"Prove thy worth." The residual will of the Annihilation Dao Venerable was like ice that had endured through eternity, utterly devoid of ripples. As its words fell, the scene around Li Wuyang instantly changed.
He was no longer within that bizarre world inside the coffin. Instead, he stood in an absolute, ultimate void where even the concept of "nothingness" had lost all meaning. There was no light, no darkness, no matter, no energy, no space, no time. Even his awareness of "self" began to blur and dissipate. This was an end more thorough than death, the ultimate form pursued by the Annihilation Great Dao—Absolute Annihilation.
Within this void, Li Wuyang felt his physical body, soul, Dao foundation, and even all his memories, emotions, and obsessions irreversibly breaking down and fading away. The Chaos Dao Origin and Annihilation Sword Intent he had cultivated also lost their meaning before this absolute "nothing," melting away like ice and snow. His oath to protect Xuan Nü, his pursuit of power, his desire for truth—everything became pale and powerless, about to return to eternal silence.
This was the ultimate test of one's Dao heart and the meaning of existence! Before absolute finality, was all perseverance merely an illusion?
"Annihilation... is eternity... Let go... become one..." A cold intent echoed through the "void," brimming with fatal temptation. If he abandoned resistance and relinquished himself, he could merge with this ultimate silence and attain another form of "eternity."
Li Wuyang's consciousness was like a guttering candle in the wind, swaying on the verge of extinction. The faces of Qingwei and the others, Xuan Nü's sleeping visage, the Cult of Rebirth's conspiracy, the turbulence of the starry sea... image after image flashed through his fading consciousness before shattering like bubbles.
"Is this... the end?" A thought emerged, carrying