Chapter 366: Traces of My

Light Shadow nodded: 'Not bad. That is the third echelon of their Purifying World Court, once a great power of the Unity Stage, eroded by our clan's Chaos Power, losing self, and finally merging with the Corridor's guard program, becoming those three unseemly beings. They retain part of the Order's power and inherit the guard's duty, instead becoming the Corridor's first line of defense—though the defense faces outward as well as inward. Any intruder, whether friend or foe, will suffer their attack.'

Yuliuli softly said: "So, defeating them counts as…… helping the Corridor?"

"That's right." Light Shadow gave a slight nod, "But that also means you've triggered a deeper alert. The Purifying World Court over there should already have sensed the Corridor's anomaly. It won't be long before they dispatch genuine forces— not those transformed puppets, but their true 'Order Apostles'."

Wang Ping's heart jolted: "How long?"

Light Shadow fell silent for a moment, then slowly said: "I don't know. It could be three months, could be three days, or even…… three double-hours. It depends on how far they are from here, and also on how much they value the Corridor."

Mystic Fox Lady's eyes flickered: "Senior, we're short on time, no beating around the bush. You've waited here thirty thousand years for the fated one— what exactly are they supposed to do? Do we need to help? Or is there something to give us?"

Light Shadow trembled slightly, as if laughing.

"Descendants of the Mystic Fox Clan, indeed sharp." It paused, light flowing, "What we await is not 'help,' but 'inheritance'."

Inheritance?

The six exchanged a glance.

Light Shadow continued: "Though my clan has fallen, the study of the Chaos Origin must not be cut off. It is the ultimate secret of the universe, the truth of the primordial chaos, the source of all laws. The Purifying World Court wishes to destroy it, to seal it, to erase it completely from the universe—but I am unwilling. At my last moment, my true self sealed everything—memory, insight, inheritance—into this remnant shadow, waiting for the day someone comes here, accepts this inheritance, continues researching the Chaos Origin, continues opposing the Purifying World Court, continues…… avenging my clan."

It turned toward Wang Ping, its light shimmering faintly.

"And you, young one, you bear the aura of chaos, the trace of Jianmu, the chill of Xuanming True Soul, and…… that Jianmu seed brought out from the Chaos Immortal Palace. You are the most suitable candidate."

Wang Ping gazed steadily at the Light Shadow, without answering immediately.

After a moment, he slowly spoke: "Senior, I have a question."

"Speak."

"Thirty thousand years ago, the Myriad Phenomena Stargazers were wiped out by the Purifying World Court for researching the Chaos Origin. Thirty thousand years later today, if I accept this inheritance and continue researching the Chaos Origin, will I repeat history? Will I again draw the Purifying World Court, dragging the Spirit Realm, my master's sect, and everything I care into the abyss of eternal damnation?"

Light Shadow fell silent.

After a long while, it spoke again, its voice tinged with a hint of complex emotion.

"Yes."

That word, like a huge stone, weighed on everyone's heart.

"But——" Light Shadow shifted tone, "If you don't research, will the Purifying World Court not come?"

Wang Ping startled.

Light Shadow's voice grew deep: "Young one, you underestimate the Purifying World Court. Their ambition is not satisfied by destroying just one Chaos Origin. Their ultimate goal is to encompass the entire universe within their 'Order'—making all laws fixed, all life follow rules, all possibilities reduced to nothing. That is not 'Order,' that is 'Death.' The death of the universe, the death of life, the death of all existence."

It paused, its light trembling slightly.

"You think, why did they transform my clan's people? Why seal the Chaos Origin? Because they fear——fear the infinite possibilities contained in Chaos, fear the power that can break all rules and create all new life. What they want is a 'perfect' universe—but a perfect universe is a dead universe."

Wang Ping fell silent.

Light Shadow continued: "So, young one, the issue isn't whether you study the Chaos Origin or not. As long as you live, as long as you grow, as long as you might one day threaten their 'Order,' they will surely come. The only difference is—when they arrive, do you have enough strength to oppose them?"

These words, like a bucket of cold water, were poured over everyone's head.

But also like a bucket of blazing fire, it ignited the fighting spirit in everyone's heart.

Mountain-Moving Old Ancestor grinned: "Well said! This old stone has lived eight hundred years, and what annoys me most are all those rules and regulations! Controlling everything, fixing everything—what's the point of living? Damn it!"

Cangxuan said coldly: "Sword Dao inherently seeks infinite possibilities. Order is the enemy of Sword Dao."

Yuliuli softly said: "The Way of Music values spontaneous expression from the heart. If even the heart is fixed, where does music come from?"

Venerable Tianyan stroked his beard and sighed: "The Way of Formations encompasses myriad changes. If changes are eradicated, formations die."

Mystic Fox Lady gently shook her fan, eyes flickering: "Although I don't love fighting and killing, if someone tries to turn me into that kind of silver puppet…… I will not agree."

The five gazes all fell upon Wang Ping.

Wang Ping stood still, countless images flashing in his mind—Master Jiang Mingyuan's earnest expectations, Cangxuan fighting side by side, Yuliuli's music accompanying, Youying's eternal slumber, Ling Qingxue's promised words, and the countless innocent lives lost at the hands of the silver-robed puppets and the Youming Clan.

He slowly raised his head, looking toward that light shadow.

"Senior, the inheritance, I accept."

Light Shadow trembled slightly, as if laughing.

"Good, good, good." It said three goods in a row, light flowing, with a hint of relief: "Thirty thousand years, finally I've met a true 'fated one'."

It raised its hand—the arm condensed of light—pointing to the depths of the hall.

"Go. There lies everything my clan left behind—records of research on the Chaos Origin, detailed information on the Purifying World Court, the ultimate secret of cosmic laws. They are all waiting for you."

Wang Ping nodded, about to step forward, when the Light Shadow suddenly called out to him.

"Wait."

Wang Ping turned back.

The Light Shadow's voice grew grave: "Before accepting the inheritance, you must know one thing."

"Please speak."

"The Chaos Origin is not a 'thing'. It is not a magic treasure, not a spiritual object, not something that can be 'refined' or 'controlled'. It is…… a state. A state opposed to 'Order'. When you begin to study it, to contemplate it, you will gradually be 'affected' by it. That effect may be good, or bad. It may let you break limits, or it may let you…… lose yourself."

Venerable Tianyan's face changed: "Senior, do you mean that the one who accepts the inheritance might be eroded by Chaos?"

Light Shadow nodded: "Exactly. Back then, some of my clan were eroded by Chaos Power, eventually going mad, self-destructing, even…… turning to the Purifying World Court. That is a dark history, and one of the reasons for my clan's ultimate downfall. Chaos Power is a double-edged sword—used well, it can create everything; used poorly, it can destroy everything."

It turned toward Wang Ping, its light carrying an indescribable emotion.

"Young one, you still have a chance to refuse. Once you step in there, it will already be too late."

Wang Ping gazed steadily at the Light Shadow, then after a moment suddenly laughed.

"Senior, do you know what my Dao Heart is?"

Light Shadow blinked slightly.

Wang Ping slowly said: "Chaos embraces all things, evolves all things. Order or Chaos, both are aspects of Chaos. I will not be eroded by Chaos, for my Dao inherently encompasses it. It is part of me, not I becoming part of it."

Light Shadow remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, it suddenly laughed— that laugh was ancient and relieved, echoing throughout the hall.

Good! Good, a 'Chaos Embraces All Things'! Young man, you are more suited to this inheritance than I imagined!

It waved its hand, and the light flowed.

Go! Go meet your destiny!

Wang Ping took a deep breath, turned, and took the first step toward the depths of the hall.

Behind them, the five exchanged a glance and followed in unison.

Six figures gradually disappeared into the depths of the hall.

That light and shadow hovered silently in place, gazing in the direction they had gone, muttering to itself.

Thirty thousand years… finally waited.

Its light began to slowly fade.

True form… you can rest now.

The last trace of light silently vanished.

The hall returned to silence.

In the depths of the hall was a huge circular hall.

The chamber spanned about a thousand zhang in diameter, its vaulted ceiling immeasurably high, and the walls were densely covered with runes—those runes were unlike anything seen before: not static but dynamic, not fixed but flowing, not singular but countless forms constantly shifting, intertwining, evolving.

And hovering in the center of the chamber was a mass—an indescribable existence.

It had no fixed form, no fixed color, no fixed aura—sometimes a swirl of chaos-colored mist, sometimes a brilliant starfield, sometimes a dark abyss, sometimes a void of nothingness. It constantly changed, evolved, creating and destroying countless possible forms.

Around it floated countless crystal shards.

Those crystal shards varied in size and color, each emitting a faint light. Within the light, countless images, texts, and runes could be seen flowing—this was the crystallization of the Myriad Phenomena Stargazers' thirty thousand years of painstaking research, the complete record of the Primordial Chaos Source.

The six stood at the chamber's entrance, silent for a long time.

After a long while, the Old Ancestor of Moving Mountains finally managed a sentence: 'This… this thing is the Primordial Chaos Source? Looking at it, it seems… like a lump of nothing.'

The Supreme Person of Heavenly Derivation murmured: 'Chaos… is essentially nothing. It is the lack of order, the blankness of rules, the source of all possibilities. It can become anything, and precisely because of that, it is nothing.'

Lady Mystic Fox's eyes flashed with silver light, yet she could not perceive that existence in the slightest. She whispered: 'I have lived three thousand seven hundred years and have never seen such… such a pure existence. It has no laws, no attributes, no discernible qualities. But it… exists.'

Cang Xuan said coldly: 'The way of the sword pursues infinite possibility. This thing is infinite possibility itself.'

Yu Liuli whispered: 'If likened to sound, it is the sound of silence, the silence of sound. It is the source of all music and also its final resting place.'

Wang Ping gazed calmly at that existence; within his dantian, his Chaos Nascent Soul widened its eyes.

The Jianmu Seed trembled violently; the chaos nebula pattern on its leaves began to resonate with that existence. This resonance was not absorption, not opposition, but a return to the root.

It was as if a wanderer had finally returned home.

It was as if a river had finally flowed into the sea.

It was as if chaos had finally encountered a part of itself.

'So it is.' Wang Ping murmured, 'When chaos first arose, it split into order and chaos. Order evolves all laws; chaos creates all things. Though they originated as one, they oppose each other. And chaos… chaos is their source and their destination.'

He stepped forward, walking toward that existence.

'Brother Wang!' Cang Xuan said solemnly, 'Be careful!'

Wang Ping turned his head and gave a faint smile.

'Don't worry. It won't harm me. Because… it is originally part of me.'

He continued forward.

One step, two steps, three steps…

When he was only three zhang away from that existence, it suddenly trembled violently. Countless forms flashed in an instant—chaos, starry sky, abyss, void, fire, ice, lightning, storm, life, death, creation, destruction…

Then it stilled.

It turned into a mass of pure, soft light, drifting gently toward Wang Ping.

Wang Ping did not dodge or resist, merely standing still.

The light entered his brow.

At that moment, Wang Ping's whole body shuddered.

Countless information, like a flood breaking through a dam, surged into his soul—

The history of the Myriad Phenomena Stargazers' civilization, thirty years of research painstakingly accumulated, countless experimental data on the Primordial Chaos Source, detailed intelligence on the Pure World Court, the ultimate mysteries of order and chaos, and the truth of cosmic laws—

And there was that single strand of the purest, most primordial Primordial Chaos Power.

It slowly merged into his Chaos Nascent Soul, into his Chaos Immortal Essence, into his Heaven-Overturning Seal, into his Chaos Calamity Sword, into his Jianmu Seed, into his Profound Dark True Soul—

The Chaos Nascent Soul let out a long roar to the heavens.

The Jianmu Seed blazed with azure light.

The Heaven-Overturning Seal surged with chaotic light.

The Chaos Calamity Sword rang, shaking the heavens.

The Profound Dark True Soul exuded an icy chill.

And within Wang Ping's dao-heart, a brand-new seed quietly sprouted.

That was an understanding of chaos, a mastery of infinite possibility, and the ultimate comprehension of creation and destruction.

No one knew how long had passed—perhaps an instant, perhaps ten thousand years—Wang Ping slowly opened his eyes.

In his eyes, chaotic light flowed, within which countless stars could be seen birth and die, countless laws evolve, countless possibilities intertwine.

'So it is.' He whispered, 'Indeed, this is the true essence of chaos.'

The five gathered around, their eyes full of concern and astonishment.

'Brother Wang, are you alright?' Cang Xuan said solemnly.

Wang Ping gave a faint smile, that smile calm and profound, as if containing boundless wisdom.

'I'm fine. Not only am I fine, but… I've never been better.'

He raised his hand, palm open.

A strand of chaos-colored light slowly emerged; within that light, countless shapes could be faintly seen constantly changing, evolving, creating—fire, ice, lightning, storm, vitality, death, space, time……all laws, all possibilities, were contained within.

Heavenly Derivation Elder trembled all over: 'This is……the Power of Chaos?'

Wang Ping nodded: 'Not bad. I have fused a strand of the purest Primordial Source of Chaos. From now on, I can create any law I wish, and I can destroy any law I face. As long as I think it, I can.'

Moving Mountain Old Ancestor stared wide-eyed: 'Isn't that then invincible?'

Wang Ping shook his head: 'It's not that simple. Although the Power of Chaos is strong, it also has a price—each use consumes my mind and spirit, and also draws me one step further from Order. If used too much, I may completely lose my perception of Rules and descend into utter chaos.'

He paused, a hint of profound light flashing in his eyes.

'But if used just right, it is my strongest trump card.'

Mysterious Fox Lady lightly shook her fan, a flash of strange color in her eyes: 'Little friend, this encounter truly makes others envious. Those……these crystals?'

She pointed to those crystals hovering around.

Wang Ping smiled slightly: 'These are all the records left by the Myriad Phenomena Stargazers—research data on the Primordial Source of Chaos, detailed information on the Pure World Court, and countless mysteries of cosmic laws. They……are ours.'

Heavenly Derivation Elder trembled with excitement: 'I……we can comprehend it?'

Wang Ping nodded: 'Of course. But there is one condition——'

He glanced over the five people, his eyes deep.

'After comprehension, we will be 'fellow Daoists'. From now on, we will jointly resist the Pure World Court and jointly safeguard this universe's 'infinite possibilities'. Ladies and gentlemen, are you willing?'

The five exchanged a glance.

Cang Xuan said coldly: 'The Way of the Sword inherently seeks infinite possibilities. Opposing Order is exactly what I desire.'

Yu Liuli said softly: 'The Way of Sound follows the heart's expression. I, wish to travel together with Brother Wang.'

Moving Mountain Old Ancestor grinned: 'Old Shi has long disliked those silver-colored things! Damn it!'

Heavenly Derivation Elder stroked his beard and sighed: 'I have lived this long; to comprehend such a mystery in my lifetime leaves me with no regrets. Little friend, I entrust this old body of mine to you.'

Mysterious Fox Lady lightly shook her fan, her gaze flowing, finally breaking into a charming smile.

'I originally do not love fighting and killing, but if someone wishes to turn me also into that boring silver puppet……then I can only accompany them to the end.'

Wang Ping laughed.

That smile, warm and bright, like the first strand of light when chaos first opened.

'Good. Then from today onward, we are——'

Before his words finished, the entire hall suddenly began to tremble violently.

That tremor was not an earthquake, not a disruption of laws, but……

'Enemy attack.' Mysterious Fox Lady's face changed drastically, silver light in her eyes surging: 'Something is forcefully breaking into the corridor! Extremely fast! Intensity……terrifying!'

Heavenly Derivation Elder calculated with his fingers, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

'It's the Pure World Court! They have come! And……not just one!'

Cang Xuan placed his hand on his sword hilt and said coldly: 'How long?'

Mysterious Fox Lady closed her eyes to sense, opened them after three breaths, her voice unusually solemn.

'At most……one double-hour.'

One double-hour.

The six exchanged a glance, each eyes filled with resolve.

Wang Ping drew a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the floating crystals, then over these five companions before him.

'One double-hour is enough for us to do many things.'

He raised his hand; chaos light blazed, forming a huge shield that enveloped all those crystals.

'Heavenly Derivation Elder, the comprehension of these crystals is entrusted to you. Within one double-hour, take as much as you can; for what you cannot take……remember their positions, and come back later if the chance arises.'

Heavenly Derivation Elder solemnly nodded, flicked his dust whisk, and countless talismans flew out, sinking into those crystals.

Wang Ping turned to the remaining four.

'Brother Cang, Fairy Yu, Senior Moving Mountain, Mysterious Fox Lady——we five will go meet those Order Apostles.'

Moving Mountain Old Ancestor grinned, fighting spirit high: 'Now that's more like it!'

Cang Xuan said coldly: 'The sword has long been hungry and thirsty.'

Yu Liuli gently touched the ancient zither; its notes rang clear, carrying a hint of killing intent.

Mysterious Fox Lady lightly shook her fan, her gaze flowing, half-smiling: 'Little friend, I am quite valuable. After this battle, you had better compensate me well.'

Wang Ping smiled slightly, chaos light flowing in his eyes.

'If I can return alive, certainly.'

He turned his body, gazing toward the direction of the hall's entrance.

There, a terrifying aura was rapidly approaching.

That aura was completely different from the previous silver-robed puppets—purer, grander, more……absolute.

That was the true 'Order Apostles'.

It is the genuine power of the Pure World Court.

Wang Ping drew a deep breath; his Chaos Nascent Soul operated at full power, the Heaven-Overturning Seal and Chaos Calamity Sword simultaneously emitting a low hum, the Seed of the Fusang Tree glowing brightly with green light, the Profound Darkness True Soul exuding a chilling aura, and that strand of Primordial Source of Chaos he had just fused, slowly circulating in his dantian like a newly born star.

'Ladies and gentlemen——'

He stepped forward, his voice calm and firm.

'Let's go.'

Five figures followed closely behind.

At the instant the secret chamber's door flung open, an indescribably vast and desolate aura rushed forth.

That aura was neither spiritual energy nor law, but a more ancient, profound existence——as if the classics sealed away for endless ages had finally been opened, as if the secret slumbering for hundreds of millions of years had at last found a listener.

Wang Ping stood at the doorway, not stepping in immediately.

His gaze was firmly drawn to that thing in the center of the secret chamber.

It was a huge jade disc.

It hovered in mid‑air, slowly rotating, its whole body composed of countless hexagonal crystal pieces fitted together, each piece about the size of a palm, clear and lustrous yet not completely transparent—through the surface one could see innumerable fine points of light flowing within, like a living thing.

What truly shocked the mind and spirit were the images reflected on the surfaces of those crystals.

That was not any pattern, but……the law.