91: Oven core

The canyon remained deep and secluded. The black stone wall, engraved with countless flowing runes, stood silently as if the riot of the Furnace core had never occurred. However, both Ye Chen and Yun Canghai could clearly feel that behind the stone wall, within that forcibly sealed space, an indescribable, ancient, and chaotic throbbing was faintly emanating, resonating strongly with the earth fiend gang core and guixu sword within Ye Chen's Dantian.

“The attraction comes from the deepest part of the Furnace...” Ye Chen held the slightly vibrating guixu sword, his gaze piercing through the stone wall as if seeing into the depths of that turbulent Chaos sea. “There, something is calling to me.”

Yun Canghai's expression was solemn as his hands formed seals once more, pouring majestic spiritual power into the stone wall's runes. “The reason for the Furnace core's riot is unknown, and this journey is exceptionally perilous. You must be careful. I will maintain the stability of the passage here; if any mishap occurs, withdraw immediately!”

The vortex entrance on the stone wall slowly opened again, even more unstable than before. Energy turbulence hissed at the edges, looking as if it might collapse at any moment. An aura far more violent and primitive than that of the fourth level wafted out from within.

Ye Chen nodded and, without any hesitation, his figure flashed as he submerged himself once more into that dangerous vortex.

The world spun, and pressure suddenly intensified!

This time, Ye Chen felt as if he were passing through a long tunnel composed of pure Laws of Chaos. The surroundings were no longer concrete forms of energy, but the manifestation of countless distorted, broken, and conflicting rules! The concepts of time and space became blurred and fragile here.

Had he not already stepped into the Earth Fiend Realm and made his Guixu Sword Intent more harmonious, he likely would have been torn to shreds by this endless Chaos the moment he entered the passage.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a sudden brightness ahead!

He rushed out of the passage and landed in a... 'place' that defied verbal description.

There was no sky here, no earth, and not even concepts of up, down, left, or right. Looking as far as the eye could see was a boundless, slowly rotating... Chaos-colored Vortex! At the center of the vortex was an extremely tiny 'Singularity' that radiated unimaginable gravity and heat!

Countless colorful fragments of Laws with varying attributes were being swallowed by that 'Singularity' like moths to a flame, only to be torn apart, reorganized, and ejected the moment they drew near, forming this massive Chaos vortex. Astral power and geothermal fire were already the most basic units of energy here; more prevalent were ancient Laws and aura of Origin that Ye Chen had never seen nor could even comprehend!

This was the true core of the myriad laws furnace! It was also the source of the terrifying riot from before!

And the source of the strong attraction pulling Ye Chen was none other than that 'Singularity' at the center of the vortex, which constantly swallowed and spat out the myriad Laws!

No, more accurately, it was something deep within the 'Singularity'!

The guixu sword in Ye Chen's hand emitted an unprecedentedly violent hum, and the Chaos light upon the blade lit up of its own accord, creating a mysterious resonance with the 'Singularity' at the center of the vortex! The earth fiend gang core within Ye Chen's Dantian was also spinning frantically, transmitting a sense of extreme longing.

“What exactly... is in there?” Ye Chen suppressed the throbbing in his heart and focused his gaze. His eyes pierced through the violent turbulence of Laws, and he caught a faint glimpse of an object suspended at the very center of the 'Singularity'.

That object was dark all over, seemingly composed of the purest 'nothingness'. Its shape was constantly changing—at times like a sword, at times like a bell, and at times like a rune that was perpetually being born and destroyed. It hung there quietly, allowing countless Law fragments to wash over and strike it, yet it remained as immovable as a mountain, appearing immune to all Laws, yet also appearing to be the... source of this myriad Laws' return to Guixu!

“Is that... the 'chaos primordial fetus'?!” A term from the deep memories of the Sword Venerable suddenly surfaced in Ye Chen's mind!

The chaos primordial fetus was rumored to be an Innate object nurtured within absolute Chaos before the heavens and earth were opened and Grandmist was divided! It was not a specific Magic Treasure or energy, but a 'state', a 'concept'—the symbol of the Origin and end of myriad Laws, containing the infinite possibilities of evolving the heavens and re-establishing order!

No wonder the myriad laws furnace could smelt all laws; its core actually hid such a legendary divine object! It was also no wonder it had suddenly rioted; likely, the Awakening of his Sword Venerable true spirit and the appearance of the guixu sword had stimulated this 'primordial fetus' that had been dormant for eternal ages!

“I must get it... I must get it!” A powerful thought rose in Ye Chen's heart. If he could integrate this chaos primordial fetus, his Guixu Sword Intent would surely undergo a qualitative leap, and he might even glimpse the mysteries of a higher Realm in advance! This was crucial for dealing with the upcoming general offensive of the Dark Hall and that so-called 'Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable'!

However, wanting to approach the 'Singularity' at the center of that vortex was easier said than done!

Setting aside the terrifying gravity and Law impact sufficient to crush an Earth Fiend Realm expert, the Chaos vortex surrounding the 'Singularity' alone, with its inherent chaotic Laws and energy turbulence, was enough to make Tiangang Realm Cultivators hesitate!

Ye Chen attempted to take a step forward.

“Boom!”

It was as if he had stepped into an invisible quagmire, or crashed into a divine mountain! Enormous resistance came from all directions, and a chaotic will even attempted to invade his Sea of Consciousness to distort his perception!

He immediately circulated his Nirvana Sword Intent, and the guixu sword shone brilliantly, forming a sharp sword-cone in front of him to laboriously break through the obstacles ahead.

But the further forward he went, the greater the pressure! The Chaos vortex seemed to possess a life of its own; sensing his intent, it became even more violent! Countless Law fragments, as if possessing physical form, turned into sabers, spears, swords, halberds, thunder, and flames, striking from all directions!

Ye Chen swung the guixu sword, its light like a wheel, constantly crushing and swallowing the incoming attacks. But his speed became extremely slow as a result; every step forward required a massive expenditure of Protective Aura and mental energy.

At the same time, the gravity emitted by the 'Singularity' grew stronger and stronger, as if an invisible giant hand were trying to forcibly pull him toward it, into the end-point of the myriad Laws' return to Guixu!

Danger and opportunity coexisted!

Ye Chen's eyes were resolute, showing no sign of retreat. He pushed his Nirvana Sword Intent to the limit, and his whole being seemed to become part of the guixu sword. Man and sword were one, like a divine sword surging against the current, piercing unfalteringly toward the center of the vortex!

His earth fiend Protective Aura was being consumed rapidly, and his body was constantly being damaged by the impact of Law fragments, only to be quickly repaired by the pure energy fed back by the Guixu Sword Intent. His Divine Soul underwent a thousand refinements under the washing of the chaotic will, becoming increasingly resilient.

Under this extreme pressure and tempering, his understanding of the Guixu Sword Intent was also rising rapidly. The Dao charm radiated by the chaos primordial fetus seemed to be the best teacher, guiding his way forward.

“Nirvana is not emptiness; Guixu has spirit... Myriad Laws are all illusory; only the Dao is eternal...”

All sorts of profound insights flooded his mind. The earth fiend gang core in his Dantian spun faster and faster, and the Guixu runes upon it became clearer, while the resonance with the chaos primordial fetus grew even stronger.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps an instant, perhaps an eternity—Ye Chen finally broke through the outermost Chaos vortex and arrived before the 'Singularity'!

Feeling it at close range, the aura radiated by the chaos primordial fetus was even more vast and ancient! It was like a miniature, yet-to-be-evolved Universe, containing infinite mysteries!

However, just as Ye Chen reached out his hand, preparing to use the guixu sword to trigger and attempt to collect this chaos primordial fetus—

A sudden change occurred!

The chaos primordial fetus, which had been suspended quietly, suddenly shuddered! Inside it, a tiny, extremely obscure point of dark red light, carrying a sense of incomparable malice and erosion, suddenly lit up!

Immediately following, a cold, sinister will filled with an aura of corruption and destruction erupted from that dark red light, instantly polluting the pure Chaos currents in the vicinity!

“Jie jie jie... I have waited ten thousand years... and finally... I have found a perfect 'vessel'...”

A hoarse, distorted, eerie laugh, seemingly composed of countless merged resentful Souls, rang out directly in the depths of Ye Chen's Soul!

The dark red light spread rapidly, actually condensing into a blurred and hideous ghost face on the surface of the chaos primordial fetus! The ghost face's eyes were like two bottomless blood-colored vortices, staring fixedly at the nearby Ye Chen!

“Shadow Brand?! No! This is... a will Clone of the Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable?! He actually polluted the chaos primordial fetus long ago?!” Ye Chen was horrified, instantly understanding the truth behind the previous Furnace riot and that abnormal attraction!

This was a trap from the start! The Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable had long ago sensed the existence of the chaos primordial fetus here and had quietly polluted it with his supreme demonic power, using it as bait to wait for a sufficiently powerful 'vessel' to walk into the net! And his own Awakening as the Sword Venerable and the appearance of the guixu sword were undoubtedly the best targets!

“A perfect Nirvana Sword Body... and this... key... Truly, the heavens are helping me! By devouring you, this Venerable can use this primordial fetus as a foundation to descend into this world ahead of schedule!”

The ghost face let out a greedy roar and suddenly opened its large mouth. A dark red torrent containing the extreme power of filth and corruption, like the Underworld River bursting its banks, surged toward Ye Chen! This power was far more condensed and malicious than the will of the Shadow Demon Lord, specifically designed to pollute Magic Treasures and erode the Divine Soul!

At such close range and with such an abrupt attack, there was no way to dodge!

Just as it looked like Ye Chen was about to be swallowed by this terrifying torrent of corruption—

“I was already on guard against this move of yours!”

A cold flash of mockery crossed Ye Chen's eyes! Instead of retreating, he violently stabbed the guixu sword into the core of the chaos primordial fetus. Simultaneously, the ancient sword phantasm deep within his Soul erupted with an unprecedented Primal Light!

“Did you think you were the only one who could set an ambush?”

“Guixu—Purify!”

The Primal Light merged with the Guixu Sword Intent, turning into a pure and flawless, brilliant sword pillar that seemed capable of cleansing all the filth in the world. It did not strike toward the dark red torrent, but instead... poured directly into the interior of the chaos primordial fetus!

What he intended to do was not to resist, but... to purify this polluted core from the inside!