Qin Yu turned and stood at the edge of the pristine white wall. The silvery-white radiance of the Supreme Transformation Source Crystal flowed slowly around him, its halo spreading out layer by layer, smoothing out the chaotic energy left over from the previous battle. In the distance, the portal leading to the third page was not yet fully formed; the white paper around it slowly cracked, like an ancient scroll yet to be turned, brewing to unfold. At this very moment...
A faint whisper entered his Fate Soul, the voice gentle and natural, without any deliberate concealment or probing edge. "Fellow Daoist, my name is Su Qingyuan, a member of the Profound Heaven Clan. May I ask how you should address me?"
Qin Yu's gaze remained fixed on the gradually forming portal ahead, his outward expression unchanged. However, his consciousness instantly converged, suppressing all external fluctuations to its outermost layer, leaving only this one voice slowly echoing deep within his Fate Soul. He did not respond immediately.
Instead, a delicate wisp of perception was gently extended along the sound transmission, landing on Su Qingyuan's Fate Soul. The rhythm of her breathing, the flow of her vital energy, and the pulse of her Fate Soul were all silently captured, without any disorder, deliberate suppression, or unnecessary fluctuations.
All of this quickly formed a complete cause-and-effect line in his mind. At the same time, another thought emerged from the depths of his mind—the hidden threads of the Hua Jingmeng lineage had not been completely severed, and anyone who took the initiative to approach them must be included in the test.
He didn't hide his name or change his origins; instead, he directly replied, "My name is Qin Yu, Rogue Cultivator from the Skeleton Star Sea." This statement might sound ordinary to outsiders, but within his mind, a decision had already been made—he had voluntarily offered his name.
Like a pebble thrown into deep water, waiting to see if any unnatural fluctuations would appear in the other's Fate Soul, his perception remained fixed there, without spreading or interfering, simply quietly observing the most subtle changes in that instant.
Su Qingyuan's response came almost immediately, her tone still gentle, her Fate Soul rhythm maintaining its original pace without hesitation or any sign of suppression. "Fellow Daoist Qin, be careful of those two. They are cultivators of the Ancient God Clan, and they are unreliable."
As she uttered those words, her Fate Soul force remained perfectly still, like a pool of undisturbed water, showing no fluctuation whatsoever due to the name "Qin Yu." The probing line that had been extended within Qin Yu's sea of consciousness slowly retracted at that moment.
There was no further investigation or questioning, because everything that needed to be observed had already appeared, and there were no anomalies, which was sufficient to temporarily categorize it as "usable but undetermined".
At the same time, a memory quietly surfaced deep within his consciousness: the bloody shadows on the escort route, the two auras hidden in the crowd, the sudden burst of killing intent at the most crucial moment—these fragments rapidly pieced together within his Fate Soul, clearly overlapping with the aura emanating from the two people at this moment. "The Ancient God Clan, what a small world! That old thief Luo Qingchuan sent two cultivators to infiltrate the escort team to ambush me, but I didn't expect these two to be from his clan. That makes things easier."
The words "Ancient God Clan" settled in his mind, no longer spreading, but merely marked and locked, becoming a node in the subsequent causal evolution. Qin Yu's gaze remained unchanged.
He simply replied calmly, "Thank you for the reminder, Miss Su." His tone was even, as if the exchange itself was nothing more than a trivial matter. In his mind's eye, the wisp of perception directed at Su Qingyuan had been completely withdrawn and no longer lingered.
The moment the telepathic message ended, the space in front of them trembled violently. The pristine white paper slowly parted from the center to both sides, without a tear or a shattering sound, like an ancient scroll being gently turned by an invisible hand. What split open was not space itself, but rather "unwritten layers."
The white receded to both sides, revealing a deeper emptiness in the center. It was neither nothingness nor substance, but a state of existence yet to be named. Countless fine lines appeared at the edge of the portal, these lines forming and disintegrating in an extremely short time, like the primordial evolution before the Dao was formed, layer upon layer, then returning to zero.
At this moment, the brilliance of the Supreme Transformation Source Crystal vibrated simultaneously, and the silver-white halo resonated with the portal. The energy of the entire Realm of Wood was instantly straightened, the void retreated further away, the white paper became more solid, and the "emptiness" inside the portal slowly expanded, forming a stable passage.
Qin Yu stood still, his gaze fixed on the depths of that realm. His Fate Soul sensed the oppressive force and the unknown contained within. He didn't rush in, but instead allowed his aura to completely stabilize, suppressing all the cause and effect of his previous actions and judgments deep within.
Awaiting the next stage of true evolution, the auras of the others behind him also tightened. At this moment, all the Fate Soul completed their final gathering. The entrance to the third page had been fully opened, and the true trial was slowly emerging from that unwritten "empty space".
Qin Yu didn't linger. The moment the portal fully opened, he stepped inside, his Fate Soul sinking into a deeper space. He seemed enveloped by an invisible force, vanishing instantly at the edge of the blank page. The unwritten "emptiness" completely swallowed his aura. Behind him, Su Qingyuan and the other four cultivators swiftly gathered all the floating Supreme Transformation Source Crystal.
The six jade boxes were returned to their respective hands. Light and shadow flickered briefly on the white paper, and the Fate Soul was completely contained in an instant. Then, the figures of the group stepped into the portal one after another, their auras directly suppressed into the depths by the higher-level spatial rules. At this moment, the two Ancient God Clan cultivators did not act immediately. They stood at the edge of the portal, exchanging a brief but profound glance, as if two pre-existing causes and effects had been confirmed in an instant.
Without a word, their Fate Soul conveyed their complete intentions. Then, they simultaneously withdrew their gazes, their expressions returning to normal. They stepped out in unison, their figures entering the portal one after the other. Their auras were completely swallowed up the moment they entered, and the portal slowly closed after all seven of them had entered. The white paper returned to its flat state, as if this page had never been turned.
The next instant, space suddenly expanded, and the seven figures simultaneously appeared in a deeper void. After a brief silence, their vision was quickly filled by a long, inky river that stretched across the heavens and earth. It was a river without beginning or end, its ink deep yet not murky, instead possessing an extremely clear sense of the Dao. The entire river flowed slowly, yet it seemed to form its own internal cycle, each drop of water containing a complete source of rules.
As it flows, the surrounding nothingness is constantly eroded and repaired, forming layers of extremely subtle ripples. Deep within the riverbed, swirling eddies of reincarnation slowly rotate. These eddies are not formed by the water's flow, but by the very rules themselves. With each rotation, blurry shadows appear and disappear within them, like past existences being drawn in, repeatedly dismantled and reassembled, only to be thrown back into the endless cycle. Above the Ink River...
Occasionally, a drop of ink would detach from the water's surface and slowly fall into the void. The moment the ink drop fell, the void would briefly collapse, only to be quickly filled in, revealing a faint, regular line, as if some kind of loss had been rewritten. Other ink drops would fall into the whirlpool at the bottom of the river and be swallowed up the instant they touched it, leaving not even a trace.
Seven people stood before the Ink River, their Fate Soul tightening simultaneously. The pressure didn't come from power, but from the cycle itself. Everything was being pulled into its orbit, constantly rewritten and recycled. Any entity that couldn't stabilize would be dragged in, becoming part of this river. Qin Yu stood at the forefront, his gaze fixed on the slowly flowing Ink River. His sea of consciousness remained undisturbed, yet his Fate Soul had already begun to resonate subtly with the river.
He did not step in immediately, but allowed the power of the rules to flow within his body, gradually incorporating it into his perception. Behind him, Su Qingyuan and the others also concealed their auras, and no one made a move rashly. This was because this page was no longer a trial to create a world, but rather to write the rules themselves in this Ink River. If one could not control this river, their Fate Soul would be dragged into reincarnation, becoming part of an endless cycle.
Seven people stood at the edge of the Ink River, none of them taking the first step. The long, dark river flowed slowly before their eyes, with lines of rules intertwining like a tide. If their Fate Soul fluctuated even slightly, they could feel the all-consuming will pulling them in the shadows. The air was extremely low at this moment, and everyone was suppressing their own energy, waiting for someone to make the first move.
In the midst of this silence, one of the Ancient God Clan suddenly sneered, his tone tinged with impatience and a hint of probing. "Who wants to go scout first?" His gaze swept over the group, clearly indicating his reluctance. Another person immediately followed, a cold smile playing on his lips, "In that case, isn't it reasonable for whoever has the lower cultivation level to go first?"
The moment the words left her lips, the atmosphere tensed abruptly. Su Qingyuan frowned slightly, her eyes revealing displeasure. She was about to speak when Qin Yu's voice preceded hers, his tone low but carrying a chilling air of authority. "Fellow Daoists, do you have bad memories?"
His gaze calmly settled on the two men. "I've already made it very clear: it's a matter of skill, life or death, help or no help. Whoever gets it, it belongs to them." His tone turned slightly somber. "Now you're pushing them around to test us? Are you deaf, or can't you even understand this simple statement?"
As soon as those words fell, the air seemed to solidify instantly. The faces of the two Ancient God Clan cultivators darkened abruptly, their Fate Soul surging with rage, their gazes fixed on Qin Yu with chilling intent. Su Qingyuan also stepped forward, her voice calm yet sharp. "Gentlemen, you promised this yourselves. If you go back on your word now, we won't pretend we didn't see it."
She stood to the side and in front of Qin Yu, while the other four cultivators stepped forward at the same time, their auras slightly released. At this moment, the six Fate Soul energies faintly formed a force, locking the two people within.
After a brief standoff, one of the Ancient God Clan cultivators suddenly sneered, a chilling glint in his eyes. "Good, very good." His voice was low and suppressed, "Remember, don't blame me for leaving you to die later."
Before he finished speaking, he took a step forward, his foot landing directly in the Ink River. Without hesitation, he entered the River of Rules. The other person glanced coldly at Qin Yu and Su Qingyuan, his eyes filled with obvious resentment, before also stepping into the Ink River, his figure disappearing into the flowing ink.
Qin Yu didn't pause. His gaze swept over the two people briefly before he stepped forward. The moment his foot landed, his Fate Soul quickly contracted, suppressing all outward momentum into the deepest layer. His figure directly entered the Ink River. Su Qingyuan and the other four cultivators also did not hesitate. The six figures stepped in one after another, and their auras sank into the Ink River the instant they touched it.
The instant all seven stepped into the Ink River, the entire river suddenly changed. The once gently flowing inky river surged violently, and countless fine, hair-like lines of rules erupted simultaneously from the water.
Like a ferocious beast that has caught the scent of blood, it surged wildly toward the seven people. The "river" beneath their feet was no longer flowing, but rather a densely interwoven net of Dao principles that instantly wrapped around their feet and then spread upwards.
The first Ancient God Clan cultivator to step in felt his feet sink instantly. The lines of rules clung to his skin, which became translucent in an instant, its texture as clear as rice paper. The power that had been flowing through his meridians was forcibly covered, and black ink rapidly spread within his body.
It was as if another rule was replacing his existence. He instinctively unleashed his protective power, his Fate Soul trembled, and his Dao power surged out of his body, trying to shake off the invading forces. However, at that very moment, the power of the Ink River suddenly backfired, and those lines of rules accelerated abruptly, spreading upwards at ten times the speed. His calves instantly turned completely black, and the blackness surged upwards along his meridians. His expression changed drastically, and his breathing became disordered.
Another Ancient God Clan cultivator also suffered from the corruption. He had just taken his second step when the Ink River beneath his feet completely merged with it. He did not immediately unleash his power, but instead tried to stabilize his aura. However, the lines of rules continued to spread upwards from the soles of his feet.
His skin began to turn dark, and the rhythm of his Fate Soul was gradually suppressed, as if he were being forcibly dragged into another system. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, but he did not stop and continued to advance.
The moment Su Qingyuan stepped into the Ink River, she sensed something amiss. Her Fate Soul quickly contracted, ceasing to release any power. The instant the lines of rules touched her ankles, they began to spread upwards. She did not resist, but allowed that power to contact her.
At the same time, she pressed her own Dao foundation into her core to avoid conflict. The speed at which the ink covered her body slowed down significantly. Although her meridians were stained with ink, they were not completely out of control. Her steps faltered slightly, but she still moved forward steadily.
The other four cultivators also encountered the power of the Ink Devourer almost simultaneously after stepping in. Some instinctively activated their protective powers, while Ink River reacted immediately, with lines of rules surging up like a suddenly accelerating tide, rapidly covering his lower body.
His aura fluctuated violently, and his Fate Soul began to become disordered; others quickly restrained their power, suppressing themselves to the lowest possible state. Although the darkness continued to spread, it did not cause an instant loss of control.
Qin Yu's footsteps landed in the Ink River, and at that moment, his Fate Soul sank completely into its deepest depths. Not a single ounce of power was released; all the principles of the Dao were pressed back to their origin. The lines of rules beneath his feet adhered to his body, and the ink slowly spread upwards from his feet, covering him without him expending any resistance.
He did not attempt to block the intrusion, but allowed the rules to touch him, while simultaneously responding in his sea of consciousness, incorporating the intruding force into his perception. The ink flowed through his meridians, but did not replace the core; his Dao foundation remained stable. The Ink River covering him formed a superficial layer, but could not completely rewrite his essence.
The entire Ink River stirred violently at this moment. The seven figures moved slowly within it, the ink spreading upwards. Their Fate Soul endured the covering and erosion of the rules; any resistance would bring even more violent backlash, while complete abandonment would result in utter assimilation.
As they became part of the river, the distance between the seven gradually widened within the Ink River. Each person was dealing with the "Peril of Ink Devouring" in a different way, while the long river that pierced through the void continued to flow slowly beneath their feet, like a silent engulfment, gradually approaching its Limit.