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

Xuandu stood inside the Chaos Pearl, gazing at the slowly healing void outside the pearl's walls.

Jin Qi's aura completely dissipated.

The scent of withered wood had completely dissipated.

The aura of the hidden mist completely dissipated.

The three decaying mid-stage Hunyuan Taiji beings were all reduced to nothingness in that self-destruction.

Within a radius of hundreds of millions of miles, the gray-white mist of the Ruins of Return has been blasted clean, revealing the deep black chaotic bottom layer beneath.

The shattered remnants of those laws were scattered everywhere, like overturned graves.

Xuandu withdrew his gaze and turned to Taixu.

"The aftershocks outside have mostly subsided; I'm going out to take a look."

Taixu didn't speak, but silently followed behind Xuandu.

The moment the two stepped out of the Chaos Pearl, the lingering echoes of Jin Qi's self-destruction of death energy still remained in the void deep within the Ruins of Return.

The lingering aura was dark red, like solidified blood clouds, suspended in the void, slowly churning.

Within the blood-red clouds, a faint, yet distinct, fluctuation of primal energy pulsated.

Xuan Du sensed the fluctuation and paused slightly.

The power Jin Qi gathered when he self-destructed was indeed terrifying, enough to turn everything within a radius of hundreds of millions of miles into dust.

But he was, after all, just a decaying, broken body, his essence long since worn away by the years.

Although that deathly aura was fierce, it was ultimately just water without a source.

After the explosion, the scattered fragments of the origin did not completely dissipate, but scattered in the void, floating like broken gold among the dark red blood clouds.

Xuandu's gaze fell into the depths of that blood-red cloud.

Those tiny fragments of the origin floated in the dark red mist, each no bigger than a fingernail.

However, the level of power contained in each of those pieces far exceeds the scope that ordinary half-step Hunyuan Taiji can reach.

Even if only fragments remain of the origin from the mid-stage of Hunyuan Taiji, it is enough for any cultivator at the ninth level of Hunyuan Daluo to regard it as a treasure.

"Kim Chil did leave me a great gift."

Xuan Du spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity.

He raised his hand, and the Chaos Pearl rose from his palm.

Forty-nine restrictions lit up simultaneously, and a chaotic beam of light surged forth, completely enveloping the dark red blood cloud and the fragments of its origin within it.

The fragments of origin, like shattered gold, slowly converged under the pull of the chaotic light, flowing into the Chaos Pearl like rivers flowing into the sea.

A moment later, the blood cloud dissipated.

Only a vast expanse of chaotic energy remained in the void, the dark red afterglow having completely disappeared into the bead.

Xuan Du stood still, hands behind his back, his gaze calm as still water.

He turned around and looked towards the void.

"The journey to Guixu has come to an end. Xueyuan's Dao foundation has not been fully rebuilt yet. I need to find a safe place for him to go into seclusion. You all return to Xuanji Heaven Domain first."

Taixu's eyes flickered slightly, and a rare look of worry appeared on his face.

"Master, are you sure you won't be returning with me?"

Xuan Du gently shook his head.

"Don't worry. I still have some things to do in the Chaos. Go back and tell Shenni to continue guarding the Central Floating Land and to recruit more disciples."

"If anyone asks where I am, just say that I am traveling in the depths of chaos."

Taixu was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Disciple understands."

He didn't ask any more questions, but simply bowed slightly, then turned around and transformed into a gray sword light, shooting towards the direction of the Xuanji Heavenly Domain.

The sword light vanished instantly into the depths of the chaotic energy, leaving only a faint lingering sword intent that slowly dissipated.

Xuan Du stood still, watching the sword light disappear into the distance.

He sensed the aura of the void growing further and further away until it completely disappeared from his perception range before withdrawing his gaze.

Then he lowered his eyes and looked at the Chaos Pearl in his palm.

The forty-nine chaotic restrictions were still circulating, and the fragments of origin left by Jin Qi were slowly settling within the world of the bead.

Fortunately, he managed to teleport Blood Abyss to the Chaos Pearl in time, and the process of reshaping his Dao Foundation was not interrupted; otherwise, it would have been troublesome.

He didn't rush to leave.

Just standing there, gazing at that empty void, a faint chill slowly settled in my heart.

The image of Jin Qi tearing through the rift in the Chaos Pearl and bursting out just moments before was still replaying in his mind.

Dark red death energy condensed into a ball and fell straight towards Blood Abyss's face.

If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, and if the Chaos Pearl hadn't been powerful enough, the Blood Abyss's still-unformed remnant body would probably have been completely shattered by now.

Even with three Dao bodies protecting him, he himself might not be able to escape unscathed.

Xuan Du closed his eyes slightly.

Deep within his Dao heart, the smugness that had arisen from successively subduing Cangxuan, Qingmu, and Taixu was completely swept away at this moment.

He recalled the words he had just spoken on the platform.

"Join my tutelage, and I will restore your vitality."

How confidently and calmly he spoke.

It was as if those three decaying beings were nothing more than three pieces of meat placed on a chopping board, just waiting for him to reach out and take them.

But Kim Chil showed him through his actions that "even a piece of rotten flesh can still bite you before it dies."

Xuan Du opened his eyes, looked at the void, and murmured to himself:

Ultimately, they are different from Cangxuan.

"Although Cangxuan is a chaotic ancient beast, he has roots, something to guard, and something he desires."

"He wanted to break through, to leave the North, and to find a real way out after becoming an apprentice."

"But what about Kim Chil and the others?"

"A mangled body, its essence completely dissipated, trapped in the Ruins of the Billion Dollar Society, clinging to its last breath by the aura of death."

"They have nothing left to lose."

"Such a person will either become a disciple or betray his master, and will either self-destruct or commit suicide."

"Because they had no way out."

Xuan Du's voice was not loud, but it echoed slightly in the empty void.

He gazed at the Chaos Pearl in his palm, sensing the three completely dissipated auras within it.

Kim Chil is dead.

The tree withered and died.

Mist Villager is also dead.

The three decaying beings at the mid-stage of Hunyuan Taiji were reduced to nothingness in that self-destruction.

But the moment they became disciples, the system's feedback power had already been poured into his very essence.

Those three deep and profound foundations are now quietly settling deep within the Purple Mansion.

Xuan Du remained silent for a moment, then a faint smile slowly appeared on his lips.

The smile was cold, yet it carried a sense of relief that came after seeing through everything.

"It's not like it was a free trip."

"Jin Qi plus the feedback from Mu Ku and Wu Yin."

"If these three feedbacks are refined, breaking through to the mid-stage of Hunyuan Taiji should be a sure thing."

He lowered his eyes, his thoughts stirred slightly, and he sensed the three profound and abyss-like feedback forces deep within his Purple Mansion.

Jin Qi's dark red undertones were like a solidified blood clot, settling in the center of his Purple Mansion.

The withered, bluish-gray hue of the wood flowed slowly along his veins like a gentle stream.

The gray-brown undertones of the mist are the lightest, yet the purest, like a wisp of smoke suspended above the dantian.

Three layers of foundation, three different textures.

However, the foundation level contained in each of those paths far exceeded the sum of the three Cangxuan, Qingmu, and Taixu combined.