The Chaos Turbulence was like a herd of galloping wild horses, carrying countless fragments of stone and Origin Fragments as it roared through the darkness. The stone concealing Xuan Fu was only the size of a fist. In the raging currents, it was like a tiny boat amid stormy waves, liable to be overturned and crushed at any moment.
He tightly reined in every trace of his aura. His talisman body had perfectly merged with the stone's material, and he had even compressed his Spiritual Sense into the core of the talisman, leaving behind only the faintest perception to remain alert to Kongming Demon God tens of thousands of miles away. Kongming was still focused on collecting the Origin Fragments of Yanhuang Demon God. His pitch-black figure darted nimbly through the turbulence as he circulated his Power of Space, forcibly dragging the scattered crimson Fire Origin toward himself and merging it into his body.
Xuan Fu saw it clearly. Kongming's control of space was exquisitely precise. It was not merely evasion or restraint. Instead, he transformed space into "containers" and "tentacles," allowing him to precisely collect the Origin while also opening up temporary stable regions within the turbulence. This reminded him of the Space Runes he had just mastered. Compared with Kongming's skill, his own was practically child's play, and a sense of urgency inevitably rose within him.
In the Chaos, strength was the foundation of survival. If he could not quickly improve his attainments in Talisman Arts, he would struggle even to protect himself, let alone pick up fortuitous opportunities.
He did not approach recklessly. Instead, under the cover of the turbulence, he quietly adjusted the stone's drifting direction, maintaining a safe distance from Kongming while concentrating his Spiritual Sense on Kongming's movements. He was like the most devout apprentice, recording every trajectory of the other party's Power of Space. Every one of Kongming's movements and every fluctuation of his aura contained the profound mysteries of the Great Dao of Space. These were high-level insights Xuan Fu had never encountered before, far more profound than the small amount of Space Origin he had extracted from the Chaos Crystal.
The rune patterns flowed rapidly, imprinting these insights one by one and verifying them against the Space Runes he already possessed. Gradually, Xuan Fu felt that his understanding of the Power of Space was no longer limited to "evasion." It now included possibilities such as "storage," "cutting," and "folding." The previously blurred Space Veins on the surface of the talisman also began to grow clear.
At that moment, Kongming seemed to have finished collecting the nearby Origin Fragments. His figure moved, transforming into a streak of pitch-black light that fled toward the deeper Chaos. His speed far surpassed Xuan Fu's spatial evasion, and he vanished into the turbulence in an instant.
Xuan Fu's tense mind relaxed slightly, but he did not reveal himself at once. He knew that the Chaos was full of variables. No one could guarantee that Kongming had not left behind a hidden trick, or that he would not return. He remained hidden inside the stone for three Chaos hours. Only after confirming that there were no unusual fluctuations nearby did he activate his talisman power and emerge from the stone.
At this moment, due to the continuing influence of Pangu's Creation of the World, the Chaos currents had grown increasingly violent, but more opportunities had also emerged. Countless Origin Fragments left behind by fallen Demon Gods and fragments of Innate Spiritual Treasures floated within the turbulence, emitting enticing auras. However, Xuan Fu did not lose his head over these opportunities. He knew clearly that the more enticing something was, the greater the danger that might be hidden behind it.
He transformed into a streak of Cyan-Golden Stream and darted nimbly through the turbulence, with a clear goal—to search for Chaos materials that no one cared about, that seemed inconspicuous, yet contained pure Origin. After fusing with the Fire Origin and a small amount of Space Origin earlier, his talisman body had become far more sensitive to Origin. He could easily distinguish which fragments contained gentle, easily refined power and which carried violent, vicious energy that was difficult to control.
Half a Chaos hour later, Xuan Fu's Spiritual Sense caught a trace of unusual fluctuation.
The fluctuation did not come from an Origin Fragment, but from a Chaos Crystal floating within the turbulence. The crystal was about the size of a human head, dark blue throughout, with spiral patterns covering its surface. Faint spatial ripples surrounded it, clearly indicating that it contained extremely pure Space Origin. Even more rarely, no Demon God was spying on the crystal. Only a few weak Chaos Fiend Spirits hovered nearby, seemingly attracted by the crystal's aura yet afraid to approach.
Xuan Fu's heart stirred.
He could feel that the Space Origin contained within this crystal was several times purer than what he had extracted before. If he could refine it, his own Space Runes would certainly undergo a qualitative leap, and he might even comprehend new Space Talisman Arts. But he did not act at once. Instead, he observed from a distance for a while, confirming that there were no hidden restrictions or marks left behind by a Demon God around the crystal.
Those Chaos Fiend Spirits were weak and posed no threat, but Xuan Fu had always been cautious in his actions and was unwilling to leave anything overlooked. He circled the crystal once, carefully probing every corner with his Spiritual Sense. Only after confirming that it was absolutely safe did he begin to act.
He did not approach the crystal directly. Instead, he activated the spatial "cutting" power he had just comprehended. A faint Cyan-Golden Space Blade appeared on the surface of the talisman and slashed toward the few Chaos Fiend Spirits. The Space Blade made no sound. In an instant, it cleaved the Fiend Spirits into fragments, transforming them into the purest Chaos Energy before they dissipated into the turbulence.
After dealing with the Fiend Spirits, Xuan Fu slowly approached the crystal. He extended an invisible hand condensed from his runes and gently touched the crystal's surface. The dark-blue crystal transmitted a chill, and the spiral patterns on its surface lit up, radiating an even denser spatial aura.
Xuan Fu did not hurry to absorb it. Instead, he first wrapped the crystal in talisman power, isolating it from the surrounding Chaos Stream. Then, he activated his own Space Runes and established a connection with the crystal's Space Origin. Like a droplet merging into the sea, the moment his talisman power touched the crystal, he sensed a vast spatial energy surging forth. It flowed along the rune patterns toward his body.
This energy was even purer than he had imagined, but it was also exceptionally violent. If he forcibly absorbed it, it would likely cause the runes to collapse. Xuan Fu had been prepared for this. He immediately circulated the essence of "division" within the Pangu Great Dao, dismantling the incoming spatial energy layer by layer and splitting it into countless tiny Energy Flows, which he then refined and assimilated one by one.
The refining process was slow and tedious.
The Chaos Turbulence remained violent. From time to time, stones and Origin Fragments swept past him, and Xuan Fu had to remain alert to his surroundings while refining the energy. He divided his Spiritual Sense into two parts. One focused on circulating the runes and guiding the spatial energy into himself, while the other spread outward, sensing every change in the surroundings to ensure that he would not be ambushed by a sudden danger.
Time trickled by. After three Chaos hours, Xuan Fu's talisman body underwent an obvious change.
The talisman, originally the size of a fingernail, had now expanded to the size of a thumb. Its Cyan-Golden surface had become even more crystalline and translucent, while the Space Veins upon it seemed to have come alive, constantly flowing and flickering as they emitted faint spatial ripples. His control over the Power of Space had also evolved from the initial "short-distance evasion" to being able to perform "small-scale Space Folding." As long as it was within the range covered by his Spiritual Sense, he could slightly fold space and achieve instantaneous movement, moving several times faster than before.
More importantly, the framework of the spatial talisman in his system of Talisman Arts had begun to take shape. He could clearly sense that once he accumulated enough Origin, he would be able to condense a true "Space Talisman." By then, whether for concealment, evasion, attack, or defense, he would receive a qualitative boost.
Just as the crystal's Space Origin was about to be completely refined, Xuan Fu's Spiritual Sense suddenly caught a faint energy fluctuation.
The fluctuation did not come from the Chaos Turbulence, nor did it carry the aura of a Demon God. It was a gentle, pure power filled with vitality. This power was extremely faint. If he had not just refined the Space Origin and greatly strengthened his Spiritual Sense, he would have been unable to detect it at all.
Curious, Xuan Fu temporarily stopped refining and activated the Space Folding Power, fleeing toward the direction from which the fluctuation came. The closer he got, the clearer that vital force became, making even his talisman body tremble with a wave of comfortable excitement.
After passing through a dense stretch of Chaos Turbulence, the scene before him left Xuan Fu slightly stunned.
Several thousand miles ahead, the Chaos Stream had actually become gentle, forming a relatively stable region. A strange plant grew in the center of the region. It had only three leaves, each a verdant green, with faint spiritual light flowing across its surface. This plant was the source of that enticing vital force.
"An Innate Spiritual Root?"
Xuan Fu's Spiritual Sense fluctuated slightly. Although he had never seen an Innate Spiritual Root, for something to grow in the Chaos and emit such pure Life Origin, there could be no other possibility. This Spiritual Root was clearly not yet mature, and its aura was still faint. But the Life Origin it contained was excellent nourishment for any Chaos lifeform, especially for a Talisman Spirit like him, who needed many kinds of Origin to perfect his Talisman Arts.
He did not approach at once. Instead, he concealed himself at the edge of the turbulence and carefully observed the environment around the Spiritual Root. Although this region was stable, it might still conceal danger. A place capable of nurturing an Innate Spiritual Root might well have Guardians.
After observing for half an hour, Xuan Fu discovered nothing unusual. There was neither any trace of a Demon God nor any fluctuation from a restriction. It seemed that this Innate Spiritual Root truly was ownerless.
But Xuan Fu did not lower his guard. He knew that in the Chaos, opportunities that seemed safer often concealed even greater traps. He activated his Space Runes and completely concealed his aura, slowly approaching the Innate Spiritual Root like a ghost.
When he was only a hundred zhang away from the Spiritual Root and was preparing to extract a strand of its Life Origin, something suddenly changed.
The previously gentle Chaos Stream suddenly turned violent, and the surrounding space began to twist intensely. A pitch-black crack quietly appeared above the Spiritual Root. From within the crack came a spatial aura similar to Kongming Demon God's, yet colder and more terrifying.
Xuan Fu's heart jolted. Without hesitation, he activated the Space Folding Power and instantly fled several hundred zhang away, hiding behind a massive piece of Chaos stone.
His Spiritual Sense locked tightly onto the pitch-black crack. He saw a claw covered in black scales slowly extend from within it. Fine Space Veins covered the claw, and it radiated a heart-pounding pressure.
The owner of this claw was clearly another powerhouse with an affinity for space—and its strength far surpassed Kongming Demon God's!
The rune patterns on Xuan Fu's body contracted tightly, and a chill rose in his heart. He could sense that the existence behind the crack was watching the Innate Spiritual Root, and that his approach just now seemed to have been noticed.
The gentle Life Origin and the cold spatial pressure intertwined throughout the region, and the Chaos Stream once again became violently turbulent. The stone concealing Xuan Fu trembled faintly in the currents, while the pitch-black crack slowly widened at a visible rate.
Before you continue