Chapter 545: Qing Zhu
Chapter 545: Qing Zhu
"Soon."
Chen Mu glanced at the system panel, where the accumulated experience of the Primordial Dao was displayed. He nodded slightly, calculating that within half a month or so, he would have enough experience to embark on the Creation Path.
Even if something unexpected happened during this process, he now had a Creation Path oddity to study, which meant that upon returning to the Great Xuan World, he could quickly accumulate the necessary experience. It could be said that he was now free of any concerns.
Of course, if he could complete the Creation Enlightenment in the Origin Site, that would be even better.
Chen Mu closed the system panel and with a thought, his figure once again merged into the void, heading towards the distant horizon.
...
In a certain marshland, a floating Origin Crystal hovered in the air, alongside a hazy and turbid insight into the Void Dao. Judging by its size, it was clearly left behind by an eighth-rank Aberrant Beast.
Beside the Origin Shard and the insight into the Void Dao, two surging auras clashed and fought, and in the void, two figures occasionally flickered into view, engaging in combat.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
White thunderbolts intermittently appeared in the void, and with each clash of power, the marshland below silently trembled, rippling with visible waves that spread into the distance.
Creation, Void, and Time—the three primordial forces clashed endlessly in the sky.
"Yan! It's been a while. You've even grasped the rudimentary form of the Time Dao!"
A shadow resembling a true demon loomed within the black mist, addressing the figure across from him in a deep voice. The other side was shrouded in purple mist, and within it, a purple figure occasionally appeared.
"After several dozen world-years, you're still standing in the same place. You won't be able to take this prey away."
Yan spoke indifferently.
He and the figure across from him, You, were old rivals. As early as when they first stepped into the Origin Site, they each mastered the rudimentary forms of two Primordial Daos. Now, after several dozen world-years later, he had grasped the rudimentary form of the Time Dao, and he had mastered all three Primordial Daos!
In terms of strength, he had reached the limit of the Lower Divine Tier Eight. Even when facing a Divine Rank Nine existence, as long as the opponent had only a single Enlightenment, he could still put up a fight.
With such strength, he naturally explored alone.
As for You, he was also exploring the Origin Site alone. However, just as he was about to hunt down an Aberrant Beast, he encountered Yan, who immediately intervened and tried to snatch his prey.
"Who will be the first to attain Enlightenment is still uncertain. You may have taken a step ahead, but it won't be easy to take the prey from me. If you continue to stalemate with me, you might not succeed in the end."
"It's rumored that two Enlightenment-level figures have entered the core of the Origin Site. You wouldn't want them to take this prey away, would you?"
You smiled faintly.
Yan, knowing that You was right, calmly said, "What do you suggest?"
"If you hadn't intervened, I might not have been able to kill this Aberrant Beast so quickly. I might have even been at risk of it escaping... I don't want the Origin Shard. I'll leave the Void Enlightenment." You spoke.
"How far are you from Void Enlightenment?"
Yan suddenly asked.
You smiled faintly and said, "Who knows?"
"Alright, I'll leave you the Void Enlightenment."
Yan gave You a deep look.
Although Yan had mastered the rudimentary forms of all three Primordial Daos, his primary focus was still on the Creation Dao. Only the Creation Dao Enlightenment was the most likely.
The Primordial Dao Enlightenment was crucial for him. On this trip to the Origin Site, he was indeed aiming to leave a Life Imprint.
Initially, he had at least a fifty percent chance of success. However, this time, a Divine Rank Nine existence had entered the Origin Site, and there might even be more than one, immediately increasing the difficulty.
But he still had to give it a try.
However, just as Yan and You were negotiating the terms and preparing to divide the resources, a ripple suddenly appeared in the void.
"Who?"
Both Yan and You's eyes narrowed.
When they looked over, they saw a figure emerging from the void beside the Origin Shard and the Void Enlightenment left behind by the Aberrant Beast after its death. The figure reached out and took the Origin Shard into his palm.
"Merge with the Void?!"
Yan and You both changed expressions, and without any hesitation, they each flickered and fled in different directions, immediately abandoning the contest.
Yan was well aware that although he could barely withstand a Divine Rank Nine existence with a single Enlightenment, he could only withstand a blow or two. Moreover, there was a prerequisite—the opponent must have only a single Enlightenment.
With a single Primordial Dao Enlightenment, one could indeed wield a Divine Armament with Divine Rank Nine power. However, if one had also mastered the rudimentary forms of the other two Primordial Daos, they would be considered exceptionally powerful among Divine Rank Nine beings!
According to Yan's knowledge...
In the Tianqing Realm, Qing Zhu had attained the Creation Path.
And the unfamiliar alien being before them was undoubtedly another Path-level entity who had entered the Origin Site, a cultivator of the Void Path. When it came to the Primordial Dao, all beings generally cultivated the Creation Path as a foundation. To cultivate the Void Path, one's Creation Path must also be exceptional, at least in its nascent form.
Although there was no distinction between strong and weak in the Primordial Dao, the Void Path was indeed more challenging to deal with than the Creation Path!
Once the Void State was activated, merging with the Void, it would be invincible against Lower Divine Tier Eight beings. Even if a dozen of them joined forces, they could only resist at best, and defeating such an opponent was impossible.
On the other hand, a Creation Path cultivator could be trapped and suppressed if numerous Lower Divine Tier Eight beings worked together.
If it were Qing Zhu, Yan might still have the thought of trying to fight. But facing Chen Mu, as soon as the Void Path was displayed, he immediately gave up any thought of fighting and turned to leave.
You, being weaker than Yan, would undoubtedly flee at the first sight of Qing Zhu.
Although You and Yan fled at the first opportunity, Chen Mu, who had just appeared, had no intention of letting them go. With a calm demeanor, he raised his hands, and the Void, Time, and Creation forces intertwined, forming two giant hands that pressed down on You and Yan.
This move caused both You and Yan's faces to change drastically.
"Time Energy!"
Yan felt the terrifying power within the giant hand pressing down on him and was momentarily stunned. The ancient and authentic giant hand contained Creation Energy, which he had already anticipated Chen Mu to possess. But he hadn't expected Chen Mu to also cultivate the Time Path, and even more so, to have attained the Time Path.
Among the three Primordial Daos, the Void and Time Paths were the most challenging to cultivate. To have attained all three in their nascent forms was truly terrifying! This person was unbeatable.
Yan didn't need to think twice. His deep purple eyes flashed with a crimson light, like burning flames. In an instant, his cultivated nascent forms of the Void, Time, and Creation Paths were awakened, and the three Primordial Dao forces converged into one, causing his aura to surge dramatically.
As his aura surged, his body did not grow larger; instead, it shrank. In the blink of an eye, he became a tiny speck, barely visible to the naked eye, and then he broke through the air and moved forward.
Hsss!
This tiny speck of light, like a flowing flame, tore through the void, forcibly breaking through the giant hand that Chen Mu had used to suppress him. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the horizon.
Chen Mu watched this, and a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes, but he wasn't entirely taken aback.
This alien being had cultivated the Void, Time, and Creation Paths in their nascent forms and had mastered some kind of 'secret art,' which was quite normal. The power of the three forces combined was obviously more exquisite than what Chen Mu could achieve, allowing him to escape through the narrow gap.
"A secret art? Interesting..."
Chen Mu shook his head slightly. This secret art, which involved the Primordial Forces, was clearly not something a Divine Realm cultivator could create.
On the other side, You faced Chen Mu's attack and wasn't as lucky as Yan. Although his speed was also incredibly fast, as he tried to escape, he felt as if the nearby void had turned into a swamp, causing him to sink and slowing him down significantly.
Seeing the giant hand pressing down from behind, and with no way to break through the blockade, You brandished a divine armament, a long spear, and forcefully clashed with Chen Mu's attack.
Boom!
The spear erupted with a grand Creation Energy that illuminated the four corners of the void, briefly clashing with Chen Mu's giant hand. However, it eventually crumbled, and his entire body was slapped into the ground by the giant palm!
"Hand over the Origin Shards," Chen Mu said, without any unnecessary words. After suppressing You with a single palm strike, he demanded the shards.
You coughed, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, his vitality visibly declining. After two difficult coughs, he waved his hand and threw a piece of Origin Shard towards Chen Mu.
Chen Mu reached out and caught it, then glanced at the gradually dimming Void Path insight not far away. "If you want this Void Path insight, bring resources to exchange for it."
"A piece of Time True Jade," You replied promptly, taking out a piece of jade stone that radiated a colorful glow. "This is the main material for forging Time Path divine armaments and can also be used as the array core for setting up Time Grand Arrays."
Chen Mu gave a slight nod after a quick perception, recognizing that this was a Creation Path oddity, no less valuable than the Time Dust Sand. The Time Energy contained within was almost on par with that of the Time Dust Sand.
"Sure."
With a swift motion, You threw the Time True Jade towards Chen Mu.
Chen Mu extended his hand and caught it, wasting no time as his figure flickered and vanished.
...
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Chen Mu rampaged through the core region of the Origin Site, relentlessly plundering every Below Divine Tier Eight he encountered. Only a handful of beings, like Yan, who cultivated three Primordial Daos and possessed secret techniques, managed to escape his grasp. All others faced him with no resistance.
After half a month of relentless pillaging, Chen Mu's gains were incredibly rich.
In the past, the Blood Exchange and Celestial Beings from the Great Xuan World had to rely on luck to occasionally obtain Primordial Path artifacts during their explorations in the Origin Site. Even then, the entire world had only gathered a meager few.
But in just half a month, Chen Mu's collection and plunder yielded over twenty Primordial Path artifacts—a bounty that surpassed the Great Xuan World's accumulation over countless years in the Origin Site!
"Roar!"
An Eighth Rank Below Deity beast of the Nurturing Path unleashed a furious roar as it lunged towards Chen Mu, its claws extended.
The beast wasn't particularly large, but as its claws descended, they suddenly expanded, revealing eerie patterns on its black scaled armor. A dense aura of death energy enveloped it.
Chen Mu remained calm, unfazed by the attack. He met the beast's claws with his fist, punching upwards to counter the assault.
As Chen Mu's fist descended, it too expanded, transforming into a giant fist that collided with the beast's claws in mid-air. With a resounding boom, the beast's claws shattered under the impact!
Without hesitation, Chen Mu's figure flickered again, disappearing from his original spot. He reappeared near the beast, pointing his fingers forward in quick succession. Three fingers pierced its skull, chest, and abdomen, one after the other.
Unable to withstand this barrage of attacks, the beast of the Nurturing Path, despite its tenacious vitality, finally succumbed. Its body rapidly disintegrated, leaving behind an Origin Shard and a fragment of Nurturing Insight.
Chen Mu approached, his left hand lifting slightly to retrieve the Origin Shard he possessed.
Calling it an Origin Shard was almost an understatement, as the shard in Chen Mu's hand was now enormous, nearly the size of a fist. It was translucent and lustrous, almost resembling a piece of jade, as if it were close to becoming a complete Origin Crystal!
Chen Mu merged the Origin Shard left by the beast with the large one in his hand, causing it to swell slightly, bringing it one step closer to a complete Origin Crystal.
"It should be almost enough," Chen Mu mused as he weighed the fist-sized Origin Shard in his hand, estimating its value.
Just as he was about to put it away and collect the Nurturing Insight, his gaze shifted slightly, and he glanced towards the distance.
At the edge of his vision, a figure stood, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, gazing in his direction.
The figure had a golden, bamboo-like body, reflecting a jade-like luster within. It was enveloped in a surging, overwhelming aura of Nurturing Power—this was a being that had attained the Nurturing Path!
Chen Mu's expression remained calm as he held the fist-sized Origin Shard, returning the distant figure's gaze.
Qing Zhu of the Heaven Armory Realm.
Chen Mu had heard of this being, a creature that had attained the Nurturing Path and was the only alien in the Origin Site capable of truly challenging him. During his previous explorations, they had not crossed paths, and this was their first encounter.
Qing Zhu stood at a distance, his eyes fixed on the Origin Shard in Chen Mu's hand, but he made no move. After a deep, piercing stare, he flickered and disappeared.
Chen Mu, who had been rampaging through the Origin Site for nearly a month, was well aware of Qing Zhu's reputation. Similarly, Qing Zhu had heard of Chen Mu, the being who had attained both the Void and Time Paths. There was no room for hesitation or doubt.
As Chen Mu watched Qing Zhu retreat, he made no further moves. He had no interest in expending energy on Qing Zhu.
A Ninth Rank Below Deity alien being who had attained the Nurturing Path would be far more challenging to defeat and even harder to capture.
(End of Chapter)
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