After mastering the technique for purifying space, Lin Yue's efficiency at absorbing Chaos Qi increased dramatically. The Golden Vortex in his dantian grew increasingly solid, and the Law Triangle operated more smoothly with each passing day. One afternoon, while cultivating outside the valley, he suddenly heard a sharp crack from afar. The Chaos Airflow churned violently, as if something were moving quickly, accompanied by faint snarls.
"Something's going on!" Lin Yue immediately concealed his aura and ducked behind a massive piece of Chaos Rock. At the same time, he activated Spatial Perception. The scene within a thirty-zhang radius appeared clearly in his mind: three lizard-like black figures were chasing a small, snow-white creature. Each shadow was two zhang long and covered in black scales, and black venom dripped from their mouths. They were Earth-Splitting Lizards, just like the ones he had encountered before. The little creature being chased looked like a rabbit, but had a pair of transparent wings. It was incredibly fast, yet still couldn't escape the Earth-Splitting Lizards surrounding it.
"Chaos Fierce Beasts!" Lin Yue's heart beat a little faster. He could feel that these three Earth-Splitting Lizards were stronger than the ones he'd encountered before. A faint black sheen glimmered on their scales. They had clearly absorbed the leftover energy from the Demon God's battle and evolved, gaining stronger defenses and more potent venom.
The little creature was cornered beside a rock. Venom splashed onto its wings, instantly dulling their luster and slowing it down. The three Earth-Splitting Lizards closed in, and one opened its jaws, about to swallow the creature whole.
"Stop!" Lin Yue shouted without thinking. He knew he might not be strong enough to fight three Earth-Splitting Lizards, but he couldn't stand by and watch the little creature get eaten. Its eyes were so pure that they reminded him of the small animals back on Earth. He simply couldn't leave it to die.
The Earth-Splitting Lizards were startled by the sudden shout and turned to glare at Lin Yue, their eyes full of malice. One of them bared its jaws and spat a stream of black venom straight at his face.
Lin Yue was ready. He teleported aside to avoid the venom and conjured three Space Blades, sending them flying toward the lizards' eyes. The blades moved too fast for them to react. Two of the Earth-Splitting Lizards were struck in the eyes and let out pained snarls, temporarily blinded.
"Now! Come here!" Lin Yue shouted to the little creature.
It seemed to understand him. Enduring the pain in its wings, it flew quickly to Lin Yue and trembled behind him.
The remaining Earth-Splitting Lizard grew even more violent at the sight. It waved its sharp claws and pounced at Lin Yue. He didn't dare meet it head-on. Teleporting again, he conjured a Space Vitality Barrier in front of himself. Its claws struck the barrier with a dull clang. The barrier shook violently but didn't break, while the vitality energy slowly mended its cracks.
"What incredible defense!" Lin Yue was delighted. After breaking through to High-level Chaos, the defensive power of his Space Vitality Barrier had increased dramatically. It could even withstand a full-force attack from an Earth-Splitting Lizard.
Taking advantage of the opening, he conjured five Space Blades and aimed them at the lizard's belly, where its scales were thinnest. He hurled them with all his strength. The blades flashed past, carving five deep wounds into its belly, right down to the bone. Black blood spilled out, giving off a pungent smell.
The Earth-Splitting Lizard let out a scream and didn't dare linger. It turned and fled. Lin Yue didn't pursue it. He knew he wasn't strong enough to fight all three Earth-Splitting Lizards at once. Scaring them off was already a stroke of luck.
The two blinded Earth-Splitting Lizards lashed out wildly for a while. When they saw their companion fleeing, they staggered after it.
Only after the Earth-Splitting Lizards had disappeared completely did Lin Yue let out a breath. Cold sweat had already soaked his back. He turned to the little creature hiding behind him and asked gently, "Are you all right?"
The little creature shook its head and gently rubbed its own head against his palm, as if to thank him. The venom on its wings was slowly fading, and their transparency returned.
"Is this... a creature with the Space attribute?" Lin Yue was surprised to discover that the little creature's wings contained a faint trace of the Law of Space, similar to the aura of a Space Leaf. He tried communicating with it using the Law of Space, and the little creature responded. It flapped its wings and traced a path through space in the air, as if showing him the way.
"Are you trying to take me somewhere?" Lin Yue asked curiously.
The little creature nodded and flew southeast. Lin Yue hesitated for a moment, then remembered that the "Space Secret Realm" Great Immortal Yang Mei had mentioned was also to the southeast. He decided to follow and take a look. Perhaps the little creature would lead him to an unexpected opportunity.
He followed behind it, teleporting while keeping a wary eye on his surroundings. The little creature was fast, but always stayed within a distance he could manage. Whenever they encountered dangerous Chaos Airflow or flying stones, it stopped to warn him.
After about half an hour, the Chaos Qi ahead grew thin, and a pale green glow appeared. Within it, he could just make out the entrance to a secret realm formed from spatial energy. It looked exactly like the Space Secret Realm Great Immortal Yang Mei had described.
"It really is a Space Secret Realm!" Lin Yue was both astonished and delighted. He looked at the little creature and saw it nod at him. Then it turned, flew into the entrance, and disappeared.
Lin Yue took a deep breath and checked his supplies. He tucked the Space Leaf and Spiritual Root Fragment close to his body, then stepped through the entrance to the secret realm. As soon as he entered, a wave of pure spatial energy washed over him, more than ten times richer than the Chaos Qi outside. The Golden Vortex in his dantian immediately spun faster, and the Law Triangle glowed faintly, as if cheering.
"This place is practically a paradise for cultivation!" Lin Yue looked around excitedly. The secret realm was small, about two hundred zhang square. The ground was made of pale green crystals condensed from spatial energy, and countless tiny spatial fragments floated in the sky, radiating pure Law energy. In the center of the secret realm stood a translucent plant bearing three blue-glowing fruits: the "Space Fruits" Great Immortal Yang Mei had mentioned, which could greatly improve one's control over the Law of Space.
He walked over to the Space Fruits and carefully picked one. It felt cool in his hand, and the spatial energy it contained was even purer than that of a Space Leaf. He didn't absorb it right away. Instead, he put it away, planning to study it slowly in the safety of the valley.
For the next while, Lin Yue absorbed the spatial energy in the secret realm to his heart's content and cultivated the Law of Space. The energy there was not only pure but free of impurities. His cultivation improved at a visible rate: his Spatial Perception expanded to forty zhang, and his teleportation range reached twenty zhang. He also comprehended a new spatial technique—"Space Folding." It allowed him to fold the space around him to shorten the distance he needed to travel, and even briefly conceal his aura.
As he immersed himself in cultivation, he suddenly felt the energy in the secret realm surge violently. A familiar green light appeared at the entrance—it was Great Immortal Yang Mei.
"Little fellow, I didn't think you'd really find your way here." Great Immortal Yang Mei walked in with a smile. Snowball, nestled in his arms, spotted Lin Yue and excitedly ran over to play with the little creature from before.
"Great Immortal!" Lin Yue hurriedly stood and bowed.
Great Immortal Yang Mei nodded, then glanced at the Space Fruit in Lin Yue's hand. A hint of approval flashed in his eyes. "Space Fruits are very helpful for improving your understanding of the Law of Space. Make good use of it. But be careful: the energy in this secret realm is pure, yet it can easily become addictive. Don't forget to leave regularly. That fellow Pangu should be back soon, so you need to be ready."
Lin Yue quickly nodded. "I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Great Immortal."
Great Immortal Yang Mei smiled, then left the secret realm without lingering. Lin Yue watched him disappear and felt deeply grateful. He knew that he owed the opportunities he'd found to Senior Pangu and Great Immortal Yang Mei. He had to grow stronger as quickly as possible so he wouldn't let them down.
He didn't waste any more time. After quickly absorbing the last trace of spatial energy, he left the secret realm with the Space Fruit and the little creature, which insisted on coming with him, and returned to the valley. He knew the chaos in the Chaos was about to end and new challenges were about to begin—but he was ready.
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