Within the Chaos Bead, there was no up or down, left or right, no passage of time—only the most primordial Chaos Qi slowly swirling, as though it had returned to the time before heaven and earth had been opened. This was an absolutely safe, absolutely secluded place for cultivation.
Xuan Wazi sat cross-legged in a stretch of chaotic void, Primordial Violet Qi curling around him and reflecting off the surrounding Chaos Qi. Before him floated the greatest gains from the Dao-Devil War—the Malevolent Energy-soaked formation diagram of the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, the incessantly humming Four Immortal-Slaying Swords, and the complete God-Slaying Spear, which, even suppressed by the aura of the Chaos Bead, still emanated terrifying killing intent capable of freezing one's Spirit Soul.
Yes, the complete God-Slaying Spear! At the very last moment, relying on the Chaos Bead's absolute control over space and the dominance of his own Primordial Dao Body, Xuan Wazi had forcibly seized this heavenly weapon of calamity—said to be capable of injuring a Saint's primordial spirit—from the heavily wounded, dying Luo Hou, intact and whole!
"Phew..." Xuan Wazi let out a long breath and suppressed the excitement in his heart. He knew that refining these fierce treasures would be no easy task. The God-Slaying Spear in particular contained a will of slaughter powerful enough to make even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal lose himself.
He first turned his gaze to the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation diagram and the four swords. Though this formation was fierce, it relied more on the advantages of its formation and the origin of slaughter. With the Chaos Bead to suppress it, his Primordial Dao Body immune to all methods, and the system's assistance, refining it would at least follow a traceable path.
"Chaos as the furnace, primordial chaos as the fire—refine!" Xuan Wazi formed a hand seal, drawing upon the origin qi within the Chaos Bead to create an invisible Chaos furnace that enveloped the formation diagram and four swords. At the same time, he circulated the Nine Revolutions Primordial Profound Art. Pure Primordial Chaos Magic Power, like violet flames, began to burn away and seep into the formation diagram and sword bodies, purging the remnants of Luo Hou's marks and the boundless Malevolent Energy.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz—!" The Four Immortal-Slaying Swords shook violently, releasing unwilling sword cries. Sharp sword qi shot out on its own, yet the Chaos furnace held it firmly captive, unable to cross the boundary by even half a step. Demonic patterns flashed across the formation diagram as it attempted to resist, but before the higher powers of chaos and primordial chaos, they melted away as swiftly as ice and snow beneath the sun.
Xuan Wazi immersed his mind within it, carefully comprehending the mysteries of this foremost killing formation of the Heavenly Dao. It was the ultimate manifestation of the laws of "slaughter" and "sealing"—cutting off all life and forbidding the flow of every method. He did not entirely copy Luo Hou's way of setting the formation. Instead, he used his own Dao Heart of "stubbornness" to understand and reconstruct it, attempting to add a few elements of unpredictability and freedom from convention, making the sword formation even more elusive and strange atop its original ferocity.
Time quietly passed within the Chaos Bead. Who knew how long it had been? Perhaps an instant, perhaps ten thousand years.
"Buzz—!"
A clear sword cry rang out. Unlike its previous savagery, this cry carried a trace of submission and liveliness. The demonic patterns on the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation diagram had vanished, replaced by a faint chaotic hue and primordial Dao patterns. The four immortal swords also calmed, their flowing light restrained within their blades, their killing intent condensed but unspent as they circled Xuan Wazi like extensions of his limbs.
The Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation had been initially refined!
"Not bad. From now on, whenever I don't like the look of someone, I'll invite them in for a stroll through the formation." Xuan Wazi nodded in satisfaction and put away the formation diagram and four swords. Next came the true hard bone to chew—the God-Slaying Spear!
As his gaze fell upon the pitch-black spear, whose tip bore a spot of dark crimson that seemed ready to drip blood, Xuan Wazi's expression became incomparably grave. Merely looking at it allowed him to feel that terrifying will to slaughter all living beings and slay the divine. It was as though countless resentful souls wailed beside his ears, while illusions of mountains of corpses and seas of blood filled his vision.
This spear had been formed from the stem of the Chaos Green Lotus. Born bearing slaughter, it was a true supreme treasure of the killing path, its fierce might surpassing even the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords!
"What a vicious weapon!" Xuan Wazi praised, yet he felt not the slightest fear. With a thought, the [Fragment of the Great Dao of Strength] he had received as a system reward appeared in his palm. The fragment was incomparably heavy, radiating the absolute essence of "one force breaking ten thousand laws, one force stabilizing heaven and earth."
"To subdue such a vicious weapon, I can only crush it head-on with absolute strength!" A fierce glint flashed through Xuan Wazi's eyes as he suddenly slapped the Fragment of the Great Dao of Strength into his brow!
Boom!
A thunderous blast, as though heaven and earth were being opened, exploded within his sea of consciousness! Xuan Wazi felt his entire Spirit Soul flooded by a pure, domineering, invincible power! His consciousness seemed to become Pangu, wielding a giant axe before boundless chaos. Only strength—ultimate strength—could carve out new life!
He threw back his head and roared. It was not a sound, but the roar of his will! At that moment, his Primordial Dao Body erupted with unprecedented radiance. The muscles across his body bulged, brimming with explosive power. He no longer used flashy magic power or divine abilities. Instead, he simply stretched out a hand covered in a faint gray radiance of the Great Dao of Strength and grabbed the shaft of the God-Slaying Spear!
"Roaaar—!"
The God-Slaying Spear seemed to be thoroughly enraged, releasing a roar like that of a Fierce Beast! Its boundless will of slaughter condensed into substance, transforming into billions of savage resentful souls. Carrying terrifying Malevolent Energy capable of corroding primordial spirits and defiling magical treasures, they surged toward Xuan Wazi's Spirit Soul and palm like a flood bursting through a dam!
Before this, Xuan Wazi might have needed to expend considerable effort and could even have suffered backlash from it. But now, the Fragment of the Great Dao of Strength stood guard deep within his Spirit Soul, while the radiance of the Great Dao of Strength protected his body!
"Disperse!" Xuan Wazi spoke a Dao syllable, as though his words had become law! The radiance of the Great Dao of Strength was like blazing sunlight shining upon ice and snow. The billions of resentful souls collapsed at its touch, and the boundless Malevolent Energy scattered upon contact! Let there be a thousand forms of slaughter and ten thousand strange tricks—I would break them all with a single force!
His hand was incomparably firm. Ignoring every obstruction, it steadily and tightly grasped the shaft of the God-Slaying Spear!
"Buzz—!" The God-Slaying Spear shuddered violently. Luo Hou's final mark within the spear was completely crushed beneath the Great Dao of Strength! The dark crimson point at its tip erupted with one last burst of unwillingness, yet it was like a firefly before the bright moon and swiftly dimmed.
Xuan Wazi gripped the spear shaft tightly, sensing the incomparably pure law of slaughter and sharpness that could pierce anything within it. At the same time, he could feel that its unruly, savage nature—the urge to slaughter everything—had not vanished. It had merely been forcibly suppressed and cowed by his absolute strength.
He had no intention of erasing that savagery. It was the very foundation of the God-Slaying Spear. What he wanted was to become the master of that savagery!
"From this day onward, you shall follow me, Xuan Wazi. In this Primordial World, we shall slaughter our way into a bright and clear heaven and earth, and stubbornly carve out a new world!" Xuan Wazi's voice boomed like a great bell, containing the Dao essence of his own "stubbornness" and the will of the Great Dao of Strength. Like a brand, it was deeply imprinted into the core of the God-Slaying Spear.
The God-Slaying Spear's trembling gradually subsided. Its body remained black and cold, but its heart-palpitating killing intent had become far more restrained. It no longer radiated indiscriminately, instead becoming like a dormant Fierce Beast awaiting its master's summons. A faint trace of Primordial Violet Qi, sharing the same origin as Xuan Wazi's magic power, appeared upon its shaft.
The God-Slaying Spear had been cowed!
Only then did Xuan Wazi truly let out a breath of relief, a weary yet incomparably excited smile appearing on his face. He could feel that with the initially refined Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, the fully cowed God-Slaying Spear, and the enhancement of the Fragment of the Great Dao of Strength, his actual combat power had soared to a terrifying level. Even against a mid-stage Quasi-Saint, he would dare to clash with one!
Just as he was preparing to regulate his breathing and recover, then further comprehend the Great Dao of Strength, the system's prompt sounded once more.
[Ding! Detected that the host has successfully refined the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, cowed the God-Slaying Spear, and greatly increased his strength. New main quest triggered: Zixiao Palace's First Guest.] [Quest details: When Hongjun gives his first sermon at Zixiao Palace, arrive as quickly as possible and seize the first cushion seat.] [Quest reward: Innate Spiritual Treasure ×1, Jade Disk of Fortune fragment ×1, cultivation increased to late-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal!] [Hint: Hongjun is about to become a Saint, and his sermon is imminent. Host, seize the opportunity and once again refuse to be a person!]
Xuan Wazi opened his eyes, divine light gleaming within them.
"Hongjun is about to become a Saint? A sermon at Zixiao Palace... the first cushion?" He stroked his chin, and a familiar, stubborn smile—the kind that gave all beings in the Primordial World headaches—appeared on his face.
"Hehe, I stole your Immortal-Slaying Swords and God-Slaying Spear, and now I'm going to listen to your sermon and steal your first seat too... Old Man Hongjun, just imagining your expression makes this Daoist unable to contain his anticipation!"
"I'm definitely going to Zixiao Palace! And I'm definitely taking that first cushion!"
With a flicker, he had already left the Chaos Bead. Sensing the increasingly distinct Saintly pressure in the Primordial World, on the verge of reaching perfection, he transformed into an invisible streak of escape light and leisurely headed toward the chaos beyond the Thirty-three Heavens.
A new storm was already brewing. And Xuan Wazi was preparing to throw himself into it once more, carrying "not being a person" through to the very end!
Before you continue