Above the Ink River, the previously slowly flowing lines of rules suddenly rippled violently. The river surface beneath the six figures churned simultaneously, the dark water seemingly touched by some deeper will, collapsing layer by layer and then rapidly recoiling. Countless tiny specks of ink-colored light rose from the river, intertwining, overlapping, and coalescing, gradually outlining a figure over ten feet tall once more in mid-air.
The figure was not a physical entity, but rather an outline formed from the very essence of rules. Its translucent, ink-black body was constantly shifting, surrounded by flowing Ink River water, as if a portion of the entire river had been drawn out and attached to it. Its robes were woven from countless ink-black light patterns, within which faintly visible were minimalist marks of reincarnation, each stroke outlining the trajectory of birth, aging, and the cycle of cause and effect.
In the next instant, it intertwined and overlapped with the void rift, forming a state of constant disintegration and reconstruction. Its head had no facial features, only a vertical golden regular pattern suspended in the center, like a brushstroke of ink that was not yet dry and was gently shimmering. Under its feet were several miniature vortexes of reincarnation.
With each gentle step, the surface of the Ink River rippled in regular patterns. These ripples spread outwards, interspersed with tiny, ethereal specks of light, drawing the energy of the entire space back into a deeper cycle.
At that moment, the Fate Soul of the six people sank simultaneously, and the Cycle Lord Mo Yuan - Rule Ink Spirit manifested its form.
It neither spoke nor gazed, yet the entire Ink River became its extension at that moment; its very existence was the operation of the rules themselves.
The next instant, its right hand slowly rose, and the Ink River suddenly split open.
A massive rift extended from beneath the six figures' feet, darkness collapsing downwards. Countless vortexes of reincarnation surged forth from the crack, their depths shimmering with eerie blue light patterns, like countless unfinished destinies churning within.
A deep, resonant whisper of Fate Soul. Though the content was indistinct, it involuntarily caused their minds to waver. Immediately afterward, an extremely terrifying suction force erupted from the riverbed, dragging the six figures downward.
The moment the vortex's power touched the Fate Soul, phantom images simultaneously appeared in the past, present, and future.
Regret, obsession, unresolved issues—all these were pulled out at this moment, transforming into shadows identical to oneself, frantically pulling at the surroundings as if trying to tear the original body apart.
The two Ancient God Clan cultivators attacked almost simultaneously. One of them let out a cold shout, clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and an extremely ancient mark within his Fate Soul instantly unfolded. His aura suddenly sank into a very deep level, and a void-like outline spread out from within his body.
Directly covering his own Fate Soul, the phantoms of reincarnation abruptly stopped upon touching this outline, as if severed by some higher-level cause and effect. The vortex's suction force beneath his feet still existed, but it could no longer drag him into a deeper layer. He said coldly, "Trying to drag me into reincarnation is not enough."
The other person suddenly stepped forward, letting the vortex's power entangle him. He didn't try to break free, but instead severed a segment of cause and effect within his Fate Soul. At that moment, his energy went blank for a instant, and all ties to the past were completely severed.
The phantoms of reincarnation, having lost their source of support, crumbled away. His body stabilized again above the vortex, and his cold gaze swept over the crowd. "This little test? You think you can stump me?!"
Su Qingyuan's aura became extremely gentle at this moment. Instead of resisting the power of the vortex, she sank slightly with the dragging force. A clear, water-like ripple slowly unfolded within her Fate Soul, reflecting the emerging phantoms one by one.
The shadow faded rapidly within the ripples, as if returning to its origin. She spoke softly, "See it clearly, don't be carried away." As her words fell, her figure stabilized at the edge of the whirlpool. The waters of the Ink River swirled around her, but could no longer pull her into the depths.
The other two cultivators also made their moves at this moment. One roared and forcefully crushed the obsession within his Fate Soul, letting the illusory image disintegrate; the other closed his eyes, withdrawing all his senses and no longer responding to any pulling.
Qin Yu in the Ink River, the suction of the vortex of reincarnation slightly pulling his figure down. Illusory figures constantly appeared around him, yet none could truly get close. His gaze fell upon the manifested Ink Spirit. All the calculations within his sea of consciousness closed at this moment. He neither attempted to sever the pulling force nor suppress the illusory figures.
Instead, he allowed them to exist while completely immersing his Fate Soul into the "Dao Rhyme Ink Mass". At that moment, the power of the Ink River in his body began to reverse, no longer just invading, but being guided and flowing along a predetermined trajectory. The ink ball in his dantian trembled slightly, and a wisp of extremely fine primordial light shone out from it, resonating with the power of the Ink River.
Instead of retreating, he moved forward.
Pulled by the vortex, he took a step forward, his palm slightly raised. The waters of the Ink River gathered at his fingertips, without erupting or surging, but were slowly drawn out, falling towards the few tiny, ethereal cracks on both banks of the Ink River. Those cracks were swiftly filled the moment they touched the ink.
Faint, regular lines appeared on it, and the flow of the Ink River became briefly calm, while the originally violent dragging force of reincarnation also weakened.
The figure of the Cycle Lord Mo Yuan trembled slightly at that moment. It did not retreat, nor did it continue to increase its power. The entire Ink River completed a readjustment in that instant.
Qin Yu's aura completely stabilized. The illusory image of reincarnation no longer pulled or tugged, and the power of the vortex no longer sank. The second tribulation of reincarnation was dragged down at this moment, and was "refined".
Above the Ink River, the power of reincarnation still surged. The six figures gradually stabilized at the edge of the vortex. The lines of rules continued to flow within their meridians, Dao Rhyme Ink Mass in their dantian trembled slightly, dissolving the power that was constantly trying to rewrite their foundation layer by layer.
Qin Yu in front, his gaze fixed on the Ink River that pierced through the void. The cause-and-effect deduction in his sea of consciousness had been completed, and all the changes had formed a complete outline in his mind. He did not turn around, but instead used an extremely subtle sound transmission to enter Su Qingyuan's Fate Soul. His voice was calm and clear, unfolding the unspoken laws one by one.
"Senior Su, the key to this hurdle is not in confrontation."
His voice was flat, yet it brought the entire situation to its most crucial point. "Once the critical loophole is patched, the rules of the Ink River will briefly loosen. In that instant, it will no longer focus on dragging things down through cycles, but will shift to assimilation, bringing everything back into itself."
His thoughts unfolded slowly in the telepathic transmission, revealing the changes with extreme clarity. "At that time, it will cover the challenger with the power of rules. If the Daoist aura is not stable, it will be directly erased. At this time, you cannot resist. You must use the Dao Rhyme Ink Mass as a shell to wrap yourself up, allowing the power of the Ink River to flow on the outside without invading the core, while protecting your own Dao foundation and preventing the rules from replacing your origin."
The waters of the Ink River trembled slightly at that moment, as if responding to that judgment. Qin Yu's telepathic transmission continued, "Then, using the ink clumps as brushes, outline the rules on the water's surface. Do not seek grandeur or completeness, but simply repair the existing flaws in the Ink River, loosen the solidified parts within the cycle of reincarnation, rebalance the areas excessively eroded by nothingness, refine the rules themselves, and leave behind your own Dao traces, allowing them to resonate with the Ink River."
His voice gradually lowered, "It cannot contradict the Ink River, otherwise it will be directly erased. The rules must contain a will that transcends reincarnation, so that they are no longer closed, but can flow and extend. This is what 'embellishment' means."
The final thought, carrying an extremely clear direction, concluded. "When the rules begin to merge with the Ink River, the interference will weaken, and may even provide assistance in the opposite direction. At that time, the Ink River itself will acknowledge this Dao trace."
Su Qingyuan's Fate Soul visibly trembled at this moment. Her aura fluctuated slightly within the Ink River, and her voice transmission quickly returned, carrying an undisguised shock. "Young Master Qin, how could you see these things? I can't even touch upon the causal relationships involved."
Qin Yu's gaze remained fixed on the surging Ink River ahead. His voice, transmitted telepathically, unfolded slowly, without any extraneous inflection, yet directly revealing the essence of the matter, "The Ink River is no match. It is merely the rule."
His thoughts unfolded like ink strokes in Su Qingyuan's sea of consciousness. "The Samsara Ink River Abyss is itself a symbiotic entity of the power of the Ink River, the order of reincarnation, and the void's loopholes. It will not actively erase, nor will it fight with others; it will only select—select those who can refine the rules."
The waters of the Ink River flowed gently beneath his feet, and the vortex of reincarnation swirled in the distance. Yet, his voice transmission grew ever more composed. "Its existence is not destruction, but correction. Any attempt to suppress it with force will be incorporated into the cycle of reincarnation, becoming part of the correction."
At that moment, his resolve solidified. "Therefore, the final step must be completed. 'Guard yourself.' 'Let the Daoist essence coexist with the Ink River.'"
"To integrate oneself into the rules, rather than being swallowed up by them."
After these words were spoken, Su Qingyuan's aura gradually stabilized within the Ink River. She did not ask any further questions, and the tremor within her Fate Soul slowly subsided, transforming into a clear direction.
At that very moment, the entire Ink River suddenly trembled violently, and the distant Cycle Whirlpool swelled up simultaneously, with dark waves surging forth.
The originally semi-transparent ink shadow suddenly expanded, its shape no longer blurry, but completely revealed itself in an unavoidable manner.
Cycle Lord Mo Yuan - Rule Ink Spirit, Ultimate Manifestation.
Its form instantly soared to ten thousand feet, its upper body maintaining a humanoid silhouette, yet formed from pure black primordial energy. Dense, regular patterns flowed across its body, each pattern constantly changing, as if reincarnation were automatically calculating within its body. Its lower body, however, had completely merged into the Ink River.
Transforming into boundless waves, the entire river becomes part of them at this moment. Countless whirlpools roll within the waves, each reflecting the past and future of different beings, as if countless destinies are repeatedly written and erased within them.
Thousands of golden chains were wrapped around its body, extending from the depths of the void, one end embedded in the core of the Ink River, the other end piercing into the unrepaired void rift in the distance, firmly fixing the entire space in place.
Each chain was engraved with mysterious runes, which were constantly changing, as if maintaining some kind of balance, or as if sealing off some kind of out-of-control boundary.
Its right hand slowly rose, and a huge black ink brush materialized in its palm.
At the tip of the pen, the power of rules and the energy of nothingness intertwine to form an extremely solid point of light. That point seems to contain the primordial will of the entire Ink River. The pen handle is wrapped with reincarnation patterns, each of which is slowly flowing, like time itself constantly cycling within it.
In the Ink River, drops of ink continuously fall.
Each drop that lands transforms into a new whirlpool or a void rift on the water's surface, and at this moment, the entire structure of space is completely pulled into a higher level of operation.
Rules, reincarnation, and nothingness all simultaneously unfold in this Ultimate trial, descending upon us.