Faced with Ju Miaoting's overwhelming display of the Desolate Abyss, Shangguan Anyu's Stillness Delusion Return to the Abyss and composed demeanor, which had been present throughout their confrontations, finally faded, replaced by a deep and solemn expression.
In the previous dozens of rounds of fierce fighting, he always had room to maneuver. The Stillness Scroll Analysis is uniquely gifted, possessing extremely strong deductive and adaptive abilities. No matter how Ju Miaoting changes and constantly overturns and reconstructs the laws of heaven and earth, he can use the power of the Stillness Scroll to read the patterns, disassemble the changes, and then reassemble them.
But the situation is now completely different.
The Stillness Delusion Brush in Ju Miaoting's hand, its blade aimed directly at the most profound existence in the Eternal Silence Realm, Xu Ke. This had already transcended the scope of ordinary laws; it did not attack the physical body or the Fate Soul, but rather aimed to directly erase the reason for his existence in this world and rewrite the very basis for his being.
Shangguan Anyu gripped the Stillness Scroll Mystic Lotus floating in front of him tightly with his five fingers, and for the first time, a sharp glint flashed in the depths of his usually calm eyes.
"It seems... this battle will ultimately determine the true victor."
As soon as he finished speaking, a gray-black line slowly emerged from between his brows, and the ancient power sealed deep within his Fate Soul began to awaken.
Boom! Above the arena, a colossal, ancient mirror-like phantom suddenly appeared, stretching across the void.
The ancient mirror was simple and unadorned, without any carvings. The frame was wrapped with layers of ancient, Annihilation patterns, and nine gray-black crystals were inlaid on the edge. Each crystal contained a past that had been buried and forgotten by time. The mirror surface was also very strange. It had neither flowing light nor reflection. Even the void that was projected onto the mirror would melt away without a trace when it fell on the mirror surface.
This is the Wuhen Ancient Mirror, the divine weapon of Fate Soul essence that Shangguan Anyu has been patiently nurturing day and night with his Eternal Silence Realm cultivation.
This treasure does not possess the destructive power to shatter mountains and split seas, but it wields an extremely rare level of power. With Wuhen in the mirror and all thoughts emptied, it allows the holder to briefly break free from the cage of rules established through definition, naming, and locking.
Shangguan Anyu raised his palm, his fingertips lightly touching the cold mirror surface.
With a soft hum, the Wuhen Ancient Mirror transformed into a flowing gray-black stream of light, directly plunging into his Fate Soul. A layer of almost transparent, faint ripples spread around him, without any surging pressure leaking out, and not even a trace of primal fluctuation was perceptible.
From his spectator seat, Qin Yu's gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked towards Shangguan Anyu in the center of the arena, a realization dawning on him.
"His hidden, Fate Soul essence is not merely for defense, but to change his own position within the entire system of Dao principles."
In the center of the arena, Ju Miaoting was unaware of this silent change. She gripped the Stillness Delusion Brush tightly with her five fingers, gathering all her essence for the final stroke, which was about to fall in an instant.
"Shangguan Anyu, this battle ends here." With those words, the pen fell decisively. Boom!
The entire world trembled violently, and countless laws of nature shook in unison. The minds of countless cultivators present froze for a moment, and the four referees on the high platform stood up simultaneously.
Nalan Yanqing's expression turned somber. "She actually managed to breach the layer of existence's permission." Nangong Xingyun's face was solemn. "This move has already surpassed the limits of ordinary Eternal Silence Realm Initial Stage divine abilities."
But the next moment, everyone in the room felt a chill and a sense of unease. Shangguan Anyu was still standing quietly in the same spot, his figure had not disappeared or been erased, and his aura showed no signs of collapse or decay.
Ju Miaoting's pupils contracted sharply, and she murmured to herself in disbelief, "Something's not right..."
She could clearly sense that the Stillness Delusion Return to the Abyss had been fully activated, the Page of Permission was fully unfolded, and the target coordinates were firmly locked. However, the brushstrokes on that page were as if they were written on a smooth mirror. All the runes and strokes slipped away silently, leaving no trace.
Shangguan Anyu slowly raised his eyes, his gaze calmly meeting the woman opposite him. "Ju Miaoting, you're determined to remove my presence. But have you ever considered what you truly have to face?"
As the voice rang out, the power of the Wuhen Ancient Mirror was fully unleashed, and the secret technique, Wuhen Mirror Name, was activated with a roar.
A strange ripple spread through the surrounding void. The page of permission that Ju Miaoting saw began to twist and flip. The real name she had written was still there, but the coordinates of existence bound to that name had been quietly replaced by the power of the mirror.
Every stroke she made was reflected back by the ancient mirror, its direction reversed, and its target subtly shifted to herself, the one casting the spell. "Impossible! This... this..."
Ju Miaoting's face turned deathly pale. She desperately wanted to stop this forbidden divine power, but it was too late. The Stillness Delusion Return to the Abyss has its own ironclad rules: once the pen is picked up to write, the final seal must be completed. If it is forcibly interrupted, the page of permission will unleash a terrifying backlash.
Left with no other choice, she could only grit her teeth and bring the final stroke down heavily. Boom! The Stillness Delusion Brush struck the very center of the True Name Rune. In an instant, all was silent.
Everyone clearly saw a huge, ferocious crack suddenly burst open, but this crack did not descend upon Shangguan Anyu; instead, it hovered and enveloped Ju Miaoting's Fate Soul.
"This is..." Chi Boqian suddenly stood up, his expression changing drastically, "It's a backlash from supernatural powers!"
Hua Nongrui also stood up, her brows furrowed with complex emotions, having already seen through the turning point of the battle. Ju Miaoting's desperate use of the forbidden Dao technique was reversed by Shangguan Anyu through another layer of existence logic, like a sharp blade she had personally wielded, ultimately piercing herself.
Rumble!
Ju Miaoting's body trembled violently, and the Stillness Delusion Brush in her hand crumbled inch by inch, turning into countless silver-gray light spots that scattered and flew in all directions. Strands of primordial radiance dissipated from within her body, and her long black hair flew wildly in disarray. Deep within her Fate Soul, large areas of the Annihilation Structure pattern collapsed and broke, and her memories, cultivation, and the traces of her existence left in the world were all severely damaged by the backlash.
Only now did she realize that the name written on the permission page was, from beginning to end, her own coordinate of existence.
Shangguan Anyu did not take advantage of the situation to harm her. In a flash, he appeared beside Ju Miaoting, steadily supporting her swaying body and taking out a lustrous recovery pill, which he then handed to her.
"Take this pill quickly." His voice remained calm and composed.
Ju Miaoting looked up at him, her heart filled with mixed emotions... but in the end she did not refuse. She recognized that this was the Shangguan Lineage's unique Nine Revolutions Origin Returning Pill, which could repair the Fate Soul and reconnect the spiritual veins. It was extremely precious. Although she wondered why he was treating her so well, the intense pain in her Fate Soul's origin and spiritual veins did not allow her to think too much. So she opened her mouth and swallowed the pill.
Shangguan Anyu then activated his own Stillness Scroll power, and wisps of gray Dao patterns slowly flowed out to help stabilize her Fate Soul, which was on the verge of collapse.
Before long, two cracks appeared in the void at the edge of the arena, and two elders of the Ju Lineage broke through space and arrived instantly. One of them quickly stepped forward and carefully took the weakened Ju Miaoting into his arms. The other turned to look at Shangguan Anyu, remained silent for a moment, and then solemnly bowed.
"Thank you for showing mercy." Shangguan Anyu nodded slightly. "She is a worthy opponent."
Having said that, he withdrew his gaze. But no one noticed that his own face had already turned sickly pale. Although Wuhen Mirror Name had resolved Stillness Delusion Return to the Abyss's killing trap, the collision at the level of existence was extremely fierce. His Fate Soul essence had also suffered considerable damage, and his fingers hanging at his sides trembled slightly, which he forcibly suppressed.
A clamor swept across the viewing plaza, with countless cultivators their minds stirred and discussing the matter endlessly.
"Shangguan Anyu actually hid such a shocking trump card!" "How terrifying! Ju Miaoting's forbidden divine power has backfired on her!"
"The cultivation levels of these two have far surpassed those of their ordinary peers in the Eternal Silence Realm." Within the Chi Lineage camp, Qin Yu gazed quietly at the arena, his eyes filled with deep thought.
"Permission to exist, true name reflected. One person defines all things, another changes their own definition. The Dao Path of the Eternal Silence Realm truly holds such unfathomable depths."
After a brief silence, Nangong Xingyun slowly rose from the high platform, his resounding voice echoing throughout the entire Flourishing Age Secret Realm.
"The final battle of the second round." "Shangguan Anyu wins and advances." "Ju Miaoting loses and is eliminated."
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire audience erupted in thunderous cheers.
Shangguan Anyu slowly walked off the arena. On the other side, Ju Miaoting was escorted back to her Lineage camp by the Ju Lineage elders, her eyes gently closed. Although she was defeated in the arena, this life-or-death struggle allowed her to glimpse another path to interpret the origin of existence besides the Primordial Annihilation Structure, which was also a great gain for her Dao heart.