Madeline Mo's heart sank when she saw Serena Yu return. She knew something was wrong.
The first thing Serena Yu saw upon arrival was her master. Not only that, she also noticed the Order Master and the sect's external affairs elder—everyone was present.
What day was it today? Did her master and the Order Master somehow learn she had obtained a large number of Dao Fruits? Because she had gotten so many Dao Fruits, Serena Yu hadn’t dared to linger a single breath longer in the Grand Ruins—she had rushed back as fast as she could.
Wait, that man in brown robes—
Serena Yu quickly recognized the man in brown robes. A cold sweat broke out across her back. She hurriedly put away her flying vessel, landed, and bowed, saying, “Serena Yu greets the Order Master, my master, all the elders, and Lord Jaden Dai.”
Jaden Dai looked at Serena Yu and nodded. “Not bad, not bad. No wonder you’re called the number one beauty of the Dao Domain.”
Even though Serena Yu wore a veil, it seemed Jaden Dai could see through it without using any spiritual sense.
Madeline Mo quickly said, “Serena, Lord Jaden Dai wants to ask you a few questions. Answer them quickly, then come help your master with something…”
Before Serena Yu could reply, Jaden Dai waved his hand. “Miss Yu…”
Serena Yu hurriedly and nervously replied, “Please, just call me by my name, Lord. I don’t deserve the title of ‘Miss.’”
Serena Yu knew all too well the nature of Jaden Dai before her. Wasn’t it this very man who had destroyed the Azure Alchemy Sect for the sake of one of its female disciples, Nie Jin?
Jaden Dai still wore a smile as he said, “If I say you deserve it, then you do.”
Serena Yu dared not respond. This man’s thirst for blood was terrifying. She was certain Jaden Dai was here to ask about Joe Di, but what puzzled her was how he knew she’d been with Joe Di.
“Is Joe Di still in the Grand Ruins?” Jaden Dai suddenly asked while Serena Yu was still pondering this.
“Ah…” The abruptness of the question caught Serena Yu off guard. She nearly answered yes, but managed to recover in time and said, “Is Lord asking about Senior Brother Joe Di of the Origin Dao Sect?”
“That’s right, him.” Jaden Dai had already gleaned the answer from Serena Yu’s tone and eyes.
But Serena Yu didn’t dare admit Joe Di had been with her. If she did, she’d be putting him in danger. She didn’t know why Jaden Dai was searching for Joe Di, but she was certain that if Joe Di was caught by him, he wouldn’t even have a chance at reincarnation.
“Reporting to Lord, I did meet Joe Di once at Grandridge. At the time, one of his beast pets had run outside a body-refining pool…”
Before Serena Yu could finish, Jaden Dai waved his hand. "No need to tell me all that—I already know. Just answer: what did you and Joe Di go to the Grand Ruins for?"
Jaden Dai had already investigated Serena Yu and Joe Di meeting at the Titan Saint Sect’s body-refining pool. After the pool was used, all the other cultivators left, leaving only Serena Yu and Joe Di behind.
After leaving Grandridge, Serena Yu waited in Clearhaven City for a month or two, just to meet a stranger. Once she met him, the two went to Grandridge together.
With such clear clues, if Jaden Dai couldn’t figure it out, he wouldn’t deserve his formidable reputation.
Serena Yu’s heart sank, but she still said, “I did go to the Grand Ruins with a friend, but he wasn’t Joe Di. He was…”
Before Serena Yu could finish, Jaden Dai waved his hand, forcibly silencing her.
Jaden Dai said coolly, “Tell me where the cultivator who teamed up with you is right now.”
“Sorry, I won’t tell you.” Serena Yu knew she couldn’t hide it from Jaden Dai anymore, so she simply spoke bluntly.
“Ha!” Jaden Dai laughed loudly. “Miss Yu, perhaps you don’t know how I operate. My favorite thing is to destroy entire sects.”
This time, before Serena Yu could speak, Evelyn Yuan, Order Master of Purelight Sect, spoke sternly: “Purelight Sect has survived until today for a reason. We may not be much in the Dao Domain, but we are not to be bullied by just anyone.”
As she spoke, Evelyn Yuan’s aura surged, the vast, overwhelming presence of a Hunyuan Realm cultivator instantly filling the space.
The other elders and peak masters of Purelight Sect immediately gathered around Evelyn Yuan, their own auras flaring in unison.
“Good, good…” Jaden Dai repeated the word several times, then summoned a flying vessel and stepped aboard. The vessel didn’t leave immediately; instead, Jaden Dai looked at Serena Yu and said, “I’ll give you one chance—tell me where Joe Di is. If not, I’ll return in a hundred days, and that day will be the day I marry you, Miss Yu.”
Several elders of Purelight Sect looked toward Serena Yu. Jaden Dai’s reputation for ruthlessness was no joke. No matter how strong Purelight Sect was, it couldn’t compare to Great Buddha Mountain.
Even Serena Yu’s master fell silent. If revealing Joe Di’s whereabouts would keep Purelight Sect safe, perhaps that wouldn’t be so bad.
Jaden Dai’s Dao resonance was deep and unfathomable. Aside from the Ten Dao Prodigies of the past, few Hunyuan Realm cultivators could threaten him. The deaths of two Hunyuan experts from Great Buddha Mountain at his hands were proof enough.
Purelight Sect once had a member among the Ten Dao Prodigies too—Shannon Moon. But she’d been missing for years, with not a single trace left behind.
Serena Yu took a deep breath and said calmly, “Joe Di is Joe Di, and I am myself. Even if we were together at Grandridge, I have no idea where he is now. Besides, I already have a Dao partner. Lord, your words are nothing but a jest—I cannot take them seriously.”
She realized that the only way Jaden Dai could have tracked her was because the cultivator at the body-refining pool had leaked information.
A flash of cold light flickered in Jaden Dai’s eyes. He controlled the flying vessel, which sped away. As he left, his voice echoed in the ears of every Purelight Sect cultivator: “In a hundred days, I, Jaden Dai, will come to Purelight Sect to marry Miss Yu…”
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“Qianxi…” Mo Dailing looked at Serena Yu, her tone heavy.
She wasn't afraid of Jaden Dai. If, after a hundred days, Jaden Dai arrived, even if the Purelight Sect could kill him, it would surely suffer devastating losses. Countless Purelight Sect powerhouses would fall; should such a calamity occur, the Purelight Sect would be erased from the Dao Domain.
"Master, I would rather die than go to that Daihe Hall," Serena Yu declared resolutely.
Before Madeline Mo could respond, Evelyn Yuan spoke in a low voice, "Jaden Dai is a man of boundless ambition. After annihilating the Azure Alchemy Sect, he vanished, only to return now even more ruthless—he shattered the gates of Grand Buddha Mountain and even slew two Hunyuan Saint Emperors..."
"Hmph, that's because the Five Grand Sects aren't united. If they joined forces and found a couple of the Ten Geniuses from back then, what would Jaden Dai amount to?" a Peak Master said with clear displeasure.
Evelyn Yuan nodded, "Exactly. It's because the Five Grand Sects are divided that Jaden Dai can manipulate them. His cultivation technique is extraordinary; he is truly a formidable schemer. On the surface, it seems he's here for Serena Yu, but even if she entered Daihe Hall, he would find other excuses to strike against our Purelight Sect. In other words, his recent actions are merely testing the limits of the Five Grand Sects."
"Is he worried the Five Grand Sects might unite against him?" Madeline Mo asked, puzzled.
"That should be it. Back then, he had the chance to become the top of the Ten Geniuses, but he deliberately gave it up. By settling for sixth, he gained the resources and status he needed, without becoming a target. Still, I've never understood what he's truly scheming." Evelyn Yuan frowned in thought.
"Then why didn't he act just now?" an elder asked, confused.
Evelyn Yuan shook her head, not answering. Only she knew why Jaden Dai hadn't made a move earlier. The Purelight Sect still had a Dao Master present; just now, that Dao Master released a sliver of crushing aura, forcing Jaden Dai to retreat.
It was precisely because Jaden Dai retreated that she felt even more uneasy. If he were truly afraid, he wouldn't have proposed marrying Serena Yu. If he guessed that the Purelight Sect's Dao Master was merely a bluff, he might become even more ruthless.
"Order Master, Master, I plan to go to the Sea of Void," Serena Yu said, fully aware of her predicament and without a trace of hesitation.