Ken Blaze had just stepped into the Void Market when he abruptly halted, his face darkening to an iron hue.
Ken Wayne, following behind him, looked at Ken Blaze in confusion. "Blaze Senior Brother, what happened?"
Ken Blaze struggled to steady his emotions, then spoke slowly, "Ken Wayne has been killed. Just now."
The only one capable and daring enough to kill Ken Wayne was Joe Di. That meant Joe Di had been waiting outside Shadowhold all along. The moment he saw Ken Blaze and Ken Wayne leave Shadowhold, he immediately struck at Ken Wayne and Franklin Young.
"That bastard! I'll swallow that ant alive..." Ken Wayne roared in fury, turning to charge toward Shadowhold.
Ken Blaze raised a hand to stop Ken Wayne. Ken Wayne, eyes red, glared at Ken Blaze. "Blaze Senior Brother, what do you mean?"
Ken Blaze stared coldly at Ken Wayne and said, "Do you think the two of us together are much stronger than Ken Wayne and Franklin Young combined?"
Ken Wayne calmed down, understanding Ken Blaze's point. Together, he and Ken Blaze were indeed stronger than Ken Wayne and Franklin Young, but not overwhelmingly so.
Seeing Ken Wayne calm down, Ken Blaze softened his tone. "Ken Wayne, you should realize that even together, we couldn't crush Ken Wayne and Franklin Young. And how long have we been away from Shadowhold? From what I observed, Joe Di didn't have much trouble killing Ken Wayne—he even seems to possess a primordial treasure. Not only that, Darren Rice is also helping Joe Di. If we go, what are our chances? Perhaps Joe Di is waiting for us at Shadowhold right now."
"Are we just going to let Joe Di slaughter Ken Wayne?" Ken Wayne clenched his fists, unwilling to accept it.
Ken Blaze spoke in a grave tone, "I was wrong. Against someone like Joe Di, we should never have split up. Now that the mistake is made, the only thing we can do is rush back to the clan and ask the Ancestor to intervene."
Ken Wayne looked at Ken Blaze in confusion. "Blaze Senior Brother, do we really need to go that far?"
Ken Blaze clenched his fists as well. "Yes, I made a huge mistake. I misjudged Joe Di's true strength. If I'm not wrong, Joe Di hasn't even reached the Hunyuan Realm yet. Once he does, I probably won't last three moves against him. This isn't just about avenging Ken Wayne anymore—it's about what our Kunpeng Clan will do once Joe Di enters the Hunyuan Realm."
......
Darren Rice had already stopped. He took out an ancient, tattered map and handed it to Joe Di with a sigh. "Brother Di, this old map was discovered by me and several friends in the Void Sea. Legend has it that it's the location of a void rift, a place connecting the Dao Realm with another world. But to enter this rift, you need at least a Saint Physique; otherwise, going in is suicide. In fact, even with a Saint Physique, your chances of survival are only half."
After arriving at the Void Market, we learned that the Dao Fruit Tower didn't have Dao Fruits that could help us reach the Saint Physique. Most of my companions are either dead or missing—now, I'm the only one left wandering around here. I'm planning to check out this part of the void and see if there's a way to reach Celestial Beyond.
"Brother Rice, aren't you coming back to the Void Sea with me?" Joe Di asked.
Darren Rice shook his head. "I can't go back, and honestly, I don't want to for now. I want to go to Celestial Beyond. Also, Brother Di, if you haven't reached the Saint Physique, I suggest you don't go back. The void rift isn't a normal place—once you enter, there's no turning back."
"In that case, thank you, Brother Rice. Let's exchange communication beads. Maybe in the future, I can help you get to Celestial Beyond." Joe Di handed over his communication bead, and Darren Rice gave him the tattered void rift map—a great help indeed.
If he returned to the Void Market in the future, he might go to Xuanhuang Celestial Beyond with Tang Beiwei. At that time, he would invite Darren Rice and Jiao Da to join him. As for the fact that he already possessed a Saint Physique, he did not explain it to Darren Rice.
......
Darren Rice left on his own. After carefully studying the tattered map, Joe Di felt fortunate to have killed several powerful cultivators.
The map had coordinates. To follow its directions, he needed a void locator orb for this region. Luckily, he had taken such orbs from Ji Hongsen and Xiang Mu when he killed them earlier.
Joe Di summoned his spaceship and called for Lightning. He handed the locator orb and the tattered map to Lightning. The journey would take more than a day or two, so he needed every moment to cultivate and improve his strength.
......
The Kunpeng Clan resided among vast, boundless void mountains, concealed by a natural grand array. Ordinary cultivators could never find it.
At this moment, a heavy atmosphere hung over the entire Kunpeng Clan. Even the Ancestor, Kenneth Skye, who had been in seclusion for countless years, had come out. Kenneth Skye sat beside the clan leader, his vulture-like face looking somber.
Ken Blaze had just finished recounting everything that had happened, and all the Kunpeng Clan elites present understood the situation.
"Ken Blaze, you handled this poorly. I suspect the Demon Clan might be behind this, trying to lure our Kunpeng Clan out," the clan leader, Kenneth Rivers, finally sighed after a long silence.
Kenneth Rivers radiated a vast aura, his cultivation even stronger than Ken Blaze's.
"Yes, I failed to consider everything and was focused only on that mutated Kunpeng descendant." Ken Blaze admitted his mistake. He suspected Franklin Young only wanted to kill Joe Di, not lure out the Kunpeng Clan. If Franklin Young truly intended to lure them out, he wouldn't have gone to his death alone.
Kenneth Skye waved his hand. "Ken Blaze, it's not wrong to search for Lightning, our mutated descendant. Our Kunpeng Clan has been hiding in Kun Mountain for countless ages. Without a true powerhouse emerging, perhaps we'll never leave Kun Mountain. Your mistake was thinking your strength could sweep through this void—now that's the real error."
(This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!)
"Ancestor, there really isn't a Dao Fusion powerhouse in this void. Blaze Junior Brother is at half-step Dao Fusion and is actually the strongest in this region," Kenneth Rivers said respectfully, defending Ken Blaze.
Kenneth Skye was the Kunpeng Clan's only Dao Fusion powerhouse, and indeed the only one in this void. Within the clan, everyone treated Kenneth Skye with utmost respect.
Kenneth Skye said, "I'm not blaming Ken Blaze, but this matter is too serious. Ken Blaze should have notified me the moment it happened. I know what you all want—you're hoping I can reach a higher level. In truth, ever since I broke through to Dao Fusion a million years ago, I've made no further progress. Actually, even without today's events, our Kunpeng Clan cannot remain in Kun Mountain forever."
"Ancestor, are we leaving here?" Ken Wayne, whose Hunyuan Realm was perfected, cried out in shock.
To every Kunpeng Clan cultivator, Kun Mountain was their root and home. If anyone forced them to leave, the entire clan would fight to the death.
Kenneth Skye sighed, "That's right, we must leave. According to Ken Blaze, Joe Di could already match him in the Dao Origin Realm. Once Joe Di enters the Hunyuan Realm, even I may not be his equal. Moreover, Joe Di is a master of arrays—it's only a matter of time before he finds us here."
"If Joe Di comes, even if it's the last of us, the Kunpeng Clan will fight him to the bitter end," Ken Wayne vowed, clenching his fists.
Kenneth Skye waved his hand. "Our Kunpeng Clan has never lacked courage, but courage alone is not enough for our rise. I've calculated that our clan's true destiny lies in Xuanhuang Celestial Beyond. I have decided: in a hundred years, our Kunpeng Clan will journey to Celestial Beyond. I will hold a Dao Discussion at Kun Mountain for a hundred years. Whatever you gain in that time will depend on your own fortune."
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)