The seven figures moved slowly through the Ink River. Beneath their feet lay no longer tangible ground, but layers upon layers of overlapping lines of rules. These lines, like countless fine silken threads, adhered tightly to their feet, gradually covering their skin and meridians. The ink flowed along the path of their Fate Soul, as if another "mode of existence" was attempting to replace the original foundational structure. And at this very moment...
Suddenly, the entire Ink River underwent extremely subtle changes. Countless tiny, ink-colored specks of light began to slowly rise from the previously evenly flowing surface. These specks were extremely small, yet they kept converging, as if drawn by some invisible force, outlining a faint contour on the water's surface. The contour was not fixed; it twisted, extended, and overlapped with the flow of the Ink River, sometimes resembling a human figure, and sometimes completely dispersing and returning to the river.
There was no burst of oppressive force, nor any locking of energy, yet the entire space sank slightly at that moment. This sank was not due to the pressure of power, but rather a shift in the center of gravity of the rules. The Fate Soul of the seven people tightened simultaneously, as if they were being swept by an invisible "gaze." It was not a will, nor the gaze of a living being, but a pure Order Adjudication in motion.
Every drop of the rule-based water in the Ink River became clearer at this moment. They were no longer just flowing, but actively recognizing whether the structure of each Dao foundation and each strand of Fate Soul that entered it could bear this layer of rules.
Ink-colored light spots slowly intertwined on the river's surface, gradually solidifying into an unstable outline before dispersing and merging back into the water. This was the manifestation of the true essence of "Cycle Lord Mo Yuan - Rule Ink Spirit".
It has no true form, nor a fixed location. The entire Ink River is its body, the Cycle of Reincarnation is its breath, and the Void Void is its extension. It doesn't need to take action, because everything has already completed its selection process in its operation. Every step taken by the challenger triggers its "examination."
At that very moment, the power of the Ink River erupted completely.
The lines of rules beneath their feet suddenly accelerated, the previously slowly spreading ink instantly becoming active, surging simultaneously like beasts smelling blood. The feet of the seven were completely covered, the ink climbing upwards from their ankles, their skin rapidly changing. The originally solidified flesh began to become translucent, its texture emerging like rice paper.
The power that originally flowed through the meridians was forcibly rewritten, and wisps of pitch-black ink spread along the path of the Fate Soul, as if another set of rules was forcibly covering the original foundation of the Dao.
The first Ancient God Clan cultivator abruptly halted, instinctively channeling his inner power. Dao Fate Soul, attempting to repel the invading power of the Ink River. However, the instant he activated his power, the lines of rules within the Ink River surged dramatically, and the ink intent that had been clinging to his body accelerated tenfold.
The attack surged directly upwards along his meridians, turning his calves completely black in an instant. The blackness spread upwards along his bones, causing his aura to fluctuate violently. His Fate Soul structure began to become disordered. The erosion was no longer an external pressure, but a rewriting from within, causing his entire being to gradually shift towards becoming "a part of the Ink River."
The other Ancient God Clan cultivator was also in an unstable situation. Although he did not immediately unleash his power, his Fate Soul still showed a faint resistance. That slight resistance was instantly detected by the rules of the Ink River, and the lines of rules beneath his feet suddenly tightened.
The black color rapidly spread upwards from his feet, and the black flow within his meridians gradually accelerated. His previously stable energy began to become intermittent, as if his entire being was being dragged into another cycle.
Su Qingyuan's figure sank slightly. The moment she stepped into the Ink River, she pressed her Dao foundation to its deepest point, without releasing a single trace of power. The lines of rules clung to her ankles, slowly spreading upwards. Her skin also became translucent, and a faint ink-like aura appeared within her meridians. However, the covering power showed a noticeable delay the moment it touched the Fate Soul Nucleus.
She did not try to dispel or resist it, but simply maintained her existence in an extremely stable state. The power of the Ink River flowed within her body, but failed to completely rewrite her essence.
The other four cultivators were each suffering from varying degrees of erosion. Some instinctively tried to resist, but the power of the Ink River immediately backfired, and the ink color devoured their meridians at an even faster speed. Others quickly suppressed all fluctuations and pressed their Fate Soul to the lowest level. Although the ink intent was still spreading, it did not cause an instant loss of control, and their steps became extremely slow as a result, each step feeling like stepping on ever-changing rules.
Qin Yu in the Ink River. The moment his foot landed, his Fate Soul sank completely into its deepest layer. All the outward-released Dao principles were withdrawn, and there was no longer any intention to expand within the origin point. The lines of rules adhered to his feet, and the ink slowly covered upwards. Darkness also appeared in his meridians, but that power was naturally absorbed the instant it touched the core.
There was no conflict, nor was there any replacement. He did not exert any defensive power, nor did he try to stop the erosion. Instead, he allowed that layer of rules to flow within himself and incorporated it into his perception. The "covering" of the Ink River formed a superficial layer on his body, but it could never reach the deepest source of the Dao.
The entire Ink River came to life at that moment. The threads of rules intertwined, invaded, and covered the seven people, their Fate Soul and Dao foundations simultaneously enduring the comprehensive penetration from "Reincarnation, Nothingness, and Rules".
Any resistance will trigger a more violent backlash, and any imbalance will be quickly dragged into the whirlpool at the bottom of the river, becoming part of this Ink River. The ink color continues to rise on the seven people, gradually approaching the core. The first tribulation - the Peril of Ink Devouring - truly unfolds at this moment.
Within the Ink River, the lines of rules surged like a tide. The seven figures moved slowly forward within the ever-enveloping layer of ink. The ink had already crossed their kneecaps and was advancing upwards along their meridians, the speed of its invasion constantly changing with the fluctuations of their Fate Soul.
Every slight instability triggers a deeper layer of erosion. This erosion is no longer merely an external force, but acts directly on the foundational structure, attempting to completely rewrite every existence that enters this river as "a part of the Ink River."
The first to regain their composure were the two Ancient God Clan cultivators.
One of them slowed his pace slightly, forcibly restraining the restless Fate Soul within him in that instant. He no longer attempted to dispel the power of the Ink River, but instead suppressed all the circulating Dao principles into his core, allowing the ink to advance along his meridians. The moment the ink touched his heart meridian, a very subtle tremor suddenly appeared within his body. This tremor was not resistance, but rather a kind of "acceptance."
He forcibly adjusted the rhythm of his own Dao foundation's operation, causing it to overlap with the flow of the Ink River. The intruding lines of rules stopped spreading and instead began to flow within his body along a fixed trajectory, as if being guided into some predetermined cycle.
His aura gradually stabilized. Although the blackness had covered most of his body, it did not continue to approach the core. Instead, it formed a ring around his Fate Soul.
Another Ancient God Clan cultivator also quickly adapted. When the power of the Ink River had penetrated more than halfway, he suddenly slowed down the rhythm of his own Fate Soul, suppressing the frequency of his meridian opening and closing to an extremely low level, creating a "gap" with the advance of the Ink River's power.
The gap was extremely short, but enough to allow the invading ink intent to form a buffer within his body. He used this to guide that power little by little to his Fate Soul, condensing it into an extremely solid core. That core did not conflict with the Ink River, but always remained independent. The ink intent revolved around it and could not be replaced. His figure stabilized again in the Ink River. Although his steps were slow, he was no longer dragged into deeper erosion.
The two of them stabilized one after the other, and their Fate Soul force gradually calmed down. The dark color formed a stable cycle in their bodies and stopped spreading, indicating that they had crossed the first Threshold.
Su Qingyuan's aura changed slowly on the other side. She did not resist when the power of the Ink River first invaded, and her Fate Soul maintained an extremely gentle yet stable rhythm. When the ink color advanced along her meridians to her chest cavity, a very subtle resonance suddenly arose within her body.
The resonance wasn't intense, yet it perfectly matched the flow of the Ink River. She didn't deliberately guide it, but rather allowed her own Dao foundation to naturally align with that rhythm. The power of the Ink River gradually gathered within her body, condensing into a tiny point at her Fate Soul. That point slowly took shape within the ink's essence.
Neither rejecting nor being swallowed up, the ink swirled around her, like a drop of water falling into a still lake, eventually returning to balance. Her figure stabilized again, and the ink transformation stopped within a certain range, no longer advancing upwards.
However, one of the other three failed to grasp the rhythm of that moment.
As the power of the Ink River invaded his waist and abdomen, his Fate Soul experienced a brief moment of hesitation. That hesitation was extremely brief, yet fatal. At that instant, the power of the Ink River accelerated dramatically, the lines of rules surging directly from the depths of his meridians towards his core. He tried to suppress it, but it was too late; the invading force exploded at his Fate Soul.
His foundation was instantly covered, his originally stable structure was completely rewritten, his body rapidly turned to ink from the inside out, his skin became translucent like Xuan paper, and only pitch black flowed within his meridians. At this moment, his Fate Soul lost its support, and his entire body slowly sank into the Ink River.
Without struggling, and unable to struggle, in the next instant, his figure completely merged into the river, becoming part of those countless lines of rules, Wuhen.
The Ink River continued to flow, without stopping or changing, as if the person's disappearance had never happened.
Qin Yu in the river, the ink already covering his chest. At this moment, his Fate Soul sank completely into its deepest depths. All instinctive resistance was forcibly suppressed. There was no dispelling, no resistance; he allowed the power of the Ink River to flow straight in, the black current in his meridians rapidly approaching his core.
At that moment, the location of the Fate Soul became the only point of convergence. He did not let the foundation of the Dao be released outward, but instead condensed it into a single point. Within that point, all the origins were compressed, gathered, and stabilized, forming an absolute anchor point.
The flow of the Ink River's power suddenly accelerated.
That power almost instantly engulfed the core edge, and the faint light within Fate Soul was surrounded by blackness, as if it would disappear completely in the next instant. At this moment, Qin Yu's divine soul fully unfolded, and the opening and closing of every meridian was precisely controlled.
He forcibly adjusted the flow rate of the Ink River Power, gradually aligning it with the rhythm of his own Dao Foundation. The excessively fast portion was suppressed, and the excessively slow portion was guided. He did not block any intrusion, but instead allowed all the power to enter his body at a predetermined frequency, synchronizing with his Dao Foundation.
At that moment, resonance occurred.
The power of the Ink River no longer impacted the core, but instead revolved around it. The primordial radiance within Qin Yu's Dao Foundation emanated from that point, intertwining with the black ink intent. Within Qin Yu's dantian, a walnut-sized condensed object slowly took shape.
It was entirely black, yet faintly emanated a layer of primordial radiance, like a drop of thick ink pierced by light, maintaining absolute stability as it slowly circulated.
The inking stopped and the erosion ceased. The "Dao Rhyme Ink Mass" remained steadily suspended in the dantian, with the power of the Ink River circulating around it, but it could no longer replace its essence.
Qin Yu's aura stabilized completely at this moment, and his figure stood firmly in the Ink River again. The lines of rules beneath his feet continued to flow, but they could no longer drag him into a deeper cycle of reincarnation.
The first tribulation, the Peril of Ink Devouring, has now been overcome.