Chapter 306: Before the Ancient Stele, Comprehending the Reversal

He followed the map to an ancient forest marked as "Myriad Trees Origin".

The vitality here is so rich it can be called the pinnacle of secret realms; towering ancient trees have grown for untold tens of thousands of years, some even giving birth to vague sentience.

But Wang Ping searched for days, nearly scouring every corner of the forest, even battling several late Golden Core tree demons multiple times, yet he never found the pure wood-origin essence that met the requirements.

But in the very center of the forest he discovered a mysterious clearing shrouded by a powerful natural seal; the seal's power contained spatial and wood laws, and with his current means he could not forcefully break it.

"Could the pure wood-origin essence lie beyond this seal?"

Wang Ping gazed at the seal's shimmering azure runes and ancient aura, his brow furrowed.

He could sense the extremely pure yin wood qi emanating from beyond the seal, but forcibly breaking the formation would be time-consuming, laborious, and might trigger unforeseen changes.

Just as he hesitated whether to attempt breaking the formation, the secret realm's sky suddenly changed color!

The already unstable variegated heavens now resembled an overturned palette, five-colored light wildly flowing, colliding, and annihilating!

An indescribably terrifying pressure swept down from the heavens!

At the same time the earth began to violently tremble, the five elements qi ran amok, forming countless heaven‑spanning five‑colored dragon‑tempests that ravaged and moved throughout the secret realm!

"Five Elements Turbulent Storm!" Wang Ping's face changed. The jade slip had marked this prominently; it was one of the secret realm's most dangerous heavenly calamities!

The storm manifested directly from the extremely chaotic, conflicting five‑elements laws; wherever it passed, space was torn, all things annihilated, and even Nascent Soul cultivators caught in it faced mortal danger!

Moreover, the storm's trajectory was utterly irregular; only advance warning could allow one to stay far clear.

At this moment Wang Ping clearly sensed that at least three awe‑sized five‑elements storms were converging from different directions upon this "Myriad Trees Origin" forest! Their speed was extreme!

"We must leave at once!" Wang Ping made a decisive decision. No matter how good the opportunity, one needs life to enjoy it.

His form turned into five‑colored flowing light, racing toward the forest's outer edge through the relatively sparse gaps in the storm.

At the same time he pushed his Five‑Colored Divine Light to the limit, forming a thick five‑colored shield around himself to resist the increasingly violent, chaotic qi turbulence in the air.

Yet the storm's encircling speed surpassed his expectations!

When he barely burst out of the forest's edge, a colossal five‑colored dragon‑tempest over a hundred zhang in diameter—wildly intertwining crimson flames, azure ice, green wind‑blades, golden lightning, and yellow sandstorms—was already right upon him!

The terrifying suction lifted nearby giant trees and rocks, grinding them to powder!

Wang Ping only felt his body lag, as if about to be pulled in!

He let out a low roar, his internal five‑elements golden core spinning wildly, his Five‑Colored Divine Light bursting forth with unprecedented radiance, locking his form in place while he pushed his speed to the limit, shooting sideways to try to skim the storm's edge.

But just as he was about to escape the storm's strongest suction zone—

Hiss—!

An inconspicuous gray‑black rift on the storm's edge, formed by the occasional collision of intensely condensed golden killing qi and yin‑cold mysterious water, like the scythe of the Death God, silently sliced across Wang Ping's side of his five‑colored shield!

That gray‑black rift contained a trace of extremely weak yet essentially supreme "chaotic annihilation" power; it ignored most of the Five‑Colored Divine Light's protective traits, tearing a hole in the shield like a hot knife through butter!

Although Wang Ping reacted instantly, shifting his body sideways, the edge of that rift still grazed his left shoulder!

No blood spattered.

The affected spot's protective spirit light vanished instantly, his clothing turned to nothing, and a small piece of flesh disappeared, revealing the jade‑white bone beneath. Worse still, a strand of chaotic, annihilating energy with strong corrosiveness followed the wound into his body, wildly drilling into his meridians and spiritual power, even attempting to taint his five‑elements Dao foundation!

"Hiss—!" Wang Ping sucked in a breath of cold air, the pain drilling into his heart! This force was extraordinarily hard to contend with, unlike any five‑elements attribute he knew, seeming born solely for destruction!

He endured the pain and discomfort, erupting with all his potential, and just before that gray‑black rift could expand, he narrowly broke out of the storm's influence, plunging headfirst into a relatively stable mountain hollow far away.

Boom—... Behind him, the five‑elements storms converged, completely swallowing and crushing the "Myriad Trees Origin" forest, leaving only a scene of ruin and chaotic energy turbulence that only slowly subsided after a long while.

Wang Ping leaned against a boulder, his face pallid, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He immediately sat cross‑legged and turned his vision inward.

The wound on his left shoulder was not large, but that chaotic annihilating energy, like a bone‑eating parasite, spread upward along his arm's meridians; wherever it went, spiritual power stagnated, the meridians sent needle‑like pricks, and even faint signs of withering appeared. Had his flesh not been extraordinarily tough, his five‑elements spiritual power not been exceptionally pure and possessed of strong assimilative and restorative ability, his whole arm would likely be ruined!

"What domineering energy! Is this the aberrant power born from extreme five‑elements conflict?"

Wang Ping's heart turned cold. He tried to mobilize his Five‑Colored Divine Light to envelop and refine this alien energy, but the effect was poor; the five‑elements power seemed to feel a sense of "rejection" toward it, making effective contact and dissipation difficult.

He also attempted to use the purifying power of solar true fire, the vital force of yin wood divine thunder, the freezing power of the yin‑still cold tide… Various means were tried in turn; although they could slightly slow its spread, they could never eradicate it.

"Trouble……" Wang Ping furrowed his brows. If left to rage within his body, this energy would not only impair his combat strength but could also damage his Dao foundation, potentially causing unforeseen hindrances to his future Nascent Soul condensation.

Just as he agonized over countermeasures, the strand of dormant, nurturing chaos qi within his left arm twitched slightly.

Like a slumbering dragon roused, that gray‑misty strand of chaos qi, seemingly holding infinite possibilities, appeared to develop a certain "interest" in the invading chaotic annihilation energy that had entered Wang Ping's body.

Wang Ping, blessed by fortune and spirit, immediately attempted to guide that strand of chaos qi, letting it slowly flow toward the wound.

When the chaos qi came into contact with that chaotic annihilation energy, a strange change occurred!

That unruly, immensely destructive alien energy, upon contacting the chaos qi, instantly "melted" like snow meeting warm sun! No, it wasn't melting; it was more like being "assimilated" and "embraced"!

Chaos itself is the source and destination of all energies, embracing all things and capable of deriving myriad things.

This chaotic annihilation energy born from extreme five‑elements conflict is, essentially, still a variant derived from the five‑elements laws and has not exceeded the bounds of chaos!

Before the chaos qi, it lost its destructiveness, instead turning into a strand of pure, attribute‑less yet oddly Dao‑tinged "origin fragment," easily absorbed and merged by the chaos qi.

After absorbing that energy, Wang Ping could feel that the strand of chaos qi in his left arm seemed to have grown a little stronger and more lively.

"Chaos… actually has such a wonderful use!" Wang Ping's heart surged with surprise and joy. This accidental injury, conversely, gave him a more intuitive grasp of the nature of chaos qi.

The crisis resolved, Wang Ping promptly took a healing pill, circulated his five‑elements spiritual power to repair the damaged meridians and flesh. After about half an hour, his injury was basically stabilized; only a faint gray‑white scar remained on his left shoulder, with a subtle trace of chaos qi circulating, hard to dispel in the short term.

After this ordeal, Wang Ping grew more vigilant. The five‑elements secret realm truly bristled with danger—not only ferocious beasts, but also irresistible heavenly and earthly might.

Having finished his breath regulation, he re‑confirmed his bearings. After the five‑elements storm passed, the "Myriad Trees Origin" forest was utterly destroyed; seeking wood‑origin essence there was now impossible.

The other spots marked on the map that might contain wood‑origin essence were quite distant, and reaching them required crossing several hazardous zones.

"Time is already past halfway; we can't keep searching aimlessly." Wang Ping pondered. He recalled another area on the map marked as the "Five Elements Turbulent Core Area (extremely dangerous)."

There, the five‑elements conflict in the secret realm is fiercest and the laws most chaotic; it is also the usual birthplace of five‑elements turbulent storms. The jade slip explicitly warns that non‑Nascent Soul cultivators or those without profound mastery of the five‑elements Dao are strictly forbidden to approach.

"Five‑elements origin essence often arises where the five‑elements laws are most rich, active, even fiercely conflicting…" The words of the Supreme Elder echoed in Wang Ping's mind.

"The most dangerous place may be where opportunity is greatest." A flash of determination crossed Wang Ping's eyes.

He had now gathered the essences of four attributes, lacking only wood. Ordinary areas offered little hope; only by taking a risky move could he try his luck at the "Five Elements Turbulent Core Area."

Moreover, he had gained a certain confidence in his own complete five‑elements Dao foundation and his chaos qi.

The recent experience of his chaos qi easily dispelling the chaotic annihilation energy gave him added confidence.

Having made up his mind, Wang Ping no longer hesitated, determined the direction, and rushed toward the chaotic region at the core of the secret realm, shrouded in various violent energy radiance, as if heaven and earth had not yet been opened.

The closer he got to the core of the secret realm, the harsher the environment became.

The sky was no longer simple five-colored radiance; instead, turbulent energy currents of various attributes boiled like boiling water, rolling, colliding, exploding, giving rise to countless bizarre and terrifying energy phenomena.

Sometimes thunderous might, sometimes ice and fire intertwined, sometimes metallic wind like blades, sometimes rocks and earth flying apart. The land lay shattered, everywhere bottomless chasms, boiling magma lakes, frozen tundras, metallic deserts… a scene of apocalypse.

An ordinary Golden Core cultivator here would have to spend more than half of his spiritual power just to resist the omnipresent energy erosion and spatial pressure, let alone explore.

Wang Ping pushed the Five-Colored Divine Light to its limit, forming outside his body a three-foot-thick, slowly rotating sphere of five-colored light.

As the sphere flowed, it either guided and deflected, absorbed and assimilated, or directly obliterated the incoming chaotic energies, showing astonishing adaptability.

Occasionally, a few that slipped through were also resisted head-on by his formidable flesh.

Even so, his advance speed was greatly affected, and his spiritual power consumption was enormous.

After advancing for about a day, the scene ahead suddenly changed.

A relatively "tranquil" area appeared in his view. Calling it tranquil is because there were no violent energy currents raging here, yet this "tranquility" exuded a deeper sense of unease and eeriness.

It was a circular clearing about ten li in diameter, the ground smooth as a mirror, presenting a chaotic grayish-white hue, as if repeatedly scoured and polished by some ultimate force.

In the center of the clearing stood some utterly ruined architectural remnants built from five differently colored crystals.

Although most had collapsed and weathered, from the remaining bases, broken pillars, and shattered tiles one could still discern the former grandeur and intricacy, vaguely forming some profound array pattern.

And at the very center of the ruins stood an ancient stone tablet roughly three zhang high and one zhang wide, its entire surface covered in cracks yet still emitting a faint five-colored halo, stubbornly upright.

Its surface was carved with countless extremely complex runes and patterns, most now blurred, but one could still make out the five elements' cycles, holy beasts paying homage, and even a primordial chaos scene like the opening of heaven and earth.

"This is… the ruins of the Ancient Five Elements Sect?" Wang Ping's heart was shaken.

To be able to preserve a relatively intact relic in the core of such a five-element chaotic region shows how extraordinary it once was.

And that stone tablet exudes an ancient, weathered aura that also contains the true meaning of the Great Dao.

He approached cautiously, stopping about a hundred zhang from the tablet to sense it carefully.

Though there were no violent energy currents here, the air was permeated with an invisible "field," an extraordinary force field woven from the ultimate balance and conflict of the five elements.

Within it, Wang Ping felt his five-element spiritual power involuntarily accelerate, giving rise to strong resonance and pull among them, as if seeking to break free and evolve on its own.

He suppressed the spiritual power fluctuations, his eyes locked on the tablet. His intuition told him that this tablet might be the greatest opportunity of his journey!

However, approaching the tablet was no easy task. Wang Ping could feel that the nearer he got, the stronger that invisible field became, and its interference and control over his five-element spiritual power grew greater.

If his five-element attainment were insufficient, rashly entering would very likely cause his internal spiritual power to run amok, the five elements to fall out of balance, and his cultivation foundation to be destroyed.

Wang Ping drew a deep breath, adjusted his state to optimal, his Five Elements Golden Core slowly rotating, the Five-Colored Divine Light retracting and stabilizing. He lifted his foot and stepped toward the tablet, step by step, slowly walking forward.

Ten zhang, fifty zhang, eighty zhang…

As the distance closed, that invisible field grew stronger! Wang Ping felt as if he had stepped into a mire, or as if he were bearing several great mountains.

In the surrounding air, five-colored light dots appeared out of nowhere, swirling and dancing around him as if alive, constantly trying to pierce his body and provoke resonance and disorder in his own five-element power.

Beads of fine sweat appeared on Wang Ping's forehead. He had to maintain intense focus at all times, using his perfected five-element circulation as a baseline, constantly making minute adjustments to counter the external field's interference.

The Five-Colored Divine Light formed a dense membrane on his surface, striving to isolate the invading five-colored light dots.

Ninety zhang, ninety-five zhang…

The pressure surged! Wang Ping could even hear the roar of his five-element spiritual power rushing like rivers, his golden core trembling, his meridians transmitting a distending ache.

That field seemed to solidify, pressing from all sides, seeking to utterly scramble and reorganize his internal five-element structure.

Yet his gaze remained resolute, his steps slow but unceasing.

Finally, when only three zhang remained between him and the tablet, Wang Ping halted his steps.

Not because he could not advance, but because he sensed that taking one more step would fundamentally alter the field's nature—from interference to assimilation, even to devouring.

With his current cultivation and insight, forcing entry would likely bring disaster.

He sat cross-legged, right there three zhang out, facing the ancient tablet directly.

His gaze fixed on the tablet's blurry yet profound patterns, his mind sinking into them as he tried to apprehend their lingering Dao resonance.

At first, there was only chaos; he could sense nothing.

But Wang Ping was not discouraged; he emptied his thoughts, no longer deliberately resisting the external field, instead attempting to guide his five-element spiritual power to flow more naturally, in a way more attuned to this place's rhythm.

At the same time, in his sea of consciousness, all his insights on the five elements' mutual generation and restriction, on the true meaning of chaos, and on the deductions from the Nascent Soul chapter of the Five Elements Divine Light surged forth, resonating subtly with the Dao aura emanating from the tablet before him.

Gradually, the scene before his eyes changed.

The shattered tablet, in his "eyes," seemed to come alive. Its blurred runes began to flow and recombine, evolving into one dynamic picture after another:

He saw how five-element spiritual aura initially separated from chaos, transforming into five primal currents.

He saw how the five qi cycled and mutually generated, evolving into mountains and rivers, the great earth, plants and insects, wind, thunder, rain, and lightning.

He saw how the five elements reached ultimate balance and circulation, constructing a stable "Five Elements World."

Then the picture suddenly reversed! The stable Five Elements World began to collapse inward, mutual generation turning into mutual restriction—metal cuts wood, wood breaks earth, earth dams water, water extinguishes fire, fire melts metal… In the fierce conflict and annihilation, the boundaries of the five elements blurred, their energy returning to the most primitive, most chaotic state.

Immediately after, chaos exploded, and a new, more perfect five-element cycle was born, repeating endlessly…

Endlessly born, endlessly perishing, cycling repeatedly, chaos first taking form!

"Five Elements reversal gives birth to chaos… Now I understand! Now I understand!" A tidal wave surged in Wang Ping's heart, a sudden enlightenment filling his mind.

His prior understanding of chaos had been more conceptual, based on personal experience; but now, through the manifestation of the Dao resonance left on this ancient tablet, he personally "witnessed" how the five elements, via extreme reversal and conflict, return to chaos, and how they re‑derive the five elements from chaos!

This is a complete, dynamic "ritual" containing the supreme Dao!

This is not merely a technique for wielding power, but a "Dao" that directly points to the law of cosmic origin evolution!

At this moment, his understanding of the "Five Elements return to origin chaos" section in the Nascent Soul chapter of the Five Elements Divine Light underwent a overturning, deeper comprehension! Many obscure, hard‑to‑connect crucial points in the deductions now all clicked, flowing naturally.

Moreover, the wisp of chaotic qi in his left arm sprang to life as never before, as if it had found its home, joyfully wandering his meridians and fusing more deeply with his own five‑element spiritual power. The gray‑white scar on his shoulder also faded and disappeared under the flow of that chaotic qi.

Wang Ping became utterly immersed in this wondrous insight, forgetting time and forgetting that he was in perilous ground.

After an unknown span, as he slowly awoke from his deep Dao contemplation, the ancient tablet before him seemed to dim slightly, yet at its core a point of warm, pure light—containing the most primordial five‑element birth‑and‑death Dao resonance—brightened gradually, detached from the tablet, and flew straight toward Wang Ping like a swallow returning to its nest.

Wang Ping instinctively reached out his hand.

That bit of five-colored light fell on his palm, feeling cool and warm, and immediately merged into his body without obstruction.

In an instant, Wang Ping felt a pure, vast yet extremely gentle source power surge through his limbs and bones, finally gathering in his dantian, perfectly merging with his five-element golden core and five-colored divine light!

The gold, cyan, blue, red, and yellow five-colored light spontaneously shone within his body, following the profound trajectory of the "Five Elements Reverse Birth Chaos" demonstrated on the ancient stele, beginning to slowly revolve and transform. Although the speed was extremely slow and it was only an embryonic form, a feeling of unprecedented completeness, perfection, as if touching the source of the Great Dao, arose spontaneously.

"This is... Innate Five Elements Essence?!" Wang Ping felt both astonished and delighted. He could sense that the strand of five-colored light merged into his body was not a pure attribute source essence, but a perfect fusion of the five attribute source essences, containing a hint of innate mechanism, the supreme quintessence! Its value far surpassed the total of all five-element essences he had previously collected!

It not only serves as the most perfect "Five Elements Origin Guide" for condensing the Chaos Five Elements Nascent Soul, but also like a key, a seed, deeply imprinting the supreme Dao rhyme of "Five Elements Reverse Birth Chaos" onto his Dao foundation, opening a gate to heaven for his future cultivation!

Opportunity! A tremendous opportunity!

Wang Ping rose, bowed deeply three times before the broken ancient stele. Though the stele bears no name, it is like a teacher and father; the grace of transmitting the Dao is weightier than mountains.

After the rites, he did not linger. He had obtained the Innate Five Elements Essence, exceeding the primary goal of this trip. The Dao rhyme of this place, having been somewhat depleted by his enlightenment, and given the considerable commotion just now, might have drawn the attention of some unknown entities in the secret realm; it is not advisable to stay long.

Wang Ping turned, transforming into a five-colored stream of light, rushing toward the secret realm's entrance. The outward journey had been fraught with hardship and danger, but the return was much smoother due to subtle improvements in his cultivation, insight, and even Dao foundation. The omnipresent chaotic five-element energy seemed to feel less hostility toward him and a hint of affinity.

Several days later, Wang Ping smoothly reached the vicinity of the secret realm's entrance and met up with several other Dao Institute disciples who had likewise gained varied rewards. Everyone bore some injuries, their expressions weary yet unable to conceal excitement, evidently each having experienced different fortunes.

When the secret realm's one-month period arrived, the five-colored vortex passage reappeared. Ten figures entered one after another, vanishing into this strange five-element world.

Returning to the valley of the Ninth Dao Institute, Wang Ping glanced back at the slowly closing vortex, his heart surging with emotion.

Although this journey was perilous, its gains far exceeded expectations. Not only did he gather the five-element source essences (with the Innate Five Elements Essence being the foremost), he also comprehended the supreme Dao rhyme of "Five Elements Reverse Birth Chaos", allowing his cultivation method to be perfected, and his strength and Dao foundation underwent a qualitative leap.

The path to condensing the Chaos Five Elements Nascent Soul now has its two most important prerequisites—the "Five Elements Origin Guide" and the "Fire of Life and Death Insight"—already in place. Next, he must seek the "Yin-Yang Harmonizing Furnace" and make final preparations for the push.

Gazing toward the peak of the sea of clouds, Wang Ping's eyes burned with a determined and anticipatory light.