Golden Primordial Origin and purple talismans intertwined, while the black-and-white streams at the center of the Energy Vortex rapidly melted away. Xuan Fu's Spiritual Sense locked firmly onto that Mysterious Aura, only to find it was like the moon reflected in water or flowers seen in a mirror, forever impossible to grasp in substance. It left behind only a vague maxim deep in his consciousness: "The Myriad Daos are chess pieces, and Primordial Chaos is the calamity." As the Formlessness Singularity completely transformed into pure Primordial Chaos Power, that aura gradually faded as well, as if it had never appeared. Only a faint hint of guidance remained, pointing beyond the Chaos and the Initial Realm toward the "Primordial Chaos Realm."
"Fellow Daoist Mystic Talisman, is the crisis over?" After exhausting his Origin Power, Donghua panted weakly. Wood Spirit Power barely maintained his form, and his gaze toward the Energy Vortex was filled with exhaustion and anticipation. Daoist Yang Mei and the Three Envoys were in the same state. Even the colored light screen of the Lord of the Dao Source had dimmed considerably. Clearly, every side had paid a terrible price in this battle.
Xuan Fu merged the Primordial Unity Talisman into the Talisman Path Core. Purple Primordial Chaos Power flowed through his body, repairing his damaged talisman body. "The Formlessness Singularity has been eliminated, but the true mystery has only just begun." He told everyone about the Mysterious Aura and the abnormal movement of the Primordial Origin. "That existence is not an enemy. It seems more like the arranger of the chess game. We and the Myriad Daos are all pieces on his chessboard."
The voice of the Lord of the Dao Source came through the colored light screen, carrying a trace of solemnity. "The Primordial Chaos Realm is the endpoint of the Myriad Daos. According to legend, only an existence that has reached the 'Primordial Chaos Limitless' realm can enter it. The master of that aura may be the Ultimate Will formed after the Myriad Daos returned to one throughout the ages. All our experiences may already lie within his deductions."
Xuan Fu's heart stirred, and his Spiritual Sense sank into the Primordial Unity Talisman. Within the talisman, countless fragments of the past flashed by like images from a lantern show: the Mysterious Aura that had protected him when he barely survived in the Chaos, the precise guidance of the remnant soul of the Primordial Chaos Talisman Ancestor, the inexplicable resonance of the Belief of All Spirits... All those moments that had seemed like coincidences now connected into a single thread, pointing toward the designs of that mysterious existence. "He has been guiding the Myriad Daos toward unity all along, yet he has never directly interfered. It seems he has been waiting for some Ultimate Choice."
Just then, the Primordial Unity Talisman suddenly erupted with a golden pillar of light, resonating with the Primordial Origin from before. A star map appeared within the pillar. Countless points of light represented different Great Dao Worlds, while the Primordial Wilderness and the Initial Realm were merely two of the least conspicuous among them. At the center of the star map floated a massive golden chess piece—the coordinates of the "Primordial Chaos Realm." Beside it was engraved a line of ancient runes: "The Myriad Daos Gather, the Final Chapter of the Chess Game."
"This is... the full view of the Myriad Daos Chess Game?" Shock flashed through Daoist Yang Mei's eyes. "Countless Great Dao Worlds are converging toward the Primordial Chaos Realm. Clearly, they are all experiencing tribulations like ours. Their ultimate goal is to achieve unity with Primordial Chaos."
Xuan Fu gripped the Primordial Unity Talisman, his decision already made. "I must go to the Primordial Chaos Realm and uncover the Ultimate Secret behind all this. If we remain chess pieces forever, the future of the Primordial Wilderness and the Initial Realm will never be in our own hands."
The Lord of the Dao Source fell silent for a moment before a Seven-colored Origin Pearl flew out of the colored light screen. "This is a fragment of the Dao Source Core. It can help you withstand the impact of the Myriad Dao Laws in the Primordial Chaos Realm. I must remain in the Initial Realm to stabilize the balance of the Dao Source and cannot accompany you."
Daoist Yang Mei, Donghua, and the others also took out their own Origin tokens: a verdant leaf from the Wood Spirit Origin, a Three-colored Crystal from the Origin of the three clans, and the Nirvana Demon Core of the Three Envoys... These tokens contained the purest power of every side. They were both aid and bonds, representing the trust the Myriad Daos placed in him.
Xuan Fu accepted all the tokens and took a deep look at the Universe Talisman Realm behind him. There were the spirits he had protected, the companions who had fought beside him, and everything he had cared about since barely surviving in the Chaos. "I'll return with the answer." He said no more. Activating the Primordial Unity Talisman, he wrapped himself in purple streamers of light and flew toward the Primordial Chaos Realm along the direction indicated by the golden pillar.
After leaving the boundary between the Chaos and the Initial Realm, the surroundings grew increasingly strange. There was no space and no time, only torrents formed from countless interwoven Dao Laws. Each torrent represented an independent Great Dao World, surging toward the same destination. Xuan Fu could see that some worlds had just endured a calamity, and their Primordial Chaos Power had yet to stabilize. Some had already evolved to an extremely high level, radiating pressure far beyond that of the Primordial Wilderness. Others had been destroyed midway, their torrents of laws collapsing and turning into fragments that filled the sky.
During his journey, Xuan Fu encountered Oneness Practitioners from other Great Dao Worlds. They took many forms—some humanoid, some beastlike, and some nothing more than pure Energy Bodies—but all radiated Primordial Chaos Power of the same origin as Xuan Fu. These Oneness Practitioners regarded him warily and did not interfere with one another. They merely followed their respective torrents of laws toward the Primordial Chaos Realm. Clearly, they all understood the dangers of the journey and did not wish to invite complications.
When he reached the entrance to the Primordial Chaos Realm, Xuan Fu was stunned by the sight before him. It was a boundless Golden Stone Gate, covered in Myriad Dao Runes. Each rune told of the rise and fall of a Great Dao World. Countless Oneness Practitioners gathered before the gate, forming a vast torrent, yet none dared to enter rashly. Nine terrifying barriers of laws surrounded the gate, each containing the ultimate rhythm of "Myriad Daos Return to One." Clearly, they were the trials required to enter the Primordial Chaos Realm.
"To enter the Primordial Chaos Realm, you must solve these nine 'Myriad Dao Trials.'" An Oneness Practitioner whose entire body burned with Golden Flame spoke. His aura was even stronger than Xuan Fu's, clearly originating from an extremely powerful Great Dao World. "The trials recreate the crucial junctures of the Myriad Daos' return to one. Only by finding the Path of Balance within them can you pass."
Before his voice faded, an Oneness Practitioner wielding a massive axe charged toward the first barrier. The scene of "Heaven and Earth Creation" instantly evolved within the barrier. Violent Chaos Streams collided with the Pure and Turbid Energies, and countless fragments of laws flew through the air. The Oneness Practitioner swung his giant axe, attempting to split open the barrier by brute force, but the Chaos Streams rebounded against him. His body disintegrated and transformed into a wisp of Primordial Chaos Power before scattering.
Xuan Fu's heart tightened. He understood that these nine trials did not test strength, but one's comprehension of the Path of Primordial Chaos. The core of the first, the "Heaven Creation Trial," was not "breaking," but "establishing." Pangu's creation of heaven was not merely splitting apart the Chaos. It also established a balance between the pure and turbid energies and nurtured life.
He did not advance rashly. Instead, he sat down cross-legged and resonated his own Primordial Chaos Power with the Myriad Dao Runes on the stone gate. His Spiritual Sense sank into the trial barrier. Rather than attacking, he activated the Primordial Unity Talisman and condensed the Pure and Turbid Energies, constructing a balanced structure of laws within the Chaos Streams. Like the aftermath of Pangu's creation of heaven, he used Rigid and Soft Harmony to transform the violent Chaos into soil that could nurture life.
A miracle occurred. The Chaos Streams in the first barrier gradually calmed, while the Pure and Turbid Energies formed a balanced vortex and opened a passage for him. Xuan Fu rose and stepped into the barrier along the passage, passing the first trial completely unharmed.
Seeing this, the other Oneness Practitioners imitated him, but most failed to grasp the method. Some were devoured by the Chaos Streams, while others failed because their balance collapsed. Only a few Oneness Practitioners who had comprehended the core of the trial successfully passed the first barrier and stood with Xuan Fu before the second trial.
The second trial evolved the scene of "Balance of Existence and Non-existence." Primordial Chaos and Void Power clashed, forming a massive Energy Storm. It was precisely the source of the falling-out between the Primordial Chaos Talisman Ancestor and the Lord of Void. Recalling his own experience of fusing the Great Daos of existence and non-existence, Xuan Fu did not favor either side. Instead, he activated his Primordial Chaos Power and built a cycle of "Mutual Generation of Existence and Non-existence" at the storm's center, allowing the two forces to transform into each other and form a new balance.
The barrier opened for him again, and Xuan Fu smoothly passed the second trial. The next three trials were respectively "Calamity of the End," "Dao Source Reordering," and "Formlessness Erosion." All were crises he had experienced before. Relying on his own experiences and his comprehension of the Path of Primordial Chaos, Xuan Fu solved them one by one. With every trial he passed, his Primordial Chaos Power grew purer, and his understanding of the Myriad Daos rose to another level.
When he reached the sixth trial, only three Oneness Practitioners remained around him. This trial evolved the scene of "Nirvana of All Spirits." The beings of a Great Dao World perished in internal strife, ultimately causing the world to collapse. Watching the beings slaughter one another within the scene, Xuan Fu's heart ached as he recalled the Demon Contamination and the Netherworld Calamity once endured by the Primordial Wilderness. He did not directly interfere in the slaughter. Instead, he transformed his Primordial Chaos Power into countless seeds of belief and planted them in the beings' consciousness, allowing them to understand the importance of "All Spirits United."
As the beings abandoned their disputes and joined hands to rebuild their homeland, the world within the trial scene gradually regained its vitality, and the sixth barrier vanished with it. The instant Xuan Fu passed the trial, his Spiritual Sense suddenly resonated intensely with the Universe Talisman Realm of the Primordial Wilderness. He could see the spirits within the realm praying for him. Their beliefs transformed into pure power and flowed into his body along the bond of Primordial Chaos Power.
"So the spirits of all beings are the core of the Path of Primordial Chaos." Xuan Fu suddenly understood. Primordial Chaos was not merely the fusion of power, but the symbiosis and shared prosperity of the Myriad Daos and all spirits. Only by protecting the faith of living beings could the Great Dao endure, and only then could Primordial Chaos remain stable.
The seventh trial evolved the "Primordial Chaos Divergence." Countless Oneness Practitioners slaughtered one another over differing ideals, attempting to seize control of the Primordial Chaos Realm. Xuan Fu did not join the battle. Instead, he used Primordial Chaos Power to construct a talisman formation of "Myriad Dao Symbiosis," enveloping all the battling Oneness Practitioners. Within the formation, the ideals of different Great Daos collided and merged, ultimately forming a balance of "Harmony in Diversity."
After passing the seventh trial, only Xuan Fu and the Golden Flame Unifier remained. The eighth trial was the "Ultimate Choice." The phantom of the Mysterious Aura appeared within the scene and offered two choices: become the new arranger and control the Myriad Daos Chess Game, or break the chess game and grant the Myriad Daos true freedom.
The Golden Flame Unifier chose the former without hesitation, transforming into a streak of light that merged into the phantom and vanished from then on. Xuan Fu looked at the phantom and recalled the spirits of the Primordial Wilderness and the companions who had fought beside him. He resolutely chose the latter. "The Myriad Daos should not be chess pieces. The fate of living beings should be controlled by themselves."
A trace of approval flashed through the phantom's eyes, and the eighth barrier vanished. Xuan Fu stood alone before the final trial, the "Final Chapter of the Chess Game." This trial produced no scene at all. There was only a massive golden chess piece, identical to the piece at the center of the star map. A line of runes was carved into it: "The one who breaks the game must use himself as the chess piece and Primordial Chaos as a blade."
Xuan Fu's heart tightened. He understood that to break the chess game, he had to sacrifice his own Primordial Chaos Power and sever the mysterious existence's control over the Myriad Daos completely. But if he did so, he would lose all his power and might even have his soul scattered.
As he hesitated, his Spiritual Sense once again felt the faith of all spirits, as well as the bonds he shared with the Lord of the Dao Source, Daoist Yang Mei, Donghua, and the others. He recalled how he had barely survived in the Chaos and gradually grown into the Universe Talisman Venerable. His original resolve to protect the Primordial Wilderness had never changed.
"For the freedom of all spirits, for the future of the Myriad Daos, I am willing to become the chess piece!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Xuan Fu completely fused his Primordial Chaos Power with the Primordial Unity Talisman, transforming into a purple chess piece that slammed into the golden chess piece. At the instant the two chess pieces collided, the entire Primordial Chaos Realm shook violently. Countless Dao Laws began to reorganize, and the restraints of the Myriad Daos Chess Game were being forcibly shattered.
Just as the chess game was about to break apart completely, the Mysterious Aura appeared again. This time, it was no longer a vague phantom, but an old man dressed in a Golden Dao Robe. A gentle smile filled the old man's eyes. "Xuan Fu, you have passed the final trial."
Xuan Fu's consciousness emerged from the chess piece, and he stared at the old man in surprise. "You are..."
"I am the collective will of all the Oneness Practitioners throughout the ages, and I am called the 'Primordial Ancestor.'" The old man slowly spoke. "The Myriad Daos Chess Game is not a restraint. It exists to select those who truly understand 'protection and balance' and can reach Primordial Chaos Limitless. Only the resolve to break the chess game allows one to truly control Primordial Chaos and obtain power beyond everything."
The old man raised a hand and waved it. The golden and purple chess pieces merged into a Seven-colored "Primordial Chaos Limitless Talisman," which fell into Xuan Fu's hand. "This talisman contains the Origins of the Myriad Daos and all spirits. From now on, you are a true bearer of Primordial Chaos Limitless. You can control the chess game, break the chess game, and protect the Myriad Daos and all spirits."
Xuan Fu accepted the talisman and felt a vast power surge into his body. His talisman body transformed into a seven-colored crystal, radiating the ultimate rhythm of "Primordial Chaos Limitless, Myriad Dao Symbiosis." His Spiritual Sense covered every Great Dao World, allowing him to clearly sense the faith of every living being and the movement of every Great Dao.
Just when he thought everything had ended, his Spiritual Sense suddenly caught an extremely faint disturbance from the deepest part of the Primordial Chaos Realm. This disturbance came neither from the Primordial Ancestor nor from any Great Dao World, but from the "Void Realm" beyond the chess game. There, an unknown force that even Primordial Chaos Power could not perceive was quietly approaching.
The Primordial Ancestor's expression also turned solemn. "I never thought the 'Lord of Void' truly existed. It is the Absolute Void from before the birth of the Myriad Daos. The chess game had suppressed it all this time, but now that the chess game has loosened, it is finally about to appear."
Xuan Fu's heart sank. He knew that a challenge even more terrifying than every previous crisis was about to arrive. The power of the Lord of Void far surpassed that of the Lord of Formlessness and the Chaos Singularity. It was the true "Nemesis of Myriad Daos."
The Primordial Ancestor raised a hand and sent a strand of golden Origin into Xuan Fu's body. "This is the Origin Power of the Primordial Chaos Limitless Practitioners throughout the ages. It can help you temporarily resist the erosion of the Lord of Void. Go, Xuan Fu. The ultimate battle to protect the Myriad Daos and all spirits has begun."
Xuan Fu gripped the Primordial Chaos Limitless Talisman, his heart filled with resolve. He knew that this time he faced the true ultimate enemy, and the outcome of his battle would determine the fate of every Great Dao World and every living being.
The Golden Stone Gate of the Primordial Chaos Realm slowly opened, revealing a passage leading to the Void Realm. Xuan Fu transformed into a streak of seven-colored light and flew toward the passage. Behind him were the hopes of the Myriad Daos; before him lay unknown danger.
A final battle concerning the survival of all existence had quietly begun at the edge of the Void Realm.
Before you continue