Four directions and up and down are called *yu*; past and present are called *zhou*.
Cosmos...
This was the original title given to the world by the great powers of antiquity.
However, before antiquity, before the birth of the cosmos, before there were four directions and up and down, before there was past and present, what kind of existence was there?
This was chaos.
Bai Zihe had, countless times, observed within the Wordless Heavenly Book the axe strike of the Great God Pangu as he split the heavens and the earth, cleaving chaos asunder.
He had also, countless times, observed the form of chaos.
But if asked to describe what chaos truly was, what divine marvel it held, he still could not articulate it, could not explain it.
This feeling...
was immensely profound.
He understood, yet did not fully understand.
Bai Zihe could only immerse himself in it, time and time again.
Through a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times of observation, he continuously contemplated, seeking any discovery, any insight.
In fact.
Bai Zihe himself was rather confused about what he was supposed to comprehend from contemplating chaos.
It was just that, regarding chaos...
the little tower could not explain clearly, and Bai Zihe had no one to rely on, so he could only slowly explore on his own.
Time flowed onward.
Bai Zihe spent day after day, year after year within the Haotian Tower.
Of course, given the current time flow within the Haotian Tower,
even a year or more would only be a brief moment in the outside world, having no impact on the grand scheme of things.
Heartless Valley.
The former abode of the Poison Sect.
"Hahaha..."
"I am now a super overlord in the Integration Realm!"
A triumphant voice echoed throughout Heartless Valley, so unrestrained, so wild. It was Liu Qianxun, who had left Suhang City long ago.
"Sister Qianxun..."
"The Integration Realm is still far from enough. I am already close to the Tribulation Realm, hehe..."
Beside her, a little girl also spoke with a smile.
It was Miao Yinuo, who had come to find Liu Qianxun after parting ways with Bai Zihe that day.
The two had been the closest at Tenglong Bay, often playing and interacting together.
Therefore, when Bai Zihe had prepared to take Miao Yinuo to Xuanyuan Palace, Miao Yinuo had refused him and chosen to come find Liu Qianxun instead.
On one hand...
she was naturally free-spirited and mischievous, disliking places like Xuanyuan Palace that would restrict her.
On the other hand...
she and Liu Qianxun, one specializing in poisons and the other in gu, had very similar personalities and could indeed get along well.
"Tch..."
Seeing Miao Yinuo tease her, Liu Qianxun pouted unhappily and said, "Who are you comparing me to, you pervert? Your Heaven-Devouring Earth-Swallowing Gu alone can kill me."
"Alas..."
"Life is hard, Qianxun sells her art for a living..."
Seeing Liu Qianxun pout and sigh, Miao Yinuo couldn't help but smile, winking and saying, "Sister Qianxun, if you were to perform, I wonder how many people would dare to watch?"
"Anytime..."
"A king cobra appears inside someone's clothes."
"Or..."
"A scorpion crawls into someone's pant leg."
"Tsk tsk tsk."
Miao Yinuo smacked her lips, "They'd be scared to death, what kind of performance could you even give?"
Speaking of venomous creatures.
Liu Qianxun suddenly became proud.
She suddenly extended her right hand. On her pure and clean palm, a medium-sized centipede appeared. It was only half the size of her palm. At its tail, it forked into two sections, one white and one black, while its body was seven-colored.
It looked incredibly bizarre.
This was the legendary "Seven-Colored Centipede"!
After Liu Qianxun left Suhang City, she returned to her old haunt and found this creature.
The Seven-Colored Centipede was a highly venomous creature even among cultivators.
A bite from an adult Seven-Colored Centipede, even a cultivator in the Tribulation Realm, would lose a layer of skin. It had been the treasure of the Poison Sect for hundreds of years.
Liu Qianxun had only intended to return to Heartless Valley to see if there was a possibility of reviving the Poison Sect after her strength had greatly increased.
Unexpectedly, she discovered this thing. In her delight, she decided to nurture it as her natal venomous creature, and her own strength advanced by leaps and bounds.
"Hehe..."
Liu Qianxun said proudly, "This little centipede is truly amazing. At such a young age, it possesses such potent venom. When it matures, it will surely make me renowned!"
"How about..."
Miao Yinuo said with a mischievous smile, "Let your little centipede have a go with my little gu worm?"
Liu Qianxun glared at her, utterly speechless.
"Who are you comparing yourself to, you pervert!"
"You're the pervert!"
"..."
The two bickered and laughed as they left Heartless Valley.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Just then, they were blocked by a swarm of poisonous mist.
There were venomous snakes, giant scorpions, large hornets, toads, and spiders. Each one looked vividly colored.
But the only difference was.
These creatures emanated a faint blackness, exuding an eerie aura.
"Hmm?"
The sudden turn of events surprised Liu Qianxun slightly.
She herself was a master of poisons.
Yet now, she was surrounded by so much poisonous mist.
Moreover, several of the largest – the thickest venomous snakes, the most luminous toads – appeared to be no less formidable than her Seven-Colored Centipede.
This was the most terrifying part.
The Seven-Colored Centipede's innate talent and potential were evident.
Yet these ordinary venomous snakes and toads could surpass the Seven-Colored Centipede, which could only mean that the nurturing they had received far surpassed that of the Seven-Colored Centipede.
The strength of the person behind this was truly unimaginable.
Miao Yinuo's expression also turned extremely serious upon seeing the scene before her.
She had been with Liu Qianxun for some time and had encountered many poisonous creatures, but the situation before them seemed dire.
"Sister Qianxun..."
Miao Yinuo moved closer to Liu Qianxun. After all, she was just a young girl of just over eighteen, with an instinctual fear of such things.
"Let me try first."
Liu Qianxun's expression was more solemn than ever before.
"Swish..."
As her words fell, a king cobra slithered out from behind her, one of Liu Qianxun's trump cards, nurtured for many years.
"Hiss..."
"Hiss, hiss hiss..."
Upon appearing, the king cobra flicked its tongue at the front.
But Liu Qianxun saw an unusual trace of fear in its eyes – it was afraid of the poisonous mist before them.
This made Liu Qianxun even more astonished.
"Not good!"
Miao Yinuo had been observing these creatures and quickly discovered the anomaly.
Back when she was with Bai Zihe, she had witnessed the dark and eerie energy, and what it looked like after being infected by it.
After all, she had personally created a Heaven-Devouring Earth-Swallowing Gu that had been infected, and later, out of necessity, had to destroy it before creating the current one.
These creatures before them...
were infected by the darkness!