The Cauldron's body was ancient and unadorned, exuding a majestic aura that seemed to suppress all heavens and smelt all things, even calming the turbulent Void Realm currents around it slightly.
"Go!" Li Mu let out a low cry, and the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron, held in his palm, trembled slightly, transforming into a streak of light that instantly flew above the azure Star Core, which was doubly restrained by Chaos threads and Ice Soul Frost Rings.
The Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron floated above the Star Core, its mouth facing downwards, aimed at the pulsating stellar heart. Li Mu formed hand Seals, his fingers moving like phantoms, and the Chaotic Dao Seed within him roared at an unprecedented speed, vast and pure Chaos Power surging like a river, all pouring into the Cauldron's body.
"Om—!"
A low, distant Cauldron hum resonated, as if traversing endless Years, coming from the very beginning of the Grandmist. On the Cauldron's body, the previously dormant, obscure Dao patterns seemed to come alive, lighting up one by one, flowing and emitting a hazy greenish-gold glow.
The intertwined light formed a slowly rotating vortex below the Cauldron's mouth. The center of the vortex was profoundly deep, as if connected to an unknown dimension, emitting a terrifying suction force.
"Suppress!" Li Mu's eyes burst with sharp light, and his hand Seal abruptly changed.
The Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron's greenish-gold light intensified, and the vortex's suction force suddenly increased tenfold! The azure Star Core, sealed layer by layer below, trembled violently, and the light blue membrane encasing it emitted an unbearable "creaking" sound, as if it would tear at any moment.
It was at this moment that an unexpected change occurred!
Deep within the Star Core, the dormant ancient remnant will was completely enraged by the terrifying might of the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron! An will filled with brutality, unwillingness, and destructive aura suddenly erupted, transforming into a visible, distorted azure shockwave that violently slammed into the vortex formed by the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron!
"Hmph!" Li Mu had anticipated this, and with a cold snort, his hand Seal changed again.
Deep within the Star Core, the dormant ancient remnant will was completely enraged by the terrifying might of the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron! An will filled with brutality, unwillingness, and destructive aura suddenly erupted, transforming into a visible, distorted azure shockwave that violently slammed into the vortex formed by the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron!
"Hmph! Stubborn resistance!" Li Mu had anticipated this, and with a cold snort, his hand Seal changed again, not to strengthen the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron's suction, but to suddenly press his hands downwards!
"Chaotic Dao Domain—Open!"
Om!
Centered on Li Mu, an indescribable Chaos aura suddenly spread! This aura was not the majestic suppression and smelting of the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron, but rather carried a boundless and profound sense of encompassing all things and returning them to their primordial state.
Space seemed to be cast into a viscous Chaos quagmire, and the flow of time became sluggish and blurred. The Void Realm currents, which had been calmed by the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron, were instantly swallowed and assimilated by this nascent Chaotic Dao Domain, becoming part of the Domain and growing even thicker and more viscous.
This nascent Chaotic Dao Domain, formless and intangible yet omnipresent, precisely enveloped the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron and the restless Star Core below as soon as it unfolded, like a huge Domain of mud composed of Chaos Power.
"Rumble!"
The violent azure shockwave slammed into the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron's vortex!
The anticipated earth-shattering explosion did not occur. The shockwave crashed into the vortex like a huge stone thrown into a bottomless quagmire; the immense energy was instantly swallowed, torn, and decomposed by the vortex.
The Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron trembled violently, its greenish-gold Dao patterns flickering, emitting a dull, thunderous hum, clearly under immense pressure, yet the vortex did not collapse, stubbornly maintaining its suction force.
However, this was only the first wave of the remnant will's attack!
"Roar—!"
A roar originating from the Soul level, filled with endless resentment and the Concept of stellar annihilation, directly exploded deep within Li Mu's Divine Soul! The remnant will was not a simple energy impact; it carried the 'Dao' and 'Concept' solidified at its own demise, and now, using the Star Core's crystal marrow as a medium, it brazenly launched a higher-level counterattack—a Domain counterattack!
Om!
The azure Star Core suddenly erupted with unprecedented brilliant light! This light was not gentle, but carried a terrifying Concept of tearing, shattering, and all things returning to ruin. A minuscule yet incredibly condensed and violent Domain instantly expanded from within the Star Core!
"Ninth-Order Annihilation Domain!"
This remnant will's Domain was far less vast than Li Mu's Chaotic Dao Domain, but its condensation and destructiveness reached a heart-palpitating degree! It was like a rapidly expanding miniature Universe composed of pure destructive starlight, within which were scenes of countless stars collapsing, space caving in, and all things returning to nothingness.
Wherever the azure light reached, even the viscous Origin Power of the Chaotic Dao Domain was forcibly torn, repelled, and annihilated!
"Tear—!"
A piercing tearing sound rang out!
Perceiving the special Dao Origin contained within this power, Li Mu's eyes lit up slightly, and he immediately seized this opportunity to refine the Dao principles of the 'Source of Self Concept' through this confrontation.
Li Mu quickly reined in his power, and the Chaotic Dao Domain enveloped the remnant will's Annihilation Domain, like two torrents of completely opposite natures, violently colliding, squeezing, and eroding each other!
The Chaotic Dao Domain attempted to encompass, assimilate, and dissolve the destructive starlight. Chaos Power, like billions of gray tentacles, entangled and permeated the azure miniature Universe, attempting to drag it into Chaos's embrace, smooth its edges, and return it to its primordial state.
The Annihilation Domain, on the other hand, frantically unleashed its annihilating power! The azure starlight, like billions of tiny star-splitting spears, frantically pierced, cut, and shattered the approaching Chaos Power. Wherever it passed, the Chaotic Dao Domain was forcibly "plowed" open into areas of vacuum, filled with chaotic spatial fragments and annihilating energy.
The vortex formed by the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron bore the brunt, violently shaking under the impact of this chaotic Annihilation Domain. Its rotation speed plummeted, and its suction force was greatly weakened!
"Woo—!" A humming sound, tinged with fear and pain, emanated directly from within the Cauldron's body.
The Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron's artifact spirit—Little Treasure—was completely awakened by this terrifying impact capable of tearing apart Star Domains! Its condensed, fist-sized spiritual body phantom, glowing with a greenish-gold shimmer, instantly appeared above the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron. The tiny spiritual body trembled uncontrollably, like a firefly in a storm.
"Om... Om..." Little Treasure's spiritual body emitted tiny, almost whimpering tremors. Its eyes, formed of pure spiritual light, were now filled with extreme horror, staring fixedly at the destructive azure Domain below—the Ninth-Order Annihilation Domain!
In Little Treasure's perception, what was that light? It was clearly the ultimate wail unleashed when billions of stars instantly plunged into annihilation! It was the void blade left after space was completely torn apart, capable of grinding all things to dust! It was the manifestation of Dao, solidified with endless resentment and destructive will! Wherever it passed, even its master's Chaotic Dao Domain, which could encompass everything, was forcibly torn and annihilated!
Little Treasure felt as if the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron, its very existence, was being frantically pierced by countless icy Star-Splitting Spears. The incredibly sturdy cauldron walls emitted a mournful wail under the overwhelming pressure. Its Tool Spirit Origin seemed to be frozen by that annihilating chill, producing fine, cobweb-like cracks.
“It’s over… It’s going to shatter… It can’t be stopped…” Fear, like an icy tide, instantly engulfed Little Treasure’s spiritual intelligence. It had never felt such pure, high-level destructive power—a ultimate Dao Origin condensed from the demise of a Star Origin! In its understanding, this was almost an irresistible Heaven-Defying might!
Just as Little Treasure’s spirit body was trembling to the point of almost dissipating, its “gaze” instinctively, with a final sliver of hope, turned towards the source of the power—its master, Li Mu.
At this sight, Little Treasure’s trembling abruptly ceased, then transformed into another, more intense tremor—one stemming from a deep Soul shock and an unparalleled reverence!
Li Mu still stood steadily at the core of the Chaotic Dao Domain. Under the impact of the “Annihilating Dao Domain,” which was capable of instantly reducing ordinary Immortals and Gods to dust, and at the terrifying center of the clash that could tear apart the Chaotic Dao Domain, his figure remained as unmoving as a mountain!
Little Treasure’s spiritual sense clearly “saw” that:
Li Mu’s eyes were not their usual profound calmness, but had transformed into two slowly rotating Chaos vortexes! Within those vortexes, countless mysterious gray runes flickered in and out of existence, as if frantically analyzing and deducing every trace of Dao Law contained within the opposing destructive Star Domain. His gaze held no fear, no panic, only a nearly greedy focus and an absolute calmness that controlled everything!
What shocked Little Treasure even more was that Li Mu was not using his full power; he was passively defending, not fully resisting. That vast and majestic Chaotic Dao Domain, capable of suppressing all Heavens, was now, under its master’s will, like a living entity! It wasn't crushing with brute force, but rather, like an all-encompassing Chaos Mother Sea, it gently yet resiliently enveloped the violent “Annihilating Dao Domain.”
Gray Chaos Origin Power, like billions of living tentacles, surged forward, entangling, permeating, and smoothing out the violent azure starlight. Each time it was pulverized by the annihilating starlight, more Chaos Origin Power regenerated from the Void Realm, filling the gaps and continuing the process of encompassing, dissolving, and assimilating.
The Chaotic Dao Domain itself, in this extreme collision, erosion, and embrace, seemed to absorb the characteristics of the opposing destructive Dao Origin, becoming even more profound and mysterious, and even… faintly revealing a trace of the Reincarnation Concept of annihilation and rebirth that even Little Treasure could not comprehend!
“Master… he… he isn’t suppressing… he’s… ‘digesting’ the Dao of that remnant will?!” Little Treasure realized this situation, and its Soul trembled.
It saw that whenever a wisp of pure Dao Origin fragment, containing the Profound Truth of stellar annihilation, was painstakingly assimilated and peeled away by the Chaotic Dao Domain, a subtle, almost imperceptible glimmer would flash in the depths of its master’s Chaos vortex-like eyes. Immediately, that peeled-off Dao Origin fragment, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, would be absorbed by its master and integrated into his unfathomable Chaotic Dao Seed!
What kind of terrifying, Heaven-Defying method was this? Under an impact capable of destroying a Star Origin, he not only did not retreat but actively met it, using his own Dao Domain as a furnace and the destructive Dao Origin of that ancient remnant will as fuel to temper and perfect his own Great Dao!
“Buzz… woosh…” Little Treasure’s spirit body trembled even more violently, but it was no longer a tremor of fear, but rather the excitement and adoration that its Soul could not bear when witnessing a miracle. It felt as if its Tool Spirit core was heating up, as if it was about to melt in this unparalleled shock.
Little Treasure looked at its master’s unmoving back, as if he had merged with the entire Chaotic Dao Domain, and felt the will that remained as stable as a mountain even in the heart of the destructive storm, even using the force to ascend… An unprecedented, almost blind sense of adoration, like a breaking dam, instantly breached all its mental defenses.
“Master… is too strong! Strong beyond its imagination!”
At this moment, Little Treasure, the Tool Spirit of the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron, only wanted to prostrate itself at its master’s feet and offer eternal loyalty!
The terrifying pressure brought by the “Annihilation Power” still seemed to be present, and the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron’s mournful wail had not ceased, but in Little Treasure’s current perception, none of this mattered anymore.
Time flew by, and several Years passed. The fierce Dao Law clash reached its peak, and the light of the “Annihilating Dao Domain” began to show a faint sign of dimming as its Origin was continuously extracted.
The Chaos vortex in Li Mu’s eyes, which had been frantically rotating and devouring Dao Laws, suddenly paused for an instant!
A very subtle change occurred, as if a high-speed, precision mechanism suddenly jammed a crucial gear. It wasn't exhaustion, nor injury, but rather a… cognitive, Origin-level “confirmation.”
The Xing Yu Annihilating Dao Domain, formed from the ancient remnant will, indeed contained pure and powerful destructive Dao Origin, even carrying the ultimate Concept of stellar demise and the return of all things to the void.
By virtue of the Chaotic Dao Domain’s inclusive nature and the profound mystery of his own Dao Seed, Li Mu had already analyzed most of its Dao Law trajectories, power circulation, and even the core of its unwilling and resentful will. He had “understood” this power of annihilation.
The Chaotic Dao Domain receded into Li Mu’s body like a retreating tide, and the profound aura that encompassed all things also disappeared. The Annihilating Dao Domain had long since dissipated into nothingness, and the remnant will had completely returned to the Void Realm.
Little Treasure floated quietly above the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron. Its spirit body no longer trembled, and its eyes held a hint of reverence and determination. It seemed to have undergone a transformation, from a naive Tool Spirit to glimpsing a corner of the peak of the Great Dao.
Li Mu slowly opened his eyes, and in the depths of his gaze, an azure stream of light flashed and disappeared.
“Li Dage, you… you understood its Concept?” Xue’er asked with concern, sensing Li Mu’s complex emotions.
Li Mu nodded, but then shook his head: “I did understand its ‘Annihilation’ Concept, and I also saw the ‘Dao’ it once pursued, but… my Source of Self Concept still cannot be completed.”
“It was too strong,” Li Mu said in a low voice. “Its Dao is the ultimate manifestation of stellar demise and the annihilation of power. And my Source of Self Concept, although capable of bearing all Daos, always lacks that one true ‘Creation’ Foundation… Without it, I cannot complete the Reincarnation of annihilation and rebirth, and thus cannot truly step into the Major Achievement realm.”
Xue’er was stunned, then seemed to realize: “So… we still haven’t found the key to make your Dao Seed sprout?”
A wry smile appeared at the corner of Li Mu’s mouth: “Yes… We’re still one step short. However, at least we obtained the Star Core Essence.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Mu’s Chaos Power surged into the Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron. The Ten Thousand Treasures Cauldron hummed, its power surged, and it successfully took the Star Core Essence into the cauldron. (End of Chapter)
