The entire Western Region suddenly became extremely quiet. There was no wind, no roaring of the heavens and earth, and even space itself seemed to have stopped flowing.
Qin Yu and Qian Wenwan remained standing in place, their divine senses continuously covering the surrounding area. The Silent Origin Stainless Sword and the Compassionate Joy Divine Sword simultaneously emitted a faint divine glow, firmly protecting the space within hundreds of feet around them.
However, at that very moment, in the deepest part of the Western Region, within the cave hidden in endless darkness, Yu slowly raised the magic wand in his hand. The scarlet eyeball at the top of the wand suddenly opened, and within the pupil, countless gray-black patterns began to spin wildly, with strands of the essence of desire, existing between existence and Does Not Exist, slowly flowing out.
As he slowly closed his eyes, a chilling smile appeared on his lips. Ancient and obscure incantations flowed from his mouth, the sound without highs or lows, like the whispers left at the beginning of the world, each word slowly merging into the entire Western Region.
As the final incantation faded, boom—there was no explosion, no tremor, but rather the entire Western Region began to slowly melt. The sky, like a painting scorched by flames, peeled away layer by layer, and the earth, seemingly losing its capacity to bear all things, began to transform into countless streams of gray-black light that rose continuously, transforming mountains, valleys, and wastelands...
Everything began to distort, and countless fine, hair-like gray-black threads suddenly appeared in the air. These threads did not attack anyone, but slowly passed through Qin Yu and Qian Wenwan's bodies, through their Fate Soul, and finally... connected to the deepest part of their Fate Soul.
There, lies the deepest, most irreplaceable, and most unbearable obsession of every living being. Suddenly, a voice, indistinguishable by gender or age, resounds throughout the world. The voice is devoid of emotion, yet it seems to emanate from the heart of every individual.
"Desire..." "Not greed." "Not killing." "Not possession." "Desire." "It's simply what everyone desires most, yet can never obtain." "Now." "Go and face it..." As the last sentence fell.
The world before Qin Yu and Qian Wenwan shattered completely at the same time, and their figures vanished from each other's sight.
Qin Yu slowly opened his eyes, but what came into view was not the Western Region, but a vast and endless world, where heaven and earth were boundless, the sun and moon shone together, and billions of stars hung in the sky.
A world tree, even larger than the Myriad Dao Source Root, quietly took root in the center of heaven and earth. Countless rivers of the Great Dao flowed slowly around the ancient tree. Chaos, Primordial Chaos, Origin, Reincarnation, Life and Death, Yin and Yang, Destiny... all the Great Daos intertwined without any conflict.
The entire realm was brimming with boundless vitality. Countless divine cities stood tall between heaven and earth, cultivators soared through the air, and grand avenues stretched across the sky. Just as Qin Yu was lost in thought, countless voices suddenly echoed from afar, "Welcome back, Realm Master!" Boom!
The sound reverberated through heaven and earth. Qin Yu slowly raised his head and saw countless living beings bowing respectfully to him. Their eyes held no awe, only heartfelt reverence. In the distance, a majestic temple slowly rose. In the very center of the temple, three ancient characters were clearly engraved: "Annihilation Abyss Epoch".
Qin Yu's pupils suddenly contracted, and the next moment, a familiar petite figure suddenly flew over. "Little Qinzi!" Xiao Yue, beaming, jumped onto his shoulder and said with a grin, "You finally succeeded!"
Immediately afterwards, Qian Wenwan, Yuan Weizhi, Fu Wansheng Yuan Weizhi, the two clan leaders of the Shade-Guarding Clan, and even all the members of the Joy Clan and Love Clan who had returned to their origins, all slowly walked towards him. They had not disappeared, nor had they returned to their origins; each of them was still alive, and each of them wore the most genuine and warmest smile.
The Myriad Dao Source Root Tree, already deeply rooted in the center of the Annihilation Abyss Epoch, cascaded countless Great Daos from its canopy, and the entire world was constantly growing. At that moment, a gentle voice slowly echoed between heaven and earth. "Stay." "This is the Great Realm you've always desired." "Everyone is alive."
"Everyone will always be with you," there will be no separation in life, no parting in death, no one will ever leave again, "As long as you're willing." "This is reality." The voice echoed, each word seemingly striking the deepest part of Qin Yu's heart.
On the other side, Qian Wenwan slowly opened her eyes. What appeared before her was not a battlefield, but an ancient city bathed in the morning light. There was no killing or strife in the entire ancient city. People came and went on both sides of the street, children played, cultivators chatted and laughed, and old people sat under the trees playing chess. The fragrance of tea and flowers drifted slowly on the breeze. She stood there quietly, and for a moment she was somewhat lost in thought.
Because this place... was the very place she held in the deepest recesses of her memory, the place she had once most wanted to protect, yet ultimately failed to hold onto. Just then, a gentle voice slowly rang out. "Wenwan." Qian Wenwan's body trembled slightly. She slowly turned around. The next moment, she was completely stunned. She saw her long-deceased relatives, teachers, and old friends standing there, each with a familiar smile on their face.
There was no bloodshed, no death, and no parting. The old man who had once taught her cultivation slowly walked up to her, gently patted her shoulder, and smiled kindly, "You've had a hard time all these years." Another woman slowly took her hand, her eyes slightly red, but full of tenderness.
"Child." "Come back." "From now on." "You won't have to be alone anymore." Qian Wenwan looked at the familiar faces before her, and her body trembled slightly. These people... were the biggest regrets of her life. They were the people she had tried her best to bring back, but could never do so. At this moment, the Compassionate Joy Divine Sword slowly flew to her.
The sword no longer radiated sharpness, but transformed into a small tree blooming with countless flowers. Joy and love turned into a rain of petals that gently fell from the sky, and the whole world was quiet and warm. There was no struggle for the Great Dao, no battle between Fate Soul, only the feeling of home. Just as she slowly reached out her hand, preparing to touch the woman in front of her.
Between heaven and earth, a voice, gentler than before, slowly resounded. "Let go..." "You have protected too many people." "You have carried this burden for too long." "From now on." "There is no need to wield the sword again." "There is no need to fight again." "Stay here." "Everyone here." "Will always be with you..."
The entire illusion was devoid of any attack or killing intent. It was precisely because of this that it truly belonged to the realm of "desire," for it would not force anyone. It simply laid out before each person the deepest, truest, and most irreplaceable desire in their heart, and then quietly waited. Waiting for them... to choose their own path to succumb.
The Western Region were still shrouded in an endless sea of gray-black mist. Threads of desire, imperceptible to the naked eye, continued to entwine all things in the world, as if the entire world had been transformed into a giant spider web, and every living being that stepped into it was merely prey waiting to be devoured.
However.
Within that illusionary realm, which resembled the real world, Qin Yu slowly raised his head, looking at the Myriad Dao Source Root rooted in the center of heaven and earth, at the smiles on the faces of countless familiar people, and at the prosperous and flourishing scene of the entire Annihilation Abyss Epoch.
A faint smile slowly crept onto his lips, a smile devoid of any infatuation, but rather radiating a calm that seemed to have seen through everything. He slowly shook his head. "How laughable." As these words fell, the whole world seemed to pause for a moment.
That gentle voice rang out again. "Isn't this the place you've always longed for?" "Everyone is alive." "Everyone will be with you." "This is your final resting place."
Qin Yu gently stroked the hilt of the Silent Origin Stainless Sword, his gaze slowly sweeping across the entire world, finally settling on the Myriad Dao Source Root rooted deep within heaven and earth. "My Great Realm..." "How could it be like this?" His voice was utterly calm, yet it sent a jolt through the entire world. "The Annihilation Abyss Epoch has never been a Great Realm without suffering."
"There, people will fall, people will bleed, and people will fight to the death to protect everything they cherish." "The people there will cry, laugh, grieve, and be angry, but they will also rise again for hope." "They are not puppets you created." "They are not a group of puppets who only know how to smile."
Qin Yu slowly raised the Silent Origin Stainless Sword, the light in his eyes growing ever more resolute. "A true great world is never perfect. A true great world is one where, even after countless life-and-death experiences, there are still those willing to protect it. Not a false world like yours, pieced together from desire."
Qin Yu slowly closed his eyes. The next moment, deep within his Fate Soul, the Silent Beginning Ring Master Soul Diagram roared to life, and the Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel slowly rose. Streams of chaotic origin patterns flowed continuously, and the Silent Origin Stainless Sword emitted a clear, melodious sword cry. Qin Yu took a step forward, his longsword gently slashing forward. "Silent Origin Stainless Sword— " "The No-Thought Absolute Silence Sword."
This sword strike had no vast sword light, no Ultimate -shattering phenomena, only a pure, gray-white sword intent that slowly swept across the heavens and earth. However, wherever the sword's edge passed, all smiles, all temples, all mountains and rivers, and all living beings began to turn into gray-white fragments bit by bit. The so-called Myriad Dao Source Root emitted a piercing roar, and countless cracks began to appear on its trunk.
"No—" For the first time, the voice in the world was filled with terror. "How could you see through this!" Qin Yu remained calm. "Because the world that truly belongs to me." "Doesn't need anyone to create it for me." As his words fell, a boom resounded—
The entire illusion was like a gigantic mirror, which was completely shattered by this sword. Billions of spaces collapsed at the same time, and all the scenes turned into countless crystalline fragments, which continued to fall into endless darkness.