Joe Di knew a battle was inevitable. No matter who Eugene Yi once was or how formidable, he no longer feared him. Now, both stood at the Dao Integration Realm—although Eugene Yi was late-stage, and Joe Di was early-stage, what did it matter?
Noticing Lord Voidbreaker's puzzled gaze, Joe Di nodded at him and instead walked toward a window beside the Grandway Exchange Hall.
"What do you need?" Inside the transaction window was a female cultivator. Though she hadn't attended the Trade Fair, she was well aware of what had happened—and she knew Joe Di's life would last at most another hour.
"Soon, I need to settle a score with someone. I heard the sanctuaries here are off-limits, so I want to know—what method will let me go after that guy?" Joe Di spoke bluntly. After dealing with Eugene Yi, he still had to find Lightning.
He might now be at Dao Integration, but even so, he dared not rampage through the Grandway Abyss.
"One supreme spirit vein can buy a Day Pass for visiting friends." The female cultivator replied coolly from the window.
Without hesitation, Joe Di pulled out a storage pouch and tossed it in. "Then please process a Day Pass for me."
At the same time, Joe Di couldn't help but sigh inwardly—this place really was a mess. Everyone seemed to follow the rules, yet there was still this Day Pass. If you offended a powerful figure and they were unhappy, all it took was a Day Pass to take you down.
The female cultivator casually put away the storage pouch and tossed out a yellow jade token.
Joe Di grabbed the jade token and asked, "I have a friend who broke the rules here and is locked up in the Grandway Plaza. Is there any way to save him?"
The female cultivator glanced at Joe Di. "Whoever your friend offended, just have that person come out and admit it was a mistake. If they deny it, there's nothing you can do."
Joe Di laughed heartily. That was easy enough. He was already planning to visit Lord Icewind, Harold Yu. With such a rule, all the better. If Lord Icewind refused to admit his fault, Joe Di would simply cut him down.
At this moment, Eugene Yi was already standing in the center of the plaza, staring coldly at Joe Di. No matter what tricks Joe Di tried, he wouldn't leave the Grandway Exchange Plaza today. Knowing Joe Di couldn't escape, Eugene Yi didn't even bother stopping him from asking questions.
In high spirits, Joe Di strode onto the plaza, his Azure Veil Blade appearing in his hand. He said, "I heard you were killed once, but it seems your wretched life endured, revived by the Dao of Creation. You could have lived peacefully—why provoke your Old Master?"
Someone of Eugene Yi's age treated insults and provocation as nothing, ignoring Joe Di's harsh words. He simply looked at Joe Di and said coolly, "Hand over a sliver of your soul imprint, and I might consider sparing your life."
Joe Di had none of Eugene Yi's composure. Furious, he swung his Azure Veil Blade, unleashing a curtain of blade light toward Eugene Yi as his Dao Integration domain fully expanded.
Eugene Yi sneered. A mere novice at Dao Integration, whose Dao resonance was still unstable, dared to attack him—truly courting death...
Just as Eugene Yi thought this, his expression suddenly changed. Under Joe Di's domain suppression, his own domain began to buckle.
Before Eugene Yi could react, he heard a sharp crack—his domain shattered, and the curtain-like blade light swept down upon him.
At that moment, Eugene Yi no longer cared why Joe Di was so powerful. Two blades of light shot from the sleeves of his left and right hands.
Dao resonance erupted in an instant, colliding with Joe Di's curtain of blade light.
Violent God Origin energy exploded, threatening to shatter even the rules at the bottom of the Grandway Abyss. Space was streaked with cracks. The raging energy tore between the two, blasting outward toward the edges of the plaza.
It was as if a locked, top-tier storm had suddenly been unleashed. The plaza's restrictions couldn't withstand such a terrifying impact—they were shattered, then scattered like waves crashing apart.
The cultivators watching around the plaza hurriedly summoned their treasures to block the shockwave, secretly astonished. They hadn't expected this outsider to be so formidable, able to clash head-on with Eugene Yi.
Though Eugene Yi was only late-stage Dao Integration, even ordinary Third Step cultivators here wouldn't dare challenge him. His past was simply too fearsome, and his forbidden techniques could fell any Third Step cultivator.
Even if Eugene Yi was far weaker now than in his prime, he had at least regained his physical body—hardly something a dying insect could compare to.
Joe Di felt the wild Dao resonance surging over his Skyveil Blade, threatening to snuff out its momentum. Yet he was delighted, not alarmed. He didn't even pull back his blade; instead, he poured even fiercer blade force into his technique. The Skyveil Blade transformed into the Bleakwind Blade, and he let out a long, passionate howl.
Joe Di truly felt exhilarated. Back in the Unity Realm, he could never wield his blade techniques so freely. If he were still at Unity Realm, after his Skyveil Blade was blocked, he'd have to retreat and defend himself before unleashing a second strike. But now, with his Dao resonance fused, he could instantly morph one blade technique into another, with no pause or law conversion needed.
Besides that, Eugene Yi's strength gave him a baseline—this guy's power didn't live up to his reputation.
As Joe Di howled, Eugene Yi was filled with terror. He knew his current strength was a mere fraction of what it once was. Still, he had cultivated the Dao of Creation, and his divine arts remained. Where had this Joe Di come from, to be so terrifying?
After blocking Joe Di's first Skyveil Blade strike, Eugene Yi retreated frantically, knowing the gap between himself and Joe Di was vast.
What shocked him most was that Joe Di's second divine art fused seamlessly with the first—their laws merged. He'd seen this once before; back then, he'd been killed by someone like this, and even after a blade strike to his brow, the Dao resonance of that scar never faded.
Today, for the second time, he witnessed such a blade technique.
Spurt! Blood sprayed as two fragments of bark flew out. Eugene Yi was sent flying dozens of meters, blood streaming from his brow as he stared blankly at Joe Di, who gripped his Azure Veil Blade and gazed at him coldly.
Though his brow wasn't split open, a dreadful gray aura of death swirled within it. The blade's Dao resonance reminded him of that strike years ago. Though the Dao resonance was different, the outcome was eerily similar.
Now, not only were his hands trembling, but his whole body shook. No matter how strong his will, even his Grand Way began to crack.
Earlier in the Exchange Hall, Eugene Yi had offered two Soul Lotus in trade for a drop of Cosmic Essence—hoping to perfect his Grand Way. Without Cosmic Essence, even if he reached the Third Step, he'd be only a bit stronger than the average, never the Eugene Yi of legend.
Joe Di, a mere ant, dared demand his two Soul Lotus—infuriating him. But now, he regretted it.
This was his third regret. First, putting the Golden Page World into the universe, hoping to nurture its true spirit. Second, seeking out Emperor Ye for the Golden Page World. Third, provoking this outsider today. As the dead-gray Dao resonance pulsed at his brow, Eugene Yi knew—without Cosmic Essence, this blade scar would haunt him for life.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)