In the deepest part of the cave, the outline of "heaven and earth" had completely disappeared. The black rocks had vanished, the lake water had disappeared, and even space itself began to resemble an ancient sheet of paper slowly burned through by flames, collapsing, becoming transparent, and crumbling in large swathes. Qin Yu, meanwhile, remained quietly suspended in the center of that collapsing void.
His body was almost completely transparent, leaving only a faint gray-white outline. The Primordial Profound Nothingness True Annihilation Tribulation Disc hung high above his head, and the "Stillness Seed" at the center of the disc had now fully opened, transforming into an indescribably deep black hole, slowly swallowing up everything that Qin Yu had left behind.
The next stage, the Selfless Return to Annihilation, officially begins. This tribulation will finally reach the end of "the last tremor of true reality." Boom—the small world constructed by the entire cave suddenly collapses, and the original meaning upon which all existence depends is being completely extracted.
The first layer of annihilation descended first, instantly pulling countless memories from the depths of Qin Yu's consciousness. Billions of lights and images erupted like a tsunami: his youth, his battles, his solitary journey into the secret realm, his standing atop the mountain of corpses... all the scenes that once defined the name "Qin Yu" flashed wildly, illuminating the entire void world. "Qin Yu." "Young Master Qin." "Guest Elder of the Chaos First Palace."
"The benefactor of the Chi Lineage." "The master of the Silent Beginning Ring Master Soul Diagram," voices echoed continuously in the void, but in the next instant, the True Annihilation Tribulation Disc trembled slightly.
A buzzing sound—all sounds suddenly lost their meaning, and the name "Qin Yu" began to crumble.
Regardless of being forgotten, this name suddenly sheds all references and is no longer anchored to any existence, like a concept that has been forcibly dismantled.
The name is still there, but the connection between the "name" and "existence" has been completely severed. In that instant, the whole world seemed to have lost the ability to "call."
Outside the cave, countless gray-white cracks suddenly appeared in the sky. The Fate Soul of countless cultivators within a hundred miles trembled at the same time. They were horrified to find that they could not suddenly remember the names of some of the people they knew best. Large swathes of distant mountains and rivers began to lose their outlines, and countless broken characters floated between heaven and earth. Those characters continued to collapse, dissipate, and extinguish.
Deep within the cave, all of Qin Yu's past identities, memories, achievements, grudges, and sins began to slowly dissipate like ashes from burnt paper; he was no longer anyone.
Even the concept of "him" began to blur, and the second layer of annihilation awareness descended with a roar.
In that instant, all of Qin Yu's "perception of nothingness" that he had cultivated in the Mystic Void Realm began to collapse completely. Originally, he could clearly sense nothingness, recognize the boundary between "existence" and "Emptiness," and touch the deepest rifts of time, space, and cause and effect with a single thought. But now, this "perception" itself began to shatter, and he suddenly realized.
I can no longer distinguish between "what I am perceiving" and "what is being perceived," because both begin to disappear simultaneously, and the entire void suddenly falls into an extremely bizarre state. There is no observer, no observed, no inside or outside, no mutual, no "what I am experiencing," and even "nothingness" itself begins to gradually lose its definition.
In an instant, an unprecedented phenomenon erupted from the depths of the cave: billions of gray-white eyes opened simultaneously in the darkness, those eyes so enormous that they blotted out the heavens.
In each eye, the birth and death of countless worlds were reflected, but in the next instant, all eyes closed simultaneously. Boom!!! Heaven and earth suddenly fell completely silent. There was no stillness; the very concept of sound had been utterly erased.
Within a hundred miles of the mountain range, countless cultivators looked up in terror. They found themselves unable to speak, and even divine sense communication had completely failed. The entire world seemed to have suddenly lost the ability to "communicate." The wind stopped, the Spiritual Qi stopped, cause and effect stopped, and the whole world seemed to have been dragged into an absolute silence.
Chi Ninghua stood outside the mountain, her face pale, her fingers trembling slightly as she gripped her sword. She could sense that Qin Yu was gradually losing his "self."
The third annihilation, and the most incredible step, is the annihilation of annihilation itself, which finally arrives, and in that very instant.
The entire world has completely lost its "process"—there is no before or after, no change, no "things happening."
Because the time, space, logic, and causality that support the concept of "occurrence" have completely collapsed, Qin Yu's last thought was "I am being annihilated."
It was extinguished gently, without sound, without fluctuation, and not even the act of "extinguishing" itself, because "annihilation" itself was also completely annihilated. At that moment, Qin Yu felt as if he had truly fallen into True Annihilation.
Breaking free from the shackles of deeper nothingness, this is the Ultimate state where even "nothingness" itself cannot exist; True Annihilation, where even emptiness is empty, and even Annihilation is Annihilation.
Even "Does Not Exist" cannot be defined. Boom!!! An indescribably huge gray-white ring suddenly appeared in the sky above the entire mountain range.
The ring slowly rotates, and countless illusory worlds collapse within it. The river of time flows backward, spatial dimensions collapse, and cause and effect turn to ashes.
The sky seemed to be slowly wiped away by an invisible hand, and large swathes of the world began to become transparent, even "reality" itself began to become unstable.
Just then, on the outskirts of the mountain range, Chi Ninghua suddenly opened her eyes. She sensed that someone was rushing towards them.
The next instant, boom boom boom!!! Streams of light descended wildly from all directions. A large number of cultivators rushed into the outer perimeter of the mountain range, some stepping on divine cauldrons.
Some piloted ancient ships, others were enveloped in the laws of True Annihilation; their cultivation levels ranged from the True Annihilation Realm · Initial Stage Supreme. Everyone was utterly astonished by the terrifying phenomenon just now. "What kind of phenomenon is this?!" "Someone is attempting to break through to True Annihilation?!" "Are you kidding me...? This kind of cataclysmic scene can't be caused by True Annihilation?!"
"Who exactly is in those mountains?!" In the distance, three even more terrifying figures slowly stepped through the air, all at the Eternal Silence Realm · Middle Stage, and had just appeared.
The entire space began to shake violently, but in that instant, Chi Ninghua slowly raised her head. Her eyes were icy cold. She took a step forward.
Boom!!! The Divine Sword of Silent Void was suddenly drawn, and the gray-white Eternal Silence Sword Domain instantly covered the entire mountain range. Countless sword lights transformed into a raging storm that swept across the heavens and earth. Chi Ninghua's long hair danced wildly, her eyes chillingly cold. She gripped the sword in one hand and stepped directly into the sky. Her voice, carrying the Eternal Silence Sword Intent, boomed outwards. "Chi Lineage — Chi Ninghua is here to protect you."
"Anyone who dares to take even half a step closer—don't blame me for killing them without mercy!!" A deafening roar followed—the entire world fell silent instantly. Countless cultivators' expressions changed drastically.
"Chi Ninghua?!" "A member of the Chi Lineage?!" "She's actually personally protecting this place?!" "Who on earth is breaking through inside?! Someone worthy of the Chi Lineage's prodigy's personal protection?!"
Many True Annihilation Realm cultivators retreated on the spot, and even the three Eternal Silence Realm · Middle Stage experts narrowed their eyes slightly, while Chi Ninghua did not retreat a single step.
She stood guard at the foot of the mountain, her gaze icy, for she knew that Qin Yu had now truly taken the most dangerous step towards True Annihilation end of his life.
The gray-white storm raging around the mountains showed no signs of abating. The True Annihilation ring that loomed across the sky slowly rotated, and vast swathes of space were becoming increasingly transparent, as if the entire world was being dragged into some kind of "undefinable" deep state.
Chi Ninghua stood quietly in front of the mountain, the Divine Sword of Silent Void hovering beside her. The gray-white Eternal Silence Sword Domain transformed into a raging river, sealing off the entire area. Her once gentle and aloof eyes were now shockingly cold, like a sword truly unsheathed, ready to annihilate anyone who dared to approach without hesitation.
The cultivators who had originally gathered there retreated upon hearing the name "Chi Lineage." They whispered among themselves, their expressions a mixture of shock and apprehension. "Let's go, let's go. The Chi Lineage is personally protecting us; the people inside are definitely not simple."
"This kind of phenomenon is beyond what ordinary True Annihilation Realm could cause." "I just glanced at it from afar with my divine sense, and my Fate Soul almost shattered." "It's terrifying... Who is inside?" Many True Annihilation Realm cultivators became more and more frightened as they spoke, and in the end, they dared not linger any longer and all turned into streams of light and left.
Only the three Eternal Silence Realm cultivators remained standing in the distance.
Dao patterns swirled around the three, their auras as deep and unfathomable as a bottomless abyss. One of them, a middle-aged man in a dark gold robe, slowly stepped forward. He narrowed his eyes, looked at Chi Ninghua, and said in a low voice, "Little girl of the Chi Lineage, could you tell me who is breaking through inside? It's merely breaking through to the True Annihilation Realm, yet it can cause such a celestial phenomenon. This is far too terrifying."
Upon hearing this, Chi Ninghua merely glanced at him coldly. She lightly gripped the hilt of her sword with her right hand, and the blade emitted a low hum. A greyish-white sword intent swept across the sky in an instant. "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask." Her voice wasn't loud, but the chilling killing intent seemed to freeze the surrounding space slightly. "Go back to where you came from."
Seeing this, another elderly man immediately bowed and stepped forward, a gentle smile on his face. "Miss Chi, please don't be offended. The three of us are from the Transcendent Realm Clans and mean no harm." He lowered his head slightly as he spoke, his posture noticeably more respectful than before.
"I was simply too shocked to bear witnessing such a strange phenomenon from afar, and that's why I couldn't help but come and investigate. When I first entered the True Annihilation Realm, I only managed to trigger a resonance of laws within a million miles, but this phenomenon here has caused the entire world within a hundred miles to seem to collapse..."
Upon hearing the words "Transcendent Realm Clans," Chi Ninghua's gaze softened slightly, but she still showed no intention of stepping aside. She gently raised her head, her long, gray-white hair billowing in a storm of motion.
Her stunningly beautiful face was now filled with coldness. "Since you are from the Transcendent Realm Clans, you should be well aware of the rules of the Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain." She spoke slowly, word by word, "The Protectorate is not to be spied upon, much less interfered with."
As she said this, she slowly held the Divine Sword of Silent Void horizontally in front of her, and the space beneath its tip began to crack silently. "I'll say it one last time."
"Leave." The three exchanged glances, ultimately deciding not to continue probing. The old man smiled wryly and gently cupped his hands, "Miss Chi, please forgive our rudeness."
"Farewell." In the next instant, the three of them transformed into streaks of light and retreated into the distance, while Chi Ninghua remained standing in front of the mountain, her gaze icy, without taking a single step back.
Only after the three were completely away did her tense expression finally ease slightly, but she still dared not relax in the slightest, because she could feel that the True Annihilation aura deep in the mountain was becoming more and more terrifying, and had even begun to subtly affect the laws of reality.
Meanwhile, the three cultivators at the Eternal Silence Realm were on their way back.
The three moved with incredible speed, traversing tens of thousands of miles of void in a single step. However, the man in the dark gold robe couldn't help but glance back at the distant mountain range, his brow furrowed, his voice filled with astonishment and doubt, "Just who is breaking through? To be able to cause such a phenomenon at merely the True Annihilation Realm... is simply too outrageous."
Another person whispered, "And that girl Chi Ninghua actually personally protected us." His eyes narrowed slightly as he said this, "Anyone who could make Chi Ninghua fight so desperately for them must be extraordinary."
Finally, the old man shook his head and sighed, "So be it." He looked up at the collapsing sky in the distance, his voice low and deep, "The Chi Lineage is someone we cannot afford to offend."
"Let's go back." However, just as the three of them passed through a void rift, the space ahead suddenly cracked open silently. Buzz—
Two figures slowly stepped out of the crack. In an instant, the three Eternal Silence Realm cultivators stopped in their tracks, for they recognized the newcomers.
The young man on the left wore a dark gold floral robe, his long hair was tied up high, and his brows exuded an extremely sharp noble air. Deep within his eyes, there were faint crimson-gold patterns, and the space around him trembled slowly with his aura.
And he was none other than Hua Yanyang, the prodigy of the Hua Lineage, and standing beside him was an old man wearing a black and gold robe.
The old man had a gaunt face and his hands were behind his back. Just by standing there, the surrounding void continued to collapse and recombine. Strands of the Eternal Silence Law transformed into gray-white chains that surrounded his body. In particular, his eyes were as deep as two bottomless abysses. Just one glance made the Fate Soul of the three Eternal Silence Realm cultivators tremble.
A true top-tier elder, Eternal Silence Realm · Supreme! Hua Yanyang slowly raised her head, her icy gaze sweeping over the three, a faint smile playing on her lips. "The three of you."
"That strange phenomenon just now..." "Do you know something about it?"