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

Xuan Du lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment.

He vaguely felt that the truth behind the giant's fall was probably more complicated than the story of Pangu's exhaustion during the creation of the world.

Pangu's transformation into all things was a deliberate choice.

To establish roots for heaven and earth, and to lay the foundation for all things—that is his way.

But the giant was killed.

Judging from the remaining will he had just sensed, the giant's emotions before his death included resentment and exhaustion, but not anger.

This is illogical.

A peak Hunyuan Taiji master was killed, yet he showed no anger before his death?

Xuan Du frowned slightly, not thinking about it any further.

He sensed the aura within this chaotic space. The chaotic energy was extremely dense, and the density of laws far exceeded that of the Xuanji Secret Realm, and even far exceeded that of the fragmented areas on the outer edge of the Guixu.

What's even more remarkable is that it's very quiet here.

There was no fog of resentment, no surging death, and no prying eyes of lingering will.

Like a secret chamber forgotten in the depths of chaos.

Xuandu looked around and had already made up his mind.

Although this space is only a hundred miles in circumference, it is an excellent place for secluded cultivation.

Although he had just broken through to the mid-stage of Hunyuan Taiji with the help of Jin Qi and the other two, the breakthrough came somewhat hastily and his realm was not yet completely stable.

The memories contained within those nineteen scratches also require him to calm down and slowly sort them out.

Moreover, at the end of this space, behind the barrier that blocked his divine sense, there was another area he hadn't seen.

This hundred-mile-long space is probably just the outer layer.

Xuan Du slowly got up and walked to the stone wall on one side of this space.

There was a very narrow crevice that extended upwards from the bottom of the stone wall, about the width of a finger.

He wouldn't have noticed it at all if he hadn't been looking for it specifically.

He crouched down, his fingertips probing into the crevice, the pressure of his mid-stage Hunyuan Taiji technique seeping in like water.

This time, there was no rejection.

From the depths of that crevice came an extremely faint tremor, like something breathing.

Xuan Du withdrew his hand, his gaze slightly narrowed.

There was indeed space beyond that gap.

Moreover, the aura within that space was even more ancient and profound than that of this hundred-mile-long space.

He didn't rush to break open the crack.

Instead, he took a few steps back and sat down cross-legged again.

First solidify your foundation, then explore deeper.

He closed his eyes, his mind sinking into the depths of his dantian.

The power of the mid-stage Hunyuan Taiji surged within his body like a long river, flowing more smoothly and freely than when he first broke through.

The three feedback forces had completely integrated into his origin, and his foundation had steadily risen from the lower-grade Primordial Chaos level. Although there was no qualitative change, it was much more solid than when he first broke through.

Xuan Du opened his eyes and stared at the crack, his gaze deep.

"If that giant is the master of the Ruins, then what lies beyond the crevice is most likely related to him."

"Perhaps it was the last restriction he left behind before his fall, perhaps it was a fragment of his remaining true spirit, or perhaps it was something he collected in the chaos."

"In any case, let's wait until our cultivation level is stable before making any decisions."

He closed his eyes and completely immersed himself in cultivation.

Within this forgotten, chaotic space, time seems to have lost its meaning.

There was no sunrise or sunset, only the chaotic energy flowing slowly between the stone walls, and only the lingering Daoist rhyme in the nineteen scratches echoing silently in the void.

After an unknown amount of time, Xuan Du opened his eyes again.

A fleeting, dark golden light flashed deep within those eyes.

His realm was completely stabilized; he was now in the mid-stage of Hunyuan Taiji, as solid as a rock.

He got up and walked to the gap, this time without hesitation.

He raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and the primordial energy in his palm condensed into a tangible form.

"open."

As he finished speaking, he reached into the gap and slowly pulled it apart to both sides.

The stone wall split open like soft mud under his palm, and the one-finger-wide gap slowly widened under the pull of his primordial power.

One foot, one zhang, three zhang.

A dark gold passageway appeared before him.

The stone walls on both sides of the passageway are as smooth as a mirror, without scratches or carvings, only an ancient and pure solitude.

At the end of the passageway, there was a beam of light.

The light was extremely faint, almost imperceptible, yet the aura contained within it caused Xuan Du's pupils to shrink slightly.

The pinnacle of Hunyuan Tai Chi.

An aura originating from the same source as that giant.

Xuan Du stood at the entrance of the passageway, sensing that aura, and remained silent for a moment.

Then he took a step and slowly walked along the passageway.

The further you go, the brighter the light becomes.

From barely perceptible to as gentle as moonlight, and from as gentle as moonlight to as warm as candlelight.

Then he walked to the end of the passageway.

Before them lay a space slightly larger than the outer layer, roughly three hundred li in circumference.

In the center of the space, a crystal the size of a palm floats.

The crystal was grayish-white in color, with a smooth, unpatterned surface, like a solidified drop of water.

The light emanated from this crystal.

The aura of the peak of Hunyuan Taiji also emanated from this crystal.

Xuan Du stood still, gazing at the floating crystal, sensing the levels of power contained within it.

The crystal contained extremely pure primordial power, but no trace of its original will remained.

Like a lamp left behind by its owner, the light is still there, but the person who lit it is no longer here.

"Is this the only thing that remained after the giant's fall?"

Xuan Du muttered to himself as he slowly approached the crystal.

He didn't rush to reach out and touch it.

Although the power contained within that crystal was pure, it also contained a faint, unusual quality.

The anomaly was extremely subtle; if he hadn't already reached the mid-stage of Hunyuan Taiji, he wouldn't have been able to perceive it at all.

He stood in front of the crystal, carefully sensing it for a long time.

Then he understood.

That strange feeling was the result of cause and effect.

A very fine causal thread is wrapped around this crystal.

One end of the causal line was connected to the crystal itself, and the other end was connected to a very distant direction in the sky.

"That light."

Xuan Du spoke in a low voice, his voice echoing slightly in the empty space.

"The light that shattered the giant was related to this crystal."

"Or rather, the owner of that light left a mark on this crystal."

He didn't go any closer to the crystal; instead, he took two steps back.

His gaze fell on the crystal, and his mind raced.

This crystal was indeed left behind by the giant, but it was shattered by that light before the giant fell.

The owner of that light left causal lines on the crystal, probably not to protect it, but to wait.

Once someone finds this crystal, they can follow the causal thread to find that person.

"trap."

Xuandu said in a low voice.

"This is the last trap left for this giant by the master of that light."

"Since he couldn't kill the giant, before the giant fell, he tied the thread of cause and effect around the giant's most precious possession."

"Then wait."

"After the giant fell, someone came to this place, found this crystal, touched it, and followed the causal thread to find him."

"Then they were silenced."

He stood there, gazing at the crystal, and remained silent for a moment.

Then a slow smile slowly appeared on his lips. The smile was cold, yet it carried a kind of knowing understanding that came after seeing through everything.

"Unfortunately, my cultivation does not rely on external objects."

He turned around, not touching the crystal, and slowly walked back to the outer space along the passageway.

The passageway slowly closed behind him, and the stone walls shut up again, as if they had never been cracked.

Xuan Du returned to the outer space, stood with his hands behind his back, and stared at the nineteen scratches.

He has already gained more than enough from his trip to Guixu.

The feedback from Jin Qi and the other two allowed him to break through to the mid-stage of Hunyuan Taiji, and Xueyuan's Dao foundation reconstruction also made progress. Taixu had already returned to Xuanji Heaven Domain to guard the branch sect.

As for this crystal, this trap, and this cause and effect, he had no need to touch them.

It's not the right time, at least not now.

Moreover, we should ask him about this matter after Blood Abyss reshapes his Dao foundation to see if he understands it.

"I will come back to retrieve this crystal when I reach the late stage or even the peak of Hunyuan Taiji."

"Even if the being on the other side of that causal thread makes a move at that time, I might not be able to withstand it."

"But now."

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the nineteen scratches.

"Let's go back first and see how things are going at Shennie's."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand, and a chaotic light surged from his palm, disappearing into the barrier of that space.

The barrier silently cracked open, leading to the chaotic void outside the Ruins of Return.

Xuandu took a step forward.

The figure in green disappeared into the crevice.