Fragments Drift, Runes Contain the Way

Chaos Turbulence surged like a stampede of wild horses, carrying countless rubble and Origin Fragments as it howled and tore through the darkness. Xuan Fu's hiding place—a piece of rubble no larger than a fist—was like a lone leaf boat amidst towering waves in the violent currents, at constant risk of being overturned and crushed.

He suppressed every trace of his aura with all his might, his Talisman body perfectly fusing with the rubble's material, even compressing his Spiritual Sense down to the core of the rune, leaving only a faint thread of perception to keep watch over Kongming Demon God, who was tens of thousands of miles away. Kongming remained focused on collecting the Origin Fragments of Yanhuang Demon God, his pitch-black figure weaving nimbly through the turbulence as the Power of Space flowed, forcibly pulling the scattered fiery origins toward himself and absorbing them.

Xuan Fu saw it clearly—Kongming's manipulation of space was exquisitely refined, not merely simple teleportation or confinement, but turning space itself into "containers" and "tentacles," capable of precisely gathering origins while carving out temporary stable zones within the turbulence. This reminded him of the Space Rune he had just grasped; compared to this, his own efforts were like a child at play, and a sense of urgency stirred within him.

In the Chaos, strength was the foundation of survival. If he couldn't elevate his Talisman Arts quickly enough, forget about seizing opportunities—he might not even manage to protect himself.

He didn't approach recklessly. Instead, using the turbulence as cover, he quietly adjusted the drift direction of the rubble, maintaining a safe distance from Kongming while focusing his Spiritual Sense on Kongming's every move, like the most devoted disciple recording each trace of the Power of Space in action. Every motion, every fluctuation of Kongming's aura, contained the profound principles of the Space Great Dao—insights far beyond anything Xuan Fu had encountered before, far deeper than the sliver of Space Origin he had stripped from the Chaos Crystal.

The rune patterns spun rapidly, imprinting these insights one by one, cross-referencing them with his existing Space Rune. Gradually, Xuan Fu felt his understanding of the Power of Space expand beyond mere "teleportation" to include possibilities like "containment," "cutting," and "folding." The once blurry spatial patterns on the rune's surface began to grow clearer.

Just then, Kongming seemed to have finished collecting the nearby Origin Fragments. With a flicker of movement, he transformed into a streak of pitch-black light and fled deeper into the Chaos. His speed far surpassed Xuan Fu's spatial teleportation, vanishing into the turbulence in an instant.

Xuan Fu's tense mind relaxed slightly, but he didn't emerge immediately. He knew well that the Chaos was full of variables—there was no guarantee Kongming hadn't left a hidden trap or wouldn't double back. He remained hidden within the rubble for three Chaos hours, and only after confirming no unusual fluctuations in the surroundings did he activate his rune power and slip out from the stone.

By now, due to the ongoing influence of Pangu's creation of the world, the Chaos currents had grown even more violent, but they also brought forth more opportunities. Countless Origin Fragments left by fallen Demon Gods and fragments of Innate Spiritual Treasures drifted and sank in the turbulence, emitting alluring auras. But Xuan Fu wasn't blinded by these treasures. He knew clearly that the more tempting something appeared, the greater the danger it might conceal.

He transformed into a streak of cyan-golden light, weaving nimbly through the turbulence with a clear goal—to seek out those overlooked, unremarkable Chaos substances that yet contained pure origins. After fusing with the Fire Origin and a small amount of Space Origin earlier, his Talisman body's perception of origins had grown sharper, allowing him to easily distinguish which fragments held gentle, easily refined power and which carried violent malice, hard to control.

Half a Chaos hour later, Xuan Fu's Spiritual Sense caught a peculiar fluctuation.

The fluctuation didn't come from an Origin Fragment, but from a Chaos Crystal suspended in the turbulence. The crystal was about the size of a human head, deep blue in color, its surface covered with spiral patterns, surrounded by faint spatial ripples—clearly containing extremely pure Space Origin. What's more, no Demon God was spying on the crystal, only a few weak Chaos Fiend Spirits lingering nearby, drawn by the crystal's aura but too afraid to approach.

His heart stirred.

He could feel that the Space Origin within this crystal was several times purer than what he had stripped before. If he could refine it, his Space Rune would undergo a qualitative leap, perhaps even allowing him to comprehend new Space Talisman techniques. But he didn't act immediately. First, he observed from a distance for a while, confirming that no hidden restrictions or marks left by Demon Gods surrounded the crystal.

Those Chaos Fiend Spirits were weak and posed no threat, but Xuan Fu was always cautious, unwilling to leave any loopholes. He circled the crystal once, his Spiritual Sense carefully probing every corner, and only after confirming absolute safety did he begin to act.

He didn't approach the crystal directly. Instead, he activated his newly comprehended "cutting" aspect of space. A faint cyan-golden Space Blade emerged on the rune's surface, slashing toward the few Chaos Fiend Spirits. The Space Blade was silent and invisible, instantly slicing the Fiend Spirits into fragments, which dissolved into pure Chaos Energy and scattered into the turbulence.

With the Fiend Spirits dealt with, Xuan Fu slowly approached the crystal. He extended an invisible hand formed from his rune power and gently touched the crystal's surface. The deep blue crystal transmitted a cool sensation, and the spiral patterns on its surface lit up, emitting an even denser spatial aura.

Xuan Fu didn't rush to absorb it. First, he wrapped the crystal with his rune power, isolating it from the surrounding Chaos Stream. Then, he activated his own Space Rune, establishing a connection with the crystal's Space Origin. Like a drop merging into the ocean, the moment his rune power touched the crystal, he felt a vast surge of spatial energy rushing toward him, flowing along the rune patterns and converging into his main body.

This energy was purer than he had imagined, but also exceptionally violent. Forcibly absorbing it would likely cause his rune to collapse. Xuan Fu was prepared. He immediately activated the "division" principle of the Pangu Great Dao, breaking down the incoming spatial energy layer by layer into countless tiny Energy Flows, then refining and assimilating each one individually.

The process of refinement was slow and tedious.

The Chaos Turbulence remained violent, with rubble and Origin Fragments occasionally brushing past him. Xuan Fu had to refine the energy while staying alert to his surroundings. He split his Spiritual Sense into two parts: one focused on the rune's operation, guiding the spatial energy into himself; the other spread outward, sensing every change around him to ensure no sudden danger could ambush him.

Time trickled by. After three Chaos hours, Xuan Fu's Talisman body had undergone a noticeable transformation.

The rune, originally the size of a fingernail, had now expanded to the size of a thumb. Its cyan-golden surface was even more crystalline and translucent, and the spatial patterns on it seemed alive, constantly flowing and flickering, emitting faint spatial ripples. His control over the Power of Space had evolved from initial "short-range teleportation" to "small-scale space folding"—within the range of his Spiritual Sense, he could slightly fold space to achieve instantaneous movement, several times faster than before.

More importantly, within his Talisman system, the framework of the Space Talisman had taken preliminary shape. He could clearly feel that as long as he accumulated enough origins, he could condense a true "Space Talisman," which would qualitatively elevate his abilities in concealment, escape, attack, and defense.

Just as the Space Origin within the crystal was about to be fully refined, Xuan Fu's Spiritual Sense suddenly caught a faint energy fluctuation.

This fluctuation didn't come from the Chaos Turbulence, nor was it the aura of a Demon God. Instead, it was a gentle, pure power brimming with life. This power was extremely faint; had he not just refined the Space Origin and greatly enhanced his Spiritual Sense, he wouldn't have detected it at all.

Curious, Xuan Fu paused his refinement, activated his space-folding power, and teleported toward the direction of the fluctuation. The closer he got, the clearer the life force became, causing even his Talisman body to tremble with a comfortable thrill.

Passing through a dense patch of Chaos Turbulence, the scene before him made Xuan Fu pause in surprise.

Several thousand miles ahead, the Chaos Stream had actually grown calm, forming a relatively stable zone. In the center of this zone grew a strange plant—it had only three leaves, emerald green in color, with faint spiritual light flowing across their surfaces. It was this plant that emitted the alluring life force.

"An Innate Spiritual Root?"

Xuan Fu's Spiritual Sense rippled. Though he had never seen an Innate Spiritual Root before, nothing else that could grow in the Chaos and emit such pure life force existed. This root was clearly not yet mature, its aura still weak, but the Life Origin it contained was excellent nourishment for any Chaos being, especially for a Talisman Spirit like him who needed multiple origins to perfect his Talisman path.

He didn't approach immediately. Instead, he concealed himself at the edge of the turbulence, carefully observing the environment around the root. Though this zone was stable, danger might still lurk—places capable of nurturing an Innate Spiritual Root might not be without Guardians.

After observing for half an hour, Xuan Fu found nothing unusual. No traces of Demon Gods, no fluctuations of restrictions—it seemed this Innate Spiritual Root truly was ownerless.

But Xuan Fu didn't let his guard down. He knew that in the Chaos, the safer an opportunity appeared, the greater the trap it might conceal. He activated his Space Rune, completely concealing his aura, and like a ghost, slowly approached the Innate Spiritual Root.

Just as he was a hundred zhang away, ready to extract a strand of Life Origin from the root, a sudden change occurred.

The once gentle Chaos Stream abruptly turned violent, and the surrounding space began to warp violently. A pitch-black crack silently appeared above the root, emitting a spatial aura similar to Kongming Demon God's, but colder and more terrifying.

Xuan Fu's heart jolted. Without hesitation, he activated his space-folding power, instantly teleporting several hundred zhang away, hiding behind a massive piece of Chaos rubble.

His Spiritual Sense locked onto the pitch-black crack. From within, a claw covered in black scales slowly extended, its surface dense with fine spatial patterns, radiating a suffocating pressure.

The owner of this claw was clearly another space-attribute powerhouse, and its strength far surpassed Kongming Demon God's!

Xuan Fu's rune patterns tightened, a chill rising in his heart. He could feel that the existence behind that crack was staring at the Innate Spiritual Root, and his own approach earlier seemed to have been detected.

The gentle life force and the cold spatial pressure intertwined in this zone, and the Chaos Stream once again grew violently chaotic. The rubble hiding Xuan Fu trembled slightly in the currents, while the pitch-black crack slowly expanded at a visible rate.