Jiang Linglong's existence was already on the verge of annihilation. If it was delayed any longer, his last remaining Fate Soul would completely dissipate, making it impossible to trace or search for him.
Qin Yu's gaze suddenly sharpened. Before the last Fate Soul could completely vanish, he clenched his fingers in mid-air, and a buzzing sound rang out.
Deep within his Fate Soul, the Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel spun synchronously at lightning speed, Silent Beginning · Ring Master Soul Diagram unfolded with a roar, precisely locking down Jiang Linglong's last remaining Fate Soul essence that was about to dissipate.
"Collect the soul." Jiang Linglong's last remaining consciousness trembled violently for a moment. The next moment, countless fragments of cause and effect, and the trajectory of his life's cultivation, flowed into the depths of Qin Yu's consciousness along with his soon-to-be-annihilated Fate Soul, circulating rapidly and spreading layer by layer.
His childhood cultivation, his apprenticeship, his joining the Primordial Dao Clan, his comprehension of the Myriad Transformations Return to the Ruins Scripture, his breakthrough to True Annihilation, his ascension to Eternal Silence, and his consolidation as the Supreme Elder... all these past events that were being erased were forcibly intercepted and completely retraced by Qin Yu.
He skipped over all the trivial details of the past, his mind highly focused, searching only for one person's whereabouts: Chen Jinrong. Light and shadow shifted rapidly, the scene changing layer by layer. Finally, the image settled: a dark and secluded ancient hall, where Jiang Linglong sat in the main seat, with a man in a golden robe bowing below him.
Clad in a golden robe, exuding a sinister aura, his fluctuations of True Annihilation Realm · Peak cultivation were unmistakable—it was indeed Chen Jinrong! Exactly as Yuan Zhanxiao had previously stated.
The fragmented memories continued to flow, and the two people's hushed conversations echoed intermittently. Most of the content had been lost due to cause and effect, but only one key dialogue remained as the last clear trace.
Chen Jinrong's indistinct voice came from the depths of broken time. "... The Hua Lineage..." Qin Yu's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his mind tightened.
The scene continued to unfold. Jiang Linglong asked in a low voice, and Chen Jinrong answered again, his voice growing increasingly faint and ethereal. "... The Hua Lineage..." "... Hua Yin..."
Crack—The remaining memory fragments shattered completely, vanishing into nothingness, Wuhen. Qin Yu did not force a retrospective analysis; that was enough.
The old grudges of the Azure Wood Divine Forest, the disasters of Shen Qingchen and Su Qingyuan, the ambush by the Primordial Dao Clan, the tragic deaths of the Annihilation God Clan members, Chen Jinrong's murders... all the previously scattered and disconnected causal clues are now completely connected and interlocked, pointing to a completely new behind-the-scenes relationship.
Qin Yu slowly opened his eyes, his face expressionless, yet a chilling coldness settled deep within them. "Hua Yin," he uttered softly, his voice heavy with frost. In the opposite airspace, Jiang Linglong's last remaining outline vanished completely, leaving no trace.
No corpses, no remnants of souls, Wudao foundations, no remaining aura— the Sea of the Boundless Realm still rises and falls, the night wind sweeps across the sea and sky, and in the distance, ancient blue lamps sway with the waves, their light and shadow interplay.
The traces of confrontation, battles, and deaths that had just occurred have been completely erased from the world, as if no struggle had ever taken place. Return to Origin and Sever Retracing for the first time. With a single thought, existence is stripped away. Beginningless to be found, Endless to be pursued, and no trace to be traced.
At the edge of the Sea of the Boundless Realm, night sinks into this vast expanse of water where the boundaries between sea and sky have been lost. The sound of the tides rises and falls, returning to its original flow, and in the distance, blue lights sway gently with the ripples. The place where Jiang Linglong vanished is now completely Emptiness.
After "Return to Origin and Sever Retracing" erased his right to exist from the root, his Fate Soul, Dao foundation, timeline, and the cause and effect of heaven and earth were all stripped away, leaving no trace to be traced. Only the fragmented memories that Qin Yu had captured with the "Silent Beginning: Ring Master Soul Diagram" before his Fate Soul was completely annihilated remained deep in his consciousness.
Qin Yu stood where the sea and sky met, the night wind ruffling her robes, her gaze deep and unwavering. In Jiang Linglong's memory, Chen Jinrong's golden robe, that secret conversation, and the final words "Hua Yin" intertwined and overlapped. The brutal ambush in the Azure Wood Divine Forest three years ago also resurfaced clearly in his mind.
Shen Qingchen and Su Qingyuan, along with seven True Annihilation Realm · Peak cultivators from the Primordial Dao Clan and their leader, the golden-robed cultivator Chen Jinrong, were captured alive. Chi Qingyue, who was with them, died on the spot.
Qin Yu's brows furrowed slightly as the chaotic threads of cause and effect gradually came together in his mind, becoming clear in sequence. Chen Jinrong had no prior grudges against Shen Qingchen and Su Qingyuan. Based on the remaining traces of Jiang Linglong's life, this person had never even crossed paths with the two before, let alone knew anything about their connection to him.
His relationship with Shen and Su was something very few people knew, and even fewer could understand it and use it to set traps. The coldness in his eyes deepened subtly. Chi Qianyuan, the former spy infiltrated the Chi Lineage, resided in the heart of their inner circle.
This allowed him to glimpse many secrets unknown to the outside world, including the deep bond between him and the two. Although Chi Qianyuan had long been executed, many of the secrets he possessed during his lifetime likely had already fallen into Hua Yin's hands. Thus, the true purpose of the ambush in Azure Wood Divine Forest became completely clear. "No wonder..."
Qin Yu gazed into the Sea of the Boundless Realm, his voice low and slightly cool. "We must capture Qingchen and Qingyuan alive."
If it were simply a matter of taking their lives, the seven True Annihilation Realm · Peak cultivators would have had no reason to show mercy to the two. Back then, Chen Jinrong had already severely injured their Fate Soul with the "Dao Tribulation Source Matchmaker," yet he insisted on carrying out the order to capture them alive, which is enough to prove that Shen Qingchen and Su Qingyuan were far more valuable alive than dead.
And this value belongs solely to him.
Qin Yu continued to deduce the whole picture in his mind. Before the martial arts competition among the Lineage, Hua Yin had painstakingly planned for many years, but all his elaborate schemes collapsed due to his intervention. His murderous intent and obsession with killing him were already deeply rooted. If he could capture the two as bait, he could precisely lure him out of the Chi Lineage and carry out a fatal blow.
As for why Chen Jinrong crossed over into the game, the answer is now clear: three years ago, Hua Yin had already secretly colluded with Chen Jinrong. Qin Yu lowered his eyelids and his thoughts became more and more clear.
The theft of the ancient box from the Nine Nether Cold Pool was not related to the scheme of the Azure Wood Divine Forest. Back then, Chen Yong and his group of six were returning with the ancient box when they were ambushed by three Primordial Dao Clan cultivators, including Chen Jinrong. It was a last-minute act of greed upon seeing the treasure. In the end, five died and one was seriously injured. Chen Jinrong escaped while wounded, and Zhao Qinglan risked her life to bring the ancient box back to the Annihilation God Clan.
One was a chance encounter and killing during a temporary treasure hunt, and the other was a premeditated scheme. The two events were independent of each other, but they were connected by the same person and eventually formed a complete cause-and-effect relationship.
A bone-chilling coldness seeped into the depths of Qin Yu's eyes. "Hua Yin..." The two words were uttered in a low voice, and he did not linger. With a hiss, a rift between the sea and sky suddenly opened in front of him, Qin Yu stepped into it, his figure instantly dissolving into the chaotic void.
Before long, the once magnificent and prosperous ancestral land of the Primordial Dao Clan was no more, and the entire palace complex was desolate and lifeless. Countless palaces collapsed and crumbled in the previous battles, and broken Dao marks crisscrossed the square. The waters of the Sea of the Boundless Realm flowed through the broken corridors, and many palace platforms that had been suspended in the sky fell and sank into the chaotic depths where the sea and sky merged.
Ye Ting and Yuan Xuangu stood side by side in the center of the square. Yuan Zhanxiao, who had been chasing the fleeing enemy on the other side, had also returned. The three of them had already taken care of all the tasks Qin Yu had entrusted to them.
A soft hiss echoed from the void rift, Qin Yu stepped out from its depths. The three turned simultaneously at the sound, bowing in unison. "Master." Qin Yu gestured for them to rise, his gaze falling directly on Yuan Zhanxiao. "Zhanxiao." "Was the person you pursued the patriarch of the Primordial Dao Clan?" Yuan Zhanxiao replied respectfully and solemnly, "Indeed, Master. I have already annihilated him."
He paused slightly, his gaze hardening, and added, "Before his Fate Soul was annihilated, I had already retrieved it and traced its origins, uncovering a crucial past event from the remnants of his life."
Qin Yu looked at him quietly. Yuan Zhanxiao said in a deep voice, "Three years ago, Chen Jinrong had close private dealings with Hua Yin, the Grand Elder of the Hua Lineage." Qin Yu's eyes flickered slightly, without the slightest surprise, but a hint of approval flashed through his heart.
Yuan Zhanxiao's pursuit this time was not only about eliminating enemies and avenging wrongs, but also about tracing the source and digging deep for clues. He had already seen clearly that the destruction of the Primordial Dao Clan was merely clearing away the branches; the real root of the problem, the starting point of all the grudges and entanglements, always lay with Chen Jinrong and Hua Yin behind the scenes. "Hmm."
Qin Yu nodded slightly. "I am aware of this matter." The three men's gazes all focused on him, awaiting his next words. Qin Yu did not elaborate on the past events, but instead surveyed the devastated ruins of the palace complex, asking in a deep voice, "Have all the clan's resources been confiscated?"
Ye Ting stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "Reporting to Master, everything has been collected and sealed away, without exception." Yuan Xuangu then took out a well-organized resource list and presented it with both hands. "Please take a look, Master."
Qin Yu took the list, Fate Soul swept it over in a flash. Countless items clearly appeared before his eyes. The first thing that caught his eye was the trading reserves accumulated by the Primordial Dao Clan over several generations: one million God-Level Resonance Crystal and one hundred thousand Supreme Transformation Source Crystal.
Following these are the rare and precious origins and chaotic spiritual treasures sealed in various treasure vaults, diverse in type and grade. There are also several batches of top-tier pills that are sealed separately, including the Heaven-Opening Origin Pill, the Primordial Indestructibility Pill, the Chaos Unification Pill, and the Primordial Hongmeng Pill. In addition, there are countless special spiritual materials, incomplete ancient treasures, and high-level cultivation resources taken from the Sea of the Boundless Realm and the Skeleton Star Sea.
This foundation is enough to support the prosperity of a high-level power. Qin Yu quickly finished reading it and casually closed the list.
For ordinary races, this is an immense fortune, but the Holy Clan and the Annihilation God Clan are currently experiencing rapid expansion and rise, and their vast numbers of members urgently need resources to nourish their foundations and solidify their Dao Path. These supplies should rightfully benefit all beings of both races. "Excellent."
Qin Yu handed the list back and calmly instructed, "I don't need a single penny of these resources. You can allocate them yourselves." Ye Ting, Yuan Zhanxiao, and Yuan Xuangu were slightly taken aback, then bowed in unison and accepted the order, "Yes."
Qin Yu raised his eyes to look at the three, his expression growing increasingly solemn, and laid out the core rules for the future. "From now on, the Holy Clan and the Annihilation God Clan will continue to grow steadily. But the three of you must remember one thing."
The three listened attentively. Qin Yu stood with his hands behind his back in the shattered plaza, his gaze sweeping over them as he said in a deep voice, "Conceal your talents and bide your time, cultivate your strength in seclusion, and there is no need for ostentation or boasting; true enduring strength lies in being able to hide it and remain calm. Before the time is right, conceal your brilliance, like a giant dragon lying dormant in the abyss. The world only sees the calm surface of the water, unaware of the immense power beneath."
"When the time is right and the circumstances are ripe—" His gaze suddenly darkened, a sharp edge hidden within. "... we will once again make a world-shaking debut." Yuan Zhanxiao was deeply shaken, instantly understanding the underlying strategy, and nodded emphatically. "Understood, subordinate."
Ye Ting suppressed all his impetuousness and solemnly replied, "From now on, the Holy Clan will strictly abide by Master's instructions, develop steadily, conceal our strength, and never easily reveal our talents." Yuan Xuangu slowly bowed, "Master, rest assured, we will keep this in mind."
Qin Yu nodded slightly and reiterated, "There's no need for you to investigate Chen Jinrong's matter further. I will handle it personally." Yuan Zhanxiao's eyes flashed with murderous intent, but remembering the tragic deaths of Chen Yong and his clansmen, he ultimately suppressed it all. Since his master had made his decision, he would remain dutiful and not act arbitrarily. "Yes, sir."
Qin Yu gave the three of them a final look and concluded, "From now on, for all matters, communicate with me via the telepathic jade." "Yes!"