Revisiting the Ancient Logic God-Cultivation Tower
The aftershocks of the recognition process were still slowly dissipating in this space. The ruthless aura of the Void Authority World-Annihilating, like sea fog after the tide recedes, was gradually smoothed out by the invisible boundary. Wan He stood quietly beside Qin Yu, her robes flowing. The purple-silver radiance was no longer outwardly radiant, but rather restrained into a dignified and controlled demeanor. She was no longer like a sword of judgment capable of slicing through everything at any moment, but more like a calm and self-possessed guardian. Azure Ring, on the other hand, was clearly in a very good mood. A streak of azure flame lightly leaped onto Qin Yu's right shoulder, its tip swaying slightly. Her tone was filled with undisguised pride. "Not bad, not bad. Little Qinzi's charm is still quite impressive. Even an existence of this level is willing to take the initiative to recognize you as its master."
Qin Yu smiled gently, remaining silent. He knew the true reason the Void Authority World-Annihilating Divine Sword 'Void Authority World-Annihilating Divine Sword had recognized him as its master was because it knew Azure Ring's true origins and that he was a manifestation of the Black Gold Ring's will. He turned to look at Wan He beside him. She noticed his gaze and turned slightly, her eyes gentle and calm. Qin Yu said softly, "Then let's go, let's leave this unknown world." Wan He softly replied, "Mm." Her voice was soft, yet it seemed to be drawing a quiet conclusion to a long and dangerous journey.
The three of them walked together toward the entrance light circle that was not yet fully closed. The edge of the light circle bore traces of severed, pale white lines, as if it had been forcibly cut open by some higher-level being and was slowly healing itself. Qin Yu stepped inside, Azure Ring steadily resting on his right shoulder, Wan He walked beside him. The instant the light converged around them, everything in the unknown world was rapidly pulled back and compressed, ultimately transforming into a blurry point of light that vanished completely from perception.
When the view stabilized again, what came into view was no longer the gloomy and twisted landscape of the Shadow Demon Valley, but a completely different region of the Void Obliteration Domain. The world here seemed exceptionally open, with undulating green mountains in the distance, and clouds flowing among them, yet without any sense of oppression; closer by, a clear spiritual river meandered by, its surface reflecting the faint glow of the sky, the water rippling gently, carrying a long-lost sense of tranquility. There were no heavy traces of battle in the air, only a sense of balance as if time had gently treated it.
Qin Yu looked around and, after confirming there was no immediate danger, walked along the riverbank for a while before finally stopping at a small slope surrounded by ancient trees. The view was open yet secluded; a gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of grass and moisture. He casually set up a simple protective barrier, then took out the Annihilation Devil Pupil - Final Spirit Core," fresh ingredients, and utensils, and naturally began to start a fire. When the flames leaped up, they no longer carried any sense of Annihilation or annihilation, but simply a pure and warm light.
Before long, the aroma of meat filled the air. Azure Ring, unable to sit still any longer, jumped onto a small rock nearby, rested her face in her hands, and stared at the grill with bright eyes. "Wow, this smells amazing! I haven't had anything this normal in ages. It's a good thing I had you buy these ingredients and utensils at Enxi Youying and Emanating Light Heavenly Pavilion restaurants and store them in my spirit core, otherwise I would never have been able to enjoy such delicious food." Wan He, on the other hand, sat quietly opposite Qin Yu, her hands on her knees, watching the flames and the roasting meat with a gentle and curious expression, as if she were experiencing a daily life completely unrelated to judgment or ending.
Qin Yu distributed the roasted meat to them naturally, without any pretense. Azure Ring took a bite as soon as she received it, her eyes squinting with satisfaction; Wan He carefully tasted a little, then nodded gently and whispered, "It's delicious." At that moment, the firelight reflected on the three of their faces, revealing a rare peace and warmth, as if all the life-or-death experiences and life-or-death situations they had faced before had been temporarily placed far away.
Night slowly unfolded in this tranquil Void Obliteration Domain. The sky seemed to be covered by a layer of deep blue silk. The stars were not dazzling, but dense and orderly, as if carefully placed on their respective orbits. In the night, the distant mountains were only outlined in soft silhouettes, their ridges faintly edged with silver by the moonlight. The mountain breeze rustled through the treetops, the leaves making a low, continuous sound that intertwined with the murmuring of the Spirit River, like a nocturne that needed no embellishment.
The river reflected the starry sky and the moon, the water shimmering gently with the waves, as if even time itself had slowed down. The embers of the fire were still glowing faintly red, their warm light illuminating the three figures, adding an almost tender sense of security to the already peaceful night.
Azure Ring ate to her heart's content, leaning against Qin Yu, swinging her legs back and forth, radiating a rare sense of relaxation. Wan He sat quietly opposite her, the night breeze ruffling the hem of her clothes, her purplish-silver hair gleaming softly in the moonlight. Her expression held a warmth more human than during the day; she was no longer the embodiment of severance and annihilation, but rather seemed to be earnestly savoring this brief yet genuine tranquility.
After a moment of silence, Wan He suddenly spoke softly, her voice made especially gentle by the night. "Master, when you were fighting that being just now, I saw that you were holding the Silent Origin Stainless Sword, right?"
Qin Yu paused slightly, then gently shook his head, his tone calm and natural. "You can just call me Young Master. Yes, that's right, it's the Silent Origin Stainless Sword. Do you recognize it?"
As he finished speaking, he raised his hand, Silent Origin Stainless Sword materialized in his palm. The sword was silent and unadorned, without any exaggerated brilliance, yet it made the surrounding night even quieter in an instant, as if even the starlight unconsciously avoided that aura of absolute denial. Qin Yu looked down at the sword, a hint of doubt appearing between his brows, then looked up at Wan He: "Wan He, you can take form, why can't the Silent Origin Stainless Sword? This sword has shown no sign of taking form since it recognized its master."
Wan He gazed at the sword, her eyes devoid of awe, only revealing a profound understanding and clarity. She smiled slightly, her tone still gentle, yet carrying an essential certainty. "Young Master, the Silent Origin Stainless Sword Non-Self comprehension. The Sword of Silent Origin follows the path of negating existence from the very root of consciousness—no thought, no cause, no history, no soul, No Definition. Its core is 'absolute negation,' making everything lose the possibility of existence before it even begins."
She paused, her gaze slowly shifting between the night and the sword, before continuing, "But I am different. What I embody is 'return to zero,' not mere negation. I don't simply erase; I dismantle all structures to the Zero Realm state where subject and space can no longer be distinguished. I am more like a embodied philosophical proposition, a judgment and recycling of the structure of existence, rather than a weapon in a simplistic sense. That's why I can take form, why I can exist beside you as a 'container of will.'"
A gentle night breeze blew by, and the embers of the fire crackled softly. Qin Yu listened quietly, without interrupting, only glancing down at the Silent Origin Stainless Sword in his hand before slowly retracting it into his body. His expression showed no disappointment, but rather a calm acceptance born of understanding, as if this very inability to take form was the purest and most dangerous proof of the sword.
Azure Ring blinked beside her, muttered something under her breath, and then quickly laughed. The night, the starry sky, the firelight, and the aura of the three of them blended together naturally at this moment, making it seem exceptionally real.
The night had not yet completely faded, and the Milky Way in the distant sky was still slowly turning. The campfire was left with only a low ember, as if drawing an undisturbed period to this brief moment of tranquility. Qin Yu stood up, his gaze sweeping over the quiet valley and the faintly visible sky of the Void Obliteration Domain in the distance. His tone was unhurried, yet he had already laid out the path ahead clearly and firmly.
"Azure Ring," he said softly, "Now that I've reached the Void Emanation Realm · Supreme, returning to this Void Obliteration Domain, I wonder what the current situation is like in the Chaos First Palace. The movements of the Nine-Headed Calamity Beast are still not entirely clear, and there's still something on my mind that I can't let go of. Let's go back to the Chaos First Palace first. If everything is temporarily stable, I'd like to make another trip to the Ancient Logic God-Cultivation Tower." He paused, his gaze slightly narrowed, as if he were seeing that towering ancient tower, reaching into unfathomable dimensions, once again. "Last time, when I traveled with Ning Qingyao and Luo Shuangyue, I stopped at the eighth floor, leaving five floors unascended. Now that my cultivation has reached this level, it's time to give those five floors an explanation."
Azure Ring sat on his shoulder, her small figure swaying her legs in the night. Her tone was as light as ever, yet filled with undisguised approval. "Yes, you can. You're at the Void Emanation Realm · Supreme now, things are different. Those five levels are no longer just 'unreachable' for you." She chuckled, as if she had already foreseen this outcome. "Besides, you should go back and take a look at the Chaos First Palace."
Qin Yu nodded gently, saying nothing more, as if he had already mentally rehearsed everything countless times. He turned to look at Wan He, the night reflected in her eyes, the aura of decisiveness and resignation deeply concealed, leaving only a quiet and restrained companionship. She didn't ask any questions, only nodded slightly, standing beside him, as if she had already tacitly agreed to accompany him to the end.
In the next instant, Azure Ring's figure transformed into a warm and familiar ray of light, slowly disappearing into Qin Yu's sea of consciousness. The soul frequency deep within his sea of consciousness trembled slightly before quickly returning to stability, as if she were meant to be there. Qin Yu raised his hand, and the void silently cracked open at his fingertips. There was no burst of light, nor any extraneous phenomena; only an extremely clean and restrained escape trajectory unfolded in the night sky. He and Wan He stood side by side, stepping into the rift. Their figures quickly faded between the starlight and the valley, eventually disappearing completely, as if they had never been there at all.
The valley returned to tranquility, the night wind continued to blow, and the Milky Way continued its course as usual. Qin Yu's journey had already shifted to a higher and deeper level.
The night, like a deep sea, spread across the sky of the Void Obliteration Domain. The stars were sliced into countless calm points of light by a thin, ancient mist. The Chaos First Palace stood silently at the boundary between mountains, seas, and the void. The outline of the palace was faintly visible in the night, neither glorious nor decaying, like an ancient beast that had sheathed its sharpness, Anran lying outside the order of time. Qin Yu and Wan He stood high in the sky, the void beneath their feet rippling slightly like water. He looked down at the entire Chaos First Palace. Wherever his gaze fell, the lines of cause and effect were steady and restrained, without distortion, without breakage, and without any trace of being forcibly erased or altered. The restlessness and echoes that should have emerged after the calamity had all sunk into the depths of logic, quiet to the point of being abnormal.
Qin Yu's divine sense slowly spread out, not in a violent expansion, but like a precise and calm net, extending inch by inch outward along the mountain gate, the palace ridge, the floating island, the dark current passage, and the outer defensive structure. Within a hundred miles, all the energy, all living beings, and all the law circuits were taken into his perception. There were no lurking anomalies, no disguised judgment fluctuations, and no traces of scorching anxiety left by calamity beasts at the bottom of cause and effect. Everything seemed too "normal," so normal that it almost gave people the illusion. The night wind swept across the palace, bringing with it a deep and distant echo. The Chaos First Palace stood firmly in this darkness, like a completely anchored node of existence.
Qin Yu slowly withdrew his divine sense, the tension in his chest finally easing. He exhaled softly, his voice barely audible in the night air, yet carrying a clear sense of judgment. "It seems those demonic beasts won't dare to cause trouble in the Chaos First Palace area for the time being." He glanced at Wan He beside him, his tone calm and decisive. "In that case, let's take advantage of this lull to finish what we need to do first."
The moment his words fell, a wisp of extremely subtle causal monitoring consciousness separated from his fingertips. It emitted no light, no unusual phenomena, seemingly just an invisible speck of dust in the night. Yet, after falling into the core structure of the Chaos First Palace, it quietly intertwined with the causal network of the entire palace domain, silently lying dormant, ready to report any anomalies to his senses at any moment. Having completed all this, Qin Yu did not look back. He stepped forward, the void naturally parting beneath his feet, his escape trajectory like a precisely calculated straight line, pointing directly to the ancient and silent existence deep within the Void Obliteration Domain— the Ancient Logic God-Cultivation Tower.
The night was rapidly stretched and folded, the outline of the Chaos First Palace gradually shrinking behind him until it was completely swallowed by the mist and starlight. The void ahead began to take on a completely different texture, like some old logic that had been repeatedly written and repeatedly denied slowly piling up in the distance. Qin Yu was not unfamiliar with that aura, and could even say that it was extremely familiar—it was the aura of the tower, the aura of the place where he had stopped at the eighth floor, but had never truly left.
He walked side by side with Wan He, their figures flashing through the void as they silently approached the long-awaited tower.