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

Xuan Du slowly said:

"Fellow Daoist, please speak."

The hunched old man looked at him and said, slowly and deliberately:

"Although the incomplete map can bypass 30% of the restrictions at the edge of the secret realm, there is a restriction deep within the secret realm that even Cangxuan and Qingmu dare not easily touch."

"That restriction was left by that Hunyuan Taiji being; no one but the peak of the ninth level of Hunyuan Daluo can enter it."

"Although you have already reached the peak, there is still a test hidden within that restriction."

"If you fail to pass, you will suffer a backlash."

"At best, it will cause serious injury; at worst, it will destroy the foundation of one's cultivation."

Xuan Du's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this.

There was not a ripple in the depths of those calm eyes:

"May I ask what kind of test it is?"

The hunched old man was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke:

"That restriction will reflect the deepest part of a cultivator's Dao heart."

"A steadfast heart is like an unyielding rock."

"If the heart wavers, it will be devoured by its own path."

"The billion-dollar club has been tried by no fewer than a hundred people."

"Less than three people managed to escape unscathed."

The sound faded, like the evening drum and the morning bell.

Shen Ni stood beside Xuan Du, his blood-gold eyes gleaming with light.

He looked at Xuandu, his gaze carrying a hint of solemnity.

Although Master's plans were flawless, his resolve in the Dao was as firm as a rock.

But that restriction was personally set up by the existence of Hunyuan Taiji.

Even if it is just a remnant, it is not something that ordinary peak-level cultivators of the Ninth Heaven can underestimate.

Xuan Du did not hesitate for a moment.

He looked at the hunched old man and nodded slightly:

"Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoist."

"However, I still need to go to this Mysterious Realm."

"As for that test..."

He paused, and the smile on his lips deepened.

"That's interesting."

He turned and strode away.

Her green robes were rolled up, and her black hair cascaded over her shoulders.

Those steps were firm, those backs were straight.

Shen Ni followed closely behind, his black robes fluttering, his blood-gold eyes sweeping over the hunched old man with a hint of scrutiny.

The hunched old man stood behind the stall, watching the two figures disappear into the distance.

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

He murmured softly:

"The Primordial Intercepting Sect, Xuandu..."

"This person's resolve is probably deeper than that of anyone I have ever met."

"The trials deep within that secret realm may be..."

"Perhaps it really won't stump him."

After he finished speaking, he slowly sat back down at his stall.

The hunched figure fell silent again, as if the conversation had never happened.

In the void.

Xuandu and Shenni walked side by side, traversing the vast and boundless floating land.

His gaze fell into the distance.

In the far distance, a faint light flickered amidst the surging chaos.

The light was grayish-white, like a sleeping eye, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

We've arrived at the Mysterious Realm.

Xuandu stood in the void, gazing at the beam of light ahead.

The god stood beside him, his blood-gold eyes gleaming with light.

"Master, this is it."

Xuan Du nodded without saying anything more.

He took a step and walked towards the light.

The closer you get, the clearer the light becomes.

It was a rift, suspended in the void, about ten thousand feet long and a thousand feet wide.

Grayish-white air currents surged within the rift, their aura ancient and vast, carrying an unchanging stillness and solemnity.

On both sides of the rift, the void twisted and the laws became chaotic.

Even standing a hundred feet away, one could feel the oppressive aura emanating from the rift.

That is the residual Daoist essence of Hunyuan Taiji.

Even though that being had long since retired from the Billion Dollar Club, the restrictive power he had laid down still remained in that rift.

Xuandu stopped before the rift, raising his eyes to gaze at the surging gray-white air currents.

After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice:

"Is this the entrance?"

Shen Ni nodded:

"Passing through this rift, you will reach the outer edge of the Mysterious Realm."

"I once entered this place, but I only traveled three thousand feet before being forced back by a restriction."

"The barrier is so strong that even a disciple at the peak of the ninth level of the Heavenly Realm cannot force their way through."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Du's eyes flickered slightly.

He raised his hand and took out the nine fragments of origin from his sleeve.

Nine thumb-sized crystals hung in the palm of his hand, with faint patterns of laws shimmering within their cracks.

With a slight thought, a gentle stream of chaotic energy surged from the Chaos Pearl, enveloping the nine fragments within.

The nine fragments slowly moved closer together, drawing near to each other.

"Buzz".

A very slight tremor.

Under the pull of the chaotic energy, the nine fragments slowly pieced together, the cracks fitting together perfectly, and the patterns of the laws connecting end to end.

A fragmented pattern slowly emerged on the surface of the debris.

The pattern was dark gold in color, with bold lines and an ancient style.

Although it was only 90% complete, the laws and patterns contained within the patterns were already clearly discernible.

It is precisely the distribution of restrictions at the edge of the Mysterious Realm.

Shen Ni moved closer, his blood-gold eyes sweeping over the pattern, his expression changing slightly:

"This fragment of the map... has 30% more restrictions than the ones I sensed when I forced my way through with my bare hands back then."

"That old man withered bones wasn't lying."

Xuan Du nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the incomplete map.

Within the pattern, a dark golden line meanders and twists, passing through densely packed restriction nodes and leading straight to the depths of the rift.

That is the path to bypass the three-tenths restriction on the edge.

"Let's go."

As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped into the crevice.

A grayish-white stream of air surged forth, dissipating on its own when it reached three zhang in front of him.

It was as if even the void itself had to retreat wherever that figure in green passed.

Shen Ni followed closely behind, his malevolent aura surging like a tide, blocking the remaining gray-white energy streams more than ten feet away.

Within the rift, the sky is high and the earth is vast.

What came into view was a vast, desolate space, with countless fragments floating in the void.

The fragments varied in size, some no bigger than the palm of a hand, others as large as mountains.

Each fragment retains the lingering influence of the laws of the Chaos God.

The lingering echoes twinkled like stars, illuminating the entire secret realm.

Xuandu stood in the void, sensing the lingering traces of laws that permeated the surroundings.

The Daoist chants were chaotic and fragmented, like a torn scroll.

Yet within that brokenness lay countless gleaned inspirations.

He closed his eyes slightly, his mind sinking into those lingering melodies.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and looked into the distance.

Deep within that secret realm, a faint light was shimmering.

The radiance was different from the lingering fragments around it, carrying a complete and pure aura of law.

"Let's go."

Xuan Du spoke, and following the guidance of the dark gold lines on the incomplete map, headed deeper into the secret realm.

Shen Ni followed closely behind.

Along the way, the floating debris became more and more numerous and denser.

The remnants of those laws grew stronger and stronger.

Some fragments even retain Daoist charm at the level of half-step Hunyuan Taiji.

The Daoist aura pressed down as if it were a tangible force, making it difficult even for a cultivator at the seventh level of the Primordial Chaos Realm to move an inch.

Yet Xuandu walked among them as if on flat ground.

The Daoist aura dissipated on its own when it approached within three zhang of him, as if it had been suppressed by some higher law.

Shen Ni stared at the figure in green, a hint of shock flashing deep in his blood-gold eyes.

His master's cultivation was even deeper than he had imagined.

Although both are at the peak of the Ninth Heaven, Master's foundation is far beyond that of ordinary peak cultivators.