Outside the Heaven-Burning Flame Domain, volcanic lava surged, its crimson glow illuminating the entire sky. With the two great Lineage locked in a standoff, the air seemed to be weighed down heavily.
Shangguan Xuanchen's gaze was sharp as a blade as he coldly spoke, "Hmph, I didn't expect the Ju Lineage to arrive so quickly."
His tone carried an undisguised sharpness.
Ju Anran stood with his hands behind his back, his black robe fluttering slightly in the fire and wind, his expression calm yet tinged with a hint of mockery.
"Likewise." "But we're not like some Lineage— " he said in a flat tone, "Who rely entirely on exploiting those shady sects below them to gather fragmented information."
A commotion immediately rose in the crowd. Shangguan Xuanchen's expression darkened. "Hmph." A murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
At this moment, Shangguan Lingxiao stepped forward slowly, his aura Steady as a Mountain. "Brother Xuanchen, calm down." "We haven't seen the Void Tribulation Devouring Chi yet."
"It might be nearby." "Be extremely careful." Shangguan Xuanchen paused for a moment, then nodded. "Senior Brother Ling Xiao is right."
He turned to look at the ten Severed Thought Realm · Supreme behind him. "Attention, all of you." "Report immediately if you spot the Void Tribulation Devouring Chi." "Yes!" the ten responded in unison.
The sounds were synchronized, reverberating through the air. On the other side, Ju Wanning's gaze swept towards the depths of the Heaven-Burning Flame Domain.
The firelight illuminated her cool, aloof face. "Junior Brother..." "Could it be that the Void Tribulation Devouring Chi has left?"
Ju Anran shook her head slightly. "Probably not." "According to reports—" "The Void Tribulation Devouring Chi did indeed appear here."
He had barely finished speaking when—BOOM!!!! A deafening roar erupted from the depths of the Heaven-Burning Flame Domain.
The heavens and earth seemed to be torn apart in that instant. The volcanic cluster trembled violently. Mountains collapsed. Lava shot into the sky, transforming into a pillar of fire hundreds of feet high that shot straight into the clouds.
The sky suddenly darkened. The originally orange-red sky was now covered by a layer of black and red cracks. Space itself was violently distorted in the depths.
The earth cracked open. A fissure stretching for tens of miles spread out from the depths, and flames rolled like giant waves.
The magma erupted like a blood-red sea surging back. Rumbling, it was as if some ancient, dormant being was awakening. Deep within the Heaven-Burning Flame Domain.
The volcano exploded. Rocks were crushed into dust by an invisible force. A huge pillar of light shot into the sky, intertwined with crimson gold, dark purple, and ghostly black light.
It was as if heaven and earth were tearing each other apart. The air was compressed into a tangible form.
Countless cultivators' expressions changed drastically. "Retreat!" "Retreat quickly!!!" A shockwave swept across, and volcanic rocks rained down like a storm.
Those with weaker cultivation were instantly blasted away. Even disciples at the Severed Thought Realm · Supreme had to take a step back.
The auras of the True Annihilation Realm erupted simultaneously. Ju Wanning her hand to steady the disciples behind her.
Shangguan Lingxiao took a step forward, and the power of annihilation dispersed the shockwave.
Everyone retreated in unison. The sea of fire raged, the sky and earth trembled, Heaven-Burning Flame Domain reached its depths.
It was as if a massive, ancient barrier had been forcibly torn open.
Qin Yu stood in the crowd, his pupils slightly contracting. "They've arrived."
Within her sea of consciousness, Xiao Yue's voice rang out softly. "Hmm." "This is no ordinary phenomenon." The pillar of light deep within continued to surge.
It was as if some ancient relic was about to emerge from the ground. The entire Heaven-Burning Flame Domain was completely out of control.
A pillar of light from the depths of the Heaven-Burning Flame Domain shot straight into the sky, the intertwined crimson gold and dark light tearing a huge crack in the heavens, as if a corner of the world had been forcibly ripped open.
The next instant—the strange phenomenon solidified abruptly. The phantom of an extremely magnificent ancient ruin slowly emerged from the sea of fire and lava.
That was not a simple palace, but rather a series of overlapping, fragmented realms.
Thirty-six void staircases rise from the ground, each step seemingly formed from grayish-white will. Above the staircases float dilapidated palaces and broken platforms, with overlapping palaces, like a city from beyond the heavens suspended above a sea of fire.
The entire illusory landscape stretched endlessly. The outlines of the palaces were blurred, yet they exuded a chilling solemnity.
Countless ancient runes flickered in the void, as if long-forgotten mantras were being chanted softly.
The sky was covered by the gray shadow cast by the ruins. The volcanic lava appeared tiny beneath it, as if it were an entire ancient civilization of cultivation.
It was briefly reappearing, traversing an era. Just as everyone held their breath, a cloud of ashen dust suddenly condensed in the airspace at the very center of the phantom.
The light dust wasn't dazzling, yet it was captivating, floating in the void like fragments of a galaxy.
Each speck of dust exists between "existence" and "Does Not Exist." When you gaze at it, it seems to be there yet not there.
Looking away, it shimmered faintly in my peripheral vision. The light dust spun slowly, forming a very faint vortex.
The center of the vortex is a deeper Emptiness than its surroundings, like a portal to "Does Not Exist." Occasionally, a speck of dust vanishes silently.
Then it reappears out of nowhere in another place. Birth and death are without any pattern, like Annihilation itself breathing. Looking at the whole picture—
It's like a solidified gray flame, or a stardust storm that's forever still.
It clearly contained boundless dynamism, yet the stillness was unsettling. Suddenly, someone in the crowd exclaimed in surprise, "It's the Thoughtless Realm Breaking Dust '!"
"Yes! It's the 'Thoughtless Realm Breaking Dust'!" Exclamations erupted. And just as the two exclaimed...
Several precious lights flashed again from the depths of the illusory image: a broken, gray-white ancient sword; a burning yet unmelting scroll; and a rosary bead floating in the void.
They all vanished in a flash, yet they were enough to make countless cultivators gasp for breath.
"That phantom... is the ancient ruins— the Thoughtless Burial Domain!" "I never imagined the Thoughtless Burial Domain actually existed!"
A voice trembled. "In the Thoughtless Burial Domain, countless eons ago, there was a sacred cultivation ground called 'Heaven of All Thoughts'."
"That is the Ultimate aspiration of all those who cultivate their minds." "Thirty-Six-Layer Thought Realm rose up in succession."
"The deepest layer was the prototype of the later 'Severed Thought Realm'."
Everyone held their breath. "The founder of Heaven of All Thoughts Daoist name Ji Nian."
Bathed in the firelight, the illusory image of the ruins became even clearer. "Ji Nian was the first to truly enter the Realm of the Severed Thought Realm."
"He sat cross-legged in that absolute nothingness for three thousand kalpas." "His physical form crumbled." "His consciousness nearly vanished."
"Just as he was about to completely return to 'nothingness'"
His last remaining conviction, the desire to pass on this realm to future generations, silently solidified, transforming into a speck of gray dust.
"That was the first grain of Thoughtless Realm Breaking Dust." The sky trembled slightly.
Gray dust swirled in the vortex, as if echoing this ancient legend. "Ji Nian awaken from Absolute Thoughtlessness."
Looking at the "something" that had arisen from "nothingness" in his palm, he understood the secret of Realm Breaking from Annihilation.
He didn't take the speck of dust with him, but left it behind, transforming it into the heart of the ruins.
"Then—" "He refined the entire Heaven of All Thoughts into a tomb." "That tomb is the Annihilation Ruins."
The flames of the Heaven-Burning Flame Domain dimmed at this moment. Its existence was to bury Ji Nian's former 'thought'.
"Thirty-Six-Layer Thought Realm." "Countless lineages of mental cultivation techniques." "And all rules related to the 'mind'."
"But at the same time—" "It guards that seed that sprouted from Annihilation," "waiting for the destined one."
"Let's walk that path from 'Absolute Thoughtlessness' to 'Realm Breaking'." The crowd fell silent.
Suddenly, a cultivator murmured, "Where thoughts cease, dust arises." "When dust shatters, the boundary breaks." The volcano roared.
The phantom of the ruins hangs high. The Thoughtless Realm Breaking Dust slowly rotates, seemingly containing within it...
The true key to transcending realms. And within the illusory image, countless treasures and cultivation techniques still faintly flicker.
Fragments of cultivation techniques, mental array diagrams, and ancient mental weapons flashed by, yet were enough to make everyone's breath catch in their throats.
"That is the seed of the path to Realm Breaking!" "If one could obtain the Thoughtless Realm Breaking Dust," "perhaps one could touch the True Annihilation!" "Even the Mystic Void!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion: greed, shock, fear, madness. Ju Anran's gaze sharpened, and Shangguan Xuanchen's pupils contracted slightly.
Even the True Annihilation Realm steward couldn't remain calm amidst the crowd.
Qin Yu silently gazed at the ashen-colored dust.
Within her sea of consciousness, Xiao Yue's voice softly rang out. "Interesting." "Little Qinzi, that thing is the perfect tool for you to break through to the Breakthrough Realm." "Not bad, not bad."
A sea of fire raged. The phantom of the ruins hung high in the sky. Above the Heaven-Burning Flame Domain, the magnificent phantom of the Thoughtless Burial Domain slowly sank under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
The Thirty-Six-Layer Thought Realm staircase collapsed one by one. The broken palaces turned into gray and white light and shadow.
The wisp of Thoughtless Realm Breaking Dust trembled slightly before falling into the center of the Heaven-Burning Flame Domain along with the illusory image.
The next instant—the phantom vanished completely. A brief, deathly silence fell over the world. Then—
Boom!!!! The sea of fire in the very center of the Heaven-Burning Flame Domain suddenly tore apart to both sides.
The magma parted like a sea of blood. Deep underground, an ancient array slowly emerged. It was no ordinary array.
Instead, it was an ancient seal covering an area of hundreds of miles. The array patterns, interwoven with gray and dark purple, flowed slowly as if they were alive.
Countless runes of Annihilation rose from the ground and hovered in mid-air, each rune resembling a severed thought.
At the center of the formation was an absolute void. Within that void, there was no fire, no air, and no sound.
It was as if that place should never have existed. Nine rings of barriers formed around the array, each layer of which was engraved with ancient Dao traces.
Those Dao marks were not attacks, but rather "return to nothingness." They were wiped away upon touch and disrupted upon observation. The flames of the Heaven-Burning Flame Domain even retreated automatically at the edge of the formation.
Even the rules of heaven and earth dared not approach. Everyone fell silent at the same time, and then frantically rushed to the outer perimeter.
Ju Wanning's gaze turned solemn. "This formation is no simple matter. It contains the divine power of the Great Dao of Annihilation."
"If we are not careful enough," "we will be annihilated," "completely erased." Ju Anran said calmly.
"Senior sister, every formation has a key point." "Finding the key point will break the formation."
On the other side, Shangguan Lingxiao's voice was deep. "Don't act rashly." "Await my instructions."
The ten disciples at the Severed Thought Realm · Supreme immediately concealed their auras. From the outer edge of the crowd, five figures slowly stepped out.
Five experts at the Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme: Rogue Cultivator, a sect's guest elder, and a reclusive old monster. They exchanged glances.
Clearly not from the same faction, yet they had reached some kind of tacit understanding: to "test their formation together." The five attacked simultaneously.
The power to Realm Breaking converged, tearing space apart. Streams of annihilating light, Realm God, and void-breaking palm prints simultaneously slammed into the edge of the formation.
Boom!! The instant the divine power touched the array patterns, the blank space at the center of the array suddenly shrank, as if it were "breathing".
The next instant—silence. The sound of heaven and earth was sucked away. Then, an indescribable energy erupted.
That wasn't fire, nor lightning, but Wind of Realm Breaking. The gray-white light suddenly expanded, and all the array patterns lit up.
Countless runes of Annihilation instantly materialized. A wind blew from the center of the formation. The wind was formless and intangible, yet it permeated everything it touched.
Boundary Collapse. Dimensions shattered. Space was peeled away layer by layer. Timelines were scraped into fragments. Five Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme...
Before they could even scream, their protective divine powers crumbled first, followed by their physical bodies turning to dust.
Then their souls turned to ash. All traces of their existence were erased. They weren't killed, but rather "destroyed."
All tangible rules and intangible laws crumble. Their names, their auras, their causes and effects seem to have never existed.
The Wind of Realm Breaking slowly returned. The formation returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened.
The crowd fell into a deathly silence. The five individuals, at the Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme, were instantly wiped out. Ju Wanning's expression subtly changed.
Shangguan Lingxiao's pupils contracted. Shangguan Xuanchen's throat tightened. No one dared to make a move. In the center of the Heaven-Burning Flame Domain.
The ancient sealing formation rotated silently. Grayish-white light flowed like a sea of nothingness. Qin Yu stood in the crowd.
Her gaze was deep. In her mind's eye, Xiao Yue murmured, "Tsk tsk tsk." "This formation—" "isn't just a simple seal." "It's filtering. Little Qinzi, do you want me to help you?"
"Xiao Yue, let's not rush things. Let's see how the two Lineage respond first."
The volcano roared with a low hum. No one dared to make another move.