Of course Gavin Strider understood what Joe Di meant—he was asking for something. Gavin's face darkened. "Joe, we're supposed to be working together. No one owes anyone here. Can you really say you weren't just dumping trouble on me when you forced me into the Reminiscent Bodhi Seed? I don't blame you for it, but now I'm leading you out of the Five Elements Universe to break through to the Third Step. If you can't even show a little gratitude, fine, but trying to extort my things is just too much."
Joe Di chuckled. "Gavin, you keep guessing at my intentions, but the fact remains—I saved your life. If you want to weigh your guesses against the favor of saving you, it won't help our friendship at all."
"Thank you for saving my life, Joe. But I don't have anything on me. My belongings can't be accessed until I reach the Third Step, so even if I wanted to repay you now, I couldn't." Gavin knew arguing with Joe Di would only waste more time, and time was the last thing he could afford to waste.
Joe Di nodded. "That's more like it. So, when you finally have something, how do you plan to repay me?"
Gavin Strider let out a dry laugh. "I don't have much else, but I do have some Third Step Dao Fruits. As for innate treasures..."
"That's good. I know it's not easy for you, so don't give me too much—just seventy or eighty Third Step Dao Fruits will do. And maybe two or three innate treasures. Old Gavin, your life is worth more than that of Du Bu, but I won't ask for too much." Joe Di interrupted before Gavin could finish.
Gavin's mouth twitched. "Sure, sure," he replied.
So what if he agreed now? In the end, he was still planning to kill Joe Di.
Without hesitation, Joe Di tossed a jade slip to Gavin Strider. "Old Gavin, you're straightforward. This jade slip can be signed with Way Resonance. Just treat it as an IOU. You can pay me back in the future."
Gavin's mouth twitched even more violently. He was determined to kill Joe Di and had no intention of giving him anything, but being asked to sign was just going too far.
"What now? Old Gavin says one thing but does another? Or is my painstakingly acquired Reminiscent Bodhi Seed just worthless?" Joe Di's face darkened.
Gavin Strider sighed and looked at Joe Di. "After all these years, I don't even know how many Dao Fruits are left in my world. If you really want it in writing, I'll promise you five Third Step Dao Fruits. As for innate treasures, there's no..."
"That's fine, just one innate treasure will do—as long as I like it. We should get moving; I'm worried Dominic Du might find us here." Joe Di was certain a powerhouse like Gavin Strider had more than one innate treasure. Since he couldn't overpower Gavin, getting some leverage was good enough.
"Alright, it's settled." Gavin Strider didn't hesitate to sign his Way Resonance on the jade slip and tossed it to Joe Di.
First, he would never give Joe Di the chance to come asking for his things in the future. Second, by signing his Way Resonance on Joe Di's jade slip, he left a mark. If Joe Di tried to escape, as long as the Way Resonance mark remained, Joe Di couldn't get far.
Besides, even if he reached the Third Step and couldn't kill Joe Di, Joe Di would never get anything from him. All Gavin had to do was say his world wasn't open yet. Could Joe Di really open Gavin's world himself?
Joe Di smiled as he put away the jade slip. To be honest, he didn't expect the jade slip to be useful in the future. But it was better to be prepared—someone like Gavin Strider couldn't be killed easily, and they might need to cooperate again. Why not keep some leverage?
"Old Gavin, what should we do next? Should we just rush into the vast void around us... Hm, something seems off with the void here." Joe Di acted as if he'd only just noticed the problem with the void surrounding the White Stone.
Gavin Strider didn't believe for a second that Joe Di had only just noticed the problem with the void. If Joe Di were that oblivious, he wouldn't have stayed on this White Stone with him. Gavin didn't call him out, though—he just pointed to the void and said, "My next step is to wait for the next stone to appear. Once it does..."
Almost as if to prove Gavin Strider's point, just as he spoke, a stone appeared several hundred miles away from them. It floated in the void, but this time it wasn't white—it was gray.
"Move!" Gavin Strider didn't hesitate—he took a step and rushed toward the second gray boulder.
This time, Joe Di didn't rush after Gavin Strider. After entering the Void Vortex, he had no choice but to follow Gavin. This way of traveling meant being at Gavin's mercy—who knew what might happen?
Besides, when he scanned the surrounding void with his divine sense, it was like a grain of sand dropped into the vast ocean—no feedback at all. The void here seemed utterly chaotic. But Joe Di didn't believe in true chaos; his cultivation was all about rules. For him, even chaos was a kind of rule. If his Way Resonance couldn't sense the rules here, it meant the laws of this place might exceed those of the Five Elements Universe, or even surpass his own strength.
As Gavin Strider rushed out, his divine sense locked onto Joe Di. He guessed Joe would be eager to follow, just like before. As soon as Joe left the White Stone, Gavin would have a chance to kill him—his first and best opportunity.
When Gavin Strider dashed out, his divine sense was fixed on Joe Di. But soon he was left helpless—despite the urgency, Joe Di didn't budge and didn't follow him into the void toward the gray boulder.
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Joe Di's gaze fell on Gavin Strider. Even with his Dao Eyes open, he couldn't see anything amiss. Yet he felt as if Gavin had been struck by something in the void—though Gavin simply shifted direction naturally, as if using a movement technique.
But Gavin Strider's expression remained calm, without the slightest hint of trouble.
Joe Di couldn't see anything unusual. He hesitated, then transformed his Dao Fire into a shield to protect himself and summoned Voidmount. With a thought, Voidmount transformed into a suit of armor that wrapped tightly around him.
Voidmount was his, and this armor was nearly equivalent to innate armor.
Once he was fully prepared, Joe Di charged into the void, heading straight for the gray boulder. Even now, he remained on guard—not against the void, but against Gavin Strider.
The moment Joe Di left the White Stone, his heart sank—he sensed a terrifying aura of death. Instinctively, he tried to retreat to the White Stone, but his divine sense found it had vanished.
Dozens of terrifying killing intents shot into Joe Di's body, like invisible arrows fired from all directions in the void.
Joe Di couldn't dodge at all. He barely avoided arrows aimed at his forehead and throat, but pain shot through his body. He knew he'd been hit by several arrows—most were blocked by his Voidmount armor, but a few pierced right through. If not for his Dao Fire shield, his body would have been riddled with holes.
Before Joe Di could recover from the invisible arrows, he felt a new, unfamiliar aura begin to burn his Way Resonance foundation.
This burning couldn't be stopped by Voidmount or Dao Fire—it seemed that simply entering the void meant he'd be burned by this aura.