Hearing that it was Lake Defiance, Peter Sha felt a surge of joy in his heart.
William Sha immediately noticed Peter Sha’s expression—he could read him like a book. "Peter, did something come to mind?"
Peter Sha responded at once, "Yes, Father. If it’s at Lake Defiance, we’ll soon find out who stripped away Jade’s Dao Seed. That person must still be inside the Wormhole Gate and hasn’t left yet."
"How so?" William Sha suppressed his excitement. He too possessed a Seven-Pointed Dao Seed. If his grandson’s Dao Seed could be recovered intact, the Sha family might yet produce another Dao Origin cultivator.
Peter Sha could barely contain his excitement. "Father, leaving the Wormhole Gate is impossible unless one ranks in the top ten on the merit leaderboard. Making it into the top ten is extremely difficult—only ten people manage it each year..."
William Sha frowned. "Peter, if this person could strip Jade of her Dao Seed, he must be ruthless. Someone like that could very well make it into the top ten."
William Sha had little interest in the affairs of the Wormhole Gate. All his time was spent in seclusion, cultivating and searching for resources.
To him, the guardians of the Wormhole Gate were nothing but a group of Immortal Emperors—mere ants who hadn’t even formed their Dao Foundation, not worthy of his attention.
Peter Sha explained, "Otherwise, it really is hard to get into the top ten on the merit leaderboard. Even if that person did manage it, there’s no way they could leave Leapgate City—the city requires a hundred thousand high-grade divine crystals to exit."
William Sha understood now. He’d known all of this, he just hadn’t paid attention. Now that Peter Sha brought it up, he recalled these rules.
Peter Sha was right—leaving Leapgate City was nearly impossible.
"Then how can we find out right away who stripped Jade of her Dao Seed?" William Sha asked, looking at Peter Sha.
William Sha knew his son Peter Sha well. Though his talent was lacking and his cultivation depended entirely on resources, Peter was always purposeful in his actions. He would never speak carelessly, especially about what happened to Jade.
"There’s something I know—Ryan Ni, the only son of Richard Ni, chairman of the Qian Yuan Trading Guild, recently went to the Wormhole Gate for a trial and then mysteriously disappeared..."
William Sha interrupted him, "Is Ryan Ni the one Jade mentioned—the one she often went to the Wormhole Gate with for trials?"
"That’s him," Peter Sha continued. "After Ryan Ni disappeared, Richard Ni personally visited the Wormhole Gate’s defense zone. Someone like him would investigate thoroughly. He’d know who lives at Lake Defiance. As long as we ask who’s residing there, we’ll know who stripped Jade of her Dao Seed. And Richard Ni is here for Father’s Dao Origin Ceremony—he’s in the guest hall right now."
"Go ask Richard Ni right away, then head to Lake Defiance immediately," William Sha said without hesitation.
......
"Brother Di, I don’t think we can get out now." Zane Wu was a bit dejected as he left the shop. If they couldn’t escape, they might really face the fate Joe Di described—being crushed and killed by a powerful cultivator.
Joe Di, on the contrary, quickened his pace and said, "We have to leave, and we have to leave now. Otherwise, our chances of survival are slim."
Joe Di had already made up his mind—if he couldn't leave Leapgate City immediately, he would return at once and enter the Wormhole Gate without a moment's delay.
"But we need two hundred thousand high-grade divine crystals..." Zane Wu said helplessly.
"I'll figure something out," Joe Di said, already leading Zane Wu outside the massive teleportation hall.
"Stop right there! This is a restricted teleportation area. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed near." As soon as Joe Di and Zane Wu arrived, someone blocked their way.
"We wish to teleport away from here," Joe Di said, cupping his fists.
"You want to teleport out of here?" The cultivator guarding the hall scrutinized Joe Di and Zane Wu. No matter how he looked, neither seemed like people who could afford two hundred thousand high-grade divine crystals.
"Who wants to teleport out of here?" A stern-looking middle-aged man walked over.
"Steward Huang, these two said they want to teleport out of here," the guard quickly bowed in greeting.
Steward Huang fixed his gaze on Joe Di and Zane Wu. Before he could speak, Joe Di produced a token and said, "We have enough merit points..."
"What about divine crystals?" Steward Huang interrupted before Joe Di could finish. Everyone entering Leapgate City has at least fifty thousand merit points—the real issue is the divine crystals.
Though I don't have any divine crystals, I do have a Dao Vein..." Joe Di said, cupping his fists again.
As he spoke, Joe Di produced a half-used Dao Vein from his ring and placed it on the ground.
This Dao Vein was acquired from Xu Bai, and Joe Di had used part of it for cultivation; the remainder was now here.
Joe Di wasn't sure how many divine crystals this Dao Vein was worth, but he was certain it exceeded two hundred thousand, perhaps even far more.
"A Dao Vein?" Steward Huang's eyes flashed with delight at the sight. Though much of it had been used, its quality was excellent.
"Yes, I found it by chance at a ruin in the Immortal Realm," Joe Di said politely.
Steward Huang reached out and collected the Dao Vein. "This Dao Vein is more than enough for two people to teleport away. If you wish to use it, I'll vouch for you. Otherwise, you can exchange it for two hundred thousand high-grade divine crystals elsewhere."
Though he said so, Steward Huang didn't return the Dao Vein to Joe Di.
Joe Di guessed the Dao Vein was worth much more than two hundred thousand, perhaps even five hundred thousand divine crystals. He wasn't foolish enough to demand the difference or insist on exchanging it elsewhere, knowing he couldn't get that much in Leapgate City.
"Thank you, Steward," Joe Di said again, his tone full of gratitude.
Steward Huang nodded. "There are three teleportation points out of Leapgate City. Which one will you choose?"
Joe Di humbly asked, "May I ask which three places we can teleport to, Steward?"
Having just received a Dao Vein—even a lower-grade one—was a pleasant surprise for Steward Huang. He patiently replied, "The nearest is Maihe Divine City, then Endless Daxu, and finally Baiye Divine City."
"Is Endless Daxu a trial ground?" Joe Di quickly asked.
"That's right. Endless Daxu is vast and boundless—the best place for cultivators to undergo trials," Steward Huang replied, a bit impatiently.
"Thank you, Steward Huang. We'll teleport to Endless Daxu," Joe Di decided instantly.
Teleporting to Endless Daxu meant an open landscape. Even if someone chased them, they could escape into its vastness. Teleporting to a Divine City risked being trapped if pursued.
"Alright, get on the teleportation array," Steward Huang said, eager to use the Dao Vein to boost his cultivation.
Joe Di and Zane Wu stepped onto the teleportation array. In less than ten breaths, the array activated, stirring waves of spatial energy.
Even with Joe Di's strength, he felt dizzy and disoriented. This was surely a long-distance teleportation, which pleased him—the farther, the better.
Thud! Joe Di and Zane Wu landed on the ground at the same time.
Quickly leave the teleportation array—don’t block others!" Before Joe Di or Zane Wu could speak, a guard shouted at them.
Joe Di and Zane Wu hurried off the array, finding themselves in a massive market. There were far more people here than in the Wormhole Gate defense zone—at least a million, by a rough sweep of divine sense.
Leave the market. Oh, and give me your token for safekeeping," Joe Di said without hesitation, not even bothering to look around.
Zane Wu didn’t know what Joe Di meant, but handed over his token without hesitation.