Chapter 1603 — Chapter 1603 Chaotic Essence

After silently staring at Yingzi for several moments, the Sword Head Serpent spoke, "If you value your life, leave behind that meat and get out of my territory!"

Having a territory named after oneself signifies dominion over that area, and entering another's domain without permission typically invites conflict. Should the Sword Head Serpent flee from an unwelcome guest in its own territory, it would risk becoming a laughingstock, vulnerable to attacks from others who might perceive it as weak.

This was why the Sword Head Serpent refused to flee despite its fear of Yingzi. Driven by the need to protect its territory and maintain its pride and honor, it was prepared to face even death rather than show weakness and risk losing the territory that it had ruled for many decades.

In response to the Sword Head Serpent's threat, Yingzi simply glanced at it. Her look alone sent an unfathomable wave of fear coursing through the Sword Head Serpent, paralyzing it with dread.

However, the Sword Head Serpent somehow managed to shake off the fear and moved to strike Yingzi.

Seeing the Sword Head Serpent approach, Yingzi pointed at it with her empty skewer sticks. In the next instant, the serpent froze completely as a massive black spike emerged from the ground—or, more precisely, from its own shadow, impaling its body with lethal precision.

The life in the Sword Head Serpent's eyes vanished instantly, and its lifeless body thudded heavily to the ground, sending a resounding echo through the area.

Yuan was left speechless by how effortlessly Yingzi had disposed of the Sword Head Serpent, which would rival the strength of an Immortal in the Nine Heavens.

'She's much more fearsome than I'd expected…' he swallowed inwardly.

Once she finished all of the skewers, Yingzi said, "Okay, I'll bring you to that individual now. Follow me."

Yingzi suddenly disappeared into thin air.

"Huh?"

Yuan's eyes widened with shock. He wasn't even able to follow her movement, much less follow her in person.

Yingzi returned a few moments later and asked him, "What's wrong? Why aren't you following me?" "Umm… you're too fast for me. I couldn't even see your movements, let alone follow you," he sighed.

"Can you slow down a little?"

"..."

"If we travel at your pace, it'll take centries to reach our destination," she said.

"Centries?! How massive is this place?" Yuan was dumbfounded to hear this.

"Very."

Yuan sighed, "Is there no other way? Asking me to travel at your speed is unreasonable and, quite frankly, impossible." "I can help you, but I want that shiny object you call spirit stone," Yingzi said.

"Deal." Yuan immediately retrieved the biggest and shiniest spirit stone in his possession before handing it to her.

Yingzi played around with the spirit stone for a few minutes before tossing it in inside her shadow.

'The ability to manipulate shadow, huh?' Yuan thought to himself.

"Okay, let's go."

Yingzi suddenly enveloped Yuan with a mysterious energy before bringing him with her. The method she used was similar to using Qi Manipulation to move something or someone. They were moving so fast that Yuan only saw a blurred background as they traveled.

"Yingzi, what's this weird energy you're using? It feels like spiritual energy, but it's clearly not." Yuan asked. "You mean Chaotic Essence? It's what we use to cultivate," she explained.

"There are two types of essence in this world. Chaotic Essence and Pure Essence. There isn't much Pure Essence, but that doesn't matter since we can only cultivate Chaotic Essence."

Yuan wondered if this was the reason why Yu Ning and Xiao Hua claimed they couldn't cultivate properly.

'Pure Essence must be Spiritual Energy. However, this world lacks Spiritual Energy, and humans cannot absorb Chaotic Essence. It's almost like the Nine Heavens but inverted. In that case, Chaotic Essence might be something like impurity for us.'

It didn't take long for Yuan to understand the power sources of Primal Expanse.

"By the way, how long will it take to arrive at our destination now?" he asked a moment later.

"About half a year," she calmly responded.

"Half a year?!" Yuan cried out loud.

He had never anticipated that reaching their destination would take so long. At this rate, he might be stuck in the Primal Expanse for much longer than he had desired. Yet, there was nothing he could do. If it weren't for Yingzi, he might actually be stuck in this world forever. "When the Divine Heaven used to be one world, it would take Immortals hundreds of years to travel around the world without teleports." Yu Ning suddenly recalled.

"At the speed we're currently traveling, I wouldn't be surprised if this little girl already surpasses the fastest flying treasure in existence," she continued.

"Do you know what kind of bloodline she has? She appears to have the ability to manipulate shadows." Yuan asked.

"I know of several bloodlines that can control shadows to a certain extent, and from what I've seen so far, it doesn't rule out any of them. I'll let you know once I lower the candidates."

"Alright. What about Chaotic Essence? Do you know anything similar to that in the Nine Heavens?"

Yu Ning pondered for a moment before responding, "There are several areas in the Divine Heaven where cultivators are unable to cultivate due to the chaotic spiritual energy, such as the Primordial Chaos. I have never been to these places myself, so I cannot confirm firsthand, but according to what I've heard from those who have experienced it, it's similar to what I am experiencing in this world."

'How come I am able to absorb this Chaotic Essence?' he wondered inwardly.

Yuan tried to absorb the spiritual energy there again, and sure enough, his body absorbed everything without any issue.

As for the quality of the energy, it was incomparably better than the Fourth Heaven. 'Half a year, huh… What should I do in the meantime?' Yuan began pondering how he should spend the next half a year.