The nascent cracks on the Chaos Treasure Box were now allowing water from the Purifying Pool to seep into it. This discovery filled Bai Zihe with both surprise and joy. The fact that the pool water could enter meant there was a possibility—the possibility of opening the Chaos Treasure Box.
"Sizzle..."
"Sizzle sizzle..."
The pool water continued to seep in.
"Buzz..."
Suddenly, the Chaos Treasure Box erupted in a brilliant golden light, momentarily blinding Bai Zihe, even though he was at the Great Perfection stage of Tribulation Crossing. The brilliance far surpassed that of the sun.
"Huh?"
Before Bai Zihe could react, the Chaos Treasure Box underwent another transformation. It began to emanate a scene of vibrant spring and lush greenery. Countless grasses, trees, and vines twined and coiled around it. This left Bai Zihe utterly bewildered.
Just as he was about to investigate further, the Chaos Treasure Box changed once more.
"Hiss..."
At this moment, the Chaos Treasure Box felt as frigid as millennia-old ice, an extreme cold that, after Bai Zihe's familiarity with the Weak Water, was unlike anything he had experienced. It felt as though his very soul was being frozen, a terrifying sensation.
However, the feeling was as fleeting as it was intense.
"Splash..."
The next moment, the Chaos Treasure Box turned a fiery red, resembling a piece of iron scorched in a blaze for three days and nights, or perhaps magma from a millennia-old volcano. A scorching heat radiated from it, making Bai Zihe feel as if his hands were about to melt.
"Buzz..."
Just as Bai Zihe could barely endure the heat and felt an urge to throw the Chaos Treasure Box away, another change occurred. The Chaos Treasure Box became a deep earthy yellow, exuding an immense weight. It felt as if Bai Zihe wasn't holding an ordinary box, but an entire mountain range or a vast, boundless ocean.
Gold, wood, water, fire, earth!
It had cycled through them in that order.
"Is it finished now?" Bai Zihe wondered, leaning closer.
But in the next instant...
"Buzz!"
A profound and mystical sensation suddenly emerged. Bai Zihe realized that while his thoughts were still active, his entire body, and even the small world around him, seemed to have frozen in time. The rising heat... the rippling pool water... were all suspended before him, displaying a series of anti-physical and anti-gravitational phenomena that were simply astonishing.
"Crack!"
This sensation of time being temporarily suspended did not last long either. The next moment, a rather peculiar feeling washed over him. Bai Zihe found that even though he still held the Chaos Treasure Box, he felt as if he were separated by a thousand mountains and ten thousand waves. He could see it, but could not touch it, as if it were no longer in the same universe. This was a sense of space!
This sensation, too, was short-lived. After only a few seconds, everything gradually returned to normal.
"Huh?"
Bai Zihe looked down at his hand, stunned. The Chaos Treasure Box lay quietly in his palm, devoid of the colors of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, and free from the temporal or spatial anomalies. It was as if it had all been a dream, that nothing had happened.
"No!"
"This is no dream!" Bai Zihe stared intently at the Chaos Treasure Box. He could feel that the object in his hand was significantly heavier than before, a direct result of what had just occurred.
"What in the world is going on?" Bai Zihe, unable to comprehend it, began to examine the Chaos Treasure Box closely.
"Splash..."
Next, the water that had seeped into the cracks on the Chaos Treasure Box began to flow out. However, there was a difference. The pool water itself was milky white and not entirely clear. But the water flowing out was as pure as distilled water, utterly devoid of any impurities. As this water flowed out, the weight of the Chaos Treasure Box also decreased considerably, returning to a weight similar to before.
"This..." Bai Zihe was utterly perplexed. What had happened when these pool waters had permeated the Chaos Treasure Box?
"Buzz..."
At that moment, Bai Zihe instinctively circulated his true essence to probe the interior of the Chaos Treasure Box. To his astonishment, he froze. Previously, it had been impossible to probe the Chaos Treasure Box with true essence; any attempt to circulate even a small amount would be repelled. But now... his true essence could breach one layer. However, after penetrating a certain depth, it was blocked from proceeding further. This filled Bai Zihe with joy, as it represented significant progress.
"Continue!" Bai Zihe narrowed his eyes and sat cross-legged in the pool water, his entire body submerged and floating within it. He speculated that the pool water had purified him and the Chaos Treasure Box, bringing his true essence closer to the power required to open the box, which explained the preceding events. If he continued this purification, there would be even greater possibilities.
"Chaos Treasure Box..." At this moment, the little pagoda suddenly spoke, reminding him, "Bai Zihe, as long as you can completely merge the five elements, and then incorporate the spatial-temporal power that the box just displayed, you should be able to open it."
Spatial-temporal power! Bai Zihe's body trembled slightly. That made sense. The Chaos Treasure Box had indeed shown him the path—after the five elements, came spatial-temporal power! However, time and space had always been subjects that scientists pondered but could never truly grasp. In the cultivation world, cultivators also knew very little about time and space. To Bai Zihe's recollection, he didn't know of anyone who could exhibit even a sliver of temporal or spatial power.
Therefore, Bai Zihe inquired, "Little Pagoda, how does one comprehend time and space?"
"This..." The little pagoda fell silent. "Spatial-temporal power is the most potent force in heaven and earth. Even my former master, a being of semi-saint level, only grasped a superficial understanding. He was able to touch upon it only after a fortuitous encounter in an ancient forbidden land. It was precisely because of that encounter that he was able to truly rise. Alas... that forbidden land has long since vanished into the river of time, making it impossible to enter again."
Bai Zihe felt speechless. It was as good as saying nothing! However, the little pagoda's words did point him in a direction. Above the five elements lay spatial-temporal power, and merging the five elements with space-time would likely result in the legendary chaotic power. This made some sense. But to achieve it... comprehending either time or space seemed no less challenging than understanding chaos. It was difficult. Impossibly difficult.