The aftershocks of the ruins had not yet completely dissipated; rubble was still slowly falling, and remnants of flames turned into wisps of smoke on the ground. Shangguan Xuanchen was about to step forward and speak to the wary cultivators of the Severed Thought Realm to persuade them...
Suddenly, the void deeper within the palace twisted violently, and a wave far exceeding that of the Devil Beast erupted abruptly. It was not a simple aura, but a vibration carrying "time cracks," as if a torn epochal trajectory had fallen from an invisible place.
The next instant, a timeline resembling a shattered galaxy exploded down from the high void. It was not a pillar of light, but a materialized blade of time, churning with countless fragmented images and causal remnants, crashing heavily into the center of the battlefield.
Boom--
The entire ruins collapsed several feet deep. Several cultivators at the Severed Thought Realm didn't even have time to scream before their bodies disintegrated inch by inch in the impact of that timeline. Their flesh and soul were wiped out at the same time, leaving not even a trace of their spirit, as if they had never existed.
The other cultivators at the Realm Breaking Realm managed to circulate their laws to resist, but they were still sent flying backward, spitting out blood and their auras instantly becoming chaotic.
Shangguan Xuanchen's expression changed drastically. He quickly formed hand seals, and the power of Realm Breaking condensed into a barrier in front of him, forcibly diverting the shock wave. Shangguan Lingxiao snorted coldly, and the aura of the True Annihilation Realm · Supreme was unleashed once again. Gray annihilation light formed a protective domain around him, neutralizing the residual power of the timeline.
As the dust settled, a figure slowly descended from a distorted rift in the void.
It was not the scaled Devil Beast we had seen before, but a creature from another world that was more like a human.
It descended slowly from the void, its body tall and slender, its outline resembling a human, yet much taller than ordinary people, its demeanor carrying an almost indifferent elegance. Its skin was a cold blue, like jade stained by cold mist, delicate yet devoid of warmth, its face handsome but lifeless, its brows lowered as if it were a silent statue.
What's most striking is its pair of wings.
Those were not wings made of flesh and blood, but rather woven from surging deep blue smoke and translucent energy fluid. The smoke churned in layers between the wing bones, spreading slowly like the tide, and then dissipated into wisps of light at the edges, as if the entire pair of wings were an endless storm.
The sharp outline of bone is faintly visible at the wing root, with the bone tip curving like a demon's horn, carrying a hint of otherworldly wildness, while faint golden patterns appear on the wing surface, like ancient divine patterns eroded by time, appearing and disappearing in the depths of the smoke.
It wore a deep blue robe, the hem of which billowed on its own in the still air, the edges constantly turning into mist and dispersing, only to coalesce again in the next instant, as if its garment itself were a projection of some flowing law. The cuffs and shoulder armor were inlaid with dark gold patterns, delicate and cold, echoing the wings of smoke.
A long sword hung at his waist, its scabbard simple and elegant, its hilt long and slender, lying quietly at his side. Though unsheathed, it exuded a sharp and menacing aura.
Its eyes were slightly lowered, its expression indifferent, as if it were looking down at a piece of history that was about to be erased; when it slowly raised its head, a faint blue and gray luster appeared in the depths of its pupils, as if countless fragmented scenes from different eras were floating in them.
The humanoid creature stood in mid-air, with no wind beneath its feet, yet it was supported by smoke. Its wings slowly unfurled, and the swirling smoke caused a slight distortion in space, making the surrounding air ripple like a stretched surface of water.
Its existence was not like the ferocity of a wild beast, but more like a fallen god banished to another world, possessing an aura of elegance, indifference, and destruction. The aura of the True Annihilation Realm · Supreme was slowly spreading from its body, pressing the entire ruins into a deeper shadow.
A surviving cultivator at the Severed Thought Realm, his face deathly pale, cried out in a trembling voice, "Run! These are Epoch Being!"
Before he finished speaking, he turned to leave. The other cultivators at the Severed Thought Realm made the same choice almost simultaneously. The cultivators at the Realm Breaking Realm also realized that the current situation was beyond their ability to resist, and they all activated their escape techniques, trying to force their way out of the void.
However, the otherworldly creature slowly raised its forepaw, a cold glint flashing in its eyes, and suddenly unleashed its True Annihilation Realm domain.
The domain descended from the sky like a deep blue canopy, completely enveloping the entire ruins. The spatial boundaries were instantly sealed off, and the laws of escape were forcibly erased at the edge of the domain. The power to Realm Breaking was like a mud ox entering the sea, failing to even stir up a ripple.
Those cultivators who were about to leave suddenly froze, as if bound in mid-air by invisible shackles. Their magical power was obstructed, their souls trembled, and even their thoughts became sluggish.
The overwhelming pressure of the True Annihilation Realm · Supreme descended completely, as if the entire ruins were being pressed into the shadow of another era. Shangguan Lingxiao and Shangguan Xuanchen exchanged a glance, and an unprecedented solemnity finally appeared in their eyes.
The smoke and dust had not yet dissipated from the ruins, and the otherworldly creature with wings of smoke stood silently in mid-air, its aura spreading out like a deep-sea cold tide, pressing the entire space into a layer of gray-blue stagnation.
Shangguan Xuanchen's expression was solemn. Amidst the tremors of his divine sense, he transmitted a message to Shangguan Lingxiao: "What should we do, Senior Brother? This is True Annihilation Realm · Supreme Being, at the same level as you."
Shangguan Lingxiao's gaze was icy, his robes billowing slowly in the True Annihilation Qi, yet his tone remained remarkably calm. "You've come at the perfect time. Don't be afraid. First, break the spatial restrictions imposed on that creature, allowing those Realm Breaking Realm cultivators to join the battle. As for those at the Severed Thought Realm, let them choose for themselves. For now, deal with this creature. This will allow us to test their loyalty."
Before he finished speaking, Shangguan Xuanchen took a step forward, unleashing the aura of the Mystic Void Realm · Supreme. He clasped his hands together, and transparent spatial patterns appeared between his fingers, as if dismantling the entire world into countless overlapping layers. He whispered, "Mystic Void Power— Void Realm Unbinding!"
At the edge of the True Annihilation Domain unleashed by that creature, the space that was originally as solid as an iron wall suddenly began to crack. Shangguan Xuanchen used the power of Mystic Void to reverse the logic of space, tearing open the sealed interface layer by layer. The Realm Breaking Realm cultivator who was originally imprisoned in mid-air felt a lightness on his body, his magic power flowed again, and his injured meridians were quickly restored under the cleansing power of Mystic Void.
Rays of light revived from their bodies, the Dharma bodies of the Realm Breaking Realm were re-formed, and their auras rose once more.
Shangguan Xuanchen looked up and said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoists, let us together Annihilation this creature."
Fifteen cultivators at the Realm Breaking Realm responded simultaneously, "Alright, Lord Shangguan, we will join you in slaying this creature!"
Those cultivators who were initially wary at the Severed Thought Realm, now facing the oppressive aura emanating from the Epoch Being, no longer hesitated. One of them stepped forward first, gritting his teeth and saying, "I'll join too."
"Me too!" "Me too!"
In an instant, six or seven cultivators at the Severed Thought Realm stood side by side, their magical power surging, and their eyes burning with determination.
A few people still hesitated, but ultimately chose to tear through the spatial logic, transforming into streaks of light and escaping. The remaining three exchanged a glance and said in a deep voice, "Then we'll join you too."
In the end, fifteen cultivators at the Realm Breaking Realm and ten cultivators at the Severed Thought Realm stood in formation, side by side with Shangguan Lingxiao, their laws intertwining to form a vast battle domain. The entire ruins trembled violently under this combined pressure.
Shangguan Lingxiao slowly raised his hand, and an ancient divine spear appeared in his palm.
That was his Fate Soul artifact, the spear body as black as night, yet the spearhead emanated a faint Annihilation gray light, and the shaft was engraved with intricate causal runes, as if countless severed threads of fate were wrapped around it.
He took a step forward, his figure vanishing from the spot in an instant, reappearing before the otherworldly being, spear pointed directly at its chest, his voice icy. "First Divine Power: Severing Cause - Annihilation Return to the Ruins."
The moment the spear tip pierced through, there was no thunderous explosion, nor any burst of flame. Only a tiny, ethereal ripple spread out from the point of contact. The ripple was silent, yet it quickly spread throughout the creature's entire body, as if some invisible pen had erased the trace of its existence from its surface.
Where it was touched, a corner of the Smoke Wings began to fade, and the scale-like energy patterns turned into fine dust, collapsing inward into an extremely small, black singularity, as if that part had never been born between heaven and earth.
At the same time, Shangguan Xuanchen shouted, "Everyone, attack together!"
Fifteen cultivators at the Realm Breaking Realm simultaneously unleashed their divine powers, their Dharma forms appearing in unison. Sword light, thunder, flames, frost, and mountain phantoms swept across the sky, pressing down on the sky. Ten cultivators at the Severed Thought Realm also unleashed their strongest secret techniques without reservation, their spears like dragons, their sword shadows like rain, and their runes like a cascading river of stars.
In that instant, the entire ruins were engulfed by countless divine lights, the heavens and earth seemed to be torn into pieces, space and time violently trembled in the impact, and the light surged towards the figure with smoke-covered wings like a tidal wave.
However, at the heart of that devastating attack, the creature simply raised its head slowly, a faint smile appearing on its lips.
There was no panic in that smile, only a hint of contempt that bordered on pity.
The smile of that Epoch Being had not yet faded when it slowly raised its finger, its fingertip wrapped in a very faint grayish-white light. The light was not energy, but more like some kind of unnamed historical embers, flowing quietly between its fingertips.
It spoke softly, its voice seemingly echoing from countless eons past. "Tracing the Cause - The Birth and Death of All Things."
Between heaven and earth, there was no storm, no thunder, not even light and shadow were disordered. There was only a very faint sound, as if someone had plucked an invisible string in the depths of the void. The sound was so faint that it was almost inaudible, but it resonated deep within the Fate Soul of every cultivator. It was the echo of the "string of cause and effect" being plucked.
Shangguan Lingxiao's spearhead remained on the creature's chest. The ethereal ripples of the "Annihilation Return to the Ruins" had not yet fully spread. But just as the faint sound fell, the ripples suddenly stopped, as if they were gently pressed down by an invisible hand, and then began to shrink back in reverse, as if time had been reversed in that instant.
The corner of the smoke wings that had been erased was now re-condensed by light and dust, the singularity bloomed in reverse, the scale patterns reappeared, and even the process of being "erased" itself began to become blurry in everyone's eyes.
The "Severing Causes - Annihilation Return to the Ruins severs the chain of cause and effect, while the "Tracing Back to Causes - The Birth and Death of All Phenomena" principle touches upon the source of cause and effect.
Shangguan Lingxiao suddenly realized something was wrong. The moment he severed it should have been a fait accompli, but the creature's supernatural power directly altered the starting point of "that spear once touched it," as if that thrust had never happened in the world before.
But the truly terrifying changes are only just beginning.
The sword light unleashed by a cultivator at the Severed Thought Realm was still blooming in mid-air, its Sword Qi like an inverted Milky Way, when in the next instant, he suddenly froze on the spot, his expression unchanged, yet he began to slowly "retreat".
His body transformed from a prime of life into a youth, then into a boy, then into a child, then into an embryo still in his mother's womb, and finally—like a stroke gently erased by the world—disappeared into the air.
There was no blood, no explosion, only a tiny, transparent flower that quietly bloomed where he disappeared. Its petals were as clear as crystal. It bloomed to its fullest and then withered, turning into an invisible wisp of light dust.
That was a bit of excess released by heaven and earth when the beginning of cause and effect was erased.
At the same time, the boulder that had been split by his Sword Qi pieced itself back together, and the shattered battle scars became smooth as before. Even his companions who had just called out his name did not show the slightest change in expression—because this person had never existed in their lives.
Shangguan Xuanchen's pupils suddenly contracted. He witnessed the divine power of the two cultivators at the Realm Breaking Realm roll back into their palms, their hand seals returning to their unformed state. Then, like a photograph fading, they went from vibrant to grayish-white, from grayish-white to transparent, until they completely disappeared.
There was no chaos, no collapse, only a suffocating "smoothness" between heaven and earth.
It was as if the world was self-correcting, reversing all the outcomes related to them, like dominoes falling backwards towards the starting point.
At this moment, the severing of cause Annihilation Return to the Ruins were completely suppressed and powerless to resist.
It severs the cause and effect of "what has already happened," while the process of tracing back to the origin and the cycle of all phenomena alters the starting point of "what has never happened."
Shangguan Lingxiao felt the originally heavy Fate Soul fluctuations on the gun suddenly lighten, as if the gun had never been thrust out at all, and even the thought that "he had made a move" became blurred deep within his Fate Soul.
The combined attack of Shangguan Xuanchen and the cultivators swept back in mid-air like a tide. The thunder returned to the clouds, the flames returned to their palms, the sword light retreated to its sheath, and the talismans transformed back into unwritten spiritual patterns.
The Epoch Being slowly lowered its fingers, its gaze indifferent, as if looking down on a child's play.
Then, a clear light flashed in its eyes, as if it had seen a point of origin even earlier than time itself.
"The beginning of Primordial, Wuhen." It did not touch anyone, but merely gazed.
When that gaze fell upon the crowd, the world suddenly became extremely quiet, even the sound of the wind was sucked away.
In the area where cultivators of the Severed Thought Realm resided, the space began to slowly fade in color.
It is not broken, not annihilated, but like a painting eroded by time, from vibrant to black and white, from black and white to transparent.
That area itself began to turn into an imperceptible blank space.
The cultivators among them did not struggle; they did not even notice anything amiss. In the next instant, even the "possibility of their existence" was stripped away.
They did not die; rather, the "seed of possibility" was never sown from the very beginning of the universe.
To onlookers, that blank space seemed to be exactly as it was, and their brains automatically filled in the blank to create the image of "that's how it always was."
If someone tries to recall, they will only feel their mind sink into nothingness and be unable to form any thoughts about "loss".
Suddenly, a very faint sigh echoed through the heavens and earth, a sigh that came from a deeper source, like a regret for a certain possibility.
Shangguan Lingxiao's expression changed drastically, and he shouted angrily, "Not good, retreat quickly!" But it was too late.
Of the ten cultivators at the Severed Thought Realm, the places where eight of them were located instantly turned into blank spaces, leaving not even a trace.
Of the fifteen cultivators at the Realm Breaking Realm, four were unable to extricate themselves in time, their positions being directly removed from existence. The remaining eleven retreated desperately, barely managing to avoid being seen.
Shangguan Xuanchen and Shangguan Lingxiao simultaneously activated the power of True Annihilation and Mystic Void to forcibly break free from the lock, but they were still caught by that gaze at the edge, their Fate Soul trembled in their chests, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of their mouths.
The entire battlefield suddenly fell silent. The once mighty united forces were instantly reduced by more than half.
The Epoch Being stood in mid-air, its smoke wings gently unfurling, and a gray-white aura spread like a tide. There was no anger in its eyes, only an almost indifferent detachment.
It's as if it's telling everyone that your presence is merely permitted.