The Netherworld Cold Pool Tempered His Dao Fruit, and the Green Lotus Nurtured a Seed of Primordial Unity

Cold. Bone-chilling cold, as if even his thoughts were about to freeze.

Darkness. Endless darkness, swallowing all light and sound.

Tongtian felt himself sinking, sinking toward an absolute abyss beyond the reach of even reincarnation. His Saint Body had long since been shattered, his meridians severed, and his Chaos Magic Power rampaged through him like a wild horse breaking free of its reins. Every surge brought a ripping agony. Zhunti's palm strike from afar had contained more than Saintly magic power; it had also carried a trace of the Buddhist truth of conversion and annihilation, like a parasite burrowing into bone, constantly eroding his Dao Foundation and Nascent Soul.

If not for the last moment, when inspiration had struck and he had merged that wisp of the Reincarnation Demon God's aura he had seized from Ksitigarbha into his fist intent, slightly warding off most of the force, then used the Chaos Bead to withstand the first wave of the impact, his body and spirit would have been utterly destroyed by now.

He fell, as if there were no end.

At last, he crashed heavily into a pool of liquid so frigid it pierced to the bone, thick as syrup. The terrifying impact made him spit out another mouthful of golden blood mixed with fragments of his organs, and his consciousness sank completely into the boundless darkness.

Time had lost all meaning here.

Perhaps only an instant had passed. Perhaps a thousand years.

In that absolute silence and darkness, only a faint, Misty Grey point of light remained, like a candle guttering in the wind, never quite going out.

It was the Chaos Dao Fruit in Tongtian's dantian, already covered in cracks and dimmed of all its light.

The tiny Chaos Vortex that had once revolved slowly atop the Dao Fruit had nearly ground to a halt, as if it might collapse and vanish at any moment.

Yet at the very edge of total disintegration, deep within this cold pool filled with the most extreme Netherworld Death Qi and ancient baleful energy, some strange change was quietly taking place.

Threads of exceptionally pure yet cold and lifeless Netherworld energy seemed drawn to him. They seeped of their own accord through Tongtian's damaged Saint Body, into his dantian, and coiled around the Primordial Dao Fruit on the verge of shattering.

This Netherworld energy was the source power of the underworld, of utmost yin and cold. To ordinary immortals and gods, it was deadly poison; the slightest contact meant death. But to Tongtian, who cultivated the Path of Chaos and embraced all things, it had become a life-saving medicine—one whose potency was perilous and whose risks were immense!

When the Netherworld energy touched the Chaos Qi remaining in the Dao Fruit, it did not immediately merge with it. Instead, like water meeting fire, the two collided fiercely and annihilated each other!

Hiss, hiss, hiss! Tongtian's unconscious body convulsed violently. Black frost formed over his skin one moment, then grey Chaos mist steamed off him the next, as if he were enduring the tortures of nine layers of ice and fire. Every clash and annihilation placed an immense burden on the Dao Fruit, and its cracks seemed to widen a little more.

But strangely, amid this ultimate destruction and agony, the Chaos Vortex that had nearly stopped was forcibly stirred by this external force. It began to turn again, incredibly slowly and with immense difficulty!

Like a millstone ravenous with hunger, it instinctively and forcefully ground down and devoured the Netherworld energy pouring in!

The process was agonizing and slow. Each rotation seemed to drain it of all its strength. Yet with every turn, it refined a trace of pure new magic power, infused with the properties of both Chaos and the Netherworld. It still had Chaos as its foundation, but now carried the gloomy cold and lifelessness of the Nine Hells. It became more profound, more restrained, and more powerful!

This newly born magic power did not immediately mend his injuries. Instead, it first nourished the Primordial Dao Fruit on the verge of shattering, like the finest silk threads winding around it and mending its cracks bit by bit.

At the same time, changes were also taking place in Tongtian's powerful but wounded Saint Body. The boundless Netherworld Death Qi and baleful energy at the bottom of the pool were eroding him, yet the newly born Chaos Netherworld Magic Power passively resisted, absorbed, and refined them. His bones, meridians, and flesh were forcibly shattered and reformed again and again in this tug-of-war between destruction and rebirth, taking on a trace of the Netherworld's properties and becoming better able to withstand all manner of extreme environments, including the lifeless depths of the underworld.

An even deeper change took place in his Nascent Soul.

Unconscious, Tongtian's awareness seemed to sink into a boundless sea of Chaos, then plunge to the very bottom of reincarnation. Countless jumbled, fragmented memories from different eras and living beings crashed into his true spirit like a rising tide. There were scattered visions of other worlds from Ksitigarbha's memories, the terrifying whispers of Demon Gods suppressed in the depths of reincarnation, and the endless deathly intent and resentment accumulated in this cold pool since the Primordial World was created...

These chaotic fragments of information would have been enough to scramble the Nascent Soul of any Grand Unity Golden Immortal and drive them completely mad.

But the fundamental nature of Tongtian's Nascent Soul was, after all, on the level of a Saint! Though grievously wounded, his rank remained!

As the Chaos Dao Fruit slowly revived, an undying wisp of Spiritual Light shone of its own accord deep within his Nascent Soul, struggling to sort through, suppress, and absorb the chaotic streams of information. Like sifting gold from sand, the process was agonizing, but it also tempered his Nascent Soul's resilience and capacity to embrace, making it better able to withstand the impact of Chaos and the unknown.

[Host detected in a state of profound transformation. Energy critically depleted. Emergency protocol automatically activated. All reserve Contribution Points will be spent to exchange for 'one wisp of Chaos Green Lotus Origin Spiritual Mechanism.' Beginning infusion.]

The system, silent for a long time, finally spoke again. It had made the greatest intervention within its authority!

A faint yet unimaginably pure Spiritual Mechanism, containing boundless vitality and the power of creation, as if it came from the Beginning of World Creation, quietly emerged from the void and merged into the slowly revolving Chaos Vortex in Tongtian's dantian!

This wisp of Spiritual Mechanism was like a precious spark dropped into ashes on the verge of going cold!

Hum! Nourished by this wisp of Chaos Green Lotus Origin Spiritual Mechanism, the Chaos Vortex, which had been turning with great difficulty, suddenly sped up several times over! Its efficiency in devouring and refining the Netherworld energy surged!

The cracks in the Primordial Dao Fruit began to heal at a visible rate. The process was slow, but unwavering! Its color also shifted from dull grey to a restrained dark grey tinged with vitality. Extremely fine, natural markings resembling lotus petals even began to emerge on its surface!

The newly born Chaos Netherworld Magic Power grew more and more immense, beginning to flow back through his body and systematically repair his terrible injuries. His shattered bones were reforged, taking on a faint metallic sheen and a chill of the Netherworld; his severed meridians were reconnected, broader and more resilient, able to bear greater power; his damaged organs were nourished and filled with renewed vitality.

Tongtian's aura began to steadily rise, little by little, from the brink of death!

Unconsciously, he began circulating the techniques of the Primordial Unity Scripture, guiding this newly born, more powerful energy through one great cycle after another within his body.

With each cycle, his Saint Body grew stronger, his magic power more refined, his Nascent Soul clearer, and his connection to the Chaos Dao Fruit closer!

The bottleneck at Mid-Quasi-Saint, which had held firm for so long, began to loosen and crumble in this remarkable state of destruction and rebirth, infused with Netherworld Death Qi and the Green Lotus's vitality!

Who knew how much more time passed? When the final crack in the Primordial Dao Fruit had completely healed, when the last trace of the Buddhist annihilation truth left behind by Zhunti had been ground apart and devoured by the Chaos Vortex, and when the magic power in Tongtian's body surged like a mighty river, even thundering in his ears—

Tongtian suddenly opened his eyes! Their pupils no longer held only the Chaos Color. His left eye showed Chaos arising and perishing; his right, the reincarnation of the Nine Hells. Two utterly different Daos merged perfectly in his gaze, which seemed bottomless!

An immense aura, far surpassing anything he had possessed before, burst from him uncontrollably! Boom! The entire Netherworld Cold Pool boiled! Its thick black water was forced aside, forming a massive vortex!

Late Quasi-Saint! And not an ordinary Late Quasi-Saint! The purity and depth of his magic power, the formidable and uncanny strength of his Saint Body, and the resilience and capacity of his Nascent Soul far surpassed those of others at the same level. He had even touched the threshold of Quasi-Saint Peak!

More importantly, after this tempering, his Chaos Dao Fruit had merged with the properties of the Netherworld and been nourished by the Green Lotus Spiritual Mechanism, undergoing a fundamental transformation! It had become more stable, more profound, and possessed boundless potential! It had even formed a subtle connection with the underworld's cycle of reincarnation.

Tongtian slowly raised a hand, sensing the new power surging and roaring within him, obedient to his every thought. A glimmer of joy and understanding flashed in his eyes.

"Misfortune is what fortune rests upon. The saying is true." He murmured to himself, his voice carrying the weariness of one who had passed through life and death. "Netherworld Death Qi, the Chaos Green Lotus, yin and yang, life and death—all serve me. This is the true meaning of the Path of Primordial Unity!"

A thought crossed his mind, and a wisp of magic power flowed from his fingertip. It was no longer pure grey, but a deep, dark grey that seemed to swallow light. It held the vastness of Chaos and the lifelessness of the Nine Hells, and its power was far more terrifying than before.

"This place is no longer safe." Tongtian reined in his aura and surveyed the bottom of the pool. The commotion from his breakthrough had been considerable; it had likely drawn the attention of certain beings.

He was about to leave when his gaze was suddenly caught by a faint glimmer of dark light from somewhere on the pool floor. He reached out and made a grabbing motion. A force of attraction pulled a metal fragment into his hand. It was about the size of a fist, irregular in shape, completely black, and incredibly heavy, radiating an ancient, weathered aura.

The fragment was cold to the touch. Blurred, bizarre patterns unlike anything in the Primordial World remained on its surface, along with a trace of destructive energy strikingly similar to that of the One-Eyed Demon God and the Otherworld Remnant in Ksitigarbha's memories!

"This is..." Tongtian's pupils narrowed. "Something from another world?! It actually fell to the bottom of this Netherworld Cold Pool?!" He immediately realized its value! It might be a key clue to studying that other world!

Without hesitation, he stowed the fragment away. Just then, a familiar, anxious wave of divine sense carefully seeped down from above the cold pool. "Master! Is that you? Are you all right?"

It was Saint Mother Wudang!

Warmth filled Tongtian's heart. He blurred into a shadow and shot out of the Netherworld Cold Pool in an instant.

At the pool's edge, Saint Mother Wudang felt Tongtian's aura—utterly different now, stronger and more profound. Seeing that his clothes were torn but he was in good health, she burst into tears of joy. "Master! You're finally awake! You scared me to death!"

"I'm fine. I gained a little insight." Tongtian reassured her, his sharp gaze sweeping over their surroundings. "We shouldn't stay here. We'll talk as we go. How long was I unconscious? What's happening outside?"

Wudang hurriedly replied, "You've been unconscious for three days. The underworld is on high alert. People from the Western Teachings and Chan Teachings are searching for you like mad, especially the Western Teachings. They say Saint Zhunti is furious. Empress Pingxin secretly sent word that we should leave the underworld as soon as possible."

"Three days is enough." A cold glint flashed in Tongtian's eyes. "Let's go. It's time to leave this land of the Nine Hells. There are some scores that need to be settled, slowly."

His gaze seemed to pierce through layer upon layer of the Netherworld and look toward the Primordial World Land.

His cultivation had greatly increased, hidden dangers had been eliminated, and he had gained a clue about another world.

A hidden dragon beneath the deep awaits the day it takes to the skies!

The Path of Primordial Unity had sprung to new life amid mortal peril, and the way ahead was growing ever clearer.

With his return, the storm would rage even more fiercely!