Jade Vaughn finally managed to calm himself, but he didn’t believe a single word Joe Di said. Only a fool would believe that the law of the Vanished One would dissolve into nothingness. Heh, do I look like a fool to you?
"Joe Di, I, Jade Vaughn, truly desire that law. I know the Vanished One appeared with the birth of the Five Elements Universe, but it absolutely does not belong to it—it is a law independent of the cosmos. Anyone, even myself, would find it almost impossible to refine this law. If you tell me where it is, I can reveal a world-shaking secret to you—one that could help you reach Dao Completion in the shortest time, or even step into the Third Step..."
No matter how much Jade Vaughn tried to act composed, his excited words betrayed the unrest in his heart.
Joe Di sighed inwardly. No matter how powerful one was, facing such temptations, it was hard not to be affected. He was no exception, but this mindset was not fitting for a true cultivator.
Jade Vaughn was like a mirror for him. If Joe Di wanted to break into higher realms, he must learn to face all temptations with calmness and reason.
Seeing Joe Di remain utterly calm and silent, Jade Vaughn forced himself to relax and softened his tone, "Joe Di, besides that secret, I can also leave my Twilight Divine Art to you..."
Perhaps because he saw no change in Joe Di’s expression, Jade Vaughn spoke seriously, "Joe Di, don’t underestimate my Twilight Divine Art. My technique also comes from the Chaos Universe, combined with my own insights into the flow of time. Once, a cultivator entered a relic left by my Dao Thought avatar and comprehended the Time Divine Art from the twilight. When I saw him later, he could easily crush me with it—I didn’t even dare reveal my identity..."
Joe Di was moved. Everyone knows the saying: the student surpasses the master, but those who truly achieve it are few and far between.
That person comprehended the Time Divine Art from Jade Vaughn’s twilight and could crush the creator of the twilight relic. This revealed two things: first, the cultivator was exceptionally talented; second, Jade Vaughn’s Twilight Divine Art was indeed powerful.
But Joe Di quickly let it go. Jade Vaughn wasn’t the only one with powerful divine arts—Mercury, Leaf Peak, Lord Venom...
He would surely encounter countless powerful cultivators in the future. If he envied every divine art, he’d never stop envying. Now that he had grasped his own Dao, one day he would establish his own laws of time, construct his own rules of time. By then, Jade Vaughn’s Twilight Divine Art might be nothing more than a wave of his hand.
Seeing Joe Di unmoved even by the Time Divine Art, Jade Vaughn tugged at his hair in frustration. Then he realized—someone who could remain calm before the Vanished One wouldn’t be stirred by his Time Divine Art.
"Joe Di, the secret I spoke of is that this universe isn’t lacking in spiritual energy or Dao resonance. It’s all locked away in a Chaos World. I’ve been there—otherwise, how else could I have kept my cultivation intact for over a decade here?" Jade Vaughn revealed his final trump card.
"Chaos Realm?" Joe Di was finally moved.
He hadn’t visited the Chaos Realm, yet he had already achieved Dao Completion. Still, he’d long heard of the Chaos Realm and had once considered reaching Dao Completion there.
"Yes, you can think of that place as the Chaos Realm of the Five Elements Universe," Jade Vaughn quickly replied.
Joe Di immediately nodded, "Alright, I agree. I’ll tell you where the Vanished One law is, but you must tell me the location of the Chaos World in this universe."
Jade Vaughn didn’t hesitate, "Deal. I’ll inscribe it for you right away."
As he spoke, Jade Vaughn was already inscribing a jade slip.
Joe Di said, "Hand me the jade slip."
"But you still haven't told me where the Vanished One law is," Jade Vaughn said, his tone unusually polite, worried that Joe Di might get angry.
Joe Di replied coolly, "You're stronger than me—should I really hand it over first? Besides, I can't inscribe my item on a jade slip; I have to show you a void image."
"Alright," Jade Vaughn responded, tossing the jade slip to Joe Di.
The treasures at the location described in the jade slip would be lifelong dreams for almost any cultivator, but for him, their use was limited. What he needed wasn't just spiritual energy, but something that could truly transform his Dao.
Such treasures were rare, but the Vanished One law ranked first among them.
Joe Di grabbed the jade slip and immediately scanned it with his divine sense, only to find it was sealed by a restriction.
"Sorry, I had to set a restriction. As soon as I see half of what you show me, I'll remove it," Jade Vaughn said, clasping his hands.
With a single thought, the jade slip could be destroyed, so he wasn't worried Joe Di would suddenly escape.
Joe Di sneered inwardly. Before he understood his true Dao, he would have been helpless. Now, his consciousness instantly grasped the restriction’s law, and in the next moment, he broke it and scanned all its contents.
Though his current strength was limited and he couldn't instantly break Jade Vaughn's Dao laws or Twilight Divine Art, this small jade slip's restriction posed no challenge.
As long as I exist, the Dao exists—these are not just empty words.
With the jade slip in his hand, the restriction on its law was already gone.
Joe Di didn't even put the jade slip away. He raised his hand and outlined the Heavenly Witches Realm in the void, the Heavenly Witches River spanning above it.
Joe Di had refined the Heavenly Witches River, and the Dao resonance he recreated was almost identical to the real river. In fact, this was a real river, but the realm itself was not.
"That's it! That's the Vanished One!" Jade Vaughn muttered, unable to contain his excitement.
Ever since learning of the Vanished One, Jade Vaughn had searched relentlessly, even finding a way to leave the Five Elements Universe. Yet he never found its location—until today, when the Vanished One appeared as a river above him.
Jade Vaughn quickly calmed down and looked at Joe Di eagerly. "Joe Di, where is this river? Let's go together."
Joe Di waved his hand, and the river disappeared without a trace. He sighed, "Old Jade, can't you see I've refined this river?"
Jade Vaughn finally understood—if Joe Di hadn't refined the river, he couldn't have manifested such perfect laws. The Dao resonance here was completely different from the Five Elements Universe's primordial laws. Only someone who had refined it could recreate it, not even Du could do it. He'd been too excited to notice these details before.
Without another word, Jade Vaughn pulled out a Twilight Comb, unleashing a vast aura of twilight and time upon Joe Di. No matter the cost, he had to take down Joe Di—only then would he have the right to stand at the universe's peak. Joe Di was worth every risk.
At the same time, the jade slip in Joe Di's hand shattered into dust.
Joe Di sneered, summoned the Heaven-Opening Brush, and with a flourish, the character for 'realm' appeared in the void like ink splashed across the sky.