The air inside the cave trembled faintly from the fighting outside. Lin Yue held a lump of Chaos Qi Condensation in his palm, feeling its gentle energy slowly flow into his body. He deliberately slowed his breathing and immersed his mind in cultivation, shutting out the din beyond. The more chaotic things became, the more important it was to stay calm. That was the first lesson he had learned in Chaos.
As he absorbed the energy, the deep-green vortex in his dantian grew denser. The Law of Space flowed within it, sharpening his awareness of his surroundings. He could "see" the paths of the Chaos Airflow within thirty feet of the cave, and even faintly sense the direction of the shock waves from the Demon God battle in the distance. This only made him more certain that the cave was unsafe. The shock waves had begun battering the Space Barrier at the entrance, and the patterns on its surface were gradually fading.
"I have to find somewhere more secure." Lin Yue opened his eyes, his brows furrowed. He rose and went to the cave entrance, peering outside through a crack. The Chaos Airflow raged like a tsunami, black Stone Shattering and Law Fragments flew in every direction, and a huge Spatial Rift had even appeared in the distant sky, swallowing everything around it.
He didn't dare delay. He dismissed the Space Barrier and moved quickly along the cave wall. The vortex in his dantian spun furiously, and he raised the Golden Protection around his body to its maximum. At the same time, he called upon the Law of Space and condensed a "Space Buffer Zone" in front of himself. It was a technique he had recently comprehended, one that used Space Distortion to weaken incoming impacts.
The moment he stepped out of the cave, a surge of violent energy rushed straight at him. The Space Buffer Zone weakened it, and Lin Yue narrowly dodged with a teleport, but the shock wave still clipped his shoulder. A sharp sting shot through him, and the Golden Protection instantly dimmed by more than half. He didn't dare linger. Relying on his memory of the area he had explored earlier, he ran northeast, where the Chaos Airflow was relatively calmer.
The scene along the way was horrifying. The Law energy had shattered what had once been solid Chaos Rock, and the corpses of low-level Chaos Fierce Beasts littered the ground. He even spotted severed limbs of Demon Gods, filling the air with a dense, bloody stench. Lin Yue forced down his nausea and quickened his pace. He had only one thought in mind: find a safe shelter.
After running for about an hour, Lin Yue began to run out of strength. His Golden Protection had nearly faded away, and the vortex in his dantian had weakened as well. Just as he was about to despair, a pale golden glow suddenly appeared ahead. It covered a secluded valley, and the Chaos Airflow around it parted on its own. Its fluctuations were similar to the golden light surrounding Senior Pangu.
"I'm saved!" Lin Yue rejoiced and charged toward the valley with all his remaining strength. The moment he entered the glow, the violent Chaos Airflow was shut out, and warm energy enveloped him. His exhaustion and pain immediately eased considerably. Leaning against a rock at the valley entrance, he panted heavily and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The valley was small, about three hundred feet across. Its floor was level, and a little pool sat at its center. The water was crystal clear and shimmered with a faint blue light, giving off a gentle aura of life. Lin Yue went to the pool, scooped up a handful of water, and tasted it. It was sweet and cool, purer than any water he had ever drunk, and it could even nourish the Chaos energy within him.
"This place is a natural shelter!" Lin Yue exclaimed, looking around the valley with excitement. The surrounding rock walls were covered in fine golden patterns that shared the same source as the glow at the entrance. Clearly, they formed a naturally occurring protective array, capable of withstanding the energy impacts outside. Green-glowing moss also grew on the rock walls. When he touched it, he felt a faint life energy, similar to the aura of the Spiritual Root Fragment.
He didn't let his guard down right away. Instead, he carefully checked every corner of the valley, making sure there were no hidden beasts or traps. Once he was certain it was safe, he sat on a flat rock beside the pool, took out a lump of Chaos Qi Condensation, and began absorbing it. At the same time, he used the Law of Space to reinforce the glow at the valley entrance. The natural array was already sturdy, but an extra layer of protection couldn't hurt.
After absorbing the Chaos Qi Condensation, Lin Yue had recovered most of his strength and energy. He began sorting through the supplies he had brought: several lumps of Chaos Qi Condensation, a Spiritual Root Fragment, a Space Leaf, and the ore he had collected earlier. He carefully placed them on the rock and protected them with a barrier formed by the Law of Space, so they wouldn't be damaged by accident.
When he was done, Lin Yue went back to the pool and scooped up another handful of water. He looked at his reflection. His face was somewhat pale, but his eyes were unusually resolute. He knew the valley was only a temporary shelter. The chaos in the surrounding world continued, and Senior Pangu was still fighting up ahead. He couldn't hide here forever.
"I have to get stronger as soon as possible." Lin Yue clenched his fists, a new plan taking shape in his mind. He decided to take advantage of the valley's safety to devote himself to comprehending the Law of Space and the Law of Life within the Spiritual Root Fragment. He would also try to fuse the two laws. Great Immortal Yang Mei had said that space and life could complement each other; perhaps they would produce an unexpected effect.
In the days that followed, Lin Yue immersed himself in cultivation. He placed the Spiritual Root Fragment beside the pool and used the pool's life-giving energy to accelerate his comprehension of the Law of Life. At the same time, he used the Space Leaf to explore more of the Law of Space's applications. With the natural array protecting the valley, his cultivation went exceptionally smoothly, and he gradually made progress in fusing the two laws. He could imbue a Space Barrier with life energy, allowing it not only to defend but also to slowly heal an injured body.
Now and then, the chaos outside reached the valley, making the array's glow shudder violently, but it held every time. Lin Yue knew Senior Pangu was protecting him from the shadows. The valley's glow shared the same source as Senior Pangu's golden light, so clearly the senior had deliberately left him this safe haven.
At the thought, Lin Yue was filled with gratitude, and he worked even harder at his cultivation. He understood that Senior Pangu's protection wasn't meant to let him run away. It had given him the time and space to grow. He had to become stronger as soon as he could, so that when the chaos ended, he could help ease Senior Pangu's burden and perhaps even aid him in World Creation one day.
One day, while Lin Yue was trying to fuse the Laws of Space and Life, he suddenly felt the valley's glow tremble faintly. A moment later, a familiar golden light shot in from outside and landed in front of him. When it faded, a golden lump of Chaos Origin Qi Condensation lay before him, purer than any he had absorbed before.
"Senior!" Lin Yue was both startled and delighted, knowing that Senior Pangu had sent him these resources. He quickly accepted the Chaos Origin Qi Condensation and bowed deeply toward the direction in which the golden light had vanished. "I won't let you down!"
Holding the Chaos Origin Qi Condensation, Lin Yue felt a surge of strength. He knew the chaos might soon come to an end, and that his cultivation was about to enter a new stage. He sat cross-legged and slowly merged the Chaos Origin Qi Condensation into the vortex in his dantian, preparing for his next breakthrough.
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