Ninth In the World

As Huan Mingzi was speaking, Cheng Ji had already seen Di Jiu and started walking over.

Cheng Ji’s cultivation had to be around the sixth-stage True Form Realm, so he was no weaker than Shu Haolan. Beside Cheng Ji were two men and a lady. Di Jiu recognized two of them as Cheng Bijun and Zong Min. Both of them were in the initial stages of the Void Spirit Realm and were considered to be improving fast. However, compared to Di Jiu, they were still incredibly slow. Although the other man didn’t look much older than Zong Min, he was already at the Pioneer Sea Realm.

While Huan Mingzi was by his side, Di Jiu wasn’t the least bit afraid of Cheng Ji. Besides, the Small World had been completely refined by him, and the outside had been covered by his level-nine restriction. Even if he placed his hand in front of Cheng Ji, he might not be able to discover the Small World on his fingers.

“Father, it’s him. That’s Di Jiu!” Cheng Bijun shouted and pointed at Di Jiu when she saw him.

Cheng Ji had just reached the Small Central World. Although he had been hurrying along almost ever since the closing of the Sky Screen, he hadn’t imagined that he would be able to see Di Jiu below the Small Central World after so many years.

If he had known earlier that Di Jiu would come to the Small Central World, he would only have needed to teleport over. Why would he go to the Night Star Continent and then think of ways to go to the Small Central World instead?

Cheng Ji didn’t need Cheng Bijun’s pointer. He had already recognized Di Jiu. As he stood in front of Di Jiu, his Spiritual Force landed blatantly on Di Jiu.

Even before the Skygold Domain Lord had started talking about the opening of the Small Central Planet, all the cultivators who were about to enter the Small Central Planet had been protected.

Di Jiu suddenly clenched his fist and shouted, “Senior Skygold Domain Lord, I am here listening to your words because I’m about to enter the Small Central Planet. However, somebody is blatantly using their Spiritual Force to spy on me and look even beneath my clothes.”

Di Jiu shouted out loudly, even though there was no way Cheng Ji’s Spiritual Force would be able to get through his clothes.

In the Cultivation World, using one’s Spiritual Force to scan someone and look through their clothes could lead to a vendetta. This was a disgusting action despised by the whole Cultivation World. The Five Sect Masters had only done this to Di Feixue because they were really powerful. Thus, the Di Family wouldn’t have dared do or say anything to them. Di Feixue would also not have been able to detect their Spiritual Force.

Cheng Ji’s heart shivered. He hadn’t expected that Di Jiu would be so bold as to interrupt the Skygold Domain Lord. Before he could explain, a big, vivid hand grabbed him. Cheng Ji, who was a Sect Master at the True Form Realm, couldn’t shun this big hand.

The hand grabbed hold of Cheng Ji and flung him out immediately. Then, the Skygold Domain Lord snorted coldly. “Scram!”

Cheng Ji, who was thrown out by this big hand like a kite with a broken string, hit a huge stone pillar that stood at the perimeter of the square. Although the stone pillar didn’t crumble, Cheng Ji vomited blood as he lay flaccidly on the ground.

Cheng Bijun and her gang rushed over to protect Cheng Ji.

If Cheng Ji had been punished by someone else, they might have tried to fight back. However, Cheng Ji had been punished by the Skygold Domain Lord. They could only blame this on their luck. Thus, they didn’t dare say anything else.

“Father! Blame this on me…” said Cheng Bijun, who sounded extremely anxious.

Cheng Ji vomited congested blood once more before he felt a little better. “It’s not your fault. I belittled him. He’s so formidable…”

It was not clear whether he was referring to Di Jiu or the Skygold Domain Lord.

Di Jiu took a deep breath as he thought about the same thing silently. He really believed that the Skygold Domain Lord was formidable. Cheng Ji was, after all, a True Form expert and the Sect Master of a top-notch sect. However, against the Skygold Domain Lord, he’d had no means to retaliate and gotten thrown out instead. No wonder that even Huan Mingzi didn’t dare act disrespectfully in front of Huan Changzhu.

Although Di Jiu had leveraged on the Skygold Domain Lord, he knew that his behavior was punishable by death. He had used the Skygold Domain Lord very publicly, so it would be strange if the Skygold Domain Lord didn’t mind. However, Di Jiu knew that even if he hadn’t used the Skygold Domain Lord, the Skygold Domain Lord would still have marked him down. The golden-haired fellow hadn’t made a move on him just because he didn’t want to dirty his hands. Thus, he might as well take advantage of him.

Once he stepped into the square below the Small Central Planet, Xian Ze stopped instinctively. He had just seen Cheng Ji get flung out and suffer serious injuries.

“It’s you?” Cheng Ji had also seen Xian Ze. Xian Ze had escaped from his hands, even though his cultivation was a few stages below his.

This was not the point. The question was how Xian Ze had come to the Small Central Planet. Cheng Ji had used a number of talismans and spent a couple of years to get there. Thus, he couldn’t let this third-stage True Form expert escape again, no matter what.

Even though Cheng Ji was seriously injured, Xian Ze wanted to run away the minute he saw him. He could see the killing intent in Cheng Ji’s eyes. However, he still halted immediately. If he ran away, the people following him wouldn’t be able to escape death.

“It’s Brother Jiu!” Geng Ji immediately shouted joyfully. He was the first to see Di Jiu, not because his Spiritual Force was more formidable than Xian Ze’s, but because he was familiar with Di Jiu. Xian Ze, on the other hand, had never seen Di Jiu before.

Xian Ze, who only noticed Di Jiu after hearing Geng Ji’s words, immediately said delightedly, “Hurry over!”

The Skygold Domain Lord had finished speaking by now, and the people in charge of the Prophecy Pavilion and the large sects of the Small Central World got on the round platform and began distributing jade cards that would allow one entry into the Small Central Planet.

Di Jiu, who had seen Geng Ji too, was pleasantly surprised. He immediately walked over and said, “What are you doing here, Geng Ji?”

Suddenly, he realized that Geng Ji must have received his message and found the Teleportation Array on the Dusk Star Ruins of the Polar Night Continent.

“I’ve finally found you, Brother Jiu!” Geng Ji was extremely happy to see Di Jiu. Di Jiu was his only kin after all.

Di Jiu greeted Geng Ji first. Then, he greeted Ceng Beizi, Yu Jie, He Tai, and Wei Shanshan. He actually didn’t know Xian Ze at all.

Although Ceng Beizi and the gang had come to the Polar Night Continent from Earth and the Fairy Planet—like Di Jiu had, in his heart, he felt much closer to Geng Ji than the others.

“Thanks for saving my life outside the Sky Screen, Brother Jiu,” said He Tai gratefully. Di Jiu had not only saved him, but also given him the qualifications to enter the Sky Screen. Without Di Jiu, his cultivation wouldn’t have increased so fast.

“Sorry, Big Brother Di. I didn’t keep my promise on Earth.” Ceng Beizi approached Di Jiu and bowed.

“It’s okay. Let bygones be bygones. Since you are all here, you can follow me to the Small Central Planet and try your luck.” Di Jiu waved his hand. He had long forgotten about what had happened back then.

“Can we come to the Small Central Planet too, Senior Brother Di?” Wei Shanshan exclaimed in surprise.

Di Jiu nodded. “Let’s talk about this later, Junior Sister Wei.”

When he finished his sentence, Di Jiu walked over to Xian Ze and bowed. “Thank you for taking care of my friends and bringing them to the Small Central World, sir.”

Although nobody had told Di Jiu so, he had already guessed that Geng Ji and gang must have been brought there by Xian Ze. The only True Form expert around was Xian Ze after all. Geng Ji and gang couldn’t have teleported over so fast, even if they had found his Teleportation Array.

Even if they had actually teleported over, getting to the square below the Small Central Planet would have been no easy feat.

“Ha ha…” Xian Ze laughed. “I was not wrong about you. I am Xian Ze, a True Form cultivator from the Night Star Continent. I have been searching for you. After these few years, I’m finally meeting you on the Small Central Planet.”

Di Jiu, who was a careful person, hadn’t disappointed Xian Ze. If Di Jiu had possessed good potential but had been weak in other aspects, Xian Ze would have been disappointed. On the cultivation continents, if one didn’t have the ability to protect oneself, one would definitely die—regardless of how good one’s potential was.

Di Jiu then greeted Yu Jie and introduced Huan Mingzi to everybody.

“Brother Jiu, Sister-In-Law Moshuang was taken away by that woman. It would have been wonderful if we had not gone to the Small Central Planet together.” Geng Ji, who hadn’t read the room, brought up Jing Moshuang after exchanging pleasantries with everyone.

“Sister-In-Law Moshuang?” Di Jiu asked in confusion. Who was Sister-In-Law Moshuang? Was it Jing Moshuang? Who was Jing Moshuang married to? Why had Geng Ji called her Sister-In-Law?

Xian Ze, who was old and experienced, guessed that there was something strange upon hearing Di Jiu’s question. By right, Jing Moshuang was Di Jiu’s wife. Thus, he should have been able to understand as soon as Geng Ji had mentioned Sister-In-Law Moshuang.

“Senior Brother Di, he’s referring to Senior Sister Jing Moshuang,” Wei Shanshan said immediately. “When you didn’t appear after saving us at the Sky Screen, Senior Sister Moshuang said that she would remain single for you forever…”

Actually, she didn’t understand completely what was going on between Di Jiu and Jing Moshuang either.

Upon hearing Wei Shanshan’s words, Di Jiu immediately came to a realization. Back at the Sky Screen, he hadn’t managed to escape after saving Jing Moshuang, Wei Shanshan and Qin Yin. Jing Moshuang must have felt guilty about his death and thus decided to be his widow.

Jing Moshuang had said those words for two reasons. Firstly, she had thought that he was dead and felt guilty that she could give him nothing in return. Secondly, they had actually already gone through the wedding rite.

“Is Moshuang alright?” Di Jiu asked quickly.

He would never deny such a thing. If he did, only death would await Jing Moshuang.

Before anyone could answer, somebody on the round platform shouted, “The sect jade cards for entering the Small Central Planet have been handed out! We now invite the cultivators who possess Five Continent Dao Pagoda Points to come up and exchange them for the qualifying jade cards. Every 10 Five Continent Dao Pagoda Points can be exchanged for one qualifying jade card…”