The three lowered their eyes in unison, obediently accepting the order without the slightest perfunctoriness. Today, Qin Yu personally established the framework of the two races sharing the same origin and working together for mutual benefit, and also laid out a long-term strategy of dormancy, which had already been deeply imprinted in everyone's hearts and souls.
Qin Yu said no more, raised his right hand slightly, and with a hiss, a void rift opened up, a deep tunnel running in front of him. He stepped into it, and his figure vanished in an instant, completely disappearing from the three people's sight. Only after the space completely closed did the three people withdraw their gaze.
Yuan Zhanxiao picked up the resource list, and Ye Ting stepped forward. The three of them systematically allocated the spoils of war based on the size of the Holy Clan and the Annihilation God Clan, the needs of their members, and their developmental shortcomings. Millions of God-Level Resonance Crystal, hundreds of thousands of Supreme Transformation Source Crystal, various top-tier pills, chaotic spiritual treasures, rare spiritual materials, and incomplete ancient treasures were all categorized and organized.
Universal resources that nourish the clansmen are distributed equally and prioritized, while rare treasures that solidify high-level Dao foundations are sealed separately, and special materials adapted to the cultivation systems of both clans are allocated precisely. The entire process is free of contention and competition, without any gaps or barriers. The path of unity and cooperation established by Qin Yu has become the guiding principle for both clans.
With everything settled, Ye Ting tore open a space to prepare to return to the Holy Clan. Yuan Zhanxiao and Yuan Xuangu simultaneously opened a void passage and headed to the territory of the Annihilation God Clan. Before leaving, the three took one last look back at this dilapidated ancestral land.
The once-prosperous ancestral land of the Primordial Dao Clan, where countless people gathered, is now nothing but devastation and ruins. The three of them stepped into the void one after another, and the rift slowly closed.
The Sea of the Boundless Realm returned to its eternal silence, and the former site of the Primordial Dao Clan in the central sea area was completely reduced to a desolate dead zone. Broken stone pillars lay across the dilapidated plaza, large sections of palace walls collapsed and sank into the Boundless Realm Sea, and the suspended corridor broke in the middle, with the remaining fragments slowly sinking into the chaotic depths where the sky and sea merged.
The previous battles and chaos shattered the surrounding earth's veins, emptying the treasure vaults and annihilating all cultivators. This ancient ancestral land was completely cut off from all life. The once bustling scene of people and cultivators coming and going was utterly annihilated. The night wind whistled through the ruins, and the tides washed over the broken tiles and crumbling platforms. For thousands of miles around, there was only deathly silence and the extinction of all life. The Boundless Realm sea of eternity was now just a desolate wasteland.
After the destruction of the Sea of the Boundless Realm, Qin Yu did not immediately return to the Chi Lineage, nor did he go straight to the Hua Lineage.
Leaving that vast sea and sky that had been completely turned into a dead zone, he traveled alone in the depths of the Skeleton Star Sea. Before Jiang Linglong and the patriarch of the Primordial Dao Clan perished, the two fragmented memories that had been forcibly collected and preserved were now slowly unfolding and being reviewed layer by layer in the depths of his Fate Soul through the "Silent Beginning · Ring Master Soul Diagram".
The Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel slowly turned, peeling away, filtering, and freezing every scene related to Chen Jinrong throughout their lives.
Most of the scenes consist of casual encounters, with only a handful possessing real value for tracing origins. Chen Jinrong is cautious and suspicious by nature, and within the Primordial Dao Clan, he is a loner, often traveling away from his ancestral home and rarely staying within the clan for extended periods.
He secretly hid several places outside the realm, and he appeared in one of them far more frequently than in any of the other hiding places. Jiang Linglong had secretly met with him there twice, and the patriarch of the Primordial Dao Clan also had a vague image of the same area in the depths of his memory.
The two memories corroborated and corroborated each other, pinpointing the exact location. Without further hesitation, Qin Yu followed the faint causal trace left from three years ago, tracing it deeper and deeper.
This region is far from the major human cities, hidden deep within the shattered star continents of the Skeleton Star Sea. It is surrounded by dark and ancient stellar debris, with broken and collapsed mountains suspended in the cold void. In its deepest part lies an Ultimate narrow and deep rift valley. The rock walls on both sides slope inward to enclose the valley, completely concealing all traces of the valley floor, making it extremely secretive.
Following the path of cause and effect, Qin Yu reached the bottom of the valley and finally found a long-sealed, hidden cave behind an unremarkable stone wall that blended seamlessly with the surrounding rock face.
The entrance to the cave was originally covered with layers of concealing restrictions, but over the years, they had long since faded and become ineffective, their Spiritual Qi dissipated. Qin Yu raised his hand and gently wiped away the faint remaining Daoist charm on the outside. The heavy stone door slid open silently, and the cave was deathly silent, without a sound.
He stepped into the depths of the cave.
The stone table was intact, and several meditation stone platforms remained complete. The grooves on both sides of the rock wall, where treasures were once sealed, still bore traces, but they were now empty. All the objects with cultivation value and rich cultural significance had been taken away beforehand.
The storage area was empty, and the stone platform was covered with a thin layer of dust from the years. The entire cave was silent and desolate, without any trace of anyone having recently stayed there. Qin Yu slowly walked through every corner of the cave, carefully scanning it with his Fate Soul perception, and finally stopped in front of the stone chamber where Chen Jinrong used to be in seclusion all year round.
The place was deserted, everything had changed. It was obvious that Chen Jinrong had become wary after the Azure Wood Divine Forest incident three years ago. Later, he was attacked by Hua Yin's men who crossed realms to eliminate him, yet he managed to turn the tide and kill three True Annihilation Realm · Supreme cultivators.
He disappeared without a trace and has remained hidden ever since. He is cautious and meticulous in his planning, and is by no means a fool. Naturally, he would not stay in this hiding place, which is already known to the higher-ups of the Primordial Dao Clan.
Qin Yu did not linger here or waste time. Now that the ancestral land of the Primordial Dao Clan has been completely destroyed, all the high-ranking members of the clan have perished, and the foundation of the clan has been destroyed, even if Chen Jinrong is still alive, he is just a lone person with no roots or support. Having lost the support of the clan and suffering from the severe injury of his old Fate Soul, the True Annihilation Realm · Peak cultivator can no longer stir up any waves in the world.
Moreover, he had already thoroughly investigated the hidden connection between Chen Jinrong and Hua Yin, and deciphered the complete cause and effect of the ambush incident in Azure Wood Divine Forest. At this moment, expending his energy and effort to pursue a defeated enemy across regions would be nothing more than obsessing over a broken branch, wasting time and energy.
Standing outside the cave, Qin Yu gazed at the deep and boundless Skeleton Star Sea. He had already made a clear choice and prioritized the important matters. Right now, there were two things that were truly of utmost importance.
Firstly, there was the old matter that Wanyan Yan had entrusted to him on his deathbed. Having accepted the entrustment, he had to fulfill his promise and live up to the trust placed in him by his deceased friend. Secondly, there was the mysterious ancient box that Yuan Zhanxiao had handed over.
The Nine Nether Cold Pool, the "Nine Nether Dark Ruins Demon Dragon," the "Dark Ruins Return Hall," and the tragic price paid by Chen Yong and six other Annihilation God Clan cultivators with their lives are all inextricably linked to this ancient box.
Especially after the Nine Nether Dark Ruins Demon Dragon, who guarded the Cold Pool and whose cultivation had reached the True Annihilation Realm · Supreme, was killed by the "Primordial Mirror" with a single sword strike, the Cold Pool, which had been frozen for countless ages, finally parted, revealing the Dark Ruins Return Hall had been sealed away for countless years.
On the eve of the dragon's demise, its remaining body let out a long and resounding dragon roar that resonated throughout the heavens and earth towards the ancient box. The patterns on the box responded by blooming and spreading layer by layer, instantly dissolving all the remaining lingering souls within the palace walls.
This single unusual phenomenon is enough to prove that the object sealed in this ancient box is no ordinary mortal treasure or divine artifact.
When Yuan Zhanxiao handed over the ancient box, Qin Yu tried to probe it with his Fate Soul perception, but immediately encountered a deep and unfathomable barrier of origin, making it impossible to see the mystery inside. He did not force it open, but instead sealed it separately in the "Annihilation Devil Pupil - Final Spirit Core", isolating it from all refining power and external disturbances, and kept it safe until now.
Now that the matter concerning the Primordial Dao Clan has been settled and temporarily concluded, it's a good time to unravel the ancient secrets of this ancient box. "Let's study the ancient box first," Qin Yu decided. "After this is over, I'll fulfill Wanyan's request."
As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't linger. A deep rift slowly tore open in the space in front of him, and Qin Yu stepped into it. His figure instantly dissolved into the dark void of the Skeleton Star Sea.
At the same moment, in the distant territory of the Hua Lineage.
Deep within the Grand Elder's palace, the doors were tightly shut, with double-layered restrictions preventing any prying and shielding all auras from passing through. Hua Yin sat alone in the main seat, with several unopened jade tablets placed on a table beside him.
Dim sunlight streamed down from the dome, casting deep shadows of light and shadow across his aged and somber face. The entire hall was deathly silent and oppressive. Suddenly, steady, disciplined footsteps sounded outside the hall, approaching from afar.
A moment later, a disciple in black quickly entered the hall. Upon reaching the center, he immediately bowed and saluted respectfully. "My lord," Hua Yin raised his eyes, his voice low and calm, "Speak."
The black-clad disciple kept his head down, not daring to look up. "Qin Yu has already left the Chi Lineage." Hua Yin, who had been looking languid with his eyes slightly lowered, suddenly raised his eyes.
An Ultimate glint flashed in his eyes, and his long-dormant mind was suddenly jolted. "What?" He leaned forward slightly, his expression no longer indifferent. "Qin Yu has appeared?"
His voice remained deliberately low, but imperceptibly, his breathing had quickened slightly, and his guard was on high alert. "Yes," the black-clad disciple replied confidently, "My information is confirmed; he has ended his seclusion and officially left the Chi Lineage's back mountain."
Hua Yin's expression shifted rapidly, a complex mix of surprise, suspicion, apprehension, and solemnity. Three whole years had passed.
Since Qin Yu entered the back mountain of the Chi Lineage for seclusion, there has been no further movement or information about him from the outside world. Hua Yin had already assumed that this person would be in seclusion for a long time and would not show up in the world in the short term. He never expected that the other party would suddenly emerge from seclusion at this time.
The black-clad disciple received the order and reported, but remained bowed and unyielding. "But..." His voice suddenly lowered, filled with undisguised hesitation and apprehension. Hua Yin's heart sank, and his face instantly turned cold. "But what? What's with this stammering and dragging your feet!"
The black-clad disciple stiffened slightly, then quickly bowed and replied, "This subordinate dared not approach Qin Yu too closely, and did not follow him closely. However... on the day Qin Yu emerged from seclusion, the Primordial Dao Clan underwent a sudden and drastic change."
Hua Yin's brows furrowed suddenly, his heart tightening. "What is it?" The black-clad disciple's throat bobbed slightly as he reported in a deep voice, each word distinct. "The Primordial Dao Clan... has been wiped out." The entire hall fell into a deathly silence; you could hear a pin drop.
Hua Yin's eyes widened suddenly, and he abruptly stood up, his aura violently trembling. "Is this true?! The Primordial Dao Clan has been wiped out?!" "It is true." The black-clad disciple bowed his head and replied, "The ancestral land was completely destroyed, and almost all the cultivators in the clan perished. Now, in the center of the Sea of the Boundless Realm, there is not a trace of the Primordial Dao Clan left."
Hua Yin stood frozen in place, an overwhelming sense of dread shaking the depths of his Fate Soul. Qin Yu emerged from seclusion, and on the same day, the Primordial Dao Clan was annihilated. These two earth-shattering events occurred simultaneously, and the hidden connection between them instantly aroused Ultimate vigilance in him, making it impossible for him to remain calm.
After a few breaths, Hua Yin forcibly suppressed his inner turmoil, concealing his shock, and slowly sat back in the main seat. His fingertips lightly pressed against the cold armrest, his expression returning to its deep and inscrutable state. "Understood." "You may leave now."
The black-clad disciple was about to accept the order and leave. "Wait," Hua Yin suddenly spoke, stopping him. The black-clad disciple immediately stopped. "Does Your Excellency have other instructions?" Hua Yin raised his eyes, a cold glint in them: "Withdraw all personnel monitoring Qin Yu." "From this moment on, everyone must withdraw. No one is allowed to approach, spy on, or track him without authorization. I will issue further orders regarding subsequent tasks via Yu Jian."
The black-clad disciple felt a chill run down his spine, realizing the gravity of the situation. He quickly bowed and accepted the order, "Yes, sir." He turned and strode out of the main hall, the heavy doors slowly closing behind him. Thump—the doors slammed shut, isolating the inside from the outside. The composure that Hua Yin had carefully maintained on his face shattered instantly.