Joe Di no longer had the strength to continue attacking; all he could do was barely summon two shields once again.
Go, I must go! This was the only thought in Joe Di's mind.
Joe Di swept out with his spiritual sense, and was soon delighted to discover that Sprout had cleverly and secretly opened the trap array at the cave entrance. This little sapling was growing smarter by the day.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Another dozen attacks smashed into Joe Di's shields, shattering them one after another. The spear of that eighth-stage Golden Core cultivator pierced through the shield again, stabbing into Joe Di's back.
This time, Joe Di did not fight back. He triggered Mindshift in that instant. The next moment, Joe Di landed on the opposite side of the pool—one hand tossing Sprout into the spirit herb garden, the other grabbing Melody Qin as he activated Mindshift again.
The two Mindshift escapes were separated by barely a single breath. By the time the people inside reacted, Joe Di had already vanished from the cave entrance.
Joe Di was severely wounded. Even as his eyelids threatened to close, he continued to frantically use Mindshift. Previously, he would always use his spiritual sense to check for spatial fluctuations, to avoid being swept into a space vortex. But now, fleeing for his life, he could only rely on luck and escape as fast as he could.
After advancing to the second stage of Golden Core, every Mindshift allowed Joe Di to traverse two or three kilometers at a time.
None of the dozens of people remaining chased after Joe Di. With his strength, anyone who tried to pursue him before surrounding him would only be courting death. Even if they managed to hold him back, what would it matter? They’d just be throwing away their lives for someone else’s gain.
Even that eighth-stage Golden Core cultivator stared darkly at the cave entrance. In just a dozen breaths, Joe Di had vanished from his spiritual sense.
Although he had a chance to chase after Joe Di when he first fled, he still didn’t dare. He believed Joe Di could take him down even in his dying moments. He was shocked by Joe Di’s Mindshift—the technique was simply terrifying.
The blue pool was now tinged with red. Over a hundred corpses lay scattered, bearing witness to the terrifying battle that had taken place here.
Zane Chong’s face was pale with regret. Joe Di hadn’t been killed by the siege as he’d expected, but had escaped.
How could he have been so foolish? If Joe Di were so easy to kill, would the Qi Family have chased him for years without success?
If he could do it all over again, he’d rather hide to the side or even leave first, and never have attacked Joe Di. Now it was too late. He had to advance to Soul Ancestor as soon as possible, and then...
Heh. Zane Chong laughed at himself. What good would advancing to Soul Ancestor do? With Joe Di’s current combat power, defeating a Soul Ancestor was only a matter of time. Besides, Joe Di had also taken a top-grade Ley Line.
The cultivators who had come to their senses scrambled to snatch up the storage bags on the ground. Some, having grabbed a storage bag, dashed out of the cave and vanished without hesitation.
Even the pool infused with spiritual energy—hardly anyone wanted to stay here and cultivate anymore.
...
Joe Di’s vision flickered with darkness. He figured he must have escaped the spiritual sense of that eighth-stage Golden Core cultivator. He wanted to call out Sprout. Melody Qin had good character, but Joe Di still didn’t want to entrust his life to her. Saving Melody Qin was one thing; handing over his own life was another.
Joe Di’s spiritual sense stirred, but before he could call out Sprout—bang!—his spiritual sense was exhausted, and he tumbled from the air, crashing into Melody Qin in a heap.
Melody Qin leapt up at once, only to find that Joe Di had completely lost consciousness.
Forget about Joe Di for the moment—even she, after fleeing so far with him, was covered in blood. Joe Di was a veritable blood man, with at least seven or eight wounds on his back. Melody Qin suspected some of them had pierced through his body, perhaps even damaging his dantian.
Besides his back, Joe Di’s waist was also badly injured, one of his calves was broken, and several bones in his hand were fractured. Even his neck bore a ghastly sword wound—an appalling sight.
Melody Qin was no stranger to trials and had often witnessed fights between cultivators. But she had never seen anyone as grievously wounded as Joe Di.
Melody Qin was not the type to forget a debt of gratitude. Though she looked down on people who bullied lone cultivators like Joe Di, he had saved her twice.
The first time, if not for Joe Di, she would have died at the hands of that Golden Core cultivator who had restrained her. The second time, Joe Di, though gravely injured, had taken her with him as he escaped. Otherwise, she would have surely died a miserable death.
Her master had said that as long as she reached the Golden Core stage, she would no longer be in danger. No one would be able to discern her physique, and though she was beautiful, it wouldn’t be enough to attract more trouble from other cultivators.
That’s why she was all the more grateful to Joe Di. He had brought her into that blue cave, and now she was already at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment.
With her aptitude, breaking through to the first level of Golden Core in the Skyveil shouldn’t be difficult at all.
Melody Qin was clear about gratitude and grudges. Joe Di had saved her twice, and helped her reach the eighth level of Foundation Establishment in just a few days. Of course she should help him in return—at least until he woke up.
With that thought, Melody Qin didn’t hesitate. She picked up Joe Di and left the spot.
After half a day, Melody Qin finally found a hiding place.
It was a cave hidden between two sheer cliffs. Someone must have cultivated here before. Who knows how long it had been abandoned, but the cave still had a decent amount of spiritual energy.
Melody Qin brought Joe Di into the cave. She wanted to leave, but with Joe Di still unconscious, she didn’t feel comfortable going.
Fortunately, Joe Di didn’t keep Melody Qin waiting long before he woke up. His spiritual sense swept out, and when he realized Melody Qin was nearby, he understood what had happened.
He must have passed out before he could call out Sprout, and Melody Qin had brought him here.
Joe Di knew his greatest strength was healing. Back when all his meridians were severed, he could reconnect them himself. His current injuries looked worse than before, but in truth, they weren’t as bad as when he first arrived on Aurora Continent. As long as he had time, he could recover.
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"You’re awake!" Melody Qin exclaimed in delight as she saw Joe Di regain consciousness.
She really didn’t want to stay with Joe Di; now that he was awake, it meant she could leave.
"Thank you." Joe Di still couldn’t stand, but he clasped his fists gratefully to Melody Qin.
Melody Qin shook her head. "No need to thank me. You were the one who brought me out—twice, you saved me. If not for you, I’d have died long ago. I didn’t really help you, just found this place, that’s all."
Joe Di smiled but didn’t explain. He was grateful to Melody Qin not because she saved him, but because of her character.
If it had been a slightly more scheming cultivator, they’d probably have killed him while he was unconscious and stolen everything on him.
Weren’t those nearly two hundred people who besieged him all after his possessions?
Melody Qin hadn’t harmed him, and that was the real reason he was grateful to her. It proved he hadn’t misjudged—this woman was worth saving twice.
"You’re fine now, so I’ll be leaving." Melody Qin stood up. Joe Di’s way of doing things didn’t fit with her principles.
"Wait, let me give you something…" Joe Di called out to Melody Qin.
Melody Qin stopped, looking calmly at Joe Di. "Thank you, but in the Skyveil, I should be able to obtain the cultivation resources I need myself."
After speaking, Melody Qin bowed to Joe Di, then added, "I don’t know if you’re serious about liking me, but I truly have no thoughts of being your Dao companion, nor any such feelings. So I can’t accept your gifts. I’m leaving now—take care of yourself."
She told Joe Di to take care because he’d made so many enemies.
Joe Di was taken aback. Melody Qin was indeed beautiful, but he hadn’t developed feelings for her. He’d called out to her simply because he was grateful she hadn’t tried to rob him. He’d planned to give her a piece of the blue ley line and a Soulcore Fruit.
He hadn’t expected Melody Qin to be so principled, able to refuse such treasures. She must have guessed what he intended to offer, since everyone in the cave knew what he’d obtained.
Seeing Melody Qin about to leave, Joe Di could only say, "In that case, let me give you this mask. It can conceal your aura."
"Thank you." This time, Melody Qin didn’t refuse and accepted the mask from Joe Di.
Before reaching the Golden Core stage, it was indeed easy for others to discern her physique. With this mask, she would be much safer.
Watching Melody Qin leave the cave quickly, Joe Di summoned Sprout and handed over a pile of array flags. "Go set up a defensive array at the cave entrance. I need to heal quickly."
"Big Brother, the Shadow Scarab hasn’t come back," Sprout said with concern as he grabbed the array flags.
Joe Di waved his hand. "I think it’s fine. As long as it doesn’t cause trouble, it’s hard for anyone to find it."
(That’s all for today’s update. See you tomorrow!)