Red Tassel Joe has entered the eighty-ninth position on the Sea List. In a matter of moments, this news spread everywhere. Red Tassel Joe was already famous, though not because of his overwhelming strength, but mainly because he had made it into the top ten of the Fivefold Dao Tablet.
Most people thought Red Tassel Joe was only seeking fame, that everything he did seemed to be for show, just to attract attention.
In truth, Joe Di had indeed been seeking fame before. Before reaching the Seabreaker Realm, he had to make his name known and get onto the Potential List. Only by entering the Potential List would he have the chance to challenge the strong cultivators of the Sea List and make it onto the Sea List himself. However, his battle with Jin Xun at the Dao Challenge Arena this time was not for fame—it was simply to qualify for the Sea List.
No matter what others said about him, Joe Di had now arrived at the teleportation array cluster outside Heaven's Way City. Back when he first came to the Central Realm, his main purpose was not cultivation, but to return to Jade Nation for revenge.
"I need to go to Yalen Continent. How many spirit stones will it cost?" Joe Di asked at the teleportation fee counter for the second time, feeling a surge of emotion. He had wandered in the Central Realm for years before finally earning the right to use the teleportation array.
"You again!" The female cultivator at the fee window actually recognized Joe Di. As soon as she saw him, she slapped the table and stood up.
The first time could be considered ignorance, but coming here a second time was just causing trouble. At the teleportation array cluster in the Central Realm, anyone found making trouble would be executed without mercy.
Joe Di's expression turned cold. "That's right, it's me again."
Sensing Joe Di's killing intent, the female cultivator shivered. Her gaze suddenly shifted to the Sea List beside her. At that moment, the Sea List clearly displayed Joe Di's image and name, with a note below: Joe Di, Sea List No. 89.
"Senior..." The ticketing female cultivator's face turned deathly pale.
Her disrespectful attitude toward a Sea List cultivator could get her killed without him even needing to lift a finger. If he reported her conduct, she would be doomed. Or if he simply killed her himself, no one would say she didn't deserve it.
"I'm going to Yalen Continent." Joe Di had no interest in arguing with the female cultivator.
"Ten million top-grade spirit stones..." The female cultivator's voice trembled.
Joe Di sucked in a breath—so expensive! Even with the qualification to teleport, he still needed ten million top-grade spirit stones. Fortunately, he still had over twenty million on him, or else he wouldn't be able to teleport even if he qualified.
"Help me with the paperwork for teleportation to Yalen Continent." Joe Di tossed a storage pouch to the female cultivator.
"Yes, yes, I'll get it done right away, Senior!" The female cultivator hadn't expected Joe Di to let her off without a lesson. Not daring to waste another moment, she hurried to process the teleportation as quickly as possible.
There weren't many people teleporting between star continents, and even fewer heading to Heng Domain Star. When Joe Di handed over his Teleportation Token, the responsible cultivator was surprised, clearly not used to anyone traveling to Heng Domain Star.
Joe Di had experienced interstellar teleportation once before. Now, with his Spiritual Sea at level ten, he could more clearly sense the spatial transition during teleportation. However, without the help of the Graystone this time, even though he could better grasp the shift in space, he still couldn't comprehend the spatial laws as deeply as he had last time.
Bang! Joe Di suddenly felt solid ground beneath his feet. Sweeping his divine sense out, he found himself in a strange hall—apparently, the teleportation was complete.
"Senior!" As soon as Joe Di stepped out of the teleportation array, a responsible cultivator approached and greeted him respectfully.
To think he was only at the Golden Core stage—Joe Di couldn't help but sigh inwardly. When he first teleported to the Central Realm, nobody paid him any attention. Because he had just comprehended the Great Footprint, he had laughed out loud in joy, only to be warned by someone who was most likely a Tribulation King Stage cultivator.
The responsible cultivator here was only a Golden Core cultivator, which showed just how much lower Heng Domain Star's cultivation level was compared to the Central Realm.
The Golden Core cultivator in charge of the portal was thrilled. His luck was incredible—he had actually encountered a powerful cultivator teleporting from the Central Realm. Sometimes, this portal array wouldn't be used for years. As soon as the array lit up, he immediately sent the news out.
"Where is this place?" Joe Di asked casually.
After bowing respectfully, the Golden Core cultivator replied, "Senior, this is the Starhenge Teleportation Tower."
Joe Di took out a mid-grade artifact and tossed it to the Golden Core cultivator. "This is for you. Get me a map of Yalen Continent."
Although the artifact Joe Di gave wasn't forged from Earthvein Gold, on Heng Domain Star, a mid-grade artifact was still a treasure for a Golden Core cultivator. In fact, Joe Di's own Azure Veil Blade was currently just a low-grade artifact.
"Thank you for your generous gift, Senior!" The Golden Core cultivator excitedly put away the artifact, then carefully took out a map jade slip and handed it to Joe Di.
Joe Di placed his divine sense on the jade slip and immediately frowned. The jade slip didn't show Jade Nation, and Pearl City was nowhere to be found.
"Do you have a more detailed map? One that shows the martial nations?" Joe Di put away the jade slip and asked.
"He doesn't have one, but I have a much more detailed map here. I'll give you a copy in a moment, fellow Daoist. By the way, may I ask how you would like to be addressed?" A cheerful voice rang out, and a slightly thin man walked in.
The Golden Core cultivator hurried forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Guild Leader."
The slender man nodded and said, "Very good, you may go back to your work."
"Yes, sir." The Golden Core cultivator bowed once more to both Joe Di and the guild leader before stepping aside.
The slender man cupped his fists toward Joe Di, his tone slightly excited. "I am Hai Hong, Guild Leader of the Xingheng Guild. Fellow Daoist, you must be from the Central Realm, correct?"
Joe Di cupped his fists in return. "That's right. My name is Joe Di. I've been away from my homeland for many years, and only recently managed to return with the help of the Central Realm's teleportation array."
With a sweep of his divine sense, Joe Di immediately discerned that Hai Hong's cultivation was at the Tribulation King Stage. Though his aura was strong, his actual strength was still a bit lacking compared to those at the same stage in the Central Realm.
Upon learning that Joe Di was originally from Heng Domain Star, Hai Hong became even more enthusiastic. He took out a jade slip and handed it to Joe Di. "I never expected you to be a cultivator from Yalen Continent as well, Fellow Di. This jade slip contains detailed maps of all the major provinces of Yalen Continent, as well as every mortal nation—be it empire, kingdom, or vassal state."
Joe Di accepted the jade slip and scanned it with his divine sense, immediately spotting Jade Nation. The map clearly marked Jade Nation as a vassal state of the Luyuan Empire.
"Fellow Di, why not come and have a seat at the guild?" Hai Hong was eager to befriend Joe Di and even more anxious to hear news from the Central Realm.
Joe Di apologized, "Hai Hong, I have some personal matters to attend to first. Once I’ve taken care of them, I’ll be returning to the Central Realm from here. We can talk then, how does that sound?"
"Very well, I'll wait for you here, Fellow Di." Hai Hong agreed without hesitation, though he felt that Joe Di couldn't be very old, yet he still couldn't see through Joe Di's cultivation.
Rumor had it that the Central Realm was full of powerful cultivators and abundant resources. Unfortunately, even as the Xingheng Guild Leader, he didn’t qualify to teleport to the Central Realm.
The Starhenge Teleportation Tower was located in Starhenge Cultivation City. After leaving the tower and walking through the city, Joe Di felt even more deeply the low level of cultivation on Yalen Continent.
Other than Hai Hong, who was a Tribulation King Stage powerhouse, Joe Di didn’t see another cultivator of that level all the way out of Starhenge Cultivation City.
Cultivation levels were low on Yalen Continent, and teleportation arrays were rare. Not that Joe Di planned to use them—his divine sense was at the tenth level, and traveling by divine sense was even easier than using teleportation.
Two hours later, Joe Di stopped outside Pearl City. His divine sense had already swept over the palace of Jade Nation. Wu Bahu did not look as glorious as Joe Di had imagined. Though still alive, the marks of age and decline were etched clearly on his face.
Facing the enemy responsible for a sea of blood and deep hatred, Joe Di felt an unprecedented calm. He did not immediately seek out Wu Bahu; he knew that after today, not even an ant from the Wu family would remain. After his years wandering the cultivation world, Joe Di would never show mercy to Wu Bahu.
Joe Di arrived at the tavern where he used to drink with Qu Xiaoshu. After today, he would never return to this place. He didn’t want to spill rivers of blood and then come here to reminisce about Qu Xiaoshu.
If there was anyone left here for him to miss, it was Qu Xiaoshu. He had just swept the area with his divine sense and didn’t see Qu Xiaoshu, which made Joe Di feel a bit sad. Not only was Qu Xiaoshu missing, but there was no sign of anyone from the Qu family either. After so many years, their fate was likely grim.
The window seat on the second floor had once been reserved for Joe Di and Qu Xiaoshu. Over the years, the place had been renovated, and the seat was no longer the same. Joe Di sat down, his thoughts somewhat adrift.
"May I take your order?" The waiter came over and asked Joe Di respectfully. He had only worked here for two or three years and didn’t recognize the man sitting in front of him as the legendary Joe Lao Jiu who once dominated Pearl City.
"A pot of Zuiyu Sang..." Joe Di said a few words, his gaze drifting out to the street.
He saw that familiar figure again—a woman in a pale yellow dress, carrying a long sword, walked past on the street below. But now, he was no longer the Joe Di of years past, and the man beside Zhen Man was no longer the young man in white from back then.
Joe Di’s expression was a bit dazed. He remembered the last time he and Qu Xiaoshu got drunk here, then saw Zhen Man walk by, and how that moment made him smash his wine cup against the wall, swearing to find a way to cultivate. Now, he was considered the top talent in the Central Realm by Master Huan Mingzi. But where had Qu Xiaoshu, who had risked his life for him, gone?
Joe Di grabbed the wine pot the waiter had brought and drank more than half in one go. The wine tasted as bland as water, nothing like it had in the past.
Zhen Man stopped. She looked up and saw Joe Di at the second-floor window, immediately furrowing her brows. She couldn’t understand why Joe Di had returned to court death, nor why he could sit openly in the tavern, drinking on the second floor.