These withered bones definitely belonged to a top-tier expert, and the aura of the Sacred Yin Pearl lingered here. It was very likely that the bones’ owner had once refined the Sacred Yin Pearl in this place. But why would a peerless cultivator choose to refine the Sacred Yin Pearl in the toxic mist of the Lunar Celestial Sea?
Joe Di couldn't figure it out. He glanced at the chain binding the withered bones and tossed his Cosmic Flame onto it.
To Joe Di’s shock, his Cosmic Flame—already a ninth-rank Immortal Flame—couldn’t burn through the chain at all.
Even the Cosmic Flame couldn’t destroy it, so Joe Di didn’t bother trying the Azure Veil Blade—he knew it would be futile.
Joe Di sent his Spiritual Sense probing downward and soon found several grooves beneath the chain.
There were traces of blue-green residue in the grooves. Joe Di picked up a fragment, and a surge of vast, potent Verdant Vitality swept over him. In an instant, he broke through to the peak of the ninth layer of the Immortal Realm, ready to step into the Immortal King stage at any moment.
Excited, Joe Di gathered dozens of blue-green fragments and stored them in a jade box. This stuff was definitely a treasure far superior to top-grade Immortal Crystals—just too scarce.
After Joe Di took away the dozen or so fragments, the Guardian Array outside completely collapsed, and the toxic mist rapidly dissipated into the Lunar Celestial Sea.
Howard Potter and Greg Palmer, who had been trembling inside the array, suddenly realized the barrier restraining them had vanished. Overjoyed, the two dashed toward the Lunar Celestial Sea, their excitement making them shake uncontrollably.
Joe Di’s Spiritual Sense swept over the two as they rushed into the Lunar Celestial Sea, and he also noticed that the invisible trapping array blocking this place had disappeared. He realized he must have saved these two—both the Guardian Array and the outer invisible trapping array had relied on the Verdant Vitality from those blue-green fragments he’d taken.
Now that he had taken those blue-green fragments, the Vital Energy was gone, and the trapping array naturally vanished.
Joe Di figured that even if he hadn’t come, those dozens of blue-green fragments wouldn’t have lasted much longer.
Even the chain binding the withered bones naturally fell away. Joe Di didn’t hesitate—he prepared to move both the chain and the bones into his True Spirit World.
Just then, Joe Di noticed some words engraved beneath the withered bones.
“Zach You, you imprisoned your grandfather Zhong Ao in your River Mountain Vessel and drew his blood, but don’t expect him to refine the Sacred Yin Pearl for you. Zhong Ao would rather sever his soul and escape with the Sacred Yin Pearl from one corner of your River Mountain Vessel to another, than ever help you refine it…”
Reading these words, Joe Di felt a chill in his heart. This was actually a corner of Zach You’s artifact. According to Zhong Ao’s message, the Moon Ruins was just a part of Zach You’s River Mountain Vessel—no matter which corner Joe Di reached, he was still inside someone else’s artifact.
Joe Di’s desire to advance to Immortal King here vanished completely. All he wanted now was to leave—he had to get out of the Moon Ruins as soon as possible.
For so many years, the Moon Ruins had served as a trial ground for cultivators from all over the Immortal Realm. Clearly, Zach You himself had encountered some problems. Whether he had perished or not, Joe Di dared not take the risk.
Not to mention someone as powerful as Zach You—even if his physical body were destroyed, as long as his Dao Laws remained, he could recover. In fact, as long as a single Dao Law belonging to Joe Di remained, he too would have a chance to come back to life.
If even he wouldn’t perish so easily, how much less likely for someone as powerful as Zach You?
Even if several Immortal Emperors were waiting for him at the edge of the Lunar Celestial Sea, Joe Di would not waste a single breath lingering here. The thought of having hidden inside someone else's artifact space for years made his scalp tingle with unease.
Without hesitation, he swept up Zhong Ao's remains along with the chain and stored them in his True Spirit World. He then cast dozens of top-tier seals before surging into the Lunar Celestial Sea.
At this moment, neither the Lunar Sea Tempest nor the Lunar Death Mist could deter Joe Di's urgent desire to flee.
A journey that would normally take three or four months, Joe Di completed in just over a month thanks to his pressing urgency.
While others' Spiritual Senses could not penetrate the Lunar Celestial Sea, Joe Di could clearly see that dozens of Immortal Kings and even Immortal Venerables were stationed at its edge.
This did not affect Joe Di in the slightest. He had no intention of landing. Just as he prepared to use his Spiritual Sense Escape, a sudden figure dropped onto his boat.
"I've been looking everywhere for you. Where is the Sacred Yin Pearl?" The figure landed on Joe Di's boat and immediately pressed him for news of the Sacred Yin Pearl.
Joe Di raised his hand, and the Azure Veil Blade appeared in his palm. "The Sacred Yin Pearl is mine. You needn't concern yourself with it."
The newcomer was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, resembling a steward. Joe Di knew exactly who he was—the primordial soul he had once rescued.
Joe Di secretly admired the primordial soul; in less than a year, he had managed to gather materials to restore his physical body, albeit barely.
Joe Di dared not hand over the bones from his True Spirit World to this man. He cultivated the laws of heaven and earth, and while others saw this middle-aged man as ordinary, Joe Di sensed his formidable strength.
Even with his barely restored body, Joe Di could sense that he was far stronger than Xiling Yuanyi. If he returned the man's real body, he might be killed instantly, without even a chance to use his escape technique.
"I know..." The man awkwardly rubbed his hair. "I suspect my memory is connected to the Sacred Yin Pearl. If you could lend it to me for a few days, I might be able to investigate."
Joe Di refused without hesitation. "My Sacred Yin Pearl has nothing to do with your memory. However, if you trust me, I do have a way to help you recover it."
"You really can help me recover my memory?" The man looked at Joe Di, his excitement overflowing. This was a pleasant surprise.
Joe Di nodded. "Why would I deceive you? Wasn't it my help that freed you from the Sacred Yin Pearl's shadowy corner? And the Pure Yin Chaos energy you used to condense your primordial soul—didn't I give that to you? Since I say I can help you recover your memory, I can do it. At the very least, I can tell you your name, why you came to the Lunar Celestial Sea, and your purpose here."
"Right, right, you're absolutely right. Without your help, I'd still be trapped by the Sacred Yin Pearl's shadow in that corner. So, what do I need to do?" The man rubbed his hands, growing more excited.
Joe Di was moved by the man's words and said, "Just follow me. If anyone tries to harm me, you take care of them."
"You want me to be your bodyguard?" The man suddenly understood.
Joe Di replied indifferently, "If you don't want to, that's fine. I don't mind. My previous help was just out of kindness. Farewell."
In truth, seeing that the man hadn’t attacked him, Joe Di’s opinion of him improved. When he became stronger, he planned to return the body to him.
"Wait..." Seeing Joe Di about to leave, the man called out urgently.
"Speak. What else is there?" Joe Di casually asked, the Azure Veil Blade once again slung behind him.
The man rubbed his hands. "I can be your bodyguard, but you can't expect me to follow you forever. If I do, you have to help me with a few things. First, I feel my real body can still be found—you must help me. Second, you need to help me discover my origins, as you said before. Third, if you haven't accomplished these within a hundred years, you must let me study the Sacred Yin Pearl for a while."
Joe Di nodded. "Agreed. I may not know your origins, but I can definitely find out your name and why you came to the Lunar Celestial Sea. Also, you're not just my bodyguard—we're partners, understand? Partners. And one more thing: stop mentioning the Sacred Yin Pearl so often."
"Yes, partners—I like that. I promise not to mention those three words again." The man nodded in satisfaction.
"From now on, you'll be called Dash. My name is Joe Di. I have an escape technique, so stay close. If you get left behind, don't blame me for not helping you." With that, Joe Di spread his form and used his Spiritual Sense Escape, testing Dash’s current strength.
Joe Di used his Spiritual Sense Escape to cross the edge of the Lunar Celestial Sea without anyone noticing.
In just a few days, Joe Di broke out of the Moon Ruins. The moment he escaped, a wave of relief washed over him.
He didn’t wait for other cultivators to question him—Joe Di slipped directly into the void.
Boom! An invisible force blocked Joe Di’s escape, slamming him out of the void.
"Ha! Manager Joe, it’s truly difficult to meet you." A hearty laugh echoed as a fat man landed before Joe Di.
Joe Di shifted his stance, his heart sinking. This man was definitely no weaker than Xiling Yuanyi. He hadn’t expected such a cunning foe—a dignified Immortal Emperor hiding here with a concealed Heaven-Locking Array. In his haste to leave the Moon Ruins, Joe Di had assumed this place was already beyond its reach and hadn’t been cautious enough.
That small lapse allowed him to be trapped. Had he not been, Joe Di was sure his escape technique would have outpaced the fat man.
"Who are you?" Joe Di calmed himself, the Azure Veil Blade humming behind him.
The fat man chuckled. "I am Felix Fang, president of the Glaze Chamber of Commerce. I trust you’ve heard of me, Manager Joe."
Felix Fang had reason to believe Joe Di knew him—the Glaze Chamber of Commerce was the top merchant guild on the Illusory Immortal Continent, and one of the three major guilds in the Grand Cauldron Free Immortal City. Felix Fang himself was a seventh-level Immortal Emperor. He had hidden here for years with one goal: to capture Joe Di.
Joe Di sneered. "Grandpa’s never heard of your Glaze Chamber of Commerce. If you want to fight, then fight!" As he spoke, the Azure Veil Blade transformed into a thousand-foot blade arc, slashing out. The void collapsed beneath the strike, and in an instant, the blade crashed into Felix Fang’s domain.
Felix Fang’s lips curled with scorn—ignorance breeds fearlessness.