The chaos raged deep within the secret passage, with killing intent and fragments of laws weaving into a disordered torrent. Further ahead, however, an area suddenly fell silent. The moment Ju Wanning stepped into it, the surrounding killing intent seemed to be separated by some force. The stone steps beneath her feet ceased to extend, transitioning into a pool of deep blue water. The water was still, yet it reflected the starlight overhead. An ancient tree stood quietly in the center of this space, its trunk not particularly tall.
Yet, it twists and rises from its roots, like a frozen trace of time. The bark displays a pattern of deep blue and silver-white, with tiny specks of light flowing within each pattern. The branches stretch outwards, forming a nearly closed circle in mid-air.
The edge of the ring gleamed faintly, as if a very thin membrane existed within it. The branches and leaves were dense, the leaves transparent, their edges emitting a cool blue light. With each gentle vibration, it seemed to be recording some indescribable rhythm. The roots were embedded below the water's surface, yet there was no soil.
Its roots extend into a deeper void, where fragments of light and shadow occasionally flash, like buried fragments of the past. The ancient tree has no murderous intent, yet it is impossible to look away.
Ju Wanning stopped, her gaze falling on the ring-shaped branches. A subtle ripple within her Fate Soul was subtly drawn to it. She didn't use any supernatural powers, but simply walked closer step by step. The water beneath her feet didn't ripple, yet it faintly glowed with a dim light with each step, as if responding to her presence. As she stepped into the area enveloped by the ancient tree...
The light spots among the branches and leaves suddenly began to shift faster, the ring around the entire ancient tree slowly tightened, and the radiance converged from the outside in. An inexplicable connection was awakened within her, her breathing became extremely light, and the sharp light in her eyes gradually sank into a deep depth.
The energy in her hand receded on its own, and a very stable resonance line was formed between her Fate Soul and the ancient tree. The light flow inside the tree flowed along the branches and into the ring, and then reflected back into her sea of consciousness. She stood still, neither taking a step forward nor retreating, as if she were locked in by this space.
The next instant, all the points of light suddenly froze, the ring completely closed, and a very faint light fell from the heart of the tree, landing on her brow. Everything around her began to fade rapidly—the secret passage, the ancient castle, the battle, the aura—all vanished, replaced by an extremely ordinary world: a small courtyard made of bluestone, low walls, and the wind blowing in through the gate, stirring up fine dust. Her body became slender and small.
The ground beneath her feet felt soft and damp, and she heard intermittent calls. Turning around, she saw a middle-aged man standing outside the courtyard gate, his expression serious yet revealing his weariness. Inside the courtyard, a woman knelt before her, holding a very ordinary spiritual fruit.
He gently handed it to her. She looked down at her hands, which were small hands that had not yet gathered any power. The fingertips were covered with fine mud. There were no laws, no killing intent, no True Annihilation, no Great Dao around her, only the simplest breath and existence.
She neither spoke nor moved. Memories began to surface layer by layer. All the scenes of her past cultivation, battles, and breakthroughs were suppressed to a very distant place, while the world at this moment became exceptionally clear. The sounds of the wind, footsteps, and breathing all fell into the deepest recesses of her consciousness.
She stood there, as if she had become the person she was before she embarked on the path of cultivation, while the resonance of the ancient tree continued deep within her, only no longer manifesting as power, but unfolding slowly in a more primal way.
The sunlight flowed slowly through the bluestone courtyard, the wind whistling past the gate. Ju Wanning stood motionless in that scene of bygone days, her breathing gradually aligning with the rhythm of her surroundings. She absorbed the feel of the earth beneath her feet, the subtle warmth of her palms, and the dust particles drifting in the air. The next moment, fine cracks began to appear along the edge of the courtyard.
Between the rifts, there was neither darkness nor light, only an endless expanse of blank space. Deep within the blank space, strands of extremely fine silk quietly appeared, neither material nor form, but rather the forcefully outlined directions of all laws of heaven and earth. The silk threads intertwined, stretched and contracted, weaving a vast network that encompassed the universe around her.
As the lines intersect, new branches constantly emerge, each branch proposing an Unborn future. Thousands of branches coexist in parallel, flowing upstream, yet all pointing to a single source—that source is herself.
The world she saw began to change. The figures in the courtyard gradually blurred, while the lines became increasingly clear. They stretched from her feet into the distance, then turned back, encircling her at the center. Suddenly, a line brushed against her wrist, and with a gentle touch, a vision of the future flashed through her mind. She saw herself wielding a sword on a battlefield, and she saw herself stepping into a higher realm.
She found herself halted in some unknown depth. It was all silent, without explanation, simply presented. And when she tried to trace that path further, it instantly crumbled, splitting into countless smaller tributaries that continued to extend. In that moment, her mind was completely opened.
She was no longer just experiencing things, but was placed at the center of these "directions." She felt a kind of oppression, not from power, but from the choice itself. All the paths were waiting for her to confirm, and all the possibilities were waiting for her to take responsibility.
Immediately afterwards, all the lines trembled simultaneously. Some lines suddenly broke, ceasing to extend at the break point, while others rapidly expanded, occupying more space. These expanding lines formed trajectories before her, drawing her consciousness into them. Her actions, words, and choices all unfolded along predetermined paths, without deviation or hesitation, each step landing precisely on a specific point.
She saw herself moving forward along a predetermined path, seeing all the outcomes unfold before her eyes. She had no room for thought; she could only follow that trajectory, completing every action. Until one moment, her gaze suddenly stopped. There was no longer any will in that trajectory, only the result. She raised her hand, forcibly shifting the trajectory by an inch.
That one inch wasn't much, but it instantly distorted the entire trajectory. The originally smooth path began to collapse. She stood in the middle, and the lines around her vibrated simultaneously. Breaking and rebuilding occurred alternately. Her consciousness was pulled away from the predetermined path and stood once again at the center of all possibilities. She no longer obeyed, but began to choose.
The next instant, the entire world abruptly flipped, the courtyard vanished, the lines collapsed, and in its place appeared an extremely deep void, a place without direction, without the flow of time. She stood in the center, surrounded by countless points of light, each representing a kind of "control." She reached out and touched one of them, and the point of light unfolded in her palm, transforming into a mark of authority. The mark had no shape, yet it carried a sense of oppression.
She sensed that this power could rewrite everything around her, fixing certain states and predetermined certain outcomes. Without pausing, she continued to touch another point of light. This point of light, after unfolding, did not form a mark, but instead transformed into an incomprehensible structure.
The structure was constantly changing, without a fixed form. Her consciousness tried to understand it, but was pushed back the moment she made contact, as if the structure itself refused to be analyzed. She stood there, and all the points of light revolved around her. Some were within reach, while others remained forever out of reach. At this moment, her state of mind was pushed to its Limit. She was no longer just enduring, but began to judge what belonged to her and what did not.
Deep within, an extremely thin thread slowly emerged. Unlike all other threads, it had no branches or extensions; it simply existed, silently traversing this space. She looked at that thread, and her body involuntarily took a step forward.
The moment she touched that line, all the lights went out, the space collapsed, and everything returned to its initial stillness. She stood there, without emitting any power, yet an extremely stable sense of presence settled within her. It wasn't an improvement in her cultivation, but a confirmation of her foundation; her state of mind had been completely anchored.
In reality, the space before the ancient tree remained completely still. Ju Wanning stood silently, her eyes closed, her aura completely concealed. Her Fate Soul fluctuations almost vanished, and she seemed frozen in place. The branches and leaves of the ancient tree trembled slightly, the ring structure slowly rotated, and strands of light flowed from the branches, merging into her body.
Her presence formed a stable connection with the ancient tree. This connection was not a forced binding, but an active acceptance. She did not struggle or resist, and gradually sank into that state of mind. Meanwhile, the light from the ancient tree continued to deepen, as if confirming some kind of harmony.
Just as the area fell silent, the aura from the other end of the secret passage suddenly approached, and dozens of figures rushed in. The remnants of battle still lingered on their bodies, and their gazes instantly locked onto the ancient tree and Ju Wanning.
Some gasped in surprise, while others openly revealed their greed. Several auras began to lock onto the center of the ancient tree, their steps unwavering as they pressed forward. The moment their auras entered the tree's vicinity, the entire tree trembled violently. The light spots between the branches and leaves instantly tightened, the ring structure stopped rotating, and a deep vibration emanated from the tree's core, suppressing the space at that moment.
Within the tree trunk, a shimmering light slowly coalesced, initially a blurry outline, then gradually becoming clear. It was an extremely slender figure, almost human-sized, yet entirely composed of light. Her body was translucent, with intricate runic patterns flowing within it. These patterns constantly shifted, without a fixed combination. Her feet did not touch the ground, but hovered above the water's surface, leaving no ripples. Her long hair cascaded down, each strand woven from fine light, reflecting different fragments within.
Her face was clear yet unrememberable; whenever gazes fell upon her, they would always shift away in the next instant. Her eyes weren't pupils, but two slowly rotating halos, within which different scenes constantly appeared.
Without any unnecessary movements, she simply raised her hand and gently pointed forward. The entire space instantly froze, and all the approaching cultivators stopped in their tracks, their auras suppressed, unable to take another step forward.
The appearance of the ancient tree spirit was silent and without any overwhelming pressure, yet it completely transformed the entire area. The gazes of the surrounding cultivators shifted from greed to solemnity. Some attempted to activate their supernatural abilities, but their energy was immediately suppressed back into their bodies. The spirit stood silently, its gaze sweeping over everyone.
Finally, the light fell on Ju Wanning, lingering for a moment without uttering a word. At this moment, the light from the ancient tree intensified once more, and the rules of the entire space were redefined. All outsiders were isolated, and the location where Ju Wanning stood became the only core that was allowed to exist.