Above the Ancient Plain of Dead Remains, the winds that Realm Breaking gradually subsided, and the remaining dimensional rifts slowly healed deep within the void. The demonic beast, having endured countless battles, slowly rose to its feet, its shattered scales gradually returning to their original positions amidst a stream of dark red and azure light.
It trod across the scorched earth, ravaged by the laws of nature, and arrived beside Qin Yu. Its massive form deliberately concealed all oppressive aura, its deep, restrained voice echoing in the shattered space, "Thank you for your help, but why are you here?"
Qin Yu remained calm and made no attempt to conceal anything. He met those demonic eyes, which still held Realm Breaking, piercing edge, and spoke sincerely, "To be honest, we came here in pursuit of those six Devil Beasts. We also learned from a senior that a classic text is hidden deep within this area, so we have come to search for it."
The moment the word "classical" was uttered, the beast's aura suddenly tightened, as if a string of its Fate Soul, already stretched to its Limit, had been plucked. Its pupils contracted sharply, staring intently at Qin Yu. The pressure of its Realm Breaking Realm cultivation almost instinctively threatened to erupt again, but was forcibly suppressed back into its body a split second later.
Its massive body trembled slightly, as if struggling against some ancient and profound cause and effect. After a long while, it slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, its voice carrying an indescribable weariness and relief, "So be it... You came here and saved me when I was in my most critical moment. It seems that all of this was already written in the cause and effect."
It raised its giant claw, but the claw tip did not touch anything. Instead, it gently slashed through the air. In that instant, space seemed to be cut open by an invisible blade, and layers of dimensional patterns appeared from the crack. Dark purple, black and silver intertwined to form a slowly unfolding barrier curtain. The interior of the barrier was not dark, but a kind of almost silent clarity.
As if isolated from time, cause and effect, and all the noise of the outside world, it whispered, "My name is Silent Origin Caihuang, and I am here to guard the classic you spoke of. Since you have been kind to me, I will repay you with this. Go in; whether you gain its approval depends entirely on your own fate and heart."
Qin Yu and Jin Hanyan stood side by side, gazing at the slowly unfolding barrier. Both of them could clearly feel the ancient will and dangerous aura contained within it. Qin Yu stepped forward and bowed solemnly, "Thank you." Jin Hanyan also nodded slightly, her expression solemn.
The next instant, the two stepped into the barrier simultaneously. Their figures vanished completely the moment the barrier's light curtain closed, as if erased from this world, leaving only the fading echoes of the Realm Breaking.
The demonic beast named Silent Origin Caihuang stood still for a moment, and after confirming that the barrier was completely sealed, its body transformed into a wisp of air that Realm Breaking and disappeared into the depths of the void, Ancient Plain of Dead Remains returned to deathly silence once again.
The moment the barrier closed, Qin Yu and Jin Hanyan felt as if the concept of "direction" beneath their feet was gently pulled away. The next moment, space seemed to have completed a silent fall and flip. When the two regained their footing, they were already standing in a completely unfamiliar territory.
The underlying tone here is not darkness, but a silence deeper than black, as if "vision" itself has been thinned, worn away, and degenerated into the most primitive afterimage.
In the field of vision, there was no clear distinction between light and dark, only a faint blue halo, like the slow breathing of space itself, undulating in the distance. It was a faint light like the dome of the deep sea, like the last trace of ashes remaining on the retina after the universe had completely died out.
Silent flames were scattered throughout the area. They did not burn any matter, but rather clusters of humanoid "marks of existence erosion." The edges of the flames undulated continuously, making the surrounding scenery seem stretched and folded through distorted heat waves.
They move silently, leaving behind brief, invisible streaks, like glass cracked by something invisible, fine and cold, before being quickly swallowed up by space itself.
Beneath their feet lay a vast, flat expanse of obsidian-like ground, smooth and expansive, yet offering no reflection. A pale mist, half a palm's width high, covered it, flowing slowly as if breathing on its own. Occasionally, a dim glimmer of starlight would flash and disappear within the mist—the last remnants of a devoured thought before it vanished completely.
Looking up, there is no sky. Above the dome is a reflection of stars slowly collapsing. Countless stars, like shattered diamonds embedded in black velvet, silently turn into fine ashes, disappearing completely before they reach the ground, forming a never-ending, yet silent, deathly star shower.
The entire space has no clear boundaries. As far as the eye can see, the scenery gradually becomes out of focus and fades, eventually merging neatly into an absolute Emptiness, as if the world has been irreversibly cut off there.
In some areas, there stand enormous, translucent conceptual remnants—twisted clock towers, inverted mountain fragments, and endlessly extending phantom staircases, their textures like weathered crystal, their interiors containing frozen colors and long-extinct meanings.
Everything here has a cold texture, but not a real chill. Light falls on everything and is evenly absorbed and dissipated, without forming shadows. All edges are slightly blurred, as if observing the world through a very thin film of oil.
The entire realm was imbued with a weary grandeur, as if all things were heading towards their end. Silence possessed weight and volume, and even nothingness itself seemed to have existed here for too long, revealing traces of being worn down by time.
This is the Void Abyss Forbidden Domain —a static graveyard composed of extinguished stars, silent flames, and conceptual ruins.
Just as Qin Yu and Jin Hanyan stabilized their auras, a deep and ancient thought resounded simultaneously in their sea of consciousness, seemingly emanating from the deepest part of this space. "This place is called the Void Abyss Forbidden Domain. If you can pass the ten trials, you will obtain the 'Silent Origin Void Canon.' However, this scripture only recognizes one master. You two must decide for yourselves who will accept the trials."
Before the words had even finished, a familiar yet suppressedly excited voice suddenly rang out from the depths of Qin Yu's consciousness. Azure Ring's consciousness almost appeared alongside his Fate Soul: "The Silent Origin Void Canon... Little Qinzi, it's actually the Silent Origin Void Canon! This is the second volume of the thirteen Beginningless Silent Origin True Scripture. You already have the first volume, the Beginningless Origin Record, the third volume, the True One Definition Register, and the fifth volume, the Origin Truth Framework Scripture... With this volume, you are one step closer to truly integrating the True Beginningless Silent Origin True Scripture. You must conquer this trial."
Qin Yu's aura fluctuated subtly in that instant, as if an unseen hand was gently turning the pages of an ancient book deep within his Fate Soul. Jin Hanyan immediately noticed his unusual behavior. She glanced at Qin Yu and asked in a very soft voice, "Qin Yu, what's wrong?"
Qin Yu remained silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, "This 'Silent Origin Void Canon' is one volume from the Beginningless Silent Origin True Scripture.' And I... have already collected three volumes. To truly complete that true scripture, thirteen volumes are needed."
Before she finished speaking, Jin Hanyan understood everything. Without the slightest hesitation, her gaze was gentle yet firm, as if she had been waiting for this moment long before making her decision. "Qin Yu, you go. This is your exclusive trial."
Qin Yu was slightly taken aback.
Jin Hanyan took half a step forward and stood beside him, her tone gentle yet unquestionable, "Go and accept the trial, I will wait for your return here." Her expression showed no hesitation or weighing of options, as if this was not a perilous and unknown test, but a matter of course, a choice already written in her destiny.
Qin Yu looked at her, his heart trembling slightly. He recalled that when they were by the lake, Qing Yunzheng had said that the classic book had an extremely complex logical structure, where danger and opportunity coexisted. And now, Jin Hanyan was handing this only chance to him without hesitation.
That wasn't a concession after weighing the pros and cons, but rather a trust and love that came from the depths of Fate Soul; it was a steadfast determination to wait for him even though one knew that the opportunities ahead were rare.
He looked at her, his gaze softening, as if the apocalyptic space had lost some of its coldness at that moment.
Qin Yu withdrew his gaze, took a step forward, and stood in the center of the Void Abyss Forbidden Domain. His voice was calm yet firm, "Senior, I accept the trial."
As his voice faded, deep within the Void Abyss Forbidden Domain, something that had been dormant for a long time seemed to slowly open its eyes.
The silence of the Void Abyss Forbidden Domain was abruptly shattered the moment Qin Yu uttered the words, "I accept the trial."
There was no change in light, no surge of energy; only the "sound" itself suddenly acquired form.
The first trial— the Stillness of Clamor —begins in stillness.
The space was as if its skeleton had been hollowed out; the conceptual remnants around it quickly receded, replaced by an endlessly extending corridor.
The corridor is composed of layers upon layers of sound waves. The ground is no longer a solid object, but a surging sea of sound waves. Each vibration creates visible ripples underfoot.
The dome disappeared, replaced by thousands of sound fragments, like shattered mirrors suspended in the void, reflecting different "auditory memories."
The roars of battle exploded on the left: the clash of metal, the dying screams, the muffled thuds of splattering blood—the sound waves were like knives, scraping directly at the soul; suddenly, a whisper approached from the right.
The whispers of a lover close to the ear are tender and lingering, the words unspoken yet carrying a warmth that soothes the soul; deeper still,
A baby's cry pierced the corridor; the sound wasn't sharp, but it was like a fine needle, precisely piercing the softest crevice of the Fate Soul.
Three thousand sounds surged in simultaneously, without direction or distance, directly overlapping, colliding, and tearing at each other in the sea of consciousness.
In the very center of this tumultuous sea, a transparent humanoid figure slowly took shape. It had no fixed outline; its body was composed of layers of stacked sound waves, as if compressed.
The air was barely maintaining its human form. Its head constantly fractured and reformed, and with each change, a new face emerged.
In anger, she is a roaring warrior; in grief, she is a mother who weeps uncontrollably.
When infatuated, she is a lover with downcast eyes; when fearful, she is a child screaming silently in the dark.
The Thousand-Faced Sound Demon.
It didn't take a step, but in the next instant, it directly approached Qin Yu. There was no physical impact, only a resonance that almost tore apart consciousness suddenly erupted.
The Sound Demon's face opened its mouth simultaneously, and three thousand sounds overlapped into a terrifying sonic flow, transforming into a visible, transparent storm that crushed towards Qin Yu.
The attack was not directed at the physical body, but rather at the mind.
In an instant, Qin Yu's sea of consciousness was forcibly pulled open. Past scenes surfaced under the guidance of the sounds—the calm before the blade fell, the tacit understanding when fighting side by side,
The emotions forcibly suppressed amidst blood and fire, and certain tender moments he deliberately sealed away, unwilling to touch.
The moment a thought wavers, the sound waves amplify that emotion, transforming it into a blade that tears the Fate Soul apart.
The transparent sonic blade was already close, and fine cracks began to appear in the space, as if even the concept of "silence" was being forcibly torn apart.
Ten breaths. That's all the time Qin Yu has left.
Qin Yu neither retreated nor resisted. He stood in the center of the corridor, letting the torrent of sound surge around him, his robes fluttering, yet he remained completely still.
He slowly closed his eyes, drawing all his senses inward.
He let the roars of the battlefield pass through his consciousness unanswered;
The tender whisper was calmly sent away before it could touch his heart;
When the baby's cry pierced the deepest part of his being, his Fate Soul trembled slightly, but did not flinch.
It's not suppression, it's not isolation, it's acknowledgment.
He doesn't deny the emotions he's had, but he refuses to let any voice define him in the present.
The Sound Demon's face began to fluctuate violently, and all three thousand faces simultaneously showed a momentary lapse in concentration. In that brief moment, Qin Yu's senses detected an anomaly.
Deep within that boundless clamor, there is an extremely faint, almost submerged rhythm.
It wasn't a sound, it was a heartbeat.
That heartbeat had no emotion, no fast or slow fluctuations; it belonged neither to fear nor to desire.
It does not respond to any external stimuli, but exists in the most primitive and stable rhythm, like the "initial state" of the corridor itself before it was eroded by noise.
Stillness Core.
Qin Yu opened his eyes, a faint, lonely light flashing deep within his pupils. He didn't look at the Sound Demon, but instead took a step forward, moving against the flow of sound.
With each step, the sound patterns beneath the feet were forcibly smoothed out;
With each breath, the surrounding sounds briefly lose focus;
The Sound Demon let out a silent shriek, and all the faces simultaneously shattered, attempting to drag him back into the torrent with a final emotional resonance.
The seventh breath.
Qin Yu's hand pierced through the layers of sound waves, his fingertips touching the invisible "rhythm".
In that instant, there was no explosion, no roar. The world seemed to have been gently pressed down by a hand.
Three thousand sounds simultaneously fell silent; the Sound Demon's body disintegrated in silence, its transparent humanoid form transforming into countless sound wave fragments, frozen in mid-air.
Then it vanished inch by inch. The corridor faded rapidly, all the noise was removed, leaving only the purest silence.
True silence. First trial passed.
Deep within the Void Abyss Forbidden Domain, an ancient and indifferent will trembled slightly, as if re-examining the person who had stepped into the forbidden domain.