Chapter 338

Just as the light at his fingertips was about to touch the stone pillar,

An anomaly suddenly occurred!

The "Chaotic Primal Source" at the top of the altar seemed to sense that the seal was being repaired, and the "suppression" on it was strengthening, and it suddenly rolled violently! A wave of polluted impact, several times stronger than before, erupted from within, like a black tsunami, ignoring part of the seal's golden light, sweeping towards Wang Ping and the people below!

At the same time, the polluted aura accumulated for a long time in the crack of the third stone pillar erupted with a roar, turning into several ferocious black tentacles, wrapping towards Wang Ping!

Attack from inside and out! A hair's breadth from death!

"Master!" Jiu'er screamed, shooting out from Wang Ping's shoulder, her tiny body bursting forth with unprecedented brilliant nine-colored radiance, like a shield, blocking in front of Wang Ping, facing the black polluted tsunami!

"Jiu'er! Stop!" Wang Ping's eyes were about to split.

The radiance and black tide collided! A silent annihilation erupted! Jiu'er's tiny body flew back like a kite with its string cut, the radiance on her body dimmed to the extreme, her spiritual body became transparent, almost dissipating! To block this fatal blow for Wang Ping, she exhausted an immeasurable amount of primal source!

"Jiu'er!" Wang Ping caught Jiu'er, his heart torn like by a knife. But now is not the time for grief! The black tentacles are already before his eyes!

"Give me——Suppress!!!"

Wang Ping roared violently, pouring all his grief, anger, unwillingness, and belief in protection into this final strike! He unreservedly activated the Chaos Nascent Soul, the Fusang Tree Seed, and even the "Suppress" divine inscription in his sea of consciousness!

A pillar of chaos light, condensed to the extreme, with brilliant star points and vibrant vitality within the gray mist, burst from his fingertips, forcibly breaking through the entangling black tentacles, and precisely struck the center of the largest crack in the third stone pillar!

Hum——!!!

The third stone pillar shook violently, the "Heaven-Mending Array Patterns" on its surface instantly formed, bursting forth with strong chaos golden light! The array patterns on the three stone pillars responded to each other, connecting into a whole, and re-linked and strengthened with the seal golden light of the other thirty-three stone pillars around the altar!

The surging polluted tsunami and black tentacles, under the irradiation of the strengthened seal golden light, quickly melted and dissipated like ice and snow!

The "Chaotic Primal Source" at the top of the altar seemed to emit a silent, anger- and unwillingness-filled roar on the level of thought, rolling even more violently, but was tightly suppressed by the re-stabilized and even slightly strengthened seal light net, unable to seep through as before!

Success! The three cracked stone pillars have been temporarily stabilized! The trend of the seal's collapse has been forcibly halted!

However, the price is heavy.

Wang Ping exhausted his strength, collapsed on the ground, gasping heavily, fine traces of blood seeping from his seven orifices, the weakness from his soul and Nascent Soul almost making him faint.

Jiu'er curled up in his arms, her spiritual body nearly transparent, her breath weak, fallen into a deep sleep.

Below, Cangxuan, Yuliuli, Youying, Yunhao and others also slumped to the ground one after another, their faces deathly pale, their breath weak, all having reached the brink of exhaustion, many more having damaged their primal source by burning their essence blood.

The entire main hall of the Chaos Palace fell into a brief silence, like the calm after a catastrophe.

Only the "Chaotic Primal Source" on the altar, re-suppressed, still rolled unwillingly under the seal light net, and the thirty-six stone pillars, especially the three just repaired, emitted a much more stable chaos golden light.

They temporarily won, winning at an extremely tragic cost. But everyone knows this is only a temporary stabilization.

The overall weakening of the seal has not changed, the threat of the "Chaotic Primal Source" still exists.

Moreover, after this battle, their small team has almost lost the ability to continue fighting.

What makes Wang Ping most anguished is Jiu'er's condition.

He carefully poured in a wisp of weak chaos spiritual power to nourish Jiu'er's spiritual body, which was near dissipation, his heart filled with guilt and pity.

"We must……find a way to completely resolve it, or at least long-term stabilize the seal……"

Wang Ping looked at the sleeping Jiu'er in his arms, then gazed at the towering altar and the rolling darkness, a vague thought began to gradually form in his exhausted mind.

Did the Chaos Immortal King's true inheritance, perhaps hidden somewhere in this hall? Or, is there a deeper connection with this great seal array, and with this "Chaotic Primal Source"?

The chaos light pillar bursting from Wang Ping's fingertip, carrying all his mind, spiritual power, and even his unyielding will, precisely struck the core damage point of the third cracked stone pillar.

Boom!

Like a spark falling into boiling oil, or like the last supporting pillar of a collapse being violently wedged in!

The third stone pillar shook violently, the spiderweb-like cracks on its surface, under the infusion of gold, gray, and three-colored light, flashed wildly, and the polluted aura connected to it emitted a sharp hiss, like countless beings wailing, being forcibly repelled and purified!

Below, Yunhao, Cangxuan and others, who were stubbornly supporting themselves by burning their essence blood, all let out a muffled groan, feeling the energy transmission channel suddenly smooth, the originally stubbornly resisting, wildly invading polluting force being temporarily suppressed.

They seized this fleeting opportunity, pouring out their last strength without reservation!

Wang Ping bore the brunt, enduring the most violent energy scouring and legal backlash.

He felt his Chaos Nascent Soul as if it were about to explode, his five-element foundations surging, the "Suppress" divine inscription in his sea of consciousness flashing wildly, almost about to shatter. But his hand was steady as a rock, his mind firmly locked on the final stroke of the array pattern.

"Heaven-Mending Array Patterns, Complete!"

With a shout in his heart, the final mysterious trajectory was completed, echoing afar with the two previously repaired array patterns, forming a stable triangular structure, deeply engraved on the three cracked stone pillars!

Hum——!!!

This time the humming is no longer a painful struggle, but carries a certain renewed clarity!

The "Heaven-Mending Array Patterns" on the surface of the three stone pillars simultaneously shone brightly, chaos golden light, nine-colored radiance, and the ordering energy gathered by everyone perfectly merged, transforming into a supple yet tenacious reparative force.

Following the material texture of the stone pillars themselves and the internal seal context, it quickly spread outward.

Those ferocious cracks began to heal and close at a visible speed, although they cannot be instantly restored to their original state, the oozing polluted aura was completely cut off and purified.

The dim seal golden light on the pillars, like a torch rekindled, although not as brilliant as in its heyday, shone steadily and continuously!

The entire light net formed by the thirty-six chaos stone pillars shuddered violently! The three originally expanding dark areas, light reappeared, although weaker than other places, they steadily connected together, temporarily repairing the broken "dam"!

At the top of the altar, that tumbling "Chaotic Primal Source" seemed to have received strong stimulation and suppression, emitting a silent, even more frenzied writhing and impact, but each of its eruptions was firmly blocked and worn down by the re-stabilized seal light net, which, due to the "Heaven-Mending Array Patterns," gained a hint of reparative toughness!

Success! At least temporarily successful! The collapse of the seal was forcibly halted, even gaining a hint of reinforcement!

"Pfft!" Wang Ping could no longer hold on, spitting out a large mouthful of dark-tinged blood, his body swayed, almost about to collapse. He felt a bone-deep exhaustion and weakness surge, not just spiritual power exhaustion, but also his soul suffering dual trauma from pollution erosion and massive consumption.

His first reaction was not to check himself, but trembling, he carefully held the nearly transparent, breath extremely weak Jiu'er in his palms before his face.

"Jiu'er……Jiu'er!" Wang Ping's voice was hoarse, unable to conceal his panic. He could feel Jiu'er's spiritual body dissipating, the originally lively and vibrant nine-colored radiance now only a faint glimmer, as if it would go out at any moment.

"Mas……ter……" Jiu'er struggled to open a slit of her eyes, a weak smile on her small face, "Suc……succeeded? Jiu'er……so tired……"

"Succeeded! Jiu'er, you did well! Don't sleep, hold on!" Wang Ping hurriedly took out the remaining, mildest nourishing soul and spiritual body pill from his Qiankun Yiqibag, wanting to feed it to Jiu'er, but found that Jiu'er's current spiritual body state made even absorbing the pill extremely difficult.

"Fellow Daoist Wang Ping!" Yunhao and others also slumped down, faces pale, breath weak, but seeing the seal temporarily stabilized, their eyes all showed the joy and exhilaration of surviving a catastrophe. Seeing Wang Ping and Jiu'er's condition, Yunhao struggled over, checked Jiu'er's situation, his face sank.

"The Danling Tongzi's primal source is excessively depleted, her spiritual body is on the verge of dissipation. Ordinary pills probably won't work, needing extremely pure vitality and ordering primal source to nourish, or……returning to her birthplace, perhaps there is a glimmer of life." Yunhao said quickly, his gaze unconsciously turning toward the altar direction, "The 'Creation Source Qi' from the Immortal King's pill-refining place might be tried, but this place……"

At this moment, although the core main hall no longer shook due to the temporary stabilization of the seal, the atmosphere remained oppressive and heavy. The "Chaotic Primal Source" on the altar did not calm down, still constantly impacting the seal, the three repaired stone pillars were only temporarily stabilized, everyone was severely overdrawn, the crisis far from resolved.

Cangxuan adjusted his breath for a moment, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said in a deep voice: "The seal is only temporarily stabilized, the root cause not eliminated. That 'Chaotic Primal Source' still exists, the deep hidden danger caused by the blood sacrifice is probably still fermenting. We must find a more thorough method."

Yuliuli looked at the altar, the immortal-sound bell in her hand softly chiming, with concern: "With our current strength, repairing the three stone pillars is already the limit, unable to thoroughly strengthen or purify the source. Immortal King……did he not leave behind any further enlightenment or backup plan?"

The yin shadow had hidden itself in the nearby darkness at some unknown time, and its voice came: "The direction of the Yuan Yuan Palace, the energy disturbance has not subsided, but instead shows a tendency to spread toward here. Those traitors and the Netherworld Clan may not have given up yet, or they may be making moves elsewhere."

Yun Hao's expression grew even uglier upon hearing this. He lifted his gaze to the top of the altar, where the "Primordial Source of Chaos" lay sealed beneath a net of sealing light, then glanced at the surrounding hall walls and floor, carved with countless runes of the Great Dao of Chaos, a flash of resolve crossing his eyes.

"There is one last secret passage in the ancestral teachings, mentioning that if the seal faces a major crisis, one who bears the true meaning of Chaos and has received partial recognition of the Immortal Palace's core inheritance may attempt 'Uniting the Body with the Formation,' temporarily taking over part of the formation's eye functions, activating the deeper power of the Immortal Palace's remaining 'Chaos Suppressing Source Formation' to buy time."

Yun Hao's voice carried immense gravity: "But this method is extremely perilous! One must use oneself as a bridge, bearing the entire formation's pressure and the most direct erosion from the 'Primordial Source of Chaos.' A moment's carelessness could lead to the annihilation of both body and soul, or contamination and assimilation! Moreover, it can only be sustained for a limited time, not a long-term solution."

Uniting the Body with the Formation? Temporarily becoming part of this terrifying sealing formation?

Everyone shuddered. This meant connecting one's Dao foundation and soul to this dangerous, variable great formation, directly facing the impact of the "Primordial Source of Chaos." Its peril far exceeded the previous repair efforts.

All eyes once again focused on Wang Ping. Chaos True Intent, Immortal Palace inheritance (Jiu'er, insights from the Chaos Immortal Scripture)—he undoubtedly met the conditions best. But his current state was extremely poor, and Jiu'er was on the brink of death.

Wang Ping gently stroked the weak Jiu'er in his palm, feeling her faint spiritual fluctuations, then lifted his gaze to the altar's terrifying darkness that seemed to have existed since ancient times, and to the weary yet determined gazes of those around him.

He knew there was no choice. Repair was merely staunching the bleeding, not solving the root; the wound would inevitably rupture again, possibly even sooner. Jiu'er needed time, needed a source of vitality. The threat from the outside (the Yuan Yuan Palace) had not been lifted. They needed to buy time, needed greater strength to face the coming changes.

"Tell me the specific method." Wang Ping's voice calmed, carrying a resolve like breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats: "Jiu'er needs vitality, we need time, the seal needs stronger suppression. If there is even a slim chance, I am willing to try."

"Wang Brother!" Cang Xuan exclaimed urgently, "Your current state..."

"I know." Wang Ping interrupted him, looking toward Cang Xuan, Yu Liuli, Yin Ying, and Yun Hao: "But I possess the Chaos Nascent Soul, the Fusang Tree Seed to stabilize my foundation, the 'Refining Spirit Decree' to protect my soul, and more importantly, I have you all. I believe we can endure this. At least, for Jiu'er, and for the possibly still-resisting survivors outside, we strive for a sliver of hope."

Yun Hao looked at Wang Ping, his eyes filled with admiration and complexity, finally nodding heavily: "Good! This method must be performed directly beneath the altar, at the 'Formation Hub Position' of the nine-tiered altar. It requires nine cultivators at Nascent Soul level or above, each stationed to stabilize the nine auxiliary positions around the altar, providing spiritual power and their own Dao resonance to stabilize the formation's outer rim. The main formation controller stands at the center, using Chaos power to penetrate above and below, activating the Immortal Palace's residual 'Chaos Source Power' to merge with oneself, temporarily replacing part of the damaged formation eye's function. During this, someone must stand guard, vigilant against internal and external interference."

He quickly arranged: "I, Dao Friend Cang Xuan, Dao Friend Yu Liuli, each leading two warriors of our clan (including Qing Fei), totaling nine people, will station ourselves at the nine auxiliary positions. Dao Friend Yin Ying, please trouble yourself to remain hidden on watch, clearing any possible interference, whether remnant traitors or monsters bred by absorbing this place's aura."

"Though the Dan Ling Tongzi is weak, its essence is connected to the source of the Immortal Palace's Pill Hall, and it may attempt to guide and regulate the relatively gentle Immortal power remaining in the Immortal Palace, directing it toward stabilizing the environment around the main formation controller." Yun Hao looked at Wang Ping's palm where Jiu'er rested.

Jiu'er seemed to understand, and weakly nodded her little head.

With no time to lose, everyone endured fatigue and injuries, immediately springing into action.

Beneath the altar, corresponding to the nine specific positions of the nine-tiered altar, the chaotic runes on the ground faintly lit up. Yun Hao, Cang Xuan, and Yu Liuli each took a position, each accompanied by two clan warriors (Yun Hao's side had Qing Fei and another warrior). The nine quickly took their seats, sat cross-legged, consumed pills, began regulating their breath, and prepared to connect to the formation positions.

Yin Ying's figure completely merged into the shadows of the great hall, her aura utterly vanished, leaving only that omnipresent icy perception, enveloping the hall's entrance, passages, and any possible hidden corners.

Wang Ping held Jiu'er and walked step by step toward the position directly beneath the altar. There was a slightly depressed circular area, about one zhang in diameter, its floor etched with an extremely complex chaotic pattern, resembling a vortex or nebula—the exact "Formation Hub Position."

He gently placed Jiu'er on a relatively soft point of light at the edge of the pattern: "Jiu'er, just here, try to sense, do not force yourself."

Jiu'er exerted all her strength and blinked her eyes.

Wang Ping himself walked to the center of the pattern, sat cross-legged. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, suppressed the surging qi and blood and the soul's stabbing pain within, and began to fully operate the Chaos Immortal Scripture.

The Chaos Nascent Soul rotated slowly within his dantian; though its light was dim, it remained stable, and the five-element foundation around it formed a five-colored halo, slowly circulating. The Fusang Tree Seed, deep within the Nascent Soul, emitted a faint cool vitality, nourishing his dried meridians and wounded soul. In his sea of consciousness, the "Zhen" character divine text, though faint in light, hung firmly suspended.

"Begin!" Yun Hao shouted low, and the nine auxiliary positions lit up simultaneously! Nine pillars of light, each of different color and nature yet all containing order and protective intent, rose from the nine directions, pouring into the altar's base above, faintly resonating with the thirty-six chaos stone pillars, forming a more three-dimensional, stable auxiliary energy network.

Wang Ping felt the "Formation Hub Position" pattern beneath him suddenly come alive! A vast, ancient, vast chaos aura, drawn from the Immortal Palace's earth veins deep below and from the runes on the surrounding hall walls, surged toward him. At the same time, he clearly felt the hostility and erosive force from above—the "Primordial Source of Chaos" beyond the altar and sealing light net, icy and piercing.

"Uniting the Body with the Formation, Chaos as Guide, Suppressing Source and Establishing Order, With One Heart Alone!"

Wang Ping silently recited the mantra Yun Hao had transmitted, releasing his Chaos Nascent Soul's power without reservation, making contact and merging with the surging Immortal Palace chaos source power beneath his feet.

Initially, there was violent rejection and tremor; the Immortal Palace's chaos source power was of extremely high level and carried the will of ancient formations, while the erosion of the "Primordial Source of Chaos" was all-pervasive. Wang Ping was like a tiny boat in a storm, his soul violently shaken, his flesh seeming to be torn apart by two immense forces.

But he held fast to his heart and mind, using the Chaos Immortal Scripture's truths of "Inclusiveness," "Bearing," and "Evolution" to guide and harmonize. The Chaos Nascent Soul emitted an unwilling hum, the five-element halo accelerated its rotation, and the cool vitality of the Fusang Tree Seed became his anchor for self-stabilization.

Gradually, his aura began to produce a subtle resonance with the formation hub beneath his feet and with the entire "Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Chaos Suppressing Source Great Formation." He felt himself becoming part of the great formation, able to vaguely sense the state of the thirty-six stone pillars, perceive the flow of every energy strand on the sealing light net, and even more clearly "see" within that mass of "Primordial Source of Chaos" the despairing chaos and void.

Pressure surged! He now directly bore part of the impact that the formation eyes were meant to withstand from the "Primordial Source of Chaos"—that filthy, twisted, terminating intent, like icy tidewater, sought to drown his consciousness and contaminate his Nascent Soul.

"Zhen!" In his sea of consciousness, the "Zhen" character divine text burst forth with its final strength, helping him guard the last trace of clarity in his spirit platform.

"Master..." Jiu'er's weak voice came from her position, that point of light emitting an extremely faint yet pure Dan Ling radiance, which seemed to have connected with a distant Pill Hall source somewhere in the Immortal Palace, drawing forth a thread of gentle, vital immortal power, like a trickle, flowing around Wang Ping, forming a thin purification barrier. Though it could not fully block contamination, it greatly eased his pressure and nourished his nearly exhausted vitality.

On the nine auxiliary positions, Yun Hao and others also pushed their Dao resonance and spiritual power to the utmost. Cang Xuan's Stellar Sword Intent transformed into silver light points, merging into the formation, bringing order and purification; Yu Liuli's Immortal Melody became formless ripples, soothing the agitation of the formation's energy; Yun Hao and others' Chaos Returning to Origin power strove to harmonize the energies from all directions...

Wang Ping became the connection point, a temporary "living formation eye." He felt himself infinitesimally small, yet as if merged with the vast Immortal Palace and this great formation that had suppressed ancient disasters for myriad ages. Pain and pressure were everywhere, but his Dao heart, under extreme pressure, became like forged steel—more solid, more resolute.

The verses of the Chaos Immortal Scripture flowed in his heart; his understanding of "Chaos," in this direct confrontation with the ultimate opposition of "Order" and "Disorder," deepened at an unprecedented speed. Chaos was not merely inclusiveness and evolution, but also a balance, a state of "existence" walking the edge between order and disorder, full of resilience.

Time, in this extreme consumption and opposition, seemed to lose meaning.

Unknown how long had passed—perhaps an instant, perhaps several hours.

The "Primordial Source of Chaos" on the altar seemed to become even more frenzied due to the sudden enhancement of this "active" suppressing force, but each of its impacts was steadily received by the sealing great formation led by Wang Ping and fully supported by all.

Outside the great hall, the terrifying undulations coming from the direction of the Yuan Yuan Palace appeared to be blocked and weakened by the re-stabilized sealing aura emanating from the depths of the Chaos Palace, curbing its spreading trend.

Yin Ying, like the most loyal guard, silently eliminated during this period three strange creatures that had crawled out from rock fissures, contaminated by polluted aura, and an injured Netherworld Clan scout attempting to sneak secretly into the great hall.

For now, they had stabilized the situation.

But Wang Ping knew this was only temporary. He was like sitting on the mouth of a volcano about to erupt, using himself as a plug, unaware how long he could hold. Jiu'er's radiance grew weaker and weaker, and the auras of those on the nine auxiliary positions began to become unstable.

They had bought precious time, but what should the next step be? How could one truly resolve the crisis of the "Primordial Source of Chaos"? How to save Jiu'er?

Just as Wang Ping's heart and mind swayed slightly, the formation hub pattern beneath him suddenly transmitted a strange pulse. Immediately after, a weak yet exceedingly clear thought, filled with fatigue and vicissitudes yet also bearing a hint of relief, directly entered the depths of his sea of consciousness:

"The later... inheritor of the Chaos Dao... you have done well... better than I imagined..."

This thought... came from deep within the great formation? Or from... the residual will of the Chaos Immortal King?

Wang Ping's heart and mind were violently shaken!