Faced with such terrifying and ruthless blade intent, the tall cultivator dared not slacken in the slightest. Even though retreat would be the wisest choice, he still charged at Joe Di once more, unleashing another strike with his finger—this time holding nothing back, attacking with his full strength. His Primordial Voidshatter Finger also relied on momentum and Dao rhythm; if he retreated, his momentum would falter.
"Primordial Voidshatter..." This finger strike, compared to the previous one, carried an even more vast and ancient aura. Before this finger, all things would be reduced to nothingness, torn into fragments.
The Azure Veil Blade's momentum and Dao rhythm, still lingering in the void, immediately showed signs of collapse. Joe Di was secretly shocked. He was certain the opponent hadn't used full strength with the first finger—this second strike was truly all out.
If the opponent had attacked with full force from the very first finger, even Joe Di's Genesis Opening Incantation might not have been enough to tear through it. Fortunately, after experiencing the first strike, though the second was even stronger, Joe Di managed to spot a flaw in its laws.
This time, the Azure Veil Blade was not suppressed by the opponent's finger strike.
Crack! The Azure Veil Blade, as if guided by precise calculation, cleaved directly into that tiny flaw in the laws.
Even though the Azure Veil Blade didn't tear apart the Dao rhythm of that finger strike, the Dao rhythm of the Primordial Voidshatter Finger immediately began to unravel. Space surged violently, cosmic laws turned chaotic once more, and the void itself was riddled with fine cracks from the collision. Without hesitation, Joe Di threw a punch.
Peaks clustered, waves raging! One mountain-like fist after another crashed forth, instantly forming a chain of massive waves; within those waves, the blade intent and killing aura of the Azure Veil Blade faintly lingered.
Boom! Divine essence and Dao rhythm exploded in midair, as Joe Di simultaneously activated his grand array of laws.
The layers of fist peaks and blade waves Joe Di unleashed were reduced to nothingness under the opponent's finger strike, all shattered into fragments of Dao rhythm.
Yet even after Joe Di unleashed both his blade and his fist, that single finger still descended with residual force. Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! A series of muffled rumbles echoed out as Joe Di's protective array shattered inch by inch, but the power of that finger was also dissolved into nothingness by the grand array of laws Joe Di had set.
Boom! The backlash swept through, and the towering man was also blasted back several meters by Joe Di's punch. Compared to the previous blow, Joe Di had suffered a hidden loss—this time, the two seemed evenly matched. Only Joe Di knew that, aside from using two divine abilities, he had also relied on his mastery of arrays. The seamless formation woven from law banners had blocked the finger and returned some of the backlash to his opponent.
At his current strength, Joe Di truly wasn't a match for the cultivator before him. If he wanted to defeat this man, he would have to master the Genesis Opening Incantation—at least five words of it—to completely overpower him.
"Friend, this matter is my fault. I am willing to admit my mistake. Of course, if you insist on pursuing it, I, Lord Voidbreaker, do not fear you." The towering man cupped his fists to Joe Di. He could tell that, while he was slightly stronger than Joe Di, suppressing him was impossible. Not only that, even making Joe Di suffer a minor injury would be difficult. He also noticed Joe Di's technique, which seemed to arrange seamless divine arrays invisibly.
Aside from that, Joe Di's cultivation method was also peculiar. Lord Voidbreaker hadn't used his full strength with his first finger, yet it had broken through Joe Di's blade. But when he used almost all his power with the second finger, Joe Di still shattered it without pressure. There was no point in continuing to fight.
"I understand now. You are Lord Voidbreaker..." Someone in the crowd finally recognized the towering man and cried out in shock.
Lord Voidbreaker laughed heartily. "I thought someone would recognize me after my first finger, but it seems I had to announce myself before anyone did."
He had used the Voidshatter Finger precisely to announce to everyone that Lord Voidbreaker had returned. Unfortunately, only now did someone finally recognize him.
"Lord Voidbreaker, I, Elijah Wells, have no grudge with you. If you wish to hunt me down, so be it, but you shouldn't drag others into this." Elijah Wells hurried forward to speak.
Elijah Wells wasn't trying to confront Lord Voidbreaker, but rather to retreat in order to advance. Joe Di clearly didn't fear Lord Voidbreaker, and the latter seemed inclined to reconcile with Joe Di. Elijah quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, hoping Lord Voidbreaker would stop pursuing him.
Seeing Lord Voidbreaker looking at him, Joe Di said calmly, "Lord Voidbreaker? Heh, never heard of you. But you smashed my residence, and that won't be forgotten."
Joe Di wasn't threatening Lord Voidbreaker—he truly couldn't do anything to him at the moment. But once today passed, he would do everything possible to reach union with the Dao. Once he succeeded, what would Lord Voidbreaker matter?
Lord Voidbreaker's true strength lay in that single finger. Joe Di couldn't counter it because his cultivation was lower, and the Genesis Opening Incantation was not yet perfected.
Lord Voidbreaker waved a hand at Elijah Wells. "Your matter is settled. As for—"
At this, Lord Voidbreaker cupped his fists to Joe Di. "May I ask your name, fellow cultivator? Debts must be repaid, damages compensated—that is the way of the universe. I damaged your tavern, and I will naturally compensate you."
His words made it clear he intended to compensate Joe Di for the loss, but the first sentence was obviously an attempt to make friends.
Joe Di thought to himself, these old masters really know how to let go of pride—face means nothing to them.
"Joe Di..."
Joe Di had only spoken two words when Bolt chimed in from the side, "Most people just call my boss 'Grandmaster.'"
Lord Voidbreaker seemed not to hear Bolt, still smiling at Joe Di. "Brother Joe, why don't we find a quiet place to talk?"
He had only spoken half the sentence before continuing in a voice transmission, "Fellow Joe, I have a way for you to achieve union with the Dao—and not just any Dao, but the Great Dao itself."
Joe Di had been pondering the matter of Dao union, so Lord Voidbreaker's words instantly caught his attention. He had met many cultivators who had achieved union with the Dao, even ancient ones whom he had slain by the dozens. But truthfully, Lord Voidbreaker was the most formidable union cultivator he had ever seen.
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Moreover, Lord Voidbreaker was called 'Dao Lord,' which meant he had once reached the third stage. With that thought, Joe Di waved his hand, instantly erecting a supreme artifact residence. He gestured, "If that's the case, please come inside and let's talk."
Lord Voidbreaker was quite satisfied. If not for wanting to befriend Joe Di, he would never have lowered himself. In the past, Lord Voidbreaker had been a top-tier powerhouse—did he really need to humble himself before Joe Di, a mere Hunyuan cultivator? Besides, this so-called Hunyuan was still no match for him.
As for worrying about Joe Di seeking revenge in the future—ha! Lord Voidbreaker had never bothered with such trivial matters.
Once Joe Di and Lord Voidbreaker entered, the crowd outside grew lively again.
Only now did all the cultivators gathered here realize that the proprietor of Mountainview Tavern was so formidable—even Lord Voidbreaker couldn't do anything to him.
Elijah Wells finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since Lord Voidbreaker, a renowned powerhouse, had promised to let him go, he could rest easy.
But the most popular figure was Bolt. Now that everyone knew Bolt's boss was so terrifying, the cultivators treated Bolt with even greater reverence.
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Joe Di led Lord Voidbreaker to the guest chamber, poured him a cup of Starry Sky Tea, and fell silent.
If not for Lord Voidbreaker's words being so important, given that he had smashed Joe Di's tavern sign and destroyed the tavern itself for no reason, Joe Di would never have offered him Starry Sky Tea.
"Excellent tea." Lord Voidbreaker exclaimed after a single sip. For him, this praise meant much more than for others—he had sensed the aura of the World Tree within the tea.