Deep within the Chaos First Palace, the Qi Primordial Chaos Hall hangs silently above the endless void. Outside the hall, countless streams of chaotic energy flow like a reversed galaxy, yet the interior remains eerily quiet. On the hall's walls, ancient chaotic patterns slowly circulate, as if breathing, or as if listening.
As Qin Yu stepped into the hall, Wan He had already concealed her sharpness beside him, the aura of the Void Returning-to-Ruin Divine Sword suppressed into the deepest layers of its existence. On the main seat, the Chaos First Palace Yun Yanwan, sat motionless, her aura as heavy as a realm before the separation of heaven and earth; beside her, the Vice Palace Master, Yun Yanxi, had a calm gaze, yet her expression subtly revealed vigilance; and on an even higher seat in the void, Ancestor Yun Qiusheng seemed half-merged into chaos, his figure shifting between reality and illusion, as if he might vanish into the void at any moment.
There was no small talk inside the hall.
After Qin Yu took his seat, he spoke directly, his tone low and resolute. "Esteemed seniors, there must be immeasurable variables involved. I have completely blocked the entrance to repair the Annihilation Realm-Breaking Pearl. Logically speaking, the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor of Absolute Thoughts should be restless at this moment. Even if he doesn't take action personally, he should launch a full-scale attack and drag the entire Void Obliteration Domain into chaos."
His gaze slowly swept across the hall, his voice growing colder. "But the reality is quite the opposite—one of the Three Nether Yin Puppets has been Annihilation, yet he hasn't made any significant moves."
Palace Master Yun Yanwan narrowed her eyes slightly, the chaotic energy surging silently behind her. "This matter is indeed strange. Our Chaos First Palace has thoroughly investigated all its territories, whether it be the border void, the Deep Root Lower Layers, or the middle-level convergence zone, but we have not found any trace of demonic beasts or demonic spirits. It's as if... the entire Void Obliteration Domain was suddenly emptied."
Deputy Hall Master Yun Yanxi interjected, "It's too clean. So clean it doesn't seem like a sign of impending war, but rather like a carefully orchestrated silence."
At this moment, the voice of Ancestor Yun Qiusheng slowly rang out, aged yet exceptionally clear, as if echoing directly within the depths of everyone's Fate Soul: "I previously joined forces with several temple ancestors to attempt to trace the causal chain of the Three Nether Yin Puppets in reverse. Even a trace of it would be enough to pinpoint its subsequent plans. But the result was—nothing."
The chaotic patterns within the hall paused slightly at that moment.
Yun Qiusheng slowly raised his head, his gaze as deep as a bottomless abyss. "This is not normal concealment, but rather the preemptive cutting off of all possible paths for tracing. This indicates one thing— the Thought Severance Devouring Emperor had already anticipated that we would come looking for him."
He paused, his tone growing increasingly grave. "Therefore, we must remain calm at this moment. We cannot act rashly. It is highly likely that he is waiting for us to voluntarily step into a certain area, where... an Annihilation array, or even a higher-level destructive structure, has already been laid out."
"Respond to all changes by remaining unchanged," Yun Qiusheng concluded.
A brief silence fell over the hall, with the chaotic air currents rumbling softly, as if gathering strength for the storm yet to erupt.
--
Almost at the same time, in the Southern Region the Void Obliteration Domain, at the Nine Heavens Gate.
The once clear sky suddenly darkened in an instant.
Thick, dark clouds rolled in from the depths of the void without warning. The clouds were not naturally accumulated, but rather seemed to be forcibly compressed and folded by some incomprehensible force, layer upon layer covering the sky above the Nine Heavens Gate. Space began to distort visibly, and distant mountains were stretched into eerie arcs, with light breaking and shifting within them, as if the structure of heaven and earth was being rewritten.
The guards at the mountain gate suddenly looked up, their faces turning deathly pale.
"What's going on?!" A guard's voice trembled, almost losing its composure. "This isn't the aura of the Asura Immortal Hall... No, report to the guild leader immediately!"
Before the other disciple could even respond, he transformed into a streak of light and sped towards the depths of the mountain gate.
At that very moment, the void outside the mountain gate completely cracked open.
It wasn't a tearing apart, but rather as if it had been forcibly ripped open by some invisible giant hand. Beyond the rift was not Emptiness, but a surging torrent of dark energy. The outlines of countless demonic spirits appeared first, densely packed, filling the field of vision like a tide. Their auras overlapped, creating a suffocating sense of oppression.
Immediately afterwards, a colossal monster emerged from the sky, its scales gleaming and fangs bared, each breath causing spatial tremors; higher still, the phantoms of divine beasts appeared and disappeared in the dark clouds, lightning, ghostly flames, and chaotic light swirling around them, the interplay of light and shadow making the world seem as if it could collapse at any moment.
Outside the entire Nine Heavens Gate's mountain gate, what was no longer an "enemy" was an approaching torrent of destruction.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, countless beasts appeared, and the void trembled like a drum.
At that moment, the world above the Nine Heavens Gate completely lost its original order.
Xiao Lingtian atop the highest point of the mountain gate, his robes fluttering wildly in the chaotic void storm. His pupils reflected the surging dark torrent above the sky, and for the first time, he lost his composure. It was not a simple demonic tide, but an entire "layer of otherworldly beings" forcibly dragged into the Void Obliteration Domain. Their very existence was an affront to the stability of reality.
Xiao Lingtian suddenly stepped out of the void, his voice booming like thunder across the entire Nine Heavens Gate.
"All disciples—form the formation immediately!"
His roar echoed between heaven and earth, carrying the will of the Void Emanation Realm · Supreme, forcefully suppressing the collapsing space.
"The Beginningless Void Evolution Formation —Activate!"
In an instant, deep within the Nine Heavens Gate, at the mountain gate, on the side peaks, and on the floating platform in the void, figures simultaneously sat cross-legged. More than a hundred Void Emanation Realm · Middle Stage cultivators closed their eyes at the same time, and the Flow of Void Emanation within their bodies was forcibly drawn, transforming into an invisible and intangible torrent of existence, intertwined with each other.
There was no light, no array patterns, and no talismans.
The sky above the entire Nine Heavens Gate seemed to have been erased by an invisible hand, as if a corner of reality had been wiped away.
Between heaven and earth, the once clear mountain ranges, palaces, and sea of clouds became "seemingly there but not there" the moment the formation was fully deployed, their outlines blurred and their existence elusive. When the demon spirits swooped down, they were clearly close to the mountain gate, but at the last moment it was as if they had crashed into a Does Not Exist abyss. Their power was silently dissipated, their roars stopped abruptly, as if they had never launched an attack.
The Beginningless Void Evolution Formation did not stop them.
It simply renders the "attack" itself meaningless.
Hostility vanishes, murderous intent disappears, and supernatural powers are lost in Abyss of No Thought.
Within the array, the flow of existence quietly circulated, changing with each incoming wave. The powerful were reduced to nothingness, while the treacherous were solidified and slowly swallowed up. There were no collisions, no explosions, only a chilling silence.
However, this silence did not last long.
Thousands upon thousands of demons, monsters, and divine beasts outside the formation all stopped moving.
They hovered above the Nine Heavens Gate, layer upon layer, blotting out the sun. Dark, demonic clouds churned, but did not press down further, as if waiting for some signal. That kind of waiting was chilling.
The next instant, the world suddenly felt lighter.
It wasn't that the oppression disappeared, but rather that a higher-level being descended and completely "smoothed out" the original pressure.
In the void, a warm yet chilling light slowly shone forth.
The Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng has appeared.
It did not tear through space, but rather appeared as if a scroll that had long existed between heaven and earth had been gently unveiled. A body like a red leopard slowly emerged from the light, majestic and elegant, each step landing on the most stable point in the void. Its fur was as if forged from flames, yet without the slightest heat; the red light, like crystal, was clear and translucent, as if sealing an entire rosy dawn within its flesh and blood.
Dark black patterns slowly moved beneath its fur, like ancient runes coming back to life. With each turn, the void trembled slightly, as if bearing invisible pressure. It was not an aura of destruction, but a law-like will to "return everything to its original place."
Its head was slightly raised, and its single horn was carved from mutton fat jade, crystal clear and flawless. The soft light emanating from the tip of the horn was not sharp, but it made all the cultivators who looked at it tremble. The distracting thoughts in their minds were forcibly suppressed, as if they had seen their most authentic form.
The wings at the waist slowly unfolded.
Its wings are like the feathers of a phoenix, yet pure white Stainless, with iridescent halos flowing around their edges. When it spreads its wings, there is no sound of wind, no sonic boom, only subtle ripples as space is quietly folded—proof that it has trampled the void beneath its feet.
Five long tails swayed gently behind it, like layers of feather fans. With each sway, specks of Stainless light fell, turning any Demon Qi, malevolent thoughts, and lingering obsessions they touched into nothingness and dust, leaving not even an echo.
Its eyes were like crystal gems, clear and deep, devoid of emotion or killing intent, reflecting only the true nature of heaven and earth. Within its gaze, the Nine Heavens Gate's array domain, the Flow of Void Emanation, and the cultivators' foundations were all "seen," yet never judged.
Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng slowly lowered his head.
A low growl escaped its throat, less like a beast's roar and more like the echoing of a sacred chant. The sound pierced through the array, landing in the hearts of every cultivator, washing away fear and frenzy, yet also making them clearly aware—
The existence before him did not belong to the logic of this level of war at all. Standing at the core of the array, Xiao Lingtian felt a chill run down his spine for the first time.
The figure of the Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng hovered above the Nine Heavens Gate. It did not launch an attack immediately, but quietly looked down at the mountain gate that was enveloped by the Beginningless Void Evolution Formation. The next moment, its eyes, which were like glazed gemstones, suddenly lit up. The light was not blazing, but strangely restrained, like two bottomless, clear pools, slowly rotating in the light to form fine and ancient patterns.
That was not a gaze, but a screening that transcended perception. Its gaze did not fall on the mountain gate, the palace, or the formation itself, but penetrated the overlapping array domain of reality and illusion, directly landing on the "flow of existence" within each Void Emanation Realm cultivator. Nine Heavens Gate, the Void Emanation Realm cultivators who were maintaining the formation simultaneously felt a jolt in their hearts. Some felt their memories being stirred up, some felt their Dao foundation being coldly swept over, and some felt as if their flesh and blood had been peeled away, leaving only a naked wisp of origin exposed between heaven and earth.
The Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng was not in a hurry. Its gaze was like an invisible net, searching one by one whether each Void Emanation Realm cultivator possessed that abnormal Marrow of Cause Replenishment. This essence was a heterogeneous source that could repair the breaks in the Void Evolution Realm and reverse cause and effect. No fluctuation could escape its perception. It saw that some people had incomplete Dao foundations but no replenishing essence; it saw that some people had abundant luck but were only outwardly strong but inwardly weak; it saw that some people had burning obsessions but were still operating on the normal track of the Flow of Void Emanation.
After a dozen or so breaths, its glassy eyes dimmed slightly. It slowly shook its head, its tail feathers swaying gently, and the pure, Stainless dust it scattered vanished silently in the void, as if it had lost the last bit of interest in this mountain gate.
Just as it was about to leave, the Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng suddenly raised its front paw and took a very light and slow step forward. This step did not touch the array domain, but it caused the "flow of existence" inside the Beginningless Void Evolution Formation to become disordered for the first time. The balance that the array should have maintained by changing between emptiness and reality according to the enemy was broken, and the transformation between emptiness and reality was briefly delayed, as if an originally smooth river channel had been choked by an invisible force. Xiao Lingtian's expression changed drastically. He clearly felt the Beginningless Emanation Heart Platform deep in the array domain tremble slightly, and the flow of the Flow of Void Emanation deviated from its expected speed.
The Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng seemed to have only confirmed this point. In the next instant, a glazed red light suddenly burst forth around it, and an Ultimate pure radiance spread out from its body, like a Stainless sun rising above the Nine Heavens Gate. The Stainless Illumination descended, and wherever the light touched, the heavens and earth for thousands of miles were as if they were being washed clean. Demon Qi, poisonous barriers, and dark curses instantly turned into nothingness, and even the blood and resentment in the air were wiped away completely.
However, this purification was not merciful; it was like a cold mirror, reflecting directly into the hearts of all cultivators within the array. The stronger the obsession and the deeper the inner demons, the more intense the light's power. Within the Nine Heavens Gate, many cultivators groaned the moment they were enveloped by the light, their souls trembling, their fighting spirit forcibly stripped away. Immediately afterward, the radiance collided head-on with the array's "balance of reality and illusion." The invisible array's outline manifested for the first time, trembling violently like water struck by a heavy hammer, before shattering completely with a low, booming sound, as if the heavens and earth were sighing.
The Beginningless Void Evolution Formation was shattered.
The Glazed Dao-Extinguishing Zheng didn't even turn around. Its figure had already turned away the instant the light subsided, and the void naturally cracked open in front of it, as if to make way for it. Before completely disappearing into nothingness, it coldly left behind a sentence, its voice not loud, but clearly entering the consciousness of every demon spirit and divine beast—"Complete Annihilation, leave no one alive."
The next moment, the sky completely collapsed. Thousands upon thousands of demon spirits, monsters, and divine beasts, like a black torrent bursting its banks, swooped down from all directions simultaneously. Roars, shrieks, and the explosive sounds of bone wings striking the void intertwined, blotting out the sun.
The Nine Heavens Gate's mountain gate defenses were instantly exposed after the formation shattered. The cultivators hastily formed hand seals and unleashed their divine powers, with flames, lightning, and frost exploding in the air, only to be quickly overwhelmed by the terrifying tide of demons. "Hold the mountain gate--!" someone roared, but the next instant, their protective divine light was shattered by the giant beast's claws, and they were smashed into the mountain rocks along with their bodies. "Don't retreat--!" The shouts were barely uttered before they were swallowed up by the roars of the demons, and blood rain exploded in mid-air, scattering onto the broken palace rooftops.
Demonic spirits tore at the cultivators' armor, divine beasts trampled the various halls of the mountain gate, and the entire Nine Heavens Gate was transformed into a burning inferno. Screams, roars, and the crisp sound of weapons breaking echoed everywhere, and even the heavens and earth were stained with a dark red color that was almost despairing.