With a single slash from Joe Di, his domain shattered inch by inch. The void, which had seemed under his control, was now completely beyond his grasp.
Shane Dwan grabbed the gourd at his waist, transforming it into a lake of blood.
Boom! The Azure Veil Blade crashed into the blood lake, unleashing a storm of murderous and bloody intent. Shane Dwan retreated to the corner of the grand hall, finally coming to a halt. Now he understood why Jude Wan was so wary of Joe Di—this man's strength was absolutely superior, and not by a small margin.
"Daoist Di, I, Shane Dwan, have no intention of becoming your enemy. But if you insist on fighting, I will not fear you. Besides, I know a thing or two about the place Brother Jude mentioned. If I leave, it won't benefit any of us." Shane Dwan gripped his gourd, his tone cold and stern.
Jude Wan knew Shane Dwan well, and could tell that he was now afraid. Jude also felt a sense of sorrow—once, he had considered people like Shane Dwan unworthy of standing as his equal, but now Shane Dwan was clearly stronger than him.
Joe Di did not press the attack. He had already achieved his goal with that single slash.
Shane Dwan had tried to make friends, but Joe Di ignored him and instead struck with his blade. His first purpose was to show Shane Dwan that his temperament was unpredictable, and not to provoke him anywhere. His second was to warn Shane Dwan against secretly teaming up with Jude Wan for a sneak attack—Joe Di's strength was such that even if Shane Dwan tried, it would be futile. And if he did attempt it, Joe Di would hunt him to the ends of the earth.
"Since you've offered some pointers, I’ll let you go this time." As he spoke, Joe Di slung the Azure Veil Blade across his back.
Seeing that Joe Di did not attack further, Shane Dwan breathed a sigh of relief, though he was secretly shaken by Joe Di’s power. Despite his friendly words, Shane Dwan had already planned to kill Joe Di through a surprise attack.
Shane Dwan also had a secret nickname, known to only a few—Shadow Viper. Many cultivators stronger than him had ultimately died by his hand. Just like the yellow-haired elder from the Xian Family earlier: if they had fought head-on, Shane Dwan might not have won. But by leveraging Jude Wan’s reputation and launching a surprise attack, he managed to bring the elder down.
When he first saw Joe Di, he hadn't taken him seriously. Such a young cultivator—no matter if he was stronger than Jude Wan, Shane Dwan still considered him easy prey. As long as he flattered Joe Di a bit, he figured he could eventually find a chance to ambush him, since Joe Di was just a naive junior.
But Joe Di showed him what it meant to have a strange temperament. With cultivators like that, it was best not to get close or try any fake flattery. As for plotting in secret, unless there was enough benefit and the right conditions, teaming up with Jude Wan for such a scheme was no longer worth considering.
"Brother Di..." Barnett Xian quickly cupped his fists to Joe Di, though only he knew how truly shaken he felt inside.
Joe Di replied calmly, "I will never be brothers with someone like you. Here's your divine sense mark back. Quinn Fang, let's go. Oh, and Old Rooster, you all come too—take me to the place you mentioned before."
Cason Xian, who had just walked in, was stunned. He had expected a fierce battle when Joe Di entered, and thought that if Joe Di could hold out a bit, he might have a chance to rescue the Xian Family Patriarch.
But now he saw that Joe Di had only struck once, and these two old monsters had become as obedient as grandchildren, with no intention of fighting Joe Di at all.
"Senior Di, thank you." Seeing Joe Di leave with Quinn Fang, Cason Xian finally bowed deeply in gratitude.
Joe Di patted Cason Xian and said, "I promised some cultivators I’d help them refine some armor. Since I’m leaving now, have someone from your Xian Family help out for a few days. Remember, I never charge for armor refinement."
"Of course, Brother Di, rest assured. I’ll make sure everything is handled perfectly." Barnett Xian replied quickly.
Joe Di tossed a jade box to Barnett Xian. "Here, take back your Xian Family’s things. And don’t make me angry next time."
After saying this, Joe Di didn’t linger in the Xian Family’s guest hall. He left with Quinn Fang, while Jude Wan and Shane Dwan hurried to follow. Joe Di wanted to use them for the Fortune Battlefield, and they wanted to take advantage of his strength.
"Cason, well done. If you hadn’t acted quickly this time, our Xian Family would have been in danger." Barnett Xian said emotionally, now fully aware that Joe Di was invited by Cason Xian.
"Grand Elder, this was my duty." Cason Xian quickly bowed, then stepped forward to help Winston Xian to his feet.
Barnett Xian nodded, then took out a pill and fed it to the yellow-haired elder lying on the ground—Eustace Xian, whose cultivation was no less than his own.
It took half a stick of incense before Eustace Xian finally came to his senses. Suddenly, he sat up, his spiritual sense and gaze sweeping all around.
"Where are Jude Wan and Shane Dwan?" Unable to find the two cultivators who nearly destroyed the Xian Family, Eustace Xian grew anxious.
Barnett Xian quickly explained how Cason Xian had invited Joe Di. Hearing that Joe Di had easily crushed Shane Dwan and Jude Wan, Eustace Xian drew a sharp breath and said, "Barnett, you were absolutely right—this man is truly powerful. Thankfully, our Xian Family reconsidered in time, or else we’d have been wiped out even without Shane Dwan and Jude Wan’s help."
Winston Xian, who had remained conscious throughout, understood the whole story and interjected, "Shane Dwan and Jude Wan are both very strong—I fear they’ve both stepped into the Third Stage."
Eustace Xian shook his head. "No, those two aren’t necessarily stronger than Barnett and me. The reason my soul and senses were locked was because Shane Dwan ambushed me. Barnett and I panicked when we heard Jude Wan’s name, which let that smiling Shane Dwan catch us off guard. He’s a real schemer. After Shane Dwan’s sneak attack, I realized Jude Wan’s strength is nowhere near what it once was—we didn’t need to be afraid at all. But Joe Di, now he’s truly formidable."
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Barnett Xian nodded. "The Grand Elder is right. It was our fear of Jude Wan that let Shane Dwan, that schemer, ambush us. Otherwise, with Eustace Xian, myself, and the Patriarch together, even if we couldn’t defeat Shane Dwan and Jude Wan, we wouldn’t have been routed so badly."
Both Eustace and Barnett Xian were powerful cultivators, and in hindsight, they realized the situation could have been avoided.
At this moment, Barnett Xian opened the jade box Joe Di had returned. After inspecting it, he sighed, "It really is the divine sense mark I left on him. This mark was sealed inside the jade box—if I hadn’t opened it, I wouldn’t have noticed it myself. Incredible, truly incredible."
Not being able to sense his own divine sense mark—how incredible was that?
"Grand Elder, did you really place a divine sense mark on Joe Di?" Winston Xian asked in surprise.
Barnett Xian nodded. "Yes, I did. Luckily, he spared us for Cason Xian’s sake and didn’t hold our family’s recklessness against us."
Cason Xian was both frightened and grateful, feeling he had truly judged Joe Di correctly—a real powerhouse.
Eustace Xian, with his yellow hair, shook his head. "Joe Di did spare us partly for Cason’s sake, but more importantly, it was because our Xian Family didn’t go too far."
Barnett Xian agreed, "Yes, that’s certainly part of it. Our Xian Family has always refrained from bullying others, and today we’ve been rewarded for it."
"But Joe Di does seem to have a rather strange temperament," Winston Xian remarked. Though he couldn’t move, he had witnessed Joe Di strike Eustace Xian without warning.
Barnett Xian sighed, "That’s why he’s become such a terrifying powerhouse. His temperament is strange—did you notice how he behaved here at our Xian Family? Even when he wanted the jade talisman, he exchanged for it properly."
"Grand Elder, did he strike on purpose then?" Winston Xian asked, beginning to understand.
Barnett Xian affirmed, "That’s right, he did it deliberately. It’s a pity our Xian Family couldn’t truly befriend such a powerhouse."