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

Aoki sighed and said:

"I want to leave, but I simply can't."

After he finished speaking, the southern floating continent fell into silence.

The branches and leaves of that towering tree swayed slightly in the wind, and the millions of leaves made a soft rustling sound, but the chilling killing intent from before was gone.

Xuan Du stood under the tree canopy, his hands behind his back.

He understood the implication in Aoki's words.

That's not making excuses.

There really is something he can't say about.

Xuandu gazed at the towering divine tree and slowly spoke:

"Can't get out?"

"You're at the late stage of the Half-Step Primordial Taiji realm. Looking across the entire Xuanji Heavenly Domain, only Cang Xuan can rival you. Tell me, you can't leave the place you're rooted in?"

Aoki remained silent for a moment.

The aged voice rang out again, lower than before, carrying a sense of helplessness at the prospect of losing billions of dollars.

"My true form is the Azure Emperor Wood, the first spiritual root born at the beginning of chaos."

"My roots spread across billions of miles of the Southern Realm, and my branches and leaves cover the entire sky."

"It sounds glamorous, but behind that glamour lies a shackle."

"My cultivation is integrated with this Southern Realm. As long as the Southern Realm exists, I am at the late stage of the Half-Step Primordial Taiji Realm. If the Southern Realm is lost, I will fall by two minor realms, or even more."

"I've tried the billion-dollar gathering countless times. Every time I try to leave the Southern Territory, my cultivation begins to decline, as if something is being drawn from my body."

"The farther you go, the faster you lose it."

"I once traveled 30,000 miles across the southern border, and my cultivation level dropped from the late stage of the half-step Hunyuan Taiji to the early stage of the half-step Hunyuan Taiji."

"If we go any further, I'm afraid we won't even be able to maintain this level."

"So I have no choice but to stay here."

"I will guard this southern border, these spiritual trees, and the cultivation I have accumulated over billions of dollars."

"It's not that I don't want to leave, it's that I can't."

As the sound faded, only the sound of the wind remained on the floating land.

The lush green vegetation drooped its branches, as if it too was silent in response to the words of the greenwood.

After hearing these words, Xuandu remained silent for a moment.

He gazed at the towering tree, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.

He originally thought that Aoki was unwilling to leave the Southern Territory because it was comfortable and because he was afraid of going out and facing unknown risks.

But only now did he realize that the reason why Qingmu did not leave the Southern Territory was far more fundamental than those reasons.

Even at the late stage of the Half-Step Hunyuan Taiji realm, he was actually bound by a certain area.

This would be unimaginable in the primordial era.

But this is the Xuanji Heavenly Domain.

The rules here are different from those of the primordial world, the creatures here are different from those of the primordial world, and the paths here are also different from those of the primordial world.

Xuan Du slowly spoke:

"Therefore, the reason you are stuck at the late stage of the Half-Step Primordial Tai Chi realm is not only because you cannot find a breakthrough opportunity, but also because you dare not leave the Southern Territory to seek a breakthrough opportunity."

"Because your cultivation level will drop once you leave."

"After you fall, you won't even be able to maintain your current level, let alone break through it."

"This is a vicious cycle."

"You are trapped in the Southern Territory. The Southern Territory has imprisoned your cultivation, and your cultivation has imprisoned your freedom."

"Freedom has confined your path."

Aoki did not answer.

But that silence itself is the answer.

Xuandu gazed at the towering divine tree, at its canopy that covered the sky, and at its countless drooping leaves.

"You just said that if you could break through the Hunyuan Taiji, you would be completely free."

"Because in the realm of Hunyuan Taiji, one is no longer bound by geographical boundaries."

"After the breakthrough, you will be able to walk freely in the chaos and will no longer need to guard this southern territory."

"But the problem is, if you don't even dare to leave, how can you break through?"

Aoki's voice rang out again, tinged with weariness:

"That's why I said I can't get out."

"I've tried countless times to win a billion-dollar prize."

"Every time it ended in failure."

"Over time, I gave up."

"I guard the southern border, I guard these spirit trees, and I tell myself that this is my path."

"But what you just said reminded me of my original intention in coming here."

"It's not for comfort, it's not for guarding this territory."

"It's for a breakthrough."

Xuandu looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

He then spoke, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty.

"What if I told you I could let you leave the Southern Territory without losing your cultivation level?"

As the sound faded, the treetops suddenly trembled.

Millions of leaves surged simultaneously, and the chaotic light rose and fell like the tide.

The aged voice trembled with disbelief.

"What did you say?"

"Can you let me leave the Southern Territory without losing my cultivation level?"

"That's impossible."

"I've tried countless times to win a billion-dollar prize."

"In the chaos, no one can break this shackle."

"Even when Senior Xuanji was alive, he could not free me from this bondage."

"How could you, a mere half-step peak Hunyuan Tai Chi practitioner, possibly do that?"

Xuan Du looked at him, a slow smile creeping onto his lips.

The smile was faint, yet it carried a profound understanding that saw through everything.

"I really can't do it."

"But if you are willing to become my disciple, I can find you the opportunity to break through the Hunyuan Taiji."

Upon hearing this, Aoki fell silent.

The millions of leaves stopped swirling, and the chaotic light above the treetop flickered uncertainly.

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

He recalled the fluctuation he had sensed earlier, the tremor that came from the North.

The old tortoise in Cangxuan occupies the Hundred Million Yuan Club in the Northern Territory, never leaving its side.

But the change in aura he had just sensed was clearly the disappearance of Cang Xuan's aura, as if it had been taken away by some power.

The man in blue standing before him held the Chaos Pearl in his hand, his aura calm and unwavering.

Aoki lived through billions of yuan, met countless cultivators, and witnessed countless conspiracies and schemes.

But the man in blue standing there was neither humble nor arrogant, neither proud nor impatient.

His breath was as majestic as a mountain, and his words as gentle as a spring breeze.

If someone like that comes to kill him, they won't say the words "we have something to discuss."

If they were trying to deceive him, they wouldn't stand so calmly in his territory, waiting for him to finish speaking.

More importantly, the Chaos Pearl.

That was a primordial treasure that existed before Pangu created the world, lost in the depths of chaos for billions of years and its whereabouts are unknown.

Having this item in hand indicates that the person possesses extraordinary luck, far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Being able to subdue the Chaos Pearl means that the Great Dao approves of it.

For someone like this, breaking through to the Hunyuan Taiji is only a matter of time.

Aoki remained silent for a long time.

So long that the surging chaotic energy resumed its flow.

Eventually, the hardened roots slowly loosened.

So long that the millions of leaves of that towering tree slowly stopped trembling.

Then the aged voice rang out again, this time with a sense of relief that the billions of dollars had settled.

"You just said that you could help me break through the Hunyuan Taiji."

"Was that the condition you gave for becoming my disciple?"

Xuandu looked at him.

"This is a deal."

"You become my disciple, and I'll pave the way."

"After you break through, you will still guard your southern border."

"It's just that I have the additional identity of a master."

That's all.