36: Chapter 36 Void Remnant

According to the Jade Slip, spatial fluctuations in that direction were exceptionally active, with many natural or ancient 'space nodes' and 'void fissures', making it an excellent place to explore for treasures related to the Void Realm and to comprehend the Laws of space, but it also carried the immense risk of being swallowed by spatial turbulence or attacked by powerful, wandering void creatures.

Lin Wan's body remained weak; although his newly formed silver Meridians, flesh, and bones possessed strong affinity and tolerance for the power of space, their inherent strength had far from recovered to their Peak.

He could not fly for long periods, so most of the time he was carried on the back of a Feng Family Elder, traversing rugged mountains and broken terrain.

He closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, his mind sinking into his Dantian, using the techniques of the Great Five Elements True Scripture and the Five Elements Guixu Sword Scripture to guide the spatial Origin power emitted by the void crystal essence, slowly nourishing and consolidating his newly reshaped, fragile Meridians and sword Dantian, while carefully experiencing the strange, newborn power within him that lay between the Five Elements Returning to Ruins and the Origin of the Void Realm.

This power possessed both the profound mystery of the Five Elements cycle and the returning-to-ruins creation-destruction, as well as the trait of the boundless Void Realm that encompasses all things.

It flowed through his new silver Meridians, nourishing his sword Dantian, and even faintly fused with his remaining Divine Soul, allowing his perception of the surrounding environment to reach an unprecedented level of detail.

Within dozens of zhang, the rustling of wind and grass, the chirping of insects and calls of beasts, and even the subtle flows of Spiritual Qi and spatial energy were clearly presented in his 'heart'.

This was no longer just Divine Sense exploration; it was more like a kind of 'field' sensing.

"Perhaps this is the prototype of some kind of 'domain' produced after the initial Fusion of 'Five Elements Returning to Ruins' and the 'Void Realm'?" Lin Wan pondered to himself.

However, this 'domain' was still extremely weak and unstable, and it seemed to lean towards perception and defense, with far less offensive power than a true 'Five Elements Sword Domain'.

But its potential was undoubtedly immense.

The journey was not smooth sailing.

The Yao Beasts deep in the Secret Realm were significantly stronger, mostly at the Peak of the Early Stage of the Golden Core or early Third Stage, and many possessed strange void attributes or spatial Divine Abilities.

There were 'Shadow Blade Leopards' that could briefly escape into shadows to launch fatal sneak attacks, 'Rending Void Bees' that could spit out power containing spatial cutting force, and even swarms of 'Void Centipedes' that caused space to slightly twist wherever they passed.

Fortunately, the group was prepared, and with Lin Wan's strange sensory 'field', they were always able to receive early warnings.

Led by Feng Yushu and the two Elders, they managed to avoid most dangers without incident, and for those they couldn't avoid, they worked together to resolve them quickly, never engaging in prolonged battles.

Traveling by day and hiding by night, they proceeded cautiously for another five days.

On this day, the group passed through a 'Miasma Forest' shrouded in gray mist and filled with countless twisted, strange trees, and the path ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a strange scene.

It was a vast, deep silver-gray plain; on the plain, no grass grew, and the ground was not soil or sand, but a smooth, hard, strange crystal that resembled glazed glass.

In the sky, there were no sun, moon, or stars, only countless twisted, flickering, multi-colored spatial fissures and flowing light, like auroras, constantly changing and appearing and disappearing on the silver-gray firmament.

Further away, at the edge of the plain where it met the sky, space presented a strange, constantly rippling and folding distortion, as if that area were a portal to another world, or perhaps the 'boundary' of this independent space.

On the plain, the Spiritual Qi was pitifully thin, but that 'void energy' and the chaotic spatial fluctuations were thick enough to be suffocating.

Even a Golden Core Early Stage Cultivator like Feng Yushu felt his spiritual power circulation become sluggish here, and his Divine Soul was subjected to invisible pressure and interference.

Only Lin Wan, not only felt no discomfort, but felt his newborn silver Meridians become a bit more active, automatically inhaling and exhaling the free, violent spatial energy in the surroundings, converting it into gentle Origin power to nourish himself.

"This... is the 'Void Plain' marked on the map." Feng Yushu took out the Jade Slip, compared it to the scene before him, and his face became grave, "According to records, this place is one of the most spatially unstable regions in the Secret Realm, and 'spatial storms' and 'void tides' often erupt here, making it extremely dangerous.

But it is also rumored that in the depths of the plain, one might occasionally find 'void remains' or 'space crystals' left by the ancients, all of which are incredible treasures.

Elder Lin, shall we go in?"

"Void remains?" Lin Wan's gaze tightened.

Void remains usually referred to a strange existence formed when certain great Cultivators proficient in the Dao of space, after passing away or ascending, had their physical bodies, Magic Treasures, or even parts of their Dao fruits combine with spatial power under special circumstances.

They might contain parts of their Legacy, insights, or pure spatial Origin, and their value was immeasurable.

The void five elements token in his arms, after entering this plain, sent another clear, yearning throb, pointing to the depths of the plain, to that area where space was most violently twisted and folded.

"Go in. You wait for me at the edge of this place, set up a concealment Formation, and do not go deep. I will go in to investigate alone." Lin Wan got down from the Elder's back and moved his body, which was still a bit stiff but could already stand on its own.

The environment here was beneficial to him, but it was a burden to Feng Yushu and the others.

Moreover, the sensing of the void five elements token involved the secrets of the Five Elements Sect, and he did not wish for too many people to know.

"Elder, your injuries have not yet healed, and this place is so dangerous, how can we let you take the risk alone?" Feng Yushu said anxiously.

"It is fine; the environment here is beneficial to me.

I have my own judgment.

If I encounter danger, I will retreat immediately.

You just need to wait here for me." Lin Wan's tone was calm but carried an indisputable air.

Seeing Lin Wan's determined attitude and that there was no sign of strain on his face, Feng Yushu knew that persuasion would be useless, so he had to nod: "Then Elder must be extremely careful!

If there is any abnormality, send a signal immediately, and we will do our best to support you even if we have to risk our lives!"

Lin Wan nodded, said no more, took a deep breath, and stepped into that silver-gray, mirror-smooth plain.

As his soles stepped onto the glazed ground, a hard and cold sensation came through.

The surrounding spatial fluctuations surged like a tide, washing over his body.

He did not activate his protective spiritual light, but instead allowed the violent spatial energy to seep into his body through his newborn silver skin and Meridians.

The newborn Meridians, like the greediest roots, crazily absorbed, filtered, and transformed these energies, turning them into gentle Origin power to nourish his Physical Body and repair the last few tiny cracks on his sword Dantian and Divine Soul.

He could even feel that his understanding of 'space' was improving at a visible speed.

Those chaotic, violent spatial energy flows, in his eyes, gradually revealed their inner trajectories that followed some supreme iron Law.

That was not ordinary Five Elements mutual generation and restriction, nor was it simple spatial extension, but a more essential Profound Truth about 'existence' and 'void', 'order' and 'Chaos'.

His pace was not fast, but exceptionally steady, step by step, walking towards the direction where the sensing was strongest.

The deeper he went, the more severe the spatial distortion became.

Sometimes, he would clearly see scenery not far away, but upon walking up to it, he would find it to be dozens of miles away.

Sometimes, with a single step, the surrounding scene would instantly change, as if crossing through space.

The twisted spatial fissures in the air would occasionally burst out with fragmented spatial shards, like invisible blades, cutting silently and leaving deep marks on the ground.

Relying on that strange sensory 'field', Lin Wan was always able to predict in advance and avoid them with minimal movement.

After traveling about a hundred miles, the scene ahead changed again.

It was a huge, circular concave area with a diameter of over a thousand zhang, as if formed by the impact of some massive object.

In the center of the depression was not a deep pit, but a slowly rotating, hundred-zhang-wide, deep and dark — huge vortex that seemed to connect to the endless Void Realm!

The vortex rotated silently, emitting terrifying suction, slowly swallowing the surrounding light, sound, and even space itself.

At the edge of the vortex, space was twisted to the extreme, forming circles of visible, colorful spatial ripples.

And at the edge of that huge vortex, about a hundred zhang away from the vortex, stood... a building?

No, that was not a building; it looked more like a... corpse.

It was a human-shaped skeleton that was ten zhang tall and entirely presented a semi-transparent, as if carved from the purest silver crystal!

The skeleton sat cross-legged, with its hands forming a profound hand seal, placed on its knees.

The skeleton was not solid; countless tiny silver light spots, like a galaxy, could be vaguely seen flowing slowly inside.

The surface of the skeleton was covered with a faint, constantly changing layer of colorful mist, as if it were transformed from the Dao rhymes and spatial Laws left behind during its lifetime.

What shocked Lin Wan even more was that, embedded in the center of the silver skeleton's forehead was a palm-sized, entirely chaotic crystal that presented a mix of gray, white, and silver, with countless tiny spatial runes appearing and disappearing on its surface — a strange crystal!

The spatial fluctuations and Dao rhymes emitted by the crystal were even purer and more vast than the void crystal essence in his arms!

It was as if it were the source of all spatial power, the manifestation of the Void Realm Laws!

Void remains!

And it was the remains left by a terrifying great power whose cultivation while alive was unimaginable and who had comprehended the Laws of space to an extremely deep level!

The crystal in its forehead was likely the Dao fruit of its lifelong space comprehension, a 'Void Dao Crystal' that was thousands of times more precious than the void crystal essence!

And the sensing of the void five elements token was now so strong that it was almost bursting out of his body, pointing directly at that 'Void Dao Crystal'!

Clearly, this Dao crystal had a deep Origin with the Five Elements Sect and the Five Elements Returning to Ruins!

Lin Wan suppressed the excitement in his heart, his gaze sweeping over the silver skeleton and the Dao crystal on its forehead, and then looked at the huge void vortex rotating and swallowing everything next to it.

Between the vortex and the skeleton, there seemed to be a subtle balance.

The spatial Dao rhymes emitted by the skeleton seemed to be suppressing and combing through some of the violent power of the vortex, while the existence of the vortex seemed to be continuously providing some kind of 'nutrients' to the skeleton, maintaining its immortal state.

"Is this place... the place this Senior chose to pass away? Or is it that after he fell, his Dao rhymes did not dissipate, and combined with the void node here to form this strange scene?" Lin Wan guessed in his heart and slowly approached.

Still a thousand zhang away from the skeleton, a vast, majestic, yet terrifying pressure carrying endless desolation and loneliness descended like substance!

This pressure was not intentionally targeted; just the aftermath of its naturally emitted Dao rhymes made Lin Wan's breathing choke, his newborn Meridians ache faintly, and his Divine Soul feel bursts of needle-like pain.

In his current state, he simply couldn't get close! Let alone take away that Void Dao Crystal!

However, he did not retreat. He stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on the silver skeleton, a sense of indescribable reverence rising in his heart.

The Senior who could leave behind such remains must have been in a Realm far exceeding the Nascent Soul, perhaps even Soul Transformation, or an even higher existence.

The Dao Crystal left behind was certainly not something easily obtained.

"Perhaps it requires their recognition? Or perhaps it can be triggered by a power of the same Origin?" Lin Wan pondered.

With a thought, he attempted to communicate with the guixu sword in his Dantian and stirred that faint trace of Five Elements Guixu Sword Intent.

The guixu sword trembled slightly, conveying a feeling of closeness, yearning, and sorrow.

Meanwhile, the nascent power within Lin Wan—a Fusion of Five Elements Guixu and the Origin of the Void Realm—seemed to resonate faintly with the Dao Rhyme emanating from the skeleton.

There's a chance!

Lin Wan was overjoyed; without further hesitation, he sat cross-legged right there, a thousand zhang away.

He did not try to approach further but closed his eyes, sinking all his focus into his body. He fully circulated the Sword Intent chapter of the Five Elements Guixu Sword Scripture, simultaneously guiding the Origin power of the void crystal essence, attempting to simulate and resonate with that vast, desolate, all-encompassing, and returning-to-nothingness supreme spatial Dao Rhyme emanating from the skeleton.

This was an extremely difficult, yet profoundly mysterious process.

The skeleton's Dao Rhyme was too profound; Lin Wan could only capture the outermost, most superficial trace of its fluctuations.

He attempted to merge his understanding of Five Elements Guixu and his insights into the power of the Void Realm into this trace of fluctuation, like the smallest stream trying to merge into the boundless ocean.

At first, there was no reaction.

His "stream" was too weak; it could not attract the attention of the "ocean" at all.

But he was not discouraged.

The environment here was special, with dense spatial power, providing a great boost to his comprehension and simulation of this Dao Rhyme.

His mind was clear and empty, forgetting both himself and the world. He circulated his Cultivation Technique over and over, adjusting the frequency of his own power fluctuations again and again, attempting to achieve a trace of synchronization with that vast Dao Rhyme.

Time passed quietly in this silent exchange and attempt.

One day, two days, three days...

Lin Wan had turned into a stone statue, unmoving.

Only occasionally did a faint, grayish halo tinged with silver ripple across his body, faintly echoing the misty halo emanating from the skeleton in the distance.

Feng Yushu and the others waited at the edge of the plain for a full five days. Seeing that Lin Wan had not returned, they were extremely anxious.

But Lin Wan had given instructions beforehand, and they knew the dangers of this place well, so they dared not rashly venture inside. They could only suppress their anxiety and continue to wait and pray.

On the sixth day, when the nascent power within Lin Wan finally adjusted to the outermost fluctuations of the skeleton's Dao Rhyme, producing a faint but clear and unmistakable resonance—

A change occurred.

The Void Dao Crystal at the center of the brows of the silver skeleton, which had been sitting still, suddenly lit up!

A gentle silver beam of light, containing the supreme spatial Law, shot out from the Dao Crystal. Ignoring distance, it instantly enveloped Lin Wan, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed a thousand zhang away!

Lin Wan's body shook. He felt a vast, pure, yet incredibly gentle power of the Void Realm Origin, along with countless unfathomable spatial Law fragments and scenes of insight, rushing like a flood along that silver beam of light, madly pouring into his body and his Divine Soul!

This power was even purer and of a higher level than the Origin power of the void crystal essence!

It did not remodel his body but was directly branded into his Dao foundation and the depths of his Divine Soul, enhancing his essential understanding of spatial Laws and broadening the cognitive boundaries of his "Return-to-Ruins" Dao!

Fragmented and blurred images flashed in his consciousness: a giant waving a hand to open up a world, a divine sword slashing through the river of the Void Realm, palaces floating in Chaos, stars being born and dying in the palm of a hand... And there was a blurred figure in Chaos Dao robes, their back towering between heaven and earth, standing in the endless Void Realm. Looking back with a single glance, their gaze seemed to pierce through the ages and fall upon him...

"Latecomer... having obtained my Void Dao Seed and inherited my 'Return-to-Ruins' will... you must take this item to the Guixu Sea, find the Five Elements Hall, and complete... the unfinished business..."

A vast, ancient voice, filled with endless regret and anticipation, sounded directly in the depths of his Divine Soul, then dissipated.

"Void Dao Seed"? "Guixu Sea"? "Five Elements Hall"?

Before Lin Wan could digest this sudden massive influx of information and the instructions of that mysterious voice, the Void Dao Crystal embedded in the center of the skeleton's brows, after releasing that silver beam of light, slowly detached from the skeleton's brows. It turned into a stream of light and, following the beam, instantly merged into the center of Lin Wan's brows!

"Boom—!"

Lin Wan felt his Divine Soul shake violently, as if something had taken root in the deepest part of his consciousness and was beginning to grow wildly!

He "saw" his cracked Divine Soul core wrapped in a thick, constantly changing silver cocoon of light.

Inside the cocoon, a chaotic "seed," which seemed to contain the Void Realm of ten thousand worlds and the birth and death of the heavens, was slowly sprouting, emitting an indescribable, profound aura.

Void Dao Seed!

That Senior had actually transformed the Dao Crystal, which was the fruit of their lifelong spatial Dao, into a Void Dao Seed and planted it into his Divine Soul!

This was not a Legacy, but more like a "mark," a "qualification," or perhaps, even a... heavy "responsibility"!

At the same time, the void five elements token in his embrace erupted with unprecedented, brilliant light. It flew out automatically, hovering above his head, echoing from afar with the Void Dao Seed that had merged into his brow.

On the token, the light spot representing the fourth fragment suddenly brightened several times over, and the pointer became even clearer!

And the light spot representing the fifth fragment, located in the Guixu Sea, seemed to flicker slightly as well.

"Guixu Sea... Five Elements Hall... It seems that the key to collecting all five void five elements tokens and controlling the Five Elements Guixu Cave Heaven lies in the Five Elements Hall within the Guixu Sea.

And this Void Dao Seed is the key to opening the Five Elements Hall, or perhaps gaining its recognition?" Lin Wan instantly understood much in his heart.

And at the very moment the Void Dao Seed merged into Lin Wan's brow, the silver skeleton, which had been sitting cross-legged for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, seemed to have completed its final mission. The misty halo around its body suddenly retracted, and then, the translucent, crystal-like body began to slowly turn into specks of silver starlight from the bottom up, dissipating into the air.

In just a few breaths, the ten-zhang-tall silver skeleton completely dissipated, as if it had never existed.

Leaving behind only a clearer, deeper void vortex in its place, which continued to rotate silently.

The silver beam of light that had enveloped Lin Wan also dissipated along with it.

Lin Wan slowly opened his eyes.

In his eyes, there was no longer the previous dull emptiness, but a deep, silver-gray that seemed capable of sucking in a person's Soul. Deep within his pupils, a tiny, constantly rotating phantom of a chaotic vortex could be vaguely seen; that was the mark of the Void Dao Seed.

His aura was still weak, but beneath that weakness, there was faintly an indescribable, unfathomable charm, as if he had merged with the surrounding Void Realm.

His control and understanding of space had already reached a brand-new level.

With a slight movement of his mind, the space within ten zhang around him actually rippled like water, producing extremely subtle distortions and folds following his will.

Although the range was small and the consumption immense, this was already the prototype of "spatial manipulation"!

It was absolutely not something a Golden Core Cultivator, or even an ordinary Nascent Soul, could reach!

"Void Dao Seed... Five Elements Hall... Guixu Sea..." Lin Wan muttered to himself, taking back the void five elements token into his embrace.

He could feel that the Void Dao Seed in his brow was slowly and spontaneously absorbing the surrounding spatial energy, nourishing his Divine Soul, and continuously providing him with insights into spatial Laws.

In time, when he completely digested this Void Dao Seed, his achievements in the path of space would be limitless.

But accompanying this was the instruction regarding the Senior's "unfinished business," and the monstrous secrets and dangers that might be hidden behind the Guixu Sea and the Five Elements Hall.

"The road is still long." Lin Wan suppressed the agitation in his heart and swept his gaze over the huge void vortex once more.

He could feel that deep within the vortex, there seemed to be something else hidden, faintly echoing with the Void Dao Seed, but with his current strength, he could not explore it deeply at all.

"It is time to leave." Lin Wan stood up and bowed solemnly toward the place where the silver skeleton had dissipated.

No matter who that Senior was, or what their relationship with the Five Elements Sect was, he would keep this gift and instruction in his heart.

He turned and walked in the direction he had come from.

His pace was still not fast, but with every step he took, the silver-gray glazed ground beneath his feet seemed to ripple slightly, as if it were actively supporting him.

The surrounding violent spatial energy no longer posed a threat to him; instead, like a docile pet, it flowed around him.

When Lin Wan's figure appeared again at the edge of the plain, within the sight of Feng Yushu and the others, it was already the evening of the seventh day.

Seeing Lin Wan return safely, and that his aura seemed to have undergone some indescribable change, everyone was overjoyed and hurried to meet him.

"Elder Lin! You've finally returned! Are you alright?" Feng Yushu asked anxiously, looking Lin Wan up and down. Although he was still pale and his aura was weak, those silver-gray eyes made him feel an inexplicable, Soul-deep reverence.

"It is nothing, I have gained a little," Lin Wan nodded indifferently, without explaining too much. "This place is not suitable for staying long; we must leave as soon as possible. Find a safe and secluded place; I need to go into seclusion for a period of time."

"Good! Elder, rest assured, we will certainly provide full protection!" Feng Yushu quickly agreed.

The group did not delay any longer and immediately set off, leaving this "Void Realm Plain" that coexisted with danger and opportunity, heading toward another relatively safe and Spiritual Qi-rich "Cloud Mist Valley" marked on the map.

What they did not know was that shortly after they left, at the edge of the huge void vortex, the space twisted slightly, and a blurred figure cloaked in a black robe appeared silently.

The figure gazed at the place where the silver skeleton had dissipated, then looked in the direction Lin Wan and the others had left. From beneath the black robe came a hoarse, obscure whisper:

"Void Dao Seed... actually obtained by a Golden Core junior... Five Elements Sect... Guixu... Hmph, interesting. It seems the plan must be advanced..."

Before the voice faded, the figure seemed to merge into the Void Realm, slowly dissipating, leaving no trace.

And the far-off Lin Wan seemed to sense something. He looked back at the direction of the Void Realm Plain, and in the depths of his silver-gray eyes, a trace of imperceptible sharpness flashed.

A storm was coming.

But he was no longer that severely injured person from before, who could only passively flee and be slaughtered.