Fubu Wen was already displeased that Zach You had also reached the Prime Realm. Now, seeing Ruby Lan dare to use such a mocking tone about his woman in front of him, his anger surged instantly.
"Ruby Lan, do you think that just because you’re the daughter of Albert Lan from Cloudveil Hall, I, Fubu Wen, wouldn’t dare touch you?" As he spoke, Fubu Wen struck out with a slap.
Even though she saw Fubu Wen’s slap coming, Ruby Lan couldn’t resist at all. At that moment, she felt the entire space had been sealed, and a sense of despair surged within her—she was about to be crippled. Instinctively, she glanced at Zach You. Here, only Zach You could stop Fubu Wen’s slap.
But just moments ago, Zach You had affectionately called her 'Ruby', and now he acted as if he hadn’t seen anything, turning instead to chat with a completely unrelated Prime Yuan Realm cultivator.
That Dao Yuan Realm cultivator was so excited that Zach You was speaking to him, his voice even trembled.
"Palace Lord Fu, stop!" a desperate voice called out, and a man in blue robes rushed forward, unleashing a furious punch.
Boom! Violent divine essence exploded in the Octagon Guest Hall, and the man in blue spat a jet of blood, but he managed to pull Ruby Lan aside at that moment.
The oppressive aura of the domain left the man in blue unable to speak for a moment, but Fubu Wen only sneered, "Albert Lan, you’ve got guts. You dare raise a hand against me at my Prime Realm ceremony? Since you’ve got such guts, let me see if Cloudveil Hall still deserves a place among the Two Palaces and One Hall."
With every word, Fubu Wen’s domain aura grew fiercer, crushing everything in its path. The surrounding cultivators quickly moved aside; none of them had ever witnessed such terrifying domain power before.
The ones most terrified were the Hunyuan cultivators from Grand Buddha Sect and Yan Dao Sect. Back in the day, Jaden Dai was strong, but compared to this Dao Fusion aura, his power was like a baby learning to walk.
"Palace Lord Fubu, please stop. My daughter meant no offense, I beg you—" Albert Lan barely managed half a sentence before another jet of blood spurted from his mouth. The violent Prime Realm domain aura suppressed him so much that he couldn’t even speak. Every time he opened his mouth, the domain’s pressure forced him to cough up blood.
At this moment, terror gripped his heart. Albert Lan was at least a half-step Prime Realm cultivator, and the master of Cloudveil Hall, one of the Three Hidden Sects. But now he realized, compared to Fubu Wen who had truly reached the Prime Realm, he was nothing.
Albert Lan turned his gaze to Zach You, calling out urgently, "Hall Master Zhong, please persuade Palace Lord Fu."
As soon as he spoke, another jet of blood followed.
Zach You could no longer feign ignorance and had to sigh, "Ruby was indeed a bit out of line this time, and I doubt Brother Fubu will listen to me. Alas, today should be a day of celebration for Brother Fubu's Prime Realm ascension, but..."
This was no persuasion at all—it was just adding fuel to the fire.
Though he spoke thus, Zach You sneered inwardly. He could ignore Manna Zhen, but Ruby Lan was not qualified to do so.
Fubu Wen replied calmly, "Brother Zhong is right. However, for Brother Zhong's sake, Ruby Lan must cripple her Purple Mansion and kneel to apologize to my woman. I’ll spare her life. As for your offense against me, we’ll settle that later."
Albert Lan said in a trembling voice, "She is my only daughter..."
Before Albert Lan could finish, Fubu Wen rudely interrupted, "You have three breaths. If she doesn’t cripple her Purple Mansion and apologize, Cloudveil Hall will cease to exist in the Dao Domain from this day forward. In this world, no one can plead for you."
"You think you're all that—do your parents even know what you're up to?" A sudden voice interrupted Fubu Wen, and in that instant, nearly everyone turned to look at the entrance of the Octagon Guest Hall. Standing there was a young man dressed in pale blue starry cultivator robes.
The young man’s features were striking, with thick brows like willows, jet-black hair, and bright eyes that radiated determination. He looked very young, yet there was a sense of cosmic age about him, as if he had experienced countless trials before arriving here.
Most surprising of all, he carried a blade on his back—not stored in a ring, but openly slung over his shoulder. Bringing a weapon like that here was undeniably brazen.
Fubu Wen frowned but did not act immediately. He hadn’t even noticed the young man’s arrival at the hall entrance.
"Joe Di…" Ruby Lan was the first to recognize the young man at the entrance and cried out in surprise. Then she wondered, how had Joe Di survived Lord Jiang’s attack and still shown up here?
As Ruby Lan pondered why Joe Di had appeared here, her heart sank. Even with her father stepping in, Joe Di’s fate seemed grim. She sighed—forget Joe Di, even for herself, what good outcome could she expect now?
Joe Di smiled at Ruby, flashing his white teeth. "Ruby, long time no see."
"Joe Di, why did you come here?" Ruby Lan knew it was pointless to say more. She guessed Joe Di’s cultivation had recently improved significantly—otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared come here. Sudden leaps in cultivation often gave practitioners a false sense of confidence.
Joe Di glanced around the hall and spotted several familiar faces—Martin Wu and Victor Kuang were both present. What surprised him most was seeing Manna Zhen here as well. Then he remembered Manna Zhen always stayed close to Ruby Lan, so her presence wasn’t strange. Martin Wu, the alliance leader of the Dao Domain sects, quickly lowered his head as Joe Di’s gaze swept past.
He knew Joe Di was strong, but even so, compared to Dao Fusion powerhouse Fubu Wen, Joe Di was nothing. At this moment, he absolutely could not show any sign of knowing Joe Di—otherwise, Martin Wu would be courting death.
Victor Kuang immediately burst out laughing when he saw Joe Di and strode over, clasping his fists. "Brother Di, it’s been years since we parted. I never imagined we’d meet again here—what a joy!"
Joe Di looked at Victor Kuang in surprise; he hadn’t expected Victor to be so forthright. Martin Wu, after learning Fubu Wen had reached Dao Fusion, didn’t even dare look at him, yet Victor Kuang boldly came forward to greet him.
"Brother Kuang, it really has been a long time. How’s the Swarmlands?" Joe Di asked. He was more interested in whether any of his friends or acquaintances had come through the Wormhole.
Victor Kuang laughed heartily. "Brother Di, I was just about to tell you—"
But before Victor Kuang could finish, Fubu Wen interrupted and strode over. "What do you mean by this? Today is my Immeasura Palace grand ceremony. Are you here to cause trouble?"
Fubu Wen didn’t dare attack Joe Di outright. Not only had he failed to notice Joe Di’s arrival, but Victor Kuang’s respect for him made Fubu Wen wary. Though Victor was far weaker, he was still a peak Hunyuan cultivator and the Left Guardian of the Dao Domain Sect Alliance. If Fubu Wen wanted to control the Dao Domain, Victor Kuang was someone he needed to win over.
Still, Victor Kuang was being far too forward. Once Fubu Wen learned more about Joe Di’s background, he’d deal with Joe Di—and wouldn’t be polite about it.
As Fubu Wen spoke, his Dao Fusion domain quietly locked down the space around Joe Di.
What shocked Fubu Wen was that Joe Di didn’t seem to notice at all. He said calmly, "Who do you think you are? And what is your Immeasura Palace to me? It’s not even worth my time to cause trouble here. Also, I’m talking to my friend—are you blind, interrupting like that? Didn’t you see?"
Fubu Wen burst into loud laughter, and a mirror as radiant as the sun floated above his head. "I’d like to see just how strong you are, daring to speak like that in my Immeasura Palace."
Zach You was equally shocked—he couldn’t discern Joe Di’s strength at all. He was certain Fubu Wen wouldn’t make a move until he’d figured out Joe Di’s true abilities.