After repelling the vanguard of the Shadows of Nothingness, the Co-Prosperity Zone entered a state of intense preparation for war. Qing He handed the Embers of Return to Quiescence to the Star Patrollers for analysis and discovered that these gray-black particles, in addition to the law of "annihilation is rebirth," also contained a faint "spacetime coordinate"—a path to the end of time that the Embers had inadvertently recorded as it drifted through time.
"These coordinates are too blurry, like ink smudges dampened by water." The Star Patrollers leader's blue light flickered on the holographic star map, marking each point of light analyzed from the embers. "We need more Embers of Return to Quiescence to piece together a complete path."
"Then let's go collect them." Meng Ke's voice was resolute. His dark red energy condensed into a map in his palm, marking several "ancient battlefield ruins" on the edge of the Destruction Universe. "Our ancient records state that a ' Law Annihilation War ' once took place there, and perhaps Embers of Return to Quiescence."
The rainbow silhouette of the Flowing Colors Clan also drifted over, its body shimmering with light. "We can sense an area 'rich in possibility'! The 'rebirth' law of the Embers of Return to Quiescence is essentially a special kind of possibility. Follow my guidance, and you'll avoid many detours!"
The elder of the Time Condensation Clan then took out three small Time Crystal: "Take these. The flow of time at the end of time... is very chaotic. The Time Crystal can help you... stabilize your own timeline, so you won't... be torn apart."
Qing He looked at her companions, then at the still-shimmering four-colored Web of Laws beneath the Symbiosis Grass, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. She tied the jade bottle of the Embers of Return to Quiescence to her waist, her longsword drawing a gray-gold arc in the sunlight. "Set off in three groups, and meet in the Co-Prosperity Zone in three months. Remember, safety first. If you encounter any danger you cannot handle, retreat immediately."
The three teams quickly got ready to go.
Qing He and Xiao He led a team to the " Nirvana Nebula " at the edge of the heavens—a remnant formed after the first stars died in the early days of creation, and the depths of the nebula are perpetually filled with the lingering scent of Return to Silence.
Meng Ke led the elite of the Destruction Clan to the ancient battlefield at the edge of the Destruction Universe. The dark red warships left long trails of flame in the void, and the energy shields flickered with new runes fused with the Power of Chaos.
The Rainbow Fleet of the Flowing Colors Clan is the most peculiar. They have no fixed course, but rather, like a swarm of butterflies chasing light and shadow, they shuttle through blind spots Beyond the Star Chart, relying on their intuition about "possibilities" to find embers.
Qing He's fleet sailed through the Nirvana Nebula for half a month. The nebula here had an eerie "grayish-purple" appearance, with neither the light of stars nor the outlines of planets, only countless tiny stardust particles drifting slowly, each particle carrying a sense of deathly stillness as if "returning to nothingness".
"The detector is responding!" Xiao He suddenly pointed to the screen, where a much larger gray-black dot was flashing, its coordinates pointing to a "vortex of laws" at the center of the nebula. "It's five times stronger than before!"
The fleet cautiously entered the vortex and discovered a huge "dead rock" floating in the center of the vortex—the surface of the rock was covered with honeycomb-like holes, and a faint gray-black flame burned in each hole, which was the Embers of Return to Quiescence.
"This place resembles... the 'heart remnants' of a star." Qing He looked at the withered stone, sensing the immense energy contained within it. "When it perished, it wasn't completely annihilated, but rather condensed some of its laws into embers."
Just as she was about to approach and collect it, the vortex of laws surrounding the withered stone suddenly accelerated its rotation, and countless stardust condensed into black tentacles, like miniature Shadows of Nothingness, which attacked the fleet.
"It's a 'sub-body' of the Shadows of Nothingness!" Xiao He immediately activated the Chaos Cannon on the ship. The gray-gold beam struck the tentacles, but only made them dissipate briefly before quickly reforming.
Qing He's eyes sharpened, and she leaped out of the fleet, her longsword pointing directly at the withered rocks. "They are guarding the embers! It seems that these embers are a 'forbidden' thing that the Shadows of Nothingness both fears and desires."
Instead of fighting head-on, she opened the jade bottle at her waist, releasing a wisp of the aura of the Embers of Return to Quiescence. The gray-black aura spread through the void, and the tentacle-like offspring instantly froze, as if bound by an invisible force.
"Now!" Qing He flicked her wrist, and her longsword unleashed a surge of Power of Chaos, sweeping away the embers from the withered stone along with the stone itself, storing it in her storage ring. Without the nourishment of the embers, the vortex of laws quickly subsided, and the black tentacles, like a tide without a foundation, gradually dissipated into the nebula.
"Success!" Xiao He cheered on the ship. The screen showed that the collected embers were enough to make the blurry coordinates on the star map clear by 30%.
Three months later, the three teams returned to the Co-Prosperity Zone as scheduled.
Meng Ke brought back a "Core of Annihilation"—a crystal formed from the collision of two extreme laws on an ancient battlefield. Deep within the core were dozens of Embers of Return to Quiescence, radiating a "rebirth" power even more domineering than the remnants of the Nirvana Nebula.
The most peculiar find was that of the Flowing Colors Clan. They did not find any physical embers, but instead brought back a "mist of possibility"—a mist shimmering with countless phantoms of Embers of Return to Quiescence. After the Star Patrollers resonated with the embers they already possessed, they were able to analyze nearly a hundred new spacetime coordinates.
"That's enough." The Star Patrollers leader merged all the data into the holographic star map. The originally blurry dots of light gradually connected into a twisted line, at the end of which was an area shrouded in thick gray fog. "These are the coordinates of the end of time. The laws there... are completely beyond our comprehension. There is neither past nor future, only 'eternal present'."
The elder of the Time Condensation Clan looked at the coordinates, the patterns on his silver armor glowing intensely. " The Void Mother Nest... is right there. It's like a... sponge, constantly absorbing... 'fragments of time' from various universes to strengthen itself."
Qing He walked to the star map and gently touched the gray mist area with her fingertips. The Power of Chaos resonated strongly with the Embers of Return to Quiescence. She seemed to hear the sound of countless laws shattering, and vaguely sensed a faint "cry for help"—the last trace of consciousness left behind in the universe that had been swallowed by the Void Mother Nest.
"We can't wait any longer." She withdrew her hand, a resolute glint in her eyes. "If we give the Void Mother Nest any more time, it will devour more universes, including us."
Meng Ke gripped his giant axe tightly, dark red energy flowing along its blade. "The fleet destined to Destruction Universe is ready and can depart at any time."
The rainbow outline of the Flowing Colors Clan also tightened its lines: "Our ' Web of Possibility ' can trap part of the Mother Nest's power, buying you an opportunity."
The elder of the Time Condensation Clan then handed the largest Time Crystal to Qing He: "This is... the ' Time Anchor ' of the Slow Universe. Crushing it will... create a 'stable domain' at the end of time, ensuring that your laws... do not fail."
Qing He took the Time Crystal, the cool touch coming from her fingertips. The stagnant power contained within it formed a strange balance with the rebirth power of the Embers of Return to Quiescence.
She turned to look in the direction of the Co-Prosperity Zone. The seeds of the Symbiosis Grass had been scattered by the wind to every corner. Some sprouted new shoots next to the observation station, while others bloomed under the energy guiding tower. Gray-gold, dark red, rainbow, and pale silver light intertwined, like countless eyes silently watching the team about to set off.
"Set off."
Qing He's voice was calm yet firm. The fleet slowly sailed away from the Co-Prosperity Zone, heading towards the coordinates at the end of time. The light of the starships connected in a line in the void, echoing the gray-gold halo of the distant Chaos Anchor, as if drawing a protective trajectory across time and space on the canvas of the universe.
As the gray fog at the end of time drew ever closer, the laws surrounding the fleet began to malfunction, and bizarre sights appeared on the starships' hulls where "rust of the past" and "cracks of the future" coexisted.
Qing He gripped the Time Crystal tightly in her hand, the Embers of Return to Quiescence at her waist burning hot. She knew that the most difficult battle was about to begin at the end of time.
Their weapons are Web of Symbiosis woven from multiple laws, the power of rebirth hidden in the Embers of Return to Quiescence, and the unwavering commitment to "existence" etched deep within the soul of every living being.