A hundred miles from the Crystal Mountain Range, a dreamlike lake lies quietly nestled among the peaks. Its waters are so clear they seem unreal, like an Ultimate polished piece of jade spread across the landscape. The lake's surface is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the starlight above and the distant crystalline mountain shadows, as if another world has been placed underwater.
The lake overlaps with reality yet remains undisturbed. When a breeze passes by, the surface ripples only very shallowly. The ripples do not spread but are instead gently pressed down by something invisible, quickly returning to calm. The surrounding trees are lush and green, with specks of pale blue fluorescence hanging among the branches and leaves, like naturally grown fragments of stars. Even the air carries a faint coolness and purity, making one unconsciously relax their guard.
Yet, within this tranquility, a subtle distortion suddenly appeared on the lake's surface. At first, it resembled a shift in light and shadow, the starlight momentarily deviating as it was projected onto the water. Then, the shift rapidly expanded, and the lake began to churn slowly—not with the violent surge of wind and waves, but with a heavy, deep undulation, as if propelled from the depths.
The water surface seemed to be lifted up inch by inch by an invisible giant hand, rising and falling back. Deep in the lake, an immeasurably large shadow quietly appeared. It had no clear outline, only a dark outline that kept twisting and extending, like some long-dormant being in the deep sea slowly awakening. Occasionally, slender shadows would extend from the main body and then quickly retract, like tentacles or some kind of structure that was not yet fully formed, dragging out layers of twisted ripples in the water.
The shadow grew clearer, yet remained elusive, as if some force was deliberately obscuring its form, causing any gaze attempting to lock onto it to instinctively drift away. The fish swimming in the lake suddenly lost their bearings, freezing in place before scattering in all directions without warning in the next instant.
The water plants moved swiftly without wind, parting to the sides as if making way for something. In the deepest part of that shadow, two extremely faint dark red lights suddenly lit up. The light was not intense, but it carried a kind of gaze that made people instinctively uneasy, as if some consciousness was peering upwards through the water.
Just as this strange change was not yet fully revealed, several auras swept across the sky. Chi Ninghua's figure moved like a faint shadow, traversing the air with a calm and refined aura. Three True Annihilation Realm · Supreme elders from the Ju Lineage followed closely behind. The four of them moved with incredible speed, the air currents stirred up by their robes drawing long trails in the sky.
In the blink of an eye, she had crossed the lake. Chi Ninghua's gaze was fixed on the distant Crystal Mountain Range, her expression focused and without the slightest hesitation. The three elders were equally tense, their attention entirely focused on the unknown forbidden zone ahead, completely unaware of the anomaly that had appeared in the lake below for a moment.
The lake returned to calm the instant they passed, as if nothing had ever happened. The ripples subsided, the light and shadow merged again, and the entire lake became quiet and harmless once more. Only the shadow in the depths remained; it neither chased nor moved.
It simply remained still underwater, slowly raising its dark red eyes to gaze in the direction the four had gone. There was no emotion in its gaze, but it carried an extremely primal perception and lock onto "existence," having silently memorized them.
As the outline of the Crystal Mountain Range gradually appeared in the distance, the light in the world seemed to shift subtly. It wasn't a change in brightness or darkness, but rather a subtle disturbance in the concept of "direction." The instant Chi Ninghua and the three Ju Lineage elders stepped onto the edge of the mountains, the ground beneath their feet was no longer ordinary rock and soil, but an extended interface composed entirely of pure crystals.
The crystal was so transparent that it was almost Does Not Exist, yet it refracted completely different scenes from every angle. These scenes were not mountains and forests or the sky, but rather a series of "possibilities" slowly flowing—some were sitting cross-legged in the depths of the void, deducing the Great Dao; some were standing in a sea of blood, slaying countless enemies; some were torn to pieces by an invisible force; and some were stepping into a higher realm, overlooking all worlds.
The mountain range's overall structure resembles an infinitely replicated and superimposed mirror labyrinth, with crystals intertwined and extending, refracting countless paths, yet none of them truly belong to reality. Stepping into it, space no longer follows a single logic.
The direction is only defined after the foot lands. One step may be in the valley, but the next step may lead to a completely unfamiliar mirror fracture. The most terrifying thing is that the "self" in those crystal planes is not a static image. When the observer stares at it, it slowly turns its gaze to meet the gaze of the real existence. The gaze carries extremely subtle differences - some are indifferent, some are crazy, some are compassionate, and some are empty.
Chi Ninghua's steps did not falter in the slightest. Her Fate Soul had reached the state of Eternal Silence, and the interference from these reflections only slightly brushed across her sea of consciousness. She glanced indifferently at the countless folded images of herself around her.
Then, completely severing their focus from these "possibilities," as if denying their existence altogether, the three Ju Lineage elders were noticeably more cautious. One of them spoke slowly, his voice extremely low, "Miss Chi, the Crystal Mountain Range is too vast, and many Primordial Beast Dao Divine Venerable roam within it. If we act together, our efficiency will be too low."
Another elder added, "Separating to search separately might be the only way to pinpoint the aura of the Fate-Reversing Epiphyllum Bloom in the shortest time."
Chi Ninghua nodded slightly, her expression calm and solemn. "Indeed." She took out Soul Sound Talisman, and with a gentle stroke of her fingertip, four faint Fate Soul imprints slowly emerged from its surface. "Once you sense any unusual activity around you, immediately communicate with each other telepathically. Do not rashly engage in a direct confrontation."
The three elders responded in unison, "Yes, understood."
The next moment, the four of them dispersed simultaneously, their auras disappearing into the crystal labyrinth in different directions. Chi Ninghua's figure was like an extremely faint shadow, venturing deep into the mountains along an almost invisible path. Behind her, countless "hers" within the crystal surface turned their heads at the same moment, watching their true selves depart, before returning to their respective "paths of destiny."
Not long after, the space surrounding the mountain range rippled again, and a figure stepped through the air from afar. Qin Yu slowly landed at the edge of the Crystal Mountain Range. His gaze lingered on this crystalline world for a moment, a faint interest flashing in his eyes.
The countless "selves" reflected in the crystal surface are layered upon each other, some evolving on different paths, and some even heading towards completely unfamiliar destinies. But his gaze only sweeps over them and then stops, as if these "possibilities" are not qualified to be a reference for him.
He stood still, his senses slowly spreading outwards. His divine sense didn't rashly probe the heart of the mountain range, but instead gradually extended along its outer boundaries, quietly observing the rhythmic energy of the entire mountain range. After a moment, his gaze narrowed slightly, and he murmured, "This Crystal Mountain Range truly holds profound mysteries."
He suppressed his desire to explore further and followed his senses to capture the subtle fluctuations of Fate Soul around him. These fluctuations were completely irregular and rhythmic, carrying chaos and restlessness, like a colossal creature surging wildly in the dark.
Qin Yu's divine sense slowly extended along this undulation, gradually locking onto a certain area. Within that area, the aura of Fate Soul was dense and chaotic, intertwining and colliding with each other, and countless creatures were silently competing, devouring, and tearing each other apart.
He gently raised his head, his gaze falling in that direction, his tone calm yet carrying a hint of certainty, "Since there are so many Primordial Beast Dao Divine Venerable in this mountain range, then there must be something unusual about the place where they gather."
Xiao Yue gently swayed in his mind's eye, a faint blue light swirling around her. "Where are you planning to go first?"
Qin Yu nodded, saying nothing more. He took a step forward, and space gently folded beneath his feet. His figure rapidly advanced along the source of the turmoil, entering a deeper area of the crystal labyrinth.
Behind him, all the "Qin Yu" figures within the crystal surfaces stopped moving at the same moment, slowly turned their heads, and followed his direction with their gazes. Then, in the next instant, they all returned to their original trajectories, as if nothing had happened.