Realm Master Candidate · Silent Wheel Seal Master

The Extinguished Light Void Desert completely merged into the Soul Seal. The wisp of dark blue light, as bright as daylight, moved with Qin Yu's soul, ultimately etching a "Soul-Binding Seal" beneath his shoulder blade, resembling the end of time.

The entire Silent Nether Swamp seemed to complete its own "circle of fate" in that instant.

There were no roars, no wails, only a faint light flowing beneath the abyss, dreamlike and ethereal, before returning to silence.

-

The six people stood facing each other, looking at each other's eyes with weariness and determination, but remained silent.

Qian Ruishan walked slowly towards Qin Yu and asked softly:

"Can you... move?"

Qin Yu smiled slightly and said softly, "We can fight for another 30,000 breaths."

Mu Qingwan chuckled softly; though the icy soul power within her had not completely dissipated, it had returned to calm.

Ling Jingxi looked at the group, her gaze gentle:

"Your victory is enough to earn you a place on the Myriad Realm Soul Stele."

Lu Chenshuang and Xia Beiyuan also stood to one side, their bodies still bearing the marks of the erosion of the Extinguished Light, but their eyes were filled with an unprecedented solemnity and awe.

They finally witnessed the true fighting power of the "real successor of the Azure Ring" and the "Snow Soul Heroine".

-

The next instant, Ling Jingxi drew a hand seal with her fingertips.

The Four Symbols Spatial Talisman Seal appeared in the void, instantly enveloping the six people.

As the laws of the Void Realm rotated and space folded, a revolving passage personally set up by the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect Master Grand Venerable Mingxu, opened.

"Let's go home," she whispered.

-

[ --Nether Firmament Underworld Sect, Main Hall, Heavenly Stairs, Three Days Later--]

East of the Spirit Firmament, in the Ten Thousand Soul Hall, the illusory image of the Nine Thousand Soul Tower hangs atop the sky.

Below them, the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect Master Grand Venerable Mingxu, and the Realm Master, the Xuancang Shenying, appeared together on the Jade Moon Heavenly Altar, gazing into the void.

A spatial rift quietly opened.

At that moment, six figures slowly emerged from the void, all still brimming with fighting spirit and their souls resonating with each other.

-

As Qin Ning, the Lord of the Azure Ring, landed in the center of the Jade Moon Heavenly Altar, waves of perception surged through the entire Netherworld like a torrent.

Tens of thousands of disciples looked up and saw the Extinguished Light Void Desert seal behind him solidify into a dark blue star wheel, which slowly rotated.

That is a soul-suppressing seal, a phenomenon known as "Resonance of Souls" that can only be born when it is in harmony with a transcendent divine beast!

Qian Ruishan, Mu Qingwan, Ling Jingxi Lu Chenshuang, and Xia Beiyuan stood with them, none of them yielding an inch.

The Youlong Yunyi appeared in the sky, and the Sea of Myriad Souls surged like a tidal wave, quietly merging with the auras of the five people.

Xuancang Shenying gazed at them, a smile he had never shown before appearing in his eyes:

"You... did it."

The Grand Venerable Mingxu nodded slowly, his voice like a whisper after countless eons:

"Extinguished Light Void Desert, returning to my Spirit Firmament."

"From this battle onward, the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect will be guarded by divine beasts!"

-

All the elders stood up at the same time, and the entire sect chanted in unison.

At this moment, at the distant horizon, all things trembled:

The four divine beast imprints formed dazzling phenomena above the Spirit Firmament.

Mirror Feather Illusory Resonance, Ninefold Star Lock, Candle Flame Veils the Heavens, and Nether Light Devours the Day!

The four mythical beasts have all returned to their rightful places.

The fifth team, Ring Master, officially became the best in everyone's hearts with a record of "no casualties".

The Nether Firmament Underworld Sect, Jade Moon Main Peak.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and clouds swirled around the mountainside, resembling a silent, ancient celestial palace.

The five warriors who had returned from their contracted souls did not immediately immerse themselves in the clamor of celebration and glory.

Because they know that glory comes at a price.

The price, however, was already quietly predetermined in that Chaos Rift.

-

Outside the Elder Hall of the sect.

Qin Yu, Qian Ruishan, Mu Qingwan, Zhou Yu, Yao Wanqing stood side by side, all still wearing their battle robes, their spirits slightly subdued, and their expressions solemn.

Before the Elder Hall, a newly cast Soul Stele stands silently in the center of the soul array. Its body is as black as ink, and two names are engraved on it:

[Ming Hong], [Ming Xiao], [Ming Tong],...

The stele is wreathed in silent, azure flames, one of the eternally preserved soul-engraving arrays within the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect.

At that moment, they finally saw the devastating news with their own eyes—

Elder Ming Tong Tongxian perished in the War of the Gods.

Moreover, of the six people in the first group, only Ming Ye and Ming Zhen returned, both severely injured and unconscious.

The entire Nether Firmament Underworld Sect lost three top-tier geniuses during this Five Gods' Conquest.

-

Qian Ruishan slowly approached the Soul Stele and gently stroked the cold inscription.

Her eyes trembled slightly, and her voice was so soft it was almost carried away by the wind:

"Senior Ming Tong... was the person I respected most when I first left the sect."

"He saved us from countless potential threats of death... but we can no longer hear his teachings."

Qin Ning remained silent.

He simply stood before the monument, his right hand lightly clenched, his knuckles slightly white.

He remembered that on that day at the Heavenly Emanation Platform, Ming Tong had said:

"If you truly take this step, then I will believe you are a disciple of Youqiong."

Now, he has returned.

But the elder who had guarded the Netherworld for a thousand years remained forever in that Chaos Rift.

-

Zhou Yu's eyes were red.

"... He is our last resort."

"At that moment, if he hadn't severed his own Silent Origin and forcefully destroyed the 'Nine Tribulations Wheel' of the Candle Tribulation Nether Blaze, Ming Ye and Ming Zhen would never have been able to escape with the divine beast Soul Seal."

Yao Wanqing lowered her head, biting her lip slightly, but no tears fell.

She had already personally detonated her True Soul amidst the Soul Source Anomalous Tide, and had already witnessed the end of life and death in that Illusory Resonance Heavenly Sea.

"I thought our group would suffer the most."

"I didn't expect... the first group would be even more difficult."

-

At this moment, Ming Ye and Ming Zhen are resting quietly within the Soul Nourishing Array on the ninth level of the main peak, and have not yet regained consciousness.

The Grand Venerable Mingxu has not emerged for three days, personally overseeing the defense of the formation.

But he neither blamed nor said anything more.

He only left one sentence--

I'm proud.

"Because my disciples, even if they fall before divine beasts, will die standing."

-

After a brief silence, Qin Yu slowly stepped forward and gently knelt down.

He slowly placed the object in his hand into the soul lamp in front of the monument.

It was a fragment of a soul pattern, the "Silent Breath Slash Mark" that Ming Tong had made at the end, containing the remnants of its Silent Origin.

He whispered:

"Azure Ring will never forget."

"Never forget, Youqiong."

-

As the flames ignited, a wisp of eerie blue light rose up, transforming into a dragon-shaped soul shadow that coiled in the sky, lingering for a long time.

That was the symbol of Ming Tong's soul, which had guarded Tianmen for a hundred years during his lifetime.

Now that he has passed away, the sect offers this sacrifice in his honor.

And at this moment, everyone finally understood:

From that day forward, they truly bore the responsibility for the future of the Spirit Firmament Great Realm.

The Supreme Firmament Divine Rank, the pinnacle of the celestial realm.

The myriad clouds and mists resembled a gilded waterfall, each step a different realm, and each level was inscribed with the Soul Seal from the very beginning of the world's creation. This was the Realm Master's step, and no one was ever allowed to ascend it without the summons of the Realm Lord Council.

The Xuancang Shenying —what appeared before Qin Ning at this moment was not a physical entity, but a "Reflection of Divine Consciousness," a projection of a Realm Master- level divine soul, carrying the will of the world and the laws of heaven.

"Qin Yu, come with me."

Xuan Cang's voice, like a distant, ethereal bell, resonates deep within the soul, impossible to resist.

The next instant, space twisted, and Qin Ning's figure was silently torn into that "Staircase Vortex Abyss".

--

In the blink of an eye, he had reached the seventh level of the Supreme Firmament Divine Rank.

At the summit of the Heavenly Palace, there are thirty-three Realm Master seated on empty thrones, with only eighteen of them possessing ignited soul flames. The rest are either in slumber or sealed away. Only today, the day of the [Opening Heaven - Wheel Seal], will they be summoned to awaken.

Do you know why the 'Ring Seal' was opened?

Xuancang Shenying stood beside Qin Ning, his words devoid of warmth, yet concealing a subtle probing.

Qin Ning was silent for a moment, then said:

"Reconstructing the Heavenly Balance Seal with the Source Realm's core... signifies either the impending abdication of an old master or the awakening of a new realm's heart."

"You guessed correctly." Xuan Cang nodded slightly. "This 'conquest of divine beasts' is merely the surface. The true turning point will be revealed by the 'Signature Bearer'."

You are one of the candidates.

These words caused a tremor in the soul.

Qin Yu's pupils narrowed slightly. "I'm only at the Severed Phenomenon Fifth Stage, not even a Realm Master yet. How could I possibly be qualified?"

"You possess the [Silent Origin Seal Consciousness]." Xuan Cang gazed at him. "You used the [Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword] to sever the lingering will of Jingyuan Yuehuang, awakened the Lord of the Extinguished Light Void Desert, and possess a dual bond that transcends divine beasts. You are no longer destined for the mortal realm."

"Furthermore—within your body, there is also [the bone from which the cycle of rebirth has not yet manifested]."

With a flick of his sleeve, a Mirror Wheel split open in the void, projecting the dormant soul bone ring within Qin Ning's body. The shape of that bone ring bore a striking resemblance to the seal held by the Primordial Realm Master in the past!

"The upcoming conquest of Chi Prison is none of your concern."

Xuan Cang calmly said, "But you must enter the 'Firmament Sequence Seal Domain' with me and complete the [Nine Trials of the Seal Sequence]. If you can pass three trials, you will be qualified to be recorded as the inheritor of the nineteenth Realm Master Void Seal."

"Failure means the very bones of the cycle of rebirth are erased, leaving no hope of ever ascending the steps again."

Qin Yu remained silent for a long time, his eyes as Silent Origin and still as an abyss, before slowly speaking:

"I'll go."

The Supreme Firmament Divine Rank, the Ninth Heaven.

This place belongs neither to any boundary, nor to any domain, nor to any calendar system; it is simply called the "Firmament Sequence Seal Domain".

Qin Yu stood quietly on the "Reflectionless Platform," with the ten-thousand-foot-long Void Wheel behind him. The primordial wheel of the Nine Realms was projected into the sky. His body and soul light were completely concealed, without any fluctuation, as if he had entered the Primordial.

The Xuancang Shenying stood holding a wheel, slowly proclaiming:

"This test is set—the ninth trial, the Silent Name Wheel Seal, Qin Yu... has been broken."

In an instant, the sky trembled without any wind.

--boom!

Beneath the Reflectionless Platform, the nine-tiered seals trembled in unison, as if awakened by some kind of "destiny." Billions of soul runes flowed backward, condensing into a Realm Master's Void Wheel, which slowly emerged from the void and imprinted itself onto Qin Ning's back!

Xuancang Shenying's gaze froze, and he uttered three words:

"Wheelprint appears."

The "Realm Master's Void Wheel" floating behind Qin Yu was not an ordinary Realm Authority Seal, but a Realm Wheel Diagram formed from "Silent Origin Soul Light".

Inscribed on it is one of the Ten Broken Chapters: [Sever the Epoch Without a Trace], beneath which float the shadows of two ethereal beasts— the Extinguished Light Void Desert and the Nether Abyss Black Dragon appear together, their soul sources resonating, reflecting the Silent Wheel!

At this moment, a mysterious mark quietly emerged in Qin Yu's sea of consciousness—

--[Wuji·Yiyin], No.: 19.

It was the seal of the "Nineteen Void Seats" that had been absent from the Supreme Firmament Realm Lord Council for many years, which had finally been re-condensed in his soul source today.

Xuan Cang gazed at this unrepeatable result and sighed softly:

"No one has ever broken through all nine trials and received the True Wheel Seal before even reaching the realm of Realm Master..."

"You are already [the Silent Wheel Seal Master]."

Behind him, eighteen illusory figures stood burning with souls, each bearing the seal of a slumbering Realm Master. Only the nineteenth illusory fire ignited automatically at this moment, like starlight Zhao Yuan, its imprint falling upon the vast sky.

At the same time, in all the realms of the world, those hidden Realm Master, traitors, soul ancestors, old emperors, and observers of the heavens all sensed something at this moment.

"... Silent Seal, restart?"

"The successor of that lineage... has been born?"

"The body of the Image Severing... actually inherits the Realm Wheel?"

"His name... is Qin Yu?"

The wind rises.

In the midst of the ignited nineteenth seal fire, Xuan Cang finally said:

"From this moment on, you will no longer be fighting solely for the 'Conquest of Divine Beasts'."

"You possess the pre-existing authority of Realm Master and will become the sole candidate for the [Silent Realm Lord Path]."

Then, he raised his eyes and looked towards a distant corner.

"Now, it's your turn to descend to the mortal realm."

"The Chi Prison has been opened, and the locks on the Four Realms have loosened."

"Go and finish what you were supposed to do... and while you're at it, show them what a true Lord of Boundaries really is."

The next instant, Qin Yu, without moving, plunged down the Abyss Break, carrying the Soul Source Wheel, from the Supreme Firmament Divine Rank into the Lower Realm's Broken Void, landing at the front line of the Severed Realm Void Vortex.

The ninth level of the Supreme Firmament Divine Rank, the wheel seal is set, and the soul fire is ignited.

But--

Just when Xuancang Shenying thought Qin Ning would fall straight into the "Severed Realm Void Vortex" battlefield, a gate from beyond the boundary suddenly opened in the sky.

The door was engraved with an ancient inscription of three characters:

[Outer Boundless Realm]

A deep, ancient female voice came from within the doorway, serene and timeless, as if it came from before the distant past:

"The Nineteen Seal Masters, having inherited the boundary seals, should now complete the return of the divine source."

" --Boundless Realm Comes."

Xuancang Shenying paused slightly, then stared intently at Qin Ning and said, "... That is an ancient remnant [Boundless Divine Land], only 'Realm Master' have the right to enter. If you go, you will be outside the Realm Master's will and perception. You are responsible for your own survival."

Qin Ning looked up and saw that there was no light beyond the boundary gate, but only Eternal Stillness darkness, like the boundary where countless souls had perished, as if all divinity and will had been reduced to Nameless.

But he did not hesitate.

"I'm leaving."

The gate to the boundary opened slightly, and the Silent Origin Wheel entered with him.

The moment he stepped in, the entire Ninth Heaven boundary of the Spirit Firmament Great Realm suddenly trembled, and the souls of many sleeping former Realm Master trembled slightly, as if they sensed the restart of some kind of primordial "Realm Master Divine Mechanism".

He went down that road...

"A path from which no one returns."

At the same time, Qin Ning's soul sank into the [Boundless Divine Land].

Here--

There were no laws, no light, and no fluctuations in soul patterns.

Only countless broken seals, fragments, shards of history, and names of the past float in the universe.

He walked on a miraculous long bridge paved with the blood and souls of the [Destroyers of Realms]. All around him were the remains of wheel-shaped seals abandoned by the "Realm Master" over countless years. They had tried to complete the path of the [Beyond-Realm Master Seal], but all of them failed and perished, their souls extinguished and returning to nothingness.

Only under Qin Yu's feet--

As the Wheel of Silent Origin slowly turned, the shattered realm souls and remnants of imprinted fire seemed to quiet down slightly, as if they were showing a hint of submission to the appearance of this "Lord of the Image Severing".

He looked up and gazed into the distant void.

There, a rift gleams with a mysterious and destructive platinum light.

--[The Final Silent Origin Tower] awaits on the other shore.

Legend has it that this tower contains the True Soul imprint of the first Realm Master before the creation of the world. Once someone merges their "severing world consciousness" with it, they can truly embark on the path of becoming the [Boundless Realm Master].

But the cost is--

If you fail, you will be forever erased from the list of beings who "existed," and you will be barred from even reincarnation.

Qin Yu's steps were silent, yet incredibly resolute.

"If this seal is for silence..."

"Then that day will be the end for me."