Creation Chaos Cauldron

Chapter Eleven: The Creation Cauldron is Forged, and the Heavenly Tribulation is Overcome.

Ren Xiaoyao stood in the center of the battlefield, where life was gradually returning. The sharp edges of the rubble beneath his feet still bore the dark marks of Demonic Qi Erosion. These marks, like ink stains, were embedded in the cracks, but were half-hidden by newly sprouted emerald green moss—the moss as fine as velvet, its roots carrying a faint Spiritual Qi, clinging tightly to the cracks. With each tremor of the air currents, it absorbed a trace of residual Demonic Intent from the marks, making the leaves even greener, even shimmering with a faint glow. The Chaos Cauldron in his palm trembled more violently, the three Dao Patterns on its body—"Life, Life-Annihilation-Devour"—undulating like living things: the gray-gold "Life" pattern radiated vitality, the silver... The white "Extinction" pattern exudes a chilling aura, while the jet-black "Devouring" pattern is heavy and imposing. The residual power of the newly refined Devouring Soldier Demon Cauldron carries a faint black aftertaste, intertwining and surging with the pure spiritual Spiritual Qi surging into the world within the patterns. At times, they collide to create tiny Mars of light, Mars fall onto the cauldron and transform into fleeting Golden Patterns. When the Golden Patterns dissipate, they leave behind a trace of warm Spiritual Qi. At other times, they condense into a hazy vortex, which, as it rotates, can attract the surrounding Spiritual Qi, forming a visible Spiritual Energy Vortex. The light at the center of the vortex grows brighter and brighter, clearly reaching the critical point of breaking through the shackles.

He looked up at the sky. The dark clouds that had been blasted away by the Nirvana Light Pillars had long since gathered again, but they had lost their former chilling, demonic Demonic Intent. Instead, they were tinged with wisps of shimmering white light— the Power of Creation bestowed by the Heaven and Earth Laws in recognition of Ren Xiaoyao's righteous act of "Demon-Bane and protecting life" as the battlefield revived from its deathly silence. The light, like gossamer threads, entwined with the Spiritual Energy Vortex, surging towards Ren Xiaoyao from all directions. When it brushed past his shoulder, it left faint golden cloud patterns on his dark clothes. The cloud patterns resembled flowing water, and in an instant, they merged into his body, transforming into a warm current that nourished his meridians. When it flowed through his Damaged Meridians, a faint "rustling" repairing sound could be heard. When it brushed past his hair, even the black strands shimmered with a lustrous sheen, as if they had been soaked in Spiritual Qi for thousands of years, each strand radiating vitality.

"Heaven and earth have created this, it should be used as a cauldron!" Ren Xiaoyao roared, his voice carrying the weight of the three-colored energy within him. The sound vibrated, causing the newly awakened leaves of the surrounding trees to rustle, and the unripe fruits on the branches to sway gently, their Spiritual Qi auras growing more pronounced. Before his words even finished, the gray-gold, silver-white, and jet-black energy around him suddenly surged, like three unfurled umbrellas of light. The edges of these umbrellas shimmered with a faint glow, within which tiny Weapon Patterns could be seen flowing, enveloping the surrounding Fang Yuan. The shimmering white light and pure spiritual Spiritual Qi within a hundred feet were all drawn into it. The airflow gathered in his palm into a funnel-shaped vortex, and the light at the center of the vortex became increasingly dazzling, like a condensed miniature sun. It slowly flowed into the Chaos Cauldron along the lines of his palm. The moment of contact, the cauldron seemed to be ignited, shining with a dazzling golden light. The golden light pierced through the airflow and formed a pillar of light about ten feet thick in mid-air. The pillar of light pierced straight into the sky, and even the broken stones on the ground were illuminated with a golden light. The demonic marks on the broken stones gradually faded in the golden light.

The original gray-gold cauldron transformed at a visible speed: fine, woven cloud patterns appeared on its surface, layer upon layer, like a surging sea of clouds. Upon closer inspection, one could see that each wisp of cloud was engraved with tiny Weapon Patterns, possessing the sharpness of spear patterns, the weight of axe patterns, and the toughness of shield patterns; interspersed between the cloud patterns were tiny specks of shimmering white, as if countless stars had been crushed and embedded within them. When one lightly touched the cauldron, one could feel a cool touch like that of stars, and when one's fingertips grazed the shimmering white specks, one could see tiny starlight shimmering on one's fingertips, as if one were holding a miniature version of the starry sky.

Even more astonishing are the three Dao Patterns "Life-Annihilation-Devour"—they are no longer separate flowing bands of light, but intertwined into a spiral, spiraling upwards along the body of the cauldron, extending from the legs to the rim. As the spirals rotate, they can also draw in the surrounding Spiritual Qi, forming small vortices. Deep within the patterns, the faint shadows of mountains and rivers can be seen: surging rivers flow within the patterns, and a subtle "splashing" sound can be heard as the water ripples, the water also shimmering with a faint aura of Spiritual Qi; majestic peaks stand tall in the depths, their summits covered with a faint... A pale white light, like snow that has never melted for a thousand years, and a small stream meanders around the Foot of the Mountain; even tiny shadowy figures of grass, trees, birds and beasts shuttle among them: gray rabbits leap through the emerald grass, leaving faint Spiritual Qi footprints as they leap; spirit birds sing on the branches, their calls clear and melodious, able to dispel the lingering Demonic Intent in the surroundings, as if a miniature world has been forcibly crammed into the patterns on the cauldron. If you raise your hand and gently tap the cauldron, you can feel the "unceasing life" pulse coming from the patterns, a pulse that perfectly matches the rhythm of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

The Chaos Cauldron slowly floated in mid-air, its size increasing dramatically from twelve zhang to twenty zhang. Its mouth opened like the maw of a giant beast, spewing not scorching Nirvana Fire, but a radiant white Creation Radiance. This glow cascaded down like a waterfall, and as it touched the ground, miraculous scenes unfolded: the newly sprouted green shoots, nourished by the glow, instantly sprouted branches and leaves, the tender shoots unfurling into emerald green leaves, on which fine Spiritual Qi patterns could be seen; the branches thickened at a visible speed, the patterns on the bark becoming increasingly clear, and in the blink of an eye, they grew into saplings ten zhang tall, their branches even laden with unripe fruit... The surface shimmered with a faint aura of Spiritual Qi, and a delicate fruity fragrance wafted from it. From the long-dry crevices of the rocks, clear spring water suddenly gushed forth, its tinkling sounds like celestial music. Following the contours of the land, it converged into a small stream. Wherever the stream flowed, withered weeds burst forth with life, sprouting tender green shoots from their roots. Tiny wildflowers also emerged among the weeds, their pale purple petals radiating Spiritual Qi. Even the air was filled with a sweet fragrance; a deep breath seemed to wash away all fatigue, and the Dao Origin within one's meridians began to flow smoothly, emitting a soft "humming" sound as Dao Origin collided.

As the last ray of Chaos Cauldron trembled violently, and a clear, resonant clang echoed through the heavens. The sound, like High Antiquity divine chant, pierced the clouds, and wherever the sound waves reached, birds and beasts in the distant forests stopped what they were doing, raising their heads and responding with calls: eagles circled high in the sky, emitting mournful cries; deer paused in the woods, uttering soft bleating. The dark clouds that filled the sky were instantly dispersed by the clang, revealing the clear blue sky behind it, and sunlight shone through the clouds, illuminating the cauldron. The golden light emanating from its body intertwined to form a warm curtain of light. The area covered by this curtain of light became increasingly rich in Spiritual Qi, and even the soil became soft and fertile. At this moment, the Chaos Cauldron had completely transformed into the Creation Chaos Cauldron! The radiant light flowing around the cauldron exuded the supreme Artistic Conception of "Nurturing All Things and transforming all forces." Even the surrounding space became warm and gentle, no longer possessing the sharp edge of the previous martial arts power. Instead, it was as reassuring as a spring breeze. Those who approached the cauldron would find their State of Mind becoming peaceful, and the distracting thoughts in their minds would gradually dissipate in the radiant light.

But in this peaceful moment, the heavens suddenly changed drastically. The once clear sky was instantly covered by dark purple clouds, thick as ink, layer upon layer, pressing down so heavily that it was hard to breathe. The edges of the clouds shimmered with a faint golden-purple light, a light that exuded an aura of destruction, as if containing the World-Destroying Power. Countless lightning snakes danced wildly within the clouds, these golden-purple lightning snakes were several times thicker than ordinary lightning, but they were not the silver-white lightning of ordinary Heavenly Tribulation, but rather Golden-Purple Lightning Tribulation carrying the aura of creation—a Creation Tribulation, which only descends when an object or cultivator who bears the creation of heaven and earth breaks through the shackles. It is a test that those who "obtain creation" must undergo: if they can overcome it, they will achieve unparalleled fortuitous opportunity, their objects can be upgraded to Immortal Artifact, and their cultivators can break through their realms; if they cannot overcome it, they will be reduced to ashes in the tribulation lightning, and even their remnant souls will be difficult to preserve.

Before the Golden-Purple Lightning Tribulation even struck, the Creation Chaos Cauldron seemed to gain sentience and ascended into the sky on its own. The cauldron's body shone with a burst of radiant light, condensing into a twenty-zhang-wide light shield above its head. The light shield was a translucent, luminous white, with cloud patterns of the same origin as the cauldron's body flowing across its surface. Each cloud pattern autonomously absorbed and exhaled the spiritual Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, tempering the light shield to become increasingly tough. When the Spiritual Qi merged into the light shield, faint ripples would appear on its surface. As the ripples spread, they could offset the surrounding pressure, and even the pebbles on the ground no longer trembled due to the oppressive force of the clouds. Instead, the moss in the cracks of the pebbles became even greener in the ripples.

A moment later, the first bolt of tribulation lightning crashed down! A golden- Purple Thunder pillar, over ten feet thick, cleaved down from the dark purple clouds. Countless tiny electric snakes coiled around the surface of the pillar, colliding with each other and producing a crisp "crackling" sound, accompanied by a sharp Sky-Rending Strike sound as it tore through the air, slamming into the light shield like a Giant Axe. "Boom—" The earth-shattering roar shook the entire battlefield. The newly revived stream splashed water ten feet high, the splashes turning into tiny Spiritual Qi droplets upon landing. After the droplets seeped into the soil, faint white mist of Spiritual Qi could be seen rising from the soil. In the distance, leaves in the forest rustled and fell, but were held up by Spiritual Qi before hitting the ground, slowly drifting towards the ground, the dust on the leaves gradually dissipating in the Spiritual Qi.

The protective shield trembled violently, its surface glow dimming considerably and revealing fine cracks. Yet, new rays of light continuously emerged from these cracks, slowly repairing them, preventing it from being breached. Simultaneously, the "Life-Annihilation-Devour" spiral pattern on the cauldron spun rapidly. The gray-gold "Life" power, like a gentle hand, softly peeled away the violent Destructive Aura from the Lightning Tribulation. In the instant of peeling, black destructive factors could be seen gradually dissipating within the "Life" power. The inky black "Devouring" power transformed into a vortex, absorbing all the energy from the Lightning Tribulation into the patterns. As the vortex spun, a faint "whooshing" sucking sound could be heard. The silver-white "Destruction" power, like a sharp blade, purified the violent factors within. After purification, the violent factors transformed into gentle Spiritual Qi that merged into the cauldron's body. The combined power of these three elements transformed the tribulation lightning into a nourishing Power of Creation for the cauldron. In an instant, the cauldron's glow returned, even more brilliant than before. The cracks on the shield completely disappeared, and the cloud patterns on its surface became increasingly clear.

Before they could catch their breath, the second bolt of tribulation lightning struck in quick succession! This lightning pillar was nearly half again as thick as the first, and its surface was entwined with countless tiny Golden Runes. The runes resembled ancient seal script, exuding a sharp aura. As the runes rotated, tiny blades of light could be seen flashing along their edges. As soon as the runes detached from the lightning pillar, they transformed into countless blades of light, each about a foot long, with a golden-purple gleam at the edge. They pierced the air with a piercing sound, densely packed together, aiming to riddle the Creation Chaos Cauldron. Wherever the blades passed, the air was cut with tiny gashes, and faint traces of lightning remained in the gashes.

"Cauldron Shadow Protection!" With a thought, Ren Xiaoyao instantly activated the mental connection he had established with the Creation Chaos Cauldron, causing the cauldron to change. He could clearly feel every inch of the cauldron's body changing, just as he could feel his own limbs. The mouth of the Creation Chaos Cauldron suddenly contracted, spewing out a stream of shimmering white air. The air quickly condensed in the air, transforming into a huge cauldron-shaped phantom that was exactly the same as the original. Although the phantom was formed from air, it exuded a sense of weight similar to that of Immortal Artifact. The cloud patterns and starlight on the cauldron's body were no different from the original. One could even see the "Life-Annihilation-Devour" pattern flowing in the phantom. When the phantom rotated, it could also draw on the surrounding Spiritual Qi to form a defensive barrier.

The phantom hovered in front of the cauldron, like a solid barrier, blocking all the light blades flying everywhere. When the light blades landed on the phantom, they not only failed to pierce it, but were instead attracted by the glow on the surface of the phantom. The glow acted like a magnet, firmly trapping the light blades. The light blades gradually melted in the glow, flowing into the cauldron along with the airflow, and finally transformed into fine golden Defense Runes. The runes were shaped like shields, with tiny "Life-Annihilation-Devour" patterns engraved in the center of the shields. They evenly covered the surface of the cauldron, and the runes connected with each other to form a complete defensive net. The surface of the defensive net glowed with a faint golden light, and even the surrounding air became heavier. Anyone who approached the defensive net would feel an invisible pressure.

"The third tribulation should be aided by the art of war!" A glint flashed in Ren Xiaoyao's eyes, and his fingertips formed hand seals with increasing speed, leaving only afterimages. A faint whistling sound could be heard as his fingers swept through the air, instantly forming the "Hundred Soldiers Pay Homage" hand seal. The moment the seal was completed, a faint golden light appeared in mid-air, and countless phantoms of weapons flickered within it, possessing the agility of swords, the domineering power of halberds, and the sharpness of spears. As the seal descended, the three-colored energy within his body surged forth like three torrents, transforming into countless Weapon Phantoms: a silver spear phantom gleamed with a cold, sharp light, its tip pointing directly to the sky, its shaft engraved with fine lightning patterns that pulsed with light... It can emit a faint "crackling" sound; the golden axe phantom is wrapped in blazing flames, within which tiny Weapon Patterns can be seen dancing, and when the axe blade falls, it seems to be able to cleave through the clouds, and the flames form tiny fire lotuses when they land on the ground; the Purple Shield phantom exudes a heavy aura, and defensive patterns appear on the shield surface, which can absorb the surrounding Spiritual Qi as it flows, and the absorbed Spiritual Qi forms a faint halo on the shield surface; there are also phantoms of longswords, halberds, spears, axes and other weapons surrounding it, although they are formed from air currents, they reveal the true True Meaning of the Way of Weapons, as if each weapon has experienced the battles of thousands of troops, and when the Weapon Phantoms rotate, you can hear the faint sound of weapons clashing.

As soon as these Weapon Phantoms took shape, they actively circled around the Creation Chaos Cauldron, forming a ring-shaped weapon array. As the array rotated, it could also draw in the surrounding Spiritual Qi to form a Spiritual Qi shield. When the third tribulation lightning struck, the silver spear phantom was the first to meet it, its tip piercing the lightning pillar and creating a gap. The lightning power at the gap was instantly absorbed by the spear tip, making the spear phantom even more solid, and the cold light of the spear tip even more chilling. The golden axe phantom followed closely behind, cleaving the lightning pillar in half with a single axe strike. The broken lightning pillar transformed into countless tiny lightning threads, which were then caught on the axe blade. The flames burned into gentle energy, which merged into the cauldron, making the cloud patterns on its body even clearer. The Purple Shield phantom blocked the cauldron, deflecting all the scattered Lightning Tribulation energy. The energy that landed on the shield was transformed into Spiritual Qi by the defensive patterns, which then nourished the cauldron, making its radiance even more dazzling. After being weakened layer by layer, the lightning tribulation energy that finally entered the cauldron was much gentler. After being transformed by the "Life-Annihilation-Devour" pattern, it made the cloud patterns on the cauldron even clearer, and the starlight points even brighter. You could even see tiny mountain phantoms emerging from the starlight points.

The fourth and fifth lightning bolts grew increasingly powerful, the golden- Purple Thunder pillars increasing to three zhang in thickness. The electric snakes on their surfaces became increasingly violent, intertwining to form a massive lightning net. When the net struck, even space itself was slightly distorted by the shockwave. A colossal phantom of Thunder Beasts even appeared within the dark purple clouds: the Thunder Beasts resembled a fierce tiger, over three zhang long, its body wreathed in golden- Purple Thunder, within which tiny runes could be seen dancing, fused with the Thunder Beasts's form; its eyes, like burning fireballs, radiated a violent rage. Its aura was palpable; wherever its gaze swept, the air seemed to ignite. Its limbs were covered in armor formed of lightning, intricately etched with lightning patterns. Its claws were as sharp as knives, each swing Sky-Rending Strike and leaving faint lightning marks. The Thunder Beasts roared as it pounced from the clouds, its roar causing the surrounding Spiritual Qi to tremble and even momentarily halting the Spiritual Energy Vortex. Its claws, carrying the power to Sky-Rending Strike, gripped the Creation Chaos Cauldron, as if to rip it apart. A faint smell of burning could be detected as its claws approached the cauldron.

"Hundred Soldiers Sing in Unison, aiding the cauldron in its tribulation!" Ren Xiaoyao shouted, unleashing the full power of his military arts. The three-colored energy around him transformed into countless tiny Weapon Patterns, merging into the air, instantly making it heavy, as if filled with invisible weapons. In an instant, a Hundred Soldiers Sing in Unison resounded from within the cauldron: the sharp clang of the silver spear was as clear as a bell, piercing through the roar of the Thunder Beasts; the dull thud of the golden axe was as heavy as a bell, causing the Thunder Beasts's body to tremble slightly; the crisp sound of the Purple Shield was as melodious as jade, calming the restless Spiritual Qi around it; and the hum of the longsword and the trembling of the halberd intertwined, as if a thousand troops were cheering within the cauldron, even echoing faintly from the distant mountains. The echoes resonated with the Hundred Soldiers Sing in Unison, forming a unique Way of Weapons Rhythm.

At the same time, the "Life-Annihilation-Devour Devouring" pattern on the cauldron fully unfolded, transforming into three enormous bands of light. The edges of these bands shimmered with a faint halo, within which tiny Weapon Patterns could be seen flowing, binding the phantom of the Thunder Beasts like chains. The power of "Destruction" transformed into silver-white blades, densely slicing through the Thunder Beasts's body. Each slice removed a wisp of lightning, causing the Thunder Beasts's body to gradually shrink. The power of "Devouring" transformed into a jet-black vortex, hovering above the Thunder Beasts's Thunder Beasts, absorbing all the Creation Tribulation Power within its body. The Thunder Beasts's eyes gradually dimmed as the calamity power was drained. The power of "Life" transformed into a gray-gold aura, enveloping the absorbed calamity power and transforming it into... The Spirit Patterns on the cauldron's body—in a short while, the phantom of Thunder Beasts appeared at the cauldron's handles. The phantom was so lifelike that it seemed as if it might leap out of the handles at any moment. One could even see the lightning crackling around the Thunder Beasts's body, the lightning echoing the glow of the cauldron's body. The cauldron's legs were engraved with intricate tribulation lightning runes, which shimmered with golden-purple light. The runes were interconnected, forming a complete Thunder Pattern Formation. When the Thunder Pattern Formation rotated, it could also absorb the surrounding lightning power. The phantom images of mountains, rivers, grass, and trees on the cauldron's body became increasingly vivid. If one listened carefully, one could even hear the babbling of flowing water and the clear chirping of birds, as if that miniature world had truly come to life. One could even see the grass swaying in the wind and the birds preening their feathers on the branches.

When the ninth and final bolt of Creation Tribulation Lightning struck, the heavens seemed to be utterly torn apart! A ten-zhang-thick golden- Purple Thunder pillar, carrying an aura of world-destroying destruction, cleaved down from the deepest part of the dark purple clouds. The space around the lightning pillar was scorched and distorted, forming faint ripples. Even the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was shaken to a standstill. Under the pressure of the lightning pillar, small stones rolled off the mountain peaks in the distance, and a faint "boom" could be heard when the stones hit the ground. Countless phantom images of Thunder Beasts were wrapped around the surface of the lightning pillar. Although these phantom images were small, they exuded the same violent aura as the previous Thunder Beasts. They roared and charged towards the Creation Chaos Cauldron, as if they wanted to completely devour the cauldron. Wherever the phantom images flew, the air was dyed golden-purple, and a faint thunderous intent remained.

Ren Xiaoyao no longer held back; the three-colored patterns of his Indestructible Golden Body body lit up completely, and his skin shone with Glazed Ice- like luster. As the luster flowed, tiny Weapon Patterns could be seen pulsating beneath his skin. These Weapon Patterns resonated with the Dao Origin within his body, forming a unique defensive layer. He raised his hand and stretched it into the air, echoing the radiant light of the Creation Chaos Cauldron. The two lights instantly merged into a pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth. The pillar was about three zhang in diameter, its surface shimmering with a faint golden-purple light. Within the light, tiny Weapon Patterns and lightning patterns could be seen intertwining. Even the clouds were lifted up by the pillar of light, unable to approach, and the lightning power at the edge of the clouds gradually dissipated within the pillar of light.

Within the pillar of light, countless Weapon Phantoms merged seamlessly with the cauldron: the phantom of a silver spear merged into the cauldron's handles, imbuing them with a chilling spear-like aura, its tips even condensing into a silvery-white sharpness, seemingly capable of piercing the void; the phantom of a golden axe merged into the cauldron's legs, adding a touch of blazing axe power, tiny flames dancing within the patterns on the soles, even slightly reddening the rocks when it landed; the phantom of Purple Shield merged into the cauldron's body, making its defensive aura even more profound, the shield patterns intertwining with cloud patterns to form layers upon layers of defensive barriers; the remaining Weapon Phantoms transformed into intricate patterns, covering every corner of the cauldron's body—sword patterns hidden among the cloud threads, exuding agility; halberd patterns coiled around the cauldron's belly, carrying an imposing aura; spear patterns covered the cauldron's mouth, displaying a sharp edge, the patterns connecting to each other to form a complete Weapon Pattern Formation, the array's eye being the intersection of the three Dao Patterns of "Life-Annihilation-Devour".

The three Dao Patterns "Life-Annihilation-Devour" swirled and intertwined at the array's core, with gray-gold, silver-white, and ink-black light permeating each other, ultimately transforming into a massive Chaos Runes.