0p0 Chapter 1022 The Chaotic Derivation Realm
Chapter 1022 The Chaotic Derivation Realm
"The Starfire Body Tempering is just what I want!" He simply withdrew his protective spiritual power, allowing the Starfire to envelop his entire body. Under the scorching flames, his skin cracked inch by inch, and his blood evaporated before it could even flow out, but a tingling sensation came from deep within his bones—this was the Starfire's essence tempering the foundation of his physical body.
Yu Changsheng gritted his teeth and persevered, his consciousness sinking into the Dao Embryo. There, on the icy blue base of the Starry Night Dao Embryo, the True Fire of the Stars transformed into intricate patterns, imprinting itself and intertwining with the original dark blue sword patterns. The Star Ember Fire Core greedily devoured the external flames, its originally dark red core gradually turning golden.
The time it takes for an incense stick to burn feels like an eternity. When the flames finally died down, Yu Changsheng was charred black, but his eyes shone brightly—his physical strength had broken through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and his bones faintly shone with starlight. The illusory figure nodded: "Passed. Your Chaos Emperor Blood has an extremely high compatibility with the origin of stars. You may proceed to the second level."
Inside the tower, starlight flowed, and Yu Changsheng was teleported to the second level of space.
The second level was absolute darkness, with only a bronze lamp suspended in the center, its wick burning with a ghostly blue flame. The voice of the Trial Will rang out again: "The second tribulation tests the strength of your soul—maintain clear consciousness for half an hour within the 'Soul Flame of Annihilation'."
Yu Changsheng sat cross-legged before the ancient lamp, and the eerie blue flames suddenly surged, transforming into a raging sea of fire that enveloped his soul. This flame did not harm the physical body, but specifically burned the soul; each wisp of flame carried the aura of annihilation, capable of stirring up the deepest fear and despair within a cultivator's heart.
"The desperate battle at the Burial Star Sea... Xuan Tian's betrayal... Elder Qing Yi's essence depleted..." Fragments of memories were scorched out by the flames, transforming into illusions of inner demons that assaulted his sea of consciousness. Yu Changsheng groaned, and the Annihilation Sword Pattern within his Star Silence Dao Embryo activated on its own, its dark blue sword intent protecting the core of his divine soul.
However, the power of the Annihilation Soul Flame far exceeded expectations, shattering the sword intent barrier layer by layer. In this critical moment, Yu Changsheng suddenly remembered the "Emerald Gold Protector Technique" recorded in "The Return to the Void: The Pivot of Origin"—a special method imprinted in his Dao Embryo by Chen Xueqing. Emerald gold Daoist charm spread from the soul of his Dao Embryo, transforming into a cocoon of light that enveloped his divine soul.
The azure flames clashed fiercely with the emerald-gold cocoon, and Yu Changsheng seized the opportunity to comprehend the essence of annihilation. He realized that although this soul flame was terrifying, its core contained the mystery of "annihilation and rebirth"—just as the Starfire, after burning everything, could still leave behind the purest essence.
"So that's how it is... Annihilation is not the end, but another form of tempering." He released his resistance and actively guided his soul flames to burn away the impurities in his soul. The pain intensified a hundredfold, and his consciousness was almost scattered, but the emerald-gold cocoon always protected the last sliver of clarity.
Half an hour later, the soul flames slowly subsided. Although Yu Changsheng's soul was extremely weak, it was as solid as a crystal, his divine sense range increased threefold, and his understanding of the Dao of Annihilation deepened. The ancient bronze lamp went out, and the stairs leading to the third level appeared.
The third layer of space was filled with distorted void cracks, and countless spatial fragments floated like blades. The Trial Will said, "The third tribulation tests your spatial control—cross the 'Void Devouring Maze' and reach the other side."
Yu Changsheng observed intently and discovered that these cracks were not static, but moved according to some mysterious law, forming an ever-changing labyrinth. The slightest carelessness could result in being cut apart by spatial fragments or falling into the eternal void.
He tried to probe the path with his divine sense, only to find that his divine sense was devoured the moment it touched the crack. "The power of space..." Yu Changsheng thought, and the Devouring Void Runes within his Dao Embryo lit up. These runes were derived from the transformation during the reorganization of the Burial Abyss Black Sword, and contained the characteristics of devouring and analyzing space.
“Since divine sense is ineffective, I will test it with my own body.” He stepped forward, the Void Void vortex in his left eye rotating slightly. When a spatial rift struck, the Devouring Void Rune activated on its own, actually “gnawing” a brief gap in the spatial fluctuations at the edge of the rift.
Yu Changsheng seized the opportunity to traverse the rift, while simultaneously recording its movement patterns. Gradually, he figured out the trick: the Devouring Void Rune could not only devour space but also briefly assimilate his own aura, causing the rift to treat him as one of its own and ignore him.
Even so, the labyrinth remained extremely dangerous. Several times he was nearly trapped to death by the closing cracks, only managing to escape by cutting a passage with the Star Silence Sword. Half an hour later, when he arrived at the other side covered in blood, the number of Devouring Void Runes had increased from the original seventy-two to one hundred and eight, and their connection with the Void Return Vortex had become even stronger.
The Trial Will praised, "Your talent for the Way of the Void is rare. The fourth level will be a completely different test."
The fourth level has no physical space, but is a chaotic, undifferentiated gray current. The voice of the Trial Will is ethereal: "The fourth tribulation tests your ability to deduce the Dao—to evolve a small world in the chaos and maintain it for a hundred breaths without collapsing."
The gray currents surged like living things, each wisp containing fragments of the most primordial and chaotic Dao principles. Yu Changsheng stood in the center of the chaos, his divine sense spreading out like a net, only to be instantly swallowed and shattered by the chaotic currents.
"Evolving into a small world..." He frowned. This was beyond the capabilities of ordinary cultivators. Even Nascent Soul cultivators mostly comprehended the laws of heaven and earth, rather than creating them. But the creator of the Starry Sky must have had a profound purpose in setting up this tribulation.
Yu Changsheng closed his eyes and focused inward, the Starry Night Dao Embryo slowly rotating. Among the six forces, the Emerald Gold Dao Rhyme governs "regulation and balance", the Starry Foundation governs "stability and bearing", the Annihilation Sword Pattern governs "destruction and reconstruction", the Star Ember Fire Core governs "energy and transformation", the Devouring Void Rune governs "space and devouring", and the Chaos Emperor Blood governs "vitality and inclusiveness".
“To create a world, there must be a foundation, a source, a law, and life.” He murmured to himself, his mind flashing back to the records of “the origin and flow of all things” in “The Return to the Void: The Pivot of Origin” and the legend of the star-caster “creating a world by pointing stars” in Chen Xueqing’s inherited memory.
"In that case, let us use my Dao Embryo as the foundation and the Six Powers as the materials to give it a try!"
Yu Changsheng held his hands in a circular motion, and the Starry Dao Embryo in his dantian shone brightly. The Starry Base responded first, its icy blue light emanating from its body, spreading out a ten-zhang-square "foundation" in the chaos. On the foundation, star patterns spread out on their own, forming the most basic "earth vein network".
Immediately afterwards, the Star Ember Core surged, and wisps of flame, interwoven with ice blue and dark red, emerged from Yu Changsheng's right eye, landing in the center of the foundation and transforming into an eternally burning "Primal Flame." The flame emitted light and heat, dispelling the surrounding gray air currents and forming a hazy "sky."
"In the beginning, heaven and earth needed laws to maintain order." With a thought, Yu Changsheng felt the Annihilation Sword Pattern peel away from his Dao Embryo, transforming into countless dark blue lines that intertwined, outlining the initial "Net of Rules" between heaven and earth. These rules were extremely rudimentary: the light of the spark could not cross the boundaries of the foundation, gray currents could not invade the heavens and earth, and the earth's vein network needed to continuously absorb chaotic energy to nourish the spark…
But it was these simple rules that instantly brought this ten-foot-wide space to life, giving it the most basic order.
However, could chaos allow order to persist? Sensing the presence of this "alien," the gray currents began to surge forward with frenzied force. The net of rules at the edge of heaven and earth trembled violently, and the sword patterns of annihilation constantly crumbled and reformed.
“Space needs to be stabilized, and devouring needs to be controlled.” Yu Changsheng gritted his teeth and activated the Void Devouring Runes. One hundred and eight runes flew out, imprinting themselves on the void at the edge of heaven and earth, forming an invisible “spatial membrane.” This membrane could both devour the impact energy of the chaotic airflow and transform it into nutrients to maintain heaven and earth, and stabilize the internal space, preventing heaven and earth from collapsing due to conflicting rules. However, the Void Devouring Runes themselves also had a devouring instinct, and if not handled carefully, they would backfire on heaven and earth. Yu Changsheng had to divide his attention to control them, using the Emerald Gold Daoist Rhyme as “reins” to constantly restrain the range and intensity of the runes’ devouring.
Finally, he forced out a drop of Chaos Emperor's Blood and flicked it into the fire seed at the center of heaven and earth. The Emperor's Blood merged with it, and the fire seed's light suddenly intensified, splitting into countless tiny golden specks of light that drifted between heaven and earth like fireflies. These specks of light took root where they landed, some turning into dust, others condensing into dewdrops. Although they were far from giving birth to life, they added a touch of "vitality" to this small world.
Thus, a rudimentary, extremely simple little world was born with great difficulty amidst the chaos.
Yu Changsheng's face was ashen. Maintaining this small world consumed not only spiritual energy, but also his divine soul and Dao essence. He had to constantly adjust the output ratio of the six forces: the Star Foundation needed to remain stable, the Star Ember Fire Core needed to control energy release, the Annihilation Sword Pattern needed to repair the loopholes in the rules, the Devouring Void Rune needed to balance the internal and external pressures, the Chaos Emperor Blood needed to nourish the weak life force, and the Emerald Gold Dao Essence needed to coordinate the overall situation to ensure that the six forces did not conflict.
Every breath felt like dancing on a knife's edge.
Ten breaths later, the first crack appeared in the net of rules at the edge of heaven and earth, which Yu Changsheng forcibly patched up with his sword intent of annihilation.
Thirty breaths later, the Devouring Void Rune became agitated due to absorbing too much chaotic energy, nearly tearing the spatial membrane. Yu Changsheng burned part of his divine soul to forcibly suppress it with the Emerald Gold Daoist Rhyme.
Sixty breaths later, the chaotic energy launched a full-scale attack, and a gray wave crashed in like a tsunami. Yu Changsheng roared, and the Star Silence Sword flew out of his hand, landing in the center of the small world. The sword shone with starlight, transforming into the "backbone" that supported the heavens and the earth.
Eighty breaths later, Yu Changsheng bled from all seven orifices, and the cracks in his Dao Embryo widened again, but his eyes remained as resolute as iron. Images flashed through his mind: Chen Xueqing's illusory spirit, Elder Qingyi's depleted essence, Mo Yu's slumbering remnant soul, and the expectant gazes of the Xuan Tian disciples… He could not lose!
Ninety breaths later, the small world was already teetering on the brink of collapse, yet it never crumbled.
Ninety-five breaths later, Yu Changsheng's consciousness began to blur, and he maintained the output of six powers entirely by instinct.
Ninety-eight breaths, ninety-nine breaths...
"One hundred breaths have passed." The voice of the Trial Will rang out, and the chaotic energy abruptly receded.
The nascent small world slowly dissipated, returning to its most primal energy, nourishing Yu Changsheng himself. He collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his body soaked in cold sweat and blood, but a glimmer of understanding flashed in his eyes—in just a hundred breaths, his understanding and control of the six forces were more profound than in the past few years of arduous cultivation.
"You've passed." The voice of the Trial Will carried a hint of approval. "To be able to evolve and maintain a small world in the chaos for a hundred breaths with your early Nascent Soul cultivation, your Dao Heart and Comprehension have already received three-tenths of the true teachings of the Starry Sky Forger. The fifth level will test your decisiveness in killing."
As the starlight shifted, Yu Changsheng was teleported to the fifth floor.
This level is no longer an abstract test, but a real ancient battlefield relic.
The scorched earth was littered with shattered armor and withered bones; the sky was eternally blood-red, and the air was thick with the stench of rust and decay. In the center of the battlefield stood a colossal bronze gate, a hundred feet high, its doors tightly shut, its surface adorned with reliefs depicting the battles of countless races.
The voice of the trial of will echoed from all directions of the battlefield: "The Fifth Tribulation, the Tribulation of Slaughter. This battlefield seals the ancient 'War Souls of Myriad Races,' which have transformed into vengeful spirits due to their unyielding obsessions. You must slay nine thousand War Souls within three hours and use their essence as the key to open the Bronze Gate. Note that the War Souls are immortal and will be reborn every incense stick's time, with their strength increasing by 10% each time they are reborn."
As soon as the words left his mouth, countless withered bones trembled on the battlefield, the earth churned, and countless translucent battle spirits crawled out from the ground. They took on various forms: some were remnants of human cultivators standing with swords in hand, some were phantoms of demonic beasts roaring to the sky, some were demonic generals wielding battle axes, and there were even winged winged creatures and rock-skinned creatures... Although they were all just remnants of souls, with strength ranging from Golden Core to Nascent Soul, their numbers were dense, numbering in the tens of thousands!
What's even more terrifying is that these battle spirits have a crazy fighting obsession burning in their eyes. As soon as they appear, they start killing each other without distinguishing between friend and foe, and at the same time, they regard Yu Changsheng, this "living thing", as their primary target.
"Kill!" Yu Changsheng didn't hesitate, drawing his Star Silence Sword. Since the trial required killing, he would fight his way through!
He plunged into the sea of battle spirits, his sword light as white as snow. The Star Silence Sword's "Star Silence Power" has a natural restraint on souls; with each strike, battle spirits howled and turned into wisps of smoke, leaving only a grain-sized "battle spirit essence" floating in the air.
But there were simply too many battle spirits. As soon as Yu Changsheng cleared one area, even more battle spirits surged in. Their attack methods were unpredictable: human battle spirits used incomplete sword techniques, demon battle spirits spewed elemental breath, and demonic battle spirits released curse runes... Although each one posed little threat, their combined effect was enough to keep even a Nascent Soul cultivator busy.
Yu Changsheng quickly changed his strategy. He no longer pursued killing one person at a time, but instead used the Star Silence Sword to unleash wide-range sword techniques.
"Starry Night - Universe's Pure Radiance!" Ice-blue starlight spread out, covering a hundred feet, causing hundreds of battle spirits within the range to move sluggishly, their bodies covered in frost.
"Star Silence - Return of Ten Thousand Swords to the Source!" Thousands of sword shadows poured down like a torrential rain, tearing the sluggish battle spirit into pieces.
With two moves, he cleared an area and harvested hundreds of battle spirit essences. However, Yu Changsheng also felt the pressure—although the attacks of these battle spirits could not seriously injure him, they would constantly deplete his spiritual power and divine soul. And to kill nine thousand within three hours meant that he had to kill nearly one battle spirit every breath on average, without the slightest pause.
The battle continued. Yu Changsheng, like a tireless killing machine, traversed the battlefield. The Star Silence Sword, having drunk countless lives, deepened its dark blue hue, the dark red patterns on its spine pulsating like veins. He gradually mastered the techniques: against human cultivators' battle spirits, he attacked their core obsessions with the Sword Intent of Annihilation; against demonic beast battle spirits, he burned their illusory bodies with the Flames of Star Ember; against demonic battle spirits, he purified them with the power of Star Purification… (End of Chapter)