Midway through his journey, the casual conversations of the fellow cultivators ahead of him reached his ears clearly.
"Are you still in such a hurry to get going?" A middle-aged cultivator shook his head slightly as he sped along, a hint of cautious helplessness in his eyes. "My senior brother already sent word yesterday that the outer perimeter of the Ancient Gate Secret Realm is already overflowing with people, practically impossible to squeeze through."
Several cultivators nearby turned their heads upon hearing the sound and looked at him.
The middle-aged cultivator continued in a deep voice, "I've heard that the area around the source of the Eternal Silence Long River has long been occupied by various forces, with their outposts stretching out in a continuous line, leaving almost no empty space. Yet, to this day, no one dares to take the first step, no one is the first to venture into the ancient gate."
A young cultivator nearby immediately nodded in agreement. "I also received a message from our master. He specifically instructed my fellow disciples and me that once we arrive at the secret realm, we must not rush to be the first to step into the ancient gate."
Another experienced cultivator looked particularly solemn. He raised his eyes to gaze at the vast, dark void in the distance, and slowly spoke in a low voice, "That's true. Although the ancient gate has been fully opened..."
However, the cultivators who arrived first reported that the black mist behind the door was as thick as ink and unfathomable. No matter how they probed with their divine sense, they would be swallowed up by the black mist, unable to discern anything. No one could say what mysteries and dangers were hidden inside.
His brows furrowed, his tone tinged with apprehension. "If there are ancient restrictions hidden within the sect, or if the first group to enter inadvertently triggers the original restrictions and secret realm rules left behind by the Venerable of the Great Dao's Root and Fruit, then it will be a catastrophe."
A cultivator standing nearby, however, disagreed, laughing loudly, "What's the use of worrying so much? Everyone's standing around watching now, are we going to stay outside forever? Sooner or later, someone will be unable to resist and will be the first to jump in. Besides, the top talents of the Lineage have all come here this time. With them leading the way, why should we cultivators be overly timid?"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone around subtly changed.
"Those prodigies entered the fray together..." An old man slowly shook his head, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "This trip to the Primordial Grave will likely involve a fierce and earth-shattering battle. If the secret realm personally sealed by the Venerable of the Great Dao's Root and Fruit truly contains his life's legacy and supreme treasures, who would willingly hand it over and give it up for nothing?"
Someone immediately chimed in, "It's not just the Lineage. The Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain harbors countless ancient monsters who have remained hidden from the world for years, as well as many ancient lineages that have never participated in the conflicts of the Lineage. This time, they have all been disturbed by the opportunities in the secret realm. Once they truly step into the secret realm and the chaotic world begins, who will care about their usual status, seniority, or the rules of power?"
At this point, the man couldn't help but chuckle softly, his eyes revealing a hint of clarity and indifference.
Another cultivator, with a magnanimous spirit, patted the wine gourd hanging from his waist and chuckled leisurely, "You all are thinking too far ahead. The core inheritance and original treasures of the Venerable of the Great Dao's Root and Fruit are simply out of reach for ordinary cultivators like us. Why indulge in wishful thinking?"
Everyone turned to look at him, but he didn't care at all, and smiled calmly, "For us, as long as we can enter safely and leave unscathed, and casually seize an opportunity, it won't be a wasted trip. Whether it's an ancient cultivation technique, a secret manual of the heavens, or a peerless divine weapon or a protective magic treasure, obtaining just one of them is enough to rewrite our own cultivation destiny and forge an unparalleled foundation."
Upon hearing this, the people around reacted in various ways. Some were consumed by burning greed, some pondered silently with hidden caution, and others became increasingly vigilant and fearful.
Qin Yu remained silent, blending into the crowd, listening intently to their conversations and absorbing all the information. The ancient gate was fully open, shrouded in black mist, its true nature impossible to discern with divine sense. Even now, no one dared to be the first to enter.
His eyes were clear and calm, and he understood that since he left the Chi Lineage, the situation at the Primordial Grave had quietly undergone new changes.
He did not deliberately speed up to avoid drawing too much attention, but maintained the pace of an ordinary cultivator, steadily approaching the Fifth Multidimensional Universe with the vast crowd. Along the way, similar discussions continued and became more and more frequent.
The closer they got to the Primordial Grave, the larger the number of cultivators that gathered became. At first, there were only dozens or hundreds of people traveling together, but after crossing the last long section of the void passage, they had already formed an overwhelming and endless torrent of cultivators, a terrifying sight.
After traveling at high speed for an unknown period of time, the dark and desolate void ahead suddenly underwent a strange change. A vast, ancient, and eternally silent aura swept in from the ends of the earth, heavy and solemn, pressing down on people's minds and spirits.
Qin Yu looked up and gazed into the distance. The Fifth Multidimensional Universe, the Primordial Grave, had finally been reached.
When he truly set foot on the outer reaches of this universe, even though he was already used to seeing a constant stream of cultivators traveling along the way, the magnificent scene before him still made his gaze slightly narrow. As far as the eye could see, the world was filled with the figures of cultivators, densely packed and boundless.
Some had just crossed over and were waiting for their fellow disciples; some were in small groups, exchanging information about the secret realm; and many more went without stopping, speeding straight towards the depths of the Primordial Grave.
The distant void continued to tear open, with spatial rifts appearing one after another. Swoosh! A massive army of cultivators stepped out from the rifts. Above the sky, dozens of streaks of light traversed the heavens, hurtling through the air. In the even higher reaches of the firmament, a vast legion of hundreds and thousands of cultivators was rapidly advancing along the ancient and devastated landmass.
Cultivators from the First Multidimensional Universe's Skeleton Star Sea, cultivators from the Second Multidimensional Universe's Destruction Labyrinth, cultivators from the Third Multidimensional Universe's Annihilation Continent, cultivators from the Fourth Multidimensional Universe's Void Dharma Realm... all the cultivation forces from across the entire Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain are crossing dimensional barriers and converging on this Ultimate secret realm.
Qin Yu didn't linger to observe for long. He quickly realized that although the cultivators from all directions came from different places and entered from different locations, they were all heading to the same destination—the far north.
Qin Yu slowly raised his eyes with the flow of people, his gaze piercing through the vast and desolate Primordial Grave, looking towards the distant northern frontier that was separated by endless void and difficult to directly reach. There, was the source of the Eternal Silence Long River, the initial origin from which all concepts of the end of the world were born, and the final resting place where all laws return to stillness and all things come to an end.
Legend has it that deep within the true origin of the Eternal Silence Long River lies a special secret realm, which even the Ultimate Dao, "Annihilation," cannot touch or corrupt. Light ceases there, darkness ends there; neither the mundane definitions of existence nor nothingness can depict the true nature of that realm.
The ancient stone gate, sealed for millennia by the Venerable of the Great Dao's Root and Fruit, now stands quietly within this Ultimate realm, its gates fully opened.
Qin Yu stood outside the Primordial Grave, his gray robe fluttering gently in the ancient Daoist wind blowing from afar. From all directions, countless cultivators passed by him, all heading towards the Northern Frontier, without exception.
He gazed silently for a moment, his eyes deepening and becoming more profound. After a short while, he took a step forward, his figure moving steadily forward, heading straight for the source of the Eternal Silence Long River.
The further north Qin Yu ventured into the Primordial Grave, the more subdued and desolate the once bustling world became. He mingled steadily among the vast torrent of cultivators, his gray robes fluttering gently in the air currents created by his rapid movement.
The number of cultivators gathering along the way only increased, from the initial scattered hundreds or thousands to the convergence and fusion of people from all directions. Looking up, a sky full of flowing light spread across the somber sky, and countless cultivation auras crisscrossed, all heading towards the far north.
But as they drew closer to their destination, the earlier booming sounds that pierced the air, the rising and falling voices of discussion, and the clamor of urging each other on gradually subsided into silence. Countless cultivators slowed their pace, and the fervent excitement they had felt on their journey faded away, replaced by a solemn and cautious expression.
Qin Yu also raised his eyes and gazed into the distance, his gaze piercing through layers of void ahead. A vast, endless river stretched silently across the Ultimate depths of the Primordial Grave — the Eternal Silence Long River.
The river surface was devoid of its usual flowing waves, only vast expanses of dark, intertwined traces of light swirling and converging slowly towards its northern source. Qin Yu continued forward with the flow of people, and the closer he got to the river's origin, the thinner the dark traces of light on its surface became. In the end, even the outline of the Eternal Silence Long River itself gradually became blurred and indistinct.
Further on, Myriad Phenomena Return to Stillness.
The ancient, broken mountains that stretched across the Primordial Grave land all vanished, the ancient star remains scattered across the heavens quietly disappeared, and even the occasional traces of time in the world were completely severed.
The Eternal Silence Long River eventually extends to the edge of a desolate secret realm beyond the definition of ordinary territory. Countless cultivators have already gathered here, their densely packed figures stretching endlessly to both sides of the outer edge of the secret realm.
The group's cultivation levels varied, and their origins and attire differed greatly, yet no one spoke aloud, and the entire world was eerily quiet. All eyes were fixed on the ancient figure standing before them.
Qin Yu followed the gaze of the crowd and slowly stopped in his tracks. This was the first time in his life that he had seen the true face of the Ancient Gate of Myriad Dharmas.
The ancient gate stands silently at the Ultimate source of the Eternal Silence Long River, its vast and ancient aura overwhelming, making it impossible to fathom the long years it has stood there. This timeless vicissitude has long transcended the definition of mundane traces of time such as mottled damage and decay.
The entire stone gate remains intact and majestic as ever. Yet, simply standing here quietly evokes the illusion that the vastness of heaven and earth, and the eternity of time, cannot compare to its antiquity. Throughout countless eras of rise and fall in the Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain Realm, countless powerful clans have perished, and countless peerless experts have returned to dust. Only this ancient gate stands above the torrent of time, silently guarding the eternal space and time.
The gate stands tall and imposing, flanked by two incredibly thick ancient pillars. Their surfaces are covered with a rich patina of dark gold and bronze, and the dark textures left by the erosion of time are visible throughout the pillars.
The gateposts are wrapped with layers of ancient ring patterns from bottom to top. Within each ring, there are densely packed, unrecognizable ancient runes. Some of the patterns are dim and have long since merged with the gate, while others still retain a faint golden glow, slowly flickering in the dark and silent world, endlessly.
At the top of the two gateposts, a thick beam runs across both ends, firmly supporting the entire ancient gate. The surface of the beam is not smooth; several nested and overlapping square ancient frames gradually converge from the outside in, and the frame surface is covered with fine, star-like indentations and ancient engravings. Many of the engravings have long been broken and incomplete, but between the broken lines, a wisp of ancient Daoist charm still lingers.
The beams converged inwards, eventually forming a magnificent arched doorway. Three layers of dark gold arc rings nested and intertwined, with the spacing between each ring being extremely precise. Ancient patterns meandered down the curved surface, extending all the way to the bottom of the doorposts.
The myriad patterns were all unique, some mimicking the contours of mountains and rivers, others depicting the flow of stars, and still others rendered with just a few simple strokes. Yet, the moment Qin Yu's gaze fell upon them, his own Fate Soul trembled slightly, generating an inexplicable resonance with the Great Dao.
The most eerie and awe-inspiring part of the entire ancient gate is the innermost door, where there is no door panel to block the view.
The Ancient Gate of Myriad Dharmas has been fully opened, but behind it lies no secret realm or world as anyone had imagined. There are no magnificent palaces, no spiritual veins of mountains and rivers, no dazzling light, and no blessed lands as people speculate. Behind the gate, there is only pure darkness, so deep that it has no boundaries and cannot be measured.