The Sea of Tastelessness continued to recede slowly. The Evolution-Devouring Beast stood silently in the distance, its colossal body, composed of the remains of Wanyan Ones, shattered Evolution Name, broken destinies, and countless "swallowed voids," covering a vast expanse of heaven and earth.
The enormous maw that pierced through the chest cavity from the top of the skull was never fully closed. The incomplete mouth Evolution Name slowly flowed with three traces: the golden aftertaste of a prosperous era, the bitter charm of a dark era of destruction, and the colorless aftertaste of the founding emperor. These traces flowed down the grooves on the body's surface.
It did not continue to approach, and the giant maw that swallowed the sea beneath its feet also fell silent for a time. Only the Daoist chant remained in the fourth "Taste" Dao source, lingering for a long time.
"If you can make me swallow the void, you will pass the test." Qin Yu slightly closed his five fingers, gently clenching his palm.
His face remained calm and composed, but deep within his mind, he could no longer maintain the complete clarity and peace he had at the beginning of the first three trials. Along the way, the trials of the Eye, Ear, and Nose, though perilous and unpredictable, were ultimately traceable and logical. But it was only when he faced the Evolution-Devouring Beast that he truly realized that the core of this fourth trial had completely transformed.
The path to victory, personally demarcated by the behemoth, is singular: it must allow the creature, which has swallowed all things since time immemorial but could not swallow "emptiness," to perfectly devour emptiness. If it fails to do so, the only outcome awaiting those who come will be to be swallowed.
There is no longer any chance to evade, no way to detour, and no room to escape Anran by simply understanding one's own nature; the only option is to face it head-on and defeat it.
Qin Yu looked past the majestic body of the mountain-like beast to the deepest part of the Tongueless Origin Domain. In the vast world, there is still no natural flavor derived from it. The flavor mountains, flavor walls, and flavor seas all over the place are just empty shells of the remnants of the eternal flavor.
If the fourth root is already like this, what kind of impasse must the fifth and sixth roots, which we haven't even reached yet, be like? With a focused mind, the steps become clear.
The fourth root is the Tongueless Root. The Wanyan Great Dao completely severs the possibility of any flavor arising.
The fifth root No-Body Faculty. Based on the fundamental principle of the six roots progressing in sequence, what is missing there must be the possibility of the existence of all things in the universe in response to external circumstances.
The sixth root Intentless Root. It is the root of the end, severing the derivative foundation at the level of law and reason, and directly reaching the origin of the rules of the Wanyan Great Dao.
Taste, environment, and law—these three elements progressed in turn, each more profound and resolute than the last. A solemn and deep look flashed across Qin Yu's eyes.
If the next three trials are like the fourth one, requiring a life-or-death confrontation and head-on battle with the guardian beast, then the price of each defeat will be far more serious than simply leaving the ancestral land.
Defeat means Return to Emanation, the Evolution Name is completely annihilated, all traces of its existence are wiped out, and all unexplored paths and unfulfilled possibilities are severed. In the end, there will be no trace left in the world to prove that Qin Yu once set foot here and underwent the Wanyan Trial.
The five fingers of the clenched fist slowly tightened, the force layering up, causing a slight ripple in the mind and a series of tremors.
He did not forcefully suppress this tremor. If he remained calm and undisturbed when faced with the Annihilation crisis that could erase his entire existence, it would not be a sign of a firm Dao heart, but rather numbness and delusion.
Qin Yu was well aware of the depth of his own Dao Path, and he understood the Ultimate outcome of this defeat—all the causes, entanglements, and future paths outside the True Evolution Divine Hall would be completely irrelevant to him.
In an instant, a myriad of emotions surged into my mind.
The long journey we've traveled, the endless Dao Path yet to be traversed, the weighty expectations entrusted to us by the Wanyan Clan, the unresolved eternal question before the Great Ancestor ascended to the Silent Form Realm, and the three root fragments already perfected in my palm... all sorts of thoughts, layer upon layer, settle deep within my heart.
Qin Yu slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, dispelling his restlessness and agitation. Even though his mind was turbulent, his Dao foundation had already taken root. The fiercer the storm, the deeper his Dao root became. He did not retreat even half a step, nor did he even look back at the fourth entrance that had long since disappeared.
His right hand slowly rose, Emptiness. Clang—a clear and melodious sword cry pierced through the silent, Sea of Tastelessness, echoing across the vast wilderness.
The "Silent Origin Stainless Sword" slowly appeared in the world, its cold and clear blade gradually revealing itself. There were no exaggerated phenomena or dazzling divine power, only a wisp of pure Silent Origin charm, flowing quietly and continuously along the spine of the sword.
Qin Yu gripped the hilt tightly with all five fingers, his body slightly turned to the side, the sword blade hanging obliquely at his side. His robes fluttered behind him, stirred by the spatial fluctuations caused by the receding tide of the Sea of Taste. His posture was upright, his fighting spirit solidified.
With his resolve to fight solidified, Qin Yu raised his eyes and looked directly at the ancient behemoth in the distance. "Come." In the distant void, the Evolution-Devouring Beast stood silently.
Only now did Qin Yu truly realize that this blind and Consciousnessless Devouring Beast actually possessed its own unique gaze.
The enormous maw that pierced through the top of the skull and tore through the chest cavity occupied the entire head. The place where eyes should have grown and where vision should have been contained had long been completely pierced by endless gaping holes. There were no eyeballs, no pupils, no other visual organs, transcending the perception of ordinary living beings.
But a heavy gaze fell squarely on Qin Yu, leaving him nowhere to hide or conceal himself.
This gaze stemmed from every piece of ancient dragon bone that had been swallowed, from the slowly flowing fragments of the Evolution Name on its body, from every piece of writhing, ever-moving remnant of flesh and blood, from the ancient question of the ancestor that had been mostly swallowed on its spine, and even more so from the countless ancient remnants of life still Return to Emanation Annihilation deep within its gigantic maw.
Qin Yu read a trace of approval and recognition in that vast gaze. It recognized the determination of this person who, knowing that defeat meant complete Return to Emanation, still dared to draw their sword and confront the ancient ferocious beast.
This praise was utterly indifferent and cold, devoid of any pity, leniency, or mercy. The trials of Shouyan never lowered the bar because of the bravery of the newcomers, nor did they leave any hope for the newcomers because of the hardships ahead or because they had already passed all three trials.
If you dare to draw your sword, then it is worth fighting. The rest depends on your own path—whether you can survive freely and not be Return to Emanation by the supreme law that devours all laws.
The majestic body of the Evolution-Devouring Beast slowly straightened, standing like a mountain tomb between heaven and earth, its oppressive aura rising throughout the entire region. A muffled swallowing sound came from the bottomless hollow of its chest, and the next instant, its colossal maw opened wide!
Boom!!! The million-mile-long Sea of Tastelessness suddenly sank and collapsed, the Wall of Taste in the heavens trembled incessantly, and on the vast Mountain of Taste, billions of transparent and solidified taste phases fell off and floated in the air.
The terrifying maw of the Evolution-Devouring Beast, running from head to tail, opened to Ultimate size. Thousands of shattered Evolution Name along its rim were frantically pulled and swirled to both sides. In the depths of darkness, the six fundamental natures of sight, smell, taste, touch, and knowledge—residual from countless ancient Wanyan Ones— surged and revived simultaneously.
But in that instant, it neither swallowed the sea, nor tasted the flavors, nor devoured Qin Yu's physical body. Qin Yu's right hand, which was holding the sword, suddenly sank, and the expression in his eyes changed drastically. A wisp of his fundamental essence had vanished from his body out of thin air.
It was neither essence blood, nor Fate Soul, nor Source Dao. There was no tangible thing leaving the body, and no abnormal movement visible to the naked eye, yet Qin Yu's mind was clear and his perception was extremely clear—that swallow just now was his Dao.
The Ultimate battle technique – "Wanyan Return-to-Stillness Devouring"! First Realm, Dao Devouring! There were no array patterns beneath Qin Yu's feet, and no external suppression or restraint from heaven and earth. The Evolution-Devouring Beast did not even launch any tangible attack.
It simply opened its mouth quietly, suspended in mid-air to absorb the energy, and a faint sword cry reverberated through the void. A wisp of pure, Silent Origin Sword intent detached from the sword's edge, floated in the air for a moment, and then vanished into thin air.
Before even reaching the behemoth, Annihilation midway. Qin Yu's pupils contracted sharply. In the endless darkness deep within the giant maw, the wisp of the Silent Origin Sword Intent that had just separated from his body was clearly manifested. It was swallowed up completely.
The Evolution-Devouring Beast's chest rose and fell slightly, and the area inside its body, originally formed from broken dragon bones and fragments, quietly changed. A cold sword mark slowly grew and firmly imprinted itself along the texture of the ancient remains.
Qin Yu's sword intent became a part of its body, a new source of nourishment for it to absorb all things.
This was just the beginning. Deep within Qin Yu's Dao Foundation, strands of his original essence were being continuously drawn away and slowly peeled away by that invisible devouring force.
The resolute determination to forge ahead was swallowed up; the sword strikes that cut through all illusions were swallowed up; the foundation of existence, forged and solidified step by step, was also continuously absorbed and stripped away layer by layer. The Evolution-Devouring Beast never plundered magic or supernatural powers, nor did it covet the combat strength or cultivation of outsiders.
It devours the root, the essence, the foundation of the Tao from which all power exists. Anything that has a Tao to rely on, a law to follow, or a thought to hold onto—all are included in its devouring.
Qin Yu's grip on the sword tightened, his knuckles turning white. He forcibly suppressed his instinct to unleash the "No-Thought Absolute Silence Sword" immediately. In an instant, he had already discerned the most dangerous truth.
The heavier the sword strike, the stronger the Daoist aura, and the more it absorbs. The more perfectly and clearly one's own Dao is revealed, the more thoroughly and purely it absorbs.
The behemoth's body continued to mutate, and Qin Yu's cold sword marks kept appearing on its surface. The swallowed sword intent did not dissipate as an ordinary aftertaste, but completely merged into its massive shell made up of countless bones. It was assimilating Qin Yu's Dao, or to put it more bluntly, it was making Qin Yu's Dao become itself.