Joe Di quickly grew delighted. After revealing the Azure Veil Blade, he noticed many people were surprised by the red tassels adorning its hilt, but none showed the expression of recognizing a wanted criminal.
Rafael Ren was stunned. He had never encountered a cultivator as reckless as Joe Di—a mere Nascent Soul, First Level, dared to call himself ‘young master’ before him and even accused him of seeking death.
Several breaths passed before Rafael Ren burst into laughter. "I, Rafael Ren, want to see how exactly you’ll make me seek death!"
Shawn Ren drew a bladed halberd, ready to attack Joe Di, but Rafael Ren stopped him. “Step aside. I, Rafael Ren, have lived this long and never met such a formidable Nascent Soul, First Level. Now, I want to see how this extraordinary cultivator will make me seek death.”
Joe Di’s attention wasn’t on Rafael Ren at all. In his eyes, Rafael Ren was nothing more than an ant. Seeing that no one cared about his Azure Veil Blade, Joe Di removed his mask again and smiled at Rafael Ren. "You’ve survived until now only because you haven’t met me. Now that you have, and you’ve heard my advice, you won’t live much longer…"
Joe Di had never been so wordy in a confrontation before. Even after speaking, his divine sense remained focused on the surrounding cultivators, and he even turned so everyone could see his face.
To Joe Di’s growing surprise, even after revealing his true face, no one paid him any attention.
Joe Di breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he really wasn’t wanted. Was it because that Golden Core cultivator hadn’t realized, or simply hadn’t spread the news?
Joe Di had originally planned that if anyone recognized he was wanted, he would kill the Radiant Squad members and immediately head for Destiny Isle.
But now that no one recognized him, after dealing with the Radiant Squad, he could return to Fivefold City.
Joe Di deeply longed for the Fivefold Dao Tower.
Moreover, he needed fame now—the more famous, the better. Once his reputation was enough to enter the Potential List, he would aim for the Sea List. As soon as he made the Sea List, he could teleport back to Heng Domain Star and take revenge on Jade Nation.
"Die, ant!" Whether Joe Di was disguised or not made no difference to Rafael Ren. His twin-headed horse charged straight at Joe Di. Rafael Ren didn’t intend to kill him immediately, but to severely injure him first—so this foolish cultivator would learn what it meant to beg for mercy.
After confirming no one recognized his identity, Joe Di finally looked at Rafael Ren. He paid no attention to Rafael Ren’s incoming artifact, simply threw a punch, and then brought the Azure Veil Blade down from above.
Now at the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage, Joe Di faced a mere ninth-level Nascent Soul without needing any special techniques. He only let others believe he was at the first level of the Nascent Soul. In fact, even if he were, Rafael Ren would still be beneath his notice.
Boom! Joe Di’s fist collided with Rafael Ren’s artifact, and Rafael Ren felt a terrifying surge of true essence sweep over him. Before he could react in fear, the Azure Veil Blade had already slashed down above his head.
Splurt! Blood mist exploded—Rafael Ren didn’t even have time to beg for mercy.
The surroundings fell silent, the air almost suffocating.
Rafael Ren was a ninth-level Nascent Soul expert, even half a step into the Void Spirit Stage. Near Sunset City, he had killed countless cultivators—yet now, in front of a mere first-level Nascent Soul, he couldn’t block even a single strike.
And this was at Nightlake’s edge, where fighting was even more difficult.
Several breaths passed before Shawn Ren reacted, his eyes red as he roared, "Everyone, attack together—kill him!"
Most of the Radiant Squad cultivators charged at Joe Di alongside Shawn Ren, but two Nascent Soul, First Level cultivators began to retreat.
Joe Di killed Rafael Ren in a single blow. Even if they all attacked, it would be suicide. If this weren’t Nightlake’s edge, they could fight with full strength. Here, though, their power was less than a tenth of normal.
Joe Di’s Red Tassel Blade swept up waves of blade aura, enveloping the entire Radiant Squad in his blade momentum. Whether fleeing or attacking, none could escape his blade aura.
Blood mist exploded everywhere—the battle looked fierce, but it ended swiftly. After a few breaths, Joe Di slung the Red Tassel Blade across his back once more.
No longer wanted, Joe Di even put away the blade’s scabbard this time. Covering the Red Tassel Blade with a scabbard had been a last resort. Only exposed to the world could the blade absorb spiritual energy and advance faster.
Another strike!
What kind of strength was this? Ian Lin’s eyes narrowed—he was sure he couldn’t block Joe Di’s strike either. He even suspected Joe Di could prevent spiritual sense annihilation here.
After Joe Di collected all the Quantum Vault Rings, Vaughn Che excitedly stepped forward. "Senior Joe, your strength far surpasses ours…"
He didn’t care at all about Joe Di’s disguise.
Joe Di laughed heartily. "Don’t call me Senior—it makes me sound old. We’re teammates and friends. What happened? How did you end up trapped here by the Radiant Squad?"
Vaughn Che immediately explained—they were harvesting Firegod Herb when the Radiant Squad and Sundown Squad cornered them. He also sent Joe Di a voice transmission: each of the three had collected over ten Firegod Herbs.
"Young Master Joe, I have a few Firegod Herbs here…" A mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, impressed by Joe Di’s power, immediately offered two Firegod Herbs to him. He’d heard Joe Di call himself ‘young master’ and didn’t want to risk calling him old, so he chose the title instead.
With one cultivator leading, the others queued up to offer one or two Firegod Herbs each. Joe Di didn’t need to ask—he knew they all wanted to curry favor.
Joe Di understood their intentions—they wanted him to stop Ian Lin.
Ian Lin was no concern for Joe Di. He didn’t care for these green Firegod Herbs either.
Ian Lin had survived this long—he should know Joe Di could easily defeat him. It would only take a word.
"Keep your herbs. I do good deeds—I don’t take payment. If I hadn’t accidentally revealed my name, I wouldn’t even have left it behind. When you leave, remember: don’t spread my name. I prefer to keep a low profile." Joe Di pushed the herbs back, speaking earnestly.
He was sure the more he said this, the faster his reputation would spread. These people, having benefited from him, would surely exaggerate his feats. Besides, with their Firegod Herb haul, their next stop would be Fivefold City. The Fivefold Dao Gathering was underway there—once word spread, how could Joe Di’s fame not skyrocket?
Ian Lin from the Sundown Squad looked displeased as Joe Di approached and cupped his fists. "I’m Joe Di. I have a word of advice for you…"