Chaos Stealth, Breaking the Restriction

Three quarters past noon, not a second off!

The restriction's light on the Treasure Distribution Cliff dimmed to its absolute extreme at that instant, like an extinguished candle flame, lasting only three breaths.

Lu Chen and that shadowy figure moved almost simultaneously!

Brick Escape was pushed to its limit, the Void Shadow Robe leaving no trace in the chaotic currents. The shadowy figure opposite transformed into a wisp of distorted demonic smoke, its speed eerily fast.

The two, one left and one right, simultaneously collided with the weakest point of the restriction.

"BOOM--!!!"

The moment they touched the restriction--

"CLANG--!!!"

In the Primordial Era Heavenly Court, Eastern Emperor Taiyi struck the Chaos Bell for the first time!

The bell's chime crossed the endless Chaos, resonating with the restriction on the Treasure Distribution Cliff! The restriction, which should have weakened for three breaths, suddenly vibrated violently, its Saintly might surging!

"Not good! The restriction was stimulated by the bell's chime and has revived early!" Lu Chen's face changed drastically.

He was only three zhang from the restriction, unable to advance or retreat—if he were caught in the revived restriction, anyone below Saint would surely die!

The shadowy figure opposite also let out a furious hiss, its demonic smoke recoiling wildly.

In a flash of lightning, Lu Chen gritted his teeth and summoned the Formless Restriction-Breaking Needle!

"Go!"

The needle, as fine as a cow's hair, transformed into a stream of light, precisely piercing the restriction's node. The needle body exploded, turning into countless silver threads that forcefully pried open a gap in the closing restriction—but it could only hold for half a breath!

"Now!"

Lu Chen unleashed his full Brick Escape, transforming into a dark light and shooting into the gap. The shadowy figure opposite also seized the opportunity to slip in.

The two rushed through the outer restriction of the Treasure Distribution Cliff almost one after the other. The gap behind them slammed shut, and Saintly might swept through, utterly crushing that patch of Chaos!

"Hoo... That was close." Lu Chen landed on a floating gray rock, his heart still pounding.

He looked across—the shadowy figure had already formed into a human shape, clad in terrifying demonic armor, its face indistinct, but those pair of scarlet demonic eyes, Lu Chen would never mistake them.

"Luohu's clone?" Lu Chen narrowed his eyes.

"Junior, you actually know of the opportunity here." The armored figure's voice was hoarse, with an ear-grating rasp like grinding metal. "My 'Black Fiend Demon Body' has just been refined, a perfect chance to test my blade on you."

Before the words fell, a demonic claw tore through the void and grabbed!

Lu Chen advanced instead of retreating, meeting it with the Chaos Sky-Opening Brick.

"CLANG!!!"

Brick and claw collided, the resulting shockwave causing the chaotic rocks around the Treasure Distribution Cliff to explode. Lu Chen staggered back three steps, while the armored figure stumbled back five steps, fine cracks appearing on its demonic claw.

"Grand Unity Peak, yet possessing Quasi-Saint combat power?" The armored figure was shocked and uncertain. "That brick of yours... did it melt fragments of the Sky-Opening Axe?!"

"Good eyesight." Lu Chen sneered. "Your clone is merely early-stage Quasi-Saint, and you dare to fight me?"

He was actually nervous—how could Luohu's clone be comparable to an ordinary Quasi-Saint? The brick he'd just thrown used seventy percent of his strength, and the opponent only retreated five steps; their strength was unfathomable.

But he wouldn't lose face. His aura had to be strong.

As expected, the armored figure fell silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Interesting... I've changed my mind. Instead of killing you now, it's better to let you scout the way for me. This inner layer of the Treasure Distribution Cliff is heavily restricted, and a cannon fodder is exactly what's needed."

Saying that, he actually retreated, clearing the path to the inner layer.

Lu Chen sneered inwardly: You want me to be your pathfinder? Let's see who tricks whom.

He wasted no words, turning and flying towards the inner layer. The armored figure maintained a distance of a hundred zhang, following at a leisurely pace.

The Treasure Distribution Cliff was divided into three layers. Lu Chen had only reached the third layer last time. But according to the information on the coordinate shard, there was a core area below the third layer, and the Chaos Treasure-Birthing Pool was beneath the core area.

Passing through the familiar entrance to the third layer—most of it was empty now, only some replicas and scraps remained, looking utterly miserable.

Seeing this, the armored figure's demonic eyes flickered: "It seems you were the one who stole treasures last time... Quite bold."

Lu Chen didn't answer, heading straight to the center of the third layer. This should have been the entrance to the core area, but it was currently sealed by a golden light screen.

Three thousand Great Dao runes flowed across the light screen, changing every moment, and the pressure it emitted made Lu Chen's breathing difficult—this was a Saint-level restriction personally laid by Hongjun!

"The Formless Restriction-Breaking Needle has two chances left, but against a Saint-level restriction, it's probably not enough," Lu Chen frowned.

The armored figure also stopped, staring at the light screen, clearly troubled as well.

Just then, the coordinate shard in Lu Chen's embrace suddenly grew hot.

A thought struck him, and he took out the shard. As the shard neared the light screen, fine patterns appeared on its surface, resonating with the runes on the light screen!

"So this shard isn't just a coordinate, but also a pass?" Lu Chen was overjoyed.

He attempted to press the shard onto the light screen.

"Buzz--"

The light screen rippled, splitting open a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through!

"Go!" Lu Chen flashed inside.

The armored figure also wanted to follow, but the gap quickly closed. He roared in anger, his demonic claws tearing fiercely, but only provoked a violent backlash from the light screen, nearly shaking him away.

"Junior! You seek death!" the armored figure roared.

Lu Chen turned back and grinned, "Senior, take your time. This junior will take his leave first."

With that, he rushed into the core area without looking back.

It was the same as the last time he came here, an empty stone chamber with the central stone platform now empty. But Lu Chen knew the secret lay beneath the platform.

He walked to the front of the stone platform and, following the secret method in the coordinate stone tablet, performed the Seven Stars Step, formed the Zi Wu Seal with his hands, and struck thirty-six seals.

"Open!"

The stone platform slowly sank, revealing a staircase leading down.

An extremely dense Chaos aura rushed towards him, mixed with the unique Dao rhythm fluctuations of an Innate Spiritual Treasure!

"The Chaos Treasure-Nurturing Pool... it really is below!"

Lu Chen suppressed his excitement and carefully descended the stairs.

The stairs wound downwards, and the further he walked, the denser the Chaos aura became. After walking about a thousand zhang, the area suddenly opened up—

It was a naturally formed Chaos cave. In the center was a pool, three zhang square. The pool water was Chaos-colored and churned incessantly. At the bottom of the pool, a faintly glowing mass was slowly taking shape.

It was the Treasure-Nurturing Pool! And that mass of light was the embryo of an Innate Spiritual Treasure being nurtured!

However, Lu Chen's gaze was drawn to something else by the edge of the pool.

A skeleton sat by the pool.

The skeleton was crystal clear like jade, maintaining its seated posture. It was unknown how many tens of thousands of years it had sat there until its demise. Most astonishingly, a purple Jade Slip floated in front of the skeleton's chest, inscribed with two Great Dao divine script characters:

[Strength·Ultimate]

"The ultimate inheritance of the Law of Strength?!" Lu Chen's heart pounded like a drum.

He stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the skeleton, "Senior, this junior is Lu Chen. Fate has brought me here. If I obtain this inheritance, I will surely not fail the Great Dao of Strength."

The skeleton remained unresponsive.

Lu Chen reached out and carefully touched the Jade Slip.

The moment his fingertip touched the Jade Slip—

"Boom!!!"

The entire Chaos cave shook violently! Two balls of golden flame suddenly lit up in the skeleton's eye sockets, and a vast, ancient voice exploded in Lu Chen's mind:

"Successor... I am the Chaos Demon God of Strength, Pangu's close friend, 'Giant Strength'... I perished here... leaving my inheritance for the fated..."

"To receive my inheritance, you must bear my karma... destroy... demons..."

The voice was intermittent, but the message was clear: this was the Chaos Demon God "Giant Strength," a friend of Pangu, who had left his inheritance here after perishing. To receive the inheritance, one had to accept his karma—destroy demons!

Lu Chen did not hesitate: "This junior is willing to bear the karma!"

"Good..."

The Jade Slip turned into purple light and shot into Lu Chen's forehead.

A massive amount of information flooded in: complete comprehension of the Law of Strength, nine divine abilities of Strength, the cultivation methods of a Chaos Demon God...

More importantly, the Jade Slip also recorded a world-shattering secret:

[The Chaos Treasure-Nurturing Pool consumes a strand of Chaos Origin Essence for each spiritual treasure it nurtures. The Origin Essence of this pool is nearly depleted and will completely collapse after this nurturing. Sealed at the depths of the pool are three drops of 'Chaos Source Liquid,' left over from before the Sky-Opening, which can reshape one's foundation and perfect one's laws...]

Lu Chen suddenly looked at the Treasure-Nurturing Pool.

The embryo-like light mass was nearing completion, vaguely resembling a small bell—another bell-type spiritual treasure?

But he cared more about the three drops of Chaos Source Liquid at the bottom of the pool!

"I must get them!"

Just as he was about to act, a roar came from above.

The armored figure had actually forced his way in!

"Junior! Hand over the inheritance!" Luohu's clone's eyes were bloodshot, clearly sensing the aura of the Law of Strength God's inheritance.

Lu Chen sneered, "If you have the ability, come and take it yourself."

As he spoke, he quietly used the last chance of his Invisible Needle of Breaking Restrictions—the target was not the armored figure, but the protective restriction of the Treasure-Nurturing Pool!

"Break!"

The silver needle pierced the ground by the pool.

"Crack... crackle..."

The Chaos restriction around the Treasure-Nurturing Pool showed cracks.

Seeing this, the armored figure roared and charged, "You seek death!"

Lu Chen, however, did not confront him head-on. With a flash of Brick Escape, he directly burrowed into the Treasure-Nurturing Pool!

The Chaos pool water aggressively eroded him, but with the Chaos Brick protecting his body, he endured the assault and dived towards the bottom of the pool.

Three breaths later, three fist-sized droplets of liquid, the color of Chaos, indeed floated at the bottom of the pool. The aura they emitted made Lu Chen's soul tremble—this was a primordial substance older than Primordial Violet Qi!

"Collect!"

The Qiankun Diagram unfurled, collecting the three droplets of Chaos Source Liquid.

The moment he succeeded—

"RUMBLE!!!"

In the center of the Treasure Gestation Pool, the small bell embryo completely took shape, erupting with immeasurable treasure light! At the same time, the entire Treasure Gestation Pool began to collapse!

The demonic armor figure was about to charge down to seize the treasure but was swept into the collapsing Chaos airflow.

Lu Chen seized the opportunity to use Brick Escape to charge upwards, grabbing the newly formed small bell—it felt ice-cold in his hand, its body the color of Chaos, with faint Sky-Opening Imprints on its surface.

With no time to examine it closely, he turned and fled.

Behind him, the roars of the demonic armor figure mingled with the rumbling of the collapsing Treasure Gestation Pool.

"Junior! I will surely kill you—!!!"

Lu Chen didn't look back, speeding back the way he came.

He now possessed the Chaos Source Liquid, the Strength Demon God inheritance, and the newborn Chaos Bell—three supreme treasures. He had struck it rich!

But as soon as he exited the core area, he ran headfirst into a figure—

It wasn't the demonic armor figure.

It was an old Daoist with white clothes and white hair, holding a horsetail whisk.

A wisp of Dao Ancestor Hongjun's avatar stood quietly at the entrance of the third level, watching him with a half-smile.

"Little fellow, you've gained quite a bit."

Lu Chen's scalp tingled, and he gave a dry laugh, "Dao Ancestor, this junior was merely... helping you organize your inventory."

Hongjun's avatar smiled, "That newborn small bell is the 'Morning Bell,' a companion spiritual treasure to the Chaos Bell. It has karmic ties with Taiyi's Chaos Bell. If you take it, the Demon Race will be your sworn enemy."

"As for the Chaos Source Liquid... it was formed from the three drops of Pangu's heart's blood left behind during Sky-Opening. It was supposed to return to the Heavenly Dao when the Treasure Distribution Cliff collapsed."

"You took it beforehand, disrupting the celestial order."

The Dao Ancestor swept his horsetail whisk, "Tell me, how should I punish you?"