Joe Di laughed heartily. "Then I shall gladly accept. I'll take the twenty percent stake."
Martin Wu was secretly pleased by Joe Di's words, but his disdain grew even deeper. In the end, it was all about the benefits—once there was an advantage, he couldn't refuse. Hmph.
What Martin Wu didn't expect was for Joe Di to suddenly change the topic. "Alliance Leader Wu, you don't need to hand over my twenty percent directly to me. Just give it to the successive City Lords of Leapgate City, let them manage my share, and use it to cover the maintenance costs of the Portal Array."
Martin Wu's jaw dropped. He hadn't expected Joe Di to be so noble—refusing the share handed to him, and instead using it to compensate for the Portal Array's losses. This was simply...
"What is it, Alliance Leader Wu? Do you have any objections?" Joe Di noticed Martin Wu's silence and slightly increased the pressure in his tone.
Martin Wu hurriedly replied, "No, no. Brother Di, while twenty percent is quite a lot, it still might not be enough for the long-term maintenance of this Portal Array. According to your plan, the array will be used very frequently, but it only shares a single upper-grade Dao Vein with Leapgate City. If it's used continuously for a long time, the Dao Vein will eventually be depleted."
Joe Di nodded. "That's a good point. Everyone, please step back a bit."
With those words, Joe Di suddenly grabbed a handful of array banners and scattered them.
The sealed array eye of the Portal Array abruptly cracked open, releasing a surge of dense divine spiritual energy.
Martin Wu stared in shock from the side. Was Joe Di planning to seize the upper-grade Dao Vein? If that really happened, not only would the Portal Array be ruined, but even Leapgate City would suffer disaster.
Should I make a move?
Although Martin Wu was extremely reluctant to make an enemy of Joe Di, if Joe Di really intended to extract Leapgate City's upper-grade Dao Vein and he did nothing, then Martin Wu's reputation would be utterly ruined.
But before Martin Wu could act, Joe Di had already drawn out a Dao Vein a hundred zhang long, and immediately implanted it into the array.
Joe Di then dazzled everyone by throwing out handful after handful of array banners, swiftly sealing off the spiritual source. And he wasn't done yet—he grabbed another pile of banners and began arranging formations.
Martin Wu and Victor Kuang were both shocked. They could see clearly that the Dao Vein Joe Di had just implanted was a Supreme Dao Vein.
A Supreme Dao Vein—forget Leapgate City, even top-tier sects might not have one. Yet Joe Di had casually placed a Supreme Dao Vein here. Was this wealth, or selflessness?
Whether it was wealth or selflessness, Joe Di's actions were an enormous boon for both the Dao Domain and Leapgate City.
Everyone—including Martin Wu—fell silent. They all understood that Joe Di was implanting a backup source of divine spiritual energy for the Portal Array.
At the same time, Martin Wu grew even more wary of Joe Di. Joe Di's formation skills were so advanced that, not to mention Martin Wu, there were few in the entire Dao Domain who could match him. Martin Wu was a Fourth-Rank Array Grandmaster himself, yet he couldn't make heads or tails of Joe Di's banner placements.
If Martin Wu and Victor Kuang were simply amazed by Joe Di's formation skills, Shane Rivers and Serena Heng could only sigh at how people truly can't be compared. They both knew exactly when Joe Di had entered the Wormhole Guard Zone, yet now Joe Di was at a level where even the Alliance Leader had to curry favor, while they were still struggling in the Wormhole Guard Zone.
The Portal Array's protective formation for locking the spiritual source in Leapgate City was of far too low a grade, so this time Joe Di simply set up a peak sixth-rank Spirit-Locking Array. In addition, he arranged a sixth-rank Divine Slaughter Array. If anyone dared to try and seize his Supreme Ley Line here, they would only end up buried with it. Unless the would-be thief was a top-tier Genesis Realm or Harmony Realm expert—but such people were unlikely to come for a Supreme Ley Line.
While Joe Di was arranging the grand formations, not a single person spoke. Only after a full day did Joe Di finally finish setting up the protective and slaughter arrays for the Portal Array.
"Alliance Leader Wu, with my twenty percent share and the Supreme Dao Vein I've provided, is there any problem left with this Portal Array?" Joe Di asked Martin Wu after completing the setup.
Martin Wu bowed respectfully to Joe Di. "Brother Di, your generosity far surpasses my own. I am ashamed. With this Dao Vein and the surrounding Spirit-Gathering Array, I believe this Portal Array will be able to operate continuously. On behalf of all cultivators of the Dao Domain, I thank you for everything you've done for the Dao Domain and Leapgate City."
Joe Di waved a hand. "I was only doing a little for the newly ascended cultivators; it doesn't have much to do with the Dao Domain itself. I have another suggestion—allow Dao Domain cultivators to come and train in the Wormhole. That way, the Wormhole won't suffer from a shortage of guards when cultivators leave."
Many of the Dao Domain's rogue cultivators need trials and cultivation resources, and the Wormhole isn't especially dangerous, making it the ideal place for training.
"Agreed." This time, Martin Wu agreed to Joe Di's suggestion without hesitation.
Not only did Joe Di refuse any share, he even provided a Supreme Dao Vein of immeasurable value, showing that his intentions were truly for the newcomers.
Even if the Dao Domain sects tried their hardest to suppress infighting among the newcomers, Martin Wu knew he shouldn't say anything more. If he dared to protest, Joe Di would certainly not be so civil with him next time—there would be a massacre for sure.
He could sense that Joe Di had little patience left for this matter.
Seeing that Martin Wu agreed to his proposal, Joe Di cupped his fists to him, then turned to Ethan Young and said, "I won't hold your past actions against you. I hope you can help me with a few things."
At this moment, Ethan Young wouldn't dare refuse. He knew that Joe Di could kill him as easily as crushing an ant. "Senior, please instruct me. As long as it's within my power, I will not delay for a moment."
Joe Di said, "There are many newcomers here. First, I hope you can set conditions that benefit them—absolutely no wanton slaughter of innocents. Many of my friends will be coming here, and if anything happens to them, I'll hold you responsible. Second, while you serve as City Lord of Leapgate City, you must guard this Portal Array and prevent anyone from damaging or misusing it. Here is an array banner; if you encounter a powerful opponent you can't defeat, you can use it to trap and kill them."
As he spoke, Joe Di handed Ethan Young an array banner. This banner was specifically for those who might try to steal his Supreme Ley Line.
Ethan Young felt bitter inside but could only accept it, bowing in thanks. "Rest assured, Senior. I will uphold your instructions faithfully."
Joe Di nodded and continued, "If one day you need to leave this place, you must pass this array banner and my instructions on to the next City Lord."
After saying this, Joe Di looked at Martin Wu and the other two.
This time, Martin Wu spoke up without waiting for Joe Di. "Rest assured, Brother Di. The Dao Domain Sect Alliance will also oversee this matter and ensure the City Lord of Leapgate City follows your instructions."
"Thank you, Alliance Leader Wu." Joe Di thanked him again.
He then took out a jade bottle and handed it to Ethan Young. "This contains an Origin Prime Pill—it should help you reach the Prime Realm. Consider it your reward for your troubles."
"Ah..." Ethan Young was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with wild joy. "Yes, Senior, thank you so much!"
An Origin Prime Pill—he had never dreamed he could obtain such a pill, yet now one was in his palm. If he'd known there was an Origin Prime Pill involved, he would have gladly agreed to a hundred requests from Joe Di.
Ethan Young forced himself to suppress his excitement and gratitude as he accepted the Origin Prime Pill.
Victor Kuang watched enviously from the side. His son, Craig Stone, had also reached the peak of the Transformation Realm; if Craig Stone had an Origin Prime Pill, he would immediately break through to the Prime Realm. But Victor Kuang knew that even after Joe Di left, he couldn't steal the pill from Ethan Young.
Joe Di cupped his fists to everyone present. "Everyone, I have some matters to attend to and will be leaving soon. I hope you won't spread word of my visit here."
Joe Di wasn't trying to hide anything; he was just worried about the Supreme Ley Line. There would always be reckless people willing to risk their lives for such a treasure.
(That's all for today. Good night, friends!)