Joe Di's heart sank, and he immediately retreated a dozen steps, ready to flee with his divine sense at any moment.
But Joe Di quickly discovered that as he withdrew, the terrifying oppressive aura instantly lessened. Moreover, the other party did not pursue him or make a move.
Joe Di's divine sense immediately landed on the youth. A faint, ethereal chain bound the emaciated youth to the ground.
Dao rhythm flowed along the chain, yet it was not fully materialized.
This was a Dao Chain condensed from cosmic laws and Dao rhythm—Joe Di immediately understood. No wonder the youth hadn't left; he simply couldn't leave.
At the same time, Joe Di realized why there were no corpses or remains on Voidmount. It seemed his guess was correct: all the bodies on Voidmount had been corroded away by Dao rhythm.
No one knew how long this youth had been bound by the Dao Rhythm Chain here, yet he was still alive—truly remarkable.
Knowing the youth was trapped by the Dao Rhythm Chain, Joe Di finally breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped forward again, carefully sizing up the youth.
Though the youth was nothing but skin and bones, he was the only living person Joe Di had seen since entering Voidmount. He even still wore a ring on his finger.
As for Quentin June, Joe Di never considered that guy alive. Besides, he only arrived here later, so he couldn't be counted as a native of Voidmount.
After saying this, Xavier White closed his eyes, as if entering meditation once more.
Seeing this, Quentin June's heart sank. He knew he had been abandoned. Without waiting for Joe Di to make a move, he spread his body and tried to flee.
Although his external wounds seemed healed, in reality they hadn't improved much. Just as he tried to escape, before he could get far, a blade light like a heavenly curtain tore through the air. Two sprays of blood burst forth, and Quentin June fell from midair, his face ashen.
Joe Di walked over to Quentin June, raised his hand, and tossed out several formation flags, setting up an isolating barrier. With his skill, he didn't even need formation flags to create such a barrier.
But he still had things to discuss with Xavier White and didn't want to reveal all his trump cards.
"Do as you please—kill or torture me. If I, Quentin June, so much as frown, these years of cultivation will have been wasted." Restrained by Joe Di, Quentin June simply closed his eyes and put on a defiant front.
Joe Di spoke calmly, "I just want to ask you a few questions. If you refuse to answer, I will burn your soul for nine hundred and ninety-nine years, until your spirit is utterly destroyed and you have no chance at reincarnation. If you answer, I will let you go to reincarnation."
"Ask away, as long as it's something I can say." Just as Joe Di had expected, Quentin June did not resist further.
To a cultivator, soul destruction was the cruelest fate.
Joe Di nodded. "First question: Were you sent by Jiang Dai? Why did Jiang Dai send you to the Four Immortal Continents?"
Quentin June gave a miserable smile. "Heh, Jiang Dai... I'm just a watchdog he left outside. No, I'm not even as good as a dog. At least a dog gets scraps from its master. As for me, all I got was a single Extreme Chasm Dao Fruit, heh..."
With two bitter laughs in one sentence, Joe Di understood.
It seemed he had overestimated Quentin June. If Quentin June had already attained the Dao, he wouldn't need the Extreme Chasm Dao Fruit.
It appeared Quentin June hadn't reached the Upper Realm either.
Despite suspecting Quentin June hadn't ascended, Joe Di still asked, "Do you know anything about the fate of the Immortal Realm? Have you been to the Upper Realm? What is the Upper Realm?"
Quentin June sighed. "I was only brought in by Jiang Dai to monitor a few people. I had some suspicions, but it wasn't until you mentioned it that I realized those people I was watching were probably the ones Jiang Dai ordered to plunder the fate of the Immortal Realm. As for the Upper Realm, I've never been there, so I know nothing about it."
"Did you come here hoping to find a weak node and ascend to the Upper Realm?" Joe Di knew there was little more to learn from Quentin June; his value was low.
Quentin June shook his head. "There's absolutely no way to reach the Upper Realm from here. The void between realms is called the Death Zone. Spiritual energy is scarce, the laws are broken; you can't cultivate, you can't leave, you can only wait for death. I had nowhere else to run, so I fled here."
"Are you involved in the beast tide on Thunder Court Immortal Continent?"
"That was indeed my doing." Quentin June didn't deny it and admitted openly.
"How do you communicate with Jiang Dai?"
"He always contacts me; we have no way to reach him ourselves." Quentin June answered almost without hesitation, hiding nothing.
Joe Di shook his head helplessly and sent a blade light toward Quentin June. "Your value is too low. I permit you to reincarnate."
Quentin June did not resist and allowed Joe Di to kill him.
"You shouldn't have killed him; he still had value. You just didn't realize it. Of course, if you want to know about the Upper Realm, I can answer some of your questions." Seeing Joe Di kill Quentin June and walk over, Xavier White spoke calmly.
"Your strength now far surpasses mine, but I can still kill you if I wish. If you don't believe me, you can try." Joe Di wasn't surprised that Xavier White knew what he had asked Quentin June; Quentin's mouth movements must have given it away.
Xavier White remained unfazed by Joe Di's threat and said calmly, "You think you can kill me, but that's just your assumption. The information I can offer is far more valuable than my life. Besides, I don't believe you can kill me. If you don't believe it, go ahead and try."
Joe Di's divine sense fell upon the Dao Chain, puzzled as to why Xavier White was so confident he couldn't be killed.
Before Joe Di could ask further, Xavier White took the initiative. "If I'm not mistaken, you must have found Voidmount's Refining Stele on your way here."
Joe Di thought to himself, as he suspected, the stele he obtained was indeed Voidmount's Refining Stele.
Xavier White saw the look in Joe Di's eyes and knew he had guessed correctly. He continued, "If you want to refine Voidmount, you'll need my help. As long as I'm here, even bound by the Dao Chain, Voidmount can't be refined by you. Or maybe you think I'm completely powerless after being chained, but you're wrong. The only reason I'm still trapped here is because I can't bear to part with this physical body..."
As a body-refining cultivator himself, Joe Di found Xavier White's words believable. He valued his physical body even more than his soul.
(Good night, friends!)