Chapter 500: External Turmoil, Anomalies at the Snowy Immortal Mountain

Xue Wuhen's figure began to blur, as if maintaining this state had already consumed a great deal of energy: "Lin Xuan, regardless of what Muerxiu did before, he was blinded and used by the Void Will. If the chaotic energy within his body can be purified, perhaps he can provide more information about the Third Party."

"I understand." Lin Xuan nodded firmly, "I will take him to the Wangchuan Realm and attempt to purify the chaos within him."

"There is one more thing..." Xue Wuhen's voice grew weaker, "Beware of the Shadow Elder Helian Chen; he... is not as simple as he appears on the surface..."

Before the words could finish, the mirror surface suddenly shattered, turning into countless silver specks of light that scattered across the ground. Lin Xuan stood stunned in place; Xue Wuhen's final warning set off alarm bells in his heart.

"Helian Chen? Is he related to the Third Party?" Lin Xuan recalled Helian Chen's sinister face and unfathomable gaze, and an ominous premonition surged in his heart.

Just then, Muerxiu suddenly let out a low groan and slowly opened his eyes. This time, his gaze had regained some clarity; although he still appeared weak, he was already able to recognize Lin Xuan.

"Tai... jizi..." Muerxiu spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse, "I saw... the truth..."

"Don't speak, save your strength." Lin Xuan stopped him, "I will take you to a place where you can be helped to purify the chaotic energy in your body."

Muerxiu nodded slightly, appearing no longer as hostile toward Lin Xuan. Having experienced so much, perhaps he too had begun to doubt the beliefs he had held all along.

Lin Xuan cast his gaze toward the depths of the cave abode; according to what Xue Wuhen had said, the portal to the Wangchuan Realm was there. He helped the weak Muerxiu up and decided to head there immediately.

"The Wangchuan Realm, the secret of Taijizi and the Xueyu Xianren, the true identity of the Third Party..." Lin Xuan muttered to himself, "All the mysteries may soon be revealed."

In the depths of the cave abode, Lin Xuan sat cross-legged in the center of the Taiji Array, the Three-Origin Power within his body circulating along a specific trajectory, forming a marvelous resonance. Ever since discovering the second part of the cultivation art hidden on the stone wall, he had devoted himself entirely to cultivation, only tending to Muerxiu, whose condition had improved slightly, when necessary.

Lin Xuan had already felt the miraculous changes brought about by the Taiji Three-Origin Resonance Method—three types of power that should have been mutually exclusive now coexisted harmoniously within his body, and even began to produce a brand-new form of energy, purer and more powerful than simple superposition. At the same time, his sensory abilities had also been greatly enhanced, allowing him to capture even more subtle energy fluctuations.

"The Taiji Three-Origin Resonance Method is truly extraordinary," Lin Xuan sighed softly, "No wonder Senior Xue Wuhen warned me to cultivate with caution."

Just as Lin Xuan was immersed in his cultivation, a warmth suddenly came from his chest. He reached out to touch it and found that the Fate Compass fragment left to him by Xiao Yuan was glowing.

Lin Xuan immediately stopped his cultivation, held up the fragment, and injected a sliver of divine sense into it. A blurry image of Xiao Yuan appeared on the surface of the fragment, and her voice came through intermittently:

"Lin Xuan... can you hear me... outside... the situation has changed drastically..."

Lin Xuan increased his energy input, and Xiao Yuan's image and voice gradually became clear.

"Lin Xuan, I don't know if you can hear me. The outside world has undergone earth-shaking changes." Xiao Yuan's expression was grave, "Helian Chen has integrated the Awakening Faction, renamed it the 'Guixu Sect', and publicly announced the abandonment of the plan to awaken the Void Sovereign, turning instead to research other applications of Void power."

"Abandoning the awakening of the Void Sovereign?" Lin Xuan said in surprise; this was completely opposite to Helian Chen's previous stance.

Xiao Yuan continued: "This move caused a shock in the Cultivation World, and many forces that were originally hostile to the Awakening Faction began to establish contact with the Guixu Sect. However, a portion of cultivators still loyal to Muerxiu formed the 'Void Apostles' organization and are operating in secret."

"What does Senior Xuanjizi think?"

"Master is remaining cautious and has not immediately allied with the Guixu Sect, but instead dispatched Senior Brother Xu Feng to lead a team of elite disciples to secretly investigate Helian Chen's true intentions." Xiao Yuan frowned, "Senior Brother Xu Feng's investigation soon had a startling discovery: Helian Chen had secretly traveled to a mysterious place known as 'Hunyuan Valley', where it is said that ruins related to the Third Party force are hidden."

Lin Xuan's heart jolted, and he recalled the warning Xue Wuhen gave before leaving: "Beware of the Shadow Elder Helian Chen..."

Xiao Yuan's voice interrupted his thoughts: "What is even more worrying is that the Guixu Sect has recently recruited a large number of scholars proficient in ancient texts and arrays, seemingly in search of some long-lost ritual. And my Fate Compass has also begun to show abnormalities recently; the needle points sometimes to the cave abode where you are, and sometimes toward the direction of Hunyuan Valley, indicating that there is some mysterious connection between the two places."

Lin Xuan frowned in thought: "Hunyuan Valley... is it connected to this Taiji Cave Abode?"

"Master decided to go to Hunyuan Valley himself to investigate. Before leaving, he left a letter telling me that if he did not return within ten days, I should activate the 'Taiji Guardian Array' as described in the letter to buy you more time for cultivation." Xiao Yuan's voice carried clear anxiety, "But just three days after Master left, news that shocked the Cultivation World arrived—"

Xiao Yuan's expression became even more grave: "The Snowy Immortal Mountain suddenly experienced large-scale collapses, and the cold energy accumulated over countless years dissipated overnight, revealing an ancient complex of buildings buried under the ice layer. At its center is a massive teleportation array, which is strikingly similar in structure to the array in the cave abode where you are!"

Lin Xuan gasped: "Snowy Immortal Mountain... Senior Xue Wuhen's place of practice?"

"Yes, according to the cultivators who investigated, those architectural styles are ancient and mysterious, unlike any known sect's buildings. Even stranger, no one can get close to that teleportation array; all cultivators who attempt to approach are repelled by an invisible force."

"How did Helian Chen react to this?"

"He immediately sent a large number of Guixu Sect personnel to the Snowy Immortal Mountain, claiming to protect these ruins from being destroyed. But according to our intelligence, he does not seem surprised by this change, and even... anticipated it."

Lin Xuan frowned deeply: "All of this points in one direction—Senior Xue Wuhen, the Third Party force, this Taiji Cave Abode, and the teleportation array on the Snowy Immortal Mountain; there must be some connection between them that we do not yet understand."

Xiao Yuan nodded in agreement: "There is one more thing. Before leaving, Master specifically instructed me to pass on a message to you: 'The Three-Origin Power is not the end of fusion, but a bridge to a higher realm. The true Taiji Dao lies in transcending the duality of existence and non-existence.'"

Lin Xuan was thoughtful: "This echoes Senior Xue Wuhen's words... transcending dualistic opposition..."

Xiao Yuan's image began to blur: "We don't have much time for our connection. Lin Xuan, no matter what happens in the outside world, please focus on your cultivation and master the Taiji Three-Origin Resonance Method as soon as possible. Senior Brother Xu Feng and I will do our best to deal with the changes in the outside world."