The Chaos Lotus was taken away by Joe Di, and the white lake beneath it mysteriously dried up as well. Even the protective array flames Joe Di had planned to use to upgrade his Dao Fire vanished without a trace. Sensing that nothing remained here, Joe Di finally turned and left.
He had obtained many treasures, but aside from the Chaos Lotus, the greatest prize was undoubtedly Jason Silentwood's ring. Joe Di was particularly interested in this ring; rumor had it that Jason Silentwood was extremely wealthy in this void domain. Tammy Tang had told him that Jason Silentwood and the palace lord of Grand Origin Palace were the richest in this region, and Joe Di was eager to know just how wealthy this man truly was.
Just after leaving Fenghorn Fortress, Joe Di's divine sense fell upon Jason Silentwood's ring. For the first time, he was impatient to discover what treasures lay within.
To Joe Di's slight surprise, the ring was merely a high-grade divine artifact, not some top-tier True Spirit World.
Given Jason Silentwood's immense wealth, Joe Di had expected him to possess a True Spirit World with rules akin to the Immortal Realm, at least on par with a supreme divine artifact.
Something was off. Joe Di frowned. Although the ring's restriction was a level-five divine ban, it clearly hadn't cost much effort to set up. Moreover, the restriction lacked any imprint.
Joe Di thought of his own rings—even a spare one required considerable effort to set up its restrictions. How could a cunning old fox like Jason Silentwood not put effort into his ring's restriction?
This ring was definitely not where Jason Silentwood kept his valuables. Joe Di's expression darkened. Either Warren Wraith had tricked him, or the real treasures had been taken by Franklin Young. Since he had personally eliminated Warren Wraith, deception was unlikely.
......
Deep within Fenghorn Fortress, a faint shadow drifted up from the dried white lake after Joe Di had left for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. The shadow vaguely resembled Jason Silentwood, but now only a weak primordial spirit remained—his physical body had long been destroyed by Franklin Young and the others.
Jason Silentwood's weakened primordial spirit stared venomously toward the distant exit, his voice full of malice. "If I, Jason Silentwood, do not wipe out all of your races one day, all my years of cultivation will have been in vain. And that cunning beast Joe Di—I will burn every drop of your blood, fuel an oil lamp for 490,000 years, and only then will my hatred be appeased."
As he spoke, a Dao Fruit suddenly appeared in Jason Silentwood's mouth. He opened wide and swallowed it, and his once-faint primordial spirit grew noticeably clearer.
Fortunately, Joe Di had left quickly; otherwise, Jason Silentwood's primordial spirit truly wouldn't have lasted much longer. Besides that, he worried his ring might be discovered, making this place far from safe. He had to leave Fenghorn Fortress as quickly as possible.
"That's odd. I wasn't the one who destroyed your physical body, so why are you so hostile toward me?" A sudden voice rang out.
Jason Silentwood's barely reformed body trembled, growing unstable again. He stared in horror at Joe Di, who had reappeared before him, and asked in a trembling voice, "You clearly already left..."
He was certain Joe Di had left because the surveillance mark he set outside Fenghorn Fortress had clearly recorded Joe Di departing.
Not only did he know Joe Di had left Fenghorn Fortress, but he also knew Franklin Young, Mark Mariner, Cody Cobb, and Darren Rice had all departed as well. As for Warren Wraith, who hadn't left, he was surely slain by Joe Di.
But how had Joe Di, who had clearly left Fenghorn Fortress, returned so suddenly—and so quickly?
"You're too clever, so I had to come back again." Joe Di's voice struck Jason Silentwood's scattered primordial spirit like a heavy iron hammer, making it tremble uncontrollably.
"Brother Di, this is my fault. My ring is a top-tier True Spirit World—I'll give it to you." Without hesitation, Jason Silentwood tossed a ring to Joe Di, his heart full of endless regret. If given another chance, he would never have kept the ring and risked his life.
After all, the treasures in that ring were the fruits of countless years of accumulation, so he couldn't help but feel reluctant.
Even though he'd given away the ring, Jason Silentwood knew Joe Di was unlikely to spare him. Regrettably, he could think of no way to save his own life.
Joe Di summoned a ball of flame and chuckled, "I ought to thank you. If not for you, I might've left such a dangerous threat behind."
He tossed the flame, and in an instant, Jason Silentwood's primordial spirit was engulfed by Dao Fire.
Joe Di couldn't help but admire Jason Silentwood—this bastard was truly adept at hiding. Earlier, when his divine sense scanned for the Chaos Lotus in the void, he hadn't thought to check the ground. This was a lesson: never overlook any place, for a simple oversight could prove fatal.
......
Ever since returning to the Void Market, Tammy Tang had felt deeply uneasy.
She had already reported the situation with Warren Wraith to the Phoenix Clan. Her sole reason for coming to the Void Market was to wait for Joe Di. If he didn't return, it meant danger.
Warren Wraith was extremely insidious. His greatest threat wasn't his combat power, but his scheming. He could even doom an entire race, leaving their lands barren. So, even cultivators far stronger than Warren Wraith were reluctant to make him an enemy face-to-face.
To make an enemy of Warren Wraith—killing him was a blessing. But if you failed, you'd be inviting disaster.
That day, while Tammy Tang was advising Bolt and Dean Carter on their cultivation, a petite woman in black hurried over. At the sight of her confidante Vera Tang's anxious expression, Tammy Tang felt a jolt of alarm. Vera was her trusted agent in the Void Market, always the first to catch wind of any disturbance.
"What is it, Vera?" Tammy Tang asked before Vera Tang could speak.
Vera Tang said urgently, "Sister Tang, I saw Franklin Young enter the Void Market, and he went to the Demon Clan's quarters."
"What? Was he injured?" Tammy Tang exclaimed, abruptly rising as her expression shifted unpredictably.
From her perspective, Jason Silentwood's invitation to seek the Chaos Lotus together was clearly ill-intentioned. Franklin Young's return, regardless of what happened, spelled trouble for Joe Di.
If Franklin Young, Warren Wraith, and Jason Silentwood joined forces, Joe Di would surely be doomed. And if Joe Di died, Tammy Tang knew Jason Silentwood would never spare her.
Tammy Tang clenched her fists, but time was not on her side. If she had just a few more years, after fully fusing with the Seven-Colored Phoenix Blood, she wouldn't fear Jason Silentwood, no matter what.
The Phoenix Clan had once been glorious, but ever since Sovereign Hanhuang left for the Outer Heavens and was never heard from again, their strength had faded and they were no longer the mighty force of old.
"From what I observed, he wasn't injured—his aura was very strong," Vera Tang replied, fully aware of Tammy Tang's predicament.
Tammy Tang frowned, about to speak, when a voice called out, "Excuse me, is Senior Sister Tammy Tang here? Vera Tang of Sacred Dao Sect requests an audience."
"Vera Tang?" Tammy Tang quickly recalled the name and called out, "Go invite her—no, I'll go down myself."
Tammy Tang hurried downstairs and saw a slightly haggard woman in the lobby of Phoenix Roost Inn. Despite her pallor, Vera Tang's stunning beauty left Tammy Tang in awe. The Phoenix Clan had many beauties, but compared to Vera Tang, they seemed merely pleasant-looking.
"Are you Junior Sister Vera Tang?" Tammy Tang greeted her warmly.
"Yes, Senior Sister. Vera greets you." Vera Tang smiled gently, and it was as if flowers bloomed—the whole space seemed to lose its color.
"Haha, Junior Sister Tang, it's good to see you're still here—this makes things much easier." A hearty laugh rang out. At the sound, Tammy Tang's heart trembled and her face turned slightly pale. Franklin Young had indeed arrived, not even giving her time to think.