James Wan and the Redlin Patriarch no longer intended to hold Joe Di responsible, and the other powerhouses naturally fell silent. Now that Joe Di had claimed his own territory, regardless of whether it would ultimately be his, the rest of the cultivators also began to pull out array flags to stake out their own domains.
Even James Wan and the Redlin Patriarch each claimed a vast expanse of land. The powerful clans and cultivators staked out territory in the city center, while the lesser clans and factions marked their domains around the outskirts.
In no time at all, the Allclan Sanctuary—destroyed earlier by Joe Di’s three Divine Machine techniques—was once again fully claimed. The newly staked territories were even larger than the original city. The reason was simple: Joe Di’s initial claim was so vast that everyone else could only mark land on the periphery.
The site of Allclan Sanctuary was chosen with great care. It was the place where the cosmic laws were clearest and the world’s essence energy most concentrated. Claiming a piece of land here would only grow in value over time.
James Wan glanced meaningfully at Joe Di, smiling as he said, “Now, please present the items required for staking your territory. Let’s see if everyone’s claims match their chosen locations and sizes.”
The many powerhouses each produced a ring and handed it to James Wan; even the Redlin Patriarch gave him a ring. However, Joe Di sensed the transmission of a secret message from the Redlin Patriarch to James Wan—clearly, the two had private dealings.
Smiling, James Wan looked at Joe Di and said, “Daoist Joe, staking territory in Allclan Sanctuary requires the appropriate materials. It’s the rule, and I can’t break it.”
“Heh, you should know that if your materials aren’t sufficient, your claim will be revoked, and you’ll have to go to the outermost edge to stake your territory again.” A Fifth Step Paragon named Que Sheng chuckled and spoke up from the side.
Joe Di replied calmly, “I’m curious—what exactly are these items for?”
If the items were handed to James Wan, Joe Di was certain he would say they were for constructing Allclan Sanctuary. Even without thinking, Joe Di could guess that most of the building materials for the sanctuary would end up lining the pockets of James Wan and the Redlin Patriarch. The treasures everyone contributed would basically fall into the hands of these two late Fifth Step Paragons.
Sure enough, James Wan replied without hesitation, “Naturally, these are for rebuilding Allclan Sanctuary. Every material exchanged for territory has a major purpose. To put it plainly, what you contribute will ultimately be used on your own domain—and it still might not be enough.”
Joe Di applauded in amazement and said, “That’s excellent! I fully support Daoist James’s approach. Only by working together can we build a more perfect Allclan Sanctuary. However, I’d prefer to construct my own domain myself—only then will it truly meet my requirements.”
The Redlin Patriarch said coolly, “Even if you build your own domain, you still have to contribute materials. Arranging the essence ley lines throughout Allclan Sanctuary will require untold amounts of top-grade divine materials and veins…”
Joe Di laughed heartily, then raised his hand and produced a pure black Extreme Vein—five thousand zhang long…
The moment the Extreme Vein appeared, the entire world seemed to be enveloped in an incredibly dense field of law and essence energy. Even those cultivators at the peak of the Third Step were so excited their eyes turned red. What kind of essence vein was this? If one could cultivate on it for a while, wouldn’t they surely achieve sainthood?
If not for the fact that everyone knew seizing this Extreme Vein was courting death, countless people would have rushed forward to snatch it.
“Cosmic Extreme Vein…” Several Fifth Step Paragons—including James Wan and the Redlin Patriarch—cried out in unison.
Even a low-grade Cosmic Dao Vein would drive Fifth Step Paragons to madness—let alone an Extreme Vein several levels higher than a Cosmic Dao Vein.
James Wan’s hands trembled as he struggled to contain his excitement. “That’s more than enough, Brother Joe. With a Cosmic Extreme Vein like this, even claiming a larger domain is justified.”
Everyone knew this Cosmic Extreme Vein was incomplete—perhaps only half of one. But so what? Even half a Cosmic Extreme Vein was ten thousand times more precious than a low-grade Dao Vein.
The Redlin Patriarch remained silent—he too had a share in this Extreme Vein.
James Wan reached out to grab the half Extreme Vein floating in the air, but before his hand could touch it, an invisible barrier stopped him.
“What does this mean, Brother Joe?” James Wan withdrew his hand, looking at Joe Di in confusion. If not for his status and the need for restraint, he would have torn through Joe Di’s barrier and seized it by force.
Joe Di smiled and said, “I’m quite skilled in arraycraft, so I plan to implant this Extreme Vein beneath Allclan Sanctuary myself. Doing so is my contribution to the various clans here. Of course, after the sanctuary’s destruction, I’ve felt a lot of anguish—offering this vein is partly my way of making amends.”
Joe Di had planned this all along—he wanted to see how far James Wan’s patience would go. By judging Wan’s tolerance for him, Joe Di could deduce the scope of Wan’s ambitions. If Wan couldn’t endure the sight of the Extreme Vein, Joe Di would leave immediately, losing interest in whatever Wan and the Redlin Patriarch were plotting. Even half an Extreme Vein wasn’t worth his attention.
If James Wan could still hold back after Joe Di presented the Extreme Vein, it meant that a Fifth Step Human like Joe Di was very important to both Wan and the Redlin Patriarch. Wan’s ambitions were great, and Joe Di had to find out more.
If he was that important, it concerned his own survival. This Extreme Vein was his resource for breaking through to the Fourth Step. With it, Joe Di believed he had a seventy percent chance of advancing.
As for anyone else dreaming of absorbing the law essence from his Extreme Vein—they could forget it. With his arraycraft skills, Joe Di was confident that no one could use his vein.
Once he broke through to the Fourth Step, if the Extreme Vein was still usable, he would not hesitate to withdraw it. Joe Di wasn’t generous enough to share such a treasure.
As Joe Di spoke, he grabbed the Extreme Vein and, at the fastest speed, implanted it underground. He trusted James Wan wouldn’t try to seize it—but even if Wan did, Joe Di was confident he could snatch the vein and escape.
“Extreme Vein…” Quentin Yuan uttered the words, his mouth suddenly dry.
Seeing Joe Di implant the Extreme Vein beneath Allclan Sanctuary, James Wan felt deeply displeased. Just as Joe Di had predicted, he did not make a move.
Everyone liked the idea of Joe Di implanting the Extreme Vein. In the future, everyone would have a place in Allclan Sanctuary, and with an Extreme Vein here, who wouldn’t want that? If James Wan tried to seize the vein now, he’d offend a whole crowd.
James Wan secretly regretted his earlier words. He’d said that everything contributed would belong to Allclan Sanctuary, and Joe Di had offered the Extreme Vein because of that statement.
“Haha, that works too! Let’s rebuild Allclan Sanctuary as soon as possible. This way, our Grand Conclave can begin sooner.” The Redlin Patriarch laughed heartily.
Joe Di caught another secret transmission and sneered inwardly. These two old foxes probably already saw him as meat on the chopping block.
“Then let’s do as Daoist Joe suggests. I’ll lay out the main streets, and then everyone can work together to complete Allclan Sanctuary as quickly as possible.” As soon as James Wan finished speaking, he quickly produced array flags and, in no time, had divided up the main streets of the sanctuary.
James Wan didn’t need to remind anyone—everyone wanted to be like Joe Di and rebuild their own territory. First, building it themselves meant they could set up their own protective arrays and barriers. Second, finishing earlier meant absorbing the Extreme Vein’s essence sooner.
A Cosmic Extreme Vein—no one wanted to miss out on something like that.
“Brother Joe, why don’t I help you?” Quentin Yuan, who had been about to leave, instantly changed his mind upon seeing Joe Di produce the Extreme Vein.
Joe Di waved his hand, “No need, no need. After the Grand Conclave, you can choose a place here to cultivate, Quentin. For now, I plan to rebuild this area.”
Quentin Yuan was unwilling, but could only take his leave of Joe Di.
Joe Di ignored Quentin Yuan and instead looked at Damien Redlin, saying, “I’ll be rebuilding my own residence soon. In a while, I’ll be sure to visit your Redlin Clan.”
Damien Redlin was furious, but Joe Di didn’t wait for his reply. He immediately produced a handful of array flags and, in no time, secured his own territory.
Rebuilding high-rises on his territory? Heh, not a chance. He fenced off the area for one reason—to break through to the Fourth Step.
“Brother Joe…” Saint Henry Yi looked at Joe Di with some concern.
Rowena Meng was even more shocked—Joe Di’s boldness was unmatched. Extreme Veins were legendary, yet he possessed one and dared to display it openly. After hesitating, she said, “With so many rebuilding, I’m worried they’ll use the grand array to forcibly extract the vein’s law essence.”
If someone did that, Joe Di wouldn’t even have a place to complain, nor could he withdraw the vein.
Joe Di smiled, “Extract my vein’s law essence? They’re dreaming. Rowena, you and Saint Henry Yi should get to cultivating—I need to do the same.”