Sawyer Walker listened to Joe Di and replied without hesitation, "Yes, yes, Joe Di and I are comrades who have shared tribulations. We discovered this place together. He went to look for someone, and I've been waiting here ever since."
Though he knew nothing of Victor Chao’s origins, nor why Victor was able to open the Chaos Gate, Sawyer Walker understood that maintaining a non-aggression pact with Joe Di was to his benefit. He had no desire to fight Joe Di across countless domains, wasting precious time on endless escapes.
Victor Chao nodded. "Since we all know each other, let's enter together."
He did not believe Sawyer Walker’s strength could match Joe Di’s. Even within the Chaos Gate, Joe Di was considered a top-tier existence.
"Can you really open this Chaos Gate?" Sawyer Walker was startled by Victor Chao's claim. In his view, Victor's cultivation had not yet reached the Creation Realm, and anyone below that level should be far weaker than himself. Not everyone was as monstrous as Joe Di.
He himself was unable to open the Chaos Gate—how could a cultivator much weaker than him possibly do so?
Victor Chao was unaware of Sawyer Walker’s true background, nor that Sawyer had once been a Dao Master. He snorted coldly and said, "If I say I can open it, then I can. Just follow me."
As he spoke, Victor Chao produced a peculiar token. The moment Joe Di’s divine sense swept over it, he instantly sensed a vast Genesis Dao aura flowing from within.
Although Sawyer Walker was a Dao Master, he clearly had never seen such a token before. After Victor Chao revealed it, Sawyer’s gaze stayed fixed on the Rift Dao Token—his instincts told him this was no ordinary item.
"Fellow Daoist Victor, is this the Rift Dao Token?" Joe Di asked, a hint of doubt in his voice.
Victor Chao answered with pride, "That's right. This is the Rift Dao Token."
Joe Di furrowed his brow slightly. "Victor, isn’t the Rift Dao Token supposed to be a single-use item? Isn’t it destroyed after being used?"
"A single-use item?" Victor Chao looked at Joe Di with confusion, then burst out laughing. "Joe Di, your strength is impressive, but your knowledge is sorely lacking. If every Rift Dao Token was disposable, what in this universe wouldn’t be?"
Joe Di said nothing more. If Wong Baigong hadn’t tricked him, then it must be that Wong Baigong simply didn’t know how to use the Rift Dao Token. Joe Di hoped for the latter—if he’d been deceived, then those old foxes were truly too cunning.
After all, he had not only saved Wong Baigong, but also brought him into the boundless chaos. When he left, he even left a path behind—though Wong Baigong might not be able to find it, Joe Di had done all he could.
Victor Chao walked up to the massive stone gate, Dao resonance swirling around his hand. The Rift Dao Token merged with his Dao resonance, transforming into a Dao Resonance Key. The key pressed against the Chaos Gate, and the gate slowly split open, revealing a passage just wide enough for a single person.
"Let’s go." Victor Chao said, leading Du Qing through the Chaos Gate. Joe Di hurried after them, and Sawyer Walker, not daring to delay, followed Joe Di inside.
Joe Di kept his divine sense fixed on the Chaos Gate. Yet, as soon as he stepped through, he was shocked to find that the gate had vanished from his perception, and the narrow passage was gone as well.
Joe Di stopped abruptly and spun around, activating his Dao Eyes. But behind him, there was no stone gate at all—he stood in a vast emptiness, seemingly no different from the void he had entered before.
"No need to look. The entrance and exit of the Chaos Gate are in different locations," Victor Chao said, noticing Joe Di glancing back and pausing as well.
Sawyer Walker muttered to himself, "The rules here are different... Could this place not be the Five Elements Universe?"
Joe Di clasped his fists. "Victor, may I ask where the exit is located?"
Victor Chao replied indifferently, "Telling you is pointless—without the Rift Dao Token, it won’t help you."
Joe Di smiled. "I may not have a Rift Dao Token, but I can offer you something in exchange for it. What do you think?"
Victor Chao burst into wild laughter, then pointed at Joe Di. "Joe Di, do you think after all these years cultivating inside the Chaos Gate, I’ve lost my mind?"
Joe Di paid no heed to Victor Chao’s laughter. He stretched out his hand, and a half-meter-long verdant branch appeared in his palm.
This branch radiated boundless vitality, as though it had existed since before the cosmos itself was born.
"A Jianmu Branch?" Sawyer Walker cried out in astonishment.
"It really is a Jianmu Branch..." Victor Chao’s laughter abruptly ceased, his eyes widening as he stared at the branch in Joe Di’s hand.
Jianmu, the supreme wood of the Five Elements Universe—also known as the Tree of Life, the source of all vitality.
Joe Di exclaimed in surprise, "Is this Jianmu? I truly didn’t know."
Victor Chao stared at the Jianmu Branch in Joe Di’s hand. "Joe Di, if you could produce the whole Jianmu tree, I would trade with you. But this is only half a branch."
Despite his words, Victor Chao’s eyes nearly bulged as he stared at the Jianmu Branch in Joe Di’s hand. Sawyer Walker was just as fixated, looking as if he might pounce and snatch it away at any moment.
They were no fools—they knew exactly what Jianmu signified. If their world possessed Jianmu, it would be nearly impossible for it to fall.
In the vast universe, anything could happen—even the strongest could fall. But with Jianmu, things were different. Unless your soul was utterly annihilated, as long as Jianmu survived, you always had a chance to live.
Joe Di snorted, "I only obtained this half branch. If you wish to trade, we’ll trade. If not, I’ll use it for my cultivation."
With that, Joe Di prepared to put away the Jianmu Branch.
"Wait..." Victor Chao stopped Joe Di from putting away the Jianmu Branch, produced the Rift Dao Token, and handed it to Joe Di. "Deal."
Sawyer Walker’s eyes flickered, his gaze fixed on the Jianmu Branch. Though he didn’t know why Victor Chao wanted to trade with Joe Di, he was determined not to let the branch fall into Victor Chao’s hands.
"Straightforward." Joe Di didn’t hesitate, handing the Jianmu Branch to Victor Chao and swiftly stowing away the Rift Dao Token.
He knew Victor Chao would agree to the exchange—not because the Jianmu Branch was more precious than the Rift Dao Token, but because Victor Chao could not afford to gamble. If Joe Di consumed the branch, Victor would have no way to answer to the Dao Master.
As for giving the Rift Dao Token to Joe Di, Victor Chao likely only intended for him to keep it for a few days. Once he met the Dao Master, the token would certainly be reclaimed. Leaving the Rift Dao Token with Joe Di for a short time in exchange for a Jianmu Branch—Victor Chao would naturally agree.
Judging by Sawyer Walker’s demeanor, he seemed ready to snatch the Jianmu Branch. Joe Di thought Sawyer was overthinking it—Victor Chao’s Dao Master was certainly no weaker than Sawyer Walker, and likely stronger. If a clash broke out, Joe Di would simply watch the spectacle unfold.
As soon as the branch was in his hands, Victor Chao trembled with excitement. This was undoubtedly a Jianmu Branch—the very thing the Dao Master needed. For a mere Outer Realm cultivator to covet the Rift Dao Token was sheer folly. Victor hoped Joe Di would still be smiling when he met the Dao Master. Possessing a Jianmu Branch meant Joe Di might have the true Jianmu—no wonder his power was so formidable.
Carefully stowing the Jianmu Branch, Victor Chao smiled and said, "We’re already in the Inner Realm of the Five Elements Universe. However, there isn’t much Chaos Essence here. Come with me, and I promise you both will find this journey worthwhile."