Chapter 5968 - 5970
He swung his sword again, and a hazy, chaotic aura surged forth from the blade. Instead of expanding, it contracted inward, coiling around the edge and emanating an obscure aura of “dissolving all laws.”
Immediately afterward, the power of the five elements circulated, not transforming into five-colored sword energy, but evolving into a subtle cycle of mutual generation and restraint, attaching itself to the chaotic aura and increasing its stability and variability.
Earthly fire burned along the sword’s spine, providing a violent driving and purifying force.
A faint golden dragon shadow hovered at the hilt, bringing an indestructible sharpness and majestic majesty.
This sword strike appeared far less imposing than the previous hundred-foot-long sword energy, even seeming somewhat unremarkable.
But when he slashed at the starlight whip, a sudden change occurred!
The instant the chaotic aura touched the starlight whip, the whip, condensed from pure star power and powerful enough to crush magical artifacts, began to rapidly melt and disintegrate, like ice and snow meeting the spring sun!
The five-element cycle invaded, disrupting its internal energy structure. The true flames of the earth scorched, completely incinerating its remnants.
The dragon’s shadow murmured softly, its sword pointing unimpeded at the throat of the right-hand shadow!
The shadow’s blurred face seemed to flicker, its hand seals changing, its form dispersing like starlight, then reforming several feet away, though its aura noticeably dimmed.
It looked at the sword in Kai’s hand, its indifferent voice ringing out again: “Merging of different forces, chaos as the foundation… interesting. First test, you pass.”
As its voice fell, the two shadows attacking the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord and maintaining the gravity field simultaneously ceased their attacks, their forms slowly fading away.
The starry sky vanished like a faded painting, and the two returned to the jade bamboo forest, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
But the power consumed within their bodies and the bloodstains on the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord’s arm proved the reality of the battle.
“You passed that?”
The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord shook his slightly numb arm, still shaken. “Those three guys were truly wicked. If it weren’t for your last sword strike…”
“It was just a trick.”
Kai shook his head, his face showing no joy, but rather a deeper seriousness. “The way they used power gave me a lot of inspiration. Our path may have been too outward-looking.”
“True strength may lie in the ultimate control and fusion of the essence of power. This is only the first test; the later ones will probably be even more difficult.”
The two took a short breath and continued deeper.
Sure enough, they hadn’t gone far when the second test arrived.
This time, they arrived at the summit of a solitary peak shrouded in mist.
At the summit stood only a simple stone pavilion, in which sat the phantom of an old man with white hair and a youthful face, dressed in coarse clothes.
In front of the old man was a chessboard, but the chess pieces on it were not ordinary pieces; instead, they were mysterious runes formed from black and white energies, constantly changing.
“Sit.”
The old man’s illusory figure gestured, his voice calm. “The second test won’t test your fighting skills, but only your ‘comprehension of the Dao.’ This is the ‘Qi Mechanism Chess Game,’ containing the ancient Qi cultivators’ principles of absorbing the heavens and earth and harmonizing Yin and Yang.”
“Playing black, you move first, placing your piece at the intersection of Qi on the chessboard to influence the changes in the game. If you can make this old man stand up, or cause the game to evolve into the image of ‘the beginning of chaos,’ then you pass.”
Kai and the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord exchanged a glance, both somewhat taken aback.
Chess?
This test method was truly unexpected.
The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord scratched his head: “I can’t play this stuff, Kai, it’s up to you.”Kai pondered for a moment,
then walked to the stone table and sat down. Looking at the chessboard, he felt a sudden dizziness.
The chessboard appeared ordinary, but upon closer inspection, black and white energy flowed endlessly across it, each area resembling a miniature world, containing infinite variations and profound truths.
The so-called “points where energy converged” were elusive and difficult to find, requiring extremely high spiritual perception and insight into energy flow.
He tried to use his divine sense to perceive it, but found it like a mud ox sinking into the sea, easily dissolved by the profound energy on the chessboard.
Clearly, this test wasn’t about the strength of his divine sense, but rather a more fundamental “comprehension” and “compatibility.”
Kai closed his eyes, ceasing to look with his eyes and ceased to probe with his divine sense.
He completely calmed his mind, recalling his understanding of the essence of power during the first test, recalling the subtle state of primordial chaos and undifferentiated yin and yang when the four forces within him merged.
Gradually, he entered a state of emptiness and tranquility.
On the back of his hand, the patterns of the five elements and earth fire warmed slightly.
Within his dantian, the four primordial stars of different colors slowly rotated, emanating a unique rhythm.
After an unknown amount of time, Kai, suddenly inspired, raised his hand. Without using any spiritual power, relying solely on a subconscious connection, he gently touched a seemingly ordinary spot on the chessboard with his index finger.
*Buzz!*
The instant his fingertip touched the board, the black and white energies at that point became instantly active, rippling like a stone thrown into a lake.
A gray light point, spontaneously emanating from his body and infused with the energies of the four elements, slowly condensed at his fingertip and then lightly landed on the chessboard.
This “chess piece” was neither black nor white, but a chaotic gray.
The gray chess piece fell like a boulder thrown into a calm lake!
The entire chessboard’s energy was instantly stirred!
The black and white energies surged, collided, and merged wildly, and the originally profound yet orderly chess game began to evolve in an unpredictable direction.
The previously calm and composed face of the old man in coarse clothes showed a noticeable change for the first time.
A startling light flashed in his eyes as he stared intently at the gray chess piece and the dramatic shift in the game it triggered.
On the chessboard, the black and white energies were no longer distinct, but began to permeate and transform into each other.
Sometimes white emerged from black, sometimes black gave birth to black, gradually evolving into the phantom images of the basic elements such as earth, fire, water, and wind, which then annihilated and generated each other… Finally, in the center of the chessboard, a small area of black and white completely disappeared.
Only the most primordial and original chaotic mist remained, slowly rotating, its range extremely small, yet radiating an ancient aura that shook the very soul.
“The beginning of chaos… it is truly the image of the beginning of chaos!”
the old man’s phantom murmured to himself, his tone filled with unbelievable shock.
He raised his head and gave Kai a deep look, as if trying to see through him. “A cultivator in later generations has actually been able to touch such primordial power… well, you have passed this test.”
The old man’s phantom, along with the stone pavilion and the solitary peak, slowly dissipated. Kai opened his eyes and found himself still standing by the stream in Peach Blossom Spring. Everything that had just happened seemed like a dream.
But he could feel that his understanding of the fusion of the four forces within his body had deepened, and that sense of primordial chaos was deeply imprinted on his soul.
“What happened just now? I only saw you stand there with your eyes closed for a while, and that old man let you pass?” the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord asked curiously.
“I can’t explain it, it’s just a feeling.”
Kai didn’t explain further. His gaze turned to the deepest part of Peach Blossom Spring, where clouds and mist shrouded the area, and the outline of an ancient cave could be vaguely
seen. “Ahead should be the final cave. The third trial is probably at the cave entrance.”
The two quickened their pace.
Soon, a naturally formed cave about ten zhang high appeared before them.
The cave entrance was sealed by a layer of misty, rippling, seven-colored light curtain, on which flowed countless ancient runes more complex and profound than the previous chessboard.
On either side of the cave entrance stood a stone statue. On the left, a statue with a human head and a snake’s body, holding a ruler, its eyes wise as if measuring the heavens and earth.
On the right, a statue with a tiger’s head and a human body, holding a giant axe, its expression fierce, as if about to cleave the world. Both statues were ancient and weathered, yet exuded a chilling, ancient pressure.
When Kai and the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord approached within a hundred feet of the cave entrance, the eyes of the two statues suddenly lit up!
Not with the light of gemstones, but with a vibrant, divine light that seemed to come alive!
“Future beings, halt here.”
The human-headed, snake-bodied stone statue spoke in a gentle yet undeniably authoritative voice. “This is the place of my lord’s secluded cultivation; only those with destiny, virtue, and ability may enter.”
“The first two trials tested your strength and comprehension. The third trial tested your heart, will, and capacity.”
The tiger-headed, human-bodied stone statue’s voice boomed like thunder: “Break through our protective bodies, or gain our approval, and you may enter. However, this trial is unlike the previous two; the slightest mistake will result in annihilation, body and soul, and eternal damnation beyond the cycle of reincarnation! Do you dare to try?”
A powerful aura pressed down like a mountain, causing Kai and the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord to simultaneously feel their breath catch in their throats. The oppressive force
emanating from these two stone statues far surpassed that of the three lingering images and the old man with the chessboard!
The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord’s demonic eyes blazed with battle fire. He licked his lips, “Finally, something tough! Kai, what do we do? Charge in or…”
Kai’s gaze swept over the two stone statues, then back to the seven-colored light barrier, his mind racing.
Charge in?
These two stone statues were connected, their auras faintly forming a formation. They were no pushovers. Even if he could win, it would likely be a Pyrrhic victory, and he might not even be able to break through that seemingly formidable seven-colored barrier.
Gain their approval?
How?
He recalled Mu Sha’s words: “The methods of ancient Qi cultivators are vastly different from our current cultivation methods. Their tests often directly target the source.”
The source… heart, will, capacity…
Kai gradually formed a bold conjecture. He stepped forward, cupped his hands to the two stone statues, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, “Seniors, I am Kai. I have come seeking to fuse my own unique power and enhance my cultivation to resist evil spirits, and have no intention of offending the ancient sages.” ”
I was fortunate enough to pass the first two trials, and I deeply understand the ancient way of Qi cultivators—profound and extensive, emphasizing origin and harmony with the Dao. For the third trial, I wish to present my own Dao to you two for your evaluation!”
Having said this, he did not assume a fighting stance, but instead slowly closed his eyes.
Within his body, the primordial star in his dantian was fully activated, slowly rotating, emitting increasingly stronger light and fluctuations.
At the same time, he unreservedly transmitted his experiences, beliefs, and perseverance—especially his will to fight for protection, to be steadfast in revenge, and to be unyielding in the pursuit of the Dao—outward through the fluctuations of this fused power.
This was not an attack, but a “demonstration,” a “communication.”
A hazy, chaotic aura first spread out, carrying the vastness that encompasses all things and evolves all existence.
Immediately following, the light of the five elements flowed, interacting and restraining each other, unfolding the foundation of the world.
The true flames of the earth rose, containing the dual essence of destruction and creation.
A pale golden dragon’s long cry proclaimed unyielding pride and the courage to conquer.
The four forces were not clearly distinct, but under the rule of chaos, they struggled yet resolutely to merge and resonate, forming a unique “force field”—imperfect yet full of infinite possibilities.
The patterns on the back of Kai’s hand shone brightly, and a faint, mysterious mark outlined by four colors even appeared on his forehead.
The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord watched in stunned silence. He could feel the increasingly profound aura emanating from Kai, increasingly approaching a certain origin, unlike any cultivation system he knew.
The two stone statues, their originally cold and majestic eyes now trembled violently with divine light.
They seemed to have witnessed everything Kai had displayed.
That complex yet boundless power, that unwavering will, that protective heart that remained despite the carnage, and that courage to attempt to merge different origins and forge a new path.
After a long silence, the human-headed, snake-bodied stone statue slowly spoke, its voice carrying an indescribable complexity: “With chaos as the guide, the four forces initially merged… Your path is rugged and perilous, unlike anything seen before.” ”
However, the ‘change’ and ‘creation’ contained within it subtly align with the profound principle of ‘all things return to their origin, and from the origin arise all things’ that my lord contemplated in his later years…”
the tiger-headed, human-bodied stone statue continued: “A resolute will, unswayed by external evils, possessing both a protective spirit and the courage to pave the way… a capacity… quite commendable.”
The two statues exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously.
“You may enter,” said the human-headed, snake-bodied stone statue.
“Within the cave, each relies on their own destiny; do your best,” the tiger-headed, human-bodied stone statue added.
As the words fell, the divine light in the eyes of the two stone statues slowly faded, turning back into cold stone.
At the same time, the layer of seven-colored light at the cave entrance, like ripples spreading out of the surface of water after a pebble has been thrown in, vanished silently, revealing the deep cave behind it.
“This…this is it?”
The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord was somewhat incredulous; the earth-shattering battle he had anticipated had not occurred. Kai slowly opened his eyes. The faint image of the mark on his forehead faded, and his face was slightly pale. The all-encompassing display he had just witnessed had taken a heavy toll on his mental energy.
He let out a long sigh: “Looks like I made the right bet. Ancient Qi cultivators value the harmony between their mind and the path they follow, rather than mere martial prowess. Let’s go in.”
The two of them stepped into the cave, one after the other.
The cave was not as glittering as they had imagined; instead, it was unusually simple. The passage was wide, and the stone walls were smooth. Occasionally, one could see ancient murals that had long lost their spiritual light, depicting scenes of ancient people performing sacrifices, observing the heavens and surveying the earth, and breathing in and out the clouds.
The spiritual energy was much richer and purer than outside, and the ancient and profound feeling was even stronger.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a huge natural cave.
In the center of the cave was a small pool of water, the water of which was crystal clear, yet seemed to contain endless starlight, flowing slowly. Above the pool, three objects floated in mid-air:
on the left, a simple, dark yellow bamboo scroll, neither silk nor leather, tied with some unknown black thread, exuding an aura of vast, boundless knowledge.
On the right, a palm-sized, strangely shaped, grayish-brown pottery jar, its mouth sealed, yet faint sounds of wind and thunder and the pulse of the earth emanated from it. In the center,
a fist-sized sphere of light, constantly shifting in chaotic colors, seemed to flash within, depicting the birth and death of galaxies and the creation of the world, radiating the most primal and captivating aura that drew Kai in.
Beside the pool, a lifelike skeleton sat cross-legged, draped in hemp cloth, with white hair and beard.
The skeleton had long since lost all life, yet it maintained a posture of uprightness and harmony with the Dao, inspiring reverence. On the ground in front of the skeleton, several lines of ancient characters were inscribed.
Kai and the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord held their breath and approached for a closer look.
The script was not the commonly used script of the Immortal Realm; it was more archaic and pictographic. Strangely, when Kai’s eyes met it, he immediately understood its meaning:
“I, the Qi Refiner ‘Hongyuan,’ sense my impending death, leave this legacy here, awaiting a destined one.”
“On the left is the ‘Primordial Qi Refining Treatise,’ the general outline of my life’s Qi refining, elucidating the principles of chaos differentiation and the Qi mechanism of all things.”
“On the right is the ‘Mountain and River Cauldron,’ containing a wisp of innate mountain and river essence, capable of suppressing evil spirits, nourishing spiritual veins, and aiding in comprehending the earth’s profound virtue.” ”
In the center is the ‘Chaos Source Seed,’ condensed from a trace of primordial Qi I obtained after observing the edge of the Chaos Sea for ten thousand years. It contains infinite possibilities, but also unpredictable risks. Only those with great perseverance, great fortune, and a foundation in chaos can touch it. Be careful!”
“Those who inherit this legacy in future generations, I hope you will use it wisely and not tarnish the name of me, the Qi Refiner. The world is vast, the path is endless, may you…”
The remaining characters seemed somewhat blurred due to age or other reasons.
Kai’s heart surged with excitement. This was the inheritance of an ancient Qi Refiner! The “Primordial Qi Refining True Scripture” was clearly a supreme technique pointing directly to the Great Dao, perfectly capable of solving his fundamental problem of merging the four forces!
The Mountain and River Cauldron was also an extraordinary treasure. But what attracted him most was undoubtedly the “Chaos Origin Seed”!
He could clearly feel that the Chaos Immortal Power and the four-colored Origin Stars within his body were experiencing an unprecedented yearning and resonance with the Chaos Origin Seed!
The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord, however, showed little interest in the technique and the Origin Seed. His gaze swept across the cave, and suddenly, his nose twitched, his demonic eyes fixing intently on an inconspicuous crevice in the corner of the cave.
There, a strange, translucent, nine-aperture grass, emitting a nourishing fragrance for the soul, was swaying gently!
“Nine-Aperture Divine Soul Grass!”
the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement and unbelievable ecstasy! He never expected to find the Nine Aperture Divine Soul Grass he needed here.
Kai was also extremely surprised!
“Senior, it’s truly a case of finding something you’ve been searching for without even looking for it.”
Kai suppressed his excitement and said to the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord, “You go and get the grass, I’ll take the inheritance. This place is not safe to stay long, let’s leave as soon as we get it.”
The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord nodded heavily, eager yet cautiously walking towards the crevice in the stone.
Kai first respectfully bowed three times to the ancient Qi Refiner’s skeleton named “Hongyuan”: “Senior, I am Kai. With this opportunity, I will certainly not fail your trust, make good use of the inheritance, and strive forward.”
After bowing, he first walked towards the bamboo scroll “The Primordial Qi Refining True Scripture”.
The moment his fingers touched the bamboo scroll, it automatically unfolded, and countless ancient pieces of information flooded into his sea of consciousness like a torrent!
It was not just simple text, but also contained the essence of the Great Dao, the trajectory of energy, and countless visualization diagrams!
The sheer volume of information was so overwhelming that even with his current spiritual strength, he felt dizzy and had to sit cross-legged to fully digest it.
After a long while, Kai opened his eyes, his gaze filled with shock and enlightenment.
“So that’s how it is… The ‘qi’ that Qi cultivators refer to is not just spiritual energy, but the fundamental state of all energy, matter, and even rules… Chaos transforms into one qi, one qi gives rise to yin and yang, yin and yang evolve into the five elements… The key to harmonizing different forces lies in finding their common ‘source of qi,’ using chaos as a catalyst and one’s own will as a furnace to ‘refine’ them anew…”
This “Primordial Qi Refining Manual” seemed to have opened a completely new door for him, resolving many of his previous confusions about power fusion, and even pointing him to the path of the future!
He carefully stored the bamboo slips into his storage ring, then looked at the Mountain and River Cauldron.
When he tried to take it, the small cauldron trembled slightly, seemingly resisting, but when Kai circulated a trace of the “Primordial Qi” he had just comprehended to his palm, the small cauldron quieted down and was successfully taken in.
Finally, his gaze settled on the “Chaotic Origin Seed.”
This was the most alluring, yet also the most dangerous, thing to him.
He took a deep breath, following the method of calming his mind and communicating with his origin as recorded in the *Primordial Qi Refining Manual*.
He slowly extended his hand, his palm radiating his own primordial aura—a hazy gray aura tinged with four-colored starlight—integrated with the four forces, cautiously approaching the Chaotic Origin Seed.
The instant his aura touched the seed…
Boom!!!
A deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth were splitting apart, exploded in Kai’s sea of consciousness!
The Chaotic Origin Seed suddenly erupted with indescribably brilliant light, instantly engulfing Kai entirely!
A pure, ancient, supreme, yet incredibly violent primordial power of chaos, like a burst dam, surged wildly into his body!