Dean Carter could see clearly now—the one who had just gravely wounded the middle-aged woman was a man in a yellow star-patterned robe. Water vapor clung to him, and with his sharp features and monkey-like face, he looked for all the world like a monkey that had just burst from the river.
Dean Carter had expected the man to continue attacking the woman, but to his surprise, the man instead blocked the entrance to the Phoenix Roost Inn. Fixing his gaze on the woman, he sneered coldly, “Serena Yu, debts must be repaid, murder must be answered with death. You killed Ju Pengyuan, a genius of our Sea Clan’s Divine Rankings. Do you really think you’ll walk away alive?”
The middle-aged woman—Serena Yu—rose to her feet, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. Her voice was furious. “Is this how your Sea Clan operates, bullying everyone in your path? You said it yourself—Ju Pengyuan was ranked among the top hundred on the Divine Rankings. If I could kill him, I’d have left the Void Market long ago. Why would I still be here waiting around?”
“No matter how many excuses you make, you’re coming with me. The Sea Clan doesn’t meddle in other people’s business, but we’re not about to let anyone slaughter us either. If you truly didn’t kill our clan’s prodigy, why are you afraid to come with me?” The yellow-robed man’s voice boomed, as if determined that everyone nearby should hear.
Serena Yu gave a mocking laugh, her tone tinged with resignation. “Your Sea Clan is so mighty, yet when Master Ye of the Sacred Dao Domain slaughtered your trash on the Divine Rankings Plaza, none of you dared utter a word. You strut around today, but when Master Ye returns, I hope your Sea Clan can still be this arrogant—or even still exist.”
At Serena Yu’s words, the yellow-robed man’s face turned ugly, his expression shifting wildly. Suddenly, a voice rang out in his ear, abrupt and cold: “Don’t worry, that Ye fellow will never return. Someone saw him vanish from this universe with their own eyes. So far, every cultivator who’s gone to that place has disappeared without a trace.”
Hearing this, the yellow-robed man’s eyes flashed with cruelty. His aura surged, and he raised his hand to seize Serena Yu once more.
Dean Carter stepped forward to help, but before he could move, Soren Xu grabbed his arm. “Do you have a death wish?”
A violent Dao Origin domain crashed down on Serena Yu. With her mere Dao Transformation cultivation, she couldn’t break free under the pressure of a Dao Origin expert. She could only watch in despair as the man’s hand reached for her.
Many cultivators watched from the sidelines, including a handful of human cultivators. But not a single person dared speak up. When a Dao Origin expert disciplines a Dao Transformation cultivator here, stepping forward would be courting death.
Serena Yu sighed inwardly. With her poor aptitude, she had no chance in the Sacred Dao Domain, so she came to the Void Market, hoping to use the opportunity of the Dao Fruit Tower to break into the Prime Realm. If she failed this time, she might be stuck at the First Step of Dao Ascension for the rest of her life.
Few experts from the Sacred Dao Domain come to the Void Market anymore. In the early days, there were still some who came when the Dao Fruit Tower opened, but now, even at its opening, few arrive. Most are wandering cultivators. She came here for a spot in the Dao Fruit Tower.
She had tried to be cautious and keep a low profile, yet trouble still found her. Serena Yu knew well why: she had meddled today, sending a message to two human cultivators from elsewhere. But the ones coming for her weren’t the Demon Clan—they were the Sea Clan.
Just as Serena Yu closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate, the domain suppression around her suddenly vanished. Her first reaction was to quickly evade, rushing out of the oppressive range.
Once outside the suppression, the first thing she saw was a colossal Fist Mountain. It descended from the void like a towering peak, its savage killing intent so overwhelming that, even though she wasn’t the target, Serena Yu felt her heart tremble with fear.
Zachary Sang had come to kill Serena Yu at Kyle Key’s request. But if he hadn’t known about the Seven-Colored Divine Water she possessed, he wouldn’t have stuck his neck out. Now, coveting the Seven-Colored Divine Water and with the Demon Clan’s commission, and as a Sea Clan member with a deep blood feud against the human race, after that Ye fellow disappeared, killing a Dao Transformation cultivator like Serena Yu meant little to him.
Yet what Zachary Sang never expected was that, just as he was about to control Serena Yu, his domain shattered—and a terrifying death aura swept over him.
Zachary Sang looked up and saw a Fist Mountain. He was horrified—there was no time to worry about Serena Yu now. It was too late to summon a treasure; all he could do was throw a desperate punch in response.
Boom! Crack! Divine energy surged, space rippled. Zachary Sang could even hear his own fist bones shattering, then splintering piece by piece. His arm was reduced to dust, blood mist exploding around him.
Oddly enough, Zachary Sang felt a sense of relief—he’d finally managed to shatter that Fist Mountain. All he wanted now was to retreat and survive, no matter who attacked him.
The very next moment, Zachary Sang realized he’d been too optimistic. The space around him was still locked down by a terrifying domain suppression, the death aura completely enveloping him.
His pupils widened—he saw a second Fist Mountain, even more violent and powerful than the first. He didn’t need to probe with his divine sense to know: after the second, there would surely be a third.
Peaks gather as one, waves rage in fury!
“Friend, withdraw your technique quickly! I am Zachary Sang of the Sea Clan—if you dare challenge the entire Sea Clan—” Zachary Sang hadn’t even finished speaking before the second Fist Mountain crashed onto him, followed by the third. In that instant, not only his voice but his body was swallowed beneath the three Fist Mountains. Only a faint blood mist lingered in the air, as if to remind the world that a Prime Realm Saint Emperor had just been slain here.
The watching cultivators instinctively stepped back. To kill a Prime Realm Saint Emperor with a single technique—such power was enough to make anyone tremble.
A ring was snatched away by an invisible force in the void. Then Joe Di’s voice rang in Dean Carter’s ear, “Bring that woman up here.”
As for the Sea Clan’s retaliation, Joe Di didn’t care in the slightest. He was alone—whether the Sea Clan or Demon Clan came for him, he’d fight them all.
Only now did Serena Yu react, staring blankly at the remains of Zachary Sang, smashed to pieces by Joe Di’s Fist Mountain. Her mind was a blank. Who was it—who not only helped her, but dared to kill a Prime Realm Saint Emperor of the Sea Clan right here?
"Senior sister, come with me inside," Dean Carter hurried forward and said.
Serena Yu bowed deeply, "Thank you for saving my life."
She knew clearly she might have misjudged—her savior was likely the young man she’d messaged earlier.
Not until Dean Carter and Serena Yu entered the Phoenix Roost Inn did Soren Xu mutter to himself, "So strong... so powerful..."
He’d previously thought Joe Di’s strength was below his own, but now he understood—Joe Di wasn’t just a little stronger, he was far, far more powerful. Thankfully, he hadn’t made an enemy of this man.
Soren Xu glanced at the Phoenix Roost Inn but chose not to follow. Instead, he turned and left quickly.
...
"Serena Yu greets Senior. Thank you for your timely rescue—otherwise, I would have fallen into the hands of the Sea Clan and surely died." As soon as Serena Yu saw Joe Di, she bowed deeply.
She’d thought Joe Di’s cultivation was below hers, which was why she’d warned him earlier, hoping he wouldn’t anger the Demon Clan’s experts.
Joe Di quickly waved his hand, letting Serena Yu sit before saying, "Sister Kan, I’m no senior—I’m actually younger than you. Just call me by my name, Joe Di. Besides, you were injured and nearly killed because of me."
Serena Yu looked at Joe Di in confusion. "How did you know?"
She knew the truth herself, but how did Joe Di know?
Joe Di chuckled, "When I made my move just now, I sensed a Demon Clan member paying attention here. I guessed it was because you’d sent me a message earlier and the Demon Clan noticed."
Serena Yu gave a self-deprecating smile. With her limited abilities, it would be odd if Joe Di hadn’t noticed her transmission.
"Senior Brother Di, this matter may have implicated you," Serena Yu said, dropping the formal title for 'senior brother.' She knew clearly this was only the beginning. The Sea Clan had grown arrogant these past years, and killing one of their Prime Realm Saint Emperors was no trivial matter.