A Single Thought Establishes Stillness in the Abyss

In the Abyss of Causelessness, there was no wind, no sound, and even the state of "stillness" itself seemed superfluous. Qin Yu stood there, with nothing beneath his feet, yet he did not fall. His existence was suspended at a Limit point between "permission" and "undecided," as if the slightest deviation would be naturally smoothed over by the bottom of this abyss.

The Silent Profundity Origin Heart Demon did not act immediately. It merely "existed".

It was an extremely unsettling way of being—there was no killing intent, no oppressive aura, yet Qin Yu could clearly perceive that he was being gradually "removed from necessity." The form of the inner demon slowly changed, first transforming into an outline exactly like Qin Yu's, then silently collapsing and reassembling into scenes that were extremely distant yet familiar: star fields extinguished, world lines broken, and countless once vibrant beings losing the right to be remembered in an instant, leaving not even the ending of "death."

That wasn't an attack. That was a demonstration.

To reveal the true meaning of "Annihilation"—not to destroy you, but to make you understand that you were never meant to be.

As these scenes unfolded, Qin Yu's power was not directly suppressed, but a deeper erosion began to quietly occur. He discovered that his impulse to "use supernatural powers" was weakening, not because it was sealed, but because it had become meaningless; his thoughts of "resistance" were also fading, because resistance requires an object to be resisted, and there were no enemies here, only an Ultimate cold conclusion—all things could have ceased to exist, and so could you.

The Silent Profundity Origin Heart Demon finally spoke.

Its voice had no source, as if the entire Abyss of Causelessness itself was stating a fact. "All the power you wield stems from 'still being needed.' When the need disappears, existence ceases to exist."

As those words fell, Qin Yu clearly felt that his past was being casually reviewed. The battlefields he had traversed, the sacrifices he had made, and the expectations that had been placed upon him all surfaced, yet carried no weight whatsoever.

They are not negated, but placed in a higher level of judgment—even if they all Does Not Exist, the abyss will not be biased as a result.

At that moment, Qin Yu felt a genuine unease for the first time. It wasn't fear, but a dangerous sense of vulnerability.

If everything will eventually return to nothingness, then what have I been resisting all this way? Am I trying to avoid Annihilation, or merely to delay an inevitable ending? If all things ultimately lead to nothingness, then are "protection," "choice," and "sacrifice" just narratives of self-comfort from a lower dimension?

The inner demons sensed this shift in their thinking.

Its form changed again. This time, it no longer took on any concrete form, but rather became a process of "disappearing" —Qin Yu clearly sensed that a part of his existence was being quietly extracted, not power, not his soul, but "the reason for being remembered."

He remained conscious, but began to wonder if, if he were to disappear completely at this moment, there would still be someone, or cause and effect, leaving any trace of his disappearance.

Just then, the faint light of the Key of Silent Profundity trembled slightly.

That wasn't a response to Qin Yu, but rather seemed like it was calibrating something. Qin Yu suddenly understood.

This trial was never about him "conquering" the Silent Profundity Origin Heart Demon. The inner demon was merely a manifestation of the filtering logic; it neither killed nor released people. It was only responsible for pushing the intruder's heart to its Limit —when you face the truth that "Annihilation is rational," are you still willing to choose to exist?

It wasn't because of resentment, fear, or obsession.

Rather, even knowing that everything will eventually come to nothing, you are still willing to bear the full cost of every choice you make in the present moment.

Qin Yu slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again in the next instant.

He no longer tried to resist the feeling of being "cancelled," nor did he try to prove his own importance. He let his inner demons Annihilation, let his existence be gently stripped away, yet in the depths of that gradually emptying consciousness, a thought firmly took hold—not "I must exist," but "I choose to exist."

Not to be remembered, not to leave a trace. It's simply because, at this moment, on this path, there are some things that only he can complete.

The instant this thought settled, the form of the Silent Profundity Origin Heart Demon cracked for the first time. It wasn't that it was broken, but rather that it lost its foundation. In the Abyss of Causelessness, the pressure of continuously "canceling existence" suddenly stopped, as if a certain condition for judgment had been quietly met.

The mystical light emanating from the Key of Silent Profundity began to stabilize. The filtering logic had already manifested itself.

Silent Profundity did not choose the strongest, the controller, or even the "fearless of Annihilation."

It chooses only one type of person: those who, after understanding Annihilation, are still willing to bear the burden of existence.

The Abyss of Causelessness fell completely still in that instant.

It wasn't the disappearance of sound, but the erasure of the "change" itself. The Silent Profundity Origin Heart Demon slowly raised its head; its outline dissolved and reassembled at the bottom of the abyss, ultimately transforming into a gray-white, dark expanse that couldn't be locked onto by sight. The next moment, it truly "made its move" for the first time. (From * Silent Assimilation *)

There was no burst of light, nor any impact of power; the Silent Profundity Qi surrounding the inner demon spread out from its feet like a silent tide. It was not energy, but a "conclusion"—everything touched by it began to lose its qualification to be defined.

Qin Yu clearly saw that the outline of his soul became blurred when the aura of Silent Profundity swept over it. His flesh and blood did not collapse, but it was as if the edges of his soul were gently wiped away from the concept of "existence". Even the power surging within his body lost its attributes in an instant and turned into Nameless and formless silence.

This is not an attack, nor even a suppression. This is assimilation.

It is irresistible and unavoidable, because it is not directed at "you," but at "existence itself." As long as you still take "I am" as a premise, you will be gradually worn down by this Silent Profundity Qi, eventually becoming part of the abyss, leaving not even the process of being "erased."

The fall began at the bottom of the abyss.

It wasn't that space was collapsing, but rather that Qin Yu's perception of "up" and "down" and "near" was dissipating. His supernatural abilities became completely dull at this moment, as if he were being asked to answer an impossible question—when everything eventually returns to stillness, what meaning does power hold?

At that moment, Qin Yu did not retreat.

He did not try to resist the assimilating Silent Profundity Qi, nor did he forcefully unleash his power to counter it. Instead, he slowly raised his hand amidst the rapidly spreading "formless silence".

The Silent Origin Stainless Sword appeared in his palm.

The sword had no radiance, no sharpness, like a blank space forgotten by time. Qin Yu did not swing the sword, but instead, with an extremely slow movement, lowered the tip of the sword towards the bottom of the abyss. At this moment, his aura suddenly became inward, and all his outward presence was withdrawn.

He chose "accommodation".

In the next instant, Qin Yu, using himself as an axis, subtly activated his own divine power—not fully unleashed, but awakened in the most restrained and subtle way.

"The Void Source: Dream Stillness" has no domain expansion, no midnight arrival.

It was an "incomplete" Void Source State, like a breath suspended between birth and death. Qin Yu's consciousness voluntarily descended, drawing his soul, flesh, and power into this "neither still Unborn" buffer layer, transforming the object of the assimilation of the Silent Profundity Qi from "the existing Qin Yu" into "a possibility yet to be confirmed."

The moment the Silent Profundity Qi surged into the Void Source State, it paused for the first time.

It continues to assimilate, yet finds itself unable to find a clear anchor. The essence of Void Source · Dream Stillness is not to resist Annihilation, but to allow everything to fall into a state of "not yet fully defined"—here, Annihilation cannot be directly established, because the premise of "being erased" is that it must first be fully defined as "existence".

The Silent Profundity of the inner demons lost its speed for the first time. In that instant, Qin Yu moved.

He raised his sword, the swordplay extremely simple, yet as heavy as the collapse of the entire world -- "The Silent Origin Stainless Sword, the No-Thought Absolute Silence Sword".

This sword strike did not target the inner demons, but rather "assimilation itself." Where the sword fell, there was no tearing, no shattering, only a "silent slit" forcibly cut open. It was a sword strike that used the mind of no thought as its blade to sever the "conditions for the establishment of assimilation"—not denying Annihilation, but preventing Annihilation from completing its logical loop.

The Silent Profundity Qi surged like a reversed gray-white nebula on both sides of the sword mark, yet it could never cross that invisible boundary; for the first time, the void at the bottom of the abyss showed a "direction," and Qin Yu within it, his figure stretched extremely long, yet as steady as an anchor.

The Silent Profundity Origin Heart Demon emitted its first truly significant fluctuation.

It did not retreat, but it clearly perceived that this practitioner did not resist Annihilation with "existence," but rather embraced Annihilation with "undefined," and then severed assimilation with "no-thought."

The Silent Assimilation continued, but it could no longer completely engulf Qin Yu. For the first time, the Abyss of Causelessness showed signs of imbalance.

The Abyss of Causelessness came to life the moment the Silent Profundity Origin Heart Demon raised its hand for the second time.

Not a chance, but a possibility. —From * Unborn Illusions *

The faint yet eternally radiant light deep within the Key of Silent Profundity suddenly split, transforming into countless silent projections, like shattered waters of time, unfolding layer by layer around Qin Yu's consciousness. Each projection was a "what if."

If he hadn't embarked on the path of cultivation back then, he might still be growing old in the dust and grime of the mortal world;

If he had failed in a breakthrough attempt, his Fate Soul might have already shattered into nothingness.

If he remains forever in the Void Emanation Realm, can he bear the repeated loss of his companions?

If... one had chosen to retreat from the beginning, would one be spared the weight of facing Annihilation alone now?

Illusions don't attack. They simply exist.

In an extremely gentle yet extremely cruel way, they laid out the full weight of "life" before Qin Yu, inch by inch. The scenes were so real they were chilling—the smiles of loved ones, the separations that had not yet occurred but seemed destined to be lost, the hesitations and weariness that had been suppressed deep in his heart—all were magnified infinitely.

The Abyss of Causelessness, therefore, experienced subtle tremors.

Because the essence of this trial is never a test of strength, but a test—when you truly face "Annihilation," will you still cling to "life"?

The voice of the Silent Profundity Origin Heart Demon echoed from the bottom of the abyss, but it didn't sound like a voice; rather, it was more like an echo that surfaced directly in the consciousness.

"You're still watching." "You're still thinking." "You're still reluctant to let go."

The illusions began to approach, gently clinging to the edge of Qin Yu's soul, like invisible hands trying to pull him back to the world of "if there were still choices." As soon as he had even the slightest thought of resisting Annihilation, these Unborn possibilities would immediately backfire, causing his mind to fall back into the obsession of "wanting to live," becoming nourishment for the Key of Silent Profundity.

Qin Yu closed his eyes. Not to escape, but to stop watching.

At that moment, he did not try to deny the reality of these illusions, nor did he use his will to suppress the turmoil in his heart. He simply let his breath slowly sink into his body, letting those "what ifs" flow through his consciousness, but no longer giving any response.

Then, he spoke softly, his voice unusually clear in the Abyss of Causelessness:

"These things could indeed happen." The illusion paused.

Qin Yu opened his eyes, his gaze calm and almost blank.

"But whether they happen or not does not constitute a reason for my existence at this moment."

The next instant, he activated "Void Source: Dream Stillness" again, centered on himself, but still did not fully unleash its power. This time, he did not allow the power to spread outwards.

Instead, it collapses the Void Source State inward, incorporating all the projections of "if" into that gray-white buffer layer that is "Unborn nor silent".

The illusions begin to lose their "direction" the instant they enter the Void Source State.

They rely on a premise—that the cultivator must acknowledge that "another possibility of life is better." However, the core of Void Source · Dream Stillness precisely negates this comparison itself.

It does not judge life and death, does not weigh gains and losses, and does not prioritize possibilities.

Qin Yu slowly raised the Silent Origin Stainless Sword; this time, his sword strike was extremely light.

The sword of "Silent Origin Stainless Sword - Historyless Void Severance Sword" fell silently.

It didn't strike at the inner demons, nor at the illusions, but at "what if" itself—severing all narrative extensions that hadn't yet happened and didn't need to happen. Where the sword light swept, those Unborn Illusions, like reflections stripped of their foundation, lost focus, faded, and crumbled, turning into unrecognizable gray-white fragments that fell back into the Abyss of Causelessness.

For the first time Silent Profundity Origin Heart Demon truly retreated half a step.

It clearly realized that this cultivator was not unattached to "life," but had already passed the stage where he no longer needed to use life to fight against Annihilation. He did not deny the possibility of Unborn, but rather acknowledged that even if infinite possibilities existed, there was no need to linger for any one of them.

The tremors of the Abyss of Abyss of Causelessness gradually subsided. The mysterious light of the Key of Silent Profundity shone faintly, as if a true selection had been completed.