The light and mist deep within the waterfall cave trembled slightly under the lingering glow of the Void Source Illumination· Formless Heavenly Abyss Crystal. Azure Ring sat on Qin Yu's right shoulder, her two slender legs swinging back and forth. The light Azure Ring in her pupils lit up in circles, and she looked like a little spirit who had just snatched candy, her little shoulders heaving with excitement.
"Little Qinzi!" She handed the Formless Heavenly Abyss Crystal to Qin Yu with both hands, her voice as light and crisp as water droplets tapping on a jade plate, "Quick, quick! Try releasing ' Void Source: Dream Stillness '~ Don't go all out, okay? If you go all out, you'll absorb the entire Saint Transformation Divine Domain into the Unborn Realm, hehe."
Infected by her excitement, Qin Yu chuckled and shook his head, took the black crystal, and stood amidst the waterfall's mist.
He took a deep breath. The next instant—
The world has changed. No, the world has been peeled away by a Does Not Exist layer of skin.
Qin Yu raised his hand, Void Source Silent Illumination· Formless Heavenly Abyss Crystal floated in his palm, a speck of dark blue light exploding outwards.
Boom—All sight, hearing, and causality were instantly torn apart by the miniaturized triple absolute domain:
First layer: Void Source Domain
The waterfall, the rock face, the humid air, and the mist all began to turn into countless specks of light around Qin Yu.
It's not broken—it's been redescribed as "in the process of being formed."
The water mist reassembled itself on Qin Yu's shoulders, as if the waterfall's flow was being placed into a slowly reconstructed code framework, deconstructed on one end and reborn on the other.
Azure Ring kicked Qin Yu's shoulder with her calf. "Wow! Not bad, not bad at all!"
Second level: The Realm of the Unborn
Countless "unborn shadows" appeared in the void.
They have no physical form, yet they shimmer on the edge of reality like unwritten footnotes in a story.
Qin Yu casually pointed. The shadows instantly dimmed, ruled as "never having existed".
Even Azure Ring was stunned for a moment. "Wow... this is a hundred times better than I expected."
Third Layer: The Domain of Annihilation
The air grew cold, and time seemed to stand still.
The water beneath Qin Yu's feet couldn't even produce a ripple, because—
In the Domain of Annihilation, the concept of "fluctuation" has been removed.
A faint white dotted line appeared at the edge of the space, like a sketch of heaven and earth being gently erased by an eraser.
Qin Yu simply clenched his fist. The triple domain instantly contracted, like a surging tide, all returning to his palm.
The Void Source Silent Illumination· Formless Heavenly Abyss Crystal dimmed again, and the cave returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened.
But Azure Ring hugged his face and screamed excitedly, "Little Qinzi, you're amazing! This was just a 'casual try'? If you True One, this cave would be an untold fragment now!"
Qin Yu exhaled softly and whispered, "This power... truly exceeds my expectations."
Just as the power of this desperate situation subsided—
Thousands of miles away from the outside world, the Silent Nothingness Divine Hall
The Limitless Evolving True Flow, like an inverted Milky Way, cascaded down from the palace roof and flowed into the body of the seated girl.
She was calm and serene, her eyes like still snow, absorbing the eternal breath.
Suddenly--buzz--!!!
The entire Silent Nothingness Divine Hall trembled slightly. The girl's long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Her realm— the Stainless Realm, intermediate stage—is like a snow lotus without dust, Beginningless Endless, serene and absolutely pure.
But at that very moment, her brow was suddenly brushed lightly by some indescribable force.
It's as if someone left an "unwritten blank" on the page of her destiny.
"Hmm...?" Jin Hanyan slightly raised her head, her beautiful eyes gently focusing.
This was the first time she had experienced such an unfamiliar "unnarrated shock" during her cultivation, and a faint hint of doubt appeared on her usually cool face.
"Who... is outside the realm of causal fluctuations?"
In that instant, even though she saw nothing, she felt as if she had been "looked back" by some unfathomable being.
Her heart stirred slightly, but she couldn't grasp any clue. "Strange..."
The girl closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath, but she still couldn't calm down.
The mist in the waterfall cave gradually subsided, and the Void Source Silent Illumination· Formless Heavenly Abyss Crystal in Qin Yu's palm quietly dimmed after the last wisp of pale blue light receded. He gently clenched his fist, and the black crystal transformed into an extremely fine light pattern, which then merged into his Final Spirit Core. The aftershocks of the contraction of the triple domains still rippled in the air, making the cave walls appear as if they had been re-carved, with lines even more delicate and perfect, as if heaven and earth were paying homage to the forbidden origin of that moment.
Qin Yu looked down at his palm, his expression deep and composed. "With the 'Void Source: Dream Stillness' divine ability, even if I encounter Chaos Realm · High Stage expert... I will no longer need to completely avoid them."
Azure Ring sat on his right shoulder, swinging her legs like a little spirit who had just drunk sweet soup. She leaned softly against his neck, her voice as clear as water droplets falling on jade. "Mmm! And from now on, you don't even need to rely on the Formless Heavenly Abyss Crystal to activate 'Void Source: Dream Stillness' anymore, Little Qinzi. Your Silent Origin Stainless Sword can fully handle the domain reconstruction of 'Existence Zero Point,' so next time you can just swing the sword directly~"
Qin Yu turned her head slightly. Soft, Annihilation Pattern swirled within her azure pupils, and a dark azure soul wheel spun gently beneath her skirt, as if dancing with her joy.
"Yes, that's for the best." Qin Yu gently touched her head for a moment. "Azure Ring, you should go back to your sea of consciousness and rest. Next, I need to return to the Chaos First Palace to report. Palace Master Yun Yanwan... is probably getting impatient."
Azure Ring nuzzled his cheek with her small body, like a spoiled kitten, except that the broken bell on her ankle rang out a very distant "dong--", as if striking the very depths of the entire waterfall cave.
"Okay~ I'm going back to play with the Void Divine Tree."
She stretched, her long, dark blue hair and translucent blue flames casting delicate lines of light patterns in the air.
The next second--
Her figure floated lightly, transforming into a wisp of dark blue soul light, like a drop of blue starlight falling into Qin Yu's brow and into the depths of his sea of consciousness, where the ten layers of soul wheels closed as if whispering.
The cave suddenly fell silent.
Qin Yu looked up at the light and shadow beyond the waterfall, his gaze hardening into a resolute sharpness. "It's time to go back."
In the next instant, his robes were lifted by a pitch-black spatial rift, and the void, with a gentle tear in his palm, slid apart like thin glass along the crack.
A silent wind blew from the depths of the space. Qin Yu stepped inside.
The last glimmer of light before the figure disappeared was swallowed up by the spray from the waterfall, as if it had never existed; neither heaven nor earth could detect a trace of it.
The cave in the Saint Transformation Divine Domain fell silent once more, leaving only a faint, not-yet-fully-healed spatial vestige shimmering in the air.
The sound of water still echoed in the silent waterfall cave; Qin Yu had only been gone a short time, and the atmosphere of heaven and earth had not yet fully returned to normal.
The next moment--
Beyond the waterfall curtain, space seemed to be torn apart by an invisible force, and a black crack suddenly stretched across the sky. Strange, Void Evolution light burst forth from the crack, and three figures stepped out simultaneously, their weight so heavy that it seemed to press the entire world down.
All three were clad in tattered robes, their eyes deep and unfathomable. They were surrounded by the Void Emanation Realm · Ultimate, which was neither existent nor nonexistent. The light and shadow around them constantly distorted, overlapped, and dissipated, as if reality itself could not stably record them.
The man on the left frowned and looked around. "Huh? I clearly sensed a strong, untold fluctuation right here... why Emptiness now?"
The other man replied coldly, "Boss, could it be... the appearance of a rare treasure?"
The man in the middle had a deep, Void Evolution gaze. His ethereal aura tore through the surrounding space, creating faint dark patterns. He pondered for a moment, then said, "Uncertain... but hopefully it's not related to the calamity-inducing beast."
The man on the left shrugged, his Void Evolution light flashing. "Since the aura here has vanished, it seems we're a step too late."
The stronger man in the middle nodded. "Let's go. The mission within the gang is more important; there's no need to waste time here."
The three of them raised their hands at the same time, and the void cracked open from their palms like a tattered cloth. They stepped into the crack and disappeared, leaving only the water mist on the waterfall to be gently torn in two by the aftershocks, which closed up again after a long time.
Meanwhile, above the star field of the Chaos First Palace.
A spatial rift opened silently, and Qin Yu stepped out from the black light patterns, his footsteps landing lightly on the familiar stone steps of the Chaos Temple.
He let out a long breath; the smooth landing upon his return contrasted sharply with the oppressive atmosphere of the Origin Forbidden Domain.
His divine sense swept across the surroundings, but no one noticed his return. Qin Yu did not disturb anyone, but instead chose to return to his palace first— the Qi Primordial Chaos Hall.
The palace doors opened, and the chaotic mist of light remained as before.
Qin Yu raised his hand and set up a slight breathing-suppressing array to isolate himself from the outside world. He prepared to take a bath to cleanse himself and remove the residual aura from the Origin Forbidden Domain before meeting Palace Master Yun Yanwan.
But he had only untied half of the Chaos Robe when a gentle, comforting voice suddenly called from outside:
Brother Qin, are you back?
Qin Yu sighed softly, straightened his robes, and stepped out of the palace gate.
Outside the palace stood a man dressed in white, his demeanor pure and refined, his face like the moon in the clouds, yet his eyes held a lingering worry.
It was indeed -- Yun Yanwan, the Palace Master of the Chaos First Palace.
Seeing Qin Yu emerge, his eyes immediately lit up, and he walked briskly forward to greet him, "I'm so glad you're back safe and sound... I was so worried about you."
Qin Yu clasped his hands in a fist salute, his attitude as respectful and composed as ever. "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Palace Master."
Yun Yanwan's gaze swept over Qin Yu's robes and aura. He showed no injuries, but deep within his soul, there seemed to be a calm echo of someone who had experienced immense pressure, which made her heart tremble slightly.
"It seems your trip has not been peaceful."
Qin Yu didn't say much, but simply flipped his hand, and an ancient light burst forth from the Annihilation Devil Pupil - Final Spirit Core.
The Sacred Relic Saint Transformation Star Codex floated in his palm.
As soon as the ancient book appeared, the surrounding air seemed to be drawn by the Milky Way, vibrating slightly, and the oppressive aura of the Saint Transformation Era faintly flowed from the pages.
Yun Yanwan's pupils suddenly contracted, her heart trembling. "This... this is the sacred object that the Nangong Lineage bestowed upon our ancestor back then...!"
He reached out to touch it, but quickly withdrew his hand, as if afraid that his strength would desecrate the things of his ancestors.
He then looked up at Qin Yu, his shock now replaced by an indescribable mix of respect and bewilderment.
"You not only brought the sacred object back... but you also removed the inner seal on it?"
Qin Yu nodded. "Yes. I have broken the restriction, and the sacred object can now be used normally."
Yun Yanwan took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly.
"That restriction... was personally set up by the upper echelons of the Nangong clan. It requires at least Chaos Realm · Late Stage or even higher level of Origin Analysis to break... You..."
His voice hesitated for a moment. -- How could Qin Yu, Annihilation Dawn Realm · Supreme, possibly do this?
Could it be...? A thought flashed across Yun Yanwan's eyes, but he dared not believe it.
His hands trembled slightly as he took the Saint Transformation Star Codex from Qin Yu's hand. At that moment, a long-lost excitement suddenly welled up in his heart.
"Qin Yu... the merits you have made are beyond the reach of ordinary people. This item is of great significance to our Chaos First Palace... you... our Chaos First Palace owes you an immense favor."
The wind blew through the chaotic staircase, carrying the movement of nebulae.
Qin Yu's expression remained unchanged; he simply said calmly, "As the only guest elder of the Chaos First Palace, it is my duty to do my best."
But Yun Yanwan knew that things were not that simple.
How did Qin Yu manage to break through the sacred artifact's restrictions? What did he experience in the Saint Transformation Divine Domain?
What else had he gained... enough to shake the heavens and earth? Doubts churned in his mind, but he didn't ask.
Because he had a vague feeling that the answer might be shocking.