As Mi Chirui, Xiao Xiaohong, Tuobaye, and Kuerle were disheartened and about to leave, having returned without success, Wu Tao calmly called out to Tuobaye.
In the auction hall, all the cultivators who were preparing to depart instinctively turned to look at Wu Tao, curious to hear what he had to say.
Wu Tao flipped his hand, and a small, exquisite jade box appeared in his right hand.
However, Wu Tao did not rush to open it. He first scanned his surroundings before speaking, "Fellow Daoist Tuoba, I am truly covetous of the Chaos Origin Embryo Stone you possess, and I also have a supreme treasure in my possession called the Crystal of Laws."
"If you wish to exchange, you may do so now."
Wu Tao finished speaking, lightly tapped with one hand, and the lid of the box fell open.
From within the box, a fist-sized, crystal-clear, and multi-colored gem slowly floated out.
This gem emanated a faint power of laws, the very Crystal of Laws that Wu Tao had obtained in the ancient tomb.
"Crystal of Laws! A legendary treasure that can aid one in comprehending laws. Did I hear correctly?"
"Impossible, how could such a treasure be willing to be exchanged?"
"Is it real, or fake..."
In terms of rarity, the Crystal of Laws was almost on par with spiritual treasures, and for certain individuals, its value even surpassed that of spiritual treasures. It was no wonder everyone reacted with such excitement.
As soon as Wu Tao finished speaking, the entire auction hall erupted into chaos.
Many cultivators, in their shock, cried out in astonishment.
Mi Chirui, Xiao Xiaohong, Tuobaye, and the others, who had been on the verge of leaving, now stared intently at the Crystal of Laws beside Wu Tao, their eyes unblinking.
"Honestly, if I hadn't been stuck in a bottleneck while comprehending laws, I would never have brought out such a treasure for exchange."
"As for its authenticity?"
"Fellow Daoist Tuoba, you may examine it carefully."
Facing everyone's disbelieving gazes, Wu Tao said calmly.
Hearing Wu Tao's confident words, the previously agitated cultivators fell silent.
Everyone gazed at the Crystal of Laws with varied expressions, lost in thought.
While the Chaos Origin Embryo Stone was indeed a rare treasure in the world, it was undeniably inferior to the legendary Crystal of Laws, which could aid in comprehending the power of laws.
At this moment, everyone felt a stir of desire.
Unfortunately, only Tuobaye possessed the Chaos Origin Embryo Stone at this time.
Upon hearing Wu Tao's words, Tuobaye was overjoyed. He quickly nodded, raised his hand, and the Chaos Origin Embryo Stone instantly landed in Wu Tao's grasp.
Wu Tao, in turn, tossed the Crystal of Laws to Tuobaye.
Tuobaye seemed to know quite a bit about the Crystal of Laws.
After receiving it, he first caressed it, then cast several incantations, striking the crystal's body directly.
As a result, these incantations entered the crystal's interior with no reaction, as if they were completely useless.
However, Tuobaye was not discouraged but rather excited. He then formed hand seals again, injecting a large amount of spiritual energy into the crystal.
But the outcome was the same as before; it was like a mud ox entering the sea, with the Crystal of Laws showing no response whatsoever.
"That's right, it is indeed the Crystal of Laws. I'll make the trade."
"Fellow Daoist Wu, how is your inspection going?" Tuobaye pressed.
Meanwhile, Wu Tao was also meticulously examining the Chaos Origin Embryo Stone in his hand.
With a gentle touch of his finger on the stone's surface, Wu Tao was immediately met with a backlash of chaotic energy.
However, Wu Tao's heart leaped with joy. The temporal support within his body emitted temporal power, instantly neutralizing the backlash.
Then, Wu Tao picked up the Chaos Origin Embryo Stone with two fingers, held it before his eyes, and examined it once more.
Seeing this, Tuobaye, while outwardly appearing calm, was inwardly astonished.
Even with his partial giant bloodline, he dared not hold the Chaos Origin Embryo Stone so barehanded.
Yet, Wu Tao held it for so long without any apparent ill effects.
This greatly surprised him!
"Excellent, it is indeed a genuine Chaos Origin Embryo Stone. Fellow Daoist Tuoba, you may take this Crystal of Laws."
A look of satisfaction spread across Wu Tao's face. He placed the Chaos Origin Embryo Stone back into the jade box and casually put it into his storage bag.
"Heh heh, then I won't stand on ceremony."
Tuobaye was also quite pleased.
Half a month later.
News that shook the entire Purple Prefecture's cultivation world spread.
Ito Ryuu and Tuobaye were ambushed, and the family disciples sent to their aid suffered countless casualties.
Even Ito Ryuu and Tuobaye themselves were seriously injured.
Flames soared, brilliant and incandescent.
Deep within the earth, a constant, unfading fire glowed, its dazzling radiance intermingling.
Wu Tao patted his storage bag, and instantly, the Chaos Origin Embryo Stone hovered before him.
As he released the stone, with a thought, the Chuxi Sword above his head materialized, its sharp sword qi faintly discernible, spreading out in an intangible manner.
Countless fine sword threads entwined with the Chaos Origin Embryo Stone, as if cutting or devouring, causing it to revolve in a special trajectory.
In an instant, a large amount of chaotic energy was absorbed into the body of the Chuxi Sword.
Suddenly, a scene reminiscent of the primordial chaos emerged, and the Chuxi Sword, suspended in mid-air, released a terrifying power, like a divine weapon that had split the heavens and the earth.
"Condense!"
With a sudden shout from Wu Tao, the intact Chaos Origin Embryo Stone began to slowly shatter, breaking into countless fragments.
In a short span, the Chuxi Sword began to ravenously devour these fragments.
Wu Tao himself floated into the air.
Subsequently, a large amount of chaotic blood seeped from these fragments, enveloping Wu Tao entirely.
Abundant vital blood from the ancestor of the primeval giants surged into Wu Tao's body.
As the chaotic vital blood poured in, Wu Tao could clearly sense the pure Buddhist blood within his body emitting roars.
Concurrently, the chaotic blood, as an external entity, seemed to sense something and vibrated intensely, a mysterious aura emanating from it.
It appeared the two types of blood were not on friendly terms, and were even preparing to battle within Wu Tao's body.
Wu Tao naturally could not allow this to happen.
He channeled all his spiritual energy, suppressing the chaotic blood that had entered his body while simultaneously attempting to pacify the existing Buddhist blood within him.
After a day and a night, Wu Tao had temporarily subdued the commotion of these two types of blood.
At this moment, Wu Tao had transformed into a cocoon of blood.
Three days later.
"Hiss!!!"
A golden sword qi of sharp brilliance shot out from the blood cocoon, instantly shattering its shell.
With his black hair flowing in the wind, Wu Tao stood tall, a celestial sword in hand, its sword qi blazing, cleaving the void.
Suddenly, he let out a booming laugh that shook the surroundings.
A vast power surged forth, a power a hundred times stronger than rivers and mountains.
With a thought from Wu Tao, the sharp sword qi hovering around him whistled out, splitting the surging sea of fire in two.
Walking upon the terrestrial fire, Wu Tao's gaze was like a sword, his green robe imbued with sword radiance, even the surrounding air was torn asunder.
Vital blood condensed, and an ancient mark appeared on Wu Tao's brow, solid and exuding an ancient aura.
"That fellow Tuobaye wasn't lying. This Chaos Origin Embryo Stone was indeed formed by the fusion of the blood and chaotic energy of the ancestor of the primeval giants."
"And after absorbing the blood of the ancestor of the primeval giants, my body has gained a portion of the giant bloodline!"
Wu Tao muttered to himself in disbelief.
At this moment, his body seemed to have undergone a seismic shift. He felt that even without relying on the Chuxi Sword, he could shatter the sky with a single punch.
Vast power roared within every drop of his blood, every inch of his sinew and bone, even penetrating into his marrow.
Wu Tao delved his divine sense into his blood and discovered that every drop of his blood had undergone a new transformation.
The giant bloodline, the Buddhist blood, and Wu Tao's own human blood merged, forming a new bloodline.
Stroking the Chuxi Sword, which was connected to his heart and mind, a brilliant light flashed in Wu Tao's eyes.
Through this refinement, Wu Tao's combat power had once again been greatly enhanced!
Having dealt with matters here, Wu Tao began to fiddle with two combined maps.
The two tattered maps, pieced together, accurately marked a location.
That location was the renowned Fengjianjia in the Chu Domain.
Upon obtaining the specific location, Wu Tao first instructed his four disciples before rushing to Fengjianjia.
Ten thousand miles of sand, winds like the wrath of heaven, tornadoes raged, leaving no room for anger, this was how cultivators described Fengjianjia.
The fierce winds, like heavenly wrath, never ceased, whipping up sandstorms and ravaging the land.
Within it, the violent winds were like countless blades; an ordinary person standing there would be torn to shreds in a mere second.