Even though he found this sect's actions excessive, Joe Di still refrained from acting rashly to save the woman. It wasn't that he disliked meddling, nor was it because he knew that cultivators who interfered often met untimely ends. The main reason was that Joe Di had no idea what heinous crime this woman had committed, to be locked to the Soulbinding Pillar and have her soul burned in public.
Joe Di walked toward the sect's array gate. Before he could knock, a Transformation Realm cultivator blocked his path. "Stop! All transactions and departures take place at Morrison Clan Plaza. This is the Morrison Clan's array gate, and ordinary people are not allowed near it."
Joe Di quickly cupped his fists. "I've come here to pay respects to your clan's patriarch. There are some matters I wish to discuss."
The Transformation Realm guard glanced sideways at Joe Di. "Who do you think you are? What qualifications do you have to meet our Morrison Clan Patriarch?"
Joe Di's face turned cold. He had visited many sects before, but had never encountered such an arrogant and rude gatekeeper.
Still, Joe Di didn't bother arguing further. He could sense that the Morrison Clan was far from ordinary. Even though he had stepped into the Mixed Origin Realm, caution was still necessary.
Seeing Joe Di turn and leave, the Transformation Realm guard snorted coldly. "A mere ant dares to visit the clan patriarch? Hmph, what a joke."
He could sense that Joe Di's strength might be slightly above his own Transformation Realm. But so what if Joe Di was a Dao Origin cultivator? Not just anyone could come to the Morrison Clan of the Unscarred Realm.
Joe Di didn't leave the Morrison Clan's plaza. Instead, he entered a Resthaven Inn, intending to gather some information before making any moves against the Morrison Clan.
The Morrison Clan's plaza was bustling, and the Resthaven Inn was packed with cultivators.
Joe Di deliberately sat down at a long table where a group of cultivators were gathered. He casually ordered a large pot of mid-grade divine wine, then cupped his fists and said, "Greetings, fellow Daoists. I am new here and would like to offer everyone a drink."
It was common for newcomers like Joe Di, who ordered a pot of wine for everyone, to have questions or seek information. This sort of thing happened not only here, but also in other divine cities or Resthaven Inns.
A Dao Nurturing cultivator also cupped his fists in return. "You're too kind, Daoist. We're all from different places, so if you have any questions, we'll answer as best we can."
After pouring a cup of divine wine for each of the seven cultivators at the table, Joe Di finally asked, "Fellow Daoists, when I arrived, I saw a woman nailed to the plaza, her soul being burned by the Abyssal Blight Flame. What crime did she commit to deserve such a punishment? Even if someone makes a mistake, isn't it excessive to nail them to the plaza for this kind of public torture?"
Just as Joe Di said, soul-burning punishments were not uncommon. Cultivators with deep grudges often used such cruel methods to torment their enemies once captured. However, it was rare to see such punishments carried out so publicly.
"Haha!" The Dao Nurturing cultivator who answered earlier laughed heartily. "No wonder you were startled, Daoist. In fact, when we first arrived, we were also quite shocked. We thought the punishments here were extremely harsh and didn't dare stay long. But after learning the truth, we felt reassured and even comfortable staying here."
"I still have more to ask," Joe Di said, cupping his fists again.
The Dao Nurturing cultivator took a sip of wine and saluted in the direction of the Morrison Clan. "This is all thanks to the Morrison Clan. They are currently the only top-tier family in the Sanctuary Realm with a Third Step powerhouse..."
Hearing this, Joe Di's heart skipped a beat, secretly alarmed. Fortunately, he hadn't acted rashly and attacked the Morrison Clan. If he had to face a Third Step powerhouse, could he even win? Joe Di shook his head. His chances of beating a Third Step cultivator were slim, unless he escaped the Sanctuary Realm and used his own laws to slowly deal with his opponent.
"Friend, is there really a Third Step powerhouse in the Sanctuary Realm?" Joe Di intentionally showed shock and asked with a hint of fear.
The Dao Nurturing cultivator laughed again. "Daoist, you needn't look so worried. We're worlds apart from a Third Step powerhouse, but as long as we behave ourselves here, not only do we have nothing to fear—we're actually protected. Who would dare cause trouble here? That'd be suicide."
Joe Di thought to himself that he was about to cause trouble here soon, but he still asked cautiously, "Is the Third Step powerhouse still here?"
The Dao Nurturing cultivator didn't understand Joe Di's real meaning and pointed to the plaza outside. "That brings us to the matter you asked about earlier. You saw the woman nailed in the center of the plaza, right? Her name is Shelby Young. Tens of thousands of years ago, she greatly admired the Morrison Clan's peerless powerhouse, Senior Morris Zhou. By the way, Senior Morris Zhou is the Morrison Clan's Third Step cultivator."
Senior Morris Zhou was upright and magnanimous, so he never suspected that woman to be so devious and vicious. He gave her many cultivation resources and went to great lengths to help her. In the end, she and her lover conspired against him. If not for Senior Morris Zhou's extraordinary powers, he would have already fallen victim to their plot."
As soon as the Dao Nurturing cultivator finished speaking, another cultivator chimed in, "That's right, this woman is extremely malicious. If not for the protective array on the plaza, she would've been killed long ago."
"Exactly. Fortunately, she was captured and brought back..."
...
Yet Joe Di found it rather odd. He didn't know what kind of person Shelby Young truly was, but from what these people said, Morris Zhou seemed to be quite magnanimous. If that's the case, at most he would have killed Shelby Young—why burn her soul in public for tens of thousands of years?
Joe Di asked with lingering concern, "Is Morris Zhou alright?"
The topic seemed to excite the crowd, and they didn't notice that Joe Di had simply called him 'Morris Zhou' without adding 'Senior.'
The Dao Nurturing cultivator chuckled. "Senior Morris is a Third Step powerhouse—one with truly formidable strength. Even when he was ambushed years ago, he was only injured. These days, Senior Morris has stayed within the clan to recover, never appearing in public. His reputation here is so great that no one dares cause trouble."
Not just here—even in the Sanctuary Realm, no one dares stir up trouble.
Joe Di had learned a fair bit, but he suspected the truth was not exactly as these people described.
He could understand why—this was the Morrison Clan Plaza, and who would dare speak ill of the Morrison Clan's Third Step powerhouse?
Regardless, the Morrison Clan having a Third Step powerhouse was unexpected for Joe Di. Even if that powerhouse was severely injured, after tens of thousands of years, his wounds must be mostly healed. If Joe Di tried to reclaim his Azure Veil Blade from such a recovered powerhouse, he'd likely never return.
He had just been gravely wounded in the Celestial Beyond, and though that injury led him to comprehend his own Second Step Dao, Joe Di had no desire to be seriously injured again for no reason.
If he wanted to uncover the truth, asking these people would be useless. Joe Di decided to question Shelby Young herself. She was gravely injured and on the verge of death; others might not get answers, but Joe Di could use his law-sensing abilities to glean information.
...
For several days, Joe Di wandered the Morrison Clan Plaza, gathering information as he strolled.
After days of inquiry, most of the news Joe Di heard matched what he'd learned the first day. But some veiled rumors suggested the woman was innocent, that she only retaliated against Morris Zhou because he had done something wrong, and was eventually captured by the Morrison Clan.
Though the later details were vague, Joe Di found them more believable. Over these few days, his greatest accomplishment wasn't the information he'd gathered, but the countless law-imbued array flags he'd prepared.
To deal with the Morrison Clan, he'd have to rely on his law-imbued array flag techniques.
By the seventh day, Joe Di felt his law-imbued array flags were sufficient. He decided to rescue Shelby Young first and ask her about Morris Zhou. The fact that the Morrison Clan had a Third Step powerhouse was the most alarming news for Joe Di.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)