The yellow-haired woman glanced at Joe Di and said in a calm tone, "Knowing won't help you, because you can't go there. If Senior Ye hadn't broken the barrier and found that place back then, even the Phoenix Clan's patriarch wouldn't have been able to go."
Since the yellow-haired woman refused to elaborate, Joe Di could only accept it for now. He thought he might ask Soren Xu about it later—perhaps Soren Xu would know more.
"Also, you'd better put your beast companion away, or you'll attract even greater trouble. If possible, I suggest you leave the Void Market and flee to another void. Otherwise, you may draw the attention of top experts from the Demon Clan, or even powerful cultivators from other races." The yellow-haired woman pointed at Bolt.
Joe Di was about to ask about Bolt's origins and quickly inquired, "Senior, please enlighten me—what is the background of my beast companion?"
The yellow-haired woman looked at Joe Di in surprise, pointed at Bolt, and asked, "You don't know its origins?"
Joe Di replied a bit awkwardly, "Senior, I truly don't know."
The yellow-haired woman wordlessly rubbed her forehead before speaking, "Then you should at least know about the Kunpeng Clan, right?"
Joe Di nodded, "That I know."
When Joe Di said he knew, he didn't truly understand the Kunpeng Clan. What he recalled was a passage from Zhuangzi's 'Free and Easy Wandering' describing the Kunpeng, which originated from the Northern Abyss: 'In the Northern Abyss there is a fish called Kun. Kun is so enormous, its size is beyond measure. It transforms into a bird called Peng. Peng's back is so vast, its size is unfathomable; when it takes flight in anger, its wings are like clouds stretching across the sky...'
But Bolt and the Kunpeng couldn't be more different. If someone claimed Bolt was a Kunpeng, Joe Di simply wouldn't believe it—their appearances were far too dissimilar.
What Joe Di hadn't expected was that the yellow-haired woman actually said, "In fact, your beast companion should be a descendant of the Kunpeng Clan's bloodline..."
Joe Di replied without hesitation, "That's absolutely impossible."
He knew better than anyone where Bolt came from—it was an egg parasitizing the Rainbowwing Thunder Moth. Would a Kunpeng ever implant its egg inside an insect?
The yellow-haired woman didn't mind Joe Di's words and continued, "I'm confident I'm not mistaken. The Kunpeng Clan is extremely secretive and not very prosperous; they rarely appear in the mortal world. But whenever they do, they stir the heavens and earth, throwing entire universes into chaos. You may not know the Kunpeng Clan's defining trait—they value their bloodline above all else, even more than life itself.
Because of this, the Kunpeng Clan only marries within their own race; there is absolutely no intermarriage with outsiders. Yet, in any clan, when there are enough descendants, exceptions inevitably occur. If any Kunpeng offspring marries outside the clan, the Kunpeng will immediately exterminate them. Not only will they kill the Kunpeng who marries an outsider, but they will also ensure that no offspring from such unions are ever born..."
Hearing this, Joe Di began to understand a little. He glanced at Bolt, unable to imagine that this companion could have such a terrifying origin.
The yellow-haired woman looked at Joe Di calmly and said, "So, if there is ever a Kunpeng descendant who marries outside the clan and has offspring, they won't even wait for the Kunpeng Clan to come and silence them—they'll proactively deposit their bloodline offspring into the body of another demon beast. This requires two conditions: first, the host beast's intelligence must not be too high; second, the host beast's egg must closely resemble a Kunpeng egg."
After speaking, the yellow-haired woman pointed at Bolt and said, "Your beast companion has lightning on its head, clearly indicating it was implanted in a thunder-type demon beast. More importantly, although your companion is descended from the Kunpeng, its bloodline has surpassed the original, evolving seven claws—whereas the Kunpeng only has five. To be precise, your beast companion is a mutated Kunpeng divine beast, which is truly extraordinary."
Joe Di couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. He hadn't expected Bolt to have such a powerful origin—a descendant of the Kunpeng!
The yellow-haired woman did not continue, but stared at Joe Di. "My Phoenix Clan's bloodline is noble and no weaker than the Kunpeng Clan. But the Demon Clan now has all sorts of mixed and chaotic bloodlines, making it impossible for true top experts to appear. So do you really think it's safe for you to stay in the Void Market? If you encounter a Kunpeng expert, death is certain. Fortunately, Kunpeng experts rarely show themselves, and have never even come to the Void Market, so you don't have to worry."
Joe Di bowed deeply. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. May I ask, how many Dao Fusion Realm experts are there in the Demon Clan?"
The yellow-haired woman frowned. "There are at least three Genesis Realm Emperors in the Demon Clan, but as for Dao Fusion Realm experts, there aren't any. Or if there are, they wouldn't remain in this void—they would have already gone to the Outer Heavens."
In her view, dealing with Joe Di hardly required a Dao Fusion Realm expert. Even if she didn't come, that guy Qilai could easily crush Joe Di.
Joe Di wanted to say more, but the yellow-haired woman waved her hand. "I've said all I needed to. Whether you listen or not is up to you. I'm leaving now."
After saying this, the yellow-haired woman didn't wait for Joe Di's response and stepped straight out of his cave abode. If it weren't for Senior Ye's favor in the past, she wouldn't have bothered saying so much to Joe Di.
Dean Carter sighed, "There aren't even any Dao Fusion Realm experts here. Aside from the Dao Fruit Orchard, nothing else compares to our Dao Domain. In our Dao Domain, we occasionally hear about Dao Fusion experts."
Joe Di also felt this place was unimpressive. Though he'd heard people mention the Sacred Dao Domain more than once, Joe Di vaguely guessed that its territory was at most equivalent to the Dao Domain, and definitely not more advanced.
"Don't worry about all that. I'm going into seclusion for a while. If you have time, go out and see if there's a good shop in the Void Market. After I finish my retreat, I'll open a Pill & Artifact Pavilion. As for Bolt, he shouldn't come out." Having finally come to the Void Market, Joe Di naturally wanted to make a little profit first.
The cultivation resources he had were just a few Supreme Dao Veins from Jiang Dai, and one hundred million top-grade Divine Crystals he'd obtained from Ang at Surging Alchemy Hall. It sounded like a lot, but with the way he consumed resources for cultivation, it wouldn't last long.
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......
After completely resetting the restrictions in his Resthaven Inn cave abode, Joe Di began a closed-door retreat to stabilize his cultivation. He couldn't use Dao Veins here, but fortunately, the spiritual energy was already dense. Joe Di also brought out a pile of Divine Crystals. Though his progress was slow, his cultivation steadily advanced.
After Dean Carter entered the Transformation Realm, even if he could improve his cultivation in the short term, he wouldn't rush it. Unlike Joe Di, Dean Carter didn't cultivate the Law Dao; if his cultivation advanced too quickly, it could undermine his foundation.
Once Joe Di began his closed-door retreat, Dean Carter decided to follow Joe Di's suggestion and wander around the Void Market to see if there were any shops for rent.
Just as Dean Carter stepped out of the Resthaven Inn, he saw Soren Xu standing outside. As Dean Carter spotted Soren Xu, Soren Xu also noticed him.
"Where's your companion? I have something to discuss with him," Soren Xu hurriedly asked.
"Why are you looking for Brother Di?" Dean Carter asked warily, recalling how Soren Xu was the first to flee when the Demon Clan expert arrived. Clearly, this guy was no friend of theirs.
"Heh heh." Soren Xu chuckled. "You two must be here for the Dao Fruit Tower in a few years, right? That place is filled with Dao Fruits. If you manage to get in, I guarantee you'll walk away with a pile of Dao Fruits."
"How do we get in?" Dean Carter was immediately tempted.
Soren Xu lowered his voice, "Since Senior Tang is here, you should be safe in the Void Market for now. Brother Di's strength is exceptional—if he can make it onto the Divine Dao Rankings, he'll be able to enter the Dao Fruit Tower."
"Divine Dao Rankings?" Dean Carter was still puzzled when a shrill scream rang out. A middle-aged woman was blasted over, crashing into the Resthaven Inn's restriction beside Dean Carter, causing it to tremble violently.
"It's you?" Dean Carter recognized the middle-aged woman. Joe Di had mentioned that she'd kindly sent a message once, probably worried they'd be tricked by the Demon Clan. She was supposed to be cautious—how did she end up injured in the street?
(That's all for today's update. Good night, everyone!)