Origin

Donghua's little world is very simple.

Aside from the unexpected incident where Zhou Rihui stirred up fragments of a giant tree underwater, everything else here is arranged in the sky.

To be precise, this is built around the descendants of the giant tree.

Without the Soul-Locking Pillar extending upwards, no one can use their physical body to explore the grand hall that was once high in the sky again; even Ren Anran can only use his Yang Soul Incarnation to investigate.

This may also involve the giant tree's recognition, which has made it difficult for everyone to investigate.

To investigate the truth, stable internal factors are needed. Zhang Xuezhou didn't want to encounter unexpected events while investigating, or to have his backyard catch fire after seeking potential benefits.

This made him less enthusiastic about exploring this small world until Badun, the most disruptive figure to the balance, left, at which point Zhang Xuezhou quickly began his investigation.

How can you be so sure there are benefits here?

Passing through layers of dust-laden clouds, Ren Anran followed Zhang Xuezhou to the former entrance of the main hall.

Ren Anran came here to investigate several times, but her investigations were of no use.

The entrance that once led to the main hall has vanished, and the main hall itself has disappeared without a trace. Under these circumstances, no matter how much investigation is conducted, no results will be found.

Zhang Xuezhou simply reached out and grabbed at the entrance, as if a sun had appeared in his hand.

The light was so bright that Ren Anran had to shield her eyes to barely see.

In her blurry vision, Ren Anran could only see a fist-sized pearl radiating golden light.

Judging from Zhang Xuezhou's expression, Baozhu posed no threat.

The absence of harm must be a benefit. Ren Anran was quite surprised that Zhang Xuezhou searched so easily, as if he knew where something was hidden and took it out with a simple reach.

"It's not that I knew there would be benefits here, but rather that I sensed it here and then took it out," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"What is it?"

"It seems to be the origin!"

Zhang Xuezhou looked at the center of his palm.

Despite the blinding light, Zhang Xuezhou could feel the warm, harmless sensation in his palm.

In the center of his palm, a sphere slowly rotated.

Inside the sphere, one can see a gray, hazy land, purplish-red poisonous trees, scattered poisonous weeds, a small lake where people fetch water, a simple filtration pond, and a makeshift rain shelter.

If Zhang Xuezhou focused his mind, he could also observe Ren Yisheng, who was pulling Nagos near the distortion, as well as many other people who were eavesdropping.

The entire small world seemed to be a microcosm within the sphere in his palm, or perhaps the sphere observed the entire small world within it.

This sphere floated in the space where the main hall used to be. It may have been hidden before, or suppressed by the Soul-Locking Pillar, or there may have been other factors involved.

Zhang Xuezhou found it difficult to guess what had happened initially. He sensed something unusual here, so he reached out and grabbed it, and then the sphere entered his palm.

"The kind of origin that the Void Furnace described?" Ren Anran asked, her eyes wide.

"It's possible," Zhang Xuezhou nodded. "It seems to have a special pulling force!"

"Can it be used?"

I'll give it a try!

Zhang Xuezhou touched the round ball.

The sphere is not glassy; it is somewhat soft, like an egg covered only by a membrane.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't dare to do anything reckless, and only gently stroked it.

As if dust had been swept away, Zhang Xuezhou saw that the gray clouds in the distant sky had disappeared.

He blew a breath towards the sphere, and clouds of mist dispersed, revealing a clear blue sky. Familiar stars and the sun came into view, and light instantly filled the small world, bathing it in a golden glow.

"The sphere has shrunk!"

Ren Anran, who had been observing the sphere, paid no attention to the changes around her. Focusing on the size of the sphere, she quickly noticed something unusual.

"Its power will diminish and be consumed when it affects the outside world," Zhang Xuezhou nodded. "How to use it to transform this place, to make it suitable for us or even beneficial to us, is a very difficult operation!"

After a simple verification, Zhang Xuezhou felt as if he possessed the origin described by the Void Furnace.

However, wielding this primal power is difficult. There are no instructions to follow, and Zhang Xuezhou has no experience. Doing it just right is a challenge.

"You have keen perception and can distinguish right from wrong, so why don't you try it out!"

Zhang Xuezhou reached out and handed over the sphere. Ren Anran carefully took it, and watched as the sphere glided through her fingers, like passing through a dreamlike bubble, before finally falling.

When Ren Anran reached out to grasp it again, she felt as if she were grasping air, not the solid object that Zhang Xuezhou was holding.

"Looks like it's not meant for me!"

Ren Anran shook her head.

Ren Anran had been here many times before, but she had never found the round bead.

This was the first time she had witnessed the essence of heaven and earth; the wonder of this essence was difficult to fathom.

"The Void Furnace said that the origin can be modified according to the environmental form preferred by the acquirer," Zhang Xuezhou said. "He said that the origin of human life may be water, while he prefers a fire environment, and he also has the killing and reproduction that tigers like, but the Void Furnace did not say what power to use to guide it!"

"Rumors spread like wildfire, and eventually they can become distorted. Xu Lu himself hasn't personally experienced it, nor has he seen the origin. You should only believe half of what he says," Ren Anran said. "You can try them one by one. As long as you don't kill anyone, you can try whatever you want. At worst, we'll just lose this land!"

I'll try again!

Ren Anran's words made Zhang Xuezhou put aside his various experiences with the Void Furnace, and he was no longer so anxious about gains and losses.

Even if we don't strive for perfection, making do is fine. Even if the worst outcome occurs, we'll just have to give up this little world. After all, it wasn't originally Zhang Xuezhou's property. The group's initial purpose in entering this place was simply to kill Donghua and seek to break free from his control.

A surge of Law Power flowed from his palm, a speck of purple light appeared within the sphere, and then disappeared.

No matter how much Law Power Zhang Xuezhou poured in, Law Power was like a pebble falling into a deep pool, barely making a sound, let alone having any effect.

He blew another breath into the sphere, and Zhang Xuezhou felt a gust of wind howling in the sky.

Amidst the wind and waves, a hint of vitality has emerged.

"Earth, water, fire, and wind form the foundation of the world's matter, while Law Power is not a fundamental substance. This may explain why my breath can have an effect, while Law Power cannot!"

After a simple test, Zhang Xuezhou was about to leap into the lake, but when he went to fetch water to try it out, he found himself standing on the edge of the lake with just one step.

He couldn't help but glance at the sky twenty miles above, and then at the lake shore beneath his feet.

The instantaneous leap seemed incredibly incredible. Zhang Xuezhou felt as if some thought had been stirred in his mind, but it was vague and difficult to make sense of it.

He reached out to take a drop of water, and a drop fell onto the sphere.

The falling water droplet did not grow into a giant water source, but instead transformed into a white cloud as it fell.

Zhang Xuezhou looked up at the sky and saw a giant white cloud in the azure sky.

With just one more breath, this cloud might collide with something, causing localized rainfall.

"Fire?"

Having tested the effect of water, Zhang Xuezhou noticed the sphere was shrinking further, prompting him to quickly turn towards the fire source used to roast the insects.

Even after sweeping away the ash heap from the landfill, embers still lingered on the dry, poisonous tree branches beneath.

Zhang Xuezhou simply picked up a branch and brought it close to the sphere. He saw the white clouds drifting in the sky rapidly expand, then turn into wisps of white mist, and then quickly disappear.

The air was drier, and the temperature rose slightly.

"Land?"

Zhang Xuezhou had blown the wind, dripped water, and set fire. When he turned to the last factor, 'earth,' he felt he wouldn't be foolish enough to sprinkle dust on a sphere and create a gray sky.

After scanning the area several times, Zhang Xuezhou reached out and pointed at a large rock inside the sphere.

The boulder he used for testing in the distance was not crushed with a finger as he had imagined, nor was a large hole dug into the ground.

Zhang Xuezhou pressed down with one finger, and he felt the sphere in his palm disappear rapidly.

At the same time, the boulder he had chosen to press down began to emit a faint blue light, and a rich, Spiritual Qi fragrance wafted over in an instant.