Chapter 322

The attack of the Yin-Yang Chaos Beast came without any warning.

The rain of blazing white light spears and the pitch-black yin-savage chains almost sealed off all retreat routes. Under such an assault, ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators would likely be flustered in an instant, either dead or injured.

But Wang Ping and the others were ultimately the top elites of this generation in the Spirit Realm.

"Scatter, according to the plan!" Cangxuan's voice remained clear and icy amidst the violent energy roar. He acted first, not defending or dodging, but stepping forward into the rain of light spears filling the sky!

His starry robe fluttered loudly, his hands clasped in the void as if grasping an invisible divine sword. Starlight around him instantly blazed to the extreme—not defense, but ultimate sharpness!

"Heaven Azure Sword Art—Starfall!"

Without lengthy charging, without complex sword moves. Cangxuan simply, in the direction of the densest area of the blazing white light spears ahead, made a hollow slash!

In that instant, it seemed as if a miniature starry sky had opened above his head! Countless star phantoms appeared, flickering, and then dozens of these "stars" suddenly extinguished, detached, turning into streaks of sword light condensed to the extreme, dragging long starlight tails, like true meteors falling, precisely striking those blazing white light spears!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Deafening explosion sounds rang out in succession. The collision of starlight sword light and yang light spears burst into dazzling halos, energy turbulence sweeping like a storm.

Cangxuan's sword actually attacked to attack, forcibly tearing a narrow gap in the impenetrable rain of light spears!

He himself was like a star vessel weaving through an asteroid belt, body following the sword, narrowly passing through the gap, not only dodging the spear barrage but also using the explosion's cover to quickly close the distance with the yang-aspect body of the Yin-Yang Chaos Beast on its left side!

Almost simultaneously with Cangxuan's move, Yuliuli also moved. She did not shift her position, merely plucking lightly at the illusory phantom of the ancient zither in her arms.

"Clang——!"

A clear, pure zither note, not loud, yet strangely penetrated all the explosion roars, clearly entering the ears and hearts of everyone (and even the chaos beast). This was not a killing sound of attack, but a chapter of ethereal, elusive melody, as if from the celestial palace of the Nine Heavens.

The zither note entered the ears, and Wang Ping only felt his spirit slightly refreshed; the slight irritation brought by the chaos beast's pressure and violent energy impact was considerably eased. Nuying's figure in the shadows also seemed to stabilize for a moment.

And as the primary target of the zither note, the Yin-Yang Chaos Beast's massive body paused imperceptibly.

In its right side's pitch-black yin-fire eyes, the jumping flames showed a moment of stagnation and disorder.

The profound yin-savage aura seeping out from the yin-fish caverns and condensing into yin-savage chains also seemed to lose its finest control, becoming slightly scattered and delayed by a fraction.

It was this insignificant fraction of delay!

The pitch-black chains that had eerily drilled out from the edge of Wang Ping's domain and the shadows beneath his feet, their formation and entanglement slowed by that much! Their power also weakened by that much!

"Good opportunity!" Wang Ping secretly praised in his heart; Yuliuli's sound attack was truly divine, not directly opposing but interfering with the enemy's energy control and soul stability, creating a battle opportunity for teammates.

He dared not delay; the five-elements chaos domain he had been cultivating suddenly expanded!

This time, it was no longer mere concealment or defense. The grayish domain halo, like living tidewater, actively surged toward those scattered, delayed yin-savage chains and the surrounding violent yang-yin energy turbulence!

"Chaos Assimilation, All Laws Return to the Origin!"

Wherever the domain passed, those bone-chilling yin chains seemed to sink into sticky mire; the savage aura coiling on their surface was visibly eroded, decomposed, and transformed into the most basic energy particles by the domain's gray light, replenishing the domain itself!

Even the surrounding yang energy and profound yin-savage aura disrupted by the explosion were forcibly absorbed and harmonized by the domain, although the process was slow and full of risk, it indeed greatly stabilized a small area around the four, weakening the chaos beast's home-field advantage!

Seizing this opportunity, Yuying, who had existed like a true shadow, moved.

No light or shadow, no sound, not even a trace of spiritual power fluctuation leaked out.

At the very moment when Yuliuli's zither note disturbed the chaos beast's yin-aspect energy control and Wang Ping's domain steadied the formation, a patch of seemingly ordinary shadow on the side of the neck covered with ferocious bone armor and dark red knotted muscles on the beast's right side suddenly "came alive"!

That patch of shadow instantly stretched and deformed, transforming into a "shadow blade" thin as a cicada's wing, black as ink, with edges flowing with space-cutting ripples, and at beyond-thought speed, precisely swept toward a minute fissure at the junction of the beast's neck bone armor!

This strike brought "hidden," "swift," "deceitful," and "ruthless" to the extreme, exactly Yuying's signature technique—Phantom Kill!

However, the Yin-Yang Chaos Beast, as the supreme existence nurtured in this place, even though slightly disturbed by Yuliuli's zither note, its combat instinct and defense mechanism remained terrifying.

At the instant the shadow blade was about to make contact, the dark red muscles around the bone armor fissure on its neck tensed and writhed violently, and a dense membrane of black energy, mixed with savage aura and destructive power, instantly generated!

Hiss——!

The shadow blade struck the energy membrane, emitting a grating cutting sound. The black energy membrane violently fluctuated, being slit open a deep gash, but ultimately not completely broken. The shadow blade's power exhausted, it dissipated into nothingness.

But Yuying's strike was not in vain. The violent fluctuation and defense of that energy membrane obviously distracted part of the chaos beast's mind and energy.

A flash of anger at being offended by ants passed through its right side's yin-fire eyes, as it prepared to mobilize more yin-savage power to strangle that hateful shadow……

On the front battlefield, Cangxuan had already advanced to the front of the yang-aspect body of the Yin-Yang Chaos Beast on its left side!

He did not choose to attack the seemingly weaker energy connection point, but directly locked onto that large eyeball burning with pure white yang flame!

"Heaven Azure Sword Art—Starburn!"

At some point, his hand gripped a longsword completely condensed from brilliant starlight, the sword body flowing with galactic radiance.

Facing the chaos beast's reaction—its left side body sweeping over with a giant claw wrapped in purifying yang flame—Cangxuan did not dodge or evade, man and sword united, transforming into a comet-like beam tearing through the void, straight stabbing that white pupil!

This sword integrated the brilliance of stars, the decisiveness of falling, and the scorching will to burn everything into one, its power surpassing the previous "Starfall" by several measures! It was one of Cangxuan's true killing moves!

The light of the chaos beast's left-side yang-flame eye blazed greatly, obviously feeling the threat.

It neglected the yin-aspect body restrained by Yuying on its right side; the left-side white giant claw accelerated downward, while its head slightly tilted, trying to hard-block this sword with tough eyelids and the surrounding heavy divine gold scale armor.

Boom boom!!!

The starlight comet sword violently collided with the white giant claw wrapped in purifying yang flame!

The violent energy storm exploded again, blinding light making even Wang Ping, maintaining the domain far away, involuntarily squint his eyes.

Cangxuan's figure, as if struck hard, flew backward from the explosion center, his surrounding starlight dimmed considerably, a trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, obviously having suffered considerable shock.

But the chaos beast's left-side skull also fared no better. The palm of its white giant claw was pierced by Cangxuan's decisive sword, leaving a scorched hole, and the pure white yang flame became disordered for a moment.

More crucially, its head-turning motion slowed by a fraction, and Cangxuan's "Starburn" sword intent, condensed with all his essence, energy, and spirit, still struck half-deep into a scale junction below its left-side eye!

Tear! The supposedly indestructible divine gold scale armor was torn open a gash, and pure white, divinely-aura'd "blood" (highly condensed yang origin) sprayed out!

Although the wound was not deep, for the chaos beast, this was undoubtedly a great humiliation and trauma!

Roar——!!

This time, it was a howl truly containing pain and fury, shaking heaven and earth! The Yin-Yang Chaos Beast was completely enraged! It no longer distracted itself controlling those scattered yin-savage chains, nor did it merely rely on regional energy for long-range attacks.

Its massive body suddenly rose to stand upright! The left-side yang-aspect body erupted with surging milky-white yang divine fire, while the right-side yin-aspect body rose with black yin-savage demonic flame that burns everything!

The two extreme flames did not fight separately, but intertwined and rotated around the body's central axis, forming a huge, grayish, seemingly able to burn all things and return to chaos "Yin-Yang Chaos Fire Pillar".

As it waved its claws, it fiercely swept toward Cangxuan, who had just stabilized his form, and toward Wang Ping and Yuliuli behind, maintaining the domain and zither note!

This strike, its might far surpassed before! It was an angry strike where the chaos beast mobilized part of the regional origin power!

Wherever it passed, space twisted and shattered, the ground plowed into deep, scorched gullies, and even Wang Ping's Chaos Domain trembled violently, emitting a strained groan as its edges began to disintegrate!

"Not good!" Wang Ping's face changed; he could feel that this strike's power had already exceeded the limit any one of them could bear alone, and even if the four of them resisted together head-on, they would inevitably be severely injured!

"Liuli! Strongest interference!" Cangxuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes sharp as before, with no trace of retreat, but instead his fighting spirit grew stronger.

He clenched his Starlight Sword again with both hands, the lingering starlight around him surging wildly into the blade, clearly preparing a stronger sword technique, but he needed time!

Yuliuli lightly bit her silver teeth, her ten slender fingers turning into a blur on the zither strings! The ethereal celestial music instantly transformed into a lofty, urgent melody filled with the sound of clashing swords and iron horses!

"Fallen Immortal Melody — Soul Suppression!"

The invisible sound waves were no longer a gentle influence, but had transformed into countless blades invisible to the naked eye, formed from pure musical rhythm and soul power — "Sound-Killing Swords" — like pear blossoms in a violent rain, ignoring physical defenses and shooting directly at the Yin-Yang Chaos Beast's skull, especially its eyes containing opposing wills!

This was a direct attack on the soul's origin, intending to maximally disrupt its will, interrupt or weaken that terrifying Yin-Yang Chaos Fire Pillar!

At the same time, Youying's figure flickered into view once more from a patch of shadow behind the Chaos Beast!

This time, he (she) did not attack the beast's heavily defended neck or torso, but instead aimed at the base where its thick, long tail connected!

That spot was the key node for balancing its body and mobilizing the Yin-Yang twin serpents' power in its tail, similarly semi-energyized, with relatively weak defense.

Two "Shadow Blades," more condensed than before and carrying spatial rending properties, crossed and slashed straight toward the tail root!

Facing the simultaneous fierce assault from three sides, especially Yuliuli's soul-pointing "Soul Suppression" sound killing, the Yin-Yang Chaos Beast's movements indeed showed obvious sluggishness.

Although the sweeping Yin-Yang Chaos Fire Pillar's power had not greatly diminished, its trajectory and speed were affected, giving Wang Ping and Cangxuan precious reaction time.

But the Chaos Beast's ferocity was thoroughly aroused! It bore the soul-piercing pain of the "Soul Suppression" sound killing, its left Yang-flame eye locking firmly onto the power-gathering Cangxuan, while its right Yin-fire eye swept venomously over Yuliuli, who continued playing and caused it the greatest interference.

Its massive body forcibly twisted, willing to hard-take a strike from Youying, but first it would severely wound or even kill the two greatest threats: Cangxuan and Yuliuli!

Moment of crisis!

Wang Ping knew he could wait no longer! Cangxuan needed time, Yuliuli and Youying's attacks were already at their limit, and his Chaos Domain could barely hold on. He had to break this stalemate and create a sliver of victory!

"Domain, contract! Chaos returns to the source!"

He let out a low roar; the originally expanded ten-zhang Five Elements Chaos Domain, which had been struggling to sustain, suddenly collapsed inward!

Not dissipating, but compressing all its power, together with the Yin-Yang energy turbulence it had just absorbed, completely back into the space within three feet around himself!

The domain's power compressed to the extreme, the grayish haze almost condensed into substance, wrapping his entire person in a chaos-colored light cocoon.

Inside the light cocoon, Wang Ping slowly raised his hands, forming before his chest an ancient, simple seal that seemed to contain the ultimate truth of heaven and earth's creation.

No longer the immature form of the "Chaos Initial Opening Seal" imitating the Immortal King's phantom and pursuing form, but now fused with all his insights from the Qingming Heaven Domain — the five elements' cycles, Yin-Yang harmony, the peril of spacetime traversal, the shock of the Immortal King's duel, and the stirring of facing the Yin-Yang origin of the Chaos Beast at this moment — condensed into his own true "Chaos Initial Opening" intention!

Without a heaven-shaking aura radiating outward, all power was inwardly gathered into that small seal.

At the seal's center, a point of ultimate chaos darkness was born; then, within the darkness, a point of opening light burst forth, evolving into a blurred image of Yin-Yang clarity and turbidity, five elements cycling — though only for an instant, it emitted an ancient Dao rhythm that made the entire Yin-Yang convergence land tremble!

This seal exhausted almost all of Wang Ping's current spiritual power, and even drew upon that precious strand of Chaos Immortal Element embryo in his Chaos Nascent Infant's chest! This was his strongest strike currently possible!

Just as the Yin-Yang Chaos Fire Pillar was about to engulf Cangxuan, and the Chaos Beast's giant claw was about to smash toward Yuliuli in a critical moment — 【89】 Wang Ping moved!

Wang Ping moved!

His entire being merged with the chaos light cocoon, becoming a dim, grayish flow of light, not charging toward the beast's strongest point — the head or body — but… shooting toward the spot directly beneath its body, the center point of the Taiji Diagram ground's Yin-Yang dividing line!

Also the most core and fragile point of the regional energy balance network, and simultaneously the point most closely connected to the Chaos Beast — the "umbilical cord"!

"Now!" Wang Ping's mental roar exploded in the seas of consciousness of the other three!

Cangxuan's long-prepared sword technique finally erupted! His Starlight Sword shattered inch by inch, all starlight gathering at the tip into a point, forming a "Star Silence Radiance" so fine it was extreme, yet so bright it could not be stared at directly!

Acting after but arriving first, it precisely shot into the beast's gaping, Yang-flame burning mouth — this was the strongest point of penetration!

Yuliuli pressed her ten fingers hard onto the zither strings, all sound-killing power suddenly uniting into a formless, substanceless "Soul Suppression Shriek" capable of trembling Nascent Soul souls, rushing straight into the beast's spiritual platform sea of consciousness!

Youying's two Shadow Blades also fiercely struck the beast's tail root node, erupting with a piercing sound of cutting and energy annihilation!

And the chaos flow of light that Wang Ping had become silently sank into the Taiji Diagram ground!

Time seemed to solidify at this moment.

The next instant — 【100】 Boom!!!!!!!!!!

Boom!!!!!!!!!!

An unprecedented terrifying explosion erupted simultaneously from the Taiji Diagram's center and from within the Yin-Yang Chaos Beast's body!

First to suffer was the beast's connection to the ground. Wang Ping's seal containing the "Chaos Initial Opening" true intention detonated at the Taiji Diagram's core, not by brute force destruction, but by striking with a higher-level Dao rhythm, forcibly impacting and temporarily "overwriting" the region's core balance law!

Although only for an instant, for the Yin-Yang Chaos Beast, which was one with the region, it was as if its power source had been suddenly severed, even suffering a "backlash" from the origin!

Its massive body violently trembled; the Yin-Yang energy flowing on its surface instantly became disordered, bright and dark areas flashing wildly, intertwining, clashing! The sweeping Yin-Yang Chaos Fire Pillar's power suddenly diminished, and it lost precise control.

Next, Cangxuan's "Star Silence Radiance" shot into the mouth, entering at the moment when the beast's energy was disordered and its internal defenses weakest, piercing straight through and exploding violently near the energy core of its Yang-natured torso!

Pure white Yang-and blood mixed with shattered energy light points spewed wildly from its mouth, nose, and even eyes!

Yuliuli's "Soul Suppression Shriek" took advantage of the beast's soul being violently agitated by origin backlash and bodily trauma to rush in, adding insult to injury, causing its will to experience a moment of utter blankness and rigidity!

Youying's Shadow Blades also finally struck deep when the beast's tail root node energy protection dropped to its lowest, nearly severing its tail more than halfway!

"Roar… wail…"

The painful wail became intermittent and weak. The Yin-Yang Chaos Beast's mountain-like body, as if its spine had been pulled out, toppled backward like pushing over a golden mountain and jade pillar!

The light on its surface rapidly dimmed; its semi-transparent energy body became illusory and unstable, as if it would at any moment scatter into primordial Yin and Yang qi, returning to the Taiji Diagram below!

But it was ultimately the region's spirit, its vitality terrifyingly tenacious. Even after such devastating blows, it had not completely perished; its fallen body still twitched faintly, and in its gradually dimming Yin-Yang eyes lingered endless resentment and ferocity, fixed dead-eyed on the four who had dealt it the final blow, especially Wang Ping.

Wang Ping stumbled to his feet from the ground, his face as pale as paper, his breath weakened to the extreme, that seal just now having nearly drained him.

But his eyes remained bright, fixed on the struggling beast on the ground, and on the two key phantoms in the air that were flickering and slowly rotating due to the beast's severe wounds.

"Hurry! Take the keys! It's not dead yet, this place's balance is about to collapse!" Cangxuan shouted hoarsely, forcing himself to stand despite his injuries. He too had reached his limit, his starlight dimmed.

Without his reminder, Yuliuli and Youying also knew the opportunity was fleeting. Yuliuli endured the dizziness from excessive soul consumption, jade hand waving, a seven-colored rosy light sweeping toward the white "Yang Key."

Youying then extended a black tendril from the shadows, reaching for the black "Yin Key."

However, just as their powers were about to touch the key phantoms, another change occurred!

The dying Yin-Yang Chaos Beast on the ground suddenly had its last spark of spirit condense into a point of madness! It actually burned its final origin, emitting a sound barely audible, yet piercing straight to the soul!

Om —!

The floating phantom of the Yin-Yang Double Keys trembled violently and suddenly shot toward each other! It seemed they intended to destroy one another completely, annihilating the keys entirely.

"Not a chance!" Wang Ping's eyes nearly burst. Though he could no longer unleash divine abilities, his formidable will and attunement to the Dao of Chaos remained.

At the critical moment, inspiration struck. He disregarded everything, pouring his last wisp of chaotic thought—blended with his insight into "balance"—into two invisible pulling forces, each aimed at the oncoming Yin-Yang Double Keys.

"Yin and Yang arise from each other; Chaos embraces all… return!"

A miracle occurred. The key phantoms, originally set to collide and destroy each other, halted abruptly for an instant under Wang Ping's faint yet perfectly attuned chaotic thought, which resonated deeply with the true meaning of this place's Grand Dao.

Instantly, they altered their trajectories—no longer seeking mutual destruction, but like swallows returning to their nests, they transformed into two streams of light, one white and one black, flying actively toward Wang Ping and vanishing into his glabella in a flash.

Wang Ping felt his sea of consciousness shudder violently as two streams of pure, extreme primordial energy—one cold, one hot—merged into it, resonating mysteriously with his chaotic Nascent Soul.

The wisp of chaotic immortal essence within his Nascent Soul's chest seemed to solidify slightly because of this. Simultaneously, a sudden realization dawned: the key of Yin-Yang balance had acknowledged him as its master. Though he could not yet fully refine it, it was now bound to him.

At the very moment Wang Ping took the keys, the vast Taiji diagram on the ground below dimmed completely. The Yin-Yang spring eyes and caverns ceased their eruptions.

The fallen, near-death Yin-Yang Chaos Beast let out a long, relieved sigh. Its massive body could no longer hold together and collapsed with a boom, dispersing into the purest Yin and Yang energies—half returning to the Yang Spring, half sinking into the Yin Cavern.

Only at the core of its dissolution did four fist-sized stones remain—neither metal nor jade, half warm and pure white, half cool and jet black—hovering in midair, exuding a rich Yin-Yang Dao resonance.

"Yin-Yang Chaos Stone…" Yu Liuli whispered weakly, naming the object. "It contains part of the Chaos Beast's Yin-Yang origin and Dao insight—a supreme treasure for comprehending the Yin-Yang Dao."

The dust settled. The thousand-zhang region fell silent, though the Taiji diagram on the ground had lost most of its brilliance, and the heartbeat-like thrum had vanished entirely. The four of them, whether sitting or standing, were in disarray, their breaths chaotic, yet their eyes held the relief of having survived catastrophe.

Cang Xuan gazed at the four floating Yin-Yang Chaos Stones, then deeply at Wang Ping—pale-faced but with clear eyes—fell silent for a moment, and spoke:

"The Balance Key has acknowledged Daoist Wang Ping as its master. This is your fortune, and also the rightful reward for your crucial strike just now. These Yin-Yang Chaos Stones—exactly four in number—we three will each take one, and the remaining one belongs to Daoist Wang Ping. What do you all think?"

He spoke these words calmly. Though the key going to Wang Ping seemed to give him the lion's share, had it not been for Wang Ping's final miraculous seal severing the Chaos Beast's bond with the land—and his timely guidance of the key—we might not have escaped with our lives, let alone claimed the key.

Moreover, the key has already recognized its master; forcing the issue would be futile. The Yin-Yang Chaos Stones are likewise treasures of extreme value, especially suited for us to contemplate our own Dao.

Yu Liuli and You Ying exchanged glances, both in agreement.

"Good." Wang Ping nodded, without pretense. He waved his hand, drawing one Yin-Yang Chaos Stone into his palm—cool and warm alternating, Dao resonance abundant—truly a fine thing. The other three flew respectively to Cang Xuan and the two others.

The four each took their medicinal pills, then, at the edge of this battlefield just ravaged by war, seized the moment to regulate their breath and recover. In the distance, the blood-colored mist of the Immortal Fall battlefield began once more to creep slowly toward this area, now bereft of its sustaining core.

They knew obtaining the Balance Key was only the first step. Ahead lay three more keys, and ultimately the Core Immortal Palace, awaiting them. And after this battle, the trust and tacit understanding among this makeshift team seemed to have deepened somewhat.

After resting for about an hour, the four regained some strength.

"It's time to leave." Cang Xuan gazed at the once-clear region now gradually being eroded by blood. "This place's balance is broken; soon it will be reclaimed by the battlefield's killing qi. No point lingering."

"Where do we go next? Creation Spirit Mountain? The Sea of Laws? Or should we first find a place to fully heal, then plan long-term?"

Wang Ping felt the Yin-Yang Double Key phantom hovering silently in his sea of consciousness, resonating with his Nascent Soul, and glanced at the Yin-Yang Chaos Stone in his hand before speaking:

"The Yin-Yang Chaos Stone requires quiet contemplation to fully absorb its Dao resonance.

Our injuries are serious; better to find a safe place to heal and recover, while beginning our initial study of this stone to strengthen ourselves. Afterwards, we can discuss our next goal."

This proposal was prudent and won the agreement of Yu Liuli and You Ying. Strength is the foundation for survival and contention in this perilous Qingmeng Heavenly Realm.

"I know a relatively hidden spot, located at the battlefield's edge, near a fractured spatial interstice—easy to defend, and retaining traces of weak, stable spiritual power." You Ying rarely volunteered information.

"Good, let's go there." Cang Xuan gave the order.

The four delayed no longer, identified their direction, dragged their wounded bodies, and once again plunged into the boundless blood-colored mist of the Immortal Fall battlefield. Behind them, the former Yin-Yang confluence zone was ultimately swallowed whole by the surging killing qi, leaving only a legend of four warriors battling the Chaos Beast and seizing the Balance Key—gradually fading into the dust of the ancient battlefield.

What they did not know was that shortly after their departure, several deeply concealed figures with strange auras quietly appeared at the battlefield's edge, gazing silently in the direction they had gone.

"The disturbance from the broken Yin-Yang balance… and that loathsome chaotic aura… it's that brat from the Spirit Realm, no mistake." A hoarse voice communicated from the shadows.

"The Lord has ordered: focus on Spirit Realm cultivators bearing chaotic power. They seem to have formed a decent little squad… follow them, find their resting place. Do not startle the snake."

"Understood."

The shadows writhed, then vanished without a sound.