Qin Yu moved silently, shattering layers of void rifts, and in an instant arrived at the place where the two beams of light had fallen. When he appeared, the scene before him was no longer a "coincidence," but the core of a storm ignited by the abyss.
From all directions, countless auras were converging frantically, including those at the Realm Breaking Realm Initial Stage, all the way Supreme the pinnacle. Furthermore, a group of cultivators at the Mystic Void Realm Initial Stage were tearing through space to arrive.
Their auras crisscrossed, wary of each other, suppressing one another. In just a few dozen breaths, thousands had gathered here, their momentum surging like a tidal wave. Even the very source of the abyss was slightly distorted by this tide of Fate Soul.
The entire area seemed to become a "focus of attention," with everyone waiting for what would truly be revealed after the two beams of light fell.
However, the moment everyone looked up, all sound vanished—no exclamations, no clamor, only silence.
Because what hung directly in front of them was not an ordinary ruin, nor the remains of a temple, nor the remnants of some kind of formation, but rather...
A "book," a primordial Daoist book that stretches across the chaotic void.
The book was so large that it could not be measured by its "size." It seemed to have existed "before writing" even before the creation of heaven and earth. Between its half-open and half-closed state, it stretched endlessly, its spine traversing the void. At a glance, one could not see the end.
The spine of the book is dark and metallic, heavy like the abyss itself, as if everything written on it will eventually return here and be pressed into the "bottom of definition". Faint traces of extremely ancient Annihilation Structure flow on it, like an invisible pen that once carved the first world on this book.
The pages are thick and heavy, like layers upon layers of earth. Each page seems to be a superimposed image of a complete world, with tear-like lines remaining on the edges, as if these "pages" have been turned, rewritten, or even erased.
The paper base is a vast expanse of pure white, boundless and Boundless Realm, like the primordial "nothingness" before the creation of the universe—without light, without darkness, only an indefinable "blank existence."
And within that pristine white, long rivers of ink flowed slowly—not ink, but "written destiny," "recorded cause and effect."
In its surging motion, like the waters of reincarnation, everything that exists is dragged into the narrative, and then erased from it.
Even more bizarrely, the entire book is covered with countless golden markings, which seem to be measuring the "boundaries of existence." Between each horizontal and vertical line, yin and yang are opposed, and cause and effect are intertwined, dividing the entire book into layers of structure.
Occasionally, a blinding white light would flash through the gaps between the pages. The light was not intense, but it was extremely "clean," as if all flaws, all errors, and all things that should not exist could be eliminated simply by being touched by it.
It will then completely disappear. From afar, the entire giant book looks like the first original text used to write about the "world" before the creation of heaven and earth.
At this moment, it is slowly turning the pages one by one, with a total of six layers from the outside in.
Between each page of the book lies an insurmountable boundary, with laws rising like tides, one upon another, resembling six different "narratives" or six different "trials."
Before everyone could recover from their shock, someone suddenly shouted, "What is that?!" "Look—the third level!!"
The sound suddenly broke the silence, and countless eyes focused on it. Sure enough, deep within the third page of the book, a faint but undeniable "light" was quietly floating.
That light, formless yet capable of making one's heart tremble involuntarily. "And the last page!" "It has the same light spot!!" "What is that?!"
In an instant, divine sense surged like a tide, rushing madly into the giant book. However, with a "buzz," all divine sense was silently erased the moment it touched the edge of the page.
It wasn't a rebound or an obstruction, but rather "never explored," as if they had never emitted any divine sense from the very beginning.
"How is this possible?!" "Even divine sense can't reach it?!" "What level of existence is this?!" The crowd immediately stirred.
At that moment, a Mystic Void Realm · Middle Stage cultivator slowly spoke, his voice low yet carrying an uncontrollable tremor:
"If I'm not mistaken..." His gaze was fixed on the two points of light, "those two auras—" "are very likely..." "the Mystic Void Non-Stillness Seal."
Boom! The crowd erupted in an uproar! "What?! Two?!" "One on the third page, and one on the last page?!"
"Then those must be the last two Mystic Seal?!" "Really? Even divine sense can't detect them, how can he judge?!"
"Regardless of whether it's real or fake, anything that could trigger such a phenomenon must be a priceless treasure!" "Indeed! A place like this couldn't possibly Emptiness!"
"You'll find out once you go in!" Restlessness, greed, and murderous intent were ignited at this moment.
Qin Yu stood quietly among the crowd, his gaze not falling on the restless cultivators.
Instead, it landed on that "book." "Could it be..." A thought flickered in his mind, "... that these really are the last two Mystic Void Non-Stillness Seal?"
Before this thought could even settle, "Buzz—!" The outermost first page of the giant book suddenly unfolded!
An invisible barrier instantly revealed itself—it wasn't a door or a formation, but rather the "entrance to the narrative."
The next instant, shouts of "Charge!!!" and "Charge! Whoever grabs it first gets to keep it!!" erupted like a tidal wave.
Almost simultaneously, thousands of cultivators swarmed towards the first page of the book! No one hesitated any longer.
No one hesitated any longer, for the opportunity was right before their eyes! Qin Yu's gaze sharpened without hesitation, and with a swift movement, he rose up with the crowd.
Upon entering the first barrier, all figures vanished in an instant, leaving the entire area completely Emptiness.
Only the enormous ancient book that stretched across the sky slowly turned its pages, and between the pages, laws surged like a tide, as if awaiting a deeper Order Adjudication.
The instant thousands of cultivators stepped into the first page of the book, the surging crowd, the noisy atmosphere, and the intertwined pressure of Fate Soul were completely "drawn away" in an instant.
There was no feeling of falling, no teleportation tearing, not even the feeling of time passing; it was as if they had never moved, yet they were no longer in the same place.
The moment everyone became "aware of their own existence" again, the world before them had completely changed; the endless void was no longer darkness.
It is not Emptiness, but a universe governed by "scales".
Long, translucent golden ribbons extended from all directions, crisscrossing like countless lines of latitude and longitude across the universe, dividing the entire space into endless "segments".
Those long, golden ribbons are not static; they are slowly flowing, but not in space; rather, "Time is being stretched."
Along the long ribbon, extremely fine yet clearly visible markings constantly appear and disappear, each marking subtly containing a profound definition.
Birth, death, yin, yang, past, present—these are not words, but "meaning itself," directly inscribed on the scale.
When your gaze falls upon one of the markings, it's as if you can witness the birth and end of a life.
It's as if one can see a certain world transitioning from prosperity to desolation, and even one's own Fate Soul is vaguely "measured" by a certain scale within it.
Between these long, graduated bands, countless fine, thread-like golden lights intertwine, weaving a "network of warp and weft" that covers the entire space.
It wasn't a formation, yet it was more rigorous than any formation, as if a single misstep would result in being "judged" by this net.
Space is no longer space but a divided "segment"; time is no longer time but a marked "scale".
Within the entire first layer of pages, it was as if a "measuring realm" spanning endless dimensions existed. Shocking, oppressive, and incomprehensible.
Almost simultaneously, all the cultivators froze on the spot, exclaiming, "Where... where exactly is this place?!"
"This isn't a formation... this doesn't resemble any formation at all!" "These markings... they're moving!"
"I just glanced over... and I think I saw myself?!" "Don't move! Something's definitely wrong here!"
The sounds rose and fell, and fear began to spread in the hearts of some cultivators.
Just then, "Buzz—" the entire space suddenly trembled, without any source or direction.
It was as if this "domain of markings" itself was emitting a low hum.
Immediately afterwards, a sound rang out, not coming from any particular direction.
Instead, it unfolds slowly deep within everyone's Fate Soul.
"Enter the Turbulent Current Scales-- " The voice was ancient, Space Silence and emotionless, yet it carried an irresistible sense of Order Adjudication.
"One must establish one's own foundation," "the right time line," "the destiny mark," "the harmony of Yin and Yang," and "one must not be strangled by even the smallest inch."
"Not to be judged by life and death," "Not to be separated by extremes," the voice spoke slowly and deliberately, each word distinct.
The scale markings throughout the entire space vibrate slightly, as if in response. "Those who pass this test do not contend for the length of heaven and earth."
"He measured himself against the heavens and earth."
The last sentence faded away without echo or lingering sound, as if it had never existed.
But everyone understood that the trial had already begun at that very moment.
"Boom--!" From the depths of the void, an extremely heavy wave suddenly unfolded.
It wasn't power, but "standards"—in the next instant, countless long ribbons of golden markings suddenly converged towards the center, and at that point of intersection...
An entity slowly materialized, devoid of flesh, bones, and aura, yet it captivated everyone who saw it the instant they did so.
The Fate Soul trembled violently! It was a ruler, a gigantic golden ruler phantom that stretched across the void.
It was translucent yet so heavy it seemed capable of crushing everything in its path; there were no words on its surface.
Yet it is marked with countless ineffable scales, each scale representing a "boundary of existence."
Each mark is a "decree of fate," and within the ruler itself...
Hundreds of millions of fine, intricate markings extend from its body, traversing the entire space and weaving a web of time, life, death, yin and yang.
It has no form yet is omnipresent, sometimes condensing into a ruler's shadow, sometimes transforming into fragments of light, and sometimes merging into the entire domain of the scale.
It is not a gatekeeper; it is the "rule itself" of this space. "Black Gold Ruler Stillness" - Judgment of Yin and Yang in Time and Order
The moment it fully appeared, all the markings in the entire space returned to their original positions, "Buzz--!"
An invisible pressure instantly descended upon every cultivator—not a forceful oppression, but a feeling of being "measured."
Some people's faces changed drastically, some felt their Fate Soul tremble, and some even knelt down at that moment, because for the first time they clearly felt...
I am being "defined," and this is only the first step.
When the colossal golden ruler that stretched across the void finally stabilized at the center of the scaled domain, the entire space ceased to be chaotic in the slightest. All the flowing scale bands instantly returned to order, as if an invisible hand had realigned the "scales of heaven and earth."
And it was in this absolute stillness that the judgment was made, without warning or preparation.
There wasn't even any fluctuation of power; it was merely an invisible "measuring intent" that slowly descended from the giant black gold ruler.
Like a colorless light, it covered every cultivator in the entire space.
In an instant—"Ah!!—" The first scream ripped through the deathly silence.
A cultivator at the Realm Breaking Realm had just taken a step, attempting to approach one of the scaled strips, when his figure suddenly froze.
The next instant, his physical body, Fate Soul, and vital energy "froze" before everyone's eyes. Then, a barely perceptible golden mark slowly passed through his brow.
There was no blood, no disintegration; it was as if his entire being had been erased from existence.
He vanished completely, leaving not a trace, not even a hint of his existence.
This scene sent a chill down everyone's spines. But before they could even react, "Buzz—!"
Countless markings suddenly surged! The first test of Dao heart— the Inscribe the Self —was fully activated.
Each beam of light, like an invisible sharp edge, pierced directly into the deepest part of each cultivator's Fate Soul, giving them no time to react, tearing away the surface and pointing straight to the source.
"What... my cultivation... has vanished?!" "My magic weapon—!! is gone!!"
"I... I can't remember... who I am?!" Terror erupted at that moment.
A cultivator at the Mystic Void Realm Initial Stage suddenly knelt down, his eyes vacant, his body trembling violently, his memories being stripped away.
His emotions are being stripped away, his obsessions are being dismantled, and in the end, only a faint trace of "I" remains.
But the instant that sliver of "I" appeared, countless fine lines pierced through from the void.
Thin lines pierced directly through the essence of "me," shattering it into countless fragments.
Merit, sin, obsession, talent, lifespan—everything is broken down into cold, hard scales.
The cultivator's consciousness completely collapsed at that moment. "So... I was just... this..."
"I... am nothing..." This thought had just surfaced.
"Crack—" That sliver of "me" shattered instantly, and my entire being returned to nothingness, as if it had never existed.
"Boom--!!" Panic erupted completely.
"This isn't a test! This is annihilation!!" "Stay calm!! Don't let your mind wander!!" "Guard your true self!! Guard your true self!!"
But it was too late. Dozens of cultivators perished instantly under the measuring light, not even lasting a single breath.
Immediately afterwards, hundreds of people began to waver and doubt themselves; the moment they began to doubt was the beginning of their collapse.
One by one, figures disappeared within the scale, without tragedy or bloodshed.
It was more despairing than any massacre. In just a few breaths, more than half of the thousands of cultivators were wiped out.
The entire domain of scales seemed to have never contained them. The remaining cultivators were deathly pale, their eyes bloodshot, desperately clinging to their last shred of will, daring not to have any other thoughts.
They finally understood that this hurdle wasn't about being stronger, but about "whether they could still acknowledge their own existence."
Qin Yu remained motionless amidst the crowd, standing beside a long, gradation-marked strip, his gaze calm as he allowed the measuring light to penetrate his sea of consciousness.
In an instant, everything was stripped away: cultivation, Fate Soul, physical body, memories, emotions, and even the name "Qin Yu" was completely erased.
Only a faint "presence" remained, and in the next instant, thousands of scale threads pierced through and began to dismantle it.
But at that very moment, Qin Yu's "slight presence" remained unshaken, neither forced nor resisted.
Instead, I quietly "watched" him look at these markings, and watched how "I" was being dissected.
He was observing how everything that constituted him was quantified, and even working backward from these scales to deduce the truth.
"I see..." "You're not judging me." "You're... defining me."
That trace of "existence" did not collapse. Instead, it became clearer as it was dismantled.
He neither denied nor agreed with these measurements; he simply stood outside of them, observing them.
In that instant, the thread of markings that ran through him paused slightly, and one of the markings on the giant black gold ruler actually vibrated slightly.
This was the first time someone had not been defined while being measured. Qin Yu's consciousness did not collapse; instead, it began to analyze in reverse.
He traced the lines of measurement back to their origin, searching for the "logic of measurement" along the trajectory of what was being measured.
"Grading... is not absolute." "It depends on 'the object being measured'." "Without an object... where does the scale come from?"
His "existence" trembled slightly at this moment. It wasn't a breakthrough, but rather that he stood in the gap between "being measured" and "measuring".
The next moment, Qin Yu slowly took a step, his foot landing on the markings, but it wasn't cut off.
Instead, he slightly shifted that marking. "Since you measure all things..." "Then I'll see—"
"How do you measure 'the immeasurable'?" In the void, a giant black gold ruler.
The first extremely subtle tremor occurred, and this tremor caused the pupils of the cultivators who were still struggling to hold on to contract sharply.
They didn't know what was happening, but they knew that someone was fighting against the very essence of this realm of scales.