Reaching into the Chaos, Nearly Blown Away by the Airwave

It took Lin Yue quite a while to digest the fact that he had encountered Pangu. He looked at the silent figure before him, feeling both excited and apprehensive—excited to meet the legendary Creation God, yet apprehensive about whether this great being might harbor hostility toward an "outsider" like him.

"Se... Senior Pangu," Lin Yue swallowed, his voice trembling slightly, "this junior... this junior is new here and knows nothing of the rules of the Chaos. I was almost hurt by the airflow just now. Do you know how one can move safely within this Chaos?"

Pangu did not turn his head; he merely extended a finger and pointed gently at the gray mist not far away. Lin Yue followed the direction of his finger and discovered that although the gray mist there remained violent, it was thinner than elsewhere, and the flow of the air seemed to follow a pattern, as if moving around certain invisible nodes.

"Follow the trajectory of the airflow?" Lin Yue asked tentatively.

Pangu gave a soft "hmm" in response.

Lin Yue gathered his courage and walked toward the patch of thinner gray mist. Following Pangu's hint, he moved by stepping into the gaps between the flowing air currents, and indeed, it was much smoother than before. The "blades" hidden within the gray mist seemed fewer, no longer able to cut his skin as easily as they had before.

After walking about a dozen steps, Lin Yue stopped. He wanted to see if he could make direct contact with these Chaos Airflow—after all, he would have to survive in the Chaos for a long time, and he couldn't just keep dodging the airflow forever. He took a deep breath, extended his right hand, and slowly brought his fingertips toward the gray mist.

The moment his fingertips touched the airflow, a sharp, stinging pain shot through them, as if he had been pricked hard by a red-hot needle. Lin Yue quickly retracted his hand. A faint red mark had already appeared on his fingertip, still slightly burning, and the skin around the mark was turning black at a speed visible to the naked eye, clearly eroded by some substance within the Chaos Airflow.

"Such strong corrosion!" Lin Yue gasped, quickly blowing on his fingertip to try and alleviate the pain. He looked at the seemingly ordinary gray mist, his heart filled with awe—this Chaos Energy was even more dangerous than he had imagined.

Unwilling to give up, he picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it hard into the gray mist. As soon as the stone entered the mist, it was enveloped by an invisible force and instantly ground into powder, leaving not even a sound behind. Lin Yue's expression grew more solemn; this Chaos Airflow not only possessed corrosive properties but also immense grinding power. If one were accidentally swept into it, there would likely be nothing left, not even bones.

"It seems I need to find a way to isolate the erosion of the airflow." Lin Yue frowned and began to think of a strategy. He remembered the wisp of golden energy Pangu had given him earlier; perhaps he could use Chaos Energy to resist the Chaos Airflow?

He attempted to mobilize the wisp of golden energy within his body, condensing it into the palm of his right hand. As soon as the energy took shape in his palm, it emitted a faint golden light, originating from the same source as the golden light surrounding Pangu. Lin Yue extended his hand again, and when his fingertips touched the gray mist, the stinging pain from before was gone. The "blades" seemed to be blocked by the golden light, unable to approach his skin.

"It works!" Lin Yue felt a surge of joy and began trying to wrap the golden energy around his entire palm before slowly extending it into the gray mist. This time, he could clearly feel the flow of the Chaos Airflow and could even touch the "blades" hidden within it. They collided with the golden energy, emitting faint "hissing" sounds, but were unable to break through the defense.

He tried using his hand to stir the gray mist and discovered that although the Chaos Airflow was violent, it followed certain patterns—like water, it would flow in the direction of least resistance. A thought struck Lin Yue: if he could guide the direction of the airflow, could he move freely within the Chaos?

He began trying to use the golden energy to guide the airflow, causing it to part to both sides. At first, the airflow was disobedient, constantly trying to break through his guidance. It took all of Lin Yue's strength to barely manage to change the direction of a small patch of airflow in front of him. He walked slowly forward along the channel created by the guided airflow; although his speed was slow, it was much safer than before.

After walking for about an hour, Lin Yue's stamina began to wane. The consumption of the golden energy was greater than he had imagined; the wisp of energy within his body was nearly exhausted, and the golden light in his palm had grown dim. He quickly stopped and leaned against a rock to rest, while simultaneously beginning to think about how to replenish his energy.

He looked at Pangu not far away and found that the senior was still standing silently in the golden light, his energy seemingly inexhaustible. Lin Yue hesitated for a moment before walking over and saying to Pangu, "Senior, the Chaos Energy within this junior is nearly depleted. I wonder how one can replenish energy?"

Pangu opened his eyes, glanced at him, and then extended his hand. A pale cyan stone condensed in his palm, which he handed to Lin Yue. The stone was about the size of a fist, smooth on the surface, and emitted a rich aura of energy. It was completely different from the wisp of golden energy from before, yet equally pure.

"Is this... Chaos Qi Condensation?" Lin Yue took the stone and instantly felt a gentle energy flowing into his body through his palm. A warm sensation spread through his Dantian, and the energy he had previously consumed was rapidly recovering.

Pangu nodded and said faintly, "Absorb."

Lin Yue quickly sat cross-legged and, following Pangu's instructions, began to absorb the energy from the Chaos Qi Condensation. The energy was very gentle, unlike the violent Chaos Airflow, and it flowed slowly along his Meridians into his Dantian, forming a faint vortex there.

"So this is the foundation of cultivation in the Chaos!" Lin Yue realized with a start. He could feel that as he absorbed the energy, the vortex in his Dantian became clearer, and his perception of the surrounding Chaos Airflow became sharper; he could even vaguely "see" the trajectory of the energy flow within the airflow.

After absorbing the energy from the Chaos Qi Condensation, Lin Yue stood up, feeling full of strength. He bowed deeply to Pangu: "Many thanks for your guidance, Senior. This junior understands."

Pangu said nothing more, merely waving his hand to signal that he could continue his exploration. Lin Yue nodded, turned, and walked back into the gray mist. This time, not only could he use the golden energy to guide the airflow, but he could also use the Dantian vortex to absorb the faint Chaos Energy from his surroundings. Although the speed was slow, it was enough to maintain his basic consumption.

He followed the trajectory of the airflow to slowly explore the surrounding environment and discovered that besides black rocks, there were also some ores emitting different colored lights—some exuded the fiery aura of fire, while others carried the Water Attribute energy of blue. He carefully collected a few relatively safe ores, intending to study their uses later.

After walking for about an hour, Lin Yue suddenly heard the roar of a fierce beast in the distance. He quickly hid behind a massive rock and observed through a gap. He saw three lizard-like fierce beasts chasing a small, snow-white creature. The beasts were two zhang long, covered in black scales, and spitting black venom from their mouths—they were the very black shadows he had seen in the gray mist earlier.

"Earth-Splitting Lizard!" Lin Yue's heart rate accelerated instantly. He knew that with his current strength, he was no match for an Earth-Splitting Lizard. He held his breath, watching as the Earth-Splitting Lizards cornered the small creature, feeling helpless.

Just then, a green light flashed from the gray mist and landed instantly between the Earth-Splitting Lizards. As the light faded, an old man in green robes holding a willow branch appeared. The old man looked very kind, his body surrounded by a faint green aura that stood in stark contrast to the gray of the Chaos.

The old man held the willow branch and waved it gently; three green rays of light struck the three Earth-Splitting Lizards respectively. The Earth-Splitting Lizards let out a miserable shriek as the scales on their bodies began to fall off and black blood flowed out; they were clearly severely injured. Not daring to stay, they turned and tried to flee.

The old man did not pursue them, merely watching the Earth-Splitting Lizards vanish into the gray mist before turning to the small, snow-white creature. He brushed its wounds gently with the willow branch. The black venom on the small creature instantly vanished, and its wounds healed rapidly. It soon regained its vitality, circled the old man a few times, and then burrowed into his embrace.

Lin Yue watched this scene, his heart filled with shock. He knew that this old man must be a great power within the Chaos, perhaps even one of the legendary Three Thousand Demon Gods. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to step forward and greet him—knowing one more great power would increase his chances of survival in the Chaos.

He straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, stepped out from behind the rock, and cupped his hands toward the old man: "This junior, Lin Yue, greets you, Senior."

The old man turned and looked at Lin Yue, a flash of surprise in his eyes: "You are not a creature of the Chaos?"

Lin Yue was stunned, not expecting the old man to see through his origins at a glance. He dared not hide it and answered truthfully: "Senior has sharp eyes. This junior is indeed not a creature of the Chaos; I came from another world and arrived here by accident."

The old man nodded without pressing for details, instead looking him over with interest: "To be able to survive in the Chaos and even cultivate Chaos Qi, you are an interesting little fellow." He paused, then added: "My name is Great Immortal Yang Mei."

"Great Immortal Yang Mei!" A storm raged in Lin Yue's heart. He had seen this name in novels; Great Immortal Yang Mei was one of the Chaos Demon Gods, a master of the Law of Space with such immense power that even Hongjun had to give him a measure of respect.

He quickly cupped his hands again: "This junior, Lin Yue, greets Great Immortal Yang Mei."

Great Immortal Yang Mei smiled and pointed to the small creature in his arms: "This is my companion spirit pet, Snowball. Just now, thanks to you attracting a bit of the Earth-Splitting Lizards' attention, otherwise it might have been in danger today."

Lin Yue was stunned, only then realizing that his presence had actually helped Snowball. He quickly said: "Great Immortal is too kind. This junior was just there by chance and didn't really help with anything."

Great Immortal Yang Mei shook his head, took a green leaf from his robes, and handed it to Lin Yue: "This is a Space Leaf, containing a trace of the Law of Space. Take it; it might be useful to you."

Lin Yue took the Space Leaf and instantly felt a cool energy flowing into his body through his fingertips. The vortex in his Dantian seemed to resonate with this energy, and its rotation speed increased slightly. He could feel that this leaf contained a special law, completely different from Chaos Qi, yet capable of perfectly merging with it.

"Many thanks, Great Immortal!" Lin Yue thanked him quickly, knowing that this Space Leaf must be extremely precious.

Great Immortal Yang Mei looked at him and said slowly: "You carry the aura of the Law of Heaven Opening on you; you are following that fellow Pangu, aren't you?"

Lin Yue was startled, not expecting Great Immortal Yang Mei to know Pangu. He nodded: "Great Immortal is correct; this junior is currently cultivating under Senior Pangu."

Great Immortal Yang Mei nodded, a flash of complex emotion in his eyes: "That fellow Pangu was born to do great things, but... sigh, let's not talk about that." He paused, then said to Lin Yue: "You have great talent, but unfortunately, you lack the Chaos Origin, so your cultivation will be much slower than others. Study this Space Leaf well; the Law of Space and Chaos Qi complement each other, and it might help you make up for the deficiency in your origin."

Lin Yue nodded quickly: "This junior will remember and study it well."

Great Immortal Yang Mei smiled, held Snowball, and turned to leave. After a few steps, he suddenly looked back and said to Lin Yue: "If you encounter problems regarding the Law of Space in the future, you can head toward the southeast. There is a Space Secret Realm there that might be able to help you." With that, green light erupted around him, and he vanished into the gray mist instantly.

Lin Yue clutched the Space Leaf, looking in the direction where Great Immortal Yang Mei had disappeared, his heart filled with gratitude. He had not expected to meet so many kind seniors in the Chaos. He turned back toward Pangu, wanting to tell him about this and, incidentally, to study the Law of Space within the Space Leaf.

Returning to Pangu's side, Lin Yue told him about meeting Great Immortal Yang Mei and even took out the Space Leaf, asking: "Senior, do you know Great Immortal Yang Mei? He said the Law of Space could help me make up for the deficiency in my origin. Is that true?"

Pangu opened his eyes, glanced at the Space Leaf, and said slowly: "Yang Mei, Space Demon God. The Law of Space, worth learning." Having said this, he closed his eyes again and said no more.

Although Lin Yue didn't get much information, he understood Pangu's meaning—what Great Immortal Yang Mei said was true; the Law of Space was indeed worth learning. He gripped the Space Leaf, secretly deciding: I must study the Law of Space as soon as possible, improve my strength, and survive well in this dangerous Chaos World.