Time flowed slowly across this ruin where history had been erased. The sea of fire between heaven and earth gradually subsided, and only residual warmth continued to rise from the scorched earth. The sky of the Void Dharma Realm returned to its cold and empty stillness, as if a war to destroy a sect had never happened.
The disciples of the Hua Lineage and those from the Realm Breaking Heavenly Sect stood in the void, suspended high above, without speaking or moving. Everyone's aura was suppressed to the lowest level, like a group of shadows awaiting orders.
After an unknown amount of time, a streak of light emerged from the depths of the ruins, and a disciple of the Realm Breaking Heavenly Sect swiftly appeared before the group, kneeling on one knee. His voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement and awe. "Reporting to the lord... we've found it, it's in the deepest part of the main hall... but there... is a restriction there."
The leading disciple of the Hua Lineage slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calm and unwavering. He spoke indifferently, "Lead the way."
Without the slightest hesitation, the disciple immediately rose and led the group deeper into the ruins. Along the way, the ground was cracked like an abyss, and the broken palace walls lay layer upon layer, resembling the skeletons of colossal, dead beasts.
The air was filled with the lingering aura of annihilation, even divine senses became sluggish here. The deeper they went, the stronger the aura became, until they reached the deepest part of the main hall, a collapsed core.
The space in that area was already distorted and deformed. There were no violent tearing sounds or obvious cracks; instead, there was a chilling sense of collapse.
It's as if there's a being from a higher dimension, using invisible force to press and squeeze this small piece of space downwards, forcibly separating it from the normal spacetime dimension and making it form a semi-independent layer that floats above the original space but is isolated from it.
At the edge of this collapsed space, light and shadow are distorted, air currents are stagnant, and even the laws of heaven and earth become sluggish, forming a stark separation from the surrounding normal space, as if an invisible barrier completely separates the inside from the outside.
Everyone concealed their presence, cautiously hovering at the edge of the collapsed space, not daring to approach rashly. Their gazes pierced through the distorted light and shadow, revealing an ancient and heavy restriction at the core of the collapsed area.
It was quietly suspended in the void, its body shimmering with a faint primal glow. Seemingly calm and still, it exuded an inviolable majesty, firmly enveloping the entire collapsed plane, and faintly revealing a pressure force originating from a higher dimension.
The restriction had no specific form, yet it was omnipresent.
In the void, circles of pale gold and dark black Dao patterns flowed slowly. Each pattern was incomplete, yet they were pieced together to form a closed system that was constantly repairing and evolving itself.
Those Dao patterns are not fixed, but are constantly "rewriting" themselves. One moment they are a kind of sealing structure, and the next moment they are transformed into a completely different arrangement of laws. Any divine thought that tries to analyze them will be scattered the moment it touches them, and even the thought of "analysis" itself will be erased.
Even more bizarrely, there was no "core" in the center of that restriction, or rather, the center of the formation was constantly changing.
Sometimes it appears as a slowly rotating ancient talisman, within which seem to flow countless currents; the next instant it collapses into a blank space, where even the concept of "existence" is no longer discernible; the next moment, it transforms into countless tiny points of light, recombining in the void to form another completely unfamiliar structure.
The entire restriction was like a self-operating "law-based life form," without any flaws or fixed entrances.
The surrounding space rippled in layers, and any approaching aura was silently swallowed up. A cultivator at the Realm Breaking Realm tentatively released a wisp of divine sense, but the moment the divine sense touched the edge of the restriction, it vanished instantly as if falling into an abyss, leaving no trace.
Luo Xinghe stood before the restriction, his gaze narrowing slightly, a chill creeping into his heart. He turned and bowed slightly to the Hua Lineage disciple, his tone respectful yet cautious. "My lord... this restriction is probably not something that can be broken by ordinary means. Should we—"
The Hua Lineage disciple raised his hand, interrupting him directly, and said in a calm tone, "You will stay here and guard."
Luo Xinghe immediately lowered his head. "Yes, sir."
The Hua Lineage disciple said no more, turned around and led several of his clansmen to tear through the void and leave. The entire area fell silent once more, with only the slow but continuous sound of the restriction operating, like the whisper of some ancient being.
Time flowed silently, and everything around seemed to fall into a brief silence, with only the lingering primordial aura in the air slowly dissipating. Just then, a chilling pressure suddenly emanated from the void, far heavier and deeper than any power before. It was the unique aura of the pinnacle of the Mystic Void Realm · Supreme, carrying a majestic momentum that surpassed all things, instantly enveloping the entire world.
There was no earth-shattering roar, no blinding burst of light, and the void did not show any tearing cracks. Instead, it seemed as if an invisible giant hand had gently parted and slowly cleared the way. The previously stagnant air was pushed aside by an invisible force, forming a wide passage.
Within the passage, light and shadow distorted slightly, and a profound power originating from the source slowly descended. Every flow of its aura caused the surrounding space to tremble slightly, as if the entire world was bowing down to the arrival of this power.
This aura of the Mystic Void Realm · Supreme is not ostentatious at all, yet it carries an undeniable majesty. Unlike ordinary power, it is not straightforward, but rather like a deep abyss, seemingly calm, yet concealing world-destroying power.
The space that was "cleared" seemed to become the exclusive domain of this aura, isolated from the outside. Only that profound aura slowly permeated and settled in the void, foreshadowing an even more powerful collision, or an event that could rewrite the landscape.
Luo Xinghe reacted almost instantly, stepping forward and kneeling on one knee, his voice low but extremely solemn. "Welcome, Steward—"
The remaining disciples of the Realm Breaking Heavenly Sect, as if driven by a single will, knelt down in unison, their voices ringing out in unison. "Welcome, Deacon!"
The Hua Lineage steward didn't even glance at them; he took a step forward and stood before the barrier.
For the first time, his gaze changed; it wasn't one of shock, but rather... scrutiny.
He slowly raised his hand, but before his fingertips even touched it, the restriction seemed to sense some higher-level existence. The entire structure fluctuated violently in an instant, and the originally stable Dao patterns began to accelerate their reorganization. There was even a faint sense of "defense" and "repulsion" emerging. The air froze completely at this moment.
The Hua Lineage steward, Mystic Void Realm · Supreme, stood before the barrier. The world seemed to lose its weight beneath his feet. He made no unnecessary movements, but simply raised his palm, his fingertips resting on the ever-evolving edge of the seal. At that moment, the entire space experienced an extremely subtle yet fatal "pause," as if even the laws of nature were awaiting his decision.
He closed his eyes, and in the next instant, a profound will, invisible yet transcending Mystic Void laws, suddenly unfolded from the depths of his Fate Soul. It was not an explosion of power, but an absolute control over the "structure itself."
He did not attempt to forcibly shatter the restriction, but instead directly used his divine sense to invade the layers of flowing Dao patterns, deducing the original logic of its generation by tracing its trajectory.
The restriction began to tremble violently. The ever-changing Dao patterns seemed to be "seen through" the moment his divine sense touched them. The structure, which was constantly being rewritten, experienced a brief stagnation, like an ancient machine whose source was forcibly read, showing unstable fluctuations for the first time.
The deacon moved his finger slightly, slowly drawing a line in the air.
That wasn't an ordinary line, but a "logical cross-section," a fracture that directly dissected the very essence of the restriction's operation. Wherever his fingertips passed, the space didn't shatter, but a feeling of "structure being dismantled" quietly emerged. Those Dao patterns that were originally self-circulating were forced to separate from their original arrangement at this moment.
"Return to Origin and Unravel the Sequence." He uttered the four words in a low voice.
In an instant, the core of the restriction trembled violently, the ever-changing center was suddenly frozen, and all the flowing Dao patterns were forcibly dragged back to their original generation nodes. Time, space, and causality lost their ability to continue at this moment. The entire restriction seemed to be stripped of its qualification to "operate", leaving only a static shell.
But—the next instant, the restriction backfired.
Countless Dao patterns suddenly went berserk, and the power of gold and black intertwined transformed into a storm that exploded in all directions. The entire space collapsed violently as if it had been torn apart, and the restriction attempted to reorganize itself to completely engulf this invading power.
The deacon suddenly opened his eyes, and his right hand clenched into fist.
In the void, an invisible giant hand appeared out of thin air. Its palm was like a closed universe, locking down the rampaging restrictive structure. Its will was suppressed to the Ultimate at this moment, freezing every single line of the restriction, preventing it from rebuilding.
The word "shattered" was uttered.
The entire barrier collapsed, starting from its core structure, without an explosion or a roar.
The layers upon layers of seals, like a world stripped of its support, crumbled silently, inch by inch. All the Dao patterns simultaneously lost their anchor, turning into countless points of light that vanished into the void. In the end, even the trace of "the restriction once existed" was erased.
The seal was completely broken, and the space returned to calm, revealing a long-hidden deep area.
Seeing this, the Hua Lineage disciple's eyes flashed with satisfaction. He turned to look at Luo Xinghe, his tone calm but leaving no room for doubt. "Go in and bring out all the treasures, especially the God-Level Resonance Crystal and the Supreme Transformation Source Crystal."
Luo Xinghe immediately bowed his head. "Yes, sir."
With a wave of his hand, he led all the disciples of the Realm Breaking Heavenly Sect into the opened deep area like a tide, and the entire space fell into a brief silence once again.
Time passed, and in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the void trembled once more.
Luo Xinghe rushed out first, followed by dozens of disciples. Each of them carried a storage crystal core and a sealing artifact. The aura of countless treasures intertwined in the air, making the entire space feel incredibly heavy.
Among those treasures were ancient artifacts, broken yet still radiating the residual power of laws; strange crystals still slowly circulating primordial power; and God-Level Resonance Crystal, as densely packed as a sea of stars—their sheer number was almost suffocating.
The most striking feature was the faint mystical aura emanating from hundreds of thousands of Supreme Transformation Source Crystal, which intertwined to form a stable yet heavy Origin Field.
They landed one by one, and all of them bowed simultaneously, presenting all that they had obtained. "Reporting to Your Excellency—all the items we collected have been brought back."
The Hua Lineage disciple glanced at them and nodded slightly. "Not bad."
His tone was calm, yet carried a natural air of superiority. "You did indeed deserve credit for this battle, and it was largely thanks to your accurate information."
Having said that, he raised his hand and waved it.
A beam of light condensed in the void, then suddenly split, and ten thousand God-Level Resonance Crystal and one thousand Supreme Transformation Source Crystal were casually tossed in front of Luo Xinghe.
The quantity may seem astonishing, but compared to the total resources they brought back, it was merely a drop in the ocean.
Luo Xinghe accepted the gift with both hands, his expression still respectful, even showing a hint of gratitude. "Thank you for your generous gift, sir. I will certainly do my utmost to help you."
But a deep, gloomy look flashed across the depths of his eyes.
The secret of the Boundless Realm Divine Sect was only known to his undercover agents. In this battle, his Realm Breaking Heavenly Sect suffered heavy losses and countless deaths, and now all he got in return was this little bit of charity.
The Hua Lineage disciple didn't give him another glance. He collected all the remaining treasures and resources, then turned and stood behind the steward.
The void tore open in the next instant, Hua Lineage members stepped into it, their auras vanishing without a trace.
Heaven and earth fell silent once more.
Luo Xinghe slowly raised his head, gazing at the closed void rift. The respect on his face vanished completely, replaced by an barely suppressed ruthlessness.
"Pooh."
He exhaled sharply, his voice low and cold, "Only this much... If it weren't for me, would your Hua Lineage even know about this place?"
He slowly clenched his fist, then suddenly swung it, "Go!"
The members of the Realm Breaking Heavenly Sect quickly assembled, and carrying their meager "reward," they tore through the void and departed amidst the ruins.
As for the ruins of the Boundless Realm Divine Sect, only the sound of wind remains.