The Primordial Wilderness was silent. Countless figures who had been defeated, killed, or suppressed by Xiao Yue stood quietly between heaven and earth. They had no killing intent or hostility, but simply watched her in silence. The Ultimate aura grew stronger and stronger, as if the entire world was waiting for her to make a choice.
Just then, the heavens and earth trembled slightly, and countless phantoms raised their heads at the same time. A pitch-black crack slowly appeared deep in the sky, and the crack continued to expand. Finally, it transformed into a huge eye that covered the entire world. Within the eye, endless darkness surged, and a figure exactly like Xiao Yue slowly walked out, except that her eyes were as black as ink.
Enveloped in a dense killing intent—the primal, aggressive obsession deep within Xiao Yue 'Fate Soul, the first true layer of her inner demons—she spoke slowly, her voice perfectly mirroring Xiao Yue's. "Why did you stop?" "To wield the Blue Ring." "To obliterate everything before me." "Haven't you reached this point through constantly defeating enemies, haven't you?"
As soon as the words fell, countless figures around them began to step forward simultaneously. The entire Primordial Wilderness seemed to transform into a massive battlefield, with blood-red light appearing everywhere. Countless scenes from the past manifested, including past battles, conflicts, and life-or-death struggles. All of these surged into Xiao Yue's sea of consciousness like a torrent, as the inner demon approached step by step.
A cold smile played on her lips. "Admit it." "Power comes from slaughter." "Strength comes from competition." "Without the will to conquer," "you are nothing but a weakling." Boom—the entire world suddenly turned crimson, yet Xiao Yue slowly raised her head. She quietly gazed at the inner demon before her, and after a long while, she suddenly smiled, "You're wrong."
The inner demon paused slightly. Xiao Yue slowly walked forward, her long blue hair swaying gently, her gaze calm and undisturbed. "I never deny the importance of fighting." "Because some enemies must be slain." "Some people must be protected." "But I wield the Blue Ring." "Never for the sake of killing itself." "You are merely an obsession I once held." "Not my true self."
Boom— The Blue Ring Law suddenly rose from behind her, countless blue rays illuminating the heavens and earth. The inner demon's expression finally changed, and it roared fiercely. Its body transformed into a raging black tide, rushing forward. "Xiao Yue!!!" "You deny me!!" "Then deny yourself!!" Boom—Darkness swept across the heavens and earth. At this moment, Xiao Yue slowly raised her right hand.
Blue divine light condensed in his palm, and a blue ring slowly emerged. "You originated from me. Now, you should belong to me." In the next instant, the Blue Ring divine light pierced through the heavens and earth with a thunderous roar—the inner demon's body was directly pierced by the blue divine light, the darkness began to collapse, and countless aggressive obsessions turned into a rain of light, causing the entire Primordial Wilderness to tremble violently.
The inner demon stared intently at Xiao Yue until its body crumbled little by little, eventually turning into nothingness. At the same time, the first level of the Tower of No Birth and No Destruction in the distance suddenly lit up, and a blue divine rune fell from the sky and slowly merged into Xiao Yue's brow. The first level, the Domain of Ceasefire and Non-Contention, was finally passed. However, at this very moment...
The world changed once more. The Primordial Wilderness began to collapse, countless rays of light swept back across the sky, and the entire world rapidly shrank. When Xiao Yue opened her eyes again, she was already standing in another world. There was no earth, no sky, only endless void. And at the very moment she appeared...
Boom! A primordial gale stretching tens of thousands of miles swept across from afar, tearing space apart instantly. A terrifying pressure descended, and Xiao Yue's body trembled slightly. A wound was torn open on her shoulder, and blood slowly dripped down. However, this was only the beginning. The next moment, countless shattered blades descended from the depths of the void, each blade entwined with remnants of ancient laws.
A deafening roar swept in—the void was cleaved, the laws were torn apart, and countless shattered blades covered the entire world like a torrential rain. At the same time, countless primordial aftershocks bombarded from all directions, the pain of tearing the soul, the pain of shattering the body, and the pain of the Fate Soul shaking were all incredibly real.
In the distant depths of the void, the second layer of ancient divine runes slowly manifested. The Domain of Stopping Thoughts and Protecting the Unprotected appeared, the Thought-Locking Law was fully activated, and a vast and ancient will echoed through heaven and earth: the physical body can be injured, the soul can be wounded, the Fate Soul can be shattered, but thoughts cannot be privately protected. Anyone who harbors thoughts of self-preservation, the intention to protect themselves, or the desire to avoid will be eternally imprisoned in this domain. Xiaoyue Xiao Yue raised her eyes, gazing at the countless shattered blades of primordial chaos falling from the sky, her mind clear. She knew clearly that the second layer of the trial had officially begun.
The moment the second trial began, the entire void was instantly transformed. The once clear and peaceful airspace was now covered with crisscrossing, pitch-black cracks, and primordial winds surged and roared from the depths of nothingness. This was no ordinary storm in the mortal world, but a primordial Annihilation Structure left over from the beginning of time. Every wisp of wind carried fragments of broken laws and the lingering echoes of ancient Annihilation.
In an instant, countless fragments of primordial chaos shattered and fell from the sky, densely covering the entire world. The fragments were of various shapes and had countless Daoist charms. Some were wrapped with mottled causal remnants, some flowed with fierce void-splitting light, and some were engraved with the remaining Dao traces of the ancient collapsed world. They had no fixed trajectory and no rules to follow, and they wantonly bombarded everything in this space.
Xiao Yue stood there quietly. She neither retreated nor used the Blue Ring, nor did she activate any protective divine power. The first primordial gale tore through the air. Boom—a bloody gash instantly exploded on her shoulder, blood splattering everywhere. Then came the second, the third, the fourth... countless gusts of gale bombarded her like a torrent.
Her skin and flesh were torn apart inch by inch, her body constantly bursting open with wounds, and her soul was churning with excruciating pain, a pain so real and piercing that it was almost suffocating. Every gust of wind seemed to want to crush her body into ashes. But Xiao Yue slowly closed her eyes, letting the thousands of attacks fall on her body one after another. She knew clearly that this trial tested both her physical body and soul, and the key to success lay in holding fast to her original intention.
The mere thought of "I must block it" signifies failure, as does the obsession with "I must survive." So she simply endured it silently, letting the primordial winds sweep over her body time and time again, letting countless shattered blades of law pierce her flesh. Time passed little by little, and just then, the void suddenly fell silent.
The shattered blades ceased, the primordial winds dissipated, and the entire world seemed to fall into a deathly silence. Xiao Yue slowly opened her eyes. The next moment, her body trembled violently. For in front of her appeared a familiar figure: Qin Yu. He stood there quietly, his face bearing the familiar smile of the past, but now a jet-black spear pierced his chest.
Blood dripped continuously, and countless dark chains bound him tightly from behind. "Xiao Yue..." Qin Yu slowly reached out his hand, his voice weak. "Save me..." In that instant, Xiao Yue's pupils suddenly contracted, and her entire Fate Soul fluctuated violently. She knew very well that this was a trial, but when that familiar face truly appeared before her eyes...
That instinct remained uncontrollable, but at that moment, the heavens and earth trembled once more, and an even more ancient aura slowly descended. Boom—the void cracked open. An enormous bronze shield slowly rose from the depths of darkness. The shield had no luster, no divine radiance, and not even any oppressive aura, but the moment it appeared, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
Countless images slowly appeared on the shield: Xiao Yue walking side by side with Qin Yu, her sitting on Qin Yu's shoulder stealing spiritual fruits, her accompanying Qin Yu through life and death time and time again, and even the emotions that had never been spoken were reflected, as if all obsessions were completely illuminated, and at this very moment.
A deep, desolate voice slowly rang out. "Why not defend?" "Why not protect?" "You have existed until now." "Isn't it precisely to continue to exist?" Boom—The bronze round shield slowly rotated, enveloping the entire void. It had no hostility, no killing intent, yet its aura was far more terrifying than any enemy.
Because it is not an external enemy, but Xiao Yue herself; it is the culmination of countless years of will to survive, all the obsession to protect, and all the desire to continue accompanying Qin Yu. The Inner Demon Shield of the Self has only one purpose: to protect "me."
Let "I" continue to exist; it is the most loyal guardian, and also the most inescapable cage. At this moment, the ancient bronze shield slowly floats between heaven and earth. The shield reflects Qin Yu's figure pierced by chains, reflects everything she least wants to lose. That deep voice sounds again, "If you are not even willing to protect yourself," how can you protect others?
"If you even abandon the thought of living," what makes you think you can continue? "Giving up defense is tantamount to giving up existence." "Can you really do that?" At this moment, Xiao Yue stood quietly in the vast void, blood dripping from the hem of her clothes. The primordial winds began to gather again, and countless fragments of laws re-condensed in the sky.