Chaotic spiritual power

Inside the council hall of the multiverse time core, an inter-universal seminar was in full swing.

White Night provided a detailed analysis of the immortal cultivation system of the Xuantian Immortal Domain and the construction principles of the spirit gathering furnace. In the 3D projection, an animation depicting the fusion of spiritual energy vortices and the core of laws rotated slowly before the leaders of the various races—this was the "round on the outside, square on the inside" spiritual power structure that the Mechanical Race had reconstructed using holographic technology based on White Night's description.

"In other words, the key to immortal cultivation lies in 'internal cultivation' rather than 'external seeking'?" The Mechanical Emperor stroked his metallic beard, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "If we can implant this structure into our mechanical cores, we might be able to solve the energy dissipation problem during inter-universal travel!"

He immediately pulled up the Mechanical Race's latest "starship energy map," where the red energy dissipation zones formed a sharp contrast with the vortex trajectories of the immortal spiritual power.

When the technicians superimposed the vortex structure onto the starship map, the red zones miraculously shrank by seventy percent.

"Feasible! It's completely feasible!" the Mechanical Race's chief engineer excitedly tapped on the console. "As long as we use star steel to simulate the spiritual energy layer and replace the law core with a chaos star core, we can build a 'perpetual motion starship'!"

White Night watched the perfect fusion of the two technologies in the projection, filled with deep emotion.

He took out the spirit gathering furnace gifted by Liu Ruyan and injected a wisp of origin dharma wheel into it. "The 'spirit inscription' technology of this spirit gathering furnace might help you optimize energy conduction. Cultivators in the Xuantian Immortal Domain use spirit inscriptions to guide spiritual power, just as we use runes to drive laws; they are essentially the same."

Under the stimulation of the dharma energy, fine golden patterns appeared on the body of the spirit gathering furnace. These patterns automatically extended onto the starship map and resonated with the Mechanical Race's energy conduits, causing the remaining thirty percent of the dissipation zones to vanish completely.

"Great!" the Captain of the Explorer slammed a fist on the table. "With the perpetual motion starship, we can travel freely to and from the Xuantian Immortal Domain and never have to worry about the passage closing again!"

However, Elder Hun Yuan of the Soul Race raised a new concern: "The spiritual power of the Xuantian Immortal Domain can suppress our dharma energy. Rushing in on a large scale will likely provoke resistance from the cultivators. We need a 'buffer energy' to allow the laws of the Multiverse to operate smoothly within the Xuantian Immortal Domain."

"I have a way." White Night took out the jade slip map of the Black Wind Mountain Range from his storage bag. "The spiritual veins there contain 'chaos spiritual energy.' This spiritual energy retains the gentleness of the immortal path while possessing the chaotic attributes of primitive laws, making it perfect as a raw material for buffer energy."

The meeting finally decided that the Mechanical Race would lead the development of the perpetual motion starship, the Soul Race and Crystal Clan would be responsible for refining chaos spiritual energy, and White Night would take the Wind Howling Silver Wolf to return to the Xuantian Immortal Domain first to clear obstacles for the Multiverse delegation. Before departing, Elder Shi Yuan handed him a "space-time mark." "This mark will allow you to open a temporary passage in the Xuantian Immortal Domain at any time. We will arrive before the Immortal Dao Conference begins."

On the other side of the golden passage, the sky of the Xuantian Immortal Domain remained the familiar azure blue. White Night did not head directly to the Azure Cloud Temple but followed the map's guidance to the outskirts of the Black Wind Mountain Range. The forests here were even more primitive than those in the Qingling Secret Realm, and the spiritual energy in the air carried a faint earthy yellow hue—the unique color of chaos spiritual energy.

"Careful, there are cultivators fighting ahead." The Wind Howling Silver Wolf suddenly stopped, his wolf eyes reflecting two rapidly moving figures. One was dressed in black, with ruthless moves, and his spiritual power carried the black aura of Zixia Valley's Corroding Spirit Net. The other was wearing coarse linen clothes, holding a woodcutter's knife; although his spiritual power was weak (Qi Refining Stage 4), he was exceptionally steady, and every strike landed on the black-clad person's openings.

"Zhang Laosan, hand over the 'chaos spiritual milk,' and I will spare your life!" The black-clad person sneered, and the short dagger in his hand turned into a black light, stabbing directly at the linen-clad cultivator's back.

The linen-clad cultivator turned abruptly, his woodcutter's knife carrying the earthy yellow chaos spiritual energy, blocking the short dagger at an incredible angle. "This spiritual milk is for my mother's illness; I will never give it to an evil cultivator like you!"

White Night recognized the Zixia Valley jade pendant at the black-clad person's waist and frowned slightly.

It seemed that although Zi Xuan had been defeated, Zixia Valley's predatory behavior had not abated. He did not rush to intervene but instead had the Wind Howling Silver Wolf conceal his aura to observe the linen-clad cultivator's moves—the cultivator's woodcutter's knife seemed chaotic, but it secretly aligned with the terrain of the Black Wind Mountain Range, clearly a technique comprehended from nature, carrying the simplicity of "Tao follows nature."

"If you refuse a toast, you will be forced to drink a forfeit!" The black-clad person had been entangled for a long time and finally lost patience. The black aura on the short dagger surged, and he actually unleashed a simplified version of Zi Xuan's Corroding Spirit Net, casting the black spiritual power net toward the linen-clad cultivator.

After all, the linen-clad cultivator's cultivation base was too low, and the chaos spiritual energy on his woodcutter's knife was quickly suppressed by the black aura. It looked like he was about to be caught in the net.

Just then, a green long whip suddenly lashed out from the forest, and the pale golden patterns on the whip instantly tore the black spiritual net to shreds.

"Who?!" The black-clad person was shocked and furious. When he turned and saw White Night, his face instantly turned pale. "It's you! That kid from the Qingling Secret Realm!"

White Night recognized him as one of the lackeys around Zi Xuan who had been injured by rogue cultivators at the teleportation array. He hadn't expected him to dare to come out and commit evil again.

He didn't waste words. The green long whip lashed directly at the black-clad person's wrist, forcing him to release the short dagger, and then he kicked him to the ground. "Do people from Zixia Valley only know how to bully the weak?"

"Don't be arrogant!" The black-clad person shouted, his bark worse than his bite. "Our Valley Master has already broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage and will come to deal with you soon!"

"Oh? Foundation Establishment Stage?" A hint of fighting spirit flashed in White Night's eyes.

He had been refining chaos spiritual energy in the Black Wind Mountain Range these days, and his spiritual power had broken through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining. He was just looking for a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator to test his skills. "Then I'd like to see if Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators only know how to use these underhanded tricks."

The black-clad person took the opportunity to release a message talisman and then scrambled away. The linen-clad cultivator quickly stepped forward to thank him. "Many thanks for your help, fellow Daoist. I am Zhang Dashan, a hunter from this Black Wind Village."

"White Night." He nodded, his gaze falling on the clay pot in Zhang Dashan's hands. Inside the pot was a milky white liquid—it was the chaos spiritual milk. "Can this spiritual milk really cure illness?"

Zhang Dashan scratched his head honestly. "I don't know either. The elders in the village say that chaos spiritual milk can bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh on bones. My mother has 'spiritual energy depletion syndrome,' so I have no choice but to try anything."

White Night opened the clay pot, and a gentle wave of energy rushed toward him. The chaos spiritual energy in this spiritual milk was purer than what he had refined and indeed had the effect of nourishing depleted meridians. He took out a Rejuvenation Pill (the pill-pattern version gifted by Liu Ruyan) from his storage bag. "Using this pill in conjunction with the spiritual milk will have even better results."

Zhang Dashan looked at the pill patterns flowing on the pill, his eyes widening. "This… is this a 'pill-pattern pill'? I heard that only Fairy Liu of Luoxia Peak can refine these!"

"A friend gave it to me." White Night didn't explain further. "Do you know where the spiritual milk spring in the Black Wind Mountain Range is? I need some chaos spiritual energy for research."

Zhang Dashan patted his chest and said, "I know! Only us hunters can find that place. I'll take you there!"

Under Zhang Dashan's guidance, the two and the one wolf traversed the intricate mountain forests and arrived beneath a hidden waterfall. On the rock wall behind the waterfall, there were dozens of tiny holes from which milky white spiritual milk was slowly oozing out, dripping into the pool below and merging with the pool water to form earthy yellow chaos spiritual energy.

"This is it." Zhang Dashan pointed to the pool. "But recently, some cultivators have been coming to snatch the spiritual milk, and we hunters are no match for them at all."

White Night's origin dharma wheel spun rapidly, analyzing the composition of the spiritual milk. He discovered that this spiritual milk contained trace amounts of "time particles," which were the very basis of the energy of the multiverse time core—this was also the key to why chaos spiritual energy could serve as buffer energy.

"I can trade pills for this spiritual milk." White Night took out ten Rejuvenation Pills. "Distribute these to the villagers and tell them not to come here and risk their lives anymore. I will deal with the cultivators who are snatching the spiritual milk."

Zhang Dashan took the pills, so excited that he was incoherent. "Many thanks, fellow Daoist White! You are truly a living Bodhisattva!"

Over the next half month, White Night built a simple refining device next to the spiritual milk spring to convert the chaos spiritual energy into solid "chaos spirit crystal." The Wind Howling Silver Wolf was responsible for patrolling, driving away the cultivators who came to snatch the spiritual milk one by one. Among them were many Qi Refining late-stage cultivators from Zixia Valley, but they were all easily repelled by the strengthened Silver Wolf.

During this period, Liu Ruyan contacted him via a message talisman, informing him that the Immortal Dao Conference would be held at Luoxia Peak. All major sects had received invitations, and True Man Zi Sha, the Valley Master of Zixia Valley, would also attend in person. This True Man Zi Sha was the culprit behind the cultivation of the Spirit Devouring Art and was said to have reached the late Foundation Establishment Stage, making him a top expert among the younger generation of the Xuantian Immortal Domain.

"It seems this conference won't be peaceful." White Night put the refined chaos spirit crystal into his storage bag; these crystals were enough to build ten temporary passages. "Silver Wolf, let's go to Luoxia Peak."

The mountain gate of Luoxia Peak was even more magnificent than the Azure Cloud Temple. The peak was surrounded by colorful clouds, and dozens of tents had been set up on the plaza at the foot of the mountain, where disciples from various sects were exchanging cultivation insights. When White Night appeared, it immediately caused quite a stir—many cultivators who had participated in the Qingling Secret Realm recognized him.

"It's that cultivator from the Azure Cloud Temple who defeated Zi Xuan!"

"I heard he was only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, yet he could break Zi Xuan's Corroding Spirit Net. He's amazing!"

"Look, the Silver Wolf beside him! Its aura is much stronger than when we last met!"

Liu Ruyan quickly brought her disciples to greet him. Her cultivation base had broken through to the ninth layer of Qi Refining, and the jade pendant at her waist glowed with a faint cyan color, clearly indicating she was about to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage. "Fellow Daoist White, you've finally arrived. People from Zixia Valley have been clamoring outside the peak every day, saying they want to make you look bad at the conference."

"That just saves me the trouble of looking for them." White Night smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping over the Zixia Valley tent in the corner of the plaza. The cultivators there were glaring at him viciously, and at their head was the gloomy-faced Zi Xuan—his cultivation had broken through to the ninth layer of Qi Refining, clearly having taken some shortcut with the help of the Valley Master.

Just then, a whistling sound came from the sky, and dozens of cyan sword lights landed in the center of the plaza. The leading cultivator was dressed in a cyan shirt, and the cyan jade pendant at his waist was engraved with the words "Foundation Establishment Initial Stage." It was none other than Azure Cloud Master's eldest disciple, Qing Feng.

"Junior Brother Bai, Master sent me to pick you up." Qing Feng cupped his hands respectfully toward White Night. "Master said the chaos spirit crystal you refined in the Black Wind Mountain Range is very useful, so he had me bring some 'heart-clearing grass' from Azure Cloud Temple to neutralize the volatility of the spirit crystal."

White Night took the heart-clearing grass, understanding clearly. Azure Cloud Master had evidently noticed the threat from Zixia Valley and was proactively showing goodwill, hoping to join forces with him to confront True Man Zi Sha.

As night fell, the night sky over Luoxia Peak burst with brilliant spirit fire; this was the signal that the Immortal Dao Assembly was about to begin.

White Night stood before the window of the guest room arranged by Liu Ruyan, gazing toward the direction of the Zixia Valley tents. The lights there were exceptionally bright, and he could vaguely hear a conversation between Zi Xuan and a middle-aged cultivator—

"Master, that White Night's spiritual power is very strange. You must avenge your disciple!"

"Rest assured, he is just a brat in the Qi Refining Stage. Even if he has had some fortuitous encounters, could he possibly overcome the barrier of the Foundation Establishment Stage? At tomorrow's assembly, I will let him know what it means to be truly insignificant."

A cold smile tugged at the corner of White Night's mouth as he held a chaos spirit crystal in his hand. The spirit crystal emitted a pale golden glow in his palm, resonating with the vortex in his dantian.

He could feel that his spiritual power was only one step away from the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage, and this step might be completely broken through at tomorrow's assembly by leveraging the pressure from True Man Zi Sha.

The Wind Howling Silver Wolf lay on the windowsill, its wolf eyes reflecting the lights of Zixia Valley. Extreme Cold Spiritual Power gathered at its claws, clearly also anticipating tomorrow's duel.

Under the night sky, the auras of various forces surged like undercurrents at Luoxia Peak. The gentleness of Azure Cloud Temple, the agility of Luoxia Peak, the sinister nature of Zixia Valley, and the hidden law fluctuations from the Multiverse intertwined under the starlight into an invisible web.

At the center of this web was White Night, standing before the window.

He knew that tomorrow's Immortal Dao Assembly would not only be a competition between sects of the Xuantian Immortal Domain, but also the first direct collision between the laws of the Multiverse and the Immortal Dao system.

And he would become the focal point of this collision.

The legend of the Immortal Dao belonging to him was about to turn a new page.

When the first ray of dawn at Luoxia Peak pierced through the colorful clouds, the square at the foot of the mountain was already bustling with noise.

Cultivators from the seventy-two sects of the Xuantian Immortal Domain gathered here: sword cultivators with fluttering sleeves, alchemists carrying spirit gathering furnaces, Daoist cultivators holding horsetail whisks... various figures intertwined in the morning light, and the air was permeated with spiritual power of different attributes, as if the Heavenly Emperor's palette had been overturned.

On the competition stage in the center of the square, Luoxia Peak Master Liu Chengfeng held the "Ceremony Token," his aged voice carrying the resonance of spiritual power: "The Immortal Dao Assembly aims to exchange cultivation insights and jointly promote the prosperity of the Xuantian Immortal Domain. Today's first round is for disciples in the Qi Refining Stage to spar; stop at the point of contact and do not take lives!"

As the order was given, the eighty-one secondary stages around the competition stage simultaneously lit up with white light. This was the "Stage Protection Array" set up by the array master of Luoxia Peak, capable of preventing spiritual power from leaking out and harming innocents during the sparring.

Qi Refining Stage disciples from various sects ascended the stages one after another. For a time, sword light, alchemical fire, and talisman paper intertwined above the secondary stages, and cheers rose and fell.

White Night stood in the seating area of Azure Cloud Temple, his gaze sweeping across the entire venue.

Azure Cloud Master was wearing a formal purple Daoist robe today, whispering with the heads of other sects. As a core disciple of Luoxia Peak, Liu Ruyan was assisting in recording the competition results beside the main stage, occasionally casting encouraging glances toward him. Meanwhile, in the seating area of Zixia Valley, Zi Xuan was standing behind a middle-aged cultivator. The cultivator wore a purple-gold Daoist robe with a sinister expression, and the green jade pendant at his waist was engraved with the words "Foundation Establishment Late Stage"—it was none other than True Man Zi Sha.

"Junior Brother Bai, are you ready?" Qing Feng walked to his side and handed him a green jade slip. "This is your number plate. You are at the nineteenth secondary stage, and your opponent is a cultivator at the eighth level of the Qi Refining Stage from Black Wind Valley."

White Night took the jade slip, and a warm, gentle spiritual power transmitted to his fingertips: "Many thanks, Senior Brother."

"Be careful of the people from Zixia Valley." Qing Feng lowered his voice. "I just saw Zi Xuan slip a jade slip to the disciple from Black Wind Valley; I fear it will be detrimental to you."

White Night nodded to indicate he understood, but his heart remained calm. After his training in the Black Wind Mountain Range, his spiritual power had stabilized at the peak of the eighth level of the Qi Refining Stage. Every time the vortex in his dantian rotated, it could condense a wisp of even purer fusion energy.

Moreover, he had the Wind Howling Silver Wolf as his "secret weapon"—nourished by the chaos spiritual milk, the Silver Wolf's strength had reached the seventh level of the Qi Refining Stage. The combination of its Extreme Cold Spiritual Power and Rending Wind Claws was enough to make even ordinary ninth-level Qi Refining Stage cultivators wary.

"Secondary stage number nineteen, White Night versus Hei Shan!"

Following the announcer's call, White Night leaped onto the secondary stage. The white light of the Stage Protection Array flowed around him, forming a translucent barrier.

Hei Shan opposite him was burly with skin as dark as charcoal, holding a heavy mountain-splitting axe. His spiritual power fluctuation was exactly at the eighth level of the Qi Refining Stage, and a faint earthy-yellow spiritual energy remained on the axe blade—he had clearly also practiced an earth-attribute cultivation technique.

"Kid, I heard you're quite the fighter?" Hei Shan grinned, revealing two rows of yellow teeth, the axe blade flashing coldly in the morning light. "Senior Brother Zi said that as long as I cripple you, this 'Qi Gathering Pill' will be mine." He opened his palm, where an earthy-yellow pill was emitting an enticing spiritual power.

An uproar immediately erupted in the surroundings. The cultivators did not expect Black Wind Valley to dare to openly violate the "stop at the point of contact" rule, nor did they expect Zixia Valley to bribe an opponent so blatantly.

"Zi Xuan has gone too far!" Liu Ruyan was so angry that her face turned pale beside the main stage. She wanted to step forward to stop it, but was held back by Peak Master Liu Chengfeng.

"Calm down." Liu Chengfeng's gaze fell on White Night. "This kid is not simple; he might bring us a surprise."

White Night looked at the Qi Gathering Pill, then glanced at Zi Xuan in the Zixia Valley seating area, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth: "If you want my life, you'll have to see if you have the ability."

"You're courting death!" Hei Shan roared, and the mountain-splitting axe came crashing down with the force of a thousand jun. The earthy-yellow spiritual power on the axe formed a massive wave of energy, shaking the white light of the Stage Protection Array violently. This strike condensed all of his spiritual power; he clearly intended to win with a single blow.

White Night did not dodge or evade; the vortex in his dantian rotated at high speed. The green long whip appeared in his hand once again, the pale golden patterns on the whip body denser than before—this was the effect of integrating the spiritual power of the heart-clearing grass, which could make the sharpness of the law core more restrained, yet also more overbearing.

"Immortal Dao・Entangle!" The long whip shot out like a spirit snake, avoiding the sharpness of the axe blade and wrapping around Hei Shan's wrist. The pale golden law patterns spread along the whip body, rapidly disintegrating the earthy-yellow spiritual power on the axe.

Hei Shan's expression changed drastically. He discovered that his spiritual power was rapidly draining away, as if he had encountered a nemesis. He desperately urged his spiritual power to break free, but felt the long whip on his wrist tightening like a steel hoop, and his bones even emitted a "creaking" groan.

"Do you concede or not?" White Night's voice was cold as he applied a slight force to the long whip.

"I..." Hei Shan still wanted to be stubborn, but was stung by the sharp law energy transmitted from the long whip. In the end, he could only shout indignantly, "I concede!"

White Night retracted the long whip, and Hei Shan retreated off the stage in a sorry state, clutching his red and swollen wrist. The entire venue was silent for a moment, then erupted into thunderous cheers—no one expected this seemingly lopsided contest to end in such a crushing manner.

"Good lad!" Azure Cloud Master stroked his beard, a flash of appreciation in his eyes. "This 'suppleness within strength' technique has quite the style of my Azure Cloud Temple."

True Man Zi Sha's expression sank, and he glanced coldly at Zi Xuan. Zi Xuan shrank his neck, not daring to say another word.

In the subsequent matches, White Night was unstoppable. In the second round, facing an eighth-level Qi Refining Stage alchemist from Hundred Herb Hall, the opponent had barely summoned his spirit gathering furnace when the furnace opening was frozen by the Extreme Cold Spiritual Power suddenly released by the Wind Howling Silver Wolf, forcing him to concede. In the third round, facing a ninth-level Qi Refining Stage sword cultivator from Flowing Cloud Sect, White Night used his green long whip to entangle the opponent's sword, and the moment his law core erupted, it shattered the sword tassel. The sword cultivator, feeling his skills were inferior, cupped his hands and conceded.

When White Night advanced to the top eight of the Qi Refining Stage with a record of three consecutive wins, the atmosphere of the entire square became heated. Cultivators no longer talked about his "luck" but began to seriously analyze his spiritual power characteristics—this ability to suppress spiritual power of various attributes was extremely rare in the history of the Xuantian Immortal Domain.

"This kid's spiritual power is very strange." A white-haired elder whispered to the disciple beside him. "It doesn't look like Five Elements spiritual power, nor does it look like Yin-Yang spiritual power; it looks more like... the legendary chaos spiritual power."

"Chaos spiritual power? Isn't that something only ancient cultivators could master?" The disciple's face was full of shock.

"That's why it's strange..." The elder's gaze was deep. "I'm afraid Zixia Valley has kicked an iron plate this time."

The opponent for the quarter-finals was, just as Qing Feng had expected, the ninth-level Qi Refining Stage disciple from Zixia Valley, Zi Lei. This Zi Lei was a personal disciple of True Man Zi Sha, and the "Purple Lightning Art" he practiced was incomparably overbearing. It was said that he could already release weak lightning spiritual power, making him the second strongest expert of Zixia Valley's younger generation.

"White Night, you dare to injure my Zixia Valley disciple; today I will definitely make you pay the price!" Zi Lei's voice was like a thunderclap, and purple electric snakes coiled around his body. The white light of the Stage Protection Array rippled with purple under the impact of the electric snakes.

White Night could feel that Zi Lei's spiritual power was several times purer than Zi Xuan's, and a faint wisp of black energy was mixed within the purple electric snakes—he had clearly also practiced the basic mental cultivation method of the Spirit Devouring Art, only he controlled it better than Zi Xuan.

"Cut the crap, make your move." White Night's green long whip was poised and ready, and the vortex in his dantian had risen to its maximum rotation speed, ready to face a tough battle at any moment.

"Purple Lightning Art・Thousand Snake Dance!" Zi Lei formed seals with both hands, and the purple electric snakes around his body suddenly surged, transforming into thousands of tiny electric whips that lashed toward White Night like a rainstorm.

These electric whips not only contained the paralyzing power of lightning but also carried the plundering characteristics of the Spirit Devouring Art; once struck, spiritual power would be forcibly drained away!