"Daoist Joe, we'll follow your lead, as long as we can get out of here." Damon Tai said without hesitation.
Miles Gray's death and Joe Di's words had shaken everyone—this was something they witnessed firsthand. Joe Di wasn't deceiving them; it meant there was a peerless powerhouse here, likely a Fourth Step existence. Any one of them, perched atop the Genesis Cradle, could be the next Miles Gray.
The others remained silent, but their intentions were clear: they would follow Joe Di and find a way to escape this place.
Joe Di wasted no more words and placed the jade slip in his palm. The twelve words etched on the jade were clear but unremarkable; apart from Joe Di, when the others saw these twelve words again, a sense of realization dawned on them.
Because of this newfound understanding, the silence in the space became heavy with oppression.
Joe Di said nothing, letting his divine sense seep into the jade slip. No matter how he searched with his divine sense, the jade slip still bore only those twelve crooked words, with not a trace of other information.
Not only Joe Di, but Sterling Night and the others also sent their divine senses into the jade slip. Like Joe Di, they sensed nothing beyond those crooked twelve words: "Dao is not Dao, Man is not Man; pity our kind, so much suffering."
Soon, Sterling Night and the others withdrew their divine senses, while Joe Di furrowed his brow. He didn't believe Miles Gray had left the jade slip just to inscribe twelve crooked words.
Joe Di kept his divine sense lingering on those twelve words, simultaneously sending forth his own intent of comprehension toward them.
Joe Di suspected that a Fourth Step powerhouse or a Dao Principle had forced Miles Gray to self-destruct. As soon as Joe Di sent forth his comprehension, the twelve words began to fade and slowly disappeared. A hoarse voice appeared in Joe Di's mind.
"I am Miles Gray. If you can comprehend part of the meaning behind these twelve words, you may listen to my advice. No matter where you are, in whichever universe, you cannot step into that realm—the reason, you may have guessed, but I cannot say. I found a cosmic Dao vein in Genesis Cradle; if I fall, this vein will reveal itself. Its location is as follows..."
When Joe Di's divine sense landed on the location Miles Gray had marked, his expression immediately darkened.
The place Miles Gray gave was actually different from the one Morgan Du had provided. Joe Di would never believe that two cosmic Dao veins could appear at the same time.
The only possibility was that Morgan Du had lied to him. Joe Di sighed inwardly—sometimes, one simply can't be too sure of oneself. He thought Morgan Du wouldn't dare deceive Miles Gray, but it turned out Morgan Du really did dare, and the Locator Sphere he presented was fake. Since the Dao vein was discovered by Miles Gray, if Morgan Du brought that Locator Sphere to see him, he'd surely meet a miserable end.
But it's also possible Morgan Du crafted two Locator Spheres, giving Joe Di the fake one while keeping the real one for himself.
These old foxes really are slippery; if he hadn't completely overpowered Morgan Du, he might not have been able to do anything about him. Letting such a menace go to reincarnation isn't necessarily a good thing. Surely Morgan Du, that old schemer, knows Joe Di can tear apart the memories of reincarnation?
"This is not something one person can face. For someone like me, only if five join forces may there be a sliver of hope. Genesis City is teeming with powerhouses, and there is only one path to take—the Rift of Annihilation..."
Joe Di frowned slightly; the previous words were cryptic, but he understood. To confront the powerhouse who forced Miles Gray to self-destruct, at least five cultivators as strong as Miles Gray would need to join forces for even a slim chance. Otherwise, there was no chance at all. Genesis City had many powerhouses, so to find allies, one had to go there. But the last line puzzled him—the Rift of Annihilation.
Joe Di had come through the Rift of Annihilation himself, but after arriving, he hadn't seen where the rift actually was.
Sure enough, just as Joe Di was thinking this, a clear location suddenly appeared on the jade slip, marking the words: Rift of Annihilation.
The jade slip's final words were, "My Dao can tear open the domain of Genesis Cradle. This is all I can do; our path of cultivation is truly torment..."
At that, the jade slip turned to dust and vanished.
Joe Di fell silent. Miles Gray's final words revealed the extent of his power, giving Joe Di a point of comparison. Miles Gray could tear open the domain of Genesis Cradle—a feat clearly beyond Joe Di's current strength. At least Joe Di had to search for a way out, while Miles Gray could simply rip through the boundary. Yet, even with such power, Miles Gray was forced to self-destruct. Even if Joe Di found allies, could he really find five as strong as himself? Even if he did, they would still be no match for five Miles Grays.
Still, Joe Di felt there was something he hadn't grasped. He furrowed his brow, racking his brain, but it always seemed just out of reach. Deep down, he sensed that if he could seize this elusive thought, the situation might be overturned—a matter of utmost importance to him.
"Daoist Joe, what now?" Seeing the jade slip in Joe Di's hand crumble to dust, Damon Tai couldn't help but ask.
His train of thought interrupted by Damon Tai, Joe Di sighed and let it go, instead asking, "Do any of you know about the Rift of Annihilation in Genesis Cradle?"
Soulfall Sovereign replied in puzzlement, "Brother Joe, the Rift of Annihilation should be a passage from the Genesis Universe into Genesis Cradle, right? Once inside Genesis Cradle, the rift automatically disappears. Normally, people can't enter through it, but use a cosmic teleportation channel instead. As for Genesis Cradle, there is no Rift of Annihilation."
Not only Soulfall Sovereign, but Sterling Night, Damon Tai, and the others also had no idea where the Rift of Annihilation in Genesis Cradle was.
Joe Di nodded; this was to be expected. If everyone knew where the Rift of Annihilation was, Genesis Cradle wouldn't have so many people lingering. After reaching the Creation Realm, Genesis Cradle was indeed the best place to cultivate, but not necessarily the ideal one.
"I just learned from Miles Gray's jade slip that there's a Rift of Annihilation here, leading to the Genesis Universe. Let's check out that cosmic Dao vein first, then figure out how to use the rift to reach Genesis City." Joe Di didn't reveal everything he'd learned to the others.
According to Miles Gray's assessment, even Joe Di's strength was nowhere near enough to oppose that existence, let alone Damon Tai, Sterling Night, and the others.
Joe Di didn't tell Sterling Night and the others the specific reason—not because their strength was lacking, but because he felt the time wasn't right. He didn't think their lesser strength meant they couldn't help.
As long as external factors interfered even slightly, he'd have a bit more chance. Whether it was Sterling Night, Soulfall Sovereign, or Damon Tai, each had enough power to influence a peak duel. When facing a Fourth Step powerhouse, the more people, the better.
......
Joe Di didn't go to the location Morgan Du had provided; that place was certainly not where the Dao vein was. Morgan Du had only left it as a trap, and the site of the Locator Sphere was bound to be perilous.
No matter how dangerous, Joe Di didn't care. Had this been before meeting Miles Gray, or before stepping into the Creation Realm with the Lawless Nest, he might have checked out just how perilous that place was. But now, he had no interest; he only wanted to return to Genesis City as soon as possible, continue his mad pursuit of power, and find more like-minded allies to prepare for his future existence.
Even if there was only a sliver of hope, he would take the risk. Since his strength was completely stuck at the Creation Realm, he needed to rely on more power.
With the speed of five people, it still took half a month to reach the location of the cosmic Dao vein left by Miles Gray.
It was a vast gorge, tens of thousands of miles wide. The towering peaks on both sides were like sharp swords thrust into the boundless void, with even divine sense unable to reach their summits. Extending divine sense into the gorge revealed nothing but endless, various miasmas.
As soon as Joe Di arrived at the gorge's edge, he knew this was the place Miles Gray had mentioned. The protective array's restrictions had long since shattered, and the array's Dao rhythm was in utter chaos. Having visited Miles Gray's cave before, Joe Di could see from these traces that this was indeed Miles Gray's handiwork.
"This is definitely Miles Gray's handiwork, but I don't see any sign of the Dao vein." Quinn Young, a master of arraycraft, could also tell that this was the site of a grand formation laid by Miles Gray.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)