Chapter 968

Li Yi’s primordial spirit manifestation stepped on the crimson lotus, swiftly traversing this chaotic space, seizing every moment, wasting not a shred of time, yet the space seemed boundless.

From the beginning until now, Li Yi had not paused for a single instant, yet he had never reached the edge of this space.

This made him increasingly anxious.

Because the crimson lotus’s glow had grown dim, and the erosion of chaotic qi was relentless.

Moreover, Li Yi seemed somewhat lost in this space—he did not even know where he was, for all around him was only gray, murky chaotic qi, nothing else.

The entire world appeared to have been reduced to him alone.

“It seems our journey ends here.”

Hua Qing, now without hope, spoke apologetically: “I’m sorry. This time, it’s my fault that led you to this. Had I not insisted you come to Heaven, you could have lived well on Earth, and never lost your life here so foolishly.”

“Isn’t apologizing a bit too late?” Li Yi’s lip twitched: “Fortunately, I came to Heaven only after reaching the Three Flowers realm. Imagine if, back then, you’d tried to trick me into coming when I hadn’t even reached the level of a Heavenly Soldier—if I hadn’t been cautious enough, I’d already be dead because of you.”

“But this time, I can’t blame you. You’re naturally evil—luring others to their deaths is as easy as eating and drinking. It was my own fault: I fought the Demon God, got wounded, and wanted to recover quickly, so I fell for your trap.”

He did not blame Hua Qing—he reflected on himself.

“I must say, your mindset is remarkable. If you survive this, perhaps Heaven will one day gain another Taiyi Tianzun.” Hua Qing sighed.

Anyone else, enraged, would have already strangled the culprit—yet Li Yi did not blame him.

“There’s little time left. Let’s make one final push. If we still can’t reach the edge of this space, I’ll accept my fate.” At this moment, two Dao flowers bloomed upon Li Yi’s primordial spirit manifestation.

One represented the primordial spirit’s Dao flower, its eight petals translucent and radiant, unlike those of ordinary cultivators.

At this moment,

the primordial spirit’s Dao flower began to wither, its petals transforming into the purest force, augmenting his body.

Instantly,

Li Yi’s primordial spirit power surged—heavy with it, the crimson lotus beneath his feet accelerated to its utmost speed, becoming a brilliant streak of red light slicing through the chaotic space.

Yet the immense power gained by burning the Dao flower was fleeting, and it damaged his foundation, causing his realm and strength to plummet.

But right now, with death looming, who cared?

Soon,

one petal exhausted, then another fell, sustaining the power.

Li Yi remained silent, exhausting his reserves, squeezing out the last vestige of his life force—if the entire Dao flower withered and still no path to survival appeared, he would accept his doom.

Yet when five petals of his Dao flower had fallen,

suddenly,

the chaotic qi ahead thickened abruptly, intertwining into a wall impenetrable, stretching before him like a heavenly abyss, endless in every direction.

“Is that the edge of this chaotic space?” Li Yi froze.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never entered such a strange place, but it looks like it.” Hua Qing’s eyes widened as he too saw the wall of chaotic qi, boundless above, below, left, and right.

Without hesitation, Li Yi drew the Demon God Sword, and with his primordial spirit power, thrust it into the chaotic wall.

But an unbelievable sight occurred.

The Demon God Sword, forged by the Heavenly Artisan Daoist from countless rare materials, disintegrated instantly upon contact with the wall—its divine essence drained, its power stripped, then shattered into fragments.

The chaotic qi surged once more, leaving not even the fragments—utterly erased.

Seeing this, Li Yi gasped and halted abruptly before the wall, terrified of touching it.

One touch had consumed the Demon God Sword—what could possibly withstand the erosion of this chaotic wall?

“Indeed, even the chaotic qi here is terrifying—Heavenly Kings become nothingness. How much more so this wall? It must be the stomach lining of this being. If we could tear a hole, we might escape.” Hua Qing’s hope flared, then died again.

Even if he regained his full strength as Hua Qing the Emperor, he could not budge this wall an inch.

Thus, this being must be a Tianzun-level entity—otherwise, it could not be so terrifying.

Li Yi’s face grew grim: “It’s too early to give up. Breaking through this wall is our only chance. Hua Qing, do you think the Heavenly King artifact I just obtained might fare better?”

“No. The result would be the same—it shatters on contact.” Hua Qing immediately shook his head.

Li Yi said: “If all divine weapons and tools cannot survive in this chaotic space, why can this crimson lotus protect us so long?”

Hua Qing thought, then said: “Do you know what chaotic qi is? It is the fusion of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang forces. All things under heaven and earth arise from the Five Elements and embrace Yin-Yang—thus chaotic qi suppresses all things.”

“Xiang Xiangzi once told me the same. My crimson lotus originally took root in divine flesh, which also contained the Five Elements and Yin-Yang forces—hence its ability to resist all arts. Its endurance here likely stems from the same principle.”

“But the Five Elements and Yin-Yang forces within the lotus are too weak. Over time, they still cannot withstand the erosion of this chaotic qi—just as raw iron differs from refined steel; though both contain Yin-Yang and Five Elements, their strength varies greatly.”

Li Yi’s gaze flickered—he recalled events from his time in the Wildlands, within Chijin Mountain.

“You’re right. Your words align with the Dao of Heaven and Earth. Clearly, those immortals taught you well—you’ve finally acquired some culture.” Hua Qing nodded slightly.

“Then do you know how I plucked this crimson lotus?” Li Yi asked again.

Hua Qing said: “That’s easy. You need something outside the Five Elements and Yin-Yang to sever it. But in all my travels, I’ve never seen anything beyond the Five Elements and Yin-Yang.”

“No—there is one thing. Not within Yin-Yang or the Five Elements. And you’ve seen it: the Fei Eye Needle.” Li Yi spoke, then withdrew from his Five Elements Bracelet an object long unused.

It was a strange item sealed within a water flask—but as chaotic qi surged, the flask vanished instantly, leaving only a phantom divine needle floating before him.

This needle was neither metal nor wood—it was born from the eye of the mythic beast Fei.

Li Yi had once used it to sever the crimson lotus.

But afterward, because the Fei Eye Needle was too weak, he abandoned it—though he kept it stored in his Five Elements Bracelet.

“Fei Eye Needle?” Hua Qing blinked: “I don’t recall such an item. When the Dao Coin split in two, my lingering soul split as well. Though later reunited, the fragment that followed you lost some soul energy, causing memory loss.”

“So that’s why.” Li Yi was surprised.

But now he recalled—he had used the incomplete Dao Coin as an energy source for interdimensional travel, causing Hua Qing’s lingering soul to fall into slumber multiple times.

“Still, losing some memory isn’t critical. If this is truly the Fei Eye Needle, it is indeed beyond Yin-Yang and the Five Elements—but how powerful is a needle born from a Fei on Earth? Such a weak needle could be useful?” Hua Qing remained skeptical.

Had it been born from a Fei King, he might believe it could pierce this wall.

But the Fei on Earth were weak—their needles must be feeble.

“Don’t speak so. A commoner’s embroidery needle, skillfully used, can pierce a tiger’s flesh—does that mean a commoner can defeat a tiger?”

“All things generate and restrain each other. I know this needle is weak—but if it can open even a tiny hole, I’ll have a chance to escape.”

Li Yi said, and through observation, he noticed that though the needle was washed by chaotic qi, it suffered no damage.

This meant the thing could not be “digested” here.

“It’s worth a try. Aside from this Fei Eye Needle, you won’t find another object beyond Yin-Yang and the Five Elements.” Hua Qing said.

“The Technique of Size Alteration.”

Li Yi took a deep breath and immediately activated the Dao art, shrinking his form rapidly, shrinking further.

Because he was in his primordial spirit manifestation, the Technique of Size Alteration was far easier—he flickered once, becoming smaller than the Fei Eye Needle.

Like a speck of dust, nearly invisible to the naked eye.

“Go.”

Li Yi immediately directed the Fei Eye Needle toward the chaotic wall before him.

“Is it really going through?” Hua Qing gasped.

Contact with the chaotic wall would instantly dissolve them.

But it was too late.

Li Yi’s Fei Eye Needle had touched the wall—and the expected death did not come. The needle truly pierced through, leaving a tiny, imperceptible hole.

His dust-like primordial spirit slipped through the hole into the wall.

But soon, chaotic qi surged in, and the hole rapidly healed, vanishing in an instant.

Li Yi had no retreat.

He could only guide the Fei Eye Needle forward.

“It worked! It truly pierced the wall! Unbelievable—unbelievable! A needle born from such a weak Fei pierced a being of this caliber!” Hua Qing was stunned and elated.

At this moment, he felt he might yet survive.

“The wound heals too fast. If we’re a moment late, we’ll be crushed by the chaotic wall.” Li Yi glanced back, nearly breaking into cold sweat.

He had no choice—he had to keep burning his Dao flower.

He now had only three petals left; his primordial spirit manifestation had grown far more ethereal.

His foundation was severely damaged.

Yet with Heaven’s resources, he believed that if he survived this, he could recover quickly.