The Nether Firmament Underworld Sect, the seventh soul layer of the Main Soul Peak.
Beneath the Sealing Soul Tower, ninety-nine black-gold soul-locking chains hung suspended in the air, resembling fallen bones, firmly suppressing the entire Soul Domain.
At that moment, all the chains trembled simultaneously, and a shadowy figure slowly emerged from the gaps in the chains—
Ming Zhen.
Clad in Soul Rend Scale Armor, his eyes shimmered like flowing ink-gold. His posture was arrogant, and with a single step, the space beneath his feet shattered, forming the "Soul Rend Extreme Path," a path of shattered rules.
His aura was no longer that of ordinary Silent Origin.
He has already entered the first stage of the Silent Source Realm: Cause Breaking Initial Emergence!
Inside the council hall of the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect elders, several experts at the Severed Phenomena Realm instantly sensed the anomaly in their soul domains and exclaimed in unison:
"The Sealing Soul Tower has opened!? Could it be... Ming Zhen?"
The next moment, Ming Ye appeared before the hall, his face filled with excitement. "Brother... you've finally..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ming Zhen had already raised his hand, his tone as indifferent as water:
"Ming Ye, you have rendered meritorious service in protecting the sect during this period. The fact that the Sealing Soul Tower could be activated again is thanks to your efforts in protecting the formation."
"But today, I have not come to offer a gift."
"But... it's for that woman."
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone's expression changed.
Ming Yuan frowned. "You mean— Qian Ruishan?"
Ming Zhen's gaze passed through the illusory image of the Soul Hall and went directly to a floating stone palace several hundred feet away. Inside the stone palace, Qian Ruishan was sitting cross-legged at the heart of the Netherblood Array, regulating her soul power.
"The Second Soul within her is a wisp of the Heavenly Abyss Returning Soul that my Nether Firmament Underworld Sect lost a thousand years ago."
"This soul should not exist in any bloodline."
"But she... actually succeeded in fusing with it."
"This is not a matter of chance, but destiny."
Ming Ye whispered, "Brother, then what do you want to do...?"
Ming Zhen smiled faintly, "It's neither soul-stealing nor spirit-plundering."
"It's a test of the soul."
"If she gains the approval of the 'Soul Sealing Tower Main Formation,' then this returning soul belongs to her. My Nether Firmament Underworld Sect will grant her recognition and appoint her as our sect's future 'Returning Soul Chief Envoy.'"
"But if she can't withstand the Tower Master's test of the mind... then it means she shouldn't have received this soul source."
After hearing this, everyone fell silent.
--
Inside the secluded palace, Qin Yu was setting up an array to heal Qian Ruishan, repairing the minor cracks in her soul power that had occurred during her trial.
Qian Ruishan suddenly opened her eyes and looked at the airspace not far away.
"They've arrived."
"Who is it?" Qin Yu asked in a low voice.
"It's Brother Ming Ye... Ming Zhen."
Qin Yu was taken aback. "You know him?"
"He had already disappeared into the Sealing Soul Tower before I was born, and almost no one in the sect has ever seen him."
"He is the 'Soul Guardian of the Tower' that Ming Ye mentioned. He was already present in the sect when I was born."
"The first time I saw him was through a telepathic transmission from deep within the Soul Tower..."
She looked up at the approaching shadowy figure.
"I will try." Her eyes were resolute. "Not for the sect, not for the Second Soul, but for myself—and for you."
--
On the other side, Ming Yuan looked at Qin Yu and suddenly asked, "Aren't you going to try to persuade her?"
Qin Yu shook his head slightly. "I won't stop her from taking the path she chooses, nor will I do it for her."
"Do you think she can pass?" Ming Yuan asked scrutinizingly.
I don't think so.
Ming Yuan was taken aback.
"Because it's not a matter of 'being able' or 'not being able' to get by."
"But she will definitely get through it."
She is Qian Ruishan.
--
Qian Ruishan slowly walked into the Sealing Soul Tower. Ming Zhen stood silently in the sky, saying nothing, but simply pointed a finger down.
"Sealing Soul Tower - Heavenly Abyss Main Formation - Seventh Realm Heart, activated."
Boom--!
Seven layers of soul patterns appeared on the entire Sealing Soul Tower, enveloping Qian Ruishan in layers of shadowy abysses. Her figure gradually disappeared into them, as if she had stepped into the Sevenfold Soul Abyss.
"This formation judges all seven souls simultaneously; each Soul Realm corresponds to a portion of the will of your Second Soul."
"If you can Return to One soul and penetrate the seal."
"Then you are— the Returning Soul Chief Envoy."
The Sealing Soul Tower, the Heart of the Seventh Realm.
In this Soul Abyss World, the sky is cracked like an ancient mirror, and souls flow like the sea. Every wisp of soul breath constitutes an independent judgment space. Qian Ruishan slowly stepped in, her soul body trembled, and her figure was instantly torn into seven soul shadows in the void, each falling into the sevenfold realm of illusion.
Each illusory realm is formed from the seven core wills of her Second Soul: obsession, joy and sorrow, resentment, infatuation, betrayal, despair, and destiny.
She must go through all of this before the returning soul can truly recognize its master and return to oneness.
--
First Soul Realm: Obsession
The world was dark, and above the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, a familiar figure stood.
That's Qin Yu.
His face was cold, his eyes empty as he stared at her. "Qian Ruishan... are you still delusional enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with me? You've never... been worthy."
At this moment, the "obsession" deep within her soul transformed into the hypocritical Qin Yu, judging the unquestionable attachment in her heart.
Qian Ruishan's body trembled, as if she were about to collapse, but she gritted her teeth and moved forward. Blood churned, yet she did not retreat an inch.
You are not him.
"The one I love is not this illusion, but Qin Yu, who truly stands at the end of the Heavenly Dao and is willing to risk his life for all living beings."
Boom!
The illusion of obsession shattered, the first Soul Realm collapsed, Qian Ruishan stepped into the Second Soul realm.
--
The Second Soul Realm: Joy and Sorrow
The four seasons cycle through this world, seemingly in an endless cycle of reincarnation.
She saw herself holding hands with Qin Yu for the first time by the Fallen Soul Creek, saw him picking flowers for her under the starry night, saw him guarding her without leaving her side when she was unconscious...
Then, the scene shifted, and she saw Qin Yu fighting alone against three clans that day, saw him severely wounded, saw him carrying a heavy burden while everyone else was unaware, and saw him fighting alongside Ling Jingxi to defeat the enemy...
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she wiped them away in an instant.
I don't need him to shelter me from the wind; I want someone with whom I can share joy and sorrow.
"This is not weakness, but a confrontation with fate."
Wow!
The Second Soul realm shattered, transforming into a shooting star that returned to her body.
--
Third Soul Realm - Resentment
In this realm, Qian Ruishan witnessed Qin Yu being imprisoned in the Realm Bone Ridge and subjected to torture, having his soul refined by Shang Kui, having his Soul Seal removed by the Realm Sealing Tower, being betrayed by Ming Ye, and being discarded like trash by the Thousand Realms Sect.
"If one day they really did that to him, what would you do?" the illusion asked her.
Qian Ruishan smiled softly, but her smile was full of murderous intent.
"I want them to repay me... ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times."
"I will stand shoulder to shoulder with him, and together we will be the ones to defy fate!"
With a deafening roar, the realm of resentment shattered, and the soul returned to its place.
--
Fourth Soul Realm: Passionate Love
In this realm, there are no battles, no illusions, only a long staircase leading from the aurora borealis to the Endless Abyss.
Qian Ruishan stood barefoot on the steps, surrounded by silence, with only the wind blowing through her heart like wisps of silk.
With each step taken, a memory of emotion resurfaces before my eyes.
The first step was seeing herself as a child, silently gazing at Qin Yu's back in the Thousand Realms Sect. At that time, he was just a young boy who had just entered the outer sect, yet he shocked ten people with a single sword strike on the sword-doting stage.
In the second step, she saw him fight against the ancient soul in the Soul Tower during the trial to save her. His soul was on the verge of destruction, but he still did not retreat.
The third step, the night of Thunder Abyss, she was trapped in a deadly formation, and he carried her out of the sea of fire, his expression as panicked as a child.
In the fourth step, a thousand souls confront each other, and she voluntarily offers up her own soul runes to share the soul pressure with him.
Every step is a trace of love, every drop a pact of blood and soul.
The final step led to a figure of "Qin Yu" formed from a condensed soul.
Soul Shadow looked up at her, smiled gently, and said calmly:
"Qian Ruishan, if you meet someone stronger or more perfect in the future, will you waver?"
Qian Ruishan remained silent, simply stepping forward and gently embracing the soul shadow in her arms.
Of all the people in the world, you are the one who can help me through this tribulation.
"My soul remains unchanged, my love will never waver."
Boom!
The staircase collapsed, heaven and earth turned to light, and the Soul Realm devoted lovers shattered Return to One!
Within her soul, a "Emotion Soul Spiritual Wheel" quietly appeared, circling her sea of consciousness.
--
Fifth Soul Realm - Betrayal
This world was like a blazing inferno, Qian Ruishan knelt alone amidst the flames, surrounded by the "illusions of Qin Yu's wrath" from the past.
One of them sneered, "You once said you would walk with me, but now, in my most perilous moment, you've chosen to leave!"
One man lamented, "I fought my way through ten thousand soldiers for you, yet you turned and married another."
One of them roared, "You didn't trust me! You... in the end, you still betrayed me!"
Within the flames, those figures transformed into questions and denials.
Qian Ruishan's entire body was burning, her soul was peeling away inch by inch, and raging flames surged within her sea of consciousness. She gritted her teeth to endure the excruciating pain, her eyes remaining clear:
"You are not him... none of you are him."
"If I were to truly betray Qin Yu, I would never forgive myself."
"But do you know what? He never questioned me. He believed in me as if he believed in the will of Heaven!"
What I betrayed was never him, but... my own weakness!
In an instant, she shattered all illusions with a single palm strike, and her blood soul rose from the scorching flames!
The flames died down, the Soul Realm vanished, and a "Oath Soul Seal" appeared in the sea of consciousness!
--
Sixth Soul Realm: Despair
This world is like falling into an abyss of death.
Qian Ruishan stood alone before a dilapidated sect—the Thousand Realms Sect.
The sect was reduced to scorched earth, with mountains of corpses. Ming Yuan, Ming Ye, Zhou Yu, and Yao Wanqing all perished in battle, and even Qin Yu's soul was annihilated and his Spiritual Sense dissipated.
Above all four directions, the battle flags of Realm Bone Ridge hang high, and the Soul Hunting Army tramples the Soul Domain.
She wandered alone, like a lost soul; the cold wind blew, and her soul seemed to wither away.
A voice echoed softly, "If this is the end, how will you face it?"
She crouched down and gently embraced the illusory Qin Yu, saying each word slowly and deliberately:
"If you truly die here, I will avenge you for a hundred years."
"If this life is destined to end, then I will carry your name and live a second life!"
"I... Qian Ruishan, will never give in to despair."
Boom!!
The Abyss of Death collapsed, the mournful wind ceased, and a "Returning Fate Soul Jade" quietly entered his heart.
--
The Seventh Soul Realm: Destiny
This is a boundless, empty world.
There were no illusions, no sounds, only an ancient Soul Stele standing between heaven and earth, inscribed with four characters:
"A Thousand Return to One"
Beneath the Soul Stele, a figure slowly emerged—it was herself, her future self.
She spoke:
"If you overcome this hurdle, your destiny Bugui its original realm."
"A thousand souls awaken, destiny Return to One. You will become the Lord of the Returning Soul Heavenly Mandate."
"The price is that you will never be able to reincarnate, never be reborn."
"Would you... be willing?"
Qian Ruishan gazed silently at the Soul Stele for a long time before speaking:
"If this is fate, I will not accept it."
"But if it is the only path forward, then with the soul within my heart, I will shatter all destiny!"
Boom--!!
The Soul Stele shattered!
A wisp of pale golden soul pattern emerged from the shattered monument and slowly coiled around Qian Ruishan's soul core!
This is the soul's true destiny, one in ten thousand!
In an instant, the entire Nether Blood Soul Refining Pool erupted with millions of soul rays, the Soul Tower trembled, and the Returning Soul Master Rune was officially completed!
She saw the trajectory of fate floating above the soul runes.
A wisp of Heavenly Abyss Soul Seal shone brightly, finally coalescing into one!
Boom!!
Seven Souls Return to One!
The entire Sealing Soul Tower trembled violently, the sky outside changed drastically, and all the high-ranking members of the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect stood up. Ming Yuan stared at the sky. "Success!"
Ming Ye clenched her fists. "She... she did it!"
Outside the tower, Qin Yu stood quietly, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Very good."
Ming Zhen slowly stood up, looked at him, and spoke seriously for the first time:
"Who are you? How could she possibly use your power to escape the Seven Souls?"
"Her power of returning to her soul resonates with yours, but I cannot see through any trace of your Fate Soul's trajectory."
"You... are you really a disciple of the Thousand Realms Sect?"
Qin Yu calmly replied, "I am Qin Yu."
That's all.
Ming Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly lost in thought, and slowly said:
"Then you are worthy of her entrusting her with her life."
After experiencing the Seven Souls Return to One, Qian Ruishan completely completed the Soul Master return, and her soul consciousness strength leaped to near the perfection of the True Soul Realm;
The faint Soul Return Heavenly Pattern appeared on her body, causing a stir among the higher-ups of the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect. Ming Yuan exclaimed, "A Returning Soul Master has not appeared in five hundred years; today she has finally manifested in the world."
Ming Zhen frowned slightly and murmured, "She is Soul Return Physique... but why does her soul pattern contain... the aura of the Mirror Wheel, which I have never sensed before?"
He looked at Qin Yu again, but still couldn't sense the ring. "Who are you?"
Qian Ruishan walked gently towards Qin Yu and stood beside him.
She smiled and said, "I'm back."