The fragment resonated with the Chaos from afar, and Tongtian knew that was where the Chaos Bead was located. As long as he went there, he could obtain this treasure. However, it was deep within the Chaos, which meant getting there would take time, and he could not leave the Primordial World just yet.
Through the fragment, Tongtian felt waves of summoning. At first, he thought the call was directed at the fragment itself, but he quickly realized it was summoning him. How could that be? What was there in the Chaos, and why would it summon him? What did it want with him? Was it a trap? All of this required Tongtian to discern, analyze, and resolve on his own.
Tongtian blocked out the summoning, but ripples stirred in his heart. He knew that he would inevitably have to venture into the Chaos to find out.
Whether to hunt for treasures or to switch his path of cultivation, he had to go to the Chaos. Even being in the Chaos might not be safe enough; he had to obtain the Chaos Bead first and use it to shield the Heavenly Dao. Only then could he ensure he would not be discovered by the Dao Ancestor and secure a chance to develop.
As soon as the fragment was refined, it plunged straight into Tongtian's sea of consciousness, settling above the Grand Purple Qi. Tongtian felt his connection with the Heavenly Dao weaken, meaning the Heavenly Dao's influence over him had diminished, which in turn meant his movements would be much more convenient. It was truly worthy of being a fragment of the Chaos Treasure—the Chaos Bead—a supreme treasure comparable to the Pangu Axe, the Thirty-Sixth-Grade World-Creating Green Lotus, and the Creation Jade Disc. Perhaps it was not as formidable as the other three in terms of raw power, but when it came to concealing heavenly secrets, none could rival it.
Tongtian stared at the Grand Purple Qi lingering on his Primordial Spirit for a long time, lost in thought, unsure of what he was pondering.
The Grand Purple Qi was the credential of a Heavenly Dao Saint, as well as the shortcut to the Dao of Three Corpses. Only by possessing the Grand Purple Qi could one become a Saint through the Dao of Three Corpses. Yet he had become a Saint without even slaying his corpses. Did that mean the Dao of Three Corpses was a dead end from the start, or was there some crucial detail being concealed? Tongtian had no way of knowing. But he knew that once the three corpses were slain, although one's self became more aligned with heaven and earth and gained bonuses in comprehending the Heavenly Dao, what was lost was emotion. Tongtian considered emotions far more important, which was why he had dragged his feet and refused to slay his corpses. Later, because the Pangu Three Pure Ones shared the same breath and branch with interconnected Qi fortune, he had followed Laozi and Yuanshi in becoming a Saint. Once one reached the realm of a Saint, slaying or not slaying corpses no longer seemed to matter.
He had to head to the Chaos as soon as possible. He had a premonition that if he were not carrying the fragment of the Chaos Bead, he would have been detected by the Dao Ancestor—or rather, the Heavenly Dao—long ago. Once they discovered something beyond their expectations, they would only choose to eradicate it. By then, his consciousness would surely be wiped out, turning him completely into a puppet of the Heavenly Dao. Yet he could not slip into the Chaos without a sound; he had to find the right opportunity. Tongtian thought to himself in silence.
Tongtian continued to comprehend the creation scene inscribed on the Chaos Bead. Those casual strokes of the axe seemed to transcend time and space, cleaving open the Chaos with a gentle swing. The Dao rhythm contained within deeply captivated him. As time passed, a sharp, piercing aura emanated from Tongtian, as if it were about to sever everything in existence and split apart heaven and earth.
Suddenly, sword Qi soared into the sky, and the entire Jinao Island was shrouded in Tongtian's sword intent. That overwhelming majesty was completely different from Tongtian's own Saintly majesty. This sword intent made one's blood run cold and caused a faint, stinging pain on the skin. Some disciples with lower cultivation levels instinctively transformed back into their original beast forms to bolster their defense, terrified of being cut in two. For a time, the two opposing factions on Jinao Island all fell silent, obediently shrinking back into their own dwelling caves, terrified that their bickering might trigger the sword Qi and sword intent to cleave them directly. This was clearly their Teacher experiencing an epiphany, completely immersing himself in the Great Dao. If one were to be struck down by unconscious sword Qi, who could they even reason with? And so, peace was restored to Jinao Island.
Everyone cultivated within their dwelling caves, seizing the opportunity to comprehend Tongtian's sword Dao, study the sword intent, and add to their means of protecting their Dao.
Suddenly, the sword Qi pierced through the clouds, and the sword intent suppressed the East Sea. All living beings throughout the East Sea felt as though they had been thoroughly cleansed by the sword intent. As the sword intent slowly faded and the sword Qi gradually subsided, the living beings of the East Sea bowed toward Jinao Island in unison, chanting, "We offer our thanks to Saint Tongtian for his boundless grace of enlightenment."
As it turned out, Tongtian's sword intent had not only oppressed the East Sea but had also washed over every living being within it, acting much like a marrow-cleansing bath that elevated their aptitudes, made their cultivation easier, and allowed them to walk further on their paths. Hence, they offered their heartfelt gratitude and bows.
With the calming of Tongtian's sword intent and sword Qi, this session of cultivation had successfully transformed the mood and meaning contained within those few axe strokes of the creation scene into his own sword Dao. He comprehended a single form of sword technique, and his sword Dao cultivation soared straight to the peak of the Quasi-Sage realm, just a step away from becoming a Saint through the Law. However, Tongtian restrained himself. Pangu's simple axe strokes were more than enough for cultivation up to the Eighth Heaven of Sainthood, but Tongtian had yet to resolve the matter of the Grand Purple Qi, nor did he wish to breakthrough within the Primordial World. Doing so would hold no benefit for his future.
Tongtian suppressed the urge to breakthrough. His gaze turned toward the outer realms. Throughout his cultivation, that summoning not only failed to weaken, but grew increasingly intense. This struck Tongtian as rather bizarre. Was the connection between the fragment and the main body really this strong? Why did it feel so much like it was calling out to him directly? Strange! It seemed he needed to make a trip into the Chaos as soon as possible; otherwise, having this constant buzzing in his ears was quite annoying.
"Duobao, your teacher is going on a journey into the Chaos. All matters, big and small, in Jiejiao shall be decided by you. As for... never mind, remember this: in the Primordial World, strength is supreme. Before I return, do not slay your corpses," Tongtian transmitted his voice to Duobao.
Upon hearing this, Duobao bowed toward the direction of Biyou Palace and said, "This disciple understands."
Following that, Tongtian ascended straight to the Thirty-Third Heaven. Along the way, he caught sight of the Heavenly Court undergoing repairs. Having suffered heavy damage during the battle between the Wu and Demon clans, the Dao Ancestor had ordered his attendants, Haotian and Yaochi, to serve as the Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress after the war. Arriving at this dilapidated Heavenly Court, the two of them could only start from scratch.
Tongtian glanced at it without lingering. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the junction between the Primordial World and the Chaos. There, he saw that between the Thirty-Third Heaven of the Primordial World and the Chaos lay a formation—or perhaps a rule—that continuously resisted the corrosion of the Chaos while simultaneously counter-corroding it, endlessly converting Chaos Qi into Xiantian spiritual Qi.
Tongtian was filled with awe. The world carved out by Father God Pangu was still continuously growing. Yet why, after the Investiture of the Gods, had the Primordial World been downgraded? Or rather, had it been partitioned? Did the separated world become the Primordial World people saw, keeping a leaf before their eyes to block the view of the tall mountain? What on earth had happened? This required Tongtian to investigate and discover for himself.
Recovering his wits, Tongtian directly departed the Primordial World. The moment he stepped into the Chaos, Tongtian felt his connection with the Primordial Heavenly Dao grow faint. As he gradually distanced himself from the Primordial World, the connection between the Heavenly Dao and himself grew increasingly distant and weak, until the Primordial World gradually vanished from sight. Yet he always felt a lingering coordinate linking him to the Primordial World, ensuring that no matter where he was, he could find his way back. Was this a privilege granted by the Primordial World, or was it the treatment due to a descendant of Father God Pangu?
Following the summoning, Tongtian sped away into the distance.