Primordial Era: Cultivation level equals the sum of the Jie Sect's total; the Three Pure Ones a

Xuan Du didn't care, his gaze sweeping over the stalls and cave dwellings on both sides.

The stalls were filled with all sorts of items.

There were innate chalcedony mined from the Chaos Stone, bones of unknown ancient beasts, fragments of broken magical artifacts, and several crystals that exuded the lingering aura of laws.

Xuan Du's gaze stopped in front of one of the stalls.

The stall wasn't big, and it was covered with a dusty, gray animal hide.

On the animal hide were three thumb-sized crystals.

The crystal is grayish-white in color, with numerous cracks on its surface, as if it might shatter at any moment.

Yet beneath those cracks, faint patterns of laws flickered.

The patterns were ancient and profound, carrying a Daoist charm that Xuandu had never seen before.

"What is this?"

Xuan Du spoke, his voice calm.

Behind the stall sat an elderly man with a hunched back.

The old man had a withered face, cloudy eyes, and an aura that was only at the early stage of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm.

But when those cloudy eyes looked at Xuandu, a very faint light flashed across them.

"Fellow Daoist has good eyesight."

The old man spoke, his voice hoarse.

"These are fragments of origin scattered from the edge of the Xuanji Secret Realm. Although they cannot compare to the fragments of laws deep within the secret realm, they are still remnants of the Dao after the fall of the Chaos Demon God."

"Three fragments can be exchanged for a Primordial Spiritual Treasure, or an equivalent Chaos Stone."

Xuan Du stared at the three crystals, not in a hurry to respond.

He raised his hand, and a crystal floated into his palm on its own.

With a light touch of the fingertips, one can perceive the patterns of laws beneath the cracks.

For a moment, his eyes flickered slightly.

The Daoist principles contained within those patterns were completely different from any laws he had ever seen in the primordial world.

That was the primordial remnant of the Chaos God, carrying an ancient, unrestrained, and boundless power.

Although it is only a fragment, the level of laws contained within it far exceeds the reach of ordinary Primordial Grand Luo cultivators.

Shen Ni stood behind him, his blood-gold eyes sweeping over the three crystals, and he shook his head slightly:

"Three fragments for one innate spiritual treasure?"

"You old wretch, you dare to name your price?"

The hunched old man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth:

"Fellow Daoist Shenni, you've learned your lesson in the primordial world, having lost billions of dollars."

"Although these fragments are small, if all nine are collected, they can be pieced together to form a complete incomplete diagram of the laws."

"At that time, most of the innate restrictions at the edge of that secret realm will be broken."

"This deal is a good one."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Du's gaze shifted slightly.

"A fragment of a law?"

The hunchbacked old man nodded:

"good."

"The fragments of laws deep within the Mysterious Realm are all protected by innate restrictions."

"Yet no one is willing to go to the trouble of collecting the scattered fragments of origin at the edge of the secret realm."

"Because those fragments are too small, too small, so small that they are nothing more than a chicken rib to beings above the seventh level of the Primordial Grand Luo Realm."

"But if someone is willing to collect them, they can piece together a fragment of a picture by collecting all nine pieces."

"Although the incomplete map cannot lead directly to the core of the secret realm, it can bypass 30% of the restrictions on the edge."

"If you are interested, I have six more pieces here, but I didn't bring them with me."

"If you are willing, you may come with me to visit my cave."

Xuan Du looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

Then a faint smile slowly appeared on his lips, a smile that carried a profound understanding of everything.

"Fellow Daoist, you certainly know how to do business."

"This fragment might be useless to others, but it might not be so to me."

"I'll take the three fragments."

"How about exchanging it for Chaos Stones of equal value?"

A glint flashed in the hunched old man's cloudy eyes:

"Chaos Stone? Okay."

"However, I require three thousand high-grade Chaos Stones."

Shen Ni's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this.

"Three thousand high-grade Chaos Stones?"

"That's outrageous!"

The hunched old man remained calm and composed:

"Fellow Daoist Shenni, even though billions of dollars have disappeared, your temper hasn't changed."

"Although this fragment is small, it is, after all, a remnant of the origin of the Chaos God."

"Three thousand high-grade Chaos Stones to buy three strands of Chaos Demon God Daoist Essence."

"No matter how you look at it, you've made a profit, fellow Daoist."

Xuan Du raised his hand, interrupting Shen Ni's words.

He looked at the hunched old man and smiled slightly:

"it is good."

"Three thousand high-grade Chaos Stones."

"However, I have one more condition."

The hunched old man raised his eyebrows slightly:

"Fellow Daoist, please speak."

Xuan Du looked at him and said, slowly and deliberately:

"I'll take the other six fragments too."

"Name your price."

The hunchbacked old man was stunned.

In the depths of those murky eyes, the light flickered uncertainly.

He gazed at Xuan Du, at that young yet composed face, at those eyes as calm as an ancient well.

After a moment of silence, he chuckled:

"Fellow Daoist, you are quite straightforward."

"Nine fragments, totaling nine thousand high-grade Chaos Stones."

"I will go and fetch it right away."

The hunched old man turned around, his hunched figure disappearing into the low cave behind him.

Xuan Du stood in front of the stall, his hands behind his back.

His gaze fell on the three fragments of origin, looking at the law patterns shimmering beneath the cracks.

Shen Ni stood beside him, a hint of worry flashing in his blood-gold eyes.

"Master, nine thousand high-grade Chaos Stones is no small sum."

"I have stored five thousand coins in the Chaos Pearl, and I'll have to find the rest through other means."

Xuan Du gently shook his head, his voice calm:

"No need to collect."

"The Chaos Pearl contains 120,000 high-grade Chaos Stones."

Xuandu discovered this stone inside the Chaos Pearl from the beginning, but he didn't know what it was used for.

It now appears that the Chaos Pearl can condense Chaos Stones without any limit.

This is why he is so indifferent to it.

Shen Ni was taken aback upon hearing this.

120,000 yuan?

He remembered that when he was cultivating in the Chaos Pearl, although the world inside the pearl had resources, it was far from being as abundant as it was now.

How much profound knowledge has Master accumulated in the pearl over the past eons?

Xuan Du seemed to see through his thoughts, his gaze never leaving the three fragments:

"Nine thousand Chaos Stones are just a drop in the ocean."

Shen Ni remained silent, gazing at the figure in blue robes and the calm and composed face.

The unease in my heart dissipated somewhat.

A moment later, the hunchbacked old man stepped out of the cave, carrying a dusty gray cloth bag in his hand.

The bag was tied at the top, but remnants of the laws of nature could be seen constantly emanating from the gaps in the opening.

The hunched old man placed the cloth bag on the stall and untied it.

Inside the bag, six thumb-sized crystals lay quietly.

The cracks, the luster, the Daoist charm—it was exactly the same as those three pieces.

Nine pieces, neatly arranged.

The hunched old man looked up at Xuandu:

"Fellow Daoist, the nine fragments are here."

"Nine thousand high-grade Chaos Stones, not a single one can be missing."

Xuan Du nodded without saying anything more, and simply raised his hand.

From the palm of his hand, a chaotic light surged forth, condensing into a crystal the size of a thumb.

The crystal was a chaotic color, with fine Dao patterns flowing on its surface.

That was a Chaos Stone formed from the primordial power within the Chaos Pearl, and its quality was three times purer than that of ordinary high-grade Chaos Stones.

One, two, three.

Nine thousand rays of chaotic light fell like raindrops into the dusty cloth bag.

In an instant, the bag was tied back up.

The hunched old man narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing the heavy weight of the bag and the pure energy it contained.

He spoke, his voice carrying a hint of genuine admiration:

"Fellow Daoist's skill is extraordinary. The quality of this Chaos Stone is three times purer than any of the superior-grade stones I have ever seen."

"I won't lose out on this deal."

Xuan Du smiled slightly and waved his hand, putting all nine fragments into his sleeve:

"It's simply a matter of each getting what they need."

He turned to leave.

The hunched old man watched his retreating figure and suddenly spoke:

"Fellow Daoist, please wait."

Xuandu turned around.

In the depths of the hunched old man's cloudy eyes, a flickering light appeared:

"I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."