Inside the Chaos Treasure Mansion, billions of spiritual plants absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, forming a vast tide of spiritual power. The Sword Qi of the Qingming Sword Bamboo shot into the sky, the illusory light of the nine void spiritual mushroom flickered, and the scorching aura exhaled by the Yang Yan Golden Mushroom dyed half the sky golden-red.
Li Mu stood with his hands behind his back on the cloud, his green robe fluttering in the wind. His eyes were slightly closed, and his Divine Sense spread out like a tide, covering the entire Treasure Mansion Space. The growth status of every spiritual plant was clearly reflected in his Sea of Consciousness.
“The Myriad Dao Artifact Array is truly profound!”
Li Mu opened his eyes, a hint of satisfaction flashing within them.
In just a few months, the numerous spiritual plants cultivated within the Treasure Mansion had begun to take shape, forming a perfect symbiosis with the Treasure Mansion Space. The Origin power generated by the spiritual plants absorbing Spiritual Qi continuously nourished the core of the Treasure Mansion.
He rose and looked into the distance, where a shimmering silver lake came into view. That was the habitat of the Time-Space Spirit Lotus, with spiritual lotuses blooming on the surface of the lake, their petals flowing with profound Time-Space Dao patterns.
Li Mu’s figure flickered, appearing in the Chaos Great Hall. He took out a Talisman paper made from the hide of a seventh-order Thunder Beast and began to grind spiritual ink prepared from Jin Yao Spirit Vine juice.
Holding the brush with focused attention, Li Mu closed his eyes slightly, his Divine Sense sinking into his Dantian. The Chaotic Dao Seed emitted a primal and profound Dao rhyme. When he opened his eyes again, Chaos lightning light flowed within them.
The moment the brush tip touched the paper, the entire Talisman room suddenly darkened. What appeared on the Talisman paper was not traditional lightning patterns, but twisted Chaos trajectories, as if depicting the first lightning during the creation of the world. Li Mu’s wrist was steady, each stroke carrying a certain Great Dao rhythm, and where the brush tip passed, space subtly warped.
“Boom—”
When the last stroke was completed, a muffled Chaos thunderous sound erupted from the Talisman paper. The entire Talisman floated up, its surface lightning patterns moving like living things, sometimes transforming into Dragon-serpents, sometimes into ancient Dao patterns, and finally condensing into an unfathomable Chaos vortex pattern.
“It’s done!”
Li Mu’s forehead was sweaty, but his face could not hide his joy. This Chaos Thunder Talisman was completely different from the Dao Talismans he had made in the past. It contained not only the power of lightning but also a trace of Chaos True Essence. Upon closer inspection, the Talisman patterns on the surface of the Talisman showed subtle distortions, due to the powerful Dao rhyme contained within.
Gazing at the new type of Dao Talisman before him, Li Mu’s eyes were deep. At this moment, a new thought emerged in his mind—since Chaos could derive all Daos, could he also integrate the entirely opposite Dao principles of extreme fire and extreme water into a Talisman?
“Chaos gives birth to Yin and Yang, and Yin and Yang transform into the Five Elements.” Li Mu murmured to himself, “Extreme fire is violent, extreme water is long and continuous. They are mutually exclusive, yet they can also be mutually generative.”
Li Mu took out a Talisman paper as red as fire. This Talisman paper was refined from the leaves of the Yang Yan Golden Mushroom, naturally containing the power of extreme fire. The spiritual ink was based on Jin Yao Spirit Vine juice, infused with a trace of Chaos Origin, making the ink dark red with faint flickering flame patterns.
The moment he held the brush, Li Mu’s aura suddenly changed. A scorching heat permeated the air, as if he were in a melting furnace. He closed his eyes slightly, his Divine Sense sinking into the Chaotic Dao Seed, drawing out the extreme fire Dao principle contained within it.
As the brush tip fell, a wisp of illusory flame immediately ignited on the Talisman paper. Li Mu’s wrist was steady, his brush moving like a Dragon-serpent, outlining the most primordial essence of fire between Heaven and Earth. The Talisman patterns were not ordinary fire-elemental runes, but rather, based on Chaos, they bound the power of extreme fire within them, forming a unique “Chaos Extreme Fire Pattern.”
“Boom—”
The Talisman paper trembled violently, and a terrifying scorching aura erupted. The temperature of the entire Talisman room surged, even causing space to subtly warp. However, just as the Talisman was about to lose control, Li Mu pointed a finger, and the power of the Chaotic Dao Seed suppressed it, forcibly binding the violent power of extreme fire within the Talisman paper.
Finally, the Talisman took shape, entirely blood-red, its surface runes like flowing magma, with a faint Chaos vortex rotating within.
“Chaos Extreme Fire Talisman, complete!”
Li Mu let out a long breath, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. The power of this Talisman far surpassed ordinary fire Talismans. Once activated, it could burn mountains and boil seas, unleashing a single strike of extreme fire Dao power.
After a brief rest, Li Mu did not stop but turned to studying extreme water Dao Talismans. Water and fire are mutually exclusive, but if perfectly balanced, they might create a new type of Dao Talisman with extraordinary power.
Li Mu’s mind sank into the tianxuan ring, and he took out a Talisman paper as blue as the sea. This was made from the hide of a seventh-order Blue Whale Demon Emperor, inherently containing the supple power of extreme water. The spiritual ink was still blended with Chaos Origin, making the ink deep blue, with a subtle sensation of flowing water.
The next moment, Li Mu’s Divine Sense sank into the Chaos Dao, drawing out the extreme water Dao principle. As the brush tip fell, ripples appeared on the Talisman paper, as if a drop of ink had fallen into an endless ocean. His brush strokes flowed like clouds and water, outlining Talisman patterns that were no longer the static lines of traditional water-elemental Talismans, but rather “Chaos Extreme Water Patterns” undulating like tides.
“Whoosh—”
The moment the Talisman formed, the entire Talisman room seemed to be enveloped by an endless ocean, and the air was filled with moist water vapor. Although the power of extreme water was not as violent as extreme fire, it was long and continuous, as if it could penetrate all things…
Soon, Li Mu, using the Chaotic Dao Seed as a guide, perfectly sealed this power within the Talisman paper.
Finally, he drew a Dao Talisman that was entirely deep blue, its Talisman patterns undulating like ocean waves, and at its center, a Chaos vortex slowly rotated.
“Chaos Extreme Water Talisman, complete!”
Li Mu’s face showed joy. Once this Talisman was activated, it could transform into rivers, lakes, and seas, condensing the power of extreme water to manifest an endless water realm, trapping enemies within a small space.
However, Li Mu was not satisfied with this. His gaze grew deeper as he stared at the two Dao Talismans floating before him—one red, one blue; one fire, one water. The entirely opposite Dao principles, under the harmonization of Chaos Origin, actually presented a subtle balance.
“Water and fire are mutually exclusive, yet they can also be mutually generative.” Li Mu murmured to himself, his eyes glinting with the light of deduction. “What if I combine the two?”
As soon as this thought arose, it spread like wildfire in Li Mu’s mind. If an ordinary Cultivator dared to conceive such a thing, they would surely be regarded as a madman talking nonsense.
However, Li Mu, who cultivated the Chaotic Great Dao, vaguely touched upon a certain possibility. With a wave of his hand, he put away the three Dao Talismans. With a thought, he took out a seventh-order spirit material from the tianxuan ring—a Liu Jin Boundary Crystal. This item was a Time-Space spirit material, with the effects of breaking boundaries and stabilizing spirits.
Li Mu reached out and grasped the Liu Jin Boundary Crystal in his hand. Chaos True Essence condensed in his hand, instantly transforming into a ball of Chaos Fire, calcining the Liu Jin Boundary Crystal. His Divine Thought, like a knife, began to engrave Talisman patterns upon it.
The Liu Jin Boundary Crystal gradually softened under the calcination of the Chaos Fire, its surface flowing with brilliant golden light, like melting stars. Li Mu’s Divine Thought, like a knife, precisely and swiftly carved intricate Talisman patterns within the crystal, gradually forming a miniature Talisman array constructed from Talisman patterns inside the boundary crystal.
“Using Chaos as the Foundation, and water and fire as the guide, construct the ‘Yin and Yang Cycle Boundary Array’…”
Li Mu murmured to himself, his pupils forming Chaos vortexes. The Star Observation Method was operating at its peak, shimmering with the Dao rhyme of extreme water and extreme fire.
As the last Talisman pattern was carved, the Liu Jin Boundary Crystal suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light. Crimson and azure spiritual lights intertwined and flowed, and under the harmonization of Chaos Power, they actually transformed into a slowly rotating Yin and Yang fish pattern. The entire boundary crystal floated in the air, emitting profound spatial fluctuations.
“Yin and Yang complement each other, water and fire share the same Origin. Fuse for me!”
With a soft shout, Li Mu’s Chaos True Essence in his hand split, transforming into two distinctly different powers—True Essence containing the Dao rhyme of extreme fire and extreme water infused into it. In an instant, the Liu Jin Boundary Crystal trembled violently, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on its surface.
Li Mu couldn’t help but become anxious, the Chaos spiritual light in his eyes surging. His hand seals formed at a speed that blurred into afterimages.
“Stabilize for me!”
Li Mu’s Dantian Chaotic Dao Seed suddenly bloomed with unprecedented light. A wisp of primal Chaos Qi, like a swimming Dragon, coiled around the boundary crystal that was about to shatter. The crimson and azure light bursting from the cracks actually froze in that instant.
With a crisp “crack” sound, cracks appeared on the surface of the Liu Jin Boundary Crystal. Finally, a clear snapping sound rang out, and the Liu Jin Boundary Crystal could no longer withstand the immense pressure. The Yin and Yang totem on its surface instantly shattered, turning into countless tiny fragments that scattered in all directions.
“Treasure Mansion!”
Li Mu’s expression subtly changed, and he let out an urgent cry.
The next moment, the Treasure Mansion Spirit—the Seven-Colored True Dragon—emerged. Before the Liu Jin Boundary Crystal completely exploded, its Dragon mouth opened wide, and a Chaos vortex emerged from its throat, swallowing all the exploding Liu Jin Boundary Crystal fragments into its belly.
In an instant, a dull roar came from within the Dragon’s body. Violent spiritual light, intertwined with crimson and azure, burst forth from the gaps between its seven-colored scales. Li Mu’s failure in refining the Talisman treasure, and the immense fluctuations from its self-destruction, were easily digested by it in an instant.
“Master, the Dao principles contained in this item are too violent. Forcibly fusing them may lead to a backlash.” The Seven-Colored True Dragon recovered in a flash. It looked at Li Mu, its Dragon eyes flashing with apprehension, and warned him.
Li Mu was silent for a moment, then smiled and nodded: “I was too hasty.”
“Master, call me if you need anything else!”
Seeing that Li Mu seemed to have understood, the Treasure Mansion Spirit swept its Dragon tail, transforming into a wisp of Chaos spiritual light, and gradually disappeared.
Li Mu gazed at the disappearing Seven-Colored True Dragon, the Chaos spiritual light in his eyes gradually subsiding. He stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering without wind, his mind immersed in his Sea of Consciousness, carefully comprehending the details of his recent refining failure.
Time flowed by bit by bit. Li Mu’s Chaos Dao Body faintly glowed, surrounded by wisps of primal Chaos Qi, as if resonating with Heaven and Earth. He slowly opened his eyes, Chaos vortexes swirling within them, as if myriad Dao principles were being born and extinguished.
“Extreme fire is violent, extreme water is long and continuous. They are mutually exclusive, yet they can also be mutually generative.” Li Mu murmured to himself, lightly drawing a line with his fingertip. An profound Dao diagram immediately appeared in the Void Realm—on the left, crimson flames surged, transforming into nine fire Dragons circling and roaring; on the right, emerald waves surged, condensing into six water Dragons soaring and churning; and in the center, a Chaos vortex slowly rotated, drawing and harmonizing the two.
“Although the Liu Jin Boundary Crystal is a seventh-order spirit material, it is ultimately an Acquired object, unable to withstand the clashing forces of Innate extreme fire and extreme water.” Li Mu’s eyes flickered slightly as he whispered, “To truly refine the ‘Water-Fire Cycle Boundary Array,’ perhaps… I should change the refining method.”
After a brief contemplation, Li Mu suddenly flipped his palm and retrieved an item from his tianxuan ring—it was a crystal-clear “Grand Void Profound Crystal.” This item was an eighth order spirit material, extremely precious, obtained from the relics of the Wanbao Pavilion Master. It contained a trace of Grand Void Power, capable of bearing all Daos without collapsing.
“The Grand Void Profound Crystal, born in the Grand Void, can absorb water and fire.” Li Mu gently stroked the crystal surface, feeling the vast spiritual energy within it. “With this as the Foundation, it’s worth a try!”
Li Mu no longer hesitated. He formed hand seals, and Chaos True Essence transformed into wisps of gray spiritual threads, coiling around the Grand Void Profound Crystal. At the same time, with a thought, the Chaotic Dao Seed in his Dantian slightly trembled, and the two extreme Dao powers of extreme fire and extreme water were once again drawn out.
But this time, Li Mu did not forcibly infuse the two into the Profound Crystal. Instead, he used Chaos True Essence as a guide, allowing the powers of extreme fire and extreme water to circulate on their own. The power of extreme fire transformed into a Scarlet Fire Dragon, its scales distinct, its Dragon eyes like torches; the power of extreme water condensed into an azure water Dragon, its Dragon body crystalline, water ripples flowing. The two Dragons circled the Profound Crystal, gradually approaching each other under the harmonization of Chaos Power.
“Chaos as the Foundation, water and fire complementing each other…”
Li Mu chanted softly, lightly tapping his fingertip. The powers of extreme fire and extreme water, under the harmonization of Chaos, slowly fused, transforming into an intertwining crimson and azure spiritual light, seeping into the Grand Void Profound Crystal like a trickling stream.
The Profound Crystal trembled slightly, and intricate Dao patterns appeared on its surface—crimson flame-like “Li Fire Patterns” and azure water-like “Kan Water Patterns” intertwined, yet separated in the center by a grayish “Chaos Pattern,” forming a perfect balance.
“It’s done!”
A sharp glint flashed in Li Mu’s eyes. He formed hand seals and clapped them together suddenly.
“Hum—”
The Grand Void Profound Crystal suddenly burst forth with brilliant light. Crimson and azure Qi flowed ceaselessly, and the entire crystal floated in the air, emitting vast spatial fluctuations.
“Water-Fire Cycle Boundary Array, condense!”
With Li Mu’s soft shout, the Dao patterns within the Grand Void Profound Crystal completely stabilized, forming a miniature boundary realm—the left half was a blazing inferno, with a sea of fire surging; the right half was a vast azure ocean, with towering waves; and in the center was a Chaos vortex, maintaining a subtle balance.
“This Talisman treasure can both manifest a fire realm to burn enemies, turning everything to ash wherever the crimson flames pass; and transform into a water realm to trap enemies, with surging emerald waves imprisoning foes within a small space; furthermore, it can use the Chaos Power to switch between water and fire, making it capable of both offense and defense!”
Li Mu nodded in satisfaction, reaching out to grasp the Grand Void Profound Crystal into his palm.
The Seven-Colored True Dragon’s figure reappeared, its Dragon eyes filled with amazement: “Master actually perfectly fused the Dao of extreme fire and extreme water into a Talisman treasure. Such a method is almost akin to Dao evolution!”
Li Mu quite enjoyed the flattery offered by the Treasure Mansion Spirit. However, this innovatively refined Talisman treasure was only Dao-Grade seven, and considering the eighth-order top-grade spirit material, extreme fire, and extreme water Dao principles consumed, the intertwining crimson and azure light flowing on it, while seemingly flawless, was far from reaching his expectations.
With Li Mu’s attainments in Talisman Dao and Artifact Dao, as well as his profound understanding of the Dao of water and fire, he should have been able to refine a higher-grade Talisman treasure, not something that, while indeed Dao-Grade seven, lacked spiritual essence and sufficient Dao rhyme, ultimately falling short.
“Master, this item is already extremely extraordinary!” The Seven-Colored True Dragon sensed Li Mu’s dissatisfaction and quickly consoled him, “The Dao of extreme fire and extreme water are inherently mutually exclusive. To perfectly fuse them into a Talisman treasure is already Heaven-Defying. Moreover, this Talisman treasure is extraordinarily powerful, yet unlike a spiritual Talisman that can only be used once, it can be reused after a little nurturing, making it a rare treasure.”
“Hmm, however, there’s still room for improvement!” Li Mu smiled and nodded, continuing to immerse his mind in the refining of the Talisman treasure.
Seeing this, the Treasure Mansion Spirit wisely transformed into specks of spiritual light and vanished, no longer disturbing him. (End of Chapter)
