Joe Di gave an awkward smile, unsure how to respond to the elder.
Fortunately, the elder did not mind. After asking just one question, he did not pursue the matter further and said to himself, "There is only one river in the Shaman Realm, and that is the Shaman River. Anyone who wants to survive must live beside the Shaman River, or else they will surely die..."
"Wait, you said everyone must live by the Shaman River to survive. Why is it that people in Stonefort City are fine?" Joe Di asked in confusion.
The elder was stunned again when he heard Joe Di's words, then remembered what Joe Di had said earlier about never having seen the Shaman River.
He didn't know if there were people living in the Shaman Realm who couldn't see the Shaman River, but he was sure that among those he knew, no one dared to live away from the Shaman River.
"Stonefort City is right next to the Shaman River. How could you not see it?" The elder frowned, as if doubting the truth of Joe Di's words.
The Shaman River is next to Stonefort City? Joe Di was completely stunned. All he had seen near Stonefort City was wilderness and desert; where was this so-called Shaman River? He hadn't even seen a single drop of water.
Cassie Cao, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up, "He’s telling the truth. The Shaman River really is next to Stonefort City; you just haven’t seen it."
"Yes, yes..." The elder repeated, nodding several times after hearing Cassie Cao’s words.
Joe Di awkwardly said to the elder, "I’m a bit colorblind, so I can’t see it. Please don’t tell anyone."
The elder had no idea what colorblindness meant, but now that he was certain Joe Di couldn't see the Shaman River, his face turned pale. He quickly lowered his head and stepped away from Joe Di.
Joe Di didn’t mind and turned to Cassie Cao, asking, "Do you understand?"
Cassie Cao nodded, organizing her thoughts before speaking, "No Dao under heaven is ever perfect. Whether it’s Dominic Du, myself, or even the Daoist I mentioned, none of our Daos are flawless. As for how Dominic Du was harmed by Morgan Du, I don’t know for certain, but I suspect it wasn’t because Morgan Du was stronger, but because Dominic Du sought perfection and fell into Morgan Du’s trap."
"What do you mean? Isn’t striving for perfection right?" Joe Di asked in confusion.
Cassie Cao replied seriously, "You’re right—striving for perfection is wrong. If your Dao is obsessed with perfection, it will eventually shatter and collapse. Whether it’s the universe, oneself, or the Dao itself, nothing is truly perfect. Pursuing perfection is an illusion. The Dao exists; if you cultivate a real Dao but chase a nonexistent illusion, how could it not collapse and break apart?"
Joe Di fell silent, thinking of his own past. Cassie Cao’s words were like a mirror—whether before or after he began cultivating, it seemed that perfection was nowhere to be found.
"Cassie Cao, how did Dominic Du pursue perfection?" Joe Di asked.
Cassie Cao answered, "When the Five Elements Universe first split, Dominic Du obtained eight of the nine Prime Laws. But he wasn’t satisfied—he wanted my Prime Law as well, and even wanted me to submit to him."
"Is that why he was ambushed by Morgan Du?" Joe Di asked, still puzzled.
Cassie Cao shook her head. "No, the real reason he was ambushed by Morgan Du was his excessive pursuit of The Vanished One."
"What do you mean?" Joe Di found Cassie Cao's words rather cryptic. The Vanished One?
Cassie Cao sighed, "When the Five Elements Universe was first created, nine Prime Laws descended upon it. But the Five Elements Universe did not only give rise to nine Prime Laws..."
"Are you saying the Five Elements Universe birthed a tenth Prime Law?" Joe Di asked in astonishment.
"That's right," Cassie Cao affirmed. "The Five Elements Universe did indeed produce a tenth Prime Law, but in all the ways of heaven and the universe, nothing is truly perfect. So, the moment the tenth Prime Law emerged, it vanished. That is The Vanished One."
Joe Di had heard of The Vanished One before, but he hadn’t expected such an explanation from Cassie Cao.
Cassie Cao continued, "Dominic Du most likely knew I possessed half a Prime Law, and perhaps even knew I would be reborn. That’s why his main focus was searching for that vanished Prime Law. As for me, perhaps I was already part of his calculations. The reason he was ambushed by Morgan Du, I suspect, is that he had deduced the location of the tenth Prime Law. In his excitement, he let his guard down and was caught off guard."
Joe Di interjected, "That would make Morgan Du even more terrifying. If things really happened that way, he must have known exactly what Dominic Du was doing, and when he would be at his weakest."
Cassie Cao replied, "Exactly. Dominic Du devoted nearly all his energy to searching for the tenth Prime Law, not just within the vast universe, but even beyond it. Who knows how many years he spent, how much of his strength was exhausted. And when he finally discovered the tenth Prime Law, his emotions were unstable, which made it easy for Morgan Du and others to ambush him."
At this, Cassie Cao took a deep breath, her tone growing more anxious. "Dominic Du being ambushed by Morgan Du is not the end. Dominic Du absolutely won’t die. Once he is reborn and finds The Vanished One, there might be no one in the Five Elements Universe who can stand against him. Even if all the strongest join forces, they would still be crushed by him."
Joe Di waved his hand. "Cassie Cao, I think you’re overthinking it. Back then, when Dominic Du was ambushed, his Prime Laws were already divided among others. I heard Morgan Du took the Prime Laws into the Chaotic Inner Realm, trying to fuse them, but the Creation Axe tore the Chaotic Inner Realm apart. The Prime Laws spilled out and were seized by eight people. Even if Dominic Du is reborn and obtains The Vanished One, he can’t gather all the other Prime Laws again."
Cassie Cao looked at Joe Di, her tone grave. "You don’t understand. The Prime Laws originally belonged to Dominic Du, and he long ago comprehended the Genesis Resonance of the Prime Laws. Besides, once Dominic Du is reborn, he won’t even need to fight for the Prime Laws—he can summon them from across universes. For Dominic Du, the most important thing isn’t the Prime Laws that were taken from him, but the one he never obtained: The Vanished One."
"Then how do I find The Vanished One?" Joe Di asked bluntly, instantly realizing that Cassie Cao spoke the truth.
Joe Di fell silent once again. He’d always known the gap between himself and Dominic Du was vast, and his refusal to accept fate was what kept his fighting spirit alive. But Cassie Cao’s words struck him again and again—if things were as she said, once Dominic Du was reborn and found The Vanished One, he’d have no chance at all to oppose him.
"But you said before that I could stand against Dominic Du..." Joe Di wasn’t too concerned about Dominic Du’s pursuit of perfection; what mattered to him was how to defeat Dominic Du.
Cassie Cao said, "I didn’t say you could defeat Dominic Du, only that you have a chance to do so."
"How do I do that?" Joe Di asked eagerly. Right now, fusing his own Dao rules was no longer his priority.
Even if he constructed countless foundational laws, built his own cosmic rules, and even formed his own universe world—so what? He could defeat all the universe’s strongest, but if Dominic Du appeared, what was the point of defeating everyone else? In the end, he would still fall to Dominic Du.
Cassie Cao looked at Joe Di, her tone softening, and said each word with deliberate clarity, "That is to find The Vanished One before Dominic Du does, and take control of that cosmic law for yourself. If you do that, Dominic Du will never be able to see through you, nor will he be able to crush you..."
Seeing Joe Di’s astonishment, Cassie Cao explained, "If I’m not mistaken, your Dao has already begun to surpass the bounds of the Five Elements Universe. You’re starting to construct your own cosmic rules. Once you step into the Third Step, you’ll build a universe world of your own."
Joe Di nodded, saying nothing. For someone like Cassie Cao to see the direction of his Dao was only natural. Yet Cassie Cao still underestimated him; he could already shape rules with his mind—a feat Cassie Cao could never have imagined.
Cassie Cao spoke calmly, "Even if you succeed, you’ll only be able to crush others. To truly deal with Dominic Du, you’re still far from ready. I can see that your Dao also evolved from the Prime Laws, and then you built your own path. On the surface, you’ve surpassed the Five Elements Universe, but in reality, your foundation is still the laws of the Five Elements Universe. Dominic Du will see right through that."
"Then how do I find The Vanished One?" Joe Di asked bluntly, instantly realizing that Cassie Cao spoke the truth.
End of Chapter 934.