Taboo

Chapter 22: Restrictions

Taiyi stopped on the square, not rushing to enter.

He first crouched down, moving himself into the shadow of a stone pillar, his back pressed against the cold stone surface. He let out a long breath. Passing through the outermost light barrier had felt like his bones had been disassembled and reassembled. But he didn't have time to recover; he needed to understand the situation before him first.

The square was terrifyingly vast. Black stone slabs were laid tightly, one after another, with dark green moss seeping from the cracks. Twelve stone pillars stood crookedly, but a closer look revealed something unusual—each pillar's position subtly aligned with some ancient formation, encircling the Pangu Hall in the center like an iron bucket.

The hall was still a hundred zhang away.

Within these hundred zhang, Taiyi could sense at least seven or eight invisible "walls." A sense of oppression lingered there, layer upon layer, wrapping the entire hall tightly. The dark red light barrier outside was merely the first curtain; the real challenge lay within.

He squinted, examining the stone hall.

The hall was built from the roughest black stone, the chisel marks barely polished, leaving it pitted and uneven, as if it had been casually broken off a mountainside and stacked. Yet, this only made it exude a raw power—an imprint of the purest "force" from the time of creation.

The entire hall had no windows or decorations, only two opposing stone doors on the front, slightly ajar, revealing a dark, narrow gap.

Nothing could be seen from within the doors.

But Taiyi could feel something "pulling" him.

It wasn't a sound, but a more direct tug. The Chaos Bell in his Dantian trembled slightly, the Blood Fiend Power in his meridians churned, and even the crooked, gray-black Chaos Lotus emitted a faint warmth.

Heaven-Opening Axe Imprint.

The System's voice chimed.

But how to get in?

Taiyi looked down at his hands. The dark red patterns beneath his skin were more prominent than before, ignited by passing through the restrictions. The Witch Blood Powder's effects were still active, but time was running out—at most, an hour and a half remained.

He had to accomplish four things within this time: break through the remaining restrictions outside the hall, enter the hall to sign in, leave some "souvenirs," and withdraw completely intact.

"This is really cutting it close..." he muttered, sinking his consciousness into his sea of consciousness.

"Scan the restrictions outside the hall."

[Scanning...]

[Warning: Restrictions contain residual Great Dao laws and Pangu's will.]

[Deep scan may trigger backlash.]

"Scan."

A subtle fluctuation emanated from within him, silently probing the stone hall. This scan took a long time—Taiyi could feel the resistance increasing with every inch he advanced. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his back clothes stuck to his skin.

Finally, the results came.

[Scan Complete]

[Restriction Structure Analysis: 58%]

[Nine layers of complex restrictions identified.]

[First Layer: Outer Array of the Du Tian Divine Fiend Formation (Breached)]

[Second Layer: Earth Vein Tainted Qi Barrier (Requires Witch Race bloodline or Chaos attribute to pass)]

[Third Layer: Fiend Spirit Guard Array (36 guardians, each with combat power roughly equivalent to a peak Great Witch)]

[Fourth Layer: Time-Space Stasis Barrier (Reduces entrant's speed by 90%)]

[Fifth Layer: Bloodline Verification Restriction (Non-direct descendants of Ancestral Witches will trigger an alarm)]

[Sixth Layer: Inner Demon Illusion Trial (Directly targets the Dao Heart)]

[Seventh Layer: Karma Tracing Imprint (Records all information of the intruder)]

[Eighth Layer: Pangu Pressure Field (Intensity is 100 times that of the outside)]

[Ninth Layer: Hall Door Seal (Requires a specific incantation or brute force to break)]

Taiyi stared at the long list, his teeth itching.

Nine layers.

None of them sounded easy to deal with.

"How do I break them?"

[Calculating...]

[Calculation Complete]

[Recommended Plan: Break through layer by layer, primarily using the host's own abilities.]

[Specific Steps...]

The System listed the steps one by one. After listening, Taiyi's mind began to whir.

No need to exchange items, all relying on himself—time and space would be confronted head-on by the Chaos Bell, bloodline would be simulated by the Blood Fiend Power, karma would be interfered with by the Chaos Bell's desperate struggle, and the incantation would be pieced together from the fragments with guesswork.

It was harder, but also more substantial.

Doing it this way was the path Eastern Emperor Taiyi should take.

"Alright," he nodded.

He stood up and stretched his wrists. The joints in his bones popped a few times, sounding jarring in the deathly silent plaza.

The first step: pass the second layer of restriction.

The Earth Vein Tainted Qi wall was invisible, but he could feel it—like a sticky, gelatinous mass blocking his path. Taiyi reached out, pressing his palm into the air. Dark red Blood Fiend Power seeped from his fingertips, slowly "seeping" inward.

The wall reacted. The tainted qi began to churn, like a disturbed water surface. Taiyi maintained control with extreme steadiness, his strength constantly hovering on the edge of "testing."

A subtle fluctuation fed back—the restriction had been slightly disturbed by him, but not enough to trigger an alarm. Taiyi knew where he stood and continued. It was like scratching with the tip of a feather, repeatedly probing at the critical point without crossing the line.

The tainted qi's fluctuations became more pronounced, but still no alarm.

He narrowed his eyes and increased his strength slightly.

The Blood Fiend Power condensed into an invisible, fine needle, gently piercing the weakest point of the barrier.

"Buzz—"

The barrier let out a low, muffled hum, and the tainted qi within a ten-zhang radius trembled violently!

Taiyi immediately withdrew his strength.

That last move had caused minor damage to the restriction. Although he had retracted his hand in time, the ripple of "defiance" had already spread, and the System silently noted it—his Taboo points had increased by a small amount.

His total points reached ninety-five.

Taiyi looked towards the third restriction—the thirty-six Fiend Spirit guards.

They were hidden in the darkness, like silent stone sculptures. Each one pulsed with terrifying fiendish energy, which was a great supplement for the Chaos Bell.

He tiptoed closer.

He stopped when he was still three zhang away from the nearest Fiend Spirit.

It was a humanoid statue, about three zhang tall, entirely gray and black, its surface weathered and pitted. The statue had its eyes closed, its hands resting on a stone axe, planted at the edge of the plaza like a loyal night watchman.

Taiyi could feel something "slumbering" deep within the statue.

Once awakened, it would come alive and attack with its axe—and if one woke up, all thirty-five would follow.

He had to extract some of the fiendish energy before it woke up, then immediately withdraw.

This task was more dangerous than licking blood off the tip of a knife.

Taiyi held his breath and extended his right index finger. A tiny point of dark red light flickered at his fingertip, as thin as a silk thread, slowly reaching towards the Fiend Spirit's chest—the core where the fiendish energy condensed.

The distance shortened inch by inch.

Two feet.

One foot.

Half a foot.

Just as his fingertip was about to touch the stone surface—

The statue's eyelids twitched violently!

Taiyi's heart tightened, but his movements accelerated instead!

"Ch."

His fingertip sank half an inch into the stone surface.

A stream of pure, icy fiendish energy surged towards him along his fingertip, carrying a violent intent to destroy everything. Taiyi immediately activated the Chaos Bell's absorption power, drawing it in frantically!

The Fiend Spirit's eyes opened.

Its gray-white stone eyeballs slowly turned towards Taiyi.

Its hand tightened on the stone axe.

But Taiyi didn't stop! He knew that stopping now meant death! While frantically drawing in the fiendish energy, he activated all his Blood Fiend Power to create a chaotic barrier in front of him—not for defense, but to conceal his aura and delay the alarm's transmission!

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

The statue's arm was raised, and dark gray fiendish light flickered on the stone axe!

Just as the stone axe was about to fall—

Taiyi abruptly pulled back his finger and retreated rapidly!

At the same time, the Chaos Bell vibrated "clang" in his sea of consciousness, and a wave of chaotic energy spread out, disrupting the newly awakened senses of the Fiend Spirit into chaos!

In that instant, Taiyi had retreated more than ten zhang away, shrinking back into the shadow of a stone pillar.

The Fiend Spirit, holding its stone axe, looked around blankly. It glanced left and right, found no target, then looked down at its chest—there was a small hole, and about ten percent of its fiendish energy was gone.

It tilted its head, its stone face seemingly perplexed.

But in the end, it slowly lowered its stone axe, closed its eyes, and sank back into slumber.

The other thirty-five remained motionless.

Taiyi leaned against the stone pillar, gasping for air, his forehead covered in fine beads of cold sweat.

That last move was like dancing the Hu Xuan dance on the edge of the gates of hell.

But the rewards were tangible too—I stole the energy of the restriction and glimpsed the principles behind the Fiend Spirits' construction. The System silently recorded these two achievements, and my Taboo points shot up again.

My total points reached one hundred and sixty-two.

Taiyi straightened up, his gaze fixed on the fourth restriction—the Time-Space Stasis barrier.

Just standing at the edge of the barrier, he could feel the suffocating "stickiness." The air ahead was like solidified amber, even light seemed to move slowly, distorting as it passed.

With no external help to borrow, he could only rely on himself.

Taiyi took a deep breath and communicated with the Chaos Bell in his sea of consciousness.

"Old friend, lend me a hand."

The Chaos Bell gave a vague response—its artifact spirit hadn't fully awakened, but its instincts remained.

Taiyi poured his magic power into the bell ceaselessly. On the bell's surface, ancient patterns representing "time" and "space" lit up one by one, their brilliance flowing.

He lifted his foot and stepped into the barrier.

Instantly, the surrounding time and space turned into a quagmire. Every movement became heavy and slow, even his thoughts seemed to stretch out.

But at this moment—

"Clang—"

A low, deep, and resonant bell chime spread from within Taiyi.

It wasn't an attack, but a vibration. The Chaos Bell's power rippled outwards, and within three feet of Taiyi, it forcefully "shook" the solidified time and space into a slight looseness!

It was like smashing a hole in a frozen river; though solid ice remained all around, the hole itself was passable.

Taiyi seized the opportunity and moved quickly.

He could clearly feel the Chaos Bell's consumption—with every step, the bell's brilliance dimmed. This method consumed too much Origin; at his current cultivation level, it could only last for twenty breaths at most.

Ten feet, twenty feet, thirty feet...

When he passed through the entire barrier and stood before the fifth restriction—the Bloodline Verification Restriction—the Chaos Bell's light had dimmed like a candle in the wind.

Nineteen breaths.

Just barely enough.

The fifth restriction was an invisible wall, covered with countless tiny "tentacles" that scanned the bloodline Origin of anyone passing through.

Taiyi stopped, took a deep breath, and fully activated the Blood Fiend Power within him!

Dark red patterns emerged from beneath his skin, spreading and soon covering his entire body. These patterns were twisted and ancient, exuding the unique, wild, and primitive aura of a Chaos Demon God—neither Witch nor Demon, but closer to the "Chaos" itself before the heavens and earth were opened.

He pushed this aura to its limit, then stepped forward.

The "tentacles" swept over his body.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

No alarm.

He passed.

The sixth restriction—the Inner Demon Illusion—followed immediately.

Taiyi's vision blurred, and his surroundings changed drastically.

It was no longer a black stone plaza, but an endless void. Above, below, and in all directions were gray chaotic energy flows, without sky or earth, without beginning or end.

A grand, indifferent voice echoed in the chaos, like the combined will of billions of living beings:

"Why have you come here?"

Taiyi remained silent.

This illusion directly targeted the true essence of his Dao Heart; deception was impossible.

He pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, his voice calm:

"To seek a sliver of hope."

"To change a predetermined fate."

"To... see if there is another path in this Great Wilderness, planned by the Heavenly Dao."

As his words fell, the illusion rippled slightly.

The voice asked again:

"To seek life through crooked means, to change fate through deceit, can such actions be called the righteous path?"

Upon hearing this, Taiyi actually let out a low laugh.

"What is the righteous path?"

"To follow heaven and accept destiny, to watch loved ones perish and the common people suffer, is that the righteous path?"

"I only know that I want to live, and those I care about want to live. If the Heavenly Dao does not grant us a way to live, I will forge one myself—whether it's the righteous path or a crooked one, if it works, it is my path!"

The illusion violently trembled!

The murky chaotic airflow began to spin, collapse, and finally shattered with a "bang," turning into countless streams of light that dissipated.

The scene before him cleared, revealing the same black stone plaza.

He had passed the heart demon trial.

The seventh restriction—Karma Tracing Imprint—had been activated.

Invisible laws descended like the most precise net, ready to record and imprint all his information: his origins, his history, his purpose, even every wisp of his thoughts.

Taiyi's hair stood on end!

He possessed no karma-related abilities to interfere or shield himself.

But just as the imprint was about to touch his soul—

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The Chaos Bell rang three times within his sea of consciousness!

It wasn't an attack or a defense, but a more fundamental "declaration of existence." The bell's chime contained the fluctuations of chaotic laws, its essence of "disorder," "chaos," and "unpredictability" naturally clashing with the "order," "certainty," and "predictability" of the karma tracing law.

It was like pouring a bucket of ink into clear water. The precise net lost its way in this chaos, recording fragmented and contradictory information—like looking at a person through a shattered mirror, indistinct and unrecognizable.

Taiyi could feel the painful hum of the Chaos Bell. These three chimes consumed the chaotic origin stored deep within the bell, its very foundation as an Innate Supreme Treasure.

But he had no time to feel sorry for it.

Three breaths!

The Chaos Bell could only interfere for three breaths!

Taiyi moved like lightning, streaking forward!

By the time he rushed out of the imprint's range, the bell's chime had just ceased.

The Chaos Bell's light dimmed completely, its floating posture appearing strained. As if exhausted, it slowly sank into the depths of his sea of consciousness, falling into a slumber.

Taiyi had no time to check the Chaos Bell's condition, for he had already stepped into the eighth restriction—the Pangu Pressure Field.

The moment he entered, his bones let out groaning sounds of unbearable pressure!

A hundredfold pressure!

It was as if countless ancient divine mountains were pressing down on him, every inch of his flesh and blood crying out. The True Sun Fire within him was completely suppressed, the Blood Fiend Power circulated sluggishly, and even his thoughts became slow.

He gritted his teeth, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth, and shuffled forward, step by step.

Each step was like treading on a mountain of knives.

Ten steps, twenty steps, thirty steps...

Only ten zhang remained until the hall door.

But these ten zhang felt like an insurmountable chasm.

His skin cracked, oozing blood; his meridians ached as if being torn apart; his soul trembled, threatening to leave his body—this was the primordial will of the creator, instinctively repelling and crushing any "anomaly."

But a fierce light still burned in Taiyi's eyes.

He stared intently at the two slightly ajar stone doors.

Five zhang left.

Three zhang.

One zhang.

Finally, he stepped onto the stone steps before the hall door.

The ninth restriction—Hall Door Seal—was within sight.

Taiyi extended his trembling right hand, his palm pressing against the cold, rough stone door.

He activated the last remaining Blood Fiend Power in his meridians, channeling all his strength to simulate the "Heaven-Opening Fiend Qi" from the beginning of creation, the qi that annihilated the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods—a violent, primal aura filled with the contradiction of destruction and rebirth.

At the same time, he sank his consciousness into his sea of consciousness, mobilizing the only recorded Fragment of Chaotic Incantation (1/12).

The incomplete runes appeared in his mind, distorted and ancient. He couldn't comprehend their full meaning, only catching a trace of the most primal "rhythm," the "intonation" used during the chaotic era to sacrifice to heaven and earth and communicate with the origin.

His lips moved, using the Blood Fiend Power to vibrate the air, emitting fragmented, hoarse, yet strangely ancient-sounding syllables:

"...Hun...dun...li...gui..."

Each incomplete syllable, painstakingly uttered, felt like it was burning his soul. The restriction's light on the stone door flickered unstably, the signs of loosening becoming increasingly apparent.

As the last syllable dissipated into the cold air—

"Creak... creak... creak..."

The immensely heavy stone door slowly moved inward, revealing a gap just wide enough for a person to pass sideways.

Without hesitation, Taiyi used his last ounce of strength and squeezed through.

Behind him, the stone door slowly closed, separating the inside from the outside.

Leaning against the cold stone door, his body slid down the panel to the ground. He gasped for air, each breath carrying the scent of blood.

Before him lay a deep darkness, with only a faint light seemingly in the distance.

But within this darkness, the System's prompt sounded clearly in his mind:

[Arrived at sign-in location: Pangu Hall Core Restriction Zone]

[Sign in immediately?]

Taiyi grinned, his blood-stained teeth particularly striking in the darkness.

He laughed.

"Sign in."