
This Primordial Chaos Essence was clearly extremely active—likely a Celestial Relic from the dawn of creation.
It was obvious that Joe Di hadn't entered his domain from somewhere else, but had burst out from within it—implying that Joe Di had emerged from a portable world.
There were many portable worlds, but only the Chaos Realm—or worlds even higher than the Chaos Realm—could contain a Celestial Relic from the dawn of creation without leaking its essence.
With that thought, The Shadow grew eager, and the pressure of his domain instantly swept over Joe Di and Shelby Young once again.
This time, Joe Di didn't move; he simply inscribed a few Law Array Banners. Even if his opponent were a fully corporeal mid-stage Genesis Realm cultivator, Joe Di could crush him with ease. The banners were only meant to lock down the space and prevent escape.
"Where did you just come from?" After locking down Joe Di and Shelby Young, The Shadow didn't attack immediately. Instead, he slowly approached Joe Di and asked.
Joe Di remained still, calmly replying, "I was cultivating in a world just now. When I emerged, I saw you. I have a few questions I'd like to ask, if that's all right?"
The Shadow let out a harsh, dry laugh. "Of course you can. Ask away—once you're done, I'll take you somewhere."
"Is this the Realm of Sevenfold Rebirth? If so, why can't I find the Chaotic Magma?" Joe Di asked directly.
"Hahaha..." The Shadow burst into laughter at Joe Di's naive question, only stopping after a long while. "Yes, this is the Realm of Sevenfold Rebirth. But you think coming here means you'll get the Chaotic Magma? You're far too naive. If you used your world to enter the Realm of Sevenfold Rebirth just for the Chaotic Magma, you'll regret it for lifetimes. Fortunately for me, I won't let your treasure go to waste..."
As he spoke, The Shadow, now only a few zhang away from Joe Di, suddenly lunged forward, extending a ghastly white, corporeal hand to grab at Joe Di.
A hand seal imbued with an aura equivalent to a half-step Prime Realm swept forth, merging with The Shadow's domain. Even a half-step Dao Fusion cultivator would struggle to escape its grasp.
Joe Di didn't dodge. He couldn't even be bothered to summon his Azure Veil Blade—he simply unleashed a thunder sigil with a wave of his hand.
"Thunder element..." The Shadow didn't even have time to wonder how Joe Di could so easily break through his domain and hand seal. He was stunned by that single thunder sigil.
For a cultivator whose Soul-Spirit Essence was incomplete and whose physical body hadn't recovered, thunder attacks were the most feared. The body's excessive yin energy was countered by thunder—a cosmic law restraint that was simply impossible to resist.
Boom! Crack! That thunder sigil struck The Shadow directly, making his already insubstantial body even more ethereal, and in the next instant, his domain collapsed.
Just a single thunder sigil was enough for The Shadow to realize the vast gap between himself and Joe Di. He tried to flee without hesitation, but as soon as he broke through the thunder sigil, an invisible restriction stopped him, dropping him right back in front of Joe Di.
"No need to run. Now that I've caught you, do you really think you can escape?" Joe Di chuckled, stepping up to The Shadow. He could sense that The Shadow's Soul-Spirit Essence was far from complete, and his physical body had only partially recovered, leaving him insubstantial and ghostly.
Realizing he could no longer escape from Joe Di, The Shadow stopped. "You're not a thunder spiritual root. You cultivated these thunder sigils after obtaining the Primordial Thunderstone."
He possessed a Chaos Realm and even the Primordial Thunderstone—no wonder The Shadow marveled at Joe Di's extraordinary fortune.
He really was an old monster. With just a single thunder sigil, this ancient fellow had deduced that Joe Di once possessed the Primordial Thunderstone. Unfortunately, Joe Di had already lost it.
"Whatever I've obtained is none of your concern. But I do have a few questions for you." Joe Di had already noticed that The Shadow wore no rings. Judging by his situation, The Shadow's life in the Realm of Sevenfold Rebirth was far from ideal.
The Shadow fixed his blurred features on Joe Di, his voice growing even more hoarse. "I can answer your questions, but you must spare me once."
Joe Di replied coolly, "You know perfectly well whether I'll spare you or not."
The Shadow knew that Joe Di possessed a Chaos Realm. Even if he didn't know anything else, he would never let the other escape.
Clearly, The Shadow understood that Joe Di wouldn't let him go. He could only plead again, "Then you must at least allow me to reincarnate. Once I do, I'll never return to the Realm of Sevenfold Rebirth. I've had enough of this place."
Joe Di nodded. "Fine, I permit you to reincarnate."
"Ask your questions." The Shadow was straightforward. He even regretted coming to the Realm of Sevenfold Rebirth, having lingered here for years with his physical body still far from restored.
"First, why do we rarely encounter people like you here? Where do they usually gather? Second, where is the Chaotic Magma?" Joe Di asked.
The Shadow knew exactly what Joe Di wanted to ask and answered immediately, "Since you've come to the Realm of Sevenfold Rebirth, you should know a little about it. There are seven regions here, and the Chaotic Magma is located in the Core Wheel..."
This time, it was Joe Di's turn to be surprised. "There's really Chaotic Magma here?"
The Shadow seemed surprised as well. If there was no Chaotic Magma here, what was Joe Di doing here? Still, he replied, "That's right, there truly is Chaotic Magma here—though it's extremely rare. I've been here for millions of years and only managed to obtain a single drop. Without that drop, not only would this shadow form have dissipated, but my soul would have scattered long ago."
"So, is the Chaotic Magma in the Core Wheel guarded by someone?" Joe Di pressed.
"That's right, it's guarded. There's a Sevenfold King here, and he resides in the Core Wheel. If you want the Chaotic Magma, you'll have to serve him like a beast..." The Shadow didn't finish the sentence.
"Where is the Core Wheel?" No matter how formidable the Sevenfold King was, Joe Di was determined to go to the Core Wheel region.
"Just stay in the Realm of Sevenfold Rebirth for forty-nine days. When you see a sky full of radiant clouds, that's the location of the Core Wheel. The radiant clouds appear when the Chaotic Magma erupts. There's only about ten days left until the next eruption." The Shadow explained.
So it was that simple. Joe Di was quite satisfied with The Shadow's answer. "One last thing—have you seen this female cultivator enter?"
Joe Di raised his hand and traced out an image of Charlotte Ling.
(Second update will be posted later)