Remnant Might of Sky-Opening, Talisman Enlightenment of Rigid-Soft

Space blades rained down like a dense storm, each one carrying a sharpness that could cleave the chaos itself. At the same time, the remnant soul projection of the Yanhuang Demon God swept forward from the front, wrapped in a wildfire of blazing flames. Caught in this pincer attack, Xuan Fu's escape routes were completely sealed off. The surrounding chaos streams were churned by the fire waves and the power of space, forming a rotating energy vortex that trapped him firmly at its center.

Even more deadly, the ice-cold gaze from the depths of chaos descended once again, like a suspended sword of Damocles, preventing him from any distraction. With triple pressure stacked, the talisman patterns trembled violently, and the tri-color barrier on his body dimmed in an instant.

Xuan Fu did not panic. His spiritual sense raced at the critical moment. He knew clearly that a head-on fight would mean certain death. Only by borrowing strength to strike could he find a sliver of hope.

"Old friend Yanhuang, that old ghost Kongming wants to reap the benefits while we fight. Why don't we join forces and kill him first, then settle our own score?" Xuan Fu's spiritual sense transmission reached the minds of both the Yanhuang remnant soul and the Kongming Demon God.

The Yanhuang remnant soul, already enraged by the theft of his origin, paused at these words. Though his spiritual intelligence was damaged, he understood the principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold. Kongming's strength far exceeded his own remnant soul at this moment. If Xuan Fu were defeated first, he would surely fall victim next. In an instant, the Yanhuang remnant soul reversed direction, and the fire waves turned abruptly, sweeping toward the Kongming Demon God.

"Fool!" Kongming Demon God roared in anger, a flicker of panic in his sinister eyes. He hadn't expected Yanhuang to be so easily provoked, nor had he imagined Xuan Fu would dare to use a divide-and-conquer strategy in such a desperate situation. The trajectory of the space blades changed hastily—part of them to block the fire waves, the rest still attacking Xuan Fu, clearly unwilling to let go of this golden opportunity.

This was exactly the gap Xuan Fu needed!

He violently activated the Space Folding Power, his form retreating like a ghost, while simultaneously unleashing the Fire Origin and Space Origin at full force, condensing a green-red space fire wall before him. The space blades crashed against the fire wall with a sizzling sound, most of their power neutralized by the wall's high temperature and space-distorting force. The remaining impact struck the tri-color barrier, causing it to tremble slightly but not break.

At the same time, the fire waves of the Yanhuang remnant soul collided with Kongming's space blades. With a thunderous boom, the fire waves were sliced into countless fragments by the space blades, but the explosive force also pushed Kongming back several zhang. The Yanhuang remnant soul let out an unwilling roar, its projection growing even dimmer, clearly having exhausted most of its remaining origin in this strike.

A flash of insight surged through Xuan Fu's spiritual sense. He knew the moment had come. Instead of attacking either side, he activated all his origin power, unfolding the talisman patterns of the Hidden Void Burning Array across his body. Transforming into a stream of green-gold light, he charged toward the weakest point of the energy vortex.

"Trying to run?" Kongming Demon God sensed his intent and roared, activating his power of space to try and trap him again.

But Xuan Fu was prepared. He infused the newly refined Life Origin into the space rune, making his escape trajectory as smooth as flowing water, slipping through the gaps in the spatial confinement. At the same time, he struck back with a Fire Attribute Talisman, landing it precisely between the Yanhuang remnant soul and Kongming, detonating the residual Fire Origin.

The violent explosion erupted again, blocking Kongming's pursuit and causing the already crumbling Yanhuang remnant soul to let out a piercing wail. Its projection completely disintegrated, scattering into countless fiery origin fragments across the chaos.

Xuan Fu did not look back. He pushed his escape power to the limit, racing deep into the chaos. He could feel Kongming Demon God's spiritual sense locked firmly onto him, the spatial fluctuations behind him growing closer and closer. Clearly, his pursuer had not given up.

What unsettled him even more was that the ice-cold, mysterious gaze still enveloped him like a clinging curse. No matter how fast he fled, he could not shake it off.

"I must shake them off as soon as possible!"

Xuan Fu grit his teeth, his talismans tightening, as his spiritual sense raced wildly, searching for any usable terrain. Though the residual power of the Sky-Opening Axe Light had weakened, the chaos still held many space rifts left by Pangu's strike. These rifts were extremely dangerous, but also the perfect barrier to shake off pursuit.

He quickly locked onto a space rift several zhang wide. Inside, it was pitch black, exuding an aura that devoured everything. Without a moment's hesitation, Xuan Fu veered sharply and charged toward the rift.

"Madman!" The voice of Kongming Demon God came from behind, filled with shock and fury. He hadn't expected Xuan Fu to dare enter such a death trap. The internal space of the rift was chaotic; even he wouldn't dare venture in lightly.

Kongming's pursuit momentum slowed, clearly hesitating whether to follow. In that brief hesitation, Xuan Fu had already plunged into the space rift.

Inside the rift, space fragments flew everywhere, countless tiny space blades slicing at everything like random knives. Xuan Fu activated his space rune, transforming himself into a pure talisman light, weaving through the rift's airflow to avoid the deadly fragments. At the same time, he pushed his Life Origin to the limit, repairing the damage to his talisman body caused by the spatial forces.

The spatial fluctuations here were extremely violent, not only cutting off external spiritual sense detection but also blurring the ice-cold, mysterious gaze. Xuan Fu's heart eased slightly, knowing he was temporarily safe.

He did not linger in the rift but advanced quickly along its extension. The other end of the space rift would surely connect to another area of chaos, perhaps allowing him to completely shake off Kongming and the mysterious presence.

After an unknown time traveling through the rift, a glimmer of light finally appeared ahead. Xuan Fu rejoiced in his heart and sped up, bursting out.

What appeared before him was a completely different scene.

The chaos streams here were gentler, the separation of pure and turbid energies more distinct. The pure energy floated upward, while the turbid sank downward. The embryonic form of heaven and earth was already clearly visible. In the distance, he could even see the outlines of rolling mountains—the prototype of the Wild Continent.

"The Wild Continent... is finally taking shape." A trace of emotion rippled through Xuan Fu's spiritual sense.

He knew the chaotic era was about to end, and a new age was about to begin. But this newborn world was no paradise. The shadow of the Three Clans Hegemony was already gathering, and the seeds of the great tribulation had been sown.

Just then, a powerful energy fluctuation came from ahead, drawing Xuan Fu's attention. He activated his Stealth Talisman and approached quietly. On a plain before him, a massive Chaos Crystal floated in midair. Around it lay dozens of fragments containing pure origin—clearly the remains of a powerful demon god who had fallen.

What delighted him even more was that the crystal's surface was covered with Dao Trajectories left by the Sky-Opening Axe Light. These trajectories were clearer and more complete than any he had recorded before, containing the ultimate essence of Pangu's "Rigid" and "Break" principles.

Xuan Fu's heart surged with ecstasy. This was an incredible opportunity! If he could fully comprehend these trajectories, his talisman path would achieve a qualitative leap.

He did not approach recklessly. First, he set up multiple layers of stealth talisman arrays around the area. Only after confirming that no other demon god was spying did he slowly walk toward the Chaos Crystal.

The tip of his finger—the tip of his talisman—gently touched the crystal's surface. A vast power of sky-opening surged into his body through his fingertip. Xuan Fu immediately focused his mind, pouring all his effort into comprehending the Dao principles within the trajectories. Pangu's power in opening the sky was fierce and unstoppable, a force that broke all shackles and created new life.

This essence of "Rigid" stood in stark contrast to the "Soft" of the space power and the "Moist" of the life power he had previously understood. Xuan Fu's spiritual sense raced, attempting to fuse "Rigid" and "Soft."

The talisman patterns flowed continuously, the power of sky-opening and the power of space colliding and merging. At first, the two forces were like fire and water—incompatible. The fierce sky-opening power nearly burst his talisman body apart. But Xuan Fu grit his teeth and persevered, using the Life Origin as a buffer, constantly adjusting the ratio of the two forces.

Time passed drop by drop. Xuan Fu was immersed in enlightenment, oblivious to the outside world. His talisman body flickered constantly, the green-gold light sometimes erupting with fierce energy, sometimes flowing with gentle waves. The two starkly different forces gradually began to merge, forming a wondrous rhythm of rigid and soft harmony.

After an unknown time, Xuan Fu's eyes snapped open—his spiritual sense erupted. The patterns on his talisman surface had become more intricate, more rounded. The rigid and soft forces were perfectly interwoven, emitting an indescribable pressure.

He had succeeded! Not only had he comprehended the "Rigid" Dao essence of Pangu's sky-opening, but he had also fused it with his own "Soft" Dao talismans, creating a brand new talisman power—Rigid-Soft Talisman Power. This power could be as indestructible as the Sky-Opening Axe or as flexible as flowing water, far surpassing the power of his previous single-attribute talismans.

Xuan Fu took a deep breath, his talismans expanding, and raised his hand to strike out a Rigid-Soft Talisman Power. A flash of green-gold light passed, and the chaos stream ahead was instantly split open, yet it healed in the same moment, showcasing the wondrous effect of rigid and soft harmony.

Just as he was reveling in the joy of his breakthrough, his spiritual sense suddenly caught a familiar aura.

It was the aura of the Kongming Demon God!

Xuan Fu's heart tightened. He hadn't expected Kongming to be so persistent, following the trajectory of the space rift to chase him. What alarmed him even more was that Kongming's aura was now more violent than before, as if he had absorbed more origin during the pursuit, increasing his strength.

He immediately suppressed his aura, hiding behind the Chaos Crystal, while activating the Rigid-Soft Talisman Power to form a new protective barrier on his body.

Kongming Demon God's figure soon appeared in his vision. His sinister eyes swept across the plain, finally landing on the Chaos Crystal and the scattered origin fragments around it. Clearly, he too had been drawn here by the origin aura.

Kongming's gaze lingered on the crystal for a moment, a flash of greed in his eyes, before he began collecting the surrounding origin fragments. He seemed not to have noticed Xuan Fu's presence, perhaps because the Dao Trajectories on the Chaos Crystal interfered with his spiritual sense detection.

Xuan Fu held his breath, his spiritual sense locked tightly on Kongming, rapidly calculating his options. Kongming's strength was already greater than his, and now it had increased further. A direct fight was hopeless. But if he could leverage the Sky-Opening Trajectories on the Chaos Crystal, he might have a chance to fight.

Just then, Kongming suddenly stopped collecting the fragments. His sinister eyes snapped toward the back of the Chaos Crystal, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "A skulking ant, hiding here—do you think this Venerable One can't find you?"

As the words fell, countless space blades shot toward Xuan Fu's hiding spot.

Xuan Fu's heart tightened. He knew he had been discovered. Instead of fleeing, he violently activated the Rigid-Soft Talisman Power, simultaneously drawing on the Sky-Opening Trajectories on the Chaos Crystal to set up a rigid-soft talisman array before him.

"Since I can't avoid it, then let's fight!"

The Space Blade crashed against the talisman formation with a deafening roar. The fierce Sky-Opening power and the gentle Power of Space clashed against each other; the Space Blades were blocked one after another, yet the talisman formation trembled violently, a crack appearing on its surface.

Seeing this, a flash of surprise crossed the Kongming Demon God's eyes, followed by even greater fury: "I never expected an ant like you to have such fortune! Hand over the Dao insights on the crystal, and This Venerable One will grant you a quick death!"

As the words fell, Kongming channeled his entire origin force, transforming into a streak of pitch-black light as he lunged at Xuan Fu. His claws were covered in Space Veins, carrying the momentum to tear everything apart—clearly intending to finish Xuan Fu in one strike.

Xuan Fu took a deep breath, pushing the Rigid-Soft Talisman Power to its limit. The surface of the talismans shimmered with flowing light, and the Sky-Opening Trajectory on the Chaos Crystal lit up in resonance with his formation.

Just as the two were about to collide, Xuan Fu suddenly sensed a faint yet strangely familiar fluctuation from within the Chaos Crystal.

It was the aura of the mysterious presence he had felt earlier in the gaps of the Chaos Fragment!

This aura did not come from outside—it had been hidden inside the Chaos Crystal all along!

A shock ran through Xuan Fu's heart, and at that moment, Kongming's claws were already inches away.