The Damaged Annihilation Realm-Breaking Pearl
At this moment, the Black Sea was no longer a sea.
The surface of the water was completely flattened, without waves or ripples. The vast expanse of dark water was like a polished Silent Mirror, reflecting the sky but refusing to reflect any real color. The seawater itself seemed to have lost the right to "flow," existing only in a state of being forcibly maintained, as if if the will above were to loosen even slightly, this Black Sea would immediately fall back into the void of "not allowed to exist."
Thought Severance Devouring Emperor stood in the air.
It did not release any pressure, nor did it display any imposing posture. It simply stood there quietly, without light, shadow, or perceptible boundaries. Yet it was precisely this state of "nothingness" that aroused fear in the very heavens and earth. Space slightly concaveed inward beside it, and time ceased to move forward, merely maintaining the appearance of "not yet collapsed." Even cause and effect dared not approach, and could only retreat silently from afar.
To its left and right stood three shadows that were one— the Three Nether Yin Puppets, Stainless Realm · Middle Stage.
They seem to be pieced together from the remnants of death and fragments of chaos, their forms incomplete, as if deliberately preserved in a "formless" stage. They neither breathe nor move, yet they cause the rules of the entire Black Sea to continue to collapse, as if if they were to take just one step forward, the world would be dragged back to the primordial state of "Heaven and Earth Undetermined".
On the surface of the Black Sea, an even more chilling scene unfolded.
Eight chaotic Devil Beast from an unknown world, their bodies spanning the heavens and the earth, their scales, bone wings, and illusory components intertwined like mountains and star rings, yet without exception they all lowered their bodies, their foreheads close to the water's surface, even their most instinctive roars were forcibly swallowed back into the depths of their sea of consciousness.
Seven calamity-inducing demonic beasts lined up behind them. These beings, once capable of overturning a regional temple, were now not even qualified to raise their heads, their calamity aura compressed to almost solidify.
At the forefront, the Nine Wings of the Logic-Extinguishing Divine Phoenix were completely concealed, and the starlight was extinguished. Its divine body, symbolizing the "end of super-logic," lay prostrate on the water's surface in an almost worshipful posture, even its cries turning into absolute silence.
This is submission.
It wasn't out of fear, but because in the face of the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor, the thought of "resistance" simply couldn't arise.
On this vast, desolate sea, the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor slowly raised his hand.
The void was not torn apart, nor was there any fluctuation of power, but a bead appeared in its palm.
It was a crystal clear bead, but it had long since lost the meaning of "complete".
The surface of the bead was covered with spiderweb-like gray-black cracks, each crack resembling a wound left by something gnawing from the inside. The void black within the bead was no longer deep or boundless, but rather presented a morbid dark gray, as if the abyss that could once bear the annihilation of all worlds had been hollowed out, leaving only a weary and broken remnant.
Thin, gray wisps of wind occasionally escaped from the cracks. These wisps had no direction or shape; they vanished as soon as they appeared, not even qualifying to become power, like abandoned "remnants of defeat."
The bead no longer felt cold or ethereal, but rather had a strange, viscous feel—not viscous in a material sense, but a silent yearning for "filling," "devouring," and "completing." It floated in the air, swaying slightly, as if it might fall at any moment. The surrounding space was constantly distorted as a result, and tiny cracks repeatedly appeared and were forcibly stitched together, revealing an extremely unstable, precarious state.
Qin Yu and Jin Hanyan watched from afar, and even though they were in a hidden layer, they still felt an indescribable chill.
They all understood that the bead was no ordinary object—it resembled a core that had been "half-eaten," the true key to the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor's journey. And the unprecedented scene of submission before them was by no means a simple gathering. The Black Sea was silent, all beasts bowed their heads, Absolute Thoughtlessness descended upon the world.
The deathly silence of the Black Sea continued, as if even the concept of "the passage of time" had been suppressed beneath the surface. Qin Yu and Jin Hanyan remained hidden among layers of concealment, their gazes unable to leave the broken bead.
Qin Yu lowered his voice, his breathing unconsciously slowing. "What is that thing? How could it be so damaged..."
Jin Hanyan slowly shook her head, her silver-white hair motionless in the windless air. Her gaze was unusually solemn. "I don't know. But for such a being to personally retrieve it, and for it to require both calamity beasts and Knowing Realm Devil Beast to offer it, this bead itself is probably some kind of 'failed but not allowed to disappear core.' As for him—" Her gaze swept over the spot where the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor had previously stood, "He has reached a level beyond our reach."
The moment she finished speaking, something unexpected happened.
All the monsters crawling on the surface of the Black Sea —whether they were from the Calamity Sequence or chaotic Devil Beast from an unknown world—simultaneously lit up tiny but exceptionally dazzling spots of light deep within their bodies. These spots of light were neither energy nor soul consciousness, but rather "residual existence" forcibly stripped away, emerging one by one from flesh, scales, and illusory consciousness structures, as if drawn by some irresistible summons.
The next moment, billions of points of light rose into the air like a meteor shower, passing through the stagnant space and disappearing into the broken, mysterious pearl without any obstruction. There was no roar, no explosion, only a chilling feeling of being absorbed, as if these beings were destined to return there from the very beginning.
A few breaths later, the pearl began to change.
Between the gray-black cracks, extremely fine and mysterious patterns emerged inch by inch. These patterns resembled some kind of high-dimensional repair trajectory, or perhaps trial calculation marks left from a failed reconstruction. They briefly lit up, intertwined, and attempted to piece the broken structure back together—but before the patterns could truly stabilize, they collapsed and vanished in the next instant, as if the bead itself refused to be "completely repaired."
That wasn't a failure; it was more like being rejected by something higher up.
Qin Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he vaguely realized a terrifying truth: this bead was not "damaged," but rather "deliberately kept in a broken state."
The Thought Severance Devouring Emperor silently observed all of this, without emotion or fluctuation. As the last line of the pattern dissipated, it slowly closed its fingers, absorbing the pearl into nothingness. Then, it raised its hand and gently waved it in the void.
In an instant, all the prostrate divine beasts rose simultaneously. Without roars or farewells, their enormous figures transformed into twisted trails, tearing open space in different directions, each disappearing into deeper dimensions as if they had never existed together.
Immediately afterwards, the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor and the Three Nether Yin Puppets standing beside it also faded away. Not leaving, but being directly erased from the "state recognized by the world". The sky resumed its flow, the sea rose and fell again, and the oppressive feeling above the Black Sea receded like the tide, even the remaining ripples were quickly smoothed out.
In the blink of an eye, this world returned to peace.
It was as if what had just happened was merely a dream shared by all living beings, a dream that was not allowed to be remembered.
Qin Yu remained silent for a long time, his gaze sinking into the depths of the Black Sea, while an unquenchable undercurrent surged within his heart.
The Black Sea returned to the outline of reality, its waves rising and falling, its waters deep and dark, as if the deathly silence and subjugation that had enveloped the heavens had never happened. Qin Yu and Jin Hanyan stood side by side at the edge of the void, neither of them speaking immediately, their gazes simultaneously fixed on the seemingly calm yet infinitely turbulent surface of the sea. The wind from the Black Sea carried a slightly salty dampness, but it could no longer wash away the lingering chill deep within their senses—the aftershocks of being crushed by the Realm of Absolute Thoughtlessness.
After a long silence, Jin Hanyan spoke softly, her tone more hesitant than usual. "That bead... I seem to have seen it in some ancient ruins, but I didn't pay attention at the time. Now, when I think about it again, I can't seem to grasp any complete clues." Her brows furrowed slightly, an expression rarely seen on her, clearly indicating that what she had just witnessed had touched the very edge of taboos she had previously dabbled in.
Qin Yu slowly withdrew his gaze, his voice low and restrained. "Whatever it is, once it's repaired, it will definitely not be a good thing for the entire Void Obliteration Domain. The appearance of the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor Annihilation has already shown that the problem is no longer limited to the Nine-Headed Calamity Beast. We must return to the Temple as soon as possible and truthfully report everything we saw today; otherwise, if we misjudge the situation, the consequences will be unbearable."
Jin Hanyan nodded, then turned around and gave Qin Yu a slight bow. Her tone returned to its usual calmness, but with a hint of gentleness. "Young Master Qin went to great lengths to rescue me from the Corruption Soul-Suppressing Forest. I will remember this Hanyan and repay it if the opportunity arises in the future."
Qin Yu shook his head, his expression frank. "I didn't really help much. If you hadn't recovered so quickly, the situation would have been even more dangerous."
Jin Hanyan looked at him, her gaze lingering for a moment. In that instant, her expression softened unusually, like a crack briefly melting in the ice and snow. "Then, Young Master Qin, I shall take my leave." After that, she said no more. Her robes fluttered lightly, and her figure faded and extended in the void, finally disappearing completely, leaving only the aura of order slowly returning above the Black Sea.
Qin Yu stood alone in place, and after confirming that the cause and effect around him had completely stabilized, he moved his mind slightly and extended his divine sense inward. The next moment, a familiar and light aura landed on his right shoulder, and the blue light and shadow condensed into that slender figure.
"Little Qinzi," Azure Ring's voice was as composed as ever, as if the scene that had just witnessed the world's destruction was merely a slightly amusing interlude, "I know what you want to ask."
Qin Yu didn't say anything, but just glanced at her sideways.
Azure Ring gazed into the depths of the Black Sea, her tone unusually serious. "What the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor just took out was the 'Annihilation Realm-Breaking Pearl.' This pearl wasn't crafted later; rather, it's a paradoxical object formed when a wisp of 'Annihilation Origin' and 'Realm Breaking Remnant Wind' collided and condensed outside the boundary at the beginning of the ancient chaos. Legend has it that in the primordial era, there was an unparalleled being who attempted to simultaneously comprehend the two extreme Daos of 'No Thought Annihilation' and 'Boundary Collapse,' but ultimately perished due to the backlash from the repulsion of the Daos. His Dao Fruit shattered, and it condensed into this pearl."
Azure Ring's gaze darkened slightly as she continued, "Sealed within the bead is that being's complete understanding of the 'Ultimate Mental State' and the 'Power to Realm Breaking.' It once appeared in an ancient secret realm, sparking a fierce battle among countless powerful beings, but was later damaged and completely disappeared for unknown reasons. Its reappearance now indicates that the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor's goal is very clear—he wants to repair this bead and then use its power to forcibly step into the Realm Breaking Realm."
She paused, her voice lowering slightly. "If successful, the Boundary Collapse, dimensions will shatter, and both tangible and intangible laws will lose their restraint on him. That's not just a calamity, but a direct tearing apart of the entire Source of Epochless · Middle Layer."
Qin Yu listened quietly, his gaze growing increasingly serious.
On the Black Sea, the wind and waves remain unchanged, as if nothing has happened. But on a deeper level, a process powerful enough to overturn the world has begun to accelerate.