173: Chaotic Frontier
Lin Familys Small World, Forbidden Ground.
The figure of Lin Dao, who had been sitting cross-legged, slowly stood up.
The Chaos Qi flowing around him seemed more profound and restrained than ever before.
As he opened and closed his eyes, it was as if countless worlds were being born and destroyed.
After dealing with the trivial matters concerning the Nine Heavens Divine Palace and the Netherworld Sect, and ensuring that no short-sighted forces would come to disturb the Lin Family in the near future, he could finally set aside clan affairs for a while to explore what he was truly interested in.
His gaze pierced through the realm wall of the Lin Familys Small World, crossed the endless galaxy, and cast itself toward that region which even the Great Emperors regarded as a dangerous land—the Chaos Frontier, filled with the unknown and mystery.
It was the boundary of the Universe, a desert of Law, a chaotic land that even the will of the Heavenly Dao could hardly fully cover.
Rumor had it that it buried secrets older than the Primordial Era, held traces from the beginning of creation, and harbored unimaginable dangers.
The call of "Origin" that Lin Huan had sensed from those ancient stone tablets also faintly pointed in that direction.
"It is time to go and see."
Lin Dao took a step, and his figure was no longer in the Forbidden Ground.
The next moment, he appeared at the stellar realm wall on the very edge of the Primal Ancient Realm.
Ahead was no longer the familiar stars and galaxy, but a boundless, chaotically colored, constantly twisting and churning "barrier," resembling a boiling pot of porridge, emitting a heart-palpitating, chaotic aura.
Here, space and time were disordered; if an ordinary Quasi-Emperor were to step in, they could be instantly torn apart or banished to an unknown space-time.
This was the entrance to the Chaos Frontier, or rather, the boundary between the known Universe and the unknown Chaos.
Lin Dao did not hesitate at all; the Chaos Qi around him flowed naturally, easily pushing aside those chaotic space-time currents and fragments of Law, like parting water, and with one step, he entered that boiling Chaos.
As soon as he entered, the environment changed drastically.
The starry scene of the Primal Ancient Realm behind him instantly vanished, replaced by a bizarre and surreal world that could not be accurately described in words.
Here, there was no concept of up, down, left, or right, and no stable spatial structure.
Broken fragments of stars floated like sand, huge, mountain-like skeletons of unknown creatures were half-buried in the Chaos Qi, colorful energy storms were visible everywhere, and occasionally one could see some dilapidated ancient halls or broken weapon fragments, which radiated an ancient and vicissitudinous aura, yet had long since lost all their spirituality.
The Law here was extremely chaotic; the Law of Fire could instantly turn into the Law of Water, and gravity here fluctuated, sometimes large, sometimes small, or even reversed.
The flow of time was also extremely unstable; in some areas, time might accelerate ten thousand times, while in others, it was nearly stagnant.
There were also invisible "traps," such as suddenly appearing spatial rifts that could teleport people to unknown dead zones, or certain eerie erosions of Law that silently wore away a living being's Lifespan and Dao foundation.
Lin Dao hovered within this Chaos, his Divine Thought spreading out like spilled mercury, carefully sensing everything here.
His Chaos Dao was like a fish in water here; those chaotic Laws that would give a Nine Heavens Quasi-Emperor a headache were, to him, like returning "home," and could be easily combed through, understood, and even partially absorbed by his Chaos Emperor Dao to perfect himself.
He moved forward slowly, every step seemingly treading on the veins of the Universe, avoiding those most dangerous storms of disordered Law, and heading toward the deeper parts of the Chaos Frontier.
Along the way, he saw many incredible sights.
He saw an area formed entirely by broken "Sword Laws," where countless fractured Sword Intents darted about like fish, emitting mournful cries; this place seemed to have been the fall of a supreme Sword Cultivator.
He passed a river composed entirely of "Time Sand," the water reflecting countless fragments of the past, and even some blurry shadows of the future, but touching it was extremely dangerous, as one could be swept into the time turbulence.
He also encountered some Chaos creatures born and raised here.
Some were shaped like giant Kun, swimming in the Chaos Qi, devouring fragments of Law; some were like twisted vines, taking root in broken stars, emitting an aura that bewitched the mind; and there were even groups of strange lifeforms composed entirely of thunder, possessing no intelligence, only the instinct for destruction, which surged crazily toward Lin Dao upon discovering him, only to be easily assimilated and absorbed by the Chaos Qi naturally radiating from his body.
These Chaos creatures varied in strength; the weak ones were equivalent to the Saint Realm, and the strong ones could even rival a Peak Quasi-Emperor, but most of them acted on instinct, had low intelligence, and posed no threat to Lin Dao.
As Lin Dao moved forward, he collected some Chaos spiritual objects that had long been extinct in the outside world, or strange crystals containing fragments of special Law.
These things were of little use to him, but for the younger generation of the Lin Family, especially for someone with Lin Huan's Physique, they might have miraculous effects.
As he ventured deeper, the surrounding scenery became increasingly desolate and ancient, and the degree of Chaos intensified.
He even saw some huge, world-sized broken chains floating in the Chaos, the chains retaining a heart-stopping aura of Seal, not knowing what kind of existence they had once bound.
He also discovered some dilapidated altars engraved with runes that did not belong to this era, some of which were even somewhat similar to the symbols on the stone tablets Lin Huan had seen in the Scripture Pavilion, all pointing toward "Primordial" and "Origin."
"It seems the direction is correct."
Lin Dao understood in his heart that Lin Huan's Physique and the secrets hidden deep in this Chaos Frontier must have a profound connection.
He continued to advance in the direction where the Karma connection was deepest and also the most dangerous in his sensing.
He did not know how long he had been traveling—perhaps an instant, perhaps several years—when an unusual area appeared ahead.
It was a relatively "calm" Void Realm of Chaos, but in its center floated a huge, incomparable... stone gate.
The stone gate was dilapidated, with only a frame remaining, made entirely of an unknown material that was neither metal nor stone, presenting a chaotic color, and covered with marks of sword slashes, axe blows, and Divine Ability bombardments, as if it had experienced an unimaginable battle.
Behind the stone gate, it did not lead to any specific place, but to an even deeper, darker absolute void where even the Chaos Qi seemed to be repelled.
Within that void, an aura faintly emanated that made even Lin Dao feel a trace of heart palpitation—that was the residual power surpassing the Emperor-level!
And in the Void Realm of Chaos below the stone gate, a behemoth was coiled.
It was shaped like a giant turtle, but its carapace was not bone; it was condensed from countless broken realm walls and star cores, shimmering with a dim luster.
Its head was like a mountain, its eyes tightly closed, and as it breathed, it inhaled and exhaled massive amounts of Chaos Qi, and the aura radiating from its body had reached the Great Emperor level!
Although it seemed to be in a state of slumber, that invisible pressure was enough to make any Emperor who stepped into this place prepare for a battle.
This was an ancient existence that truly lived in the Chaos Frontier, a Chaos Saint Spirit!
Lin Dao's arrival seemed to have disturbed its slumber.
On that mountain-like head, two eyes like small lakes slowly opened.
Within the eyes, there were no pupils, only a rotating Chaos nebula, indifferent, ancient, and carrying a trace of displeasure at being disturbed, locking onto Lin Dao, this uninvited guest.
A majestic Emperor's might, mixed with a pure, chaotic, and barbaric aura, pressed toward Lin Dao like a physical substance.
The Chaos Saint Spirit had awakened.
Lin Dao stopped his steps and looked at the giant turtle Saint Spirit from afar.
Instead of being nervous, a look of excitement at finding a worthy opponent appeared on his face.
"It seems that if I want to approach that gate, I must first pass your test."
The Chaos Emperor's might that had been restrained around him was no longer suppressed; it erupted with a boom, contending with the giant turtle Saint Spirit's aura in this Void Realm of Chaos.