A light mist hangs in the air at dawn, yet the ancient riverside alley in the main city remains bustling. The stone-paved streets echo with the clanging sounds of auctions, filled with the fragrance of rare elixirs and the gleam of secret treasures. Above the alley entrance hangs a plaque inscribed with the ancient characters "Mirror Radiance Market."
Qin Yu, dressed in a green robe, had a cold and stern expression, his eyes gleaming like stars. He deliberately slowed his pace, avoiding the crowd, but was still caught by a deep gaze—the intuition of a hidden trader in Mirror Radiance Market: today, he was not here to sell treasures, but to gather the "Five Absolute Materials" for refining the Thousand Realms Sect's secret elixir— the Life-Exterminating Spirit Pill.
He arrived at a deep alley, where a stone door suddenly appeared half-open. Two silver-haired old men stood with their arms crossed, looking wary. Qin Yu's mind stirred, and a few spiritual patterns appeared, with the Azure Ring hidden in his palm.
"Are you the one who wanted the elixir of Life-Extinguishing Spirit Pill?" the white-haired old man asked, squinting.
"Exactly," Qin Yu replied calmly.
"The moon is dim tonight. Is someone waiting for you? Pay 10,000 Realm Spirit first."
Qin Yu's heart skipped a beat. He reached out and pulled out a silver token, waving it gently. Suddenly, a light flashed; the token, imbued with a subtle luster, reflected in the ancient alley. Another of the old men looked slightly surprised. "You dare to directly reveal your token?"
There are few people here who can be protected by the sect, and few who can produce World-Shining Token, so it is not advisable to cause trouble. Qin Yu silently stepped in, the old man nodded slightly, and they went to the back room together.
--
Upon entering, one is greeted by an ancient table in a secret room, upon which five medicinal herbs are neatly arranged: Dark Radiance Bone Ginseng, Dust-Parting Nether Lotus, Blazing Origin Fire Ganoderma, Nether Star Crystal Marrow, and Soul-Severing Stone. Each herb exudes a captivating, eerie light.
"This is the main ingredient of the Life-Exterminating Spirit Pill," the old man said in a hoarse voice. "When the five flavors are combined, if successfully refined, it can forge a true 'spirit,' possessing the power to reshape the soul and rebuild life, and even destroy the life forms of several realms."
Qin Yu nodded, then paid three million Realm Spirit. The old man immediately sealed the Five Flavors in a secret bottle. He held the bottle, and the fragrance of the pill wafted out. The fragrance surged like the Netherworld, shaking one's soul.
"This elixir is extremely precious and comes from a life of hardship. It is not from our sect's lineage, but it can be called a 'once-in-a-century, legendary elixir'," the seller added.
Qin Yu's brow twitched slightly. "Are there any other auxiliary materials? If we want to refine the nuclear explosive power, we need the 'Three-Affinities Cauldron Fire Liquid'."
The old man pondered for a moment, then nodded. A flask of amber-colored liquid was brought out. "One ounce will suffice."
Qin Yu silently paid another 500,000 Realm Spirit. The old man sealed the liquid and herbs together, then took out several Netherworld Pills from his sleeve and muttered, "These pills suppress the floating soul's frequency and can assist in alchemy by guiding soul patterns."
Qin Yu's expression was solemn. Although he had now broken through to the Initial Origin Fifth Stage, he knew that alchemy required caution. He thanked him again and then collected all the medicinal herbs and left.
The night was deep, but the city lights still shone brightly.
⸻
At the Primordial Beginning Square the Thousand Realms Sect, the sun had risen high, its light dazzling. The secret stone array stretched from the ground to the clouds, where thousands of disciples gathered like a tide.
Five or six inner sect elders gathered outside the square, including Xue Bing, Qian Ruishan, True Person Baiyun, Mo Xuan, and the Sword Earth Sect Master. "Today marks the opening of the sect's triennial Heavenly Chasm Formation Trial!" Elder Xue Bing stepped forward, his divine sense enveloping the entire area.
"This trial will open the 'Domain of the Boundless Abyss' secret realm, a grand event that our Thousand Realms Sect will only see once every thousand years! Those who obtain the Boundless Tribulation Heart Pearl will be selected as true disciples for consultation and will enjoy priority in resource promotion! Those who fail will lose their qualification for the Heavenly Barrier and will have to try again in three months!"
Cheers and exclamations erupted among the disciples. This formation had transcended previous trials; it was no longer a simple clash of formations, but a trial connected to the "Secret Realm Deep World." The victor would reap immense rewards—spiritual veins, soul-soul pills, and fragments of formation scrolls—all could be obtained.
Qin Yu and Zhou Yu stood side by side, their eyes locked. Zhou Yu exclaimed passionately, "Qin Yu, we must take this down!"
"Hmm." Qin Yu remained calm, secretly sealing the newly acquired medicinal herbs in his sleeve. "I've prepared a few pills here; if you're injured... you'll recover after absorbing them."
Zhou Yu paused slightly, then slowly nodded. "Okay."
Zhou Yu took the pill and was instantly shocked.
As he finished speaking, a wisp of light emanated from the pill. This light was not the gentle Spiritual Qi that an ordinary pill should possess, but rather a profound and powerful life force, like a drop of primordial essence falling from an ancient life spring, causing the surrounding air to vibrate and distort in an instant.
Zhou Yu took the pill, his fingertips trembling slightly. He immediately sensed that the inside of the pill was like Realm Sea, containing extremely rich spiritual energy and the power to reconstruct soul patterns.
"This... what kind of elixir is this... it's... it's a hundred times more powerful than any healing elixir I know..."
He was deeply shaken, his gaze fixed on the pill in his palm, his senses seemingly being pulled by an indescribable force. He had been given a sect's sacred healing pill by an elder, and had also taken rare pills from auction houses, but never had a single pill allowed him to experience a sudden surge of warmth and clarity from the depths of his soul simply by "holding" it, like a dying person experiencing a final burst of energy.
"Qin Yu... where did you get these pills?" he couldn't help but ask, his tone filled with disbelief.
Qin Yu simply smiled calmly and said, "If you trust me, keep it. Take it when necessary."
He didn't explain where the pill came from, nor did he explain the mystery of the "Azure Ring Divine Power" contained in the pill, nor did he mention a word about the refining process. He simply quietly entrusted his trust to Zhou Yu.
It was this unexplained and selfless gift that stirred a warmth and tremor in Zhou Yu's heart that she had never felt before.
"Just how many secrets does this guy still have..." he murmured to himself, his tense expression unconsciously relaxing a little.
At that moment, he instinctively gripped the pill, not only to save his life, but also as a "belief," a genuine testament to his comradeship.
The Spirit Seal Stone was thrown into the thirty-six relief stone pillars, and suddenly one of them rose into the air and transformed into a spirit light stone tablet.
Qin Yu placed the wooden seal stone into the stone trough, and the inner patterns rippled. With a hiss, the vein patterns were directly integrated into his palm.
The number "seven" appeared on the stone tablet, highlighting their advantage. Zhou Yu activated the number "eight" in one go, and both of them entered the top three.
Following this, more than thirty Spirit Seal Stone leaped up, eventually forming a tiered array:...
Of the thousands of disciples in the entire sect, not a single one could break through the cross.
The aura of both brilliance and potential secretly pleased Qian Ruishan and Xue Bing.
⸻
"When entering, do not run around; proceed steadily. It is directly connected to the walls of the Boundless Abyss space," Elder Xue Bing reminded loudly.
The void in the center of the plaza tore open, and a giant array gate slowly opened. Outside the gate, it was pitch black and bottomless, like a reversed river of blood.
"This... is Boundless Abyss?" Qian Ruishan murmured, looking ahead.
All the disciples were shocked. The sound was like an undercurrent surging, like an invisible roar lingering. Inside the gate, a ghostly light flickered, and blackish-gray mist drifted by.
At a command, the first batch of thirty disciples who had activated their spirit seals entered the array gate. Incense smoke swirled as they stepped through.
Qin Yu and Zhou Yu walked together, their faces calm. The two stepped into the array gate, cutting off their senses from the outside world, with only the oppressive feeling of the "Boundless Abyss Space" enveloping their minds.
The door closed, and the plaza returned to silence, with the remaining spiritual runes slowly dissipating.
This time, the disciples of the Thousand Realms Sect will venture into the unknown extreme realm to compete for the "Boundless Tribulation Heart Pearl," body-refining opportunities, and even unprecedented resources. And Qin Yu's every step at this moment has silently set the stage for the future battle.
⸻
At the other end of the square, Qian Ruishan and the others gazed at the black gate, the words "Stay alert" already visible.
In the shadows of the distance, Zhang Hao's sharp, angular eyes emerged. This man, number eighty on the Soul Stele, was now standing by the door. He had concealed his True Soul Third Stage aura, and his footsteps were silent.
Within the ranks, that trace of killing intent, like seeping into the night fog, plunged Qin Yu, who was about to step into the abyss, into extreme danger.
Above the sky, the radiance gathered as bright as day, and the sect's heavenly array suddenly trembled. Beams of light, like divine shuttles, descended from the nine layers of clouds, as if the gates of all worlds were slowly opening, cleansing the void.
"Secret Realm Teleportation... Activated!"
With a thunderous voice, the inner and outer sect elders spoke in unison, unleashing their palm strikes in unison. Instantly, they activated the hundreds of "Spirit Seal Stone," transforming them into streams of boundary runes that appeared on the foreheads of every disciple in the formation.
Buzz--!
In that instant, Qin Yu felt a jolt within his body. The moment the Spirit Seal Stone connected with his own aura, an irresistible spatial pull suddenly erupted. The surrounding void instantly transformed into a flowing sea of star patterns. Under the heavy tearing, it was as if ten thousand layers of boundary walls overlapped and shattered, and a "gate of light" that seemed to shatter spacetime rose from the ground!
"Teleportation initiated!"
Zhou Yu's expression hardened, and just as he was about to turn his head to look at Qin Yu, a platinum divine rune bloomed beneath his feet, and an ancient light shot up from the ground, engulfing him completely. The next moment, he disappeared from the spot.
"Zhou Yu!" Qin Yu's eyes flashed slightly. Just as he was about to move, he saw another stream of dark light sweeping towards him.
A cold, Space Silence teleportation force, like an ancient, endless night, descended from the sky, forcibly "wiping" him out of this familiar land!
This moment-
Hundreds of pillars of light shattered above the entire Thousand Realms Sect's mountain gate, transforming into Realm Splitting passages that scattered and teleported all the disciples who had obtained the Spirit Seal Stone to that unknown and mysterious secret realm!