Sword Forged In Chaos

Chaos, boundless chaos, disorder before order, muddle confusion existing beyond the confines of this universe and all universe across the multiverse.

The Chaos Sea was what it was commonly known by. A universal name to describe the chaotic energies that was existence. A literal sea of chaotic energy that had the potential to transform into anything.

Pangu's explanation of the Chaos Sea was one Da Hai already knew both intrinsically as an innate god born at the Golden Immortal realm and also as an inheritor of the Tian Hai's memories.

However, he sat there on his cushion silently being enlightened on the nature of the Chaos Sea. Though inwardly he wondered what was the point.

Pangu spoke at length about various energies found in the Chaos Sea. Rather, he spoke of how all things originate from the same source and are fundamentally the same. They were merely expressed in different ways.

He spoke of various experts manifesting their Dao. How the path of the Dao as essentially emulating the chaos sea. To create the origin of all things.

"Hm? Oh don't give me that look. This is all important details," Pangu said noticing Da Hai's mood.

"You have a pretty good poker face. But I've been alive too long to not notice," Pangu laughed heartily.

"Now, extra details aside. Chaotic sword Qi is as its name implies, chaotic. It's muddled confused energy acting to tear apart its target which is what makes it so dangerous in the first place," Pangu finally explained.

Da Hai nodded along mentally taking notes of this conversation and sorting them away in the recesses of his mind.

"The Dao is defined by the desperation of the origin. From nothing comes something, from something back to nothing, this change separates into five elements to eight trigrams to ten thousand things," Pangu said.

"Chaotic sword Qi is this exact principle. It is a product of my Dao just as pellucid divine water is a product of yours. It is a domineering force aiming to split apart something into more things," Pangu explained.

"All of which is recorded in my Pangu's Nine Revolutions Origin Heaven Splitting Mantra," Pangu said. "I have not spoken about my cultivation mantra to you at all. But with your necessity of chaotic sword Qi, it will be imperative I pass it down to you."

"I take it Hongjun understands this Dao as well?" Da Hai asked.

"Yes, he obtained my Jade Fortune disc which contains my Dao. If you have such an item, it is not that difficult to grasp it," Pangu sighed. "Now quiet down, you want to learn how to make chaotic sword Qi? I'm going to teach you how."

"First draw strength from the chaotic source. The essence of the chaotic sea is a part of all things, we are merely transformations of it. Mould this energy into chaotic sword Qi. The emphasis you must realise first is split…" and so he spoke. For days on end, Pangu talked and talked without stopping.

Teaching someone was not something Pangu did often. He was a warrior, an adventurer, a thrill seeker who more often than not, preferred to punch his way out.

But that did not mean he couldn't explain. Rather, he was quite adept at it.

Powerful cultivators were naturally drawn to each other. No matter how large the chaos sea was, it was quite common for these figures to encounter one another.

In such an event, they would exchange pleasantries. They would speak on length of the Dao and contemplate each other seeking to improve through each other.

In other words, they fight.

A Dao discussion is as much a debate as it was a fight. Each spell, each technique, each minute movement of these great immortals were like essays upon essays on the Dao.

Sometimes this was to the death. Other times they depart on amicable terms. Though if a treasure was involved, especially a very powerful or suitable one, to the death was more often than not the result.

That being said, being a graceful loser was a key component to a successful cultivator of the Dao. If not, how could Pangu have made so many acquaintances and vice versa for all his friends.

Those overly greedy lot while more common were always the first to go. They didn't last long at all, they merely spawned more often.

Pangu's words were complex, even to Da Hai who had a profound cultivation base. It was likened to listening to a lesson conducted in a language you only half understood.

However, the basic gist was messaged across successfully. Da Hai had already begun formulating simulations in his mind.

Within his mindscape, the dual extremities of yin and yang circulated each other. They existed in perfect harmony bleeding into and becoming the other.

Da Hai stood before this circular wheel with his palm raised above his head vertically.

"CUT!"

He slashed down separating the two extremities.

In the real world, a circular sphere mimicking the taijitu appeared before Da Hai. He raised his palm to cut at it.

His palm was like a blade cutting through hot butter. It easily sliced into and through the sphere.

However, this sphere merely merged back together and returned to the perfect state of harmony it was at.

"To create chaotic sword Qi is to figure out the state of disharmony, of disunity. You are not cutting into it, you are forcefully separating it and transforming the one into the two, not two ones," Pangu lectured.

"Aim to break apart that very thing entirely until what remains is fundamentally different from the first," he encouraged.

"Master, chaotic sword Qi destroys all things. Not transform something into something else entirely," Da Hai said in frustration.

"Chaotic sword Qi is this same principle. The transformation is merely based upon one change. Existence to non existence, a blast that erases the point it hits. It is a chaotic gas that simply destroys, no more, no less," Pangu reprimanded.

"Understood master," Da Hai said slightly embarrassed.

The great god of the sea felt extremely weirded out to be in this position. He was not used to being the student and even his inherited memories told him nothing of this experience.

Even the schooling of earth had been quite different from this. He wasn't one among thirty odd boys told to jot down notes within an hour.

Da Hai wisely quieted down and listened carefully reflecting on his mistakes. He began simulating more and more models according to Pangu's instructions.

'Not mere severing, but also annihilation on a conceptual scale,' Da Hai murmured within his mind. His hands motioned into two open palms facing each other.

The image of an illusionary ball of water manifested. It was murky and grey and resembled a ball of smoke more so than water.

Da Hai repeated his act of cutting with his right hand while his left hand held the ball. He remained in this position and concentrated, reviewing the various concepts Pangu lectured on.

He did not bother keeping time nor was he able to as his full concentration was needed.

Greyish smoke emerged from his right palm's edge. Da Hai opened his eyes into slits observing the emerging smoke.

"Cut!"

This time, a different resit emerged. The ball of water was split into two.

However, the point of impact. The point where Da Hai's palm's edge hit, that three centimetre gap was simply gone.

No trace remained, not even the smallest of molecules remained.

"Not bad," Pangu complimented. "But now you should also see that issue with chaotic sword Qi right?"

"Yes master," Da Hai said frowning observing his right hand. The aftermath had left it a mangled mess.

Despite only generating a small bit of the chaotic energy into chaotic sword Qi, the backlash was enormous.

Da Hai's immortal physique was incredibly durable. Chaos worlds, entire universes can explode in his face and nothing would happen to him. Yet this smidgen of smoke reduced the flesh of his hands by a quarter.

"It's too much, too ferocious," Da Hai grunted.

"Indeed, which is why I always channeled it with my axe," Pangu said agreeably.

"And now that axe head is in the hands of Hongjun," Da Hai sighed.

"And Luohu," Pangu said. "Not the axe of course. But all my treasures had a built in function to channel chaotic sword Qi. Luohu's god killing spear was originally the stem of my 36 Petals Chaos Green Lotus after all."

"That's worse," Da Hai said channeling primordial Qi into his palm. He recreated the rest of his palm that way.

"Your body won't last if you use chaotic sword Qi like that. I suggest forging a new treasure for that purpose," Pangu said.

"That was part of the plan in the first place," Da Hai nodded pinching his fingers and performed some divination. "Hm, it's so hard to infer anything about Zulong. Twenty, maybe thirty years? At any rate his coronation should be within the next few decades, no more than a century."

"Hm, now that you mention it, a large chunk of my world's karmic luck has been flowing eastward," Pangu said. If he had a body he would've been stroking his chin. "Your worries are not unfounded, that does seem to be a little too unmanageable."

Meanwhile, Da Hai was planning his next course of action. Gathering materials needed for his next creation would be though. As such he'd dive into his own savings instead.

Da Hai's personal wealth was much higher then regular inhabitants of the primitive world. If he wished to craft a top grade xiantian spiritual treasure like one which he'd need, he'd need to exhaust at least 70% of what he currently owned.

"Hey, what are your plans for dealing with our world situation?" Pangu suddenly asked.

Da Hai perked up in surprise. Then he looked a little unsure looking upwards.

"Don't worry, Heavenly Dao may be the overall governing force of this world but it's not all powerful. It can't penetrate the defences I've set up," Pangu said sounding very curious.

Nodding, Da Hai informed him of the ideas he made.

"Haha, oh it's gonna hate you for this," Pangu laughed. "You really about that?"

"Yes," Da Hai nodded. "Besides, I'm 90% sure this plan will work for the best."

Pangu silently contemplated what Da Hai told him. "Hm, fate really does work in mysterious ways," he mused. "If you manage it, it'll be too funny."

The ancient deity laughed heartily just thinking about it.

"I'm glad you find it amusing master. If there's nothing else, I should go," Da Hai bowed and turned around.

"Wait, wait, there's something else," Pangu called out.

Da Hai paused and turned back around. However, something else was within his sight.

An illusionary jade butterfly floated beside the statue of Pangu. It was extremely beautiful, elegant, yet haunting at the same time. Da hai felt as if he was peering into the embodiment of the Grand Dao.

It was suffocating and terrifying. This butterfly was not like Pangu. Although it too carried the same near death aura as Pangu, it did not bother hiding its power at all. Nothing was restrained, even a near death state did not take away from its presence.

"What is?" Da Hai uttered in surprise. The jade butterfly had appeared out of nowhere. He didn't even get any warnings at all.

"Oh that's right, you've never met. This here is the treasure spirit of my Jade Fortune Disc, Illusionary Butterfly," Pangu introduced.

"Greetings, Illusionary Butterfly," Da Hai greeted. While treasures normally did have a will of their own, they were merely simply instinct. For such a developed intelligence to exist speaks volumes of the Jade Fortune Disc's age and power.

"He's also your uncle master," Pangu said. "This here was my brother in arms a very long time ago. Sadly he perished in combat. However, I managed to salvage what I could and reincarnate him into my Dao artefact."

Dao artefact, those words shook Da Hai to his core. Yet at the same time, it didn't surprise him. Of course Pangu had Dao realm spiritual treasures. Though Pangu himself never reached the Dao realm, it wasn't impossible to forge one with the help of another Dao realm supreme being.

"May I ask what you've need of me?" Da Hai inquired politely.

"Since you're in need of a new treasure, and seeing how you're my one and only disciple and most importantly for telling me that plan of yours. I figured I'd reward you. Don't you agree?" Pangu said towards the butterfly.

The flying insect nodded enthusiastically.

"See, Illusionary Butterfly is about to kick the bucket. He doesn't have the benefits of my heart that I possess. So we figured might as well do something with him so he doesn't fizzle out alone and decrepit," Pangu said.

"You're saying," Da Hai was suddenly taken aback by the implications. It seems luck has not left him yet.

"My Jade Fortune Disc broke as it was never really a defensive nor offensive treasure to begin with. However, it was still a Dao artefact fitted by the original spirit. Hence its pieces remain," Pangu said.

"It actually broke into several fragments but I suspect Hongjun likely claimed them all due to his close proximity to me," Pangu sighed. "The largest of which you're already aware of, the chaos ranked spiritual form of the Jade Fortune Disc. Another was deposited at Kunlun for my inheritors."

"The last piece is right here," Pangu said smiling through his voice.

"But isn't that inheritance for the Wu?" Da Hai frowned feeling very awkward. While he too was tempted, it felt wrong to take something left for someone else. It was incredibly rude and disrespectful in Da Hai's opinion.

"Actually no, you of all people should know why," Pangu sighed. "The twelve is already inheriting this place and my cultivation anyway. They have no use for a spiritual treasure."

"Alright then," Da Hai nodded in understanding. The guilt he felt disappeared. "So where do I retrieve it?"

"Right here," Pangu said. His statue suddenly glowed bright green. It lifted itself into the air hovering in a mass of jade liquid. It flowed towards Da Hai hands.

The Illusionary Butterfly flapped its wings. It disappeared in a haze of green shifting into the mass of Jade liquid.

"I don't know what to say," Da Hai said emotionally looking at the jade substance morphing in his hands. "I can never repay you for this. You've given me more than you were obligated to."

"Meh, I have no use for it. It's a better end for my friend, Illusionary Butterfly can be reborn into a new weapon instead of rotting away here," Pangu said. "Besides, you're the only one who'd even think of visiting me," he sighed.

"Despite all the wrong things you've done. You're a good person Da Hai. That's very rare among those who tread the immortal path," Pangu's spirit appeared in a hazy figure of smoke. He appeared noticeably weaker than before, may even fade earlier than before.

"I don't feel like one. Because of me, your death date has also been shortened," Da Hai said feeling extremely complex. Even the fragment of the Jade Fortune Disc in his hands was somewhat ignored.

"Exactly," Pangu smiled. "Now go, make your sword, axe, saber, knife, or whatever you were gonna make. Don't waste any more time here. You have your own disciple to save."

"Thank you master," Da Hai knelt down and kowtowed nine times to Pangu. "You will never be forgotten."

He raised his hand, the jade liquid floated up in response. It shifted and shifted and morphed. Da Hai grimaced and unleashed the full power of his cultivation base.

A Great Principle Chaos Immortal who'd achieved the knowledge of primal chaos as was Da Hai worked his magic. He refined the liquid before him and began working.

He took advantage of the environment of the Pangu Temple. Of the majestically dense and powerful natural primordial Qi in the area.

His hands burned in spiritual fire as they touched upon the surface of the liquid. He sat down and brought out a cauldron emitting vast chaotic energy.

His high grade xiantian spiritual treasure, the chaos cauldron was used for the smelting. Da Hai clasped his palms and concentrated.

FOOM!

After ten years, the cauldron cracked and the temple shook. Pangu looked curiously at the result as grey smoke arose from within the cauldron.

"Chaotic energies designed to channel chaotic sword Qi," he murmured impressed. He was reminded of his time crafting his natal axe treasure. The sharpness of the head was the same as the blade emerging from the cauldron.

Outside the temple, dark clouds appeared over Mt Buzhou. Mysterious golden light descended from these clouds showering the celestial mountain in waves of supernatural phenomenon.

Da Hai slowly opened his eyes. He reached into his heavily damaged cauldron and grasped a hot smooth handle.

A sword emerged from the cauldron. Incredibly thin yet incredibly strong. Its blade was flat and metallic white in colour.

This sword had no guard and was one piece from blade to pummel. Da Hai observed the blade in his hand which was only 82cm long. Not a very large weapon, but one that was especially vicious due to what was built into it.

"I'll be going now," Da Hai said thanking Pangu one last time.

In an explosion of water, Da Hai rocketed away, disappearing into the distant horizon.

"I wish you luck, you're gonna need it," Pangu's spirit said.