No one thought Joe Di would try to escape. At this moment, Joe Di's aura surged and fluctuated violently, as if he might lash out at any second—clearly, he was preparing to fight Emperor Leon Yue. Evidently, this was a man with a fierce temper.
Moreover, if an Immortal Emperor fled from battle, it would damage his own Dao heart. It would be tantamount to admitting that, as fellow Immortal Emperors, he was inferior to Emperor Leon Yue.
So even though several Immortal Emperors followed behind, not a single one rushed forward to intercept Joe Di. Everyone was prepared to watch the battle outside Cauldron Haven.
Only Paul Rivers sensed something was wrong. He was closest to Joe Di and actually felt that Joe Di wanted to escape. But that didn’t seem possible—Joe Di didn’t look like someone who would run away, no matter how you looked at it.
Emperor Leon Yue followed close behind Paul Rivers, staring intently at Joe Di. He couldn't see through Joe Di's cultivation, but he was sure Joe Di was not weaker than himself.
Joe Di wished he could just grab the Azure Veil Blade and slash Paul Rivers behind him right now. That bastard was sticking so close, making it impossible for him to speed up. The way Paul Rivers locked onto his aura was subtle—if Joe Di accelerated again, he’d definitely arouse suspicion. Fortunately, he was about to break out of Cauldron Haven. Once he left the city, he could make his escape.
It was almost at the very moment Joe Di was about to step out of Cauldron Haven that Paul Rivers finally sensed something was off.
If Joe Di truly was a top-tier powerhouse, he would never tolerate someone locking onto his aura like this. Paul Rivers was tracking Joe Di subconsciously, afraid that he might lose him again—he wasn’t really trying to test Joe Di’s strength or provoke him.
But Joe Di’s lack of resistance, his constant acceleration toward the city gate, actually made Paul Rivers realize something was wrong. With how arrogant Joe Di had been at the auction—even Emperor Leon Yue couldn’t intimidate him—how could he just let someone behave so rudely toward him?
Once suspicion arose, Paul Rivers found Joe Di’s aura even stranger. He truly couldn’t gauge Joe Di’s cultivation, but Joe Di didn’t display an Immortal King’s domain—a powerful energy field unique to cultivators who have reached the Immortal King rank. Though his cultivation seemed to be rising, it was still below the Immortal King level…
Paul Rivers attacked in an instant, and Joe Di immediately sensed killing intent. Without hesitation, he drew the Azure Veil Blade and slashed downward.