Joe Di stopped in his tracks, choosing not to continue his escape. Jade Vaughn was far stronger than him, but to completely crush him still fell short. As long as Jade Vaughn couldn't utterly overpower him, Joe Di could always flee at any moment. The reason he couldn't shake off Cassie Cao before was due to the rules of the Five Elements Universe; now, even if he couldn't cross over, Joe Di was confident he could lose him.
Seeing Joe Di stop, Jade Vaughn also ceased his attack. He understood well: for Joe Di to dare halt meant he was fully confident in escaping from Jade Vaughn's grasp, while Jade Vaughn's escape arts were not his forte.
"Daoist Joe, I was wrong before. I apologize. What I'm about to say next is completely true, no exaggeration whatsoever," Jade Vaughn said, clasping his fists.
Joe Di replied calmly, "First, tell me if the void vortex here is real or not."
Jade Vaughn nodded, "Indeed, the void vortex is real, but it's not on the direction stone I gave you. If Daoist Joe is willing to cooperate with me, I can certainly tell you the location of the next vortex."
Joe Di laughed heartily, "Jade Vaughn, since the day I entered the path, I've never been threatened by anyone. You're strong, but I've met plenty who are even stronger than you."
Jade Vaughn wasn't bothered by Joe Di's words, responding with the same calm, "Oh, so many? I wonder how many you've met that are stronger than me? If you name one I recognize, I'll immediately engrave the direction stone for you, and then we can discuss cooperation."
Joe Di answered evenly, "I've met the Lotus Sage and helped him once. I've also met Cynthia Xing—she wanted something of mine, so I killed her. Before that, I fought Eugene Yi the Wanderer and struck him down with a single blow. I have a friend named Zane Du. There's an arrogant one called Zefron Ye—my friend Zane Du chased after him to kill him. If that's not enough, I recently met Lord Voidbreaker. Oh, and I have another friend, Poison Sovereign..."
The more Joe Di spoke, the wider Jade Vaughn's mouth opened. Finally, he let out a long sigh, "Daoist Joe, I acknowledge all those people you've mentioned. I may be stronger than them now, but that's only because I hid in this universe during the Creation War. If they hadn't died and been reborn, I doubt I could defeat any of them."
Jade Vaughn felt a deep sense of loss. Only after hearing Joe Di list so many names did he realize that, while he was strong, when faced with true powerhouses, he was likely at the very bottom.
Not to mention others—even the Joe Di standing before him, if he advanced to the Third Step, Jade Vaughn would be no match.
Jade Vaughn was straightforward. After speaking, he immediately engraved a crystal sphere for Joe Di. Having lived countless ages in the vast cosmos, what couldn't he let go of?
Knowing Joe Di was qualified to cooperate with him, Jade Vaughn no longer cared about past grievances. Even if they were fighting to the death a moment ago, he could reconcile instantly—such things didn't faze him at all.
Joe Di took the crystal sphere and swept it with his divine sense. He quickly scanned it, then put it away and said, "Consider this crystal sphere compensation for your sneak attack. I'll let it go this time, but if there's a next time, I won't be so forgiving."
Jade Vaughn wasn't bothered by Joe Di's bluntness. "Daoist Joe, I'm telling the truth. I really did visit the Gate of Destiny back then. And I'm certain—if you want to reach the pinnacle of the Third Step, or even surpass it, you must enter the Gate of Destiny and travel to another universe..."
After a brief pause, Jade Vaughn continued, "It's like when we moved from the Immortal Realm to the Divine Realm. No matter how strong you are in the Immortal Realm, an ordinary cultivator in the Divine Realm could kill you in an instant. Daoist Joe, do you understand what I'm saying?"
Joe Di nodded. "I want to ask you, Jade Vaughn: since you've already found the void vortex, why do you still remain in this universe?"
Jade Vaughn was silent for a long time before replying, "I can tell you, but you must promise me two things."
Joe Di was very curious why Jade Vaughn remained here. With such strength, what was he still searching for?
"State your conditions first, and I'll see if I can agree to them." Joe Di didn't promise outright, but let Jade Vaughn speak his terms.
Jade Vaughn spoke slowly, "The first condition: after I tell you, you must help me search for ten thousand years. If we find it, whoever discovers it first gets it. The second condition: if we can't find it, then after ten thousand years we leave this place together and join forces to enter the universe where the Gate of Destiny resides."
By proposing the second condition, it was clear how highly Jade Vaughn regarded Joe Di. Jade Vaughn was a peerless genius in his own right, but he was certain that at the same level, he was nowhere near Joe Di's caliber. If Joe Di ever reached the Third Step, he would be no weaker than those who once stood on the five white jade cushions when the Gate of Destiny first opened.
"Ten thousand years is too long. Ten years should be enough." Joe Di chuckled. He wasn't about to waste ten thousand years searching here with Jade Vaughn.
Jade Vaughn smiled slightly. "Don't refuse just yet—wait until you hear what it is before you decide."
Joe Di looked at Jade Vaughn without speaking, signaling for him to continue.
Jade Vaughn took a deep breath to steady himself. If he hadn't spent so many years searching fruitlessly, and finally realized what he sought might only reveal itself to someone with true destiny, he would never have spoken. Without that fate, no matter how many tens of thousands of years he searched, he'd never find it.
"Long ago, in the chaos when the Five Elements Universe first split, nine Prime Laws appeared. Each Prime Law birthed a peerless powerhouse, and any of them could transcend the Five Elements Universe. But few know that when the universe first split, there was also a tenth law that escaped—the Vanished One. In truth, this is the ultimate Dao..." Jade Vaughn's voice seemed to drift from the horizon, tinged with regret.
Perhaps he knew that once he spoke, the Vanished One would no longer have any connection to him. As long as there was hope, he would have kept searching in silence.
The Vanished One? Joe Di looked at Jade Vaughn, speechless. "Old Jade, you spent hundreds of thousands of years here just to find that?"
Jade Vaughn sighed. "What else? Why do you think I came here, unable to leave?"
"Wouldn't it be better if fewer people knew about something this precious? Why tell me?" Joe Di asked, unconvinced. He didn't believe Jade Vaughn would reveal such a secret just for cooperation. If he were that naive, he'd have died countless times already.
Jade Vaughn gave a bitter smile, knowing Joe Di didn't believe him. He explained, "Honestly, even if you hadn't come, I'd be leaving soon. I said ten thousand years, but who knows how long it will be? Because what I'm searching for is also needed by someone even stronger. When he arrives, he'll take it with ease, without wasting a moment searching."
Joe Di realized Jade Vaughn must be talking about Dominic Du. That Dominic Du was truly formidable—among all those he'd met, anyone who knew of Dominic Du feared him.
Joe Di shook his head, looking helplessly at Jade Vaughn. "Old Jade, even if you searched for a hundred million years, you'd never find the Vanished One."
"Why?" Jade Vaughn blurted out, then stared at Joe Di, eyes wide as if he might devour him.
Joe Di wasn't afraid of Jade Vaughn's reaction. He replied calmly, "Because that Vanished Prime Law has already become nothingness. Every word I say is true—the Vanished Prime Law vanished right before my eyes, and it will never appear again."