Chapter Seventy-One: The Power of the Crystal Stone

Several decades ago, during a mission assigned by the Murky Dragon, Yazi had advocated for a violent solution. At that time, however, Qiongqi devised a clever plan, which he presented on the spot. As a result, the Murky Dragon publicly praised Qiongqi and, naturally, reprimanded Yazi. Humiliated, Yazi buried the memory deep within his heart and swore that he would one day kill Qiongqi to avenge his disgrace.

In the past, no matter how much Yazi hated Qiongqi, he dared not act against him, for the Murky Dragon’s authority was beyond challenge. But now the situation had changed—of the Four Dire Beasts, only one remained. Their usefulness to the Murky Dragon was nearly exhausted. Coupled with Taotie’s words, Yazi believed that if he slew Qiongqi, he could still justify himself to the Murky Dragon, claiming to have purged a traitor—perhaps even earning a reward.

With nothing left to restrain him, Yazi paid no heed to Qiongqi’s words and attacked immediately. Blood flashed in his eyes, and the suspended Yazi Blade transformed into a crimson ribbon, slashing fiercely at Qiongqi’s head. Judging by the ferocity of the blow, even Qiongqi’s body, as tough as tempered steel, would be cleaved in two if struck directly!

Faced with the full force of the Yazi Blade, Qiongqi was both shocked and terrified. Qingxu, too, was extremely tense. Qiongqi Beast was the only key to reassembling the Devourer King Beast—if lost, the Devourer King Beast would likely vanish forever, never to be reborn.

Qingxu wanted to intervene, but he himself was barely holding on. The energy that had invaded his body during the previous attack was so fierce and domineering that, though he possessed the cultivation of an early-stage Taiyi True Immortal, he could hardly wield it. Under the relentless assault, he was forced to retreat step by step.

“If I’d only known… I shouldn’t have gone all out in that attack. Now I find myself in such an awkward predicament!” In those brief moments, the invading energy had already reached his throat, perilously close to his head. The crisis was at its peak; if the energy surged into his head, the consequences would be dire. Even the slightest injury would render this Dao body utterly useless.

Just as Qingxu sighed inwardly and prepared to use the Supreme Clarity Immortal Talisman, something within the first level of the Qingxu Pagoda’s inner world suddenly changed, arousing his curiosity.

Qiongqi’s cultivation was only at the Earth Immortal realm—even after merging with the Blood Fiend Miasma, he barely reached the early stage of the Profound Immortal realm. How could such power possibly withstand the full might of the Yazi Blade? Yazi himself possessed the early-stage Taiyi True Immortal cultivation, and the Yazi Blade was no ordinary innate treasure. Moreover, the blade was Yazi’s companion treasure, perfectly attuned to him, and had claimed countless lives, amplifying its vicious aura.

Yazi harbored no thoughts of holding back. Since his birth, he had always fought with his full strength. But this time, in attacking Qiongqi, he pushed his power to its utmost, unleashing 120% of his ability. Under such circumstances, the razor-sharp Yazi Blade would frighten even a mid-stage Taiyi True Immortal, let alone Qiongqi, who was only at the early Profound Immortal stage. The gap between them was vast—utterly insurmountable, like the difference between heaven and earth, gold and rubble.

At this point, reconciliation was impossible. In this life-and-death moment, Qiongqi calmed himself. However unwilling, he could only do his utmost to face the crisis.

A direct confrontation offered not the slightest chance of survival—he would be obliterated without a trace. Desperate, Qiongqi burned the essence of the Umbral Spirit, raising his strength to the peak of the Profound Immortal realm. He let out three thunderous roars, pouring all his power without reservation into the ground nearby. Immediately, the entire Three Yin Abyss began to stir, and the immense force of the “Momentum” pressed down hard on Yazi.

With the aid of the Three Yin Abyss’s “Momentum,” Yazi’s strength was greatly diminished. The power of the Yazi Blade was reduced by forty percent, yet it was still far superior to the desperate Umbral Spirit. Qiongqi had no retreat—if he didn’t deal with Yazi, he was doomed.

Bang!

A muffled sound rang out as the blood-red Yazi Blade stabbed savagely into the Umbral Spirit. Innate Geng Metal’s killing aura scattered in all directions, and torrents of blood surged forth, clinging tenaciously to the Umbral Spirit like maggots on a bone, frantically siphoning its essence.

Qingxu saw the situation clearly and grew anxious. From the look of it, Qiongqi couldn’t hold out much longer. If nothing changed, Qiongqi would certainly die, and Qingxu would lose his only chance to reassemble the Devourer King Beast. In his desperation, he probed the item stirring within his natal treasure’s inner world.

A crystal!

It was the strange crystal he had found within the ancient shaman’s horn. He had studied it before; its only remarkable property seemed to be its duality—normally hard as steel, impervious even to innate treasures, but when his magic power was channeled into it, it would become incomparably soft. This effect was of no use to him, but the crystal was clearly not simple. He had intended to study it further, but now it was reacting—he could distinctly sense it resonating with the invading energy inside him.

Excitement and anxiety surged together. He felt an urge to plunge the crystal into the invading energy, as though the energy would benefit the crystal. It was a strange and indescribable sensation, but Qingxu decided to trust his instincts—after all, even a mortal’s sixth sense could be uncanny, let alone that of an immortal.

In this moment of dire peril, he split a stream of magic power to envelop the crystal, guiding it along the meridians to his throat, where the invading energy raged.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!...

The effect was immediate. As soon as the strange crystal touched the energy, it began to devour it, like a giant whale swallowing water, sweeping away clouds and mists. The once mighty and overwhelming energy was rapidly consumed, and as it was absorbed, the crystal began to transform. It gradually turned a misty gray, with clouds swirling within and vapor coiling around its exterior.

“Innate Chaos Force?” Possessing a Chaos Spirit Vein, Qingxu immediately recognized this primal origin force. Chaos had birthed the heavens, the source of all things. Chaos Force was the mightiest of powers, but only those at the quasi-saint realm or above could truly master it.

Leaving aside Qingxu’s astonishment, in just a few blinks, the crystal had devoured all the invading energy within him. The innate chaotic vapors around it then withdrew into the crystal, the swirling clouds within stabilized, and the entire gem became a transparent gray stone. Yet, unlike ordinary gems that glittered brightly, this “gray gem” exuded a sense of deep oppression, like a slumbering chaotic behemoth—should it awaken, all existence would become its prey.

“What is the origin of this peculiar crystal? It can actually generate innate Chaos Force. Could it be related to Pangu?” The shaman race carried Pangu’s bloodline, so some connection would not be surprising. Qingxu could not help but speculate, for only by linking it to Pangu did it make sense.

Innate chaos differs from postnatal chaos. Postnatal chaos can be artificially created using the interplay of Yin and Yang, the Three Powers, Four Images, Five Elements, Six Harmonies, Seven Stars, Eight Trigrams, Nine Palaces, and the annihilation of the Ten Directions. But innate chaos is pure chaotic energy, akin to the force of primal creation.

Chaotic energy can be refined into chaotic gray qi, and primordial energy into primordial purple qi. Both are origin forces—one for the beginning, the other for the primal dawn—together, they form the genesis of all things.