Chapter 698 - 14: Stealing from Fu Xi’s Lair, Obtaining the Complete Transcendent Trait

"Why all this trouble? Why indeed?"

Taiyi smiled, his expression unchanging as he calmly faced the assault of the Heaven-Opening Banner, the Taiji Diagram, and other treasures.

The two of them gradually fought their way into the depths of Chaos. A single wisp of the aftershock spread out, annihilating more than half of the Celestial Myriad Realms. Countless Multi-Universal Cosmoses collapsed!

The Chaos churned, growing more violent and fractured. The towering figures of the two Supreme Beings blurred until they were impossible to perceive from the outside—even Fu Xi lost sight of them.

'Those two...'

Fu Xi frowned but didn't dwell on it. He had already determined that the two were mortal enemies with no chance of teaming up, so he naturally didn't entertain any suspicions. He chuckled to himself.

"Good. When the snipe and clam grapple, the fisherman profits. Fight on, fight on..."

He chuckled, and then with a shift of his thoughts, he manipulated Houtu, making her walk slowly toward the Purple Cloud Palace.

"I am that fisherman."

Fu Xi clasped his hands behind his back, his eyelids slightly lowered, the very picture of calm confidence.

As if he had a winning plan.

.........

「In the depths of Chaos.」

THOOM!!

Lu Xuan gripped the Immortal Slaying Sword and viciously stabbed it into Taiyi's chest. The latter didn't dodge or evade, laughing in spite of himself.

"Any use?"

"I have to try."

Lu Xuan said coolly,

"This can't be your full strength, can it? You've barely clung to life since the last Era. Even without a Dao Fruit, you must still possess immense power. Otherwise, Wa Huang wouldn't have failed at the very last step."

"Clever."

Taiyi praised him with genuine admiration.

"You truly are my child. My incarnation, indeed..."

As he spoke, he reached up and grasped the Immortal Slaying Sword, pulling it out of his chest inch by inch. Even though Lu Xuan was using all his might, employing the Path of All Living Beings and his Transcendent Dao Body, he was no match for Taiyi in terms of raw power.

After pulling out the Immortal Slaying Sword, he toyed with it for a moment before casually tossing it back to Lu Xuan. He said calmly,

"Alright, we're here."

Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the urge to press his attack. He knew that until he could find a way to break the stalemate, he was no match for Taiyi.

Everything he knew, Taiyi also knew—and Taiyi's versions were even more tyrannical and terrifying.

His mastery of every single one of his Transcendent Traits was far inferior to Taiyi's!

Besides, Taiyi still hadn't revealed the technique he used to attack Wa Huang back then...

After a moment of silence, a faint sense of powerlessness washed over Lu Xuan. He put away his various Supreme Treasures but kept the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda hovering above his head.

He followed behind Taiyi, continuing deeper into Chaos. After an unknown amount of time, he finally stopped.

"We've arrived."

Taiyi's eyes shone brightly. He casually reached out and parted a swath of mist, revealing the scene within.

Lu Xuan stared intently, his expression freezing. He saw a single candle, burning slowly.

"This is..." he asked softly.

"This is Fu Xi's trump card."

Taiyi said indifferently,

"I can even cut down Wa Huang herself, let alone a mere 'Spirit' that she abandoned. I have seen that Fu Xi inherited Wa Huang's 'Spirit' and used it to create his current many bodies. But this... this is his true self."

Lu Xuan frowned. 'A single candle flame is the real Fu Xi?'

He focused his gaze and indeed saw a familiar woman within the candlelight. It was the very same person he had seen back in the Sea of Transcendence.

The candlelight contained the Sea of Transcendence, and within that sea, the woman slept, shining brilliantly.

"You could call this Fu Xi's home base."

Taiyi said calmly,

"Of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, Spirit is the most important. As the 'Spirit' left behind after Wa Huang was shattered, it is naturally not as simple as just an 'Infinite True Spirit.'"

Lu Xuan didn't speak. His eyes grew increasingly brilliant, like two Great Sun Golden Lamps, illuminating everything and seeing through all mysteries.

He stared at the Sea of Transcendence within the flame, at the sleeping woman within the sea, and a sense of reverence unexpectedly welled up in his heart, nearly compelling him to bow down!

After calming his mind, Lu Xuan took a deep breath and continued his observation. Inside the woman's body, he saw a speck of light.

It was a Transcendent Trait.

A Transcendent Trait he had never seen before.

At this moment, Taiyi yawned and said lazily,

"After Wa Huang failed her Transcendence, she was shattered into pieces... or to be more precise, split into three then six. Her Essence, Qi, and Spirit each separated,

and then the six nascent Transcendent Traits she had just managed to form were lost among all living beings."

He paused, then continued,

"'Occupying the Future' fell into Houtu's body. 'Celestial Intent Dao Rhyme' was taken by Sun Wukong. 'Body Transformation' belongs to the true, original Fu Xi. Then there were the two 'Innate Uncertain Numbers'—one landed with Emperor Jun, and the other I obtained and gifted to you."

Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes.

"So this one before us is the final Transcendent Trait?"

"Correct. I saw that this one was originally obtained by Haotian and had been 'dormant' inside him. But later, that Fu Xi of his snatched it away. This is also the only complete one among all the Transcendent Traits Wa Huang created."

'The only complete one?'

Lu Xuan grew thoughtful. He was beginning to understand. When Wa Huang stood on the verge of Transcendence and was shattered, the other Transcendent Traits were just nascent forms, all incomplete. Only this one...

He said no more, quietly sensing and comprehending it. It seemed as if he could see everything within that Transcendent Trait.

Lu Xuan asked softly,

"Why doesn't Fu Xi use it?"

Taiyi lifted his eyelids and sneered.

"A complete Transcendent Trait... how could a non-Transcendental being possibly wield it? Forget Fu Xi; even I can't fully control it. Activating just a sliver of its power would be an achievement!"

Lu Xuan was thoughtful. He didn't try to touch the candle flame. His senses told him that the Sea of Transcendence within was incredibly dangerous. This was Fu Xi's home base, after all, and it was heavily defended.

He took a deep breath and secretly activated the Path of Great Balance. Bit by bit, he 'copied' the final, complete Transcendent Trait from the woman's body.

"Hm?"

Taiyi felt a brand new Transcendent Trait gradually emerging within his own body. His eyes shifted, full of interest.

"So this is your method for seizing Transcendent Traits? I can't see it clearly, it's very blurry... Interesting. Why can you do it, but I can't?"

Lu Xuan ignored him, simply continuing to silently circulate the Path of Great Balance.

Time passed.

After a long while, Lu Xuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. He could clearly feel that an unimaginably immense Transcendent Trait had appeared inside his body!

This Transcendent Trait was so massive, so magnificent, so vast that it could almost be said to transcend the very concept of an Era.

Lu Xuan let out a low roar, as if unable to bear the immense weight. His Physique was under heavy pressure, and the sound of cracking could be heard.

It wasn't just him; Taiyi, beside him, was the same. His eyes were shut tight, and his Physique was cracking!

A complete Transcendent Trait, one that was fully activated and not in a 'dormant' or 'hibernating' state, was simply not something an ordinary physical body could bear!

"No wonder..."

Lu Xuan coughed up blood, a sudden realization dawning on him.

"No wonder Fu Xi left this Transcendent Trait here. His Physique is completely incapable of containing it..."

"In fact..." Taiyi also spoke with difficulty, a brilliant smile on his face, "only the body of a Goddess can bear such a complete Transcendent Trait. But, thanks to you..."

He paused, his smile growing even brighter.

"Thanks to you, my body, which is half of a True Form of Transcendence, can also barely contain it..."

The cracks on their bodies continued to spread. Their Physiques were like fragile porcelain, looking as if they would shatter in the next second!

If even they were in such a state, any other Dao Fruit wielder who tried to contain a complete, non-dormant Transcendent Trait would have likely died instantly!

"Is this... 'Time'?"

Lu Xuan muttered wearily to himself.

"No, it's more than just Time."

His vision went black. His spirit, unable to bear the load, succumbed to a brief period of unconsciousness. Taiyi, beside him, did the same.

「Meanwhile.」

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

'Houtu' knocked gently on the great doors of the Purple Cloud Palace.

There was no answer.

She pushed the door open and saw the Purple Cloud Palace Master passed out on a meditation cushion.

"Interesting..."