Within the Scripture Depository, countless Dao-rhyme orbs of light hung suspended like a sea of stars, each one carrying fragmented Dao methods from ancient and even primordial times.
The moment Tang Xiaoqi stepped into this sea of light, the Purification Origin within his body began to tremble uncontrollably. This feeling was unlike any before—not the violent reaction when encountering demonic energy, nor the coiled readiness when facing a powerful foe, but rather a sense of intimacy and yearning, as if reuniting with a long-lost companion.
"Strange."
Xiao Qi murmured to himself, pressing a hand to his chest. The Four Symbols Jade Pendant was growing slightly warm. The origin power transformed from the World-Purifying Green Lotus flowed on its own through his meridians, as if drawn by some silent summons.
He looked around. Each Dao-rhyme orb within the Scripture Depository had its destined owner; cultivators entering this place would be drawn to the Dao methods compatible with them. Mu Xue's Dao of the Icy Heart had drawn a blue orb radiating coldness. Ao Qin was pulled toward a golden orb containing dragon might. Each had their own opportunity, undisturbed by the others.
And at this moment, what drew Xiao Qi was an exceptionally inconspicuous orb.
It hung in the deepest, most remote corner of the depository, its light dim, its size no larger than a fist. Compared to the dazzling orbs around it, it seemed particularly shabby. Had it not been for the stirring of the Purification Origin within him, Xiao Qi might have entirely overlooked its existence.
He approached the orb and reached out to touch it.
In that instant, the world spun.
Xiao Qi's consciousness was pulled into a vast expanse of chaos.
Here, there was no sky, no earth, no stars or moon. Even the concepts of time and space were blurred and indistinct. Only endless, roiling chaotic energy surged, a state resembling the time before heaven and earth were separated, before all living things were born.
An exceedingly ancient intent flowed slowly through this chaos.
"At the very beginning, the clear qi rose, and the turbid qi sank. Heaven and earth first separated, and all living things began."
That intent was neither text nor language, but the most primal, most pure "Dao-rhyme." It imprinted itself directly upon Xiao Qi's soul spirit, crossing the barrier of hundreds of millions of years to present the scene of creation before his eyes.
He saw—within the chaos, the first wisp of clear qi being born.
That clear qi was pure beyond measure, containing no impurities and possessing no attributes. It was neither hot nor cold, neither bright nor dark, neither hard nor soft. Yet it was this seemingly ordinary wisp of clear qi that contained the infinite potential to create all things.
The clear qi rose, transforming into the sky, stars, wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning.
The turbid qi sank, condensing into the earth, mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas.
And that most primordial wisp of clear qi was the "Primordial Clear Qi."
Xiao Qi's heart and mind were violently shaken.
The Purification Origin within him resonated as never before. This resonance was not a clash of power, but a mutual recognition of origins. A sudden understanding dawned on him—the "Purification Origin" passed down through the Xu family for generations, its fundamental source, was perhaps a branch of this Primordial Clear Qi, or a single seed of it.
Purification Power was not merely a force to dispel demonic energy and cleanse evil filth.
Its true essence was to "return to the origin."
To strip away all impurities, filth, sinister influences, and demonic thoughts acquired after birth, allowing all things to return to their initial, purest state. Just as when heaven and earth first separated, the clear qi rose naturally, the turbid qi sank naturally, and everything returned to its inherent order.
This was the true meaning of the Dao of Purification.
A world-shaking transformation occurred in Xiao Qi's state of mind.
In the past, he had always used Purification Power in a manner of "confrontation"—using pure white light to dispel demonic energy, using the Green Lotus's power to suppress evil, using Purification Techniques to decompose toxins. He had treated purification as a weapon, a tool.
But now he understood. True purification was not confrontation, but "guidance."
Just as the Primordial Clear Qi divided the clear from the turbid, it was not a forceful stripping away, but an awakening of the inherent nature of things, allowing the clear to be clear and the turbid to be turbid. Demonic energy could be purified not because he used greater power to destroy it, but because he used his Purification Power to awaken that faint, obscured "primordial spirit" within the demonic energy.
All things originated from the primordial, and all things contain a trace of that original purity.
Even demons, in the deepest, darkest part of their origin, possess that initial point of light, buried beneath layers of pollution.
The pinnacle of the Dao of Purification was not to annihilate darkness, but to find within the darkness that forgotten sliver of light, and reignite it.
This realization brought about a qualitative transformation in Xiao Qi's Purification Origin.
The pure energy that had previously just flowed through his meridians now began to deeply merge with his soul spirit. The surface of the Four Symbols Jade Pendant radiated a gentle light it had never shown before, no longer a dazzling white, but a warm, jade-like, all-encompassing "clear light."
The phantom of the World-Purifying Green Lotus blossomed slowly behind him, drops of dew condensing on its petals. Within each dewdrop, a miniature world was reflected—flowers, birds, fish, insects, mountains and rivers, the bustle of mortal life, and cultivators soaring through the sky.
This was the true face of the Primordial Clear Qi.
It was not a sacred object residing high above, but a fundamental power existing within all things, sustaining the operation of heaven and earth.
Xiao Qi opened his eyes.
The Dao-rhyme orbs within the Scripture Depository had vanished. The orb that recorded the "Primordial Clear Qi" had completely merged into his sea of consciousness between his brows. Silence reigned all around. It seemed as though the profound epiphany had lasted only an instant, yet also as if long ages had passed.
He looked down at his palm.
In the center of his palm, a thread of extremely faint clear light slowly overflowed. That clear light appeared weak, but it contained an indescribable "vitality." Not the vitality of a blazing flame, but something more fundamental, more primal—like the power of the first seed breaking through the soil in spring, like the power of a newborn's first cry, like the power of the first wisp of clear qi surging at the dawn of creation.
An indescribable emotion welled up in Xiao Qi's heart.
He remembered his master's figure, transforming into stars to guard the sect in the moment of death. He remembered his father's final strike, hurled at the demonic entity with the power of sacrifice. He remembered the countless people who had died in the demonic calamity, yet still guarded the faith in their hearts to the very end.
Those people—perhaps their strength was insufficient, perhaps their Purification Power was not pure enough—but in their hearts, there existed that same stubborn light that refused to be extinguished.
That light was the projection of the Primordial Clear Qi in the human heart.
No matter how dark the world became, no matter how deeply demonic energy eroded it, as long as one person retained that sliver of light in their heart, the Purification Origin would not be severed, and the possibility for heaven and earth to return to clarity would remain.
"So that's it."
Xiao Qi spoke softly, bowing toward the long-dissipated orb of light.
It was not gratitude for its gift, but gratitude for making him remember the most important thing—
The "Dao" that cultivators pursue has never resided in the lofty heights.
It resides in every moment when kindness is chosen, in every act of stubborn perseverance, in every heart willing to ignite hope for others.
At this moment, the Purification Origin fully awakened.
The Four Symbols Jade Pendant blazed with light, the phantoms of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise circling his form. The World-Purifying Green Lotus bloomed fiercely above his head, its layers of petals unfolding, upon each one flowing the Dao-rhyme of the Primordial Clear Qi.
The Dao Seed within his dantian trembled violently, then began to madly absorb this newly born power. The Dao Seed, originally just in a budding state, now produced its first true root tendril—Xiao Qi's unique great Dao foundation, fused from his will to protect and the Primordial Clear Qi.
He felt the bottleneck of his cultivation loosen once more.
The barrier of the late Golden Core stage became transparent at this moment. The threshold of the Nascent Soul Great Dao seemed within reach. But he was in no hurry to break through, for he knew the most important thing now was to thoroughly merge this insight into his soul spirit, making it an inseparable part of his own Dao path.
From outside the Scripture Depository, the faint rumble of thunder could be heard.
It was not a heavenly tribulation, but the Heavenly Dao's response to a Dao-seeker who had truly comprehended a profound principle.
Xiao Qi sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to consolidate this hard-won understanding. The Dao-rhyme of the Primordial Clear Qi flowed within him, merging with Purification Power, Protective Sword Intent, Buddhist meditative insight, and chaotic perception, finally converging into a completely new power uniquely his own.
This power was still very weak, like a newborn infant.
But Xiao Qi knew it would eventually grow into a towering tree, supporting this patch of heaven and earth he was determined to protect.