"Brother Joe, the way you're walking is exactly the same as I did before. I wandered like this here for tens of millions of years, but I never found a way out," Quinn Moten said, darting through the vast chaos alongside Joe Di.
He wasn't anxious at all. After all, he'd been wandering here alone for tens of millions of years without escaping, so there was no sense of impatience or agitation. On the contrary, now that he was traveling with Joe Di, having a companion to talk and walk with, his vitality seemed to grow stronger with each passing moment.
Joe Di sighed. "Old Qin, you think I don't know that? But what can I do? At least walking like this gives us a sliver of hope to get out. If we just stand still, there isn't even the slightest chance. Right now, all I can do is hope my luck is better than yours."
As Joe Di spoke, his thoughts drifted to Bolt and Baker Wynn. He was certain that even if Bolt and Baker Wynn managed to achieve Dao in this place one day, they'd end up just like him—trapped forever, unable to leave.
Quinn Moten hesitated for a moment before saying, "Brother Joe, actually, I do have a way that might give you a small chance to get out."
"What way?" Joe Di immediately stopped, asking with some excitement.
Quinn Moten said, "I've mentioned it to you before, but you didn't pay attention. I have a Black Nail, it's my artifact—the Black Nail..."
Joe Di hurriedly nodded, "Right, I remember you mentioning this. But you said your Black Nail was taken away by your Evil Corpse."
Quinn Moten nodded, "Yes, this method depends on the Black Nail. It's just rather dangerous, that's all."
"Old Qin, what's a cultivator afraid of? Just tell me." Joe Di said without hesitation.
Quinn Moten pointed to the endless expanse of Chaotic World around them. "In this Chaotic World, there's no such thing as direction. Even if we're standing here now, millions of years later we might find ourselves standing in this exact spot again. The thing is, we wouldn't even know we've already been here twice..."
Joe Di's mind stirred. "Old Qin, are you saying we could try to leave some kind of mark in this Chaotic World?"
Quinn Moten shook his head. "Chaos is called chaos for a reason—there's no way to leave a mark. No matter what you try, after enough time, it'll be swallowed up and become just another part of the chaos. What I mean is, I can use the method of opening up a domain within chaos, and then my Dao will point the way—though it's incredibly faint. If you can find the trace of my Dao, then you really can find a direction..."
"What do you mean?" Joe Di was completely confused, unable to make sense of it.
Quinn Moten smiled. "My artifact, the Black Nail, gathers all the rules of my Dao. Because this artifact originates from chaos, if I use chaos to achieve Dao here, my Dao will be linked to the Black Nail. This resonance is so faint in the Chaotic World that it's almost negligible. So whether you can sense it or not, I can't be sure." (For details on the Black Nail, see 'Gate of Creation' Chapter 1421)
Joe Di was confident in his own Dao and rules. "Old Qin, I should be able to sense it. Haven't you already reached the Third Step? Can you still achieve Dao through chaos?"
Quinn Moten replied, "I can use Dao Severing to achieve Dao..."
Joe Di looked at Quinn Moten in surprise. "Old Qin, you said before that Dao Severing wasn't the right path, that you'd suffered for it. Now you're going to use Dao Severing again?"
"If I don't do this, you'll definitely never get out," Quinn Moten said seriously. "I've already severed my Evil Corpse, but I still have two corpses left, so I can still use Dao Severing. After I use Dao Severing, I won't be able to break through the chaos that binds me, but you can find the subtle changes in the Chaotic World after my Dao Severing, and use that to find the right direction. You must follow it without deviating in the slightest. After you've traveled a certain distance, those subtle changes will disappear, so you have to keep going in a straight line along the path you started."
Only now did Joe Di realize that Quinn Moten was going to sever Dao so he could escape. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly—having severed his Evil Corpse, Quinn Moten truly was someone who went out of his way to help others.
"Old Qin, actually, I have a different perspective on Dao Severing." Quinn Moten was willing to sacrifice himself for Joe Di, so what reason did Joe Di have to hold back or be stingy with his own insights?
Hearing Joe Di's words, Quinn Moten looked at him in confusion. Dao Severing was a well-worn path—what different perspective could there be?
Joe Di said, "Old Qin, isn't Dao Severance supposed to be done only when your Dao Intent can take form?"
Quinn Moten replied as if it were obvious, "Of course. If your Dao Intent hasn't taken shape, that means your Dao isn't complete yet—what are you even severing? Doing it that way is just finding a shortcut in cultivation, but it won't make you the strongest."
Joe Di couldn't help but admire it—Quinn Moten's words cut straight to the heart of the matter. He hadn't understood it before, but now he understood it all too well.
He had used Dao Severing during Path Forging and Path Merging, and those really were shortcuts in cultivation, not true Dao Severing. That kind of severing kept boosting his strength, but also kept him trapped by his own Dao. Every time his Dao was about to be complete, he'd sever it—how could it ever truly be complete?
But after stepping into the Realm Genesis, he realized things weren't so simple.
"Old Qin, back in my homeland there was a kind of fruit that didn't taste good when grafted, and was sour and bitter when wild. Later, someone came up with a method—transplanting. After transplanting the fruit two or three times, it became big and sweet. Actually, Dao is the same. When we sever Dao, we don't have to wait for it to be completely perfected before severing. I don't agree with that approach. My view is, sever Dao before it's fully perfected..."
Before Joe Di could finish, Quinn Moten waved his hand. "Your method won't work. Plenty of people have tried it. That kind of Dao Severance just leaves you mediocre in the end. Brother Joe, listen to me: if you can't stand at the very peak, then just walk step by step—don't try to outpace those halfway up the mountain."
Quinn Moten spoke from the heart; he'd seen too much. Step by step, there was still a chance for sudden transformation in the future. Taking shortcuts only made you fade into mediocrity.
Joe Di smiled faintly. "Of course, I know that if your cultivation method is strong enough, truly defying the heavens, then you have a chance to create your own realm and step into the supreme Third Step..."
Quinn Moten nodded. "That's right. But such a domain isn't the strongest domain. Even if you use a creation technique to step into the Third Step, you're only stronger than ordinary cultivators. To truly stand at the peak of the universe, you're still far from it. For us cultivators, we must pursue the strongest Dao. If you can't pursue the strongest, at least don't cut off your own future."
This was the second time Quinn Moten had warned Joe Di.
"No," Joe Di shook his head. "What I mean is, if you've stepped into the Third Step and have your own realm, you can come to the Chaotic World and sever your realm, using the chaos to achieve Dao once more..."
"Realm Severance to achieve Dao?" Quinn Moten muttered. "Everyone knows that after severing your realm, your Dao will perish. Who would dare to use Realm Severance to achieve Dao...?"
Joe Di chuckled. "Old Qin, weren't you just planning to use Dao Severing to achieve Dao? Once you sever your two remaining corpses, your realm will likely shatter too. Isn't that basically the same as Realm Severance?"
Joe Di hadn't stepped into the Third Step; he'd achieved Dao by using Realm Severance on his Ninth World. Although his Ninth World wasn't a realm forged through Realm Genesis, it still contained his Dao Intent and a part of his sea of consciousness, making it similar in essence to a Third Step realm.
Not everyone could possess a Ninth World. Without it, you had to step into the Third Step, then, like him, come to the Chaotic World and use Realm Severance to achieve Dao.
"Snap!" After a long while, Quinn Moten suddenly clapped his hands. "That's right—Realm Severance to achieve Dao! What others dare not do, I'll do it! Hahaha..."
Joe Di was a bit speechless. He himself had achieved Dao by Realm Severance, but Quinn Moten's tone sounded as if he were cutting himself off from the Dao. Joe Di couldn't explain it, so he simply carved a Direction Stone and handed it to Quinn Moten. "Old Qin, if you run into any trouble, take a look at this Direction Stone."
The Direction Stone contained some of his experiences with Realm Severance to achieve Dao. If Quinn Moten tried severing his realm, he might find it useful.
"It's settled, then. I'll use Realm Severance now, and use the Second Step to condense a chaos domain." Quinn Moten was straightforward and decisive.