I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

The aura of the abyss. The Threefold Path of All Paths Returning to the Source.

Qin Yuan opened his eyes. At the other end of the ruins, a human figure appeared on the pile of rubble. Grayish-white skin, black eye sockets. He stood there, like a withered tree trunk. The wind passed by him, but his clothes didn't move, because his clothes were also grayish-white, like paper.

"Who are you?" Qin Yuan asked.

"The Abyss." The voice was like the scraping of metal, sharp and piercing. "The malice of the Ancestor of Chaos. It is dead, and I live."

What do you want?

"The power of the Primordial Chaos Ancestor transformed into nine ancestral cores, scattered throughout the myriad realms. I have already absorbed three. I will reclaim the remaining six." Yuan tilted his head, his black-rimmed eyes fixed on Qin Yuan. "You are the strongest being it has ever seen. I want your power too."

Qin Yuan's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. "You will die."

Yuan laughed. His mouth split open to his ears, revealing two rows of black teeth. The teeth were sharp, like a shark's.

"Death? I will not die. I am malice. As long as there are living beings, malice will not disappear."

He transformed into black liquid and burrowed into the ground. The liquid vanished in the blink of an eye, like water poured into sand. Qin Yuan drew his sword and slashed at the ground. Golden sword energy cleaved through rubble, soil, and rock layers, leaving a trench over ten feet deep in the earth. But the liquid had already disappeared.

Yuan appeared a hundred feet away, reforming into human form. In his hand lay a black crystal—the Ancestral Core. The crystal pulsed in his palm like a heart. He pressed the Ancestral Core into his chest, and it merged into his body, causing his aura to surge. He had reached the fourth level of the Myriad Paths Returning to the Origin.

"You can't catch me." Yuan's voice came from afar, tinged with mockery. He then turned into liquid again and disappeared into the chaotic energy.

Qin Yuan sheathed his sword. He stood there, staring at the crack for a long time.

The Mutual Aid Society's information network was incredibly fast. Li Qing tracked down Yuan's movements in just half a day. His target wasn't living beings, but the Ancestral Cores. After the Ancestor of Chaos died, his power transformed into nine Ancestral Cores, scattered throughout the myriad realms. Yuan had already absorbed three, leaving six still undiscovered.

The second ancestral core is located in the sedimentary mud zone.

When Qin Yuan arrived, the sky had already turned dark. Not from dark clouds, but from a black mist rising from the ground. The mist obscured the sun, the clouds, and the distant mountains. A large pit had been dug in the center of the swamp, its edges clean and sharp, as if cut with a knife. The soil at the bottom of the pit was black and shiny, like ink had been splashed on it.

Mud Egg squatted by the pit, a hoe in his hand. His clothes were torn, and blood streamed down his face, covering half of it. He trembled, not from fear, but from his rapidly depleting spiritual energy. He was using his spiritual energy to press down on the ancestral core, trying to prevent it from being absorbed by the abyss. But the ancestral core's attraction was growing stronger, and his spiritual energy was flowing out of his body like water, unstoppable.

"Go!" Muddy roared when he saw Qin Yuan. "He's down there!"

Qin Yuan leaped into the pit. During his descent, he saw Yuan. Yuan stood at the bottom, his hands transforming into black blades, cutting through the rock layers. The blades sliced ​​into the stone as silently as cutting tofu. The exposed portion of the ancestral core was already the size of a fist, dark red light seeping through the cracks in the soil like a closed eye.

Qin Yuan unleashed a sword strike. The sword energy condensed into a golden line, heading straight for Yuan's back. Yuan didn't turn around; instead, he dissipated into liquid. The sword energy cleaved the liquid, which split into two streams that flowed past Qin Yuan and reformed behind him.

Yuan's speed was even faster than before. After absorbing the third ancestral core, his cultivation had reached the fifth level of the Myriad Paths Returning to Origin realm. Qin Yuan's sword couldn't keep up with his movement.

Mud Egg's spiritual power was completely exhausted. He braced himself on the hoe, knees on the ground, forehead pressed against the earth. The Ancestral Core sprang from the ground, which Yuan grabbed and pressed into his chest. Dark red light emanated from beneath his skin, like magma, then faded. His aura surged again. Sixth level of the Myriad Paths Returning to the Origin.

"You can't hold it," Yuan said. He turned into liquid and burrowed deeper into the ground from the bottom of the pit. Qin Yuan didn't chase after him. He jumped out of the pit and walked to Mud Egg's side. Mud Egg was lying on the ground, his hand still reaching forward, his fingers digging five deep grooves in the mud.

"I couldn't hold on."

Qin Yuan pulled Mud Egg out of the mud. Mud Egg's face was covered in mud, and there was mud in his eyes too; it was hard to tell if it was mud or tears.

"It's not your fault."

The entire rescue team was recalled. Those from the Thirsty Realm searching for water, those from the Crimson Sand Realm helping the miners, and those from the Muddy Realm planting taro—all dropped what they were doing and rushed back to camp. Li Qing stood in the center of the camp, counting them one by one. Including herself, there were thirty-seven people in total. The one with the highest cultivation was herself, a ninth-level Void Sovereign. Mud Egg was at the first level of the Chaos Opening Realm. Some of the others hadn't even reached the Chaos Opening Realm.

Qin Yuan stood before them. There was no speech, no mobilization.

"Yuan's goal is the Ancestral Core. He needs to go to his next destination, which requires passing through the teleportation array at the Summit of Myriad Realms. We'll wait for him there."

Li Qing arranged the defensive formation. Qin Yuan guarded the front, while the others guarded the flanks. The strongest attackers stood on the flanks, and the weakest stood at the rear. The goal wasn't for them to kill, but for them to survive.

Yuan arrived. He had absorbed four ancestral cores, and his cultivation had reached the sixth level of the Myriad Paths Returning to One. He stepped out of the white light of the teleportation array; his grayish-white skin appeared even whiter in the light, and his black eye sockets looked like two holes.

"You've come here to die?"

Without a word, Qin Yuan unleashed a sword strike. The sword energy aimed straight for Yuan's face. Yuan blocked with his left arm, but the blade embedded itself in his bone, impossible to pull out. Yuan then transformed his right hand into a sharp blade, thrusting it towards Qin Yuan's throat.

Li Qing charged in from the side, smashing a hammer into Yuan's elbow. The hammer was a rescue tool, not a weapon; it had a round head and a short handle. The hammerhead cracked upon impact, as did the wooden handle. Yuan's blade veered off course, grazing Qin Yuan's ear and shaving off several strands of hair. Qin Yuan seized the opportunity to draw his sword and retreat.

Yuan looked at the wound on his arm, then at Li Qing. "You, a mere mortal, dare to hit me?"

Li Qing threw the cracked hammer on the ground. "That's what I'm doing."

Yuan was enraged. He abandoned Qin Yuan and charged directly at Li Qing. He was too fast; Qin Yuan couldn't react in time. Li Qing retreated, but her leg was injured and she couldn't run. Yuan's blade was already at her throat.

A hand reached out from behind her and caught the sharp blade. Lin Qing'er.

The sharp blade sliced ​​through her palm, from the base of her thumb to the center, deep enough to expose the bone. Blood trickled down her fingers, dripping onto the ground, drop by drop. She didn't loosen her grip. She held the blade, the white bones of her fingers exposed. Her face was expressionless, her eyes fixed on Yuan.

"Your opponent is him."

Yuan punched Lin Qing'er in the face. Qin Yuan's sword pierced his chest from behind, the tip emerging from his chest. Yuan's fist didn't stop. Lin Qing'er turned to the side, the fist grazing her ear. Her earlobe was torn, blood flowing down her neck and into her collar.