Axe Light Splits the World, Rune Shadow Hides Its Form

Brilliant axe light cascaded like an inverted Milky Way, carrying the supreme might of heaven and earth creation as it swept across billions of Chaos Qi masses. Wherever it passed, Chaos Origin was forcibly torn apart, transforming into the nascent forms of Pure and Turbid Energies. Those low-level demon gods who failed to flee had their bodies instantly shredded by the axe light, their Origin Power scattering like fireworks in all directions, without even a trace of resistance.

The Chaos fragment where Xuan Fu was hiding bore the brunt of the axe light's residual force.

"Crack—"

A crisp shattering sound rang in his ears. Cracks spread instantly across the fragment's surface, the once-stable inner walls began to peel away, and countless tiny fragments were swept away by Chaos Stream, vanishing into the boundless darkness. Xuan Fu's talisman body clung tightly to the fragment's core, its runic patterns spinning wildly as he pushed the Pangu Great Dao trajectory he had recorded earlier to its limit, condensing a thin layer of "Pseudo-Chaos Barrier" on his surface.

This barrier was not substantial; it merely simulated Chaos Origin fluctuations through runes, attempting to confuse the axe light's lock-on. But the power of heaven and earth creation was too overbearing. No sooner had the barrier formed than it trembled violently from the residual force, its cyan-gold light flickering unsteadily, on the verge of collapse at any moment.

Xuan Fu's Spiritual Sense was highly focused, without a trace of panic. He knew that any unnecessary movement now would invite the axe light's "special attention." Only by fully committing to the principle of "lying low" and adjusting his posture along the trajectory of Chaos Stream could he minimize the impact.

His talisman body drifted like a rootless duckweed, swaying slightly with the fragment's tremors, each sway precisely avoiding the core impact points of the stream. At the same time, he didn't waste his Spiritual Sense. Instead, leveraging this extreme crisis, he frantically comprehended the "Destruction" Dao power within the axe light—a Dao rhythm of indestructible, all-severing force. This corroborated the fragmented information he had recorded earlier, causing some obscure patterns deep within his runes to begin flowing slowly.

Just then, a fiery figure burst through Chaos Stream, crashing straight toward the fragment where Xuan Fu was hiding like an out-of-control meteor.

It was the Yanhuang Demon God!

Xuan Fu's heart tightened. He recognized this demon god; it had been fighting in the southern region earlier. Now, clearly Severely Wounded by the Sky-Opening Axe Light, its body burned with raging Demonic Fire, its aura chaotic and unstable—clearly at its last gasp. But a dying camel is still bigger than a horse. Yanhuang Demon God's original power still far exceeded Xuan Fu's. If this collision landed squarely on the fragment, even weakened by the axe light's residual force, it would be enough to shatter the fragment completely.

Xuan Fu didn't choose to dodge; Doing so will only expose his trajectory. He made an instant decision, retracting the Pseudo-Chaos Barrier on his surface and instead activating his runes to simulate the fragment's aura, fully merging himself into the fragment. At the same time, he actively guided the fragment to shift slightly in the direction of the Yanhuang Demon God's impact.

"Boom!"

The violent collision made Xuan Fu's Spiritual Sense buzz, and his talisman body nearly shook out of its crevice. The Yanhuang Demon God's massive body slammed into the fragment's edge. The already crack-ridden fragment instantly disintegrated for the most part, leaving only a palm-sized piece at the core, carrying Xuan Fu and the demon god's body as the immense force from the collision pushed them flying toward the turbulent zone at Chaos's edge.

The Yanhuang Demon God let out a pained roar. Its already Severely Wounded body worsened, the Demonic Fire on its surface dimmed considerably, and black demon blood (from an energy gap, if any) seeped from its mouth. It clearly hadn't noticed Xuan Fu hidden in the fragment's crevice, only instinctively trying to Stabilize Form, but was swept along by Chaos Turbulence, unable to control its direction.

Xuan Fu seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

His Spiritual Sense cautiously extended a thread, locking onto the Fire Origin dissipating from the Yanhuang Demon God's surface. This was the purest fire-attribute power in Chaos, containing millions of years of the demon god's cultivation insights. If he could absorb even a thread, it would be immeasurably beneficial for perfecting his fire-attribute runes.

But he didn't act rashly. Though Severely Wounded, the Yanhuang Demon God still had an instinct for danger. If discovered, it would surely expend its Last Trace of strength to annihilate him. Xuan Fu waited patiently, using the turbulence's jolts to keep the fragment's core at a delicate distance from the Yanhuang Demon God's body—close enough to sense its Origin flow, yet undetected.

Finally, as the turbulence passed through a thin layer of Chaos Qi, the Yanhuang Demon God's aura suddenly wilted. Clearly, the trauma from the Sky-Opening Axe Light had fully erupted. Its Origin began to drain rapidly, the Demonic Fire on its surface could no longer be maintained, gradually dying out.

Now!

A glint of sharpness flashed in Xuan Fu's Spiritual Sense. His talisman body suddenly erupted with a faint suction force, like an invisible hand, precisely Stripped Away a thread of the purest Fire Origin from the Yanhuang Demon God's dissipating Origin. This thread of Origin, like a dancing spark, transformed into a fiery rune as soon as it left the demon god's body, flying toward Xuan Fu's body.

Without a moment's hesitation, Xuan Fu absorbed this fire rune into himself. His runic patterns spun rapidly, beginning to refine this Origin. As soon as the Fire Origin entered, it brought a searing pain, As if to shatter his talisman body in flames. But Xuan Fu was prepared. He activated the Wood Origin he had absorbed earlier, forming a warm barrier to neutralize the fire attribute's violence, while using the "Division" Dao power from the Pangu Great Dao to dismantle and assimilate the Fire Origin layer by layer.

This process was excruciatingly difficult; each dismantling consumed intense Spiritual Sense. But Xuan Fu Grit Teeth and Persevere. He knew that opportunities in Chaos were fleeting. This thread of Fire Origin might be the key to his foothold in the Primordial World.

Just as the Fire Origin was about to be fully refined, the Yanhuang Demon God suddenly opened its eyes.

They were a pair of red eyes filled with brutality and unwillingness. Even as its body was on the verge of collapse, it still Emitted a chilling Aura of Destruction. It seemed to sense the loss of its Origin, its gaze sweeping over its broken body, finally landing on the fragment core beside it.

"Ant... daring to covet This Seat's Origin!"

A hoarse roar rang out. The Yanhuang Demon God mustered its Last Trace of strength, extending a claw burning with Demonic Fire toward the fragment's crevice. Before the claw even touched the fragment, it was twisted and deformed by Chaos Turbulence, but that Aura of Destruction had already locked onto Xuan Fu's body.

Xuan Fu's heart tightened, and his refining accelerated abruptly. Just as the Fire Origin fully merged with his talisman body, and the first clear Fire Pattern appeared on his rune's surface, he unhesitatingly activated the Power of Space Runes he had just comprehended—the faint Space Origin Stripped Away earlier from the Chaos Crystal. Now, under crisis, it finally proved useful.

His talisman body transformed into a cyan-gold streak of light, following the gaps in Chaos Turbulence, instantly teleporting thousands of miles away. The Yanhuang Demon God's claw grabbed empty air, slamming heavily onto the fragment, grinding the last core into dust.

Without its final support, the Yanhuang Demon God's body could no longer hold. It completely disintegrated in Chaos Turbulence, scattering into Origin Fragments Flying Everywhere, which were then utterly annihilated by the axe light's residual wave that followed.

Only after teleporting thousands of miles did Xuan Fu dare to slow down slightly. He stopped in a relatively calm Chaos Qi mass, his talisman body trembling faintly—both from lingering fear and excitement.

Having refined a thread of the Yanhuang Demon God's Fire Origin, his runes not only gained fire-attribute power but, more importantly, through this crisis, he had gained deeper insights into the "Destruction" and "Division" of the Pangu Great Dao, as well as the "Escape" of Space Runes. The patterns on his rune's surface grew more complex, and his Spiritual Sense had strengthened considerably.

He didn't linger. The Sky-Opening Axe Light continued to sweep through Chaos, the Chaos Stream growing ever more violent. No one knew what danger might come next. Xuan Fu adjusted his direction, flying toward denser Chaos Turbulence—the more chaotic the place, the easier to hide traces, and the more likely to pick up Origin Fragments left by other fallen demon gods.

Just as he dove into a thick patch of Chaos Turbulence, his Spiritual Sense suddenly caught an unusual fluctuation.

That fluctuation wasn't from Pangu's heaven and earth creation power, nor from a demon god's ferocious aura. It was a sinister, concealed presence, like a viper lurking in the dark. The presence was extremely faint; if he hadn't just merged with Fire Origin, sharpening his Spiritual Sense, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.

Xuan Fu immediately retracted all his aura, transforming himself into a barely perceptible rune, hiding behind a stone fragment in the turbulence. His Spiritual Sense cautiously extended, probing along that unusual fluctuation.

Tens of thousands of miles away in Chaos Turbulence, a pitch-black figure was silently sneaking. The figure was shaped like a giant bird, surrounded by dense Space Turbulence, collecting the Origin Fragments scattered from the Yanhuang Demon God's disintegration. Its movements were extremely covert, each shift perfectly matching Chaos Stream—clearly a Chaos powerhouse skilled in concealment.

Xuan Fu's runic patterns tightened slightly, wariness rising in his heart.

He recognized this figure—the Chaos Space Attribute Demon God, Kongming. Rumored to be sinister and suspicious, skilled in space escape and ambushes, its strength far exceeded the Yanhuang Demon God's, making it one of the few in Chaos capable of contending with top-tier demon gods.

Kongming didn't seem to notice Xuan Fu's spying, still focused on collecting Origin Fragments. But somehow, Xuan Fu felt that those eyes hidden in the darkness seemed to be subtly glancing in his direction.

Chaos Turbulence grew more turbulent. Pangu's axe light still shone in the distance, while not far away, the Kongming Demon God, like an invisible net, silently Enveloped this region.