The crowd's gazes gradually rose, their hearts filled with layers of shock.
This being had not even fully emerged from the red mist; the upper half of its body, which was merely visible, already towered above the vast majority of the ancient trees in the Azure Wood Divine Forest, its magnificence beyond imagination.
Its shape is similar to a human, completely shrouded in deep darkness, without any ordinary flesh and muscle texture. The inside of its torso is densely covered with countless brilliant stars, and silver-blue star trails crisscross, stretching along its chest, shoulders, back, and arms, outlining a grand but incomplete ancient star map on its dark body.
It stands silently deep in the forest, as if draped in a whole broken and fallen ancient starry sky, but what is most awe-inspiring is the pair of wings on its back.
Two enormous black wings, capable of blotting out the sky, slowly unfurled from its back. The wing bones were long, sharp, cold, and hard, and the jet-black feathers were layered and cascading down like a waterfall. Between each feather, there were flowing veins of starlight interwoven with silver-blue and dark purple.
As the wings extended upwards, the feathers faded and became invisible, eventually transforming into swirling, burning purple-blue starlight that rose silently and shone brightly, casting circles of cold, deep light into the surrounding void. The very tips of the wings curved inwards strangely, outlining two enormous, opposing arcs that were majestic, enigmatic, and awe-inspiring.
The shadowy head hovered between the wings, submerged in Ultimate darkness. It had no clear features, no striking eyes, only a deep and unfathomable darkness that seemed capable of devouring all light, shadow, and soul.
Countless tiny starlight rays spread from his neck to his chest, eventually converging in the center of his body. A straight, bright red streak of light ran from top to bottom, traversing his entire torso.
A sudden burst of crimson light erupted from his chest and abdomen, causing a straight, scarlet beam to crash down onto the earth below with a deafening boom!
The ground instantly exploded, revealing a vast network of crisscrossing crimson cracks. A scorching, eerie red mist surged and spread wildly along the cracks in the earth's veins, instantly staining the entire deep forest a dark, blood-red hue. The purple-blue starlight behind the giant shadow churned violently, and two enormous black wings that blotted out the sky were now fully revealed to everyone.
More than ten disciples of the Chi Lineage clenched their fists tightly, their knuckles turning white. Many of them were deathly pale and their hearts were trembling.
The leading disciple stared intently at the colossal starry figure, his Adam's apple bobbing slowly. The half-step he had subconsciously taken earlier was silently retracted, his awe and fear reaching their peak.
Chi Qingyue stood quietly among the crowd, her white robes billowing behind her as the surging dark red mist billowed in the wind. Her expression remained calm and serene, her gaze slowly shifting from the pair of sky-covering black wings to the crisscrossing star patterns on her torso, finally settling steadily on the scarlet pillar of light that pierced through her body and plummeted to the earth.
The colossal, ancient black shadow made no move.
It stood silently in the deepest part of the Azure Wood Divine Forest, its black wings wreathed in starlight hanging high in the sky, obscuring the entire forest. The thick, blood-red mist around it continued to spread outwards layer by layer, eroding the ground step by step.
The Chi Lineage disciple stared intently at the enormous figure deep within the red mist. His fingers, which had been gripping the divine weapon tightly, trembled slightly at that moment. He clearly recognized something; his pupils constricted, and the color drained from his face.
The two enormous, jet-black wings that stretched across the sky were still slowly unfurling, silver-blue star trails crawling across the wing bones, and dark purple starlight silently surging along the edges of the feathers; the scarlet pillar of light in the center pierced into the earth, and the red mist spread outward layer by layer with each flicker of the pillar of light.
The disciple was deeply shaken, his heart churning with turmoil. His throat bobbed several times, and when he finally uttered the words, he could barely contain his trembling. "That... that's Demonic Spirit... the Silent Abyss Last Speaker!"
The dozen or so disciples of the Chi Lineage around him all changed color upon hearing this, and some even subconsciously took a half step back. The disciple still stared intently ahead, forcibly suppressing the surging fear in his chest, and said hurriedly, "In all the heavens and myriad realms, it is also known as the 'Abyss of the Last Word,' the 'First Stillness,' and the 'Soundless Final Chapter.' In ancient records, it is not an ordinary being at all, nor is it a god or Gods and Devils."
In the ancient era before Eternal Annihilation enveloped everything, the Eternal Silence Realm was an absolute, stable state of 'nothingness,' where time, consciousness, and causality were all dormant. But perhaps some untraceable 'totality' once disturbed the Eternal Silence Realm, causing for the first time a trace of bewilderment about itself to arise within that absolute stillness. It was that trace of bewilderment that tore out demonic energy from the eternal stillness, ultimately solidifying into Him.
His voice grew softer and softer, but the fear in his eyes deepened. "Legend has it that when He was born, the Eternal Silence Realm itself trembled, and all sounds in the heavens disappeared for three breaths at the same time, and even the word 'sound' itself could not be established. He did not have a real name, because a name itself implies 'existence.' Later, the cultivators of the heavens could only forcibly call Him 'Silent Abyss,' and the title 'The Last Speaker' was left in the Annihilation Epoch Demonic Codex."
He is a wisp of alien thought that separated from the Eternal Silence Realm in order to observe why all things exist; a fold that should not appear in Eternal Stillness. Approaching His presence will gradually drag one back to a state before it occurred; wherever He is, the past and future lose their continuity, and cause and effect collapse towards a point of no thickness.
At this point, the disciple's gaze fell upon the dark star patterns slowly swirling across the chest of the Silent Abyss Last Speaker. A pressure emanating from his innate cultivation level made his breathing grow heavier and heavier. "This source... there's no mistake... His current power has very likely reached the 'Mid-Stage of the Eternal Silence Realm'!"
"Eternal Silence Realm · Middle Stage?!" someone exclaimed, and everyone's hearts sank simultaneously.
They were all True Annihilation Realm cultivators. Even though they outnumbered each other, the vast chasm between the two realms was still chilling when facing Demonic Spirit had truly entered the Eternal Silence Realm · Middle Stage. Especially since the being before them was no ordinary Eternal Silence Realm cultivator. Its birth itself originated from that self-conscious rift deep within the Eternal Silence Realm that should not have existed in the first place.
The leading disciple's expression suddenly darkened, and he no longer harbored any intention to test the waters. "Quick!" he shouted, raising his hand sharply. "Retreat!" The group immediately turned around, but just as they were about to leave, the "Silent Abyss Last Speaker," who had remained motionless in the distance, suddenly twitched its head.
It turned an inch to the side, without a dragon's roar, without a furious howl, and without the slightest fluctuation of Fate Soul. In that instant, the entire Azure Wood Divine Forest fell completely silent.
The branches and leaves stopped rustling, the robes of the people ceased to rustle, and even those who gasped for breath could no longer hear their own breathing. Even more eerie was the fact that this deathly silence continued to intrude; the expressions of several Chi Lineage disciples changed simultaneously, as they realized that their perception of "sound" was rapidly fading away.
The face of the Silent Abyss Last Speaker, shrouded in darkness, slowly turned towards one of the Chi Lineage disciples. "The Last Word Final Chapter," the disciple's body suddenly stiffened.
He was not hit by any bombardment, the divine weapon was still in his hand, the Dao principles protecting his Fate Soul were still in operation, and there was not a single scratch on his body. However, a very faint white halo had quietly lit up from the edge of his feet.
"Senior brother!" A disciple beside him suddenly reached out his palm. Before his palm even touched the other person, his expression froze. The legs of the Chi Lineage disciple who had been targeted were slowly fading.
His flesh and blood did not shatter, nor did his Fate Soul explode. His feet simply lost their clear outlines, and then this pale white light spread upwards from his calves. After the first breath, his legs were almost transparent; as the second breath arrived, his waist, abdomen, arms, and chest slowly melted away before everyone's eyes.
The disciple looked down at himself, his eyes filled with Ultimate terror, but when he opened his mouth, not a sound came out. He was even slowly forgetting why he was so afraid.
"Scatter!" Chi Qingyue's voice suddenly shook the Fate Soul of everyone. "Scatter!" Everyone instantly awoke with a start, whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!
More than ten figures shot out in all directions. Some rushed into the forest on the left, some soared into the air, and some retreated rapidly. The originally gathered formation collapsed and scattered in an instant. As the third breath fell simultaneously, the last remaining face of the Chi Lineage disciple who had been locked onto by "Last Word Final Chapter" turned completely pale, and he and the divine weapon in his hand disappeared silently.
The spot was completely empty, without blood, without corpses, without a trace of Fate Soul; even the ground where he had just stood showed no signs of change. At that moment, the two giant wings on the back of the Silent Abyss Last Speaker suddenly spread out with all their might!
Boom--!!!
The starlight, a blend of deep purple and silver-blue, surged and billowed into the sky. The two black wings, already large enough to obscure a large part of the sky, continued to extend endlessly to both sides; the star patterns on every feather were lit up, and billions of tiny stars flowed wildly along the wing bones, finally connecting into a complete, dark arc between the two huge, opposite corners at the tips of the wings.
A deep, dark ripple, visible to the naked eye, swept outwards from the body of the Silent Abyss Last Speaker, reaching 1,000 meters, 3,000 meters, 5,000 meters, and 10,000 meters!
Wherever the ripples passed, the Azure Wood Divine Forest did not collapse; the towering ancient trees still stood, their branches and leaves maintaining their original posture. However, the space itself suddenly sank. A Chi Lineage disciple who had just reached the edge of the blockade raised his hand and desperately tore through the void.
Five fingers fell, but the void remained motionless. "It can't be opened!" Another person immediately activated spatial magic, but still received no response.
Above them, the sky, which was still visible, quickly dimmed; deep within the earth beneath their feet, a ring of dark light closed completely along the ten-thousand-meter boundary. Countless silver-blue star lines rose from the ground, stretching upwards, connecting with the starlight pouring from the wings of the Silent Abyss Last Speaker.
The entire 10,000-meter area was now completely sealed off.
The crimson mist continued to churn within the barrier, silencing all spatial pathways leading to the outside world. The patrol jade tablets in everyone's hands lit up simultaneously, but the Fate Soul messages that were about to be transmitted froze in mid-air after leaving the jade tablets by only half an inch, and then gradually dimmed and dissipated.
Chi Qingyue slowly stopped her charge and turned around.
At the end of the crimson mist, the enormous "Silent Abyss Last Speaker" spread its wings completely, starlight rising and swaying along the edges of its black wings, and billions of star trails slowly flowing inside its dark body. The scarlet pillar of light still hung down from its chest and slammed into the earth. All of them were completely trapped within this ten-thousand-meter-wide Lock Domain.