The place where Joe Di and his companions stayed was indeed the most luxurious. As soon as Joe Di entered, he felt an overwhelming concentration of primordial energy. There were seven cultivation chambers here, and in addition, rooms for artifact forging and alchemy.
Joe Di was used to cultivating beneath the Dao Vein, so this didn’t particularly impress him. But Meng Ruolou was stunned. She had reached the Third Step in her cultivation, yet had never practiced in such a rich environment.
"Fellow Daoist Meng, you and Hai Yi should go rest for now," Joe Di said. He planned to set up a Trap-and-Slay Grand Array, uncertain how many powerful cultivators would soon besiege him. But no matter how many came, he did not fear them.
According to Guan Chengshan, Fifth Step Paragons were exceedingly rare here. Joe Di didn’t believe many Fifth Step Paragons would gather to attack him.
Seeing Meng Ruolou seemed to have something to say to Joe Di, Hai Yi volunteered, "I’ll go cultivate first."
For Hai Yi, if he could always cultivate in such a place saturated with primordial energy, he would soon attain Sainthood through Decree. With his deep foundation, stepping into the Fifth Step would be far less difficult than it was for other cultivators here.
After Hai Yi the Saint entered one of the cultivation chambers, Meng Ruolou suddenly knelt before Joe Di.
Joe Di was startled and quickly helped Meng Ruolou to her feet. Frowning slightly, he said, "Fellow Daoist Meng, we’ve been through hardship together. If you still act like this, it means you don’t truly see me as a friend."
Meng Ruolou suddenly formed a dozen hand seals, and as Dao Rhythm swirled around her, her face began to transform in mere moments.
Joe Di sensed the shift in Dao Rhythm and was shocked. This technique seemed similar to his Earth Fiend Phantasm, likely originating from the same source. He guessed Meng Ruolou was altering her appearance, preparing to reveal her true face.
Realizing Meng Ruolou had changed her appearance, Joe Di was secretly shocked. He was far stronger than Meng Ruolou in both cultivation and power, yet he hadn’t noticed her transformation. Clearly, her Illusion Technique was superior to his Earth Fiend Phantasm.
Soon, Meng Ruolou’s face became clear—a flawlessly beautiful countenance appeared before Joe Di.
Joe Di inexplicably recalled a saying: "In the north, there is a beauty, peerless and alone. One glance topples a city, another glance topples a nation."
So beautiful—even with the aid of special cultivation techniques, it would be difficult for anyone to possess a visage like Meng Ruolou’s.
Joe Di stared at Meng Ruolou, but his thoughts drifted far away. He remembered Cao Xi. Meng Ruolou’s beauty could even rival Cao Xi’s, but where was Cao Xi now?
A wave of melancholy surged in his heart. Cao Xi had married him—how many days of happiness had they truly shared?
Sensing Joe Di’s unwavering gaze upon her, Meng Ruolou instinctively lowered her head, her cheeks tinged red. She knew any normal man who saw her face would be stunned by her beauty. So Joe Di’s fixed stare was only natural.
But soon, Meng Ruolou sensed something was off. She looked up and found that although Joe Di’s gaze rested on her face, his eyes did not truly see her.
"Big Brother Di..."
Meng Ruolou’s call snapped Joe Di back to reality. He sighed, a sudden emptiness filling his heart. In this vast universe, boundless and infinite, he had found the Intermediate Universe, and perhaps one day, even the Advanced Universe. Was his entire life destined to be spent in endless pursuit of the Dao?
He knew well that the Dao was endless—like the vast chaos, it stretched on infinitely, impossible to ever reach its limit.
Joe Di let out a long breath. He resolved that after stepping into the Fourth Step, he would find a way to return to the New Universe, where his friends and family awaited.
Beyond failing Cao Xi, he had also let down Nong Xiuqi.
"Go ahead, tell me—what do you need my help with?" Joe Di refocused, his tone growing calm.
"If we can stay here, Brother Di, it means you do not fear the powerful ones who are coming. I only hope that you’ll let me deal with Di Xian of the Redlin Clan..." A fierce killing intent flashed in Meng Ruolou’s eyes.
"Are you certain Di Xian will come?" Joe Di asked, puzzled.
Meng Ruolou replied with certainty, "As long as I restore my true appearance, he will come here at once. He is of the Redlin Clan, and his father is Di Cun, who only recently became a Fifth Step Paragon. My elder brother was killed by this man—his limbs severed, his soul burned to ashes. I escaped only because I mastered a technique called the Celestial Gang Transformation, but Di Cun stole that technique from me as well..."
As she spoke, Meng Ruolou’s eyes reddened again. She and her two siblings had depended on each other, cultivating together until they reached the Divine Realm. Such bonds were rare, not only among humans but even among other races.
But because of her, her younger sister disappeared, and her brother was captured and tortured repeatedly by Di Xian. If she had not mastered the Celestial Gang Transformation, she would have been taken as well. Even so, if not for Joe Di’s rescue, she would have been seized by that Redlin Clan dwarf and delivered to Di Xian.
Celestial Gang Transformation? Joe Di instantly understood. His Earth Fiend Phantasm was no match for the Celestial Gang Transformation. If the Redlin Clan had truly stolen that technique, he was determined to reclaim it.
Joe Di said, "Of course I’m willing to help you with this. But it’s also possible that I’ll be besieged by those powerful cultivators and end up with my soul utterly destroyed."
Meng Ruolou replied firmly, "If you fall to those beasts, Brother Di, then I, Meng Ruolou, will die fighting at your side."
If not for Joe Di, Meng Ruolou would have been killed long ago. Besides, if Joe Di were to lose, death would be her only fate as well.
"Well then—hahaha!" A loud, boisterous laugh echoed through the room.
Joe Di’s expression changed. Although he hadn’t yet rearranged the defensive array after entering the room, he had, out of habit, set up several defensive restrictions. He was confident in his array skills, yet someone had just shattered his restrictions with sound alone—their voice rang clearly in his ear.
The next moment, a tall, handsome man in gray robes stepped into his room.
(This chapter is not over yet~ Please click 'Next Page' to continue reading the exciting content!)
Joe Di’s expression grew cold as the Celestial Blade appeared in his hand. This was definitely a cultivator who had surpassed the Fourth Step—otherwise, he could not have so easily torn through Joe Di’s defensive restrictions. Even the ones Joe Di set casually were not so easily broken.
What angered Joe Di even more was that this man had ripped through his restrictions without hesitation, treating him as someone to be crushed at will, showing not the slightest respect.
What puzzled Joe Di was that this person was a human cultivator.
"Fellow Daoist, you’re quite impressive—to have slain three Edict Saints and yet dare to reside in the Allgod Tower without the slightest fear. I, Yuan Changxiao, truly admire you..."
Joe Di didn’t even let Yuan Changxiao finish. He interrupted coldly, "Get out."
Yuan Changxiao’s smile froze. He replied with a chill in his voice, "Do you understand the consequences of saying that word to me?"
This time, Joe Di didn’t even bother to reply. The Celestial Blade erupted with waves of blade force and Dao Rhythm. He hadn’t acted before only because he didn’t want to destroy his residence and have to find another place to stay.
"Hahaha..." Yuan Changxiao laughed. "I’ve met arrogant people before, but never anyone as arrogant as you. Even when I come to help, you’re this defiant. It’s a wonder you’ve survived this long."
Though Joe Di’s Celestial Blade radiated blade force, he hadn’t unleashed it. It wasn’t Yuan Changxiao’s words that held him back, but rather the fact that at least ten Fourth Step Edict Saints had gathered above the Allgod Tower, along with one more who matched Yuan Changxiao’s Fifth Step Paragon strength.
If he made a move against Yuan Changxiao now, and those others attacked at the same time, he would be at a severe disadvantage.
Yuan Changxiao seemed equally unwilling to fight. Seeing that Joe Di hadn’t unleashed his blade, his tone softened. "You and I are both human cultivators. I know the limits of the Fifth Step, and I can even sense the opportunity for the Sixth Step. But I lack an ally—I hope you’ll join me. The benefits are obvious; I needn’t say more."
Joe Di sneered inwardly. The way Yuan Changxiao tore through his restrictions so casually—he was clearly trying to make Joe Di his lackey. As for his character, it was surely rotten. If a human could reach the Fifth Step, he would never be so miserable. The only possibility was that Yuan Changxiao cared nothing for the fate of his own kind—their life or death meant nothing to him.
Joe Di’s voice carried a hint of mockery. "You, a human Fifth Step Paragon, act as though the fate of our race means nothing to you."
Yuan Changxiao retorted just as sarcastically, "If I’m not mistaken, you’ve at least reached the Fourth Step, haven’t you? Yet you still can’t see that beneath the Grand Dao, all is illusion. You disappoint me. I came here today to save you, but you don’t even have the sense to accept it."
"No one can save him today." A chilling voice rang out, followed by more than a dozen figures approaching—the one leading them was precisely the Paragon Joe Di had sensed.
(That’s all for today’s update. Good night, friends!)