A gentle night breeze rippled across the lake's surface, and the shimmering blue water spread out in fine lines beneath Qin Yu's feet. His figure floated silently on the water's surface, his robes completely dry, as if he had never sunk to the depths of the lake.
In the distance, the ruins of the dilapidated palaces resembled broken bones in the night, with crumbling walls and ruins lying scattered about. Occasionally, faint traces of Daoist patterns flickered between the stones, but they had long lost the imposing aura that once drew people to fight over them.
Qin Yu slowly looked around, his divine sense spreading out, but he only encountered emptiness and silence. Even the traces of the previous battle had been blown away by the wind. He frowned slightly and muttered to himself, "Are they all gone? Shangguan Lingxiao and Shangguan Xuanchen are gone too?"
His gaze fell on the distant ruins, a place that should have been a gathering place for everyone, but now only the cold moon and broken stones remained. A doubt arose in his heart. "They left so quickly. Could it be that they've already obtained some treasure?"
Although the time that had passed at the bottom of the lake was vast and long, it wouldn't have been enough to disperse everyone so completely in the outside world; this Emptiness seemed rather unusual. However, he didn't feel any danger, nor did he notice any lingering fluctuations of conflict, as if all the disputes had settled down during the time he sank to the bottom of the lake.
After a moment, Qin Yu withdrew his gaze, his thoughts slowly settling. "Forget it, they've probably already obtained some treasure. There's no point in me going back to those ruins." His tone was calm, without disappointment or regret. He hadn't come here for outsiders to fight over; the true secret was already deep within his heart. The shape of that Realm Leaf was as clear as if it were engraved, far more important than any visible ruin.
He turned and left, his footsteps silent as he traversed the water. His figure transformed into a faint streak of light, sweeping away in the opposite direction from the ruins. The ripples on the lake gradually returned to calm, as if he were merely a fleeting shadow in the wind. Little did he know that the seemingly peaceful ruins had long been the site of a bloody massacre.
Meanwhile, in the northern sky above the Thoughtless Burial Domain, twelve figures soared through the air, their auras powerful yet restrained, their robes fluttering like shooting stars across the night sky. The two leading figures were tall and imposing; one possessed a cool and aloof air, his eyes carrying a hint of composure and sharpness.
It was Ju Wanning from the Ju Lineage; the other person, with a heroic expression and sharp eyes, was Ju Anran. Ten Ju Lineage disciples followed closely behind, their formation neat and their auras intertwined to form a stable array.
Ju Anran turned her head and asked in a low voice, "Senior sister, where do you think those two from the Shangguan Lineage are?" Her tone was tinged with wariness and resentment.
Ju Wanning looked ahead, her voice calm yet carrying an undeniable confidence. "Don't worry about them. We've reunited now. If they know what's good for them, they won't be foolish enough to come looking for trouble again." Her tone was steady, yet exuded a composed and authoritative air, clearly demonstrating her full awareness of her own strength and the confidence of her team.
Ju Anran nodded gently and said, "Yes, Senior Sister, we've been in this Thoughtless Burial Domain for dozens of days now. We still haven't found the legendary main hall, or even the secondary hall."
A night breeze ruffled her hair. Ju Wanning for a moment, her eyes flashing slightly. "Let's look around some more. If we can't find anything, we'll leave. The Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain Lineage election is in a hundred days; we can't linger here too long. Anyway, we've already obtained the corresponding treasures and inheritances, so it wasn't a wasted trip."
The twelve figures gradually disappeared into the night sky, leaving behind only fleeting traces of wind and faint afterimages of spiritual pressure.
At the other end of the Thoughtless Burial Domain, the night was dark, and the broken mountains lay across the land like the skeletons of giant beasts. The ancient palace complex was hidden among the sand and gray fog. The stone pillars had collapsed, the roofs had cracked, and the mottled runes on the walls had long lost their former glory, leaving only faint traces that could be seen and seen in the wind.
Shangguan Lingxiao and Shangguan Xuanchen walked side by side, their auras concealed and their steps steady. When they arrived at an even more ancient and abandoned palace, they suddenly heard a violent collision and a deep beastly roar coming from the depths. The sound echoed between the dilapidated palaces, shaking the dust down.
Shangguan Xuanchen's gaze sharpened, and he whispered, "Senior brother, it seems there's someone inside."
Shangguan Lingxiao tilted his ear slightly, his senses sweeping over the ruins of the palace, and said in a deep voice, "Hmm, let's go in and take a look."
The two figures moved swiftly, stepping over the broken stone steps and entering the dim ruins.
The hall was extremely spacious. The once magnificent dome had collapsed by more than half, and the night poured down through the cracks, revealing a chaotic battlefield below. Dozens of cultivators were distributed in the center of the hall, their auras intertwined. The pressure of the Severed Thought Realm and the Realm Breaking Realm clashed and collided in the air, and the fluctuations of laws were like layers of raging storms.
They were fighting against several massive, monstrous Devil Beast.
The Devil Beast were covered in thick, sharp, dark blue scales, with a faint, cold luster emanating from between the scales. Their limbs were thick and strong, their muscles as if cast from steel. Their tails were curled behind them, the tips burning with orange-red flames, scorching the ground wherever they stepped. Their horns stood tall and sharp like blades, their eyes bloodshot, exuding wildness and ferocity. They wore tattered ancient patterns on their chests, like the battle emblems left behind by some long-extinct race.
Their cultivation levels fluctuated between the Severed Thought Realm and the Realm Breaking Realm, their aura was violent yet carried a strange regularity, and each roar shook the stone pillars inside the hall.
"Damn it, there are too many of these Devil Beasts!" A cultivator at the Severed Thought Realm wielded a long spear, its spear light crisscrossing like silver snakes. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his robes were torn in several places by sharp claws.
"Stop talking nonsense and concentrate on fighting, or you'll all die!" Another cultivator at the Realm Breaking Realm roared, forming hand seals. A huge illusory image of a Dharma Image appeared behind him. The Dharma Image swung a giant sword and unleashed a dazzling sword light, forcing a Devil Beast back several feet.
The entire palace trembled violently, flames and lightning intertwined, Sword Qi clashed with beast claws, stone walls shattered, and rubble flew everywhere. The air was filled with the stench of blood and the smell of burning.
A Devil Beast leaped up, its claws sweeping across, crimson flames transforming into an arc-shaped shockwave that sent three cultivators flying. Blood splattered in mid-air before crashing heavily into the crumbling wall. On the other side, a cultivator at the Realm Breaking Realm forcibly activated a secret technique, his body's law patterns surging violently, transforming into chains that wrapped around the Devil Beast's neck. However, in the next instant, the beast's dark blue horns shattered the chains, the explosive shockwave creating a deep crater in the ground.
The clash between humans and demons grew increasingly fierce, with roars and shouts from beasts intertwining to create a deafening sound wave, as if the entire ruins were about to collapse completely in this chaotic battle.
Just then, two auras quietly appeared at the entrance of the palace.
Shangguan Lingxiao and Shangguan Xuanchen stood side by side, their robes spotless, their gazes calmly surveying the battle.
Shangguan Xuanchen transmitted his voice, "Senior brother, should we help?"
Shangguan Lingxiao's eyes flickered slightly, a faint coldness appearing on his lips. He responded with his divine sense, "Yes, if we want to deal with that kid and Ju Wanning, the two of us alone definitely won't be enough. We might as well take this opportunity to recruit some helpers. After we've dealt with that kid and the Ju Lineage, we can Annihilation them all. At that time, Zhibao, the Ju Lineage, and that kid will all become victims of our blades."
A glint of excitement flashed in Shangguan Xuanchen's eyes, and he replied softly, "Good idea."
The two exchanged a glance and stepped forward simultaneously, releasing a portion of their aura in an instant. The combined pressure of the Mystic Void Realm · Supreme and True Annihilation Realm · Supreme swept out like a tidal wave, intimidating the Devil Beast and drawing the attention of the cultivators engaged in fierce battle within the hall.
Blood and fire surged in the center of the ruins, the roars of Devil Beast and the angry shouts of cultivators intertwined to create a sound wave that shook the mountains and rivers. Just as a dark blue scaled Devil Beast pressed its claws down on a Realm Breaking Realm, a grand pressure suddenly erupted from the entrance of the palace, as if an unbearable blazing sun had risen from the night.
"Fellow Daoist, I'm here to help you!"
Shangguan Lingxiao's voice boomed like thunder, and in the next instant, the overwhelming pressure of the True Annihilation Realm · Supreme's pinnacle poured out without reservation. It wasn't just a simple pressure of aura, but an crushing force formed by a realm difference that transcended the Absolute Thoughtlessness and Realm Breaking levels.
The air seemed to be ripped from its physical form at that moment, the ruins of the palace trembled, and dozens of Devil Beast beasts froze in mid-air as if pressed down by an invisible hand.
All the cultivators turned around, their eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and shock. "It's Shangguan Lingxiao from the Shangguan Lineage!"
"It really is Shangguan Lingxiao, with the True Annihilation Realm · Supreme!" "We're saved now!" "Strange, even the Shangguan Lineage is helping us..."
Shangguan Xuanchen stepped forward, his aura also expanding, and said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist, leave the rest to the two of us."
Before he finished speaking, Shangguan Lingxiao raised his hands, and the Daoist aura around him surged like the dark currents of the deep sea. An extremely vast domain slowly unfolded above the ruins, as if a thin film had been torn away from reality to reveal a deeper realm of annihilation.
"True Annihilation Realm Divine Power - True Annihilation Formless World." True reality is annihilated, and true form no longer exists.
This supernatural power does not manifest as destruction, but rather completely erases the boundary between "reality" and "illusion." Within its domain, all criteria for judging existence are removed, and all things can no longer be distinguished as "existing" or "Does Not Exist," but can only fall into an indistinguishable state.
A dark light appeared in Shangguan Lingxiao's eyes, and his domain expanded instantly, covering the entire palace ruins. The Devil Beast roared and tried to break free, but found that the hardness of their scales, the thickness of their flesh, and the sharpness of their claws were rapidly losing their meaning. Their forms began to blur, the flames lost their heat, and their roars became hollow, as if they were being dragged into an invisible mirror.
The sky darkened, not because the night deepened, but because the boundary between light and shadow was blurred. A huge gray vortex appeared above the palace. At the center of the vortex, there was neither light nor darkness, only an indescribable "annihilation," like a Formless realm before the birth of the universe.
Shangguan Lingxiao took a step forward, his robes billowing like black clouds. He clasped his hands together, then suddenly separated them. The gray vortex crashed down, engulfing dozens of Devil Beasts. Their scales crumbled inch by inch, their flesh turned into dust, and their bones shattered into nothingness in mid-air. Even their roars were silenced, as if they had never been uttered.
The flames died down, the lightning dissipated, and only the gray light of annihilation remained on the entire battlefield, slowly receding before finally transforming into a faint ripple and returning to Shangguan Lingxiao's body.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of Devil Beasts at the Absolute Thoughtlessness and Realm Breaking levels were completely Annihilation, leaving not even a trace behind.
The air began to flow again, and the sound of rubble falling to the ground was clearly audible. The cultivators stood there in a daze, as if the fierce battlefield they had just witnessed was nothing more than an unfinished dream.
Several cultivators at the Realm Breaking Realm were the first to regain their senses. They quickly retracted their Dharma Forms and respectfully bowed, saying, "Thank you for your help, Shangguan Lingxiao!"
Their expressions were awe-inspiring, and their tone was sincere. The gap between the True Annihilation Realm · Supreme was right before their eyes. In the face of this level, they had almost no power to fight back.
However, on the other side, those cultivators at the Severed Thought Realm did not immediately step forward. They looked at each other, their eyes flashing with complexity and wariness.
They remembered that before entering the Thoughtless Burial Domain, Shangguan Lingxiao had forced some cultivators at the Severed Thought Realm to sacrifice themselves using an array to forcibly activate the array's core. Some were thrown into the array's eye and perished on the spot; that scene was still vivid in their minds.
Although they were rescued, they did not let their guard down. They stood silently in place, looking at Shangguan Lingxiao with calm and distant eyes, as if weighing the true purpose behind this "help".
Shangguan Lingxiao's gaze swept over the crowd, his expression remaining calm, a faint smile playing on his lips. Shangguan Xuanchen stood beside him, a cold glint flashing in the depths of his eyes.