Secluded cultivation, reshaping the foundation of one's Dao

Shiquan Village was silent under the night sky, with only the heavy footsteps of patrolling hunters occasionally breaking the stillness. Nightmare returned to his stone house as silently as a ghost, without alerting anyone, including the ever-vigilant Medicine Old Man.

Inside the house, the oil lamp remained unlit. Nightmare sat cross-legged on the bed. With a slight movement of his rule fragment, he took out his gains from this adventure—three stalks of yin marrow grass, along with the remaining refined blood of the Rock Bear, the Wolf King's wind origin, and several precious soul-nourishing medicines gifted by Medicine Old Man and stored within the rule fragment space.

It was time for a crucial period of secluded cultivation.

His goal was clear: using the yin marrow grass as the primary medicine and supplemented by other resources, he would completely heal the injuries to his rule fragment and Divine Soul. He would also take this opportunity to thoroughly stabilize his nascent Chaos Dao Foundation and even attempt to break through to a higher level—at least restoring enough strength to rival a Golden Core Cultivator to deal with Han Li's threat and the hidden dangers deep within the mountains.

His rule fragment was calm as he first took out a stalk of yin marrow grass. The pitch-black, marrow-like leaves emitted a faint, cold light, and their refreshing fragrance carried a chill that pierced straight to the Divine Soul. He did not swallow it directly; instead, his rule fragment guided the Chaos Dao Foundation to separate an extremely fine chaos qi flow. Like a precision scalpel, it began to carefully strip away and refine the medicinal power of the yin marrow grass.

The process was slow and focused. The medicinal power of the yin marrow grass was extremely pure but also carried an intense yin-cold property; swallowing it directly might harm the foundation of the Divine Soul. However, under the refinement of the chaos qi flow, that pure yin-cold medicinal power was drawn out and purified bit by bit. The Impurities harmful to the Divine Soul were annihilated by the Dao Rhyme of Annihilation, leaving only the most fundamental essence to nourish Soul Power. Like a trickling stream, it slowly merged into Nightmare's cracked rule fragment and Divine Soul.

Buzz...

A wave of extremely comfortable coolness came from his rule fragment. Those cracks, which were as dense as a spiderweb, began to close and repair at a visible speed after receiving the nourishment of this pure Soul Power! The stinging pain and weakness in his Divine Soul also rapidly receded, and his consciousness became clearer and more condensed.

Nightmare's rule fragment remained devoid of joy or sorrow as he continued to guide the medicinal power. Once the power of one yin marrow grass was exhausted, he immediately began refining the second...

By the time all three stalks of yin marrow grass were refined and absorbed, his rule fragment had healed by more than ninety percent! The surface was as smooth as before, though the light was still somewhat dim—a sign that his Origin had not yet fully recovered. His Divine Soul, however, had not only fully recovered from its injuries but had also become tougher and more solid due to the tempering of this extreme yin substance. His range of perception expanded several times over, now able to clearly cover the entire Shiquan Village and even the surrounding mountain forests!

The preliminary recovery of his Divine Soul and rule fragment greatly enhanced his control over his power.

Next was the further tempering of his Physical Body and the strengthening of his Chaos Dao Foundation.

With a movement of his rule fragment, the Rock Bear's refined blood and the Wolf King's wind origin were refined simultaneously! Boundless blood-qi power and pure wind-elemental yuan qi surged into his body like two wild dragons, attempting to tear through his Meridians.

But the current Nightmare was no longer the man he once was! His rule fragment flickered with light, and the Chaos Dao Foundation suddenly accelerated its rotation. The fist-sized Chaos vortex erupted with powerful suction and inclusivity, acting like a millstone to forcibly crush and fuse these two distinct and even conflicting forces!

The Dao Rhyme of Annihilation was responsible for suppressing and annihilating the violent will and Impurities within; the World Tree's vitality harmonized and nourished, repairing the minute damage caused to the Physical Body during the tempering process; the spatial charm of the void lotus seed stabilized the energy flow, preventing it from spiraling out of control; and the Primordial Theory served as the overarching guide for it all, providing the most fundamental energy structure and transformation model!

Rumble!

It was as if muffled thunder was rolling inside Nightmare's body! Under the wash of boundless energy, his Physical Body groaned under the strain, and fine beads of blood seeped from his skin, only to be instantly repaired by his powerful vitality. His Meridians were torn apart again and again, then widened and reinforced each time, becoming tougher and capable of containing a more powerful flow of energy.

After frantically devouring and fusing these energies, the Chaos vortex continued to expand, growing from the size of a fist to that of a washbasin. Its color became deeper, and within the gray chaos qi flow, one could faintly see a glimmer of earthy yellow from the Rock Bear, a streak of cyan-black from the Wolf King, a speck of silver radiance from space, and a touch of emerald green from vitality flowing incessantly, yet perfectly unified under the tone of Chaos.

His aura was climbing at an incredible speed!

Middle Foundation Establishment Stage... Late Foundation Establishment Stage... Peak Foundation Establishment!

The Bottleneck was easily shattered like paper!

Ultimately, his aura stabilized at a level comparable to the Early Golden Core Stage! Although his energy level was far from being as condensed as a traditional Golden Core Cultivator's Golden Core Dao, the inherent nature of his Chaos meant that the quality and potential of his power far exceeded those of the same rank!

An unknown amount of time passed—perhaps one day, perhaps three.

The Rock Bear and Wolf King resources stored in Nightmare's rule fragment space were completely exhausted.

He slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were no longer filled with their previous deep calm, but were like the Chaos at the beginning of creation—hazy, yet containing the possibility of evolving all things! A heart-palpitating pressure naturally radiated out but was quickly withdrawn back into his body.

He lightly clenched his fist, feeling the surging Chaos power within that seemed capable of crushing everything. His rule fragment was clear, and his Divine Sense covered several miles, perceiving everything in minute detail.

"Finally... I've restored some of my strength," Nightmare whispered to himself. Although he was still far from the Dao Integration Realm of his previous life, he at least had a foundation to stand on in this world. With his Chaos Dao Foundation newly formed, he was equivalent to the Early Golden Core Stage, but with its unique properties, it was enough to crush an ordinary Middle Golden Core and even contend with a Late Golden Core Stage.

With a slight movement of his rule fragment, he sensed the outside world. Everything in the village was as usual. Medicine Old Man seemed to have visited a few times, but seeing the stone door tightly shut, he did not disturb him. At the west end of the village, Han Li's aura remained cold and dormant, but Nightmare could feel that at the moment his Breakthrough aura leaked out, that aura had experienced an extremely subtle fluctuation.

"It seems you can't sit still either," Nightmare sneered within his rule fragment.

He rose to his full height and stretched his muscles and bones, his body emitting a series of crisp popping sounds. His seclusion was over; it was time to handle some matters.

First, he needed to thoroughly uncover Han Li's background and purpose.

Second, he had to explore the secrets of the back mountain's Forbidden Land and find traces of the mastermind behind the scenes.

Finally, he had to fulfill his promise to ensure Shiquan Village's safety during this turmoil.

He pushed open the stone door, and sunlight streamed in, reflecting on his calm yet implicitly majestic face.

The fate of Shiquan Village, and even a corner of the winds and clouds in this Land of Absolute Spirit, would be completely changed by the emergence of this variable from his seclusion.