At the edge of the bustling square, amidst the noise and exclamations, a few low voices murmured in the shadows, like a cold wind brushing past the embers beneath a flame, carrying a hint of disdain and chill.
"Heh..." A cultivator clad in a dark blue robe slightly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Feng Qingyuan, who was healing. His tone was extremely low, yet it carried a chilling sarcasm, "Truly impressive methods."
"Once the taboo is broken, the Fate Soul is torn apart. One gambles their very essence for a sliver of hope, then seizes the seal in retaliation..."
He chuckled lightly, "Called a strongman? I think he's just a gambler who dares to risk his life."
Another person beside him gently shook his head, his gaze deep and unfathomable. "Fighting desperately is one thing, but on the path of cultivation, there's no such thing as superior or inferior methods."
"But in that instant, he had already pushed his own Fate Soul to the brink of collapse." "Such a fundamental injury, without the aid of external aids, would likely take ten years to heal."
His gaze turned slightly cold as it fell upon the swallowed pill in the distance. "And then, in the blink of an eye, he received the Shangguan Lineage's Retrospective Fate Soul Pill."
"Using the strength of others to save one's own life." "Ha—that's decisive enough."
The third person chuckled softly, his tone clearly showing disdain. "Decisive?" "I think it was all planned in advance."
"First, risk your life for forbidden gains to seize the Mystic Seal, then use the opportunity to ingratiate yourself with a powerful clan and smoothly enter the game."
He slightly raised his head, looking towards the high platform, his gaze meaningful. "In this round, he lost his Fate Soul."
"What you win—is belonging." Someone sighed softly, "That's just how cultivation is."
"But..." He paused slightly, a hint of resentment and coldness in his voice, "... the expression on his face when he received the Mystic Seal."
"As if victory was assured." "As if everything was in the palm of his hand."
"That's truly disgusting." A gaunt cultivator slowly withdrew his gaze, his voice low and deep. "No need for further words."
"Once he stepped into the Shangguan Lineage, from that moment on—" "he was no longer a mere cultivator."
"But a chess piece." The words fell silent. A gust of wind swept by, and distant lights flickered.
The figure sitting cross-legged, healing his wounds, appeared calm, but in the undercurrents, he was already being coldly criticized by countless eyes.
Deep within the Endless Abyss, in a cave shrouded by cracked rocks and black mist, a blazing flame slowly flickered in the darkness. This flame was no ordinary fire, but rather the Flame of Annihilation and Construction conjured by Qin Yu's palm. Its color was deep and dark, seemingly both devouring and burning, and each flicker caused a subtle distortion in space.
The surrounding cold and deathly atmosphere was gradually dispelled, and upon the flames lay the mangled remains of a divine beast. It was a supreme dragon, a divine beast that Qin Yu had slain in an ancient forest in the Endless Abyss. Its flesh and blood had been cut into pieces, and its scales still carried the lingering pressure of its power, faintly emanating the primordial aura of the Profound Mystic Void Realm level.
Under the scorching heat of the flames, the scales slowly cracked, forcing out a rich essence from the golden-red flesh inside. Drops of divine juice fell into the fire with a soft "sizzle," instantly releasing a fragrant aroma.
The aroma was not merely the scent of food, but rather carried the essence of Dao foundation tempering and origin nourishment. As the heatwave spread through the cave, it seemed as if even the air itself was being boiled, echoing with a faint, powerful force.
Qin Yu sat by the fire, slicing meat with a sword in one hand and turning the grill with the other. His expression was calm, and the firelight reflected in his eyes, making them appear exceptionally serene and profound, as if the deadly situation and life-or-death experience he had just gone through were nothing more than a fleeting cloud in his mind.
To his right, a slender yet striking figure Blue Ring Xiao Yue, sat cross-legged on a broken rock.
She was only sixteen centimeters tall, with a delicate figure like a star and moon. Her long hair, which was a gradient of star blue, fell behind her shoulders, with faint starlight flowing between the strands. The crescent-shaped silver ornament on her forehead swayed gently, and her eyes were as clear as the core of a star in the depths of the night sky. At this moment, however, she showed no aloofness whatsoever. Instead, she was holding a piece of dragon meat that had been roasted to a golden brown and was glistening with oil, and she took a big bite.
"Click--"
The outer layer was crispy and fragrant, while the inside was incredibly tender. The meat juices burst in her mouth instantly, and she squinted her eyes slightly, revealing an extremely satisfied expression, with even a bit of glistening oil on the corner of her mouth.
As she ate, she swung her legs, seemingly completely immersed in this rare "warmth of everyday life," creating a stark contrast to the bloody and cruel abyss outside.
"Little Qinzi, not bad—" she mumbled between chews, her voice full of excitement and satisfaction, "It's been so long since I've tasted the flesh of a supreme divine beast, this taste... tsk, so fragrant!"
Qin Yu chuckled and handed over a piece of freshly roasted dragon meat. "Hmm, we were pretty lucky this time."
His gaze sharpened slightly, as if recalling the previous battle, "To think we'd encountered a divine dragon of supreme divine beast level in a place like this."
"This meat... is indeed extraordinary."
Xiao Yue took the meat and continued gnawing on it without any hesitation. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she blinked and looked at Qin Yu, "Oh right, Little Qinzi— "
Why did you give up that Mystic Void Non-Stillness Seal?
She took a bite of meat, her tone tinged with doubt, "We were absolutely certain we could seize that Mystic Seal and escape immediately."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu paused slightly in his movements, and a glint of light reflected in his eyes from the flames.
He paused for a moment, then spoke slowly, his tone unhurried yet extremely clear. "I don't want to join the Lineage yet."
He flipped a piece of roasted meat and continued, "Moreover... back in the far north, I already obtained a Mystic Void Non-Stillness Seal."
"That one—I gave it to Shen Qingchen." Xiao Yue was slightly taken aback. "Shen Qingchen?"
Qin Yu nodded, his gaze calm. "Someone I met along the way. He's... fairly reliable."
He paused, then his tone deepened, yet carried an unwavering resolve. "As for the reasons why I won't join the Lineage, there are three."
As the firelight flickered, his voice slowly rose—
"First." "To join the Lineage, you must change your surname."
Deep in his eyes, a very distant memory vaguely surfaced— the Great Yan Continent, that barren yet warm little village.
"This surname... was given to me by my mother." "Back then, I was all alone in that village, and she brought me home."
His voice was soft, yet carried an unyielding firmness, "So—" "I will never change this name to join any faction."
Xiao Yue paused slightly, looking at him without speaking. Qin Yu continued, "Secondly, I must go to the Supreme Transformation Primordial Domain." "Yan Yue... is there."
As he finished speaking, a deep emotion flickered in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.
"If I join the Ju Lineage or Chi Lineage," "my actions will inevitably be limited." "That's not the path I want."
He slowly raised his head, looking at the endless, churning black mist of the abyss outside the cave. "Third." "That seal... I gave it to Shen Qingchen."
"That's his opportunity." "If he joins the Ju Lineage or Chi Lineage, it would be a more secure path for both him and his sister."
Qin Yu's voice was calm, yet carried a hint of sharpness, "And in the future," "if I clash with the Shangguan and Hua families," "Shen Qingchen... will also stand by my side."
The flame crackled softly. Xiao Yue listened, then suddenly smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons. "Hmm, so you'd already thought of that all along!"
She took another bite of meat and mumbled, "But I also miss Sister Yan Yue."
She looked up into the distance, her tone softening slightly, "It's alright." "We've reached the upper level." "What's next?"
She gently swung her feet, but her tone became serious, "Then focus on cultivation and quickly improve your cultivation level."
"Once you step into the Supreme Transformation Primordial Domain— " her eyes gleamed slightly, "I will be able to sense Yue'er's exact location."
Qin Yu didn't speak again, but simply nodded slightly. Then, he looked up at the outside of the cave, Endless Abyss stretched out, churning with black mist.
In the distance, a deeper ripple seemed to be slowly brewing, and in his eyes, a quiet yet resolute light slowly coalesced.
The night of the abyss comes silently.
The cave, which had just been warmed by the embers of the fire, was now completely shrouded in darkness. There were no stars or moonlight outside, only the low, rumbling sound of the abyss's primordial energy, like the slow breathing of some ancient being, which made people unconsciously tighten their grip.
Qin Yu sat alone on the edge of the cave.
He leaned against the broken rock, gazing out at the layers of black mist and fissures. His expression was quiet to the point of indifference. The lively atmosphere from before had long since dissipated, and he had returned to a state of "silence" that was out of place with the world.
A completely different kind of tranquility filled my mind.
The Void Divine Tree grows silently, its branches like ancient veins that pierce through dimensions. Starlight and the flow of Mystic Void energy are faintly visible among its leaves. On one of its branches, Blue Ring Xiao Yue lies sprawled out, her long, star-blue hair scattered, her breathing even. She has long since entered a deep dream, as if no storm in the outside world can touch her in the slightest.
Beneath the divine tree, another aura emanated, heavy and slow— the Origin Ruins Ash Dragon — Tangyi.
She perched beside the roots of the Void Divine Tree, her dragon body not fully manifested. Only the faint dragon shadow could be seen rising and falling slowly in the void. With each breath, there was a slight tremor in her primordial Fate Soul, a slow but steady recovery from severe injury.
A wisp of primordial energy seeped from the roots of the divine tree, which she absorbed little by little.
There were no painful screams, no fluctuations, only silent repair of the external environment.
Qin Yu slowly stood up; he had recovered to his best condition, and now it was time to continue exploring.
Just as he shifted slightly, preparing to step out of the cave, "BOOM--!!!" The heavens and earth suddenly shattered! That sound was not a simple explosion.
Rather, it was a roar as "a certain structure of existence was forcibly torn apart".
The entire abyss seemed to have been struck heavily in that instant. Countless black mists churned, and the spatial rifts in the distance expanded wildly as if enraged. Layer upon layer of dimensional fluctuations collided with each other, creating visible shockwaves!
Qin Yu's gaze instantly sharpened, and the next moment two beams of light crashed down from the distant sky!
That light was no ordinary light.
A single streak, an Ultimate, ethereal black, seemed to devour everything, yet indefinable colors constantly overflowed from its edges. Wherever it passed, even the "darkness" itself was compressed, as if proclaiming some deeper level of "nothingness."
The other was Ultimate pale radiance, pure and clean, yet carrying a chilling "Order Adjudication intent," as if everything existing before it needed to be redefined.
Two opposing beams of light, black and white, traced two paths through the abyss in the sky.
Then, with a deafening roar, almost simultaneously, the earth shook and cracked open somewhere in the distance.
Rather, it's a "definition collapse".
The structure of that area instantly became unstable and distorted, as if it shouldn't have been able to bear such power in the first place; even space itself began to show signs of "slowness" and "discontinuity."
The light flashed and disappeared completely, and the abyss returned to deathly silence, as if nothing had ever happened. But in Yu's eyes...
Yet, a profound sharpness had already surfaced within him. Without hesitation or delay, in the next instant, he changed his original appearance, donning a completely different one.
He moved like a silent shadow, stepping directly into the void and hurtling towards the spot where the two beams of light had fallen.