Standing before Joe Di, Martin Jiao did not feel insulted even though Joe Di was questioning Morris Zhou instead of him. He understood that even if he teamed up with Martin Yun, the two of them were still no match for Joe Di. This young man was simply terrifying, his strength beyond comprehension.
The key was that the opponent’s domain didn’t quite resemble a Prime Realm cultivator—it was more akin to the Hunyuan Realm.
“That’s right, I am Morris Zhou.” That cold, sinister voice echoed again. At the same moment, cracks appeared in Joe Di’s domain, and a terrifying killing intent locked onto him.
Joe Di drew a sharp breath. Morris Zhou was indeed not at the third stage, but his killing intent and killing aura remained present. At least, they were a whole level stronger than Joe Di’s.
Joe Di was certain that if he dared to make another move, as long as Morris Zhou locked onto him with that killing intent and activated the grand array, he might truly fall here today.
He could also take a gamble, betting that Morris Zhou’s arraycraft wasn’t as refined as his own. If Morris Zhou’s mastery of arrays was inferior, then even at the cost of serious injury, Joe Di could take down Martin Jiao and Martin Yun, and then calmly retrieve the Azure Veil Blade.
But if Morris Zhou’s arraycraft was even on par with his own, not necessarily superior, then even if Joe Di killed the two Prime Realm cultivators before him, he would still meet his end here.
Unless he had another Realmshatter Talisman—unfortunately, he had already used his only one.
“If you leave now, we can pretend nothing happened. If you refuse, the Morrison Clan may lose two Prime Realm cultivators, but I am fully confident I can keep you here. Though it will cost me something, I trust you’ll make the right choice.” Morris Zhou’s voice continued, the killing intent in the air growing denser, forming a force that locked Joe Di in place.
Martin Jiao sensed Morris Zhou’s reluctance to fight Joe Di and spoke up, “Daoist Di, I don’t know why you’re targeting the Morrison Clan. I believe if there’s any misunderstanding, it must be someone else stirring up trouble. Our Morrison Clan has always treated others kindly and values peace above all. I say this not out of fear, but because we don’t wish to become enemies with you due to someone else’s manipulation.”
Sure enough, just as he finished speaking, Morris Zhou’s voice sounded in his ear, “This man is dangerous. You are no match for him. If we fight, even if I can kill him, he could wipe out the entire Morrison Clan before he dies. Let him leave for now, suffer a little loss, and once I’ve recovered my strength, I’ll settle the score with him.”
Joe Di extended his hand, and the Voidmount once again hovered before him.
Seeing Joe Di summon the Voidmount, Martin Jiao gathered his Prime Realm domain and locked onto his Golden Array Pen, keeping a close eye on Joe Di.
But Joe Di did not attack. Instead, he said coldly, “You Morrison Clan stole my artifact and sealed it with a Barrier Seal. A Hunyuan Realm cultivator is even refining it right now. Why do you think I came to your clan?”
“That blade is yours?” Martin Yun exclaimed in shock.
Joe Di snorted, “What do you think?”
Martin Yun suddenly pulled out an Array Banner and tossed it forward. He didn’t answer Joe Di’s question, but instead lifted the Barrier Seal on the Azure Veil Blade. If the blade belonged to Joe Di, the seal would be released and he would naturally retrieve it. If not, the blade would remain unresponsive.
Almost the instant Martin Yun released the Barrier Seal on the Azure Veil Blade, the blade deep within the Morrison Clan suddenly transformed into a streak of blue blade light. With a clear ring, it shot skyward from the clan’s depths, pierced the void, and landed in Joe Di’s hand.
As soon as Joe Di grasped the Azure Veil Blade, he immediately felt a surge of confidence. Without the blade, his strength was diminished. Now, with the Azure Veil Blade in hand, killing the two Prime Realm cultivators—and even Morris Zhou—was no longer impossible.
At the moment the Azure Veil Blade flew away, the Hunyuan Realm cultivator refining it deep within the Morrison Clan spat out a mouthful of blood. Suffering backlash from Way Resonance, his spiritual sea was instantly severely wounded.
Was it really his blade? Martin Yun sensed Joe Di’s aura surge instantly, rising another level, and suddenly regretted lifting the Barrier Seal on the Azure Veil Blade.
Just as Joe Di was about to act, the surrounding space shifted again. Dozens of Array Banners appeared out of thin air, and in the next moment, his surroundings were completely sealed off.
A suffocating sense of death locked onto Joe Di. His heart sank—this was definitely not a seventh-tier Deathtrap Array, but an eighth-tier Divine Deathtrap Array.
Under this eighth-tier Divine Deathtrap Array, even if he killed the two Prime Realm cultivators, he still couldn’t escape. The array in this grand hall changed in an instant, which could only mean one thing: Morris Zhou’s mastery of arrays wasn’t just on par with his—it was superior.
Realizing Morris Zhou’s arraycraft surpassed his own, Joe Di gave up on making a move.
Sensing Joe Di’s intention to leave, Martin Jiao immediately said, “Daoist Di, now that your artifact has been returned, I believe it’s better to resolve grudges than to make new ones. Why not let things end here?”
Joe Di was about to nod when he suddenly felt something was wrong. He looked at Martin Yun and asked, “Order Master Yun, how did my blade end up in your clan?”
Joe Di knew very well that his blade had been lost in the void. Since it was lost in the void, how did it end up in the Morrison Clan?
If someone found his blade in the void, he wanted to know who it was and exactly where it had been found.
Joe Di originally just wanted to inquire about where the blade had been lost. But as he spoke and gripped the blade, he suddenly felt a familiar aura in the hilt.
He had spent quite some time with Charlotte Ling. The moment Joe Di sensed this aura, he knew it belonged to her. In other words, Charlotte Ling had once held his blade.
Joe Di had never handed his Azure Veil Blade to Charlotte Ling while they were together. Since the blade carried her aura, it was clear she had held it after they parted ways.
Just as Martin Jiao was about to explain, Joe Di suddenly summoned the Ninth World and smashed it toward the heavily injured Martin Yun.
Martin Jiao had no idea why Joe Di suddenly went berserk in the middle of negotiations. But he’d clearly seen this sort of situation before; almost as Joe Di struck Martin Yun, his Golden Array Pen erupted into a field of golden light, sealing Joe Di in place.
Joe Di’s domain was already unstable under the pressure of Morris Zhou’s Deathtrap Array and killing aura. Now, trapped by Martin Jiao’s golden light, it collapsed instantly.
If not for Morris Zhou’s terrifying killing aura, Joe Di would have had no fear of Martin Jiao’s Golden Array Pen. But that killing aura forced him to split most of his attention.
To finish Martin Jiao as quickly as possible, Joe Di ignored the golden light from the pen. The Azure Veil Blade transformed into a gentle blade light and slashed toward Martin Jiao.
Seeing Joe Di disregard his divine art, ‘Goldenlight Rift,’ Martin Jiao was overjoyed. No matter how strong Joe Di was, if the golden pen struck him, his body would be torn apart instantly. Besides, even if Joe Di’s physical body was tough, Morris Zhou’s killing aura had him locked down. Even if Joe Di resisted the Goldenlight Rift, Morris Zhou’s killing intent could still split him apart.
Excited, he quickly calmed down. Joe Di didn’t seem like the reckless type, so why use the Ninth World against Martin Yun and only a simple blade against him?
Something felt off. Realizing this, Martin Jiao instinctively withdrew some of his divine essence.
Almost the moment Martin Jiao withdrew his divine essence, he felt the golden light from his pen suddenly lose its Law Intent and begin to dissipate.
Was this the collapse of a divine technique’s law? Martin Jiao instantly realized—Joe Di’s blade strike was actually a Lawbreaker Technique. For a moment, Martin Jiao’s scalp tingled. Was there really such a terrifying technique in the world, one that could shatter an opponent’s divine laws…?
At this point, Martin Jiao no longer thought of killing Joe Di. He withdrew the golden pen as fast as he could, but before its golden light could shield him, the Azure Veil Blade’s gentle killing intent suddenly shifted, transforming into a relentless blade intent that locked onto him.
Now, Joe Di’s Bleakwind Blade Technique was no longer the nascent blade art he’d just comprehended—it was unleashed to kill.