Fate-Trace Main Palace · Star Source of No Return

Before the light of annihilation had faded and the golden glow of the temple shimmered, Qin Yu, Yan Yue, Zi Xue, Yunyi, and Extinguished Light walked slowly forward, stepping into the depths of the inner hall of the Star Annihilation Fate Palace Divine Temple.

Before them stood a spiral staircase leading deeper into the distance.

Unlike ordinary stone steps, this spiral staircase is not made of bricks and stones, but is carved from a legendary spiritual stone that is said to be "transcendent from the source of the world". Each step reflects the illusion of an entire universe.

With each step, layers of causal patterns, annihilating radiance, and illusory light of destiny flow across the surface of the spirit stone.

The entire staircase is not fixed, but rotates upwards in a reverse logical manner, in a counter-chronological Reverse Order.

"This is not an ordinary passage..." Yan Yue a low voice, her gaze sweeping over the fading gold bricks and jade tiles below the steps.

Zi Xue's gaze was solemn. "Every step... feels like traversing the primordial memories of some world."

Yunyi jumped up curiously as if she had seen a toy, and stepped onto a certain step. Under that step, she saw the image of the moment when her three soul dragons merged into one.

"It's the spirit stone reading our soul core memories." Extinguished Light's eyes shone with a deep light. She could sense that the staircase itself was a soul consciousness reflector—it constantly projected fragments of the traveler's past, present, and even future, to reflect and... filter them.

"It has nothing to do with recognition, nor with the battle." A glint of blue light flashed in Qin Yu's eyes as he said calmly, "This is the Life Rank."

Everyone was startled. He looked towards the top of the spiral staircase, at the end shrouded in mist, and his voice was as soft as the wind:

"Ascend to the top, and your destiny will be reshaped."

The group exchanged glances, but said nothing, and slowly stepped onto the spiraling spirit stone staircase.

The universe beneath their feet spun, soul patterns reflected, and their sea of consciousness trembled slightly. The world seemed to gradually "break free from old logic" with each step they took.

The entire temple trembled slightly. The whispers from the depths of the Fate Abyss seemed to draw ever closer...

Climbing step by step, traversing the Fate-Cause Spiral Stairway,

The moment Qin Yu, Yan Yue, Zi Xue, Yunyi, and Extinguished Light stepped into the second level, the world around them suddenly changed.

This is the true main hall of the temple.

The four walls rise high like mountain ranges, making the entire main hall seem Non-Existence in the physical world, but rather embedded in a "fragment of a record of fate".

What's even more astonishing is that those domes and walls were actually pieced together and cut from billions of "fragments of cause and effect"!

Each fragment records the causal chain of a lost world: time, logic, reincarnation, destruction...

Countless abandoned laws and lifelines, like fireflies and scattered gold, formed this main hall that transcends the concept of existence.

At the very front of the main hall--

A throne stands amidst seven life lines, embedded in the refracting center of the Milky Way in the dome.

The throne is entirely made of Annihilation Radiance Star Jade, and is engraved with countless linguistic imprints of vanished civilizations, as if it carries fragments of the entire universe.

But what is truly shocking is that a body sits upright on the throne.

That was a "being" who had been dead for billions of epochs.

He sat quietly on the throne, his head slightly lowered, his face blurred yet his features resolute; his limbs did not move, yet he seemed to press down on the boundless universe.

Even more chilling is:

His body showed no signs of decay or decay; his skin shone as if new. Though his soul was still, it had not yet dissipated, as if he were asleep, or perhaps waiting for a "destined moment."

Yan Yue murmured softly, "He... has been dead for countless eons, yet it seems as if he could open his eyes at any moment..."

Zi Xue's expression turned solemn. "This is not a corpse, this is the embodiment of 'before time'... Even his death was sealed outside of his Fate-Cause."

Yunyi dared not approach, but whispered to Qin Yu, "This main hall of the temple... probably holds the secrets of the entire Annihilation Abyss Overarching Realm."

Extinguished Light didn't speak, but the way she looked up and gazed at him revealed that she too had sensed the extraordinary nature of this person.

Just then, in Qin Yu's sea of consciousness, Azure Ring trembled slightly but made no sound. Instead, it faintly released a shielding light to block the soul pressure from returning to that figure.

The main hall was silent, time seemed to stand still, and only the silent body of the king sat quietly in the center of the Abyss of Fate Abyss.

Who is he? Why is he sitting here?

Who, then, is qualified to awaken him from this throne of Fate Abyss?

--The unknown is approaching from this moment on.

Just as Qin Yu and his companions were about to approach the mysterious body seated on the throne—

Suddenly!

Outer Realms of the Temple: Space-Time Tremor.

A resounding question, imbued with the sovereignty of the stars and the judgment of destiny, crashed down like a thunderbolt from the heavens, echoing throughout the entire soul domain structure of the main hall:

"Who are you, daring to trespass into the [Star Annihilation Fate Palace]!"

The sound, like the resonance of ten thousand stars, like the low murmur of a billion Fate Soul, shook the entire palace, and even the dead body on the throne trembled slightly.

Qin Yu and his group of five tensed up instantly, each quickly taking half a step back, releasing their divine sense and soul power, and activating their battle stance.

Yan Yue frowned slightly, the shimmering flames dancing between her fingers, and murmured, "This voice... it doesn't sound like a ghost, nor a weapon spirit, but more like a star guardian of some higher will."

The next moment—the person appeared.

A figure slowly emerged from the layer of soul light behind the temple.

It was a being clad in starlight armor, holding a longsword that shimmered with starlight in its left hand. The blade was neither gold nor iron, but was forged from the core of the ancient star Annihilation Abyss. As the blade trembled slightly, it was as if tens of thousands of stars were trembling in sync.

In his right hand he held a Star Shield, the surface of which displayed an annihilation star map. With each step he took, thousands of star trails stretched out across the void to protect him.

Its appearance is very similar to the Star Knights of legend from another world—but it is more magnificent and of a higher dimension.

This person was completely covered in starlight armor, the only thing exposed being his eyes, which were as blue as the abyss of the heavens, burning with the starlight and fire of intertwined destinies.

As he moved forward, stardust formed rings behind him, and countless runes appeared in the void. With each step he took, large vortexes of starlight would appear on the floor of the main hall.

"This place is the site Annihilation Abyss by the last lord of the Annihilation Abyss; no one but those destined to enter may set foot here."

"You—who gave you the guts?"

His voice wasn't angry, but it carried an imposing divine authority, as if he could decide life and death with just his words, without even lifting a finger.

Qin Yu stared intently, Azure Ring stirred slightly in her sea of consciousness, but remained silent.

Yunyi whispered to Yan Yue, "This guard... is not only strong in combat, he's probably even bound to the temple's Origin Life Mark. If we don't deal with him properly, he might be sealed off by the entire temple structure."

Extinguished Light spoke calmly, "A single guard is already comparable to True Immortal beyond the absolute dimension of time."

Zi Xue stared intently at his sword and shield. "This person possesses extremely strong causal binding power. If we act rashly, we might even lose our 'qualification to act'."

The guard did not immediately attack, but slowly raised his star shield, which shone with starlight onto the five people.

Tell us where you came from and what your destiny is.

"If there is any deception... this shield will directly detonate the 'Unmanifested Fate-Cause,' causing your sea of consciousness to burn away."

The scene froze completely.

Facing the knightly being radiating starlight and oppressive aura, Qin Yu remained calm, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and spoke in a low voice:

"Please forgive us, senior. We meant no harm. When we passed through this place, the waterfall reversed, and the underwater temple opened automatically. We simply followed the flow into it, without any intention of spying or disrespect."

His voice was sincere, filled with utmost respect, yet without a trace of servility.

The Star Guardian, wielding a shield and sword, lowered his head slightly, seemingly gazing at Qin Yu. The next moment, the two deep blue star flames in his eyes flickered slowly before finally subsiding.

The Starshine Sword trembled slightly and was sheathed behind him; the Star Shield spun slightly and circled around him, as if a test that had never truly erupted had come to an end.

He spoke slowly, his voice low but no longer sharp:

"Your aura... is different from those who covet the temple's source power."

"Without greed, without disrespect... and unusually, without touching the root cause of Fate Que."

At this point, his gaze swept over the five men, finally sheathing his swords and shields, his tone turning solemn and dignified:

"Neither a diviner nor possessor of the power to guide the True Soul."

"If that's the case, then come with me—to meet the Lord of the Immortal Source."

Before the words were finished, the dome deep inside the main hall suddenly trembled.

At this moment, the body seated on the throne emitted a faint golden "residual light of the Fate Soul." However, it did not awaken; it was merely the prelude to some kind of awakening process.

The Star Knight lightly stepped into the void, and a gate of divine runes, interwoven with causal components, reincarnation threads, and star-destiny inscriptions, immediately appeared on the ground.

Behind the door, a long staircase leading to the Star Abyss slowly extends out, seemingly connecting to the unknown realm deeper within the temple.

With his back to the crowd, he said in a deep voice, "The temple has appeared in the world, and the Lord of the Immortal Source has reappeared in the 'Star Annihilation Fate Palace'."

Whether you can gain its recognition depends on your own destiny and the causes of your soul.

"From this moment forward, those who enter are no longer guests, but—candidates for the mandate of heaven."

These words immediately sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

Yan Yue's eyes flickered slightly, and she said softly, "So... only now can we officially say that we've entered the core layer of the temple."

Zi Xue whispered, "The so-called Lord of Immortal Source... is he dead, alive, or exists in another state?"

Yunyi crossed her arms and walked up the steps, saying playfully, "Nobody should back down! Meeting the 'Immortal Source Master' might be even more rewarding than taking a bath in the Star River."

Extinguished Light materialized and stood there, calmly saying, "His power... is ancient and peculiar. It doesn't seem like that of a 'living person,' yet it doesn't belong to death."

Qin Yu remained silent for a moment, then looked up at the end of the Star Abyss Staircase.

Azure Ring trembled slightly in his mind—but she did not speak.

He stepped forward and said in a deep voice:

"Let's go. Regardless of who they are, since we're here, let's give them a greeting."

The true core of the Star Annihilation Fate Palace slowly opened.

The group moved silently, following the Starry Knight, and stepped into the gate of divine runes woven from causal threads, reincarnation patterns, and star-destiny components.

The moment they crossed that threshold, time and space seemed to pause slightly.

--This is not an ordinary space travel, but the arrival of the Fate-Cause Projection Realm.

An ancient and clear rumble spread out beneath their feet. The scene before them changed abruptly; it was no longer a tangible scene built of temple bricks and tiles, but a grand staircase of destiny shrouded in starlight.

There are no walls, no roof, no dome here, only a series of floating staircases winding upwards in a spiral towards the sky. Countless starlight components surround the edges of the staircases like fragmented streams, as if continuing a fate that has long been "lost".

Each step of the staircase seems to press down on a dimension of time.

The Star Knight led the way, his back as straight as a mountain, shields on his back, sword sheathed, his steps steady and unyielding.

Qin Yu, Yan Yue, Zi Xue, Yunyi, and Extinguished Light followed closely behind, all knowing that this path was extraordinary, but none of them backed down.

After stepping out of the Gate of Divine Runes, the group entered a realm called: Fate-Cause Star Abyss Terrace.

This is the final observation step before the Immortal Source Master's "Fate-Trace Establishment Hall," recording the fate trajectory, consciousness, and Fate-Cause those who come. Legend has it that only five types of people can complete this path:

The choice of the carrier of the Fate Book, the reconstructor of reverse causes, the one with Severed Observation and knowledge, the one with a crippled destiny, and the host.

Yan Yue murmured to herself. In the light and shadow before her, she seemed to see a white-haired woman who had walked this path years ago, each step a star, her soul's breath extremely weak, yet as firm as ever.

Zi Xue frowned and gazed at the sky, the intricate trajectory of fate flowing in her pupils, as if some kind of star soul reflection was reviving.

Yunyi continued walking with a playful smile, but instead of stepping on the stone steps, she floated on the starlight in the void. With each step, countless fragments of consciousness rippled around her.

Extinguished Light was the most silent. She seemed to know the rules of this place all along. She walked step by step, but six annihilation star chains appeared behind her, representing that she had completely erased the main cause of six different worlds.

Qin Yu remained unmoved, and Azure Ring remained silent. Only Qin Yu's fingers lightly traced a glimmer of light deep within his sea of consciousness, as if something—

The "original name" has not yet been revealed.

When they reached the ninety-ninth step of the Fate-Cause Star Abyss Terrace, the Star Knight suddenly stopped.

He slowly raised his hand, and the void in front of him slowly opened, revealing a palace gate entirely forged from runes of destiny, its name imprinted on starlight:

Fate-Trace Main Palace, Star Source of No Return

He didn't turn around, but simply whispered, "We're here."

Whether the Immortal Source Master will summon me next is beyond my control.

What you will face is not a test, not hostility, nor a reward, but—the echo of fate.

He raised his right hand, and the starlight shield behind him extinguished on its own, leaving him standing still like a statue.

And the seamless door of the Starlight Palace, covered with characters bearing the marks of destiny, was slowly opening.