That entire night, Lin Fan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The information from the Devouring Jade—Ancient God's Eye, a fragment of Primordial Chaotic Qi, capable of purifying and recreating all things to maintain the universe's order and balance—had completely overturned his understanding of the Nine Realms world. It wasn't just an ordinary "game," nor was it a simple battle between good and evil. It was a living entity, a universe seeking equilibrium.
And he, a mere mortal, was the one chosen to hold the key to that balance.
The next morning, Lin Fan awoke feeling unusually refreshed, despite his sleepless night. He felt a strong urge to explore the Devouring Jade's new abilities. Especially [Devouring Eye] and the upgraded [Chaotic Absorption] skill.
He left Cloud Peak City, heading towards the Dark Forest, the place Blood Splendor had indicated harbored Dark Shadow and a significant amount of Chaotic Force. He knew he needed to confront the source of these chaotic energies to truly master the Devouring Jade.
The Dark Forest lived up to its name. The deeper he went, the denser and more bizarre the trees became, sunlight barely piercing through. The atmosphere grew heavy, gloomy, carrying a damp, decaying scent. This was a much more dangerous place than the novice zone. Monsters here were higher level, from 15 to 25, and many possessed special attributes like poison or malevolent qi.
Lin Fan moved cautiously, avoiding large monster packs. He could feel the concentration of Chaotic Force in the air increasing significantly. The Chaotic Force progress bar displayed 0.5% - 1%, even rising to 2% in heavily affected areas.
He decided to test the upgraded [Chaotic Absorption] ability. He found a fallen tree, sat down, and placed the Devouring Jade in his palm. He focused his mind, activating the pendant, allowing it to draw Chaotic Force from the environment.
A cold, chaotic energy began to flow into the Devouring Jade. However, this time, Lin Fan's MP dropped significantly slower than during his test in Cloud Peak City. After only about a minute, his MP had dropped by half, but the Chaotic Force collected bar had increased by 5 units!
"Much more efficient!" Lin Fan mentally cheered. He learned from the experience, only absorbing a sufficient amount before his MP ran out. Still, he knew, MP was still required to activate it. He needed to become even stronger.
He continued deeper into the forest. The further he went, the clearer he felt the presence of Chaotic Force. It was no longer just an abstract concept, but a heavy, oppressive sensation, sometimes even carrying faint illusions of terrifying shapes.
As he approached an area shrouded in a thick black mist, the feeling of Chaotic Force became extremely intense. The display turned red: [Chaotic Force in Area: 10%!]
From within the mist, a growl echoed. A colossal monster, shaped like a bear but covered in sharp thorns and swirling black smoke, slowly lumbered out. Its eyes glowed red, devoid of life, only madness and destruction.
Mutated Monster - Dark Bear (Level 25): A monster controlled by Chaotic Force. Immune to normal spiritual energy damage. Skills: Chaotic Clone, Armor Shatter.
Lin Fan frowned. Level 25! A small boss-level monster, and it was immune to spiritual energy damage. In particular, "Chaotic Clone" sounded very troublesome. He had no intention of fighting it head-on.
He retreated, planning to circle around. But the Dark Bear had already detected him. It roared, stomped its foot, and suddenly, three identical black shadows split from its main body, rushing towards Lin Fan at terrifying speed.
"Damn it!" Lin Fan cursed under his breath. He knew he couldn't escape. This was the time to test [Devouring Eye].
He pulled out the Devouring Jade, holding it at eye level. He channeled all his remaining spiritual energy into the pendant, focusing on the newly activated ability.
Instantly, the Devouring Jade emitted a powerful dark purple light, no longer faint as before. This light not only radiated outwards but also converged, forming a small dark purple eye directly on the pendant's surface. This eye had no pupil or iris, just a swirling vortex of chaotic energy, yet it emitted a terrifying suction force.
As the three Chaotic Clones rushed forward, the dark purple eye on the Devouring Jade suddenly widened, unleashing an incredibly concentrated dark purple beam, like a sharp blade, piercing directly through one of the clones.
There was no explosion or growl. That clone immediately vanished, completely absorbed into the dark purple eye!
A searing pain suddenly overwhelmed Lin Fan, much stronger than before. This time, he felt his head spin, his limbs trembling, as if his soul was being ripped away. Half of his MP had vanished in a single use!
But it worked!
The remaining two clones and the original Dark Bear showed signs of fear. They growled once, then turned and fled, rushing deeper into the black mist and disappearing.
Lin Fan fell to his knees, panting. His eyes were still fixed on the Devouring Jade. The dark purple eye on the pendant's surface had faded, and the light was dimming.
[Devouring Jade]: 1 unit of Chaotic Force essence collected!
A small notification appeared. Lin Fan checked. There was no Chaotic Force progress bar anymore. Instead, a new icon appeared below: a small dark purple crystal, and the number [1/???]. It seemed this was a much more condensed form of energy than ordinary Chaotic Force.
This made Lin Fan realize a shocking truth: Devouring Eye didn't just purify. It could drain the essence of Chaotic Force, even from creatures formed by it! This was the true ability of "decomposition" that Blood Splendor had mentioned. And it was incredibly powerful, but also incredibly dangerous. A slight misstep, and he might be drained dry instead of the monster.
Lin Fan sat down on the ground, hastily swallowing an MP and HP recovery elixir. He needed time to process everything that had just happened.
He had faced a boss-level monster and survived, even absorbing its "essence." This was all thanks to the Devouring Jade. But he also understood the price. Every use of this ability drained him significantly.
When his MP had partially recovered, another notification appeared, this time from Overseer Alpha.
[Private Message] From: [Overseer Alpha]
[Content]: Trial Participant Nameless One. We have noted a significant growth in your ability to interact with Chaotic Force. Remember, the more concentrated the Chaotic Force, the greater the danger. At the same time, what you call 'Chaotic Force essence' is an extremely rare form of energy, containing both destruction and creation. Use it wisely. It is the key for the Ancient God's Eye to fully awaken.