Seeking a Place to Rest, Chaotic Flow's Peril

The wind paused for a moment. Before I could react, the ground suddenly began to shake. Cracks spread across the rocks beneath my feet, and a gray-black stream of air surged from underground, rushing straight towards my head. Instinctively, I retreated, my back hitting the giant rock I had leaned against earlier. I fumbled for my chest—the amulet was still there.

The System had just said it wouldn't release the second question until twelve hours had passed, but this commotion didn't feel like a natural phenomenon at all. Gritting my teeth, I clutched the spirit stone in my left hand and placed my right hand on the talisman. A chill crept up my palm, not from fear, but because the stream of air carried a bone-chilling cold.

It was moving.

Like a living thing, it spread across the ground, turning rocks to powder wherever it passed. I looked down at my own toes, barely half a foot away from the black mist. Any later, and my feet would be gone.

"I have to get out of here."

As soon as the thought formed, my mind buzzed, and the System's voice drowned out everything else: "Detected high-risk Chaotic Flow, host's life force is rapidly decreasing, immediate transfer recommended."

I didn't have time to ask what "life force" was. I pushed off with my right leg, moving sideways along the rock face in three quick steps. As soon as I steadied myself, the spot where I had been standing was swallowed by the black mist, not even a sound left behind.

I took a breath, my forehead covered in sweat. I couldn't stay put; this area was no longer safe. There was a high ground in the distance, where I could vaguely make out several giant stone pillars. Perhaps they could offer some protection against this thing.

I started walking towards it.

Every step was incredibly slow, my eyes fixed on the ground. The spirit stone was pressed against my waist, and I could feel a faint warmth, as if reminding me I was still alive. After less than ten steps, the sky above suddenly darkened. It wasn't clouds blocking the light; the entire space seemed to be stretching and twisting, as if being pulled by something.

A low rumble filled my ears, like millions of whispers at once, or like the earth groaning.

The Chaotic Flow had arrived.

Much larger than the previous surge, it poured in from all directions, its speed increasing rapidly. I quickened my pace, but my legs felt like lead, each lift requiring immense effort. It was pressure, from the air itself. I could feel my body being squeezed, my lungs constricting, making breathing difficult.

"Hang in there," I told myself internally. "As long as I reach those stone pillars, I'll have something to hold onto."

But the distance was still fifty paces.

Forty paces.

Thirty paces.

A black current swept in from the side, grazing my arm. My skin instantly went numb, as if pierced by ice needles. I didn't dare stop, continuing to charge forward.

Twenty paces.

Fifteen paces.

Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet collapsed. I lurched forward, my hands hitting the ground to stop myself from falling into the crack. Thick black fog churned within, emitting a decaying odor. I rolled over onto a protruding rock nearby, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of my throat.

Ten paces.

Right in front of me.

Gritting my teeth, I stood up, about to take a step, when the entire sky suddenly tore open. A massive vortex appeared above, a swirling mix of gray-black and dark red, like an open eye. A fierce wind exploded from the center of the vortex, kicking up gravel and dust, and flipping me onto the ground.

I rolled a few times, my back hitting a slanted stone slab. The pain made my vision go black. I tried to get up, but my limbs felt heavy and unresponsive. That force wasn't just wind; it was a suppression at a fundamental level, as if the world itself was rejecting my existence.

"System!" I shouted in my mind. "What do I do now?"

After a few seconds of silence, the mechanical voice finally responded: "Hint: Use talisman to guide qi, use stone to stabilize body."

Only eight words.

But I understood.

The amulet wasn't meant to be clutched; it was meant to be used. Trembling, I drew the talisman from my robes, spreading it flat in my palm. It was light, and the lines on its surface now glowed faintly.

"Use talisman to guide qi..." I closed my eyes, recalling the passage from the Quiet Heart Technique. I sank my breath, focused on my Dantian, and tried to guide the faint warmth within me to my palm.

At first, there was no reaction.

The second time, the edge of the talisman flickered.

The third time, my palm grew hot, and a warm current flowed up my meridians, colliding with the chaotic energy outside, emitting a faint crackling sound.

It worked.

I immediately pressed the talisman to my chest, simultaneously gripping the sharp edge of a protruding rock beside me with my left hand. The warm current spread out, forming a thin barrier around my body. While it couldn't block all the impacts, it at least allowed me to maintain my stance and stop being blown around.

The vortex above spun faster and faster, and the surrounding stone pillars collapsed one by one. I held onto this rock tightly, my knuckles white. The high ground in the distance was sinking; what I thought was a safe spot had now become the most dangerous place.

"I can't go any further," I realized. The only option now was to hold my current position and wait for this wave of Chaotic Flow to pass.

But it showed no signs of stopping.

If anything, it grew stronger.

The airflow scraped across my cheeks like knives, and the amulet's light began to flicker, each flicker causing my heart to sink a little further. The warmth within me was also weakening, not able to last much longer.

I forced myself to calm down. Since the System had given a hint, there had to be a solution. The key was how to use these two items effectively—the amulet and the spirit stone.

The spirit stone was for replenishing energy, but I couldn't absorb it now. There wasn't enough time to circulate my cultivation technique. Unless...

I took out all five spirit stones and piled them in front of me, trying to touch them with the amulet's warmth. The first stone had no reaction, the second developed fine cracks on its surface, and the third suddenly lit up.

There was a way.

I focused my mind, letting the warm current slowly envelop the glowing spirit stone. Instantly, a new surge of heat rushed into my body through my fingers. It wasn't much, but it was enough to let me catch my breath.

I began to activate the spirit stones in rotation, drawing a little from each, just enough to maintain the amulet's function. The rhythm couldn't be broken; too fast and it would be depleted, too slow and the turbulent flow would tear through my defenses.

One minute passed.

Three minutes passed.

The vortex overhead finally showed a change. Its color lightened slightly, and its rotation slowed a bit. But just then, the rock beneath my feet let out a cracking sound.

It cracked.

A thin fissure snaked up from the bottom, heading straight for the edge I was gripping. If this stone broke, I'd lose my footing completely.

I quickly scanned my surroundings and spotted the remains of a broken stone pillar half a meter to my left, lodged in the ground at an angle. I could reach it, but if I let go, the amulet's balance would be broken.

No choice.

I took a deep breath, and at the moment the amulet's light shone brightest, I yanked my right hand free and lunged for the broken pillar.

My fingertips brushed against the cold surface, and I slid down. My left arm clamped tightly around the base of the pillar, my body dangling in mid-air. The amulet nearly slipped out, but I bit down on a corner and pressed it back against my chest.

My feet found no purchase, and I could only support myself with my arms. My muscles began to ache, and sweat dripped into my eyes, stinging them. The vortex overhead continued to spin, but I didn't dare look up. All my attention was focused on my arms and the amulet.

Another spirit stone activated, and a warm current rose again. This time, instead of immediately reinforcing the barrier, I tried to let it seep down the stone pillar. If this stone could resonate with the amulet, maybe it could hold on a little longer.

Sure enough, as the warm current touched the base of the pillar, the entire stone vibrated slightly. Faint golden patterns appeared on its surface, like some ancient script.

It worked.

I increased the output, channeling more energy into the pillar. More golden patterns emerged, eventually connecting to form a semicircular light shield, enveloping both me and the pillar.

The wind still howled, but it no longer hit me directly.

I sank down against the pillar, gasping for breath. My stamina was almost gone, my fingers trembling too much to hold a spirit stone. The last one lay on the ground, covered in dust.

Looking up, the vortex still hung overhead, not dissipating. The surrounding landscape had completely changed. The high ground was gone, the ground was uneven and pitted, riddled with cracks everywhere. The spot I was in was now surrounded by swirling gray and black currents.

The System remained silent.

The amulet's temperature cooled.

I knew this was only a temporary reprieve. The true center of the Chaotic Flow still awaited me ahead.