The air in front of the ruined ancient temple was already Ultimate oppressive. Three array light traces were spread out at the same time, enveloping the three cultivators in different divine statue domains. At this moment, the world seemed to be cut into three isolated spaces, each trial space operating under completely different rules, as if the eight divine statues each controlled completely different primordial authority.
Before the second shield-wielding statue, the Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme cultivator was locked onto by an abyss-like black core. The ground beneath his feet transformed into a bottomless, pitch-black void sea. The core at the center of the shield slowly rotated, forming a trial realm called the "Realm Wall Annihilation Domain." This space contained no sharpness or attack, only endless oppression and engulfment. The significance of the Realm Breaking Realm lay in "Realm Breaking and standing firm."
This realm constantly reshapes its boundaries through rule reversal. Every time he breaks through a layer of space, an even more solid boundary appears in the next instant, as if the world itself is fighting against him. He bombards it with divine powers, causing space to collapse only to be reconstructed in an instant. The core of the shield releases rings of invisible ripples, drawing away the boundary power within him layer by layer, gradually causing him to lose his ability to define "boundaries".
When he realized that the path to Realm Breaking was meaningless here, he was completely sealed off by countless overlapping boundary walls. Finally, the core of the abyss suddenly closed, and his entire body was compressed into a black dot of light, which then flashed and disappeared on the shield surface, completely Annihilation.
Before the first statue of the sword-wielding deity, the Xuan Mystic Void Realm · Supreme cultivator was once again pulled into a familiar yet more profound tribulation realm. This time, however, it was not a simple Karma Dust Net Formation, but the "Void Annihilation Return to the Ruins Platform." Space was extracted into a pure white void, devoid of any surrounding scenery. The Xuan Kong Mystic Void he relied on was infinitely magnified and infinitely weakened here.
He tried to encompass everything with nothingness, only to find that nothingness itself was defined by the sword intent of that statue. Mystic Void was no longer the end, but only the beginning. He had to find the true "mystery" in "nothingness". However, when his mind wandered slightly, the sword intent of the broken sword poured down like the Milky Way, piercing through the void. His Mystic Void Realm shattered like glass under the sword light, and his body turned into countless transparent light pieces, peeling off inch by inch in mid-air, and finally being swallowed by the sword intent and disappearing without a trace.
Before the fourth statue holding the ancient bell, the True Annihilation Realm · Initial Stage cultivator was pulled into a space called "The Samsara Annihilation Time Abyss." The phantom of the ancient bell hung in the sky; with each silent tremor, time reversed by a breath. His annihilation power was constantly smoothed out during the time reversal; annihilation was reversed before it could take shape. He attempted to burn the Abyss of Time with an even more powerful True Annihilation Flame.
He discovered that each attack would be reverted to its initial state. A dark light emanated from the cracks in the ancient bell, projecting his existence into countless time fragments. Past, present, and future intertwined and overlapped. He was repeatedly swallowed up by his own attacks that he had not yet unleashed within the abyss of time. Finally, with a tolling of the bell, all the time fragments collapsed simultaneously, and his figure was drawn into the cracks in the bell, turning into a wisp of gray-white dust, and utterly returning to nothingness.
The three trial spaces collapsed at the same moment. The more than a thousand cultivators in front of the ruined ancient hall only saw three light domains suddenly collapse and then return to normal. The figures of the three cultivators had disappeared without a trace, leaving not even a trace of their aura. It was as if they had never stepped into this place. This absolute and ruthless selection made everyone feel cold and no one dared to make any rash moves.
At the edge of the crowd, Qin Yu stood quietly in the twilight, his gaze slowly sweeping over the eight statues. He was not intimidated; on the contrary, after the three trials had dissipated, he gradually discerned the underlying structure. These eight statues were not merely guardians, but manifestations of eight primordial authorities. The second statue, holding a shield, symbolized the foundation of the Five Elements and the reshaping of the boundary; the first statue, holding a sword, symbolized the principle of severing the boundaries between Yin and Mystic Void and the Mysterious Void.
The fourth ancient bell symbolizes reincarnation and the Annihilation of time. The other statues, though motionless, subtly emanate the pull of fate, the abyss of nothingness, the framework of rules, the order of logic, and an irreversible causal trajectory, like a narrative. These eight forces are independent yet intertwined. The true selection logic is not random, but rather a matching process based on the trial participant's cultivation level and Dao foundation attributes.
Those in the Realm Breaking Realm are led to the Trial of Boundary Wall and Five Elements; those in the Profound Mystic Void Realm are sent to the Tribulation of Yin and Yang and Nothingness; and those in the True Annihilation Realm face the judgment of reincarnation and time. If a cultivator's path does not align with the authority of the divine statue, they will be directly eliminated during the trial.
A glint flashed in Qin Yu's eyes. He had already realized that the eight statues were not guarding a simple entrance to the secondary hall, but a path of fundamental selection based on the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, destiny, reincarnation, nothingness, rules, logic, and narrative. Only those who truly matched their own Dao foundation and realm could pass the trial; otherwise, they would only become Nameless dust beneath these ruins.
Before the ruined ancient temple, after three trials ended in consecutive Annihilation, the entire space fell into an eerie silence. Over a thousand cultivators stood wary of each other, yet none dared to take another step forward. Eight divine statues stood silently in the twilight, seemingly unmoved, yet subtly suppressing the minds of everyone present.
In the midst of this deathly silence, a highly concealed fluctuation of divine sense pierced through the crowd and quietly landed in Qin Yu's sea of consciousness. "Young Master Qin, over here. What brings you here?" The voice was clear and restrained, carrying a familiar rhythm. Qin Yu's mind stirred slightly, and he looked in the direction the divine sense was pointing. He saw, in the shadow of the crumbling wall in the distance...
The Ju Lineage members stood on the edge of a relatively stable high platform. Although Ju Wanning's aura at the True Annihilation Realm · Peak was suppressed, she remained as calm as the undercurrents of the deep sea, quietly looking at Qin Yu.
Qin Yu's expression remained unchanged as he replied via telepathy, "Miss Ju, I just arrived too."
Ju Wanning shifted her gaze slightly and transmitted her voice again, "Come this way, Young Master Qin. Young Master Qin, look to your right in the distance."
Qin Yu extended his divine sense to Perfected Person. Behind the broken stone pillar, Shangguan Lingxiao and Shangguan Xuanchen stood side by side. The two men had their auras restrained but their sharpness was hidden. Behind them, five cultivators at the Realm Breaking Realm followed like shadows. Their expressions were gloomy but they dared not make any rash moves. Clearly, they had been completely controlled.
Ju Wanning's divine sense rang out again. "Young Master Qin, did you see them? Those two from the Shangguan Lineage."
Qin Yu calmly withdrew his gaze. "Yes, thank you for the reminder, Miss Ju."
Ju Wanning said softly, "Come on, let's go together, so we can look out for each other."
Qin Yu's thoughts raced, and he had already grasped the situation. "The five Realm Breaking Realm cultivators beside Shangguan and his companion are most likely new disciples of their Lineage. Rather than facing them alone, it would be better to travel with the Ju Lineage for now; at least there is still some trust between them." With this in mind, he no longer hesitated. His figure moved slowly in the twilight, his steps calm and unassuming, gradually approaching the Ju Lineage's location.
When he approached Ju Wanning's side, she nodded slightly. "Young Master Qin."
Qin Yu returned the greeting.
Ju Anran, standing to the side, fixed her gaze on Qin Yu, scrutinized him for a moment, and asked in a steady yet inquiring tone, "Senior Sister, who is this fellow Daoist?"
Ju Wanning spoke calmly, "Junior brother, this is the young Qin Yu I told you about before, the one who helped me escape the entanglement between Shangguan Lingxiao and Shangguan Xuanchen."
Ju Anran's expression shifted slightly, then he clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, his tone sincere. "So it's Young Master Qin, my apologies for my rudeness. Young Master Qin, with your mastery of the Severed Thought Realm · Supreme, you dare to confront the two of you head-on. Your courage and boldness are truly admirable."
Qin Yu responded modestly, "Senior Ju, you flatter me."
Ju Anran waved his hand and laughed, "Oh, Young Master Qin, there's no need for that. Our cultivation levels are not that different, so there's no need to address each other as 'senior.' My name is Ju Anran, you can call me Brother Anran."
Qin Yu nodded slightly. "Brother Anran."
The atmosphere among them was peaceful at this moment, yet subtly tinged with the solemnity of the unknown trials ahead. Ju Wanning's gaze had returned to the eight divine statues, and she asked in a deep voice, "Young Master Qin, have you discerned the logic behind these eight divine statues? Look, dozens of people have already gone to break the formation, and all of them have been Annihilation without exception."
Ju Anran also whispered, "Yes, these eight statues are too strange. Each one seems to represent a primordial logic, yet they are all interconnected, as if waiting for someone who is compatible with them."
Qin Yu's expression was solemn as his gaze slowly swept over the eight divine statues, from those wielding swords, shields, spears, and bells, to the remaining statues that had not yet awakened. His divine sense wove an invisible web of deduction in the void. After a moment, he whispered, "Brother Anran, you're right. These eight divine statues do not exist independently, but are manifestations of eight Ultimate authorities. I just observed them carefully..."
These should correspond to the eight fundamental principles of the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, destiny, reincarnation, nothingness, rules, logic, and narrative. Furthermore, the trial participant's own cultivation level should be used for selection and matching; if the fit is insufficient, they will be directly Annihilation.
His gaze darkened slightly, his voice low but clear. "If my speculation is correct, the true form of these eight divine statues is not that they fight individually, but rather that they are a Return to One, their bodies supporting the sky and treading the earth, with all divine light gathered into one body, faceless and eyeless, only the Mystic Void remaining, with the eight divine weapons fused into one."
It transforms into Mystic Void Delusionless Ring that encircles the body; when the ring moves, cause and effect collapse, yin and yang reverse, the five elements shatter, space and time crack, and all laws fall silent.
Both Ju Anran and Ju Wanning were taken aback.
Qin Yu continued, "Such beings wield eight Ultimate powers: severing cause and effect, suppressing all laws, locking the heavenly order, controlling time and space, destroying scholars, devouring souls, shattering the void, and returning to Mystic Void profound void. They are neither born nor die, neither existent nor nonexistent, and transcend all rules. They are currently only in a differentiated state. Once the eight powers unite, they will become the true guardian deities of the temple."
He slowly uttered a whisper that seemed to come from the depths of the statue, "The eight extremes unite as one, the Mystic Void is supreme; all paths bow down, all laws return to stillness; those who obey me retain a single thought, those who oppose me vanish into nothingness."
Upon hearing this, the Ju Lineage members felt a chill and shock in their hearts. Shangguan Lingxiao and Shangguan Xuanchen, who were in the distance, also seemed to have noticed a subtle change. Their gazes swept back and forth between the statue and the crowd. The atmosphere in front of the ruined ancient temple became increasingly tense, as if a greater storm was about to be ignited.