Once the second layer, the Domain of Stillness and Protection, was fully unleashed, the entire world lost all sense of up, down, left, and right. Countless primordial winds, like countless ancient blades, relentlessly sliced through the heavens and earth, and countless fragments of law, trailing eerie blue streaks, fell from the depths of the void.
Each impact caused the space to crack open with crisscrossing fissures. Xiao Yue stood quietly in the center of the storm, her long blue hair already disheveled by the gale. Her shoulders, arms, and waist were covered with wounds, and blood dripped slowly down the hem of her clothes, turning into tiny blue streaks of light in the void beneath her feet, only to be quickly swallowed up by the aura of Annihilation.
Despite her numerous injuries, her expression remained unchanged. What truly stirred her emotions was the bronze shield that slowly rose before her. The shield was plain and unadorned, radiating no divine light, yet it could pierce through the skin and soul, revealing the past deep within the essence of her Fate Soul.
In the mirror, scenes from the past vividly appeared: she leaned on Qin Yu's shoulder, swinging her legs, secretly stealing some spiritual fruits, and saw the scene of their first encounter when Azure Ring human form, the dangers they had experienced together, and the years they had spent together.
Gradually, ripples began to spread across the shield, and a figure slowly emerged from it. It was Qin Yu, and his aura was indistinguishable from the real Qin Yu. Even the habitual calmness between his brows was identical. He walked forward slowly, the familiar smile still playing on his lips. "Xiao Yue."
The sound was very soft, yet it made Xiao Yue's shoulders tremble slightly. However, the next moment, several pitch-black chains suddenly pierced through the depths of the void, and with a splatter, blood splattered. The chains pierced through Qin Yu's chest and limbs, pinning him firmly to the void. His familiar face paled slightly, and blood slowly flowed from the corner of his lips.
"Xiao Yue..." He raised his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly. "Save me..." This time, Xiao Yue didn't speak immediately; she just stood there quietly. Her clenched hand slowly tightened, her knuckles turning slightly white, and for the first time, a violent fluctuation appeared deep within her blue eyes. At that moment, the Inner Demon Shield of the Self slowly vibrated.
An aged voice echoed between heaven and earth. "Protect him." "Protect him." "Isn't this what you want to do most?" "Activate your divine power." "Block those chains." "Protect him." "Protect the person you care about most." Boom—At the same time, a fierce wind surged and countless shattered blades swept in again, as if the whole world was forcing Xiao Yue to make a choice.
If she had even the slightest thought of protecting him, if she had activated any defensive technique, the second trial would have failed immediately. However, if she didn't act, Qin Yu seemed destined to perish at any moment, blood dripping continuously, his figure growing weaker and weaker. "Xiao Yue..." "Save me..." His voice grew softer and hoarser.
Xiao Yue lowered her head, her long hair obscuring half her face. After a long while, she suddenly smiled softly. The smile was gentle, yet it silenced the entire world. "You acted very well." She slowly raised her head, her eyes slightly red, but her gaze was clearer than ever before. "It really was very similar." Even I almost believed it. Qin Yu's figure in the distance paused slightly.
Xiao Yue walked forward step by step, letting the primordial winds cut through her body and the shattered blades of laws tear at her soul. She didn't activate any supernatural powers, nor did she employ any defenses. She simply gazed calmly at the person before her. "If he were the real Little Qinzi," she thought, "he would never beg me to save him. Because he knows better than anyone else, "This is my path."
At this point, a smile suddenly appeared in her eyes, a smile tinged with pride, trust, and a familiarity only she understood. "Besides," "Little Qinzi hates being underestimated," "these chains can't hold him." Boom—
The entire void suddenly trembled violently. The illusory figure of Qin Yu, bound by chains, twisted and swayed erratically, cracks spreading rapidly around it. The Inner Demon Shield of the Self trembled and roared for the first time, a thunderous sound resounding throughout the heavens and earth.
But Xiao Yue did not stop or retreat an inch. She slowly raised her hand, and a Blue Ring appeared leisurely in her palm. This move was not for defense or protection, but purely for the Order Adjudication heaven and earth.
In the next instant, blue divine light pierced through heaven and earth. Blue Ring, Second Form: Logic Chain Severance. Boom! Countless blue chains extended from the depths of the void, directly slashing at the bronze round shield. The Inner Demon Shield of the Self trembled violently, and countless images on the shield surface began to collapse. Those who protected, those who were obsessed, and those who did not want to lose their emotions all began to disintegrate.
"Impossible—" The ancient, aged voice stirred violently for the first time, filled with disbelief, "Protecting is an obsession rooted in your heart, how could you so easily give it up!" Xiao Yue stood still, her long, azure hair fluttering in the raging wind.
She raised her eyes and gazed at the giant shield before her, her expression calm and serene. "Who said I abandoned protection? I have simply come to understand a new truth: true protection is not about shielding those you cherish behind you and protecting them from the storms of life, but about unwavering trust, allowing them to walk their own unique path of cultivation."
Boom! The bronze shield shattered instantly, countless fragments dissipating into a sky full of blue light. Simultaneously, the entire second layer of the world began to collapse. The primordial winds ceased, the shattered blades of law vanished, and heaven and earth returned to silence. The second layer, the Domain of Stillness and Protection, was thus completed.
Before they could even catch their breath, the entire world suddenly began to collapse violently. The void in all directions contracted wildly, and countless dark cracks closed continuously like the sharp teeth of a giant beast. The sky fell, the earth disappeared, and an Annihilation prison that covered the heavens and the earth slowly took shape. Outside the prison, within the absolute darkness, only Xiao Yue remained.
A terrifying sense of oppression swept over his soul, making every breath difficult, and every inch of space seemed to shrink as if it would collapse completely at any moment. But then, an ancient divine rune slowly appeared on the cage. The third trial, "Stop the Thought of Escape - Domain of No Restriction," for those who fear despair, those who dread Annihilation, and those who harbor thoughts of escape, all are defeated. With the final divine rune appearing, the entire Annihilation Cage closed completely, and the third trial officially began.
After the second layer of the world completely collapsed, everything in front of Xiao Yue began to collapse rapidly. Countless streams of blue light scattered in all directions. The original heaven and earth, void, and laws all disappeared, replaced by a world of Ultimate darkness and silence.
She slowly took a step forward, and the instant her foot touched the ground, a deep, rumbling sound suddenly filled the void—
The surrounding world trembled violently, and the void began to dissolve layer by layer. This was not an ordinary spatial shattering or collapse, but rather the very origin of this trial world being completely erased and reduced to Emptiness, bit by bit.
The darkness in the distance continued to compress inward, like a giant mouth slowly tightening, with countless dark cracks crisscrossing and spreading out, each with no end in sight, as if connecting to a true Endless.
Xiao Yue stopped in her tracks, her blue pupils slowly scanning her surroundings. Soon, she realized that she had been completely sealed off. The void above her head was sealed off, and the void beneath her feet was sealed off. All around her, she was surrounded by ever-shrinking darkness. The entire world had become a giant cage, and it was still shrinking. An indescribable sense of oppression began to slowly descend from all directions.
It was not an overwhelming pressure, nor a boundless force, but something more primal and rooted in the origin. It was the instinctive throbbing of a living being trapped in a desperate situation—when the road ahead is cut off, hope is extinguished, there is nowhere to escape, and even the trajectory of the future is completely sealed off, the purest instinctive obsession will uncontrollably arise from the deepest part of the Fate Soul.
Escape! They had to escape! Even if there was only a sliver of a chance, they had to break free from this place. And at this very moment, the entire third level of the trial was amplifying this instinct to an extreme. Boom! A patch of void in the distance suddenly vanished completely, followed by another patch, another patch of darkness, like a tsunami constantly closing in. The cage was getting smaller and smaller, more and more oppressive.
The air suddenly thickened and stagnated, even thoughts in the mind became heavy, slow, and sluggish. At the same time, a vast and ancient will slowly descended, enveloping the entire world and manifesting the Realm of No Escape and No Stagnation.
Those who fear despair will fail; those who dread Annihilation will fail; those who harbor thoughts of escape will fail. The ancient echoes dissipate, and heaven and earth return to deathly silence.
Xiao Yue stood silently in the void, her body motionless and her mouth utterly silent. She simply raised her eyes and gazed at the ever-shrinking boundaries of the cage. She could clearly sense that her own Fate Soul was being subtly influenced by this method. The thought of breaking free and escaping slowly grew in her heart. This was by no means cowardice or weakness, but rather the survival instinct inherent in all living beings, rooted in their very being.
Seeking advantage and avoiding harm, staying away from danger, and looking for survival—this is something etched into the very bones of all living beings. Just then, the cage contracted once more. Rumble—countless dark chains slowly emerged from the depths of the void, flowing with an aura of Annihilation. With every inch they advanced, space disappeared, and the entire world grew ever narrower and more oppressive.
Gradually, Xiao Yue could even hear her own heartbeat, thump, thump, thump, each beat exceptionally clear. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the depths of darkness in the distance. The figure had its back to her and slowly walked forward, step by step, until it disappeared into the darkness. Then, a second figure appeared. A third, a fourth, and more and more appeared, all searching for an exit.
Everyone was struggling desperately, trying to escape this cage, but no matter how far they went, they were eventually swallowed up by the darkness, as if they had never existed. At this moment, Xiao Yue was still standing in the same place, her long hair gently falling over her shoulders, her blue eyes reflecting the ever-approaching darkness. She did not run, did not retreat, and did not search for the so-called exit.
She had come to a complete understanding that the terror of this trial was not the Annihilation cage that imprisoned her body, but the instinctive obsession in her heart that kept urging her to escape. With this sudden realization, she slowly closed her eyes, letting the boundless darkness encroach step by step, letting the Annihilation cage continue to shrink and squeeze, letting the overwhelming and heavy pressure cover her Fate Soul layer by layer, she remained unmoved.