Chapter Twenty-Two: Primal Chaos Origin Stone

“Heh heh…”
Just as Tianming and his companion were engrossed in their conversation, a mass of ominous black mist silently drifted in from the sky beyond the city walls.

“Die! Let’s see who’ll save you this time!”
The shadowy figure was entirely shrouded in a chilling darkness. If one listened closely, they would recognize the voice as Xie Xin, who had previously fled.

As his sinister words echoed, a dark claw slashed toward Tianming in a sudden attack.

Bang!
The claw struck nothing, crashing brutally into the ground. A vast crater appeared, flickering with corrupt, dark energy.

“What?!”
Xie Xin’s face twitched, his sullen voice reverberating through the sky.

The empty ground left Xie Xin astonished. The two people he’d seen moments ago had vanished without a trace—was he hallucinating?

The sudden assault caused the passing cultivators to immediately draw their weapons, adopting defensive stances.

“Dark Demon Cultivator!”
Someone in the crowd cried out in alarm.

The cultivators instantly furrowed their brows. Not long ago, the Southern Wilderness continent had been invaded, and now the Dark Demon Cultivators sought to extend their claws into the Central Divine Continent. None expected to witness the fiendish face of a Dark Demon Cultivator firsthand.

“Fellow Daoists, let us unite to destroy this Dark Demon Cultivator and restore peace to the continent!”

“Well said!”

“…Kill him.”

With the first shout, the crowd erupted, surrounding Xie Xin tightly.

The threat was immediate, and they understood the principle: if these Dark Demon Cultivators were allowed to roam the continent unchecked, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Damn it!”

Encircled, Xie Xin’s face darkened; he had been deceived.

What infuriated him wasn’t the crowd, but the suspicion that Tianming had deliberately staged his disappearance to mock him—how else could such a coincidence occur?

Glancing around, Xie Xin noticed only weak cultivators remained; the traces of those two had vanished completely.

“We’re leaving!”

As his gloomy words faded, six thick waves of black mist suddenly spread out around Xie Xin.

Where did he go?

---

When the black mist dissipated, the cultivators found the Dark Demon Cultivator gone, staring at each other in confusion, at a loss.

Soon after, the city guards arrived, and there was another round of wide-eyed bewilderment…

---

Within the Heaven’s Evolution Sect.

Tianming, Chu Qingchen, and Xiao Hei walked side by side along the road, occasionally passing scattered cultivators dressed like Chu Qingchen.

“Achoo!”

Freshly teleported from outside Chang’an City, Tianming was overcome by a strong sense of unease, but the moment his feet touched solid ground, he felt a wave of relief.

He pondered a moment; perhaps it was just the discomfort of experiencing teleportation for the first time.

He would later realize that this sixth sense had saved him, and the thought left him shaken.

“Senior Brother Chu, was that the sect’s designated teleportation area?”
Turning to Chu Qingchen, Tianming asked curiously.

Tianming had noticed many teleportation arrays in that zone, dazzling and multicolored, with intricate runes circling each array, so complex they left him dizzy.

Chu Qingchen, quietly observing, felt no doubt now—this youth was indeed a newcomer.

Marvelous as it was, it did not hinder Tianming’s observation. He saw rings of light ultimately converging toward the sky, where a magnificent seven-colored rainbow spanned the entire area. Wisps of mist floated around, creating an ethereal, picturesque scene reminiscent of a celestial realm.

They were now walking along the Heavenly Avenue—a broad road as wide as a river, dividing the two sides of the area. Ancient plants, thousands or even tens of thousands of years old, lined the avenue, their fragrance filling the air, making it fresher than elsewhere. Here, the spiritual energy seemed five or six times more concentrated.

No wonder this sect rivaled the famed Sword Sect; its reputation was well-deserved. Tianming’s heart surged with pride.

“That area is the teleportation zone for all disciples of the Heaven’s Evolution Sect. Each has their own designated section. Of course, it’s not as if we can teleport whenever we wish—returning from outside requires three thousand Primordial Stones’ worth of energy, and the token can be used only three times per year before it must be replaced. Replacing it costs another thousand stones, but it’s worthwhile, since it can save your life in critical moments,” Chu Qingchen explained, nodding.

Tianming nodded in response.

“But it’s nothing compared to you, freak. Just pretend I never said any of that, sigh…”
Chu Qingchen looked at Tianming with envy.

Tianming had managed to teleport Chu Qingchen along with him, and without spending any stones. Chu Qingchen felt a pang of inferiority—people truly couldn’t be compared, it was too damaging to his self-esteem.

There was one thing Chu Qingchen hadn’t clarified: in other continents, the teleportation feature couldn’t be used, nor could it be accessed from isolated zones. But Chu Qingchen was preoccupied and didn’t think to mention this.

Tianming…

“By the way, what are Primordial Stones?”
Listening closely, Tianming couldn’t help but ask when he heard the term.

From his experience, he only knew of Primordial Coins and Gold Coins. What were these Primordial Stones? Perhaps the medium for magical treasures and weapons?

---

“It seems Tianming never joined a sect before. Primordial Stones are the unified currency of sects. They’re used for cultivation and trade, and they’re the highest form of energy. Not only are they used here, but they’re popular across other continents as well,” Chu Qingchen explained.

He glanced at Tianming with a meaningful smile—had Tianming ever joined a sect or faction, he would have known this.

“So that’s it!”

Tianming nodded inwardly. His token was indeed extraordinary, for it had no limitations whatsoever!

Still, he was determined to obtain Primordial Stones. With Dora’s protection, his cultivation was unrestricted by heaven or earth; as long as he had enough energy, he could break through at will—a privilege no other cultivator could match.

“How does one acquire these stones?”
After some thought, Tianming asked again.

He had a guess, but wanted to confirm it to avoid embarrassment.

“I knew you’d ask that. It’s really quite simple!”
Chu Qingchen sighed and continued, “You can earn stones by taking sect missions or making bets in duels. You’ll soon find out. But with your cultivation, it’ll be tough to survive here.”

First level of Qi Drawing—unless he was concealing his true realm, Chu Qingchen had discovered from their interactions that Tianming was forthright.

With such a realm, the sect wouldn’t even accept him as a menial worker. The gap was vast. Chu Qingchen looked at Tianming with concern.

Sensing his gaze, Tianming paused.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Chu, for your care.”

He bowed, his eyes shining with sincerity and confidence.

Tianming understood Chu Qingchen’s meaning, but cultivation level was no measure for him. Chu Qingchen had never seen the power of his magical treasures, and even without them, Tianming was confident he could compensate for his innate shortcomings through cultivation.

Still, he was deeply grateful to this senior brother. Though they were strangers, Chu Qingchen had helped him generously. Tianming thought he was a friend worth befriending. Those who had shown him kindness along the way, even if motivated by personal interests, had helped him, and that was enough.

“It’s nothing, really. We just look out for each other. No need for such formality, Junior Brother Tianming. Who knows, maybe I’ll need your help someday.”

Chu Qingchen waved his hand, smiling again.

The radiant confidence in Tianming’s eyes nearly made Chu Qingchen bow his head in shame—this was basic sect knowledge, easily found in the Heavenly Pavilion archives, and far more detailed. Having never met Tianming before, Chu Qingchen hadn’t expected such gratitude.

“All right, Senior Brother Chu, if you ever need help, I will do my best.”

Tianming nodded sincerely.

To repay kindness with kindness and vengeance with vengeance—this was Tianming’s principle.

Chu Qingchen…

Seeing the look in Tianming’s eyes, Chu Qingchen’s lips twitched again. He never doubted Tianming’s resolve after that.