The clash between the sword's edge and the dark shield stirred up a silent storm in the void.
The purplish-gold " Power of Existence " and the inky black " Law of Return to Quiescence Silence" annihilated each other, leaving space in a bizarre "superposition state"—both existing and not existing, both bright and dark. The cultivators of the heavens watched in terror, forgetting even to breathe, for this contest had transcended their understanding of "power," touching upon the most fundamental "being" and "non-being" of the universe.
"Click."
A barely audible crack broke the silence. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tiny crack appear on the dark shield that the Lord of Return to Stillness had conjured!
A purple-gold light shone through the crack, a sign that the " Power of Existence " had penetrated the defense.
For the first time, the Lord of Return to Stillness in the center showed a noticeable fluctuation, and the star fragments that made up its body trembled violently. "Impossible... How can an unbalanced being shake the Law of Return to Quiescence?"
"Because 'existence' itself is more resilient than 'nothingness.'" Xiao Yan's voice was breathless; maintaining this sword strike had almost exhausted his life force, but the light in his eyes burned ever brighter. "You can erase memories, but you can't erase the fact that 'it once existed'; you can return to the singularity, but you can't stop the universe's will to be 'reborn' time and time again!"
He abruptly activated the Heart of the Flame Realm, and the golden light of the three Seed of Creation and the Memory Core completely merged and poured into the Heaven Burning Sword. The sword's light surged, and the purple-gold radiance, like a giant dragon awakening, rushed wildly into the sword through the cracks in the shield!
"Roar--!"
The Lord of Return to Stillness let out a non-human roar. This roar was not a sound, but a " Return to Silence shockwave" that directly affected the soul. Many cultivators with weaker cultivation levels instantly fell into a coma, and the light of their Memory Core flickered violently, as if they were about to collapse at any moment.
But Xiao Yan did not back down. He recalled the look in the eyes of the Memory Star People before he disappeared, the flames of the Blazing Sun burning itself, and A Yao's stubbornness in holding the Samsara Flower King. These memories transformed into countless tiny threads of light, winding around the sword's edge, making the " Power of Existence " even more condensed.
"Break!"
With a roar, the dark shield shattered! The purple-gold sword light, unstoppable, struck the body of the Lord of Return to Stillness in the center. The starlight fragments that made up the body melted away instantly, like ice and snow thrown into a furnace, revealing a pulsating black core within—a core even deeper than absolute emptiness, radiating the " Return to Silence Origin " that even the Seed of Creation felt tremble.
" The Return to Stillness Core..." Xiao Yan's pupils shrank sharply. This was the true form of the Lord of Return to Stillness, a condensed source of "absolute nothingness before the birth of the universe".
Seeing this, the other two Lord of Return to Stillness attacked simultaneously. The dark light mist surged in like a tsunami, its target Xiao Yan, clearly intending to completely eliminate him when he was exhausted.
"Don't even think about hurting him!" Qing He roared and stood in front of Xiao Yan. Although the reforged longsword had blanks, it burst out with an unprecedented sword intent—the sword intent of "remembering all sacrifices." Countless fragments of cultivators' memories flowed on the sword, and it actually blocked the impact of the light mist.
A Yao also exerted all her strength, injecting the power of the Samsara Flower King into the Memory Core. The Flower King bloomed with its last light, and the memory fragments on its petals fell like stars, forming a "memory barrier" around Xiao Yan, temporarily disabling the "erasure" ability of the Lord of Return to Stillness.
" Brother Xiao Yan, hurry!" A Yao's voice was choked with sobs; she could feel the Flower King's life rapidly slipping away.
Xiao Yan did not hesitate. He knew this was his only chance. He injected the last bit of his original essence blood into the Heaven Burning Sword. The purple-gold light on the sword resonated violently with the black essence of the Return to Stillness Core, and even began to "transform" into each other - the gold revealed the black color, and the black color revealed the gold light, forming a strange and dangerous balance.
"Using existence as the guide, and memory as the chain, bind them!"
With a low shout, the sword light ceased its strike and transformed into countless purple-gold chains, tightly binding the Return to Stillness Core. Fragments of memory from the chains surged wildly into the core, attempting to corrupt that absolute nothingness with the "mark of existence."
The Return to Stillness Core pulsated violently, unleashing a terrifying suction force that attempted to devour the chains along with Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan's body began to turn transparent, and his memories became blurred—he was being eroded in reverse by the " Power of Return to Quiescence " of the core.
"Remember me!" He shouted his last words towards the heavens, then channeled all his power and plunged the Heaven Burning Sword fiercely into the Return to Stillness Core!
"Boom--!"
This time, it was no longer a silent collision. The purple-gold " Power of Existence " and the black " Return to Silence Origin " exploded inside the core, forming an energy pillar that pierced through the starry sky. Within the energy pillar, countless fragments of memory and fragments of starry sky annihilated and were reborn from each other, as if reenacting the birth and end of the universe.
The three figures of the Lord of Return to Stillness twisted in agony within the energy pillar, the star fragments that made up their bodies constantly disintegrating. Clearly, the damage to the Return to Stillness Core had also severely injured them.
As the light faded, a massive crack appeared on the Return to Stillness Core, within which flowed a purplish-gold light—an indelible mark left by the " Power of Existence." The three figures of the Lord of Return to Stillness became extremely faint. They gave Xiao Yan a venomous "look" before transforming into three streams of dark light, disappearing into the absolute blank area.
As the light faded, Xiao Yan fell from the sky like a kite with a broken string.
" Brother Xiao Yan!" A Yao cried out as she rushed forward and caught his almost transparent body. His breath was extremely weak, and his flesh was becoming transparent, even the light of the Heart of the Flame Realm was dimmed to the point of being almost invisible.
"He... he's about to be wiped out by the Power of Return to Quiescence!" Qing He's voice trembled as she reached out to touch Xiao Yan's arm, only to find nothing but emptiness.
Just then, the Memory Core suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light. Within the core, countless fragments of memories surged out like a tide and merged into Xiao Yan's body—the memories of all living beings in the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, including laughter, tears, battles, and protection. Each fragment carried the warmth of "existence," resisting the coldness of " Return to Silence."
The primordial memories left behind by the Memory Star People also lit up within the core, transforming into a purple ribbon that wrapped around Xiao Yan's soul, preserving the last vestige of his "foundation of existence."
Xiao Yan's body was no longer transparent, and his breathing gradually stabilized, but he was still unconscious, his face as pale as paper, the Heaven Burning Sword fell to the ground, and the purple-gold light on the sword's body dimmed.
The absolute blank area stopped expanding, but the black "wound" still floated in the starry sky. In the crack of the Return to Stillness Core, the purple-gold light and the black origin were still slowly competing, neither able to completely suppress the other.
Qing He picked up the Heaven Burning Sword; the cracks on its blade seemed to reflect the wounds in Return to Stillness Core. She gripped the sword tightly, looked at the absolute emptiness, and a resolute light flashed in her eyes.
Holding the unconscious Xiao Yan, A Yao placed the last petal of the Samsara Flower King on his chest. The petal merged into his body, leaving a faint pattern—the mark of his "existence."
The cultivators of the heavens silently cleaned up the battlefield, treated the wounded, and reinforced defenses. No one cheered, for they knew that the Lord of Return to Stillness had only temporarily retreated, and the Return to Stillness Core, bearing purple-gold cracks, remained a sword hanging over the heads of the heavens.
But in their eyes, there was a newfound determination.
Because they witnessed firsthand that the power of "existence" can truly shake the law of " Return to Silence ".
Unaware that Xiao Yan was unconscious, within his Heart of the Flame Realm, the three Seed of Creation were slowly merging with the fragments of the Memory Core and the imprint of the Samsara Flower King, giving birth to a new power—a law of the "future" born from the balance between "existence" and " Return to Silence ".
This battle over the fate of the universe has only just entered its most crucial turning point.