201: The Six Heavenly Gangs, the Ancestral Symbol Undergoes a Shocking Change
“Rumble—!”
The entire Chaos Ruins let out its final groan. Spatial cracks, like black lightning, spread and intertwined crazily across the grey sky.
Crumbling walls and debris accelerated their collapse, turning into powder under the pressure of invisible forces.
This ancient ruin, which had existed for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, was heading toward its final end.
Ye Chen moved like lightning, shuttling between the constantly shattering spatial fragments and collapsing boulders, his gaze locked tightly onto the ancient stone gate that had just been revealed.
The stone gate was simple and unadorned, tightly shut, its crevices covered in thick dust, leading to who knows where.
This was the only path to survival!
He dared not hesitate for even a second; the great hall behind him was accelerating its annihilation, and that expanse of the Void Realm began to collapse inward, forming a terrifying devouring vortex, no less formidable than the power of Guixu outside.
“Open!”
The moment he neared the stone gate, Ye Chen let out a low shout. He did not swing his sword; instead, he infused his palm with the insights into Chaos “balance” and “order” he had gained after refining the chaos primordial fetus, and pressed his palm onto the stone gate!
“Hum!”
The stone gate vibrated, and the dust on its surface fell away in flurries, revealing the Chaos Dao patterns inscribed underneath.
These Dao patterns were of the same Origin as the great hall. Sensing the pure Chaos True Essence and the peaceful aura of the chaos primordial fetus in Ye Chen's palm, they lit up one by one, as if they were activated circuits!
“Creak— creak— creak—”
A heavy, ancient grinding sound rang out, and the stone gate, sealed for eons, slowly opened a crack inward!
Behind the crack, there was no expected passageway, but rather a continuously rotating vortex composed of pure Chaos Qi!
There was no time to think; the destructive waves behind him were already closing in!
Ye Chen did not hesitate, his figure flashed, and he plunged into the Chaos Vortex.
“Boom!!!”
The second he entered, the entire Chaos Ruins collapsed completely, turning into an extreme black dot, then suddenly exploded, finally returning to absolute nothingness, as if it had never existed.
...
Another familiar feeling of spacetime distortion and tearing occurred, but this time, with the chaos primordial fetus suppressing his Sea of Consciousness, Ye Chen's Divine Soul maintained a sliver of clarity.
He could feel that he was traveling through a temporary passageway made of Chaos Qi, not knowing where the destination lay.
After an unknown amount of time, the tearing sensation suddenly vanished.
The scene before him froze.
He appeared under a strange starry sky.
Beneath his feet was cold, hard meteorite ground, surrounded by slowly floating stellar fragments, with twinkling starlight in the distance.
Although the Spiritual Qi here was thin, carrying the unique Chaos and dead silence of the Heavens Battlefield, it possessed a more real sense of “existence” compared to the core of Guixu and that ruin.
He had successfully escaped that dead zone!
Ye Chen let out a long breath, his tightly wound mind finally relaxing slightly.
He immediately checked his own state; his injuries had fully healed, and his cultivation was stabilized at the Peak of the 5th level of the Tiangang Realm.
The chaos primordial fetus in his Sea of Consciousness rotated slowly, emitting a warm, clear radiance that kept his mind clear.
However, his continuous experiences, especially refining the chaos source core and the chaos primordial fetus, meant his cultivation had long reached the limit of the 5th level Peak, just one Opportunity away from breaking through again.
Although this place was strange, it seemed relatively safe, making it perfect for seclusion to Breakthrough the Bottleneck!
He found a relatively hidden, massive meteorite crack, waved his hand to set up several concealment and defensive Restrictions, then sat cross-legged, taking out a large amount of Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills obtained from the star chaser airship and his past collections.
“It is time.”
He closed his eyes, and the Primordial Chaos Art operated at full power.
Within his Qi Sea, the chaos ancestral talisman flowed with light, echoing with the chaos primordial fetus in his Sea of Consciousness.
The Chaos True Essence, which had just calmed down, surged once again like a boiling river!
In the Tiangang Realm, every Breakthrough in level was a deeper manipulation and control of the power of heaven and earth, a further refinement of one's own Protective Aura and rules.
Ye Chen's accumulation was truly too immense!
Tempering in Guixu, empowerment from the source core, suppressing the Soul with the chaos primordial fetus... Any one of these Opportunities would be enough to create a Genius, yet now they were all gathered in him.
The Breakthrough was almost a matter of course!
“Boom!”
As if some barrier had been easily pierced, the Chaos True Essence within his body surged instantly, becoming more refined and purer!
The acupoints all over his body opened spontaneously, crazily devouring the energy in the surrounding Void Realm.
Even the chaotic stellar power and thin Spiritual Qi were forcibly plundered, incorporated into his body, and refined by the chaos ancestral talisman into the most original Chaos True Essence!
Tiangang Realm, 6th level!
Moreover, this momentum of improvement did not stop!
The remaining Origin of the chaos source core, and the peaceful Dao rhymes continuously emitted by the chaos primordial fetus, pushed his cultivation to continue climbing upward!
6th level Early Stage... 6th level Middle Stage... 6th level Late Stage!
In the end, it stabilized steadily at the Late Stage of the 6th level of the Tiangang Realm!
A sense of power, far stronger than before by several times, filled his limbs and bones.
Ye Chen felt that if he were to face that guardian battle Soul again, even without using the Soul Severing Sword, he would have the confidence to confront it head-on or even defeat it!
He slowly opened his eyes, the sharp light in his pupils restrained, his control over his own power fine and meticulous.
However, just as he completed the Breakthrough, his mind most relaxed, and his interaction with the energy of heaven and earth most sensitive—
A sudden change occurred!
Within the Qi Sea, that chaos ancestral talisman, which had completed the “foundation of existence” and flowed with light, suddenly trembled without warning!
This vibration was not because it sensed fragments or external stimulation, but originated from its source—a kind of ancient consciousness that seemed to have slept for eons, seemingly awakened by some deep-level rules triggered by Ye Chen's Breakthrough, or perhaps by his successive “recognition” of obtaining the chaos source core and the chaos primordial fetus!
“Hum—!!!”
The chaos ancestral talisman erupted with unprecedented, brilliant light.
This light was not the warm color of Chaos, but carried a sense of desolation, antiquity, and even a hint of... indifference!
A massive stream of information, impossible to describe, like a bursting galaxy, did not allow Ye Chen to refuse, and forcibly rushed into his Sea of Consciousness!
“Ah—!”
Ye Chen let out a painful muffled groan, feeling as if his head was about to explode!
This stream of information was too vast, too ancient, far exceeding the limit that his current Divine Soul could bear!
Under the impact of this information, he seemed to see—
Deep in the endless Chaos, a terrifying war that affected ten thousand worlds, shattered countless stars, and destroyed ten thousand Daos!
The participants were several blurry figures whose aura was of the same Origin as the chaos ancestral talisman, yet more ancient and vast!
They wielded different ultimate rules, waging war in the Chaos, the purpose of which seemed to be... to fight for some kind of “source”?
Immediately after, the scene shattered, and another image emerged: one of the blurry figures seemed to have suffered heavy injuries in the war, and the “chaos ancestral talisman” it wielded shattered into countless fragments, scattered across the heavens and myriad worlds...
And the largest core fragment, driven by an instinct, fled into the Void Realm, beginning a long period of drifting and “hiding”...
Finally, all the scenes condensed into a cold, incomplete, yet majestic will, which, like a brand, was carved into the depths of Ye Chen's Soul:
“...Legacy... is also a shackle...”
“...Collect... scattered... authority...”
“...Great calamity... is coming... return... to source...”
“...Beware... ‘they’... are... searching...”
The will stopped here, and the massive stream of information receded like a tide, leaving behind only countless broken, blurry ancient scenes and that cold imprint of will.
The light of the chaos ancestral talisman slowly restrained, returning to calm, as if everything just now was just an illusion.
But Ye Chen knew, it was not an illusion!
His face was pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat, panting heavily, his eyes filled with unprecedented shock and gravity.
The chaos ancestral talisman was not a simple Innate treasure; it involved a terrifying war that occurred in an untraceable era, concerning the Origin of the Universe!
It was a symbol of authority for some ancient existence, shattered during the battle!
Obtaining it was not just an Opportunity; it was more likely that he had been drawn into an unimaginable, huge Karma and conflict that had lasted for eons!
“Collect scattered authority”, “Great calamity is coming”, “Beware ‘they’”...
These incomplete pieces of information, like heavy mountains, pressed on Ye Chen's heart.
The path ahead seemed even more treacherous than he had imagined, and also more... magnificent.
He raised his head, looking into the depths of this strange starry sky, his gaze seemingly piercing through the endless Void Realm.
For a long time, he slowly clenched his fists, his eyes becoming firm once again.
No matter what Karma or calamity lay ahead, his Dao Heart was only for the sword.
With a sword in hand, he would cut through all fog.