Chapter 545: The First Rain in the Yuan Residence

The Dao Pattern Primordial Stone...

Xu Xiaoshou shot up into the air, landing beside the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone. Due to the Heaven's Mystery Array's seal, not much of the Grand Dao's aura could leak out. While this leaked aura might still offer some enlightenment to people, for his Yuanfu, a small world in itself, it was utterly insufficient for improvement.

"I must break this Heaven's Mystery Array," he declared.

Xu Xiaoshou pressed one hand onto the array. He recalled how, when the stone first appeared, eager individuals had tried to touch it, only to be flung away by the Heaven's Mystery Array. Some were knocked unconscious, others severely injured on the spot. It was clear how terrifyingly powerful the Heaven's Mystery Array was. But outsiders were outsiders; without experiencing its power firsthand, Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't know how to approach it.

"Buzz!"

The moment his palm touched the ethereal wall of the Heaven's Mystery Array, the void's Dao mechanism surged. The next second, "Boom!" A violent tremor erupted. As the air currents surged, Mu Zixi's face below instantly showed concern.

"Whoosh."

After a soft sound, the figure that bounced away was none other than the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone itself. Mu Zixi: "..." Indeed, Xu Xiaoshou was a person who never needed others to worry about him. When he interacted with anything, outsiders should worry about the other party!

"Quite strong," Xu Xiaoshou murmured, flipping his palm. The large bloody gash in his palm had already healed as he raised his hand. Inside his body, the fractured bones and meridians had also been restored to peak condition under the continuous repair of "Everlasting."

"Just a touch could injure a Grandmaster's body. Clearly, breaking the array by force isn't realistic." Xu Xiaoshou pondered. With just this one touch, he could roughly understand the Heaven's Mystery Array's attack strength and form. "It reflects... or rather, it's similar to a 'recoil'." However, it was clear that the recoil from his touch couldn't overcome his own 'resilience'. That's why the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone itself was flung away.

But!

"A forceful breakthrough would likely only cause greater damage. Whether I can withstand it isn't the primary concern; it's whether... if a Berserk Giant's punch shatters the Heaven's Mystery Array and damages the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone along with it, what then?" Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his chin, very conflicted. So difficult... Others might worry about whether their attack strength was sufficient. Xu Xiaoshou's main concern was how high the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone's defense would be once it lost the protection of the Heaven's Mystery Array. If it were just an ordinary stone, then even if he broke the array, it would be useless. If it couldn't withstand the impact and shattered, wouldn't all his efforts be in vain?

"I'll use 'Textile Mastery' to unravel it!" Thinking this, Xu Xiaoshou's spiritual sense enveloped the Heaven's Mystery Array. But before he could perceive its full scope, his tempered spiritual sense hissed and turned to ash upon contact.

"Uh."

"Can it block spiritual sense too?" This made Xu Xiaoshou's head ache. Without Yu Zhiwen, he, a half-baked Heaven's Mystery Diviner, felt utterly lost on how to approach this array.

"Damn it..." Without spiritual sense, Xu Xiaoshou began to perceive the Heaven's Mystery Array's existence with his bare eyes. With Yu Zhiwen's previous insights, he quickly saw the intricate and complex Heaven's Mystery Dao patterns within it. But he was completely bewildered! The heavily nested Heaven's Mystery Array was like several large balls of hemp thread accidentally dropped on the ground. Xu Xiaoshou couldn't even discern how many layers of spiritual array nesting structures there were, let alone unravel it.

"This isn't a Heaven's Mystery Array that 'Textile Mastery' can currently unravel." Xu Xiaoshou was disappointed. 'Textile Mastery' was only at Grandmaster Lv.1. As expected, to even touch the level of a Heaven's Mystery Array, he would need to raise it several more levels. But due to cultivation limitations, achieving Grandmaster level for a passive skill was already his current limit. Going higher was simply impossible!

"What to do..." Xu Xiaoshou hesitated in mid-air. With a whoosh, Mu Zixi zipped to her senior brother's side.

"How is it? Can you unravel it?"

"No."

"Then smash it open?" she suggested, stating Xu Xiaoshou's usual approach.

"I dare not."

"Then what other way is there?" Mu Zixi was conflicted.

"I don't know."

Mu Zixi: "..."

She pointed casually at the "Heavenly Pivot Disc" and asked, "Can this thing unravel it?" Xu Xiaoshou turned to look, his eyes lighting up, but quickly dimming. "Theoretically, yes, but I probably can't do it yet."

"I see..." Mu Zixi's mind raced, and she spoke again, "Isn't this your Yuanfu small world? Shouldn't you be able to handle it with a glance?"

"Theoretically, that's true." Xu Xiaoshou's head began to throb. "But I've tried, it's useless. The power of the White Cave's small world rules is far superior to the current incomplete rule level of my Yuanfu, so it's ineffective."

"Hmm." Mu Zixi nodded, as if understanding something.

She looked around, her gaze suddenly falling on Xu Xiaoji. "Wh-what?" Xu Xiaoji was startled. "I don't know anything; I'm useless."

"Not you." Mu Zixi waved her hand, pointing to the chaotic mist behind him, a spark of brilliance in her large eyes. "Xu Xiaoshou, wear it down!"

"Isn't this chaotic mist very powerful? Use it to dissolve the Heaven's Mystery Array. Once the array is weakened, you can then take out the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone. Won't that work?"

"Huh?" Xu Xiaoshou had an epiphany. He cupped his junior sister's cheeks, exclaiming in surprise, "When did you get so smart?"

"Hehe." Mu Zixi's little face was squished out of shape, making her words unclear, but she put her hands on her hips proudly, "I've always been this smart..."

"Boom!"

With a punch, Xu Xiaoshou sent the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone into the chaotic mist. "Sizzle sizzle sizzle—" The next second, the Heaven's Mystery Array and the chaotic mist seemed to undergo a violent chemical reaction, emitting sizzling sounds. "Bang bang bang..." Explosions continuously erupted from within the chaotic mist. The air currents instantly bloated and rolled violently.

Xu Xiaoji watched, feeling frantic. That great demon king is at it again! The Yuanfu, normally peaceful, would always be subjected to some destruction whenever Xu Xiaoshou appeared. If it didn't stay far away this time, it really didn't know what it would be blown into. Stealthily, it transformed into an inconspicuous pebble, slowly shifting away in the opposite direction from the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—" Xu Xiaoshou closely monitored the Heaven's Mystery Array's movements. It was clear that even the most formidable existence, once inside the chaotic mist, couldn't avoid corrosion. But then again, one side was a terrifying existence born only at the dawn of creation, while the other was merely a defensive Heaven's Mystery Array formed by heaven and earth to protect a spiritual treasure. Which was stronger or weaker was evident at a glance.

However, the Heaven's Mystery Array's defensive strength was quite high after all. At this rate, even if it could eventually be corroded away, it would probably take at least ten days to half a month. Time in the White Cave was precious. Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't waste it guarding the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone.

"Condense for me!" With a thought, the rule power of the Yuanfu's small space was mobilized. Instantly, the chaotic mist began to flow, converging towards the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone. "Bang bang bang!" The explosions became more violent. It was clear that as the chaotic mist's concentration increased, the Heaven's Mystery Array's dissolution rate also grew linearly. Just by observing, Xu Xiaoshou could perceive that its Dao foundation was becoming unstable and its Dao patterns were dissolving.

"Be careful," Xu Xiaoshou quietly warned his junior sister beside him. When he turned his head, Mu Zixi was nowhere to be seen. "Hmm, where did she go?" He turned around and saw his junior sister had, at some point, run to the opposite side of the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone, where she had set up a wood-element barrier. Thick, sturdy layers of tree stumps enveloped her, clearly prepared meticulously for a big explosion. Outside the barrier, a moving pebble was repeatedly launching futile attacks, trying to squeeze into the wooden stump barrier for refuge.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

He shifted slightly backward. After thinking, he also pulled out a spiritual shield from the Queen's Throne of the Zhang Mansion from his ring and set it up. "A-Bing, A-Huo, come in front of me."

"Yes, just like that. Just block with your feet; no need to move. There's no space for you to walk around in the Yuanfu."

"Good, keep it like that." Xu Xiaoshou said, then pulled out another black stone and threw it to the ground.

"Mama..." As soon as A-Jie appeared, it curiously cast its gaze towards the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone.

"Boom boom boom!"

A quarter of an hour later, the explosions clearly intensified. The chaotic mist splattered everywhere, dissolving deep pits into the Yuanfu's ground. Xu Xiaoshou sat within A-Huo's eye socket, with A-Jie in front of him. He constantly monitored the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone's movements.

"Almost done." The chaotic mist was too strong. The Heaven's Mystery Array, which no one could touch, had been corroded beyond recognition during this period. Xu Xiaoshou could clearly see the remaining nested structures. "There are basically no nested structures left. At this rate, the Heaven's Mystery Array will completely disintegrate in less than an incense stick's time. Will the chaotic mist harm the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone then...?" Xu Xiaoshou wondered.

Just then, the Heaven's Mystery Array, unable to sustain itself any longer, seemed to make a final counterattack, expanding all at once. Xu Xiaoshou's heart immediately clenched. As expected.

"Rumble!"

The next second, a thunderous roar echoed, directly blasting open a black void within the chaotic mist. Xu Xiaoshou was about to pull back, but he saw the terrifying suction in the spatial debris flow, threatening to drag the now-visible Dao Pattern Primordial Stone into it in an instant.

"Oh no!"

"Mama..." Before he could rush out, a flash of light and shadow in front of him revealed A-Jie, which had already turned around. It spread its small palm, and a small, glistening white skeleton appeared in its hand.

"The Dao Pattern Primordial Stone?" Xu Xiaoshou was pleasantly surprised. When did A-Jie become so intelligent? He hadn't even given it a command, yet it had already learned to analyze and retrieve the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone?

"Smart!" Xu Xiaoshou stroked A-Jie's smooth head and took the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone. As he took it, the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone, which had been a white skeleton wrapped in spiritual patterns, began to transform. With slow wriggling and shifting, it transformed into Xu Xiaoshou's appearance. Naked and lifelike!

The next second, the "little Xu Xiaoshou" slowly ascended into the air. "Buzz!" Upon reaching a certain height, it stood in opposition to the Life Spiritual Seal. After a crisp sound, it seemed to completely embed itself within this space. "Click click." A new Heaven's Mystery Array began to form on its own. Layer upon layer of nested spiritual arrays were born, locking it tightly and finally fixing it in the firmament.

"Whoosh!"

Once the Heaven's Mystery Array was fully formed, a stream of light shot out from above the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone, transforming into colorful starlight that scattered among the surrounding chaotic mist. "Rumble rumble rumble..." As the starlight touched the mist, the mist dissolved. Then, rumbling sounds approached, and the land began to extend outward. The speed was astonishing, expanding by several times over in an instant. Not only that, various landforms began to appear. At first, it was just flat ground. Later, small hills and muddy areas appeared one after another. Then small rolling hills, small basins, small swamps...

"Junior Sister!" Xu Xiaoshou immediately shouted. How could he not let his junior sister witness such a magnificent spectacle of a world being born?

"Xu Xiaoshou, this is..." Mu Zixi poked her head out of the wooden stump barrier and was immediately stunned. As far as the eye could see, the Yuanfu space had completely transformed. Not only had the space expanded to dozens of miles, but the various landforms were practically a living, miniature version of the real world!

"The Heaven's Mystery Array, successfully breached?" Xu Xiaoshou glanced back at her. If it wasn't successfully breached, how could such changes occur? Neither spoke further.

At this point, the speed of land expansion began to slow down. But new changes appeared again. The Dao Pattern Primordial Stone once again emitted a ray of light. This light didn't shoot into the sky but spread out in circular ripples from its center. In an instant, it affected the entire Yuanfu space.

"Elements?" Xu Xiaoshou's "Perception" sharply caught the numerous ice and fire element light particles that had appeared in the air. Not only that, he could also sense that elements of various other systems had instantly multiplied. He turned his head. Sure enough. His junior sister, bathed in life energy and rich wood elements, had her twin ponytails perked up, her face filled with contentment.

"Spiritual energy has appeared!" Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed. The Yuanfu had spiritual energy before, but it was almost unusable for cultivation. That meager spiritual energy was absorbed by the Yuanfu from the outside world. Xu Xiaoshou cultivating here... rather than cultivating, it was more like absorbing the life spiritual energy from the "Life Spiritual Seal." Because at that time, the Yuanfu only possessed life attributes. But now, after the Grand Dao rules were perfected, with the first ray of light emitted by the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone, the Yuanfu world could finally become self-sufficient.

"A world embryo has appeared." Xu Xiaoshou looked at the Yuanfu, which had returned to quiet, his heart filled with excitement. Although the newly appeared land was still very barren, it had land, could cultivate, and even possessed the most important life attribute. The rest was just a matter of slow nurturing, wasn't it?

"Xu Xiaoshou, it's so big..." Mu Zixi flew over, her mouth agape in an "O" shape from astonishment. The current Yuanfu space was almost more than double the size of the previous Spiritual Melt Marsh. The "one-fold" Xu Xiaoshou had mentioned earlier was a vast understatement. It was even more than a hundredfold! And the previously worried problem of A-Bing and A-Huo's movement was now no problem at all. These two giants could even wrestle, roll around, and bounce here... All perfectly fine!

"Yes, it's a bit big, but it still feels like something is missing..." Xu Xiaoshou looked at the landscape before him, feeling it wasn't quite perfect.

"Hmm?" Mu Zixi's large eyes spun, and she had an idea. She clapped her hands. "Little trees, rise!" *Crackling sounds.* A multitude of saplings shot up from the ground, growing wildly under the nourishment of life energy and Mu Zixi's manipulation. In an instant, a vast area in front of them turned green.

"Xu Xiaoshou, isn't this better?" Mu Zixi clapped her small hands, then turned her head to Xu Xiaoshou as if seeking praise. Xu Xiaoshou looked at the expanse of green before him, momentarily at a loss for words. So, the thing the Yuanfu was missing... was green?

"Not enough?" Mu Zixi saw Xu Xiaoshou staring blankly and not speaking, and her face wrinkled. "If it's not enough, then more!" She faced another direction and pounded the ground. Instantly, weeds grew wildly on the barren land. This time it wasn't a forest, but a grassland, requiring many times less effort. In less than a few breaths, Mu Zixi had almost greened half of the Yuanfu.

Xu Xiaoshou's heart fluttered in alarm at the overwhelming green. He immediately scooped the girl up from the ground, holding her by the waist. "Enough, enough! It's green enough, no need to continue..."

"Not enough, not enough!" Mu Zixi's eyes shone with excitement at the sight of green. How could she not fill her own land before her? "Xu Xiaoshou, just you wait, I'll plant you another patch of lush green..."

"Shut up!" Xu Xiaoshou impatiently covered the girl's unrestrained mouth. Immediately, the little girl started punching and kicking. "Xu Xiaoshou, let me go!" How could Xu Xiaoshou let her have her way? With a wave of his hand, he marked out a piece of land in the Yuanfu space near the "Life Spiritual Seal," and then planted the spiritual herbs from the Queen's Throne that remained after the previous explosion.

"What else should I do?" Xu Xiaoshou felt that with the Yuanfu's rebirth, he had a lot to do, and this would take a lot of time away from the White Cave, forcing him to focus on its transformation here. It had to be said, this idea was actually very good; he could also avoid all risks in the White Cave. But looking at the empty expanse before him, for a moment, he didn't know where to begin.

"Pitter-patter..."

Suddenly, water elements gathered in the sky, and a fine drizzle began to fall. Feeling the coolness on his head and the back of his hands, Xu Xiaoshou looked up in surprise. The Yuanfu sky was no longer a void. Blue sky and dark clouds, now so vivid.

"Xu Xiaoshou, it's raining..." Mu Zixi also stopped struggling, turning her head with difficulty to stare blankly at the first rain in the Yuanfu.

"Yes, it's raining," Xu Xiaoshou murmured softly. His impression of rain on the Holy Divine Continent wasn't very good. He remembered clearly that during his time in the Tiansang Spiritual Palace, in the first rain, he had encountered assassins Feng Kong and Shao Yi, and almost lost his life. And later, every rainy night seemed to bring him misfortune. But this first rain in the Yuanfu completely extinguished the anxiety in his heart. A Saint's scheme, the appearance of the Four Swords, the transformation of the Yuanfu space... Why rush? Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt relieved. What's destined to come will come. Instead of constantly hiding, trying to deceive himself with other things to achieve that unspeakable self-deceptive goal, it was better to simply face it directly!

"Whoosh!" The sound of wind swept past, causing ripples in their dry clothes. Mu Zixi paused, then exclaimed in surprise, "Xu Xiaoshou, wind! It's wind! The Yuanfu has wind! It's finally not just air currents from explosions anymore! Oh yeah!" Hearing her joyous voice, Xu Xiaoshou's state of mind seemed to ripple along with the raindrops. In his "Perception," Xu Xiaoji had secretly transformed, holding out its hands as if cupping something. At the junction of its palms, a dripping sound also emerged.

"Roar!" The Ash-Burning White Skeleton irritably tore at the rainwater on its body. It hated this cold feeling.

"Mama..." A-Jie slowly stepped out, pacing past A-Huo, and walked towards Xu Xiaoshou.

"Hoo hoo, hoo hoo~" A-Huo's Chaotic Cloak Fist combined with dance steps, turning into a bon-rain dance.

"Hoo..." A-Bing tilted its head back, calling softly. As soon as raindrops fell within ten zhang of its body, they instantly turned into ice pellets. The ground shimmered, and on the ice layer, crisp tapping sounds fell.

"Junior Sister." Xu Xiaoshou tugged on Mu Zixi's wet twin ponytails, flipping her over in his hands.

"Hm?" The junior sister turned her head away, pulling her twin ponytails back with a frown. "Xu Xiaoshou, can you put me down first before talking?"

Cursed, Passive Point, +1.

"Want to go out for a walk?" Xu Xiaoshou put Mu Zixi down and looked towards the distant void.

"Where to?" Mu Zixi keenly sensed that her senior brother's mood was off. A strange feeling... She didn't fool around anymore. Instead, she looked at the lush green grassland behind her and said, "Or should I take it back?"

"Heh." Xu Xiaoshou was amused. "No need, the green is very good. The Yuanfu just lacked this." Hearing this, the little girl's smile immediately bloomed again, her two small canine teeth shining brightly.

"So, where are we going?" She stepped forward and hooked her arm through her senior brother's, blinking her large eyes. "Hmm, actually, anywhere is fine..."

"Outside." Xu Xiaoshou pointed to the distant sky, and the interdimensional spatial rift at the end of the White Cave map appeared in his mind. "The White Cave, the Four Swords, and those other places, we can all go take a look."

"The Four Swords?" Mu Zixi was startled. "Xu Xiaoshou, didn't you say you didn't want the 'Four Swords' anymore?"

"I did, before." Xu Xiaoshou replied with a smile, his gaze piercing through the void, as if he saw those beautiful starry eyes once more. "But now, I suddenly feel that if the 'Four Swords' fall into the hands of the Holy Divine Temple, it might, perhaps, be a bad thing."

"Hmm?" Mu Zixi didn't understand how this "best outcome" could be considered a bad thing, but she only asked, "But your 'Black Fallen Scabbard'..."

"I gave it away."

"You did," Mu Zixi blinked her innocent large eyes and nodded her head.

Cursed, Passive Point, +1.

Xu Xiaoshou said nothing more. With a wave of his hand, a spatial vortex appeared. In the distance, Xu Xiaoji's eyes immediately showed envy. Imprisoned in the Yuanfu for so long, how could it not yearn for freedom? But compared to freedom, Xu Xiaoji felt that asking that great demon king would not only yield no positive answer but also ruin its future. Stowaway! It definitely had to find a time to completely escape this Yuanfu space. Otherwise, as the Dao Pattern Primordial Stone settled here and the space became more stable, it would absolutely have no chance of escape.

"Then let's go!" Mu Zixi joyfully stepped into the spatial vortex. As long as she was with Xu Xiaoshou, anywhere was fine.

Xu Xiaoshou took half a step out, but suddenly turned his head to look at Xu Xiaoji. "Together?"

"Together?" Xu Xiaoji pointed to itself in surprise, "Me?"

"Who else but you?"

"No, no..." Xu Xiaoji thought to itself that this must be a conspiracy of the great demon king. But the desire for freedom urged its feet to slowly move.

"Hurry up," Xu Xiaoshou urged. Xu Xiaoji's body trembled, and it transformed into a pebble, leaping into Xu Xiaoshou's embrace at light speed.

"A-Jie."

"Mama..." Holding A-Jie's original stone in his hand, Xu Xiaoshou's lips curled into a smile, and he finally stepped into the spatial vortex.

One step.

The Qi Sea surged, and spiritual waves washed over the rain. Upper Spirit Realm! This Upper Spirit was the Upper Spirit of a world reborn!