Benjamin Edge and the other three exchanged glances. After a long silence, Chen Yan finally spoke, "I believe what Brother Joe says is true. The laws here really are incomplete, and Quinn Yan hasn't stepped into the Creation Realm yet."
"Let's fight our way out together!" Lei Luo's eyes narrowed as he spoke in a fierce tone.
Why did they choose to cultivate in this place? Besides the cultivation environment, what else was there? Now this place was completely unsuitable for cultivators above the Fusion Realm—so why would he stay here any longer?
Hu Muji shook his head. "As much as I'd like to be decisive, I know we can't fight our way out with just the few of us."
The group fell silent again. Even though Quinn Yan hadn't entered the Creation Realm, the four of them still couldn't break out. Not only did Quinn Yan have a host of powerful allies at his side, but his mastery of formation arts made him the foremost expert on this continent. Nearly every strong cultivator here had some connection to Quinn Yan.
Joe Di breathed a sigh of relief—this was exactly what he wanted. Facing Quinn Yan alone was simply beyond his strength, but with several others, he was confident he could break through the protective formation of this continent.
"Gentlemen, I don't think this is such a terrible situation for us," Joe Di said.
"Brother Joe, do you have a plan?" Benjamin Edge asked eagerly.
Joe Di nodded. "My plan isn't something I can explain in just a few words. We're about to reach Cedarwood Manor now. This plan is also related to the Genesis Loam. Once I secure the Genesis Loam and leave Cedarwood Manor, I'll sit down with you all and explain my thoughts in detail."
"Alright," Lei Luo replied without hesitation. "No matter what it takes, we'll help you get the Genesis Loam."
......
Cedarwood Manor didn't appear especially grand, but it occupied a location coveted by all cultivators for their abodes.
Before entering the manor, there was an expansive stretch—at least ten thousand acres—of Spirit-Gathering Bamboo. Joe Di found this rather wasteful; the entire continent was already saturated with dense Chaos Essence, yet Cedarwood Manor still used so much Spirit-Gathering Bamboo. It was a shameful squandering of resources.
Once inside the manor, they came upon a vast Divine Spirit Spring Lake. Divine Spirit Qi swirled above the lake, making it seem otherworldly. Winding through this ethereal atmosphere was the Nine-Turn Wooden Gallery. The five of them crossed the lake along this gallery before finally reaching the main entrance of Cedarwood Manor.
"Welcome, honored guests from afar!" As soon as Joe Di and his companions stepped through the gate, a young attendant at the entrance called out in a loud, ceremonial voice.
Benjamin Edge led the way, with Joe Di and the others following him into the entrance, where they found themselves in a Starlit Jade Corridor. After traversing this corridor, the group entered a vast grand hall.
Along the way, Joe Di had already used his spiritual sense to observe the surroundings. There were many triggered restrictions here; besides those, there were also ninth-level defensive arrays and killing formations. For someone of Joe Di's skill in formation arts, these killing arrays posed no real threat.
Upon entering the grand hall, Joe Di saw that there were at least forty or fifty cultivators seated on either side. His gaze swept over them, and he couldn't help but shudder inwardly. Every one of these forty or fifty individuals was at the Third Step—half were Boundary Fusion Realm experts, and the other half were Realm Genesis cultivators.
Joe Di sighed inwardly, suddenly reminded of a pigsty. This continent really was a pigsty—anyone who stayed here, even a pig, could cultivate to the Third Step. Talent and comprehension were irrelevant; with years of being soaked in such rich Chaos Essence, Dao Fruits were everywhere. You could reach the Second Stage without even cultivating, let alone those who did nothing but train all day.
"Benjamin Edge, I didn't expect you'd dare show your face here. You've got guts." A black-bearded man sneered when he saw Benjamin Edge and his group enter, his tone full of mockery.
Benjamin Edge snorted, "Whether I've got guts or not is none of your business, Ji Hong."
With that, Benjamin Edge went straight to a seat and sat down. The others followed and took seats beside him, while Joe Di sat at the very end.
"Oh? There's a new face here today." A female cultivator exclaimed in surprise when she saw Joe Di.
Benjamin Edge clasped his fists and said, "He's a newly acquainted friend of mine."
He didn't mention Joe Di's name, but no one here seemed to care anyway. Someone who looked as if he'd just stepped into the Third Step wasn't worth paying attention to.
Shortly after they sat down, someone brought over Dao Fruit and Dao Fruit Wine.
Joe Di tasted a Dao Fruit and couldn't help but marvel. These were auctioned treasures in the Five Elements Universe, yet here they were being served casually to guests. It was true—once you reached a certain level, the things you once desperately sought became easily attainable.
The familiar cultivators began to chat, discussing whose strength had increased, who might soon break into the Creation Realm, and so on. During their conversation, more cultivators continued to arrive.
After about two hours, a middle-aged man in a blue starry robe finally entered with a smile and took the seat of honor.
"Thank you all for waiting, and for honoring Cedarwood Manor with your presence today. I, Dustin Ping, am truly grateful." The middle-aged man beamed as he spoke.
"Haha, Master Dustin, you're too polite. I heard a Genesis Star Crystal might appear today." One cultivator laughed and echoed the sentiment.
Dustin Ping didn't directly confirm or deny it. He simply said, "I promise this gathering won't disappoint. As for what treasures might appear, let's all wait and see."
Joe Di kept sizing up Dustin Ping; this man was probably stronger than Benjamin Edge, but definitely hadn't reached the Creation Realm. Whether he was a half-step into the Creation Realm, Joe Di couldn't tell.
While Joe Di was still pondering Dustin Ping's cultivation, Dustin Ping's gaze fell on Joe Di. "This must be your first time here, fellow Daoist?"
Benjamin Edge quickly replied, "Yes, he's my friend. I brought him today to broaden his horizons."
As he spoke, Benjamin Edge secretly thought, 'This is bad.' He'd forgotten the rules of the Dao Exchange Gathering at Cedarwood Manor: whenever a newcomer attends, the first to offer a trade is always the newcomer.
This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!
Before Benjamin Edge could send a voice transmission to Joe Di, Dustin Ping laughed heartily, "Welcome to our newcomer! You must have heard the rules of Cedarwood Manor—at every Dao Exchange Gathering, if there's a newcomer, they're the first to present an item for trade. It's our way of welcoming new guests."
Dustin Ping didn't ask for Joe Di's name, probably because Joe Di's cultivation was too low to warrant his attention.
Benjamin Edge hadn't told him, had he? Seeing Benjamin Edge's awkward expression, Joe Di immediately understood. He stood up, clasped his fists, and said, "Brother Benjamin has already explained it to me. As a newcomer, it's only right for me to take the lead. My offering is a flame..."
When Joe Di mentioned his offering was a flame, everyone turned their attention to him, many with eyes burning with excitement.
Joe Di sneered inwardly. Once he revealed his flame, they'd lose that excitement. He hadn't come here to trade away his flame—he'd come because he'd heard about the Genesis Loam.
With a casual gesture, Joe Di produced a pale red-gray flame in his palm. "Fellow Daoists, this is a Void Ashflame. I came across it by chance—its rank isn't high, but it is a celestial fire nonetheless..."
Joe Di had obtained the Void Ashflame long ago in the Celestial Canopy Pit of the Four Directions Immortal Continent. Since he now possessed a Cosmic Flame, he hadn't bothered to upgrade the Void Ashflame. To this day, it remained an immortal flame.
In Joe Di's view, this flame was valuable outside, but here it probably wasn't worth much.
To Joe Di's surprise, as soon as he produced the flame, nearly everyone stared at it with eyes blazing red. Their gazes were like hungry wolves eyeing a fat sheep—full of desperate longing.
With a quick turn of thought, Joe Di immediately understood what was happening and silently cursed.