The Marrow-Hunting Tide and the Shadows Lying in Wait

After the Three Nether Yin Puppets was completely wiped out, the Soul-Sealing Abyss finally revealed a near-exhausted silence, like an ancient beast whose internal organs had been dissected. The remaining breaths slowly echoed between the abyss walls. The space no longer collapsed, but the scorched marks of the forcibly reversed cause and effect remained. What floated in the air was not mist, but fragments of "traces of failed existence" that had not yet completely dissipated. They shattered and disappeared silently, as if even memories were actively avoiding this area.

Jin Hanyan gently withdrew her fingertips, her white robes remaining motionless in the cold wind of the abyss. She turned to look at Qin Yu, her gaze softening considerably, and her tone unconsciously slowing. "That was close. These Three Nether Yin Puppets were indeed not easy to deal with. If we hadn't severed its connection to the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor's will beforehand, it would have been difficult to escape unscathed from today's battle. Fortunately... we've completely eliminated it."

Qin Yu stood rooted to the spot, his chest heaving, the lingering shock of being corrupted by the Light of Stainlessness still present in his breath. He raised a hand to his chest, exhaled a breath of stale air, his voice slightly hoarse yet still steady. "The logic of the Stainless Realm is indeed well-deserved. If it weren't for Miss Hanyan's presence today, I would probably have been completely erased in the Fate Soul Judgment, without even a chance to react."

Jin Hanyan gently shook her head, her expression as calm as ever, yet at this moment a hint of warmth appeared. "Young Master Qin is too modest. I witnessed your ability to Order Adjudication and reverse the text when I was Deep Root Lower Layers. If it were anyone else, they would have collapsed at the very first layer of peeling away. However... this place is not suitable for lingering."

Her gaze fell into the depths of the abyss, where the broken logic that had not yet been completely quelled was slowly repairing itself, but the repair was extremely incomplete, as if some higher-level force had deliberately left a "gap" to serve as a recurring node at some point in the future.

"The fact that the Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng is not here is highly unusual," Jin Hanyan said, her tone turning cold. "For a calamity-causing demon beast to have even its causal traces erased, leaving only 'disappearance,' should never have happened in the Void Obliteration Domain. Staying any longer will only draw us into a deeper scheme. We must return to the Divine Temple as soon as possible and inform the Ancestor and the various halls of this matter."

Qin Yu nodded, about to respond, when suddenly his heart skipped a beat.

It didn't originate from the abyss, but rather from a "sense of being watched" that was extremely distant, yet unsettlingly clear.

At the same moment, outside the Void Obliteration Domain, above the Black Sea, in a hidden layer beyond the fifth dimension, the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor stood quietly in that spatial rift without up or down, without front or back. Beneath his feet was not seawater, but an entire folded and rewritten cross-section of spacetime. He had taken in all the changes within the Soul-Sealing Abyss. The process of the Three Nether Yin Puppets being erased was like a page of destiny being forcibly torn apart, slowly turning over in his eyes.

The corners of Thought Severance Devouring Emperor's mouth curled up slightly, not with anger, nor with admiration, but with an extremely restrained interest.

"Not bad." His voice didn't actually utter, but it left a clear echo in a higher level of logic. "To be able to block the threshold of the causal logic of the Void Emanation Realm, and even sever the repair path in reverse, you do have some skill."

He raised his hand and tapped his fingertips lightly. A region of space beneath the Black Sea that had not yet manifested suddenly shifted very slightly. Tens of thousands of hidden life trajectories trembled slightly at the same time, but no one noticed.

"I wonder what will happen next..." the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor muttered to himself, his gaze seemingly piercing through countless layers of boundaries as it landed on the two figures preparing to leave, "Are you... still able to withstand this?"

The Black Sea returned to its deathly silence, as if nothing had ever happened.

Inside the Soul-Sealing Abyss, Qin Yu suddenly looked up and exchanged a glance with Jin Hanyan. Though they didn't speak, they both saw the same vague unease in each other's eyes. It wasn't from an enemy, but from the intuition that "the plan is not yet finished."

The two lingered, their figures quickly disappearing into the twisted exit of the abyss, leaving only this abyss, whose fate had been forcibly rewritten, slowly closing in silence.

On the northern edge of the Shattered Luminary Wasteland Belt, a space that should have gradually returned to order after the end of the great war, suddenly emitted a deep, tearing roar Ultimate warning.

It wasn't thunder, nor was it the deafening roar of collapsing laws; rather, it was a muffled tremor as if "reality had been forcibly torn apart." The sky was like a thin film ripped apart by an invisible giant hand, rolling, wrinkling, and breaking from the center. The spatial structure shifted layer by layer, and light was stretched into long strips, leaving pale and eerie traces in the air.

The next moment, a dark rift opened completely.

Within the rift was not emptiness, but a cross-section of a world that appeared to have been melted, with gray and glass colors intermingling, like a mirror that had been repeatedly eroded. Accompanied by a deep and rhythmic roar, a colossal creature stepped out first.

Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng.

Its body was larger than before, and its scales had a translucent, glassy texture, as if countless crushed fragments of cause and effect were sealed inside. With each breath, dark gray cracks and flowing light appeared deep within the scales. Its eyes were no longer just fierce, but a calmness that had been clearly "given a mission," like a butcher's knife already aimed at its target.

Behind it, the fissure opened completely, like a gate bursting through a dam.

Tens of thousands of demonic spirits and beasts surged out from the rift, blotting out the sky and the sun, their auras overlapping to form a nearly tangible black tide. The low-level demons roared, the mid-level demons howled, and the pressure of the high-level demonic beasts pressed down on the earth like mountains. The Shattered Luminary Wasteland Belt, which had not yet been fully repaired, groaned under the unbearable burden, mountains collapsed, and rock layers cracked.

The Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng slowly turned around, its massive head gazing down at the endless torrent of demonic spirits behind it. Its voice seemed to echo throughout every inch of the Shattered Luminary Wasteland Belt, cold and unquestionable:

"My master has already shown me the layout for the next phase."

As its voice faded, all the demons and divine beasts fell silent at the same time, their roars abruptly ceasing, as if drawn by the same Fate Soul.

"Listen up, all of you."

The Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng raised its front claws, and a distorted projection of destiny suddenly appeared in the void. The outlines of countless Void Emanation Realm cultivators flashed in it, only to be quickly erased, turning into gray-white void traces.

"Any cultivator at the Void Emanation Realm —if encountered, they will be instantly Annihilation."

Before the words were even finished, the outline of the Void Emanation Realm in the projection instantly shattered, even the traces of its existence were completely erased, as if it had never existed.

"Its origin must be completely eradicated, leaving no traceable residue."

Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng's gaze swept over the demon horde below, his tone suddenly becoming lower and sharper:

"Now, our true goal is not simply killing."

It paused for a moment, as if waiting for a certain word to sink into the depths of all the spirits' consciousness.

"Instead—a cultivator carrying the 'Void Evolution Causality-Replenishing Marrow'."

The moment those words were spoken, an uncontrollable commotion erupted among the demon horde.

The pupils of low-level demon spirits suddenly contracted, the breathing of mid-to-high-level demon beasts became noticeably disordered, and even the original source of several Chaos Realm demon beasts, which were originally calm, showed a brief fluctuation.

Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng slowly raised his head, his tone unhurried yet carrying a tempting allure capable of igniting madness:

"The master has given the order—"

"Who will be the first to find and offer up the cultivator's essence carrying the 'Void Evolution Causality-Replenishing Marrow'?"

Its voice lowered at this moment, yet it struck the very depths of the Fate Soul of every demonic beast like a heavy hammer:

"Immediately bestow upon you one 'Chaos Shadow Core'."

A brief silence followed. Then came a completely out-of-control tremor.

Thousands upon thousands of demonic beasts roared simultaneously, their sounds overlapping to create a deafening roar. A near-mad light shone in the eyes of countless demonic beasts, their greed, desire, and ambition burning undisguisedly.

The Chaos Shadow Core – a forbidden treasure that exists only in legends.

One such item is enough to forcefully elevate a demon beast's cultivation to the Chaos Realm · Supreme;

One such item can increase one's supernatural power a hundredfold, transforming cause and effect and concealing one's destiny.

One such creature could even allow a low-level demon beast to break free from its racial constraints and enter the ranks of true calamities.

For demonic beasts, such temptation is tantamount to "a chance to devour their destiny."

Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng coldly watched the demon tide boiling with greed, a cold and cruel smile spreading across his lips.

"Remember, this isn't a competition, it's a selection process."

"Whoever survives will be qualified to stand in the master's true chess game."

It suddenly raised its claws and stomped down heavily. "Now—" "Disperse to find cultivators who can retrieve the Void Evolution Causality-Replenishing Marrow * for their master."

The moment the words fell, the demon horde suddenly split apart, like a shattered black torrent, spreading wildly in all directions of the Shattered Luminary Wasteland Belt. They transformed into shadows tearing through space, infiltrating mountains, wastelands, fault lines, and still-unresolved war zones, and the hunt was about to begin anew.

The spatial rift to the Shattered Luminary Wasteland Belt slowly closed after the last demonic beast disappeared, as if nothing had ever happened.

Only a trace of greed and murderous intent remained in the air.

The location of the Chaos First Palace was already emerging at the edge of his perception; that familiar and vast chaotic aura, like the breath of a sleeping behemoth, rose and fell, echoing deep within the void. Qin Yu walked alone on the passage between the Shattered Luminary Wasteland Belt and the Chaos First Palace.

The Silent Origin Stainless Sword was not yet drawn, but it was already resonating deeply with him deep within his Fate Soul, as if it sensed some kind of obstacle that should not have appeared was approaching.

The moment he took his next step, the void in front of him trembled violently without warning.

It was not a crack, nor a collapse, but a kind of tremor that was forcibly "push open". Space seemed to be supported from the inside by an invisible force, and the layers of transparent interfaces rippled at the same time. The chaotic airflow was forcibly pushed aside, forming a brief but absolutely stable vacuum zone.

Qin Yu paused, then looked up.

Ten figures slowly emerged from that broken domain.

The man at the very front wore a robe with dark red Asura patterns, the edges of which looked as if they had been repeatedly burned by countless battles, leaving behind an aura of slaughter that could not be dispelled. His hair and beard were not completely white, but they already showed the marks of time. A vertical Asura mark between his brows opened and closed slightly, like a closed vertical eye, silently scrutinizing the prey before him.

The Third Elder of the Asura Divine Hall – Ping Koucen. The Silent Mystery Realm Supreme.

Behind him, nine auras, like nine sharp blades piercing the Void Emanation Realm · Supreme cultivation. Their auras were subtly connected, forming an encirclement formation ready to fall at any moment. This was the core configuration that the Asura Immortal Hall truly used to hunt down targets of the same or even higher levels. There was no room for probing, no way out.

Ping Koucen's gaze fell on Qin Yu, a cold yet chilling smile slowly curving his lips. His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to emanate from beneath the surface, like bones rubbing against the void:

"Hey kid, long time no see."

The moment those words were spoken, the chaotic energy within hundreds of miles around them froze, as if held down by an invisible hand, its flow slowing down.

Qin Yu rooted to the spot, his expression unchanged. His gaze calmly swept over the nine disciples of the Asura Immortal Hall before returning to Ping Koucen. His tone was calm and restrained:

"I never expected that with monsters roaming the Void Obliteration Domain and the Shattered Luminary Wasteland Belt still unsettled, your Asura Immortal Hall would still have the mind to pursue me relentlessly."

His voice wasn't sharp, but the moment it left his lips, the defense at the level of his Fate Soul had already quietly unfolded. His causal perception was compressed to the Ultimate, and any possible attack path was taken into account in advance.

Upon hearing this, Ping Koucen chuckled softly, a laugh devoid of any warmth.

"Boy, you personally Annihilation my Asura Immortal Hall's disciples and Nine Alliances Gang," his gaze gradually turned cold, "Do you think we'll pretend this never happened?"

As he spoke, the Asura Mark glowed slightly, and a wisp of dark red light flashed in his eyes, as if some kind of judgmental will was slowly awakening.

"Not to mention--"

Ping Koucen's gaze suddenly sharpened, as if he were truly scrutinizing Qin Yu for the first time. "How long has it been? You've already reached the Void Emanation Realm · Supreme."

He took half a step forward, and a subtle yet clear popping sound emanated from the void beneath his feet. The oppressive aura of the Silent Mystery Realm was no longer concealed, spreading out in layers:

"If we let you grow up unchecked, it won't be long before you turn the world upside down."

This statement was not a threat, but a judgment made with a calmness bordering on cruelty.

After listening, Qin Yu's lips suddenly curled into a very faint smile.

The smile contained neither arrogance nor contempt; rather, it seemed to confirm something that had long been expected.

"Hehe."

He chuckled softly, his gaze moving forward instead of retreating, meeting Ping Koucen's eyes directly. The power deep within his Fate Soul began to quietly flow back and condense, and the aura of the Silent Origin Stainless Sword resonated gently within his body.

"Then let's give it a try."

Qin Yu's voice was very steady, so steady that it didn't sound like he was addressing an Asura elder at the Silent Mystery Realm · Supreme, but rather like he was stating a very simple fact:

"Let's give you a try--"

"Can you stop me from growing up?"

As soon as the words fell, a faint ray of light suddenly swept across the distant sky in the direction of the Chaos First Palace, as if some ancient being had cast a brief glance upon it from the shadows.

In this void sealed by the killing intent of Asura, a clash destined to end badly has already begun.