Before he finished speaking, the void behind him collapsed inward with a deafening roar, and boundless darkness spread from the depths of heaven and earth. This was no ordinary dark night, but a Return to the Ruins realm from which neither light nor sound, nor even space and time could escape. The Fate Soul of all the cultivators watching the battle trembled in unison.
Above the sky, the four Source Dao Ultimate Beast Huang once again lowered their gazes. The endless net of strings around Wanyan Huang trembled violently; Mystic Deconstruction Huang remained silent; even Nameless, who was always Ji Ran and elusive, showed a rare fluctuation around its body. They all sensed that an extremely dangerous Great Dao had appeared in the world.
Hua Jingmeng slowly raised his arms, his body gradually becoming transparent, and strands of dark light surged out from his body. In an instant, his entire being transformed into a deep, ever-swirling abyss.
"Dao-Devouring Abyss." Boom!!!
The entire arena instantly plunged into deep darkness. This abyss did not expand outwards recklessly, but all power that approached it would involuntarily fall and sink to the bottom. The blood-red killing intent emanating from the Desolate Slaughter Halberd crumbled inch by inch as soon as it approached this area, and strands of innate killing power were silently devoured and dissolved.
Ju Gongchen's expression changed drastically, and he finally understood. Hua Jingmeng had not been passively defending from beginning to end; he had been waiting, waiting for his opponent to unleash his strongest destructive power and send the purest killing intent into his own Return to the Ruins.
The Dao-Devouring Abyss slowly rotated, devouring the halberd's edge, killing intent, entangled cause and effect, and even that wisp of innate killing intent born at the beginning of all things, melting it all down and transforming it into Hua Jingmeng's own Dao power.
The next instant, the enormous abyss suddenly contracted inward, and the world abruptly darkened. The countless devoured forces condensed at the heart of the abyss into a jet-black, bone-chilling beam of deathly light.
Refine Slaughter and Return It to Its Master, boom!!!
A jet-black beam of death pierced the heavens and earth, heading straight for Ju Gongchen. A chilling sense of death enveloped Ju Gongchen's heart. This was no longer a defeat in a contest, but a real calamity of death. With his current strength, he was powerless to withstand it.
On the verge of life or death, an ancient and profound rune rose from the depths of his Fate Soul. It was the life-saving Fate Soul rune given to him by Ju Jinyu, the head of the Ju Lineage, after the second round of the competition.
The Soul Talisman blazed with raging flames, and an ancient Primordial Annihilation Structure World suddenly descended, with countless mottled and ancient Annihilation Structure Dao patterns lying across Ju Gongchen's front.
Buzz!!!
The pitch-black death ray collided violently with the protective world formed by the soul talisman, causing the entire final arena to shake and tremble violently. The Fate Soul talisman shattered inch by inch, and the power of the death ray was greatly weakened, but the remaining violent force still slammed into Ju Gongchen.
His body, like a kite with a broken string, tore through the sky and crashed heavily off the arena. With a "plop," a mouthful of blood gushed out, his face as pale as paper, his Fate Soul essence severely damaged, and the Desolate Slaughter Halberd in his hand dimmed, losing all its ferocity.
He lay on the ground, his gaze fixed on Hua Jingmeng on the arena, his eyes filled with resentment, anger, and an undisguised shock. He knew in his heart that if the fight continued, he would surely die, with no chance of recovery.
After a long while, he slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again, forcibly suppressing the myriad obsessions surging in his chest. As long as his Fate Soul remained, there was still a future. There was no need to gamble his entire Dao Path and life here.
Ju Gongchen raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice low and hoarse, echoing throughout the entire Myriad Worlds Graveyard. "I concede." The Myriad Worlds Graveyard fell into a moment of deathly silence, followed by a deafening roar like a landslide and a tsunami sweeping across the entire wasteland.
As Ju Gongchen uttered "I concede," the battlefield in the center of the Myriad Worlds Graveyard, which had just been repeatedly torn apart by the power of the Primordial Annihilation Structure and the Return to Return to the Ruins, fell into a deathly silence that made one's chest feel heavy. Thousands of gazes passed over the broken edge of the arena and fell on the blood-stained figure.
Ju Gongchen knelt outside the arena, supporting himself on the ground with one hand while his other hand still gripped the now-dimmed Desolate Slaughter Halberd tightly. His chest heaved violently, and blood trickled down his chin from the corner of his lips. His Fate Soul was deeply wounded and difficult to heal, and the Primordial Annihilation Structure Dao Aura flowing around him gathered and dispersed intermittently.
His once sharp and composed eyes were now covered with a deep weariness, yet those eyes still held a firm gaze across the entire battlefield, watching the Hua Jingmeng unfold.
The impact of that collision still resonated in everyone's souls. The Desolate Slaughter Dao Slaying was incomparably domineering, and its innate killing intent could even shatter the heavens and earth that bore all the changes. Ju Gongchen had already pushed the Primordial Annihilation Structure to the limit of his control, but Hua Jingmeng's unpredictable methods backfired on her, forcing him to use the life-saving Fate Soul talisman personally bestowed by Ju Jinyu.
The remaining fragments of primordial light from the shattered soul talisman still floated in mid-air, gradually fading into Annihilation. At the other end of the arena, Hua Jingmeng stood quietly in place, his robes showing almost no signs of disarray, his handsome, pale face still bearing that chilling calm.
High above the referee's platform, Nangong Xingyun slowly rose to his feet. He did not speak immediately, but first glanced down at Ju Gongchen, who was kneeling outside the arena, and then looked up at Hua Jingmeng, who stood in the center of the arena. Only after several powerful figures who were in charge of protecting the battlefield had suppressed all the lingering aura of the Return to the Ruins spreading around him did he slowly raise his right hand.
With a soft hum, the previously chaotic Myriad Worlds Graveyard subsided, and the whispers of countless cultivators gradually fell silent. Nangong Xingyun was solemn; he did not unleash the pressure of the Void Emanation Realm, yet his voice was vast and resounding, echoing throughout every inch of the void.
"Ju Gongchen of the Ju Lineage concedes defeat and awaits his turn. Hua Jingmeng continues to defend her title. Qin Yu, the outside helper from the Chi Lineage, is invited to step onto the stage to challenge."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd that had just subsided surged up again. Many cultivators stood up from their seats, and some even leaned forward, ignoring their companions, their eyes fixed on the direction of the Chi Lineage.
The previous battles were still fresh in everyone's mind: Qin Yu faced Jiang Hanning and broke Ningyuan Sword Domain with his Existence Zero Point; when he met Ju Mohan again, he used the Silent Origin Stainless Sword to Three Forms of Radiance-Shaking Phoenix Mountain and decipher the original mystery of the Primordial Annihilation Structure. These battles of the Great Dao had long since made everyone present no longer regard him as an ordinary outside helper.
The strength that Hua Jingmeng displayed also made everyone's hearts tremble. The unpredictable and mysterious Grand Void Dao Transformation Art, as well as the Dao-Devouring Abyss that swallowed killing and devoured the opponent's Fate Soul, even the experts of the Eternal Silence Realm felt a chill down their spines when they recalled it.
Now that the two powerful figures are about to meet on the final stage, the atmosphere in the Myriad Worlds Graveyard has been pushed to an unprecedented peak since the start of this grand competition.
"This is the real final battle."
"Ju Gongchen even unleashed the Desolate Slaughter Halberd, yet in the end, he still had to rely on the life-saving Fate Soul talisman bestowed by the clan leader. How many people can truly see through Hua Jingmeng's methods?"
"Qin Yu has never been driven to the brink of defeat. Jiang Hanning's sword domain cannot confine him, nor can Ju Mohan's peerless swordsmanship suppress him. If these two were to fight, who would dare to Delusion Severance the outcome?"
A murmur of discussion spread. The expressions of the powerful figures from the Chi Lineage, Ju Lineage, Shangguan Lineage, and Hua Lineage all subtly shifted. Ju Gongchen had already been defeated, Hua Jingmeng held the final position, and Qin Yu was the only challenger qualified to pull him off the platform.
Even the four Source Dao Ultimate Beast Huang, seated atop the high platform, once again turned their gazes toward the central battlefield. Behind Wanyan Huang, the infinitely extending net of strings rippled, countless string shadows representing myriad possibilities intertwined and trembled deep within;
Boundless Abyss Huang Ji Ran motionless, and the inward-shrinking fissure behind him showed no sign of movement; Mystic Deconstruction Huang slightly turned his head, his gaze falling between the arena and the Chi Lineage camp, his expression as indifferent as ever; Nameless Huang only glanced at him indifferently, his eyes unreadable, revealing no trace of joy or anger.
Qin Yu slowly stood up from his seat in the Chi Lineage's group.
Chi Boqian didn't offer any words of advice, but simply nodded slowly as Qin Yu passed by. Chi Junxuan, Chi Yufeng, Chi Yi'an, and Chi Mulin also put away their usual banter, their four gazes falling on Qin Yu with solemn expressions. At this point, all superfluous words would be futile.
Qin Yu nodded slightly in response, then turned around and slowly walked towards the final arena, which had returned to stability.
He walked with composure, the surrounding roar of the mountains and the roar of the sea did not shake his expression in the slightest. His black hair fell over his shoulders, his robes were gently fluttered by the remaining gale of the battlefield, and his brows and eyes were as calm as ever. When he reached the front of the Chi Lineage's seats, he lightly touched the ground with his foot.
Whoosh—his figure pierced through the air and swept across the sky.
There were no earth-shattering primordial phenomena, nor any deliberate displays of power to shake the entire world. Qin Yu traversed the void between the viewing area and the arena, his robes fluttering lightly in the air, and landed steadily on the arena. His feet touched the stone beneath his feet, the patterns on the stone intact, without a single crack. He stood upright, raised his eyes, and looked across the vast battlefield, spanning over a hundred feet, at Hua Jingmeng on the opposite side.
Before the final battle even began, their gazes truly clashed for the first time from afar.
Hua Jingmeng did not speak immediately. Her gaze swept slowly across Qin Yu's face, landing on his hands hanging at his sides. His expression remained calm, but deep within his eyes lay a barely perceptible hint of sinister malice.
He had witnessed all the skills Qin Yu had displayed throughout his battles. In particular, the analytical power that could see through the origins of all laws had already planted a seed of wariness in his heart. Even on the final stage, he maintained his superior composure, and a smile even slowly appeared on his lips.
"Qin Yu, we meet again." Hua Jingmeng tilted her head slightly, her tone seemingly calm, but her scrutiny was undisguised. "It's been a while; you've improved remarkably quickly."
Qin Yu gazed at him silently for a moment, a slight smile playing on his lips. His eyes held no anger, only a faint chill. He could sense the probing and maneuvering in the other's words, and instead of playing along, he spoke calmly and deliberately, "Hua Jingmeng, you are no ordinary person either, relying on your Lineage's resources to rise to the top."
With just these words, Hua Jingmeng's smile froze instantly, and the surrounding clamor abruptly stopped.
Ju Gongchen's survival by relying on the clan leader's soul talisman was witnessed by everyone. The prodigies of the Lineage are all nurtured by their Lineage's heritage, so it's not a weakness. However, Qin Yu's casual remark pointed it out, and every word pierced Hua Jingmeng's heart.
Embarrassment and anger surged up together, his face flushed, and a crack appeared in his carefully maintained indifference. His brows furrowed slightly, the smile on his lips vanished, and the sinister look in his eyes deepened. The emotions churning in his chest were forcibly suppressed back into the depths of his Fate Soul, and his gaze toward Qin Yu was already bone-chillingly cold.
"I've heard a little about your methods." Hua Jingmeng's voice lowered, her gaze fixed intently on Qin Yu. "Later, I'll show you the true chasm between us."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu's lips curled into a faint smile, offering no further response. This silent demeanor, in Hua Jingmeng's eyes, was more scorching than any verbal rebuttal.
The two were separated by more than a hundred feet of void. As this conversation ended, the space between them seemed to freeze. Hua Jingmeng's Daoist aura flowed erratically, sometimes subdued, sometimes ethereal. The Fate Soul imprint that was just clearly visible vanished in an instant, dissipating in all directions around the arena.
Qin Yu remained standing in place from beginning to end, his shoulders relaxed, his eyes calm and deep. He did not deliberately release any overwhelming power, but the more he did so, the less anyone could guess what trump cards he was still hiding.
High above, Nangong Xingyun took in the expressions of the two. He glanced at the powerful protectors who had retreated to the sidelines, and then confirmed that the primordial barrier around the arena had closed again, sealing all the cracks left over from the previous battle, before raising his hand.
Buzz--
In the final arena, countless ancient Dao patterns lit up one after another, and an incomparably thick primordial barrier rose from all directions and closed in the sky. Countless Dao runes slowly floated on the surface of the barrier, completely sealing Qin Yu and Hua Jingmeng within the battlefield.
Within the Myriad Worlds Graveyard, the murmurs gradually subsided, and countless people held their breath in concentration. The powerful figures seated in the Lineage also straightened their postures.
Nangong Xingyun slowly lowered his palm, his solemn voice resounding throughout the heavens and earth.
"The final battle." "Qin Yu, versus Hua Jingmeng." "This battle begins!" The moment those four words were uttered, the expressions in both of their eyes changed simultaneously.
One was as calm as a deep abyss, the other as cold and desolate as Nine Nether abyss. Finally, on the arena, the two completely different Dao auras collided for the first time in silence.