Neil Payne did not summon his defensive artifact; he was betting that Joe Di only had six strikes. If Joe Di had a seventh, then Joe Di's strength might even slightly surpass his own. Though Neil Payne was a Creation Realm cultivator who proved his Dao through artifacts, and ranked above most of the ten Vice Mayors and ten Honorary Mayors—except for the City Lord—he was by no means the weakest among them.
If he revealed his defensive artifact, it would be the same as showing his trump card. His defensive artifact was also his strongest offensive weapon. Even if he managed to kill Joe Di in the end, it would not be worth the risk. Neil Payne had secured his position in Genesis City precisely because he had never revealed his artifact. In Genesis City, his true opponents were not Joe Di, but the other city lords. Everyone knew he possessed a secret weapon that had never been used, and there was no way he would reveal it here.
If Joe Di truly had a seventh strike, that would mean his strength was at least equal to Neil Payne’s, perhaps even slightly greater.
Neil Payne could not discern Joe Di’s Dao resonance, but seeing that Joe Di was accompanied by a cultivator from the Five Elements Universe—and had immediately rescued that cultivator upon arrival—he guessed that Joe Di was likely from the Five Elements Universe. The rules of the Five Elements Universe were incomplete, so Joe Di could not possibly be stronger than him. Therefore, Neil Payne concluded that Joe Di’s divine technique only had six strikes; six was Joe Di’s limit.
Joe Di was well aware that Neil Payne had a backup plan. Originally, after his sixth strike tore through Neil Payne’s spatial furnace, his seventh would have completely overwhelmed Neil Payne. Even if Neil Payne had another trick up his sleeve, Joe Di believed his seventh strike could put Neil Payne down for good. Against this opponent, there was no need for an eighth strike.
What puzzled Joe Di was that after he had torn apart Neil Payne’s Creation Furnace technique, Neil Payne did not summon another artifact, nor did he counterattack.
Joe Di did not believe Neil Payne was incapable of counterattacking. Yet with this divine technique, Joe Di fully realized his own strength. He was certainly not weaker than most of the Vice Mayors here; in fact, he was stronger than Neil Payne—by more than just a little.
With a quick turn of thought, Joe Di understood.
Neil Payne never saw him as a true opponent; he likely guessed Joe Di did not have a seventh strike, which emboldened him to retreat and avoid exposing his trump card. This misunderstanding was probably because Joe Di hailed from the Five Elements Universe.
With this realization, Joe Di knew that if he unleashed the seventh strike of Triple Loom at this moment, Neil Payne would either be dead or gravely wounded.
With this in mind, Joe Di swept his hand and not only refrained from unleashing the seventh strike, but also withdrew the lingering force of the sixth. Just as Neil Payne had thought, Joe Di’s true opponent was not Neil Payne. Killing Neil Payne would be easy, but what came after would be far more complicated. If Joe Di had already stepped into the Creation Realm, then killing him would be of little consequence. But since he had not yet reached that realm and needed to remain here for some time, Neil Payne could not be killed—at least, not yet.
Bang! Neil Payne landed on the ground, appearing evenly matched with Joe Di. His Cosmic Crucible had failed to dissolve Joe Di’s technique, nor had it dissolved Joe Di himself. Meanwhile, Joe Di’s technique, after shattering the Cosmic Crucible, also crumbled into fragments.
Landing completely unharmed, Neil Payne was momentarily stunned. He had already deduced that Joe Di did not have a seventh strike, but what did it mean for Joe Di to withdraw the aftershock of the sixth?
If Joe Di had not withdrawn the momentum and blade wave of the sixth strike, Neil Payne would have been embarrassed, even if uninjured.
No, that’s not right…
Cold sweat suddenly broke out on Neil Payne’s back. He began to suspect that he had guessed wrong—Joe Di probably did have a seventh strike.
To withdraw the force of the sixth strike was perhaps even harder than unleashing the seventh. Neil Payne knew that Joe Di’s blade wave technique appeared to be condensed from divine essence and spiritual will, but in reality, it was a space-time technique. To unleash such a space-time technique was already difficult; to retract it was even harder.
“Daoist Di, you are truly formidable. Since you could withstand my Cosmic Crucible, you have earned the right to speak here. Let me introduce myself: Neil Payne, sixth Vice Mayor of Genesis City, and the one responsible for all affairs in the Outer District. May I ask why you attacked Lockway Prison in my Outer District?” Having realized Joe Di might possess a seventh strike, Neil Payne quickly regained his composure.
Joe Di had the strength to oppose him, and Neil Payne did not want to escalate the conflict. If he maintained the same attitude as when he first arrived, he feared Joe Di would fight him again.
If Joe Di fought him again, Neil Payne would receive no help. Others would be eager for Joe Di to eliminate him, so they could then deal with Joe Di and seize the position of Vice Mayor. Even if Joe Di and Neil Payne both suffered heavy losses, Neil Payne would be the ultimate loser.
No one thought Neil Payne was showing weakness. In Genesis City, it’s skill that grants you the right to speak. If you have ability, you earn the right to speak; if not, you don’t even get a chance.
Neil Payne had just been testing whether Joe Di had the qualifications to speak. With that last strike, Joe Di had proven he was worthy to converse with Neil Payne as an equal.
As soon as Neil Payne spoke, Joe Di knew he understood his intentions. Joe Di sheathed his Azure Veil Blade and calmly said, “Lord Neil, I did not attack Lockway Prison. There are grievances to be addressed, and I was about to strike the Grievance Drum here. I hadn’t expected you to arrive, so now everything can be resolved.”
Joe Di was blatantly lying—there was no Grievance Drum here.
Neil Payne frowned in confusion and asked, “What grievance?”
Joe Di cupped his fists again. “Several friends from the Five Elements Universe were imprisoned here by Zoe Belling out of personal spite. I thought Lockway Prison in the Outer District of Genesis City was meant for criminals and wrongdoers. My friends from the Five Elements Universe are all kind-hearted—why were they imprisoned in Lockway Prison?”
Since he wasn’t sure whether only Shen Yun and Gu Pengshan were imprisoned in Lockway Prison, Joe Di kept his statement vague.
“Is that so?” Neil Payne snorted and immediately instructed a nearby cultivator, “Go and release all Five Elements Universe cultivators from Lockway Prison. When Zoe Belling returns, have her report to me at once—what kind of conduct is this?”
“Yes.” A brown-robed cultivator flashed away and disappeared.
After the brown-robed cultivator vanished, Neil Payne smiled at Joe Di and said, “Daoist Di, this was my oversight. Once you’ve settled your affairs, would you visit my manor tomorrow?”
As soon as Neil Payne said this, Joe Di knew he was trying to win him over, likely impressed by his combat prowess.
Joe Di felt relieved; this meant the Five Elements Universe was not being completely suppressed in Genesis City. Otherwise, Neil Payne would never have spoken to him this way.
Since Neil Payne wanted to befriend him, Joe Di cupped his fists and said, “Thank you for the invitation, Lord Neil. Once I’ve finished here, I’ll be sure to pay you a visit.”
The surrounding cultivators dispersed. Everyone knew this matter was not over; Lyle Yew had not yet returned. As an Honorary Mayor, Lyle Yew’s status was no less than Neil Payne’s.
Joe Di received another transmission: “Your display of strength has made Neil Payne want to ally with you. But do you know why he said to meet tomorrow after your affairs are settled? It’s because Lyle Yew is returning today. If you can’t survive Lyle Yew, everything Neil Payne said is meaningless. The friends you rescued might end up worse off than before.”
Joe Di didn’t need spiritual sense to know the speaker was Lynn Booker. He was sure Lynn Booker wasn’t giving him all this information out of kindness, but rather to seek an alliance. Still, his friends hadn’t been rescued yet, so he said little. Once they were safe, even if Lynn Booker didn’t approach him, Joe Di would seek him out.
Joe Di and Luo Xuan’s group did not wait long before Neil Payne’s subordinate returned, bringing three cultivators with him.