"Big Brother, you and Bolt watch what I can do..." As they were about to step into Chaos, Dean Bell perked up, eager to show Joe Di that within the primordial realm, he could walk wherever he pleased.
Bolt raised a paw and smacked Dean Bell on the head. "Dean, call me Grandmaster. I'm the Second Grandmaster, and you'll be the Third Grandmaster from now on..."
Bolt's words stopped just in time; it seemed that Dean Bell might not even qualify as the Third Grandmaster.
Though Dean Bell made a living as a highwayman, his nature was honest and simple. He chuckled and replied without care, "Grandmaster, surviving in Chaos is as easy for me as living at home."
Joe Di looked at Dean Bell in confusion and asked, "Dean, were you born of Chaos?"
Joe Di suspected Dean Bell was born of Chaos, but couldn't discern what kind of spirit his true body was—or perhaps he'd simply never seen one like it before.
Dean Bell shook his head. "I don't know either. But when I first remember anything, I was already in Chaos."
"You started remembering things in Chaos?" Bolt exclaimed in surprise.
Not just anyone could enter Chaos. For Bolt, only after awakening his innate divine powers could he move freely within it. For Joe Di, before he condensed his Dao Tree, surviving in Chaos had been a struggle. Yet Dean Bell claimed he remembered things from Chaos itself—this was far beyond mere talent.
Dean Bell thoroughly enjoyed Bolt's astonishment. Raising his hand, he pulled out a piece of black wood from who-knows-where and said casually, "With this black wood, I can easily craft a flying artifact. Then we won't need to walk at all—just ride the artifact and travel across Chaos..."
"Wait a moment..." Joe Di stopped Dean Bell and said, "Let me take a look at that Chaoswood in your hand."
Without hesitation, Dean Bell handed the Chaoswood to Joe Di. Bolt immediately chimed in, "Dean, why not make another flying artifact with Chaoswood?"
Dean Bell gave an awkward smile. "That's the only piece I've got."
Joe Di didn't inspect the Chaoswood right away. Instead, he raised his hand and summoned the Chaos Star. "Let's all board my Chaos Star. It can fly through Chaos as well."
"A planet-sized spaceship..." Dean Bell's jaw dropped, but quickly realized, "Grandmaster, is this vessel refined from a single block of Ascendant Gold?"
Dean Bell knew what Ascendant Gold was; he'd even received a bit from Quinn King before, and it was truly precious. But he'd never seen Ascendant Gold of such scale in the Vast Cosmos.
"This isn't Ascendant Gold, though after my refinement it looks a bit similar. Its essence differs from Ascendant Gold. This is Vast Iron Crystal, which I've refined into a Chaos Star artifact. It's only in its preliminary stage, but while flying through Chaos, you and Bolt can each pick a spot on the Chaos Star to build a sanctuary, or plant any divine flora you want." Joe Di finished speaking and handed two Rule Worlds to Bolt and Dean Bell.
Hearing that they could build their own sanctuaries on the flying artifact, both Bolt and Dean Bell shouted with excitement. The two immediately rushed aboard the Chaos Star, eager to claim a spot for their cultivation haven.
Joe Di called out to Dean Bell, "Let me study the Chaoswood for a bit. First, refine this jade talisman and use it to control the Chaos Star. Remember, head toward Quinn King's location—I've got a score to settle with him."
Dean Bell took the jade talisman from Joe Di without hesitation and said, "Grandmaster, I don't need the Chaoswood anymore. I just picked it up in Chaos, it's not worth much."
Saying this, Dean Bell dashed eagerly toward Bolt's direction.
The Chaos Star was immense, but Dean Bell worried that Bolt might claim the best spot for himself. He hurried to stake his own territory.
Joe Di knew very well that this Chaoswood was far from ordinary—even the evolved World Tree couldn't compare. The World Tree had first appeared in the Five Elements Universe, limited by the laws of heaven and earth. Although, over the years, Joe Di's Dao rules had evolved it beyond its original form, it still fell short of Chaoswood, which existed directly within primordial Chaos.
If the World Tree were thrown into Chaos, it would soon dissolve into nothingness, while Chaoswood persisted. That was the difference.
Joe Di paid no attention to how Bolt and Dean Bell were fussing over the Chaos Star; he was wholly absorbed in studying the Chaoswood in his hands.
This Chaoswood looked utterly unremarkable—no spiritual fluctuations, not even the slightest hint of law resonance. It was just like...
That's right—just like Chaos itself. Upon entering Chaos, there were no rules, no existence. One would be engulfed by an endless sense of emptiness, eventually crushed into oblivion by its void.
The Chaoswood in his hand radiated the same unfathomable emptiness, with no traceable origin or mark.
A hundred years passed as Joe Di researched the Chaoswood, trying every method he could think of, but he learned nothing from it.
With a sigh, Joe Di decided to stop studying the Chaoswood. He cut off a section and planted it on the Chaos Star, then placed a longer piece in his own Cosmic World, even embedding a Cosmic Dao Vein. Not stopping there, he also positioned the Ascendant Gold planet beside the Chaoswood.
Perhaps, in time, the Chaoswood would bring him a surprise.
Once he was done, Joe Di swept his divine sense over Bolt and Dean Bell, both busy with their own affairs. Under Dean Bell's control, the Chaos Star sped swiftly through Chaos.
Not wanting to disturb the two, Joe Di simply took out his only Cosmic Extreme Vein.
It was a pure white Cosmic Dao Vein. Back then, Joe Di had only acquired half of the black Obsidian Dao Vein, but this one was whole, stretching over ten thousand zhang.
Ever since obtaining this Cosmic Extreme Vein, Joe Di had never used it. Now, he intended to rely on it to break through to the Sixth Step.
Normally, Joe Di wouldn't use the Cosmic Extreme Vein, at least not yet. With the Sixth Dao Branch already formed, advancing to the Sixth Step was only a matter of time—as long as he accumulated enough, he'd naturally break through.
But now was different. Joe Di had Dean Bell take him to seek out Quinn King, the Sage of Life and Death. Quinn King had likely reached the Seventh Step, or perhaps even the Eighth.
Facing such a formidable opponent, Joe Di couldn't afford the slightest carelessness. He'd reached the Fifth Step, yes, but not for long. His foundation was still lacking, and even with the Sixth Dao Branch condensed, advancing to the Sixth Step wasn't something he could do quickly. His only option was to use the Cosmic Extreme Vein to drastically shorten the time needed.
Joe Di began his closed-door cultivation, striving for the Sixth Step. Thanks to the Cosmic Extreme Vein, the entire Chaos Star was suffused with clear, rule-rich Dao resonance.
Under the influence of this rule-rich Dao resonance, all spiritual plants cultivated by Bolt and Dean Bell grew wildly. Both were top-tier talents; in this environment, they didn't even need to enter seclusion—their cultivation soared simply by circulating their energy.
"Amazing! Following Grandmaster is the best!" Dean Bell couldn't help but shout, exhilarated by the surge in cultivation.
Bolt cast a disdainful glance at Dean Bell, but also seized the moment to cultivate.
...
In the vast expanse of primordial Chaos, this flying planet became a striking sight, breaking through the endless void.
This rapidly soaring planet injected a trace of vitality into the eternally silent, hollow Chaos—even if that trace was but a fleeting moment.
Time means little to cultivators in training; in Chaos, it means even less.
If not for the Chaos Star being halted by an impenetrable wall of Dao resonance, even after countless millennia of flight, neither Joe Di nor his companions would have noticed a thing.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)