Abandoning the Dao and Returning to Emptiness
The Sea of Tastelessness dissolved completely, Evolution-Devouring Beast, "Return to Emanation," unfolded fully. The future evolutionary possibilities behind Qin Yu broke off one by one. With each break, his phantom image on the distant Wall of Taste faded a little.
Those afterimages were not mere illusions, but rather the foundation upon which his endless evolution lay. At this moment Evolution-Devouring Beast was gnawing at the trajectory of the three lifetimes in reverse, following the Dao root that had already been swallowed into its body. Even the room for evolution in Qin Yu's past choices was being erased layer by layer and reduced to zero step by step.
A deep, muffled swallowing sound emanated from the depths of the ancient graveyard. Qin Yu gripped the "Silent Origin Stainless Sword" tightly, his right arm remaining motionless, no longer raising his sword to attack.
The outcome of the direct clash with sword intent just now has already revealed everything. "Wanyan Return-to-Stillness Devouring" never contends with techniques, nor does it compete with strength, and it doesn't even need to receive any complete strike. As long as Qin Yu uses his own Dao to drive the sword intent, the giant beast can directly devour the source of the Dao based on the "why it strikes" principle, and then the Source Dao source will be devoured back.
A relentless offensive will ultimately only feed a powerful enemy and lead to a dead end.
However, Qin Yu did not give up and wait for death. His eyes were Ultimate calm and composed. Since a single sword strike was not enough to explore the boundary of this strange beast's Dao Devouring, he would try again and again to verify and explore it.
If one attempt wasn't enough, he would try countless other methods, determined to personally uncover the Extreme Realm of "Wanyan Return-to-Stillness Devouring." Was it brute force? Supernatural power? Origin? Fate Soul? Cause and effect? A concept?
Or perhaps something deeper—the foundation upon which all this power is established, the very basis of the "Qin Yu Way"? Qin Yu suddenly loosened his grip. Clang—
The "Silent Origin Stainless Sword" lowered its blade, its clear sound fading into a low murmur. He completely ceased his powerful attacks. The first round of probing had officially begun.
Qin Yu lightly raised his left hand, and twelve thin, dark mirror images silently appeared. "Heavenly Cause Judgment Sequence - Six Severances Seal" First Form - "Fate Cause Sealing Mirror - Logic Abyss Core"!
Buzz--
Twelve dark mirrors stretched out around him, their surfaces clear and unreflective, each mirror bearing a dark crack in its center, exuding a chilling stillness. This time, Qin Yu did not seal the giant beast's body, nor did he forcibly sever the "Wanyan Return-to-Stillness Devouring" Dao Devouring link. He simply directed the twelve mirrors to point at the wisp of Silent Origin Sword intent that the giant beast had just swallowed and then regurgitated.
This sword originated from Qin Yu, and after being absorbed by the Evolution-Devouring Beast. There must be a fundamental link between the two. "One's own path is swallowed, transformed, and returned."
Qin Yu needs to figure out is the true destination of this link.
The first mirror receives the returned sword intent, the second mirror seals the previous cause and effect, the third mirror follows the backlash and traces back to the source, and the fourth mirror reverses the flow to trace the path of the Dao root before absorption. The remaining eight mirrors are layered and intertwined, sealing the Seal Domain and trapping this wisp of sword intent that has changed hands within a twelve-fold closed loop of cause and effect.
In an instant, the truth was revealed: the sword intent itself was not completely plundered and obliterated; what was swallowed up was a more fundamental existence.
The reason this sword can achieve the power of "Silent Origin Stainless" is because Qin Yu's understanding of the Great Dao of "Severing Silence", the original essence of his Fate Soul, the foundation of his Dao foundation, and his original intention to end the illusion and return to Wanyan with a single sword.
The Evolution-Devouring Beast, following the sword intent, surged upwards, devouring this irreplaceable root of the Dao. Qin Yu's eyes narrowed slightly. But just as the Twelve Dark Mirrors were about to completely trace the source and penetrate the essence—gulp.
The Evolution-Devouring Beast, the "original meaning of cause Order Adjudication" sealed within the mirrors was inexplicably missing a corner and quietly dissolved.
Qin Yu's brows furrowed suddenly, then the second, third, fourth...
The mirror body still floats in the air, its supernatural form completely intact. The Dao Root of Judgment, which supports the operation of "Fate Cause Sealing Mirror - Logic Abyss Core", is being invisibly swallowed and peeled away layer by layer.
Qin Yu suddenly clenched his five fingers, and the twelve dark mirrors vanished in response. The first answer had been settled: the Evolution-Devouring Beast Dao Devouring needed to obliterate the physical form of its supernatural powers. All kinds of techniques were ultimately just external entrances; what it devoured was the fundamental source of the Dao behind the supernatural powers.
The second test began again. Deep within Qin Yu's brow, the outline of his vast and ancient Fate Soul slowly rose and rippled. The Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel had not yet fully unfolded, and the "Silent Beginning - Ring Master Soul Diagram" only revealed a slight Daoist charm, deliberately suppressing its full power.
This time, he neither attacked, nor sealed, nor attacked; he only read, only dismantled, only observed. The first round of the Soul Diagram turned slightly, humming and vibrating.
The countless Evolution Name and intricate patterns on the giant beast's body were clearly revealed under the observation of the Fate Soul.
In the second gentle turn, the ancient dragon bones of the behemoth's torso, the writhing remnants of flesh and blood, the Annihilation void of being swallowed, and the bottomless, empty chest cavity—their fundamental connections—emerged layer by layer, completely revealed.
Qin Yu neither altered, interfered with, nor touched upon the matter, but quietly interpreted it using only the essence of his Fate Soul. He wanted to verify the most crucial point: if he did not use force to harm the enemy, but only used his own Dao to observe and analyze, would "Wanyan Return-to-Stillness Devouring" still trigger the devouring?
The answer came in an instant. The gigantic maw on the chest of the Evolution-Devouring Beast remained silent, but the countless tiny mouths formed from the shattered Evolution Name within its body suddenly opened. Crack.
A pure Daoist interpretation wisp outside the "Silent Beginning - Ring Master Soul Diagram" vanished into thin air. Qin Yu's expression changed drastically, and he immediately stopped the Soul Diagram's rotation, no longer revealing even a trace of his Fate Soul's nature.
The second rule is crystal clear: whether or not it is devoured has nothing to do with attack or destruction, or with good or evil. As long as Qin Yu's original nature and his own Dao intention have even the slightest effect or interference on the giant beast, it can follow this connection and devour its own Dao essence in reverse.
On the third attempt, Qin Yu completely bypassed the Evolution-Devouring Beast form. In the void beside him, the ancient "Book of Fate Law - Realm Severing Origin Brush" slowly materialized, its yellowed pages unfurling on their own. The Realm-Severing Divine Brush hovered silently in the air, rustling softly...
He only allowed the pages of the book to read the rules of heaven and earth of this Rootless Emanation Domain, without exploring the giant beasts, defining the Dao Devouring, or touching the origin of "Wanyan Return-to-Stillness Devouring completely avoiding the Emanation Guardian itself.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths. The Evolution-Devouring Beast remained Ji Ran, revealing not a trace of its devouring. A glint flashed in Qin Yu's eyes; he already knew what was happening. But as the Book of Fate Law penetrated deeper along the boundary of the Emanation Domain, about to touch upon the core nature of "this world cannot generate flavor"—
The Evolution-Devouring Beast suddenly raised its head, and with a thud, a section of the Daoist essence of the origin of the Emanation Domain vanished from the page. It wasn't that the ink was erased or the page was damaged, but rather that the Dao Path Qin Yu used to understand the root of heaven and earth was forcibly severed.
The Book of Fate Law was intact, Realm Severing Origin Brush was flawless. Qin Yu instantly withdrew his supernatural powers, his mind calmed, and the third answer was settled. Distance was meaningless. There was no need for supernatural powers to touch the enemy, no need for spells to get close. As long as Qin Yu's path intervened in this trial and touched the rules of this Emanation Domain, it would become food for the giant beast.
The fourth test. The "Star Wancai Key" quietly manifested in his palm. Qin Yu only displayed the magic weapon's form, without touching the "Edict of Returning to Zero" or exercising any power. The Evolution-Devouring Beast remained Ji Ran.
Qin Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and then he gently pushed the Zeroing Authority of the Wancai Key a line, which landed on a section of dragon bone formed from a foreign remnant on the giant beast's body. This section of dragon bone was formed from an ancient foreign object. Logically speaking, as long as it interferes with his own body through the body of a foreign object, the "Law of Returning to Zero for External Objects" can be dismantled and dissolved according to its origin.
The moment the power was bestowed, signs of disintegration appeared on the surface of the dragon bone. In the next instant, the countless tiny mouths around the Evolution-Devouring Beast opened simultaneously. Thud!!! The Star Wancai Key in its palm remained intact; the magic weapon itself was neither touched nor devoured.
However, the zeroing effect and the Dao Path dissolution that Qin Yu established on the extraterrestrial remnants by relying on the authority of the magic weapon were completely swallowed up as soon as they took shape. The dragon bones that were about to collapse instantly stabilized their shape, and from the Evolution-Devouring Beast's chest cavity, specks of fine stardust slowly emerged and quietly swirled.
Qin Yu's pupils contracted slightly. It had not seized the magic weapon, nor had it plundered its power. What it had swallowed was the "Path of Zero" that Qin Yu had established with the help of the magic weapon. Furthermore, it had transformed this Dao Path into a part of its own body.
Qin Yu immediately retrieved the key, his mind fully comprehending the fourth rule. He completely understood that magic weapons, supernatural powers, external objects, and his own methods were all the same. The external carrier was never the key; as long as the ultimate effect, interference, and influence originated from the very foundation of Qin Yu's Dao, it would be difficult to escape being devoured.
The fifth test, also the most dangerous, saw Qin Yu activate "Void Source · Dream Stillness," without deploying the Five Domains Barrier or expanding the Existence Zero Point, but instead condensing a single, Ultimate pure "zero" at his fingertips, which floated Ji Ran.
The surrounding airspace remained intact, the Sea of Taste remained undisturbed, and there was not a trace of unusual activity or disturbance in the heavens and earth. The Evolution-Devouring Beast remained unmoved. Qin Yu slowly extended half an inch from his fingertip, yet there was still no sign of it attempting to devour him.
Advance another half inch. When that point of "zero" first gave rise to the clear direction of "dissolving the existence of the behemoth and returning to the emptiness of Wanyan"—BOOM!!! The bottomless void in the chest cavity of the Evolution-Devouring Beast suddenly expanded, and the terrifying Dao intent that swallowed all ages instantly locked onto Qin Yu.
The zero point at his fingertips Anran intact, but the fundamental principle that "returns all things to zero and makes the illusory return to silence" suddenly tilted towards the giant mouth and was forcibly pulled away. Qin Yu's wrist trembled violently. This was the first time he had truly felt that his own Dao root had been forcibly peeled off and pulled by external force.
The loss of energy and the disappearance of supernatural powers were not due to the depletion of source energy or the demise of supernatural powers. It was the original source of the Dao heart, which was "why return to zero and why return to stillness," that was being devoured in reverse. Qin Yu made a decisive move, severing his thoughts and dissipating the zero point.
The light in his eyes grew clearer, the path to breaking the deadlock became increasingly clear, and the fifth answer was finally settled. Even the Ultimate principle of nothingness returning to zero and Existence Erasure, as long as Qin Yu transformed it into a method to defeat enemies and practice the Dao, it would still be among the Dao of Dao Devouring.
In a final test, Qin Yu's mind flashed with the "Return to Origin and Sever Retracing and Traverse the Past" technique. This single thought, never taking root, never being unleashed, never fully formed, was merely a fleeting glimpse of the ultimate sword intent capable of annihilating existence and tracing back to the Wanyan. This Ultimate sword intent, capable of directly severing the very existence of beings and tracing back to the origins of all things, had just solidified in his heart into a single point of attack—
Deep within the chest cavity of the Evolution-Devouring Beast, all its mouths turned in unison, locking onto Qin Yu. Qin Yu immediately stopped thinking, completely suppressing his Ultimate sword intent, not revealing even a trace of Daoist essence. In that instant, he had already seen through the Ultimate truth. This ancient beast never waited for its moves to land or for its supernatural powers to manifest.
What it has been waiting for is Qin Yu's determination to establish his own path and his desire to break through the current impasse. It is waiting for him to establish a causal link of "I will use this path to defeat you and overcome you" with what kind of original intention, what kind of legal principle, and what kind of Dao Path.
Power is the outward appearance, supernatural abilities are the form, magical treasures are the vessel, and the Fate Soul is the foundation. Cause and effect, nothingness, returning to zero, annihilation—all principles are merely external manifestations. The true Ultimate core of "Wanyan Return-to-Stillness Devouring"—
It is the root of establishing the Way, the heart of practicing the Way, and the obsession and foundation of all "I take this as the Way". If the Way is established by force, it will devour force; if the Way is established by cause and effect, it will devour cause and effect; if the Way is established by nothingness, it will devour nothingness.
Even if one comprehends the "Wudao" (the Way of Nothingness), if one uses the "Wudao" as a method to defeat the enemy and a way to win, then the "Wudao" itself becomes a path to be devoured and food to be eaten. Qin Yu slowly lowered his hands, and all his supernatural powers were silenced and concealed.
At this moment, he finally understood the terrifying truth of this supreme Dao Devouring: it does not restrain any method or suppress any technique. It restrains all things in the world that possess the Dao. It restrains all beings who say, "I establish this Dao, I practice this Dao, I use this Dao to prove myself."