"Fellow Daoist Joe, before we begin, I have a question I'd like to ask you." Zane Han's tone was sincere, even tinged with a hint of anticipation.
Joe Di smiled, "Please, go ahead."
Zane Han cupped his fists and said, "As far as I know, the City Lord of Genesis City, Zane Edge, has been absent lately. I don't know exactly what happened to him, but I do know something is definitely wrong. Is this matter somehow related to you, Fellow Daoist Joe?"
Joe Di smiled faintly, understanding Zane Han's implication. He did not conceal anything and said, "If I'm not mistaken, Zane Edge has indeed encountered some trouble lately. It's not directly related to me, but there are some indirect causes. Zane Edge's Dao Companion, Miranda Qian, was killed by me. Upon learning this, Zane Edge became furious and came looking for me to settle the score.
Before confronting me, he managed to save his Dao Companion. But because he saved her, he discovered that she had been unfaithful to him. This may have caused a crack in Zane Edge's Dao Heart, and I suspect he left Genesis City to repair his own Dao.
"So that's how it is." Zane Han suddenly understood. No wonder Zane Edge had stormed out of Genesis City in a rage that day—it turned out his Dao Companion had been killed by Joe Di.
But Miranda Qian, Zane Edge's Dao Companion, was like an iceberg—especially toward men other than Zane Edge, whom she openly despised. How could a woman like her possibly be unfaithful? Zane Han couldn't make sense of it, but he didn't press further. After all, this was just gossip, and the truth was better left unknown to them.
"Fellow Daoists Lucas, Joe. My Dao is not yet perfected, but my current strength should be barely enough to handle Zane Edge." For the first time, Zane Han revealed his strength to outsiders—a secret that could mean life or death for him.
If people found out that he could stand against Zane Edge, the first to refuse his continued position as First Vice Mayor would be Zane Edge himself.
Lucas Pearl clapped his hands, "Excellent! You truly haven't disappointed me. Welcome to join the team with me and Joe Di."
Lucas Pearl clearly saw himself and Joe Di as the founders of this small team, with Zane Han as a later addition. Zane Han didn't mind; what he wanted was a way to survive, so that when the real battle came, he wouldn't be alone.
After speaking, Lucas Pearl turned his gaze to Joe Di. "Joe, I know your strength is impressive—even if you're a bit weaker than Zane Edge, the difference isn't much. More importantly, you haven't yet stepped into the Genesis Realm. Once you do, Zane Edge will have no choice but to flee when he sees you. The reason I've always wanted to work with you is this: if there's someone much stronger than me whom I can hold off for a short time, can your bow and arrow deliver a fatal blow?"
Joe Di didn't react much to Lucas Pearl's words, but Zane Han's expression changed. Just now Lucas Pearl said he could kill Zane Edge, who is almost the strongest in Genesis City.
Someone even stronger than the top powerhouse of Genesis City? Is there really such a person in Genesis City? Who could it be?
"Lucas, as far as I know, Sean Chen in Genesis City has been hiding his true strength. But your power already surpasses Sean Chen, and is even greater than Zane Edge. So in Genesis City..."
Zane Han didn't say that Genesis City had no one much stronger than Lucas Pearl, but both Joe Di and Lucas Pearl understood his meaning. Zane Han had lived in Genesis City for so many years—how could he never have heard of such a powerhouse?
Lucas Pearl chuckled, "Zane, you're just like us. If you hadn't come to find us today, neither Joe Di nor I would have known your strength could rival Zane Edge, Genesis City's so-called number one."
Zane Han fell silent. He understood Lucas Pearl's point: if he could hide in Genesis City, so could others.
Zane Han didn't ask further, and Lucas Pearl turned his gaze to Joe Di. Joe Di chuckled, "Lucas, I do have such a bow and arrow, but whether I can deal with the person you're talking about—I don't know yet. Until I see that person myself, I can't be sure if I can handle them."
Joe Di's meaning was clear: if Lucas Pearl wanted him to help deal with someone, he needed to tell him who that person was first.
Lucas Pearl didn't say who they would be dealing with. Instead, he asked again, "Joe, if Zane Han manages to hold off Zane Edge, how much of a threat is your bow and arrow to Zane Edge? I'm talking about a threat to his life, not just a normal injury."
Hearing Lucas Pearl's words, Zane Han also looked at Joe Di expectantly. Although he considered himself no weaker than Zane Edge, in a real fight he wouldn't be able to do much against Zane Edge, let alone kill him. The best outcome would be a stalemate, with neither able to defeat the other.
If Joe Di could really finish off Zane Edge with an arrow after a stalemate, then his arrows would be truly remarkable.
Joe Di said calmly, "To deal with Zane Edge, I don't need anyone to hold him off for me."
He was being honest. Right now, his strength was still a bit lower than Zane Edge's, but the fact that he dared to stand in Genesis City today meant he wasn't afraid of Zane Edge.
Being slightly weaker than Zane Edge didn't mean Zane Edge could do anything to him. If they truly fought to the death, it was hard to say who would win. Zane Edge had ways to come back from the brink of death, while Joe Di possessed the World Tree and the Dao of Laws—these were formidable powers as well.
"Good." Lucas Pearl clapped his hands again in approval, not asking for further details. "Since that's the case, I'm relieved. Now let me tell you who I'm planning to deal with."
Hearing that Lucas Pearl was finally going to reveal his target, both Joe Di and Zane Han paid close attention.
"The person I want to deal with is called Zach..." Lucas Pearl had just spoken when, with a thunderous boom, the sky above his residence was suddenly torn open and a giant foot slowly descended.
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Joe Di instinctively tried to rush out of Lucas Pearl's residence, but he quickly realized that the space around him was completely sealed. At that moment, even his Dao of Laws couldn't circulate, and his divine sense was frozen.
The next moment, a man in brown clothes stepped down from the sky above the residence, landing before the three of them.
All three immediately focused on the brown-clad man. He wore black hemp shoes, a dark yellow cloth belt at his waist, and had wide palms. His complexion was slightly sallow, his eyes narrow, and he sported a bamboo hat. His lips seemed to hold a smile, yet he looked extremely serious, making it impossible to read his true expression.
For the second time, Joe Di felt this way—the first was when he ventured into the Vast Chaos. The man before him felt like another Vast Chaos: boundless, unfathomable, with a mastery of Dao that could crush all universes with a mere gesture.
Joe Di drew a sharp breath, and with a flicker of thought, managed to connect a sliver of his divine sense. He was truly grateful for cultivating the Dao of Laws; his intent could still reach out to the heavens.
At this moment, Joe Di didn't need to ask Lucas Pearl—he could already guess that this man must be Zach, the one Lucas Pearl wanted to deal with.
Compared to this man, even powerhouses like Zane Edge and Sean Chen were probably mere ants. Lucas Pearl must be insane, wanting him to help deal with such a terrifying being.
"You..." Lucas Pearl's face turned pale. He had always known there was a gap between himself and Zach, but he hadn't expected it to be so vast. Even with more helpers, they'd just be cannon fodder. The moment Zach appeared, Lucas Pearl's confidence was shaken.
Zach chuckled, "That's right. I am Zach."
After saying this, his gaze fell upon Joe Di. "You're not bad. Your cultivation technique is impressive."
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)