A Blade Wielded Without Reliance · Walking the Silent Path Alone

In the Black Obsidian Realm Domain, the embers had not yet dissipated, the space was as desolate and cold as the bones of the dead, ashes floated, and the remnants of the Soul Realm flickered like dying starlight.

In this deathly silence—

Suddenly, a tremor struck, and the primal energy that permeated the entire Soul Domain surged forth from the depths of the earth!

Boom! Boom!

The sky shattered, the broken monument crumbled, and a magnificent and blazing golden divine light suddenly burst forth from the depths of the Ancient Soul-Annihilating Forest, which had been sealed off by the "He" realm's authority!

The golden light carried no heat, yet it contained the aura of an extremely ancient Fate Soul realm, as if some kind of "judgment logic" beyond the conventional level of consciousness had been activated, granting control over this place—

Forced handover!

The next second.

Golden light surged like waves, instantly enveloping Qin Yu, who was on the verge of his soul being annihilated.

He didn't struggle, nor was he able to.

At that moment, his soul trembled slightly, as if it had been drawn into a fold by some kind of spatial axis—

In the midst of the surging light, the world changed abruptly.

When Qin Yu opened his eyes again, he was standing in the Ancient Soul-Annihilating Forest.

That wasn't teleportation, nor was it a leap between realms; rather, it was a direct, targeted transfer caused by some kind of "primordial causal relationship."

Before him stood the very being that had once Ancient Soul-Annihilating Forest: the Annihilation Crown Emperor An.

Its massive body still lingers in that deep forest ravine, its enormous soul horn piercing the sky like a divine blade, and nine layers of crown patterns floating on its forehead, shimmering with blazing light, like the crown of a god yet to awaken.

Beside it, three immovable, dark figures slowly opened their eyes—

Those were three slumbering, mid-level Dark Beings of the No Consciousness Realm, originating from the guardians of the Primordial Annihilation Realm, who had been forced into hibernation by "His" sealing spell.

But at this moment, their pupils quietly lit up, as if they had been forcibly awakened by cause and effect.

Their souls had not yet fully recovered, yet at that moment—

I saw Qin Yu.

He stood beneath the shattered void, the light and flames behind him not yet completely fading, his entire being resembling a Realm Breaking sword cleaved from the underworld.

His entire body was stained with blood, half of his soul armor was tattered, and the deathly light had not yet faded.

What shocked them even more was --

The black annihilation sword in his hand was still dripping with the remnants of shattered souls:

The Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword.

--On it, the ashes of His command still remain.

And, after the woman's soul disintegrated, the "Soul Extinction Core" was burned away Fate-Cause the judgment.

They recognized it at a glance:

These two wisps of energy had suppressed this place for hundreds of millions of years.

Now, all are destroyed.

... A flicker of emotion, never before seen, surfaced deep within Annihilation Crown Emperor An's pupils.

That wasn't intimidation, nor was it hostility.

That was a terrifying instinct belonging to the ancient guardians:

"Who... actually... killed them?"

Before the golden light had faded, the atmosphere deep within the Ancient Soul-Annihilating Forest became quieter than ever before.

Annihilation Crown Emperor An, as the Primordial Soul Guardian of this Realm, slowly looked down at the youth before him. Complex soul-colored light rippled in his divine eyes, a tremor of consciousness that had never been seen in countless ages.

It gazed for a long time, and finally slowly spoke:

"Young man... you... really... Annihilation them completely?"

The sound, like the resounding echo of an ancient boundary marker, entered Qin Yu's sea of consciousness, causing a slightly uncomfortable tremor.

Qin Yu remained unmoved, merely nodding slightly, his eyes filled with indifference and vigilance. His gaze never left the life crown pattern between the eyebrows of the Annihilation Crown Emperor An, ready to draw his sword and strike at any moment.

The trust that this Soul Realm placed in him had long since burned out.

He calmly gazed at the four colossal ancient soul figures and coldly spoke:

"If you want to fight, then continue."

There was no testing, no pretense.

Having already slain the Obsidian Beasts and their master, he no longer cared about destroying another ancient soul.

The words had barely left his mouth.

Annihilation Crown Emperor An's eyes trembled violently, and then his massive body slowly lowered a few inches, the nine crown patterns concealing their blazing light, as if suppressed by some kind of "rank consciousness".

Its voice was low and solemn, yet clearly filled with awe and respect:

"No... no... Your Excellency... you've misunderstood."

"We are not hostile... we dare not."

"You are... our salvation."

As he finished speaking, the three mid-level Dark Beings of the No Consciousness Realm simultaneously bowed their heads, their postures extremely humble, and uttered their concluding words in unison:

"We... have long been trapped in the core of this Soul Realm, and we know not how many cycles of reincarnation we have endured."

"It was He and that woman who forcibly sealed our three soul imprints, so that in each era we could only swallow outsiders according to our own will."

"Every life that enters this realm... is a sacrifice."

"We... are powerless to resist, and can only become the shadow of the defenders."

Annihilation Crown Emperor An, reiterated this point again, speaking slowly and with Ultimate caution:

"It was you who severed that woman's soul and destroyed her structure."

"In this realm... we are no longer the ones in chains, but the ones who are free."

"You are not just a slayer of enemies—you are... the one who ultimately Cause Severance the wheel."

It lowered its head and spoke in a low voice:

"This ring of life and consciousness, I humbly submit to you as -- the Lord of Tranquility Threshold."

The three beings whispered in unison, "By Your Majesty."

Qin Yu remained silent.

He showed no sign of emotion, his gaze remaining calm as he slowly sheathed the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword, the coldness in his eyes receding slightly.

Within the sea of consciousness, the shattered [Ring Master Soul Diagram] flickered slightly, seemingly recording the "attitude transformation" of the entire domain's logic at this moment.

The battle is over. And the name of the Lord has been established in this realm.

The ancient forest is silent, the boundary bridge is about to close.

Qin Yu stood silently in the void, his soul still not fully recovered, but his gaze gradually regained its clarity.

Annihilation Crown Emperor An and the three beings prostrated themselves before him, as respectful as when they were ministers guarding the Heavenly Terrace, not daring to overstep their bounds.

At this moment, Qin Yu finally spoke, his voice indifferent yet sharp:

"What happened to the thirteen men in black who were chasing me?"

Annihilation Crown Emperor An slowly raised his head, his expression solemn, his tone extremely respectful:

"Reporting to Your Majesty."

"Those thirteen cultivators who had Primordial Void Supreme Realm were devoured by us and sent to the abyss after you orchestrated this scheme."

"Its destiny, soul, consciousness, and spiritual platform have all Annihilation; Nameless in heaven and earth and can no longer remain."

As he finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent, and Qin Yu simply nodded slightly.

"Good."

His gaze drifted to the far end of the Gray Domain, his eyes devoid of any killing intent.

"Now that I have broken your shackles, and He is no longer here, then... go."

"Freedom is hereafter."

Upon hearing this, Annihilation Crown Emperor An and the three beings fell silent.

They exchanged glances, and an unprecedented hesitation appeared in the eyes of the three dark beings. The Annihilation Crown Emperor An silent for a long time before finally whispering:

"My lord... would you be willing to take us in?"

"Although we are not human, we no longer consider ourselves as beings of the Realm Lock."

"After this battle... we are willing to forsake our freedom and follow you for eternity."

The three beings bowed their heads in unison and echoed in deep voices:

"Your Excellency is the home of all souls in our realm; we are willing to uphold your life and protect you, and rule over a thousand realms."

However, Qin Yu merely smiled slightly, his tone gentle yet unwavering:

"I am just a wandering sword cultivator."

"We will not establish power, nor will we close boundaries. There is nothing about us that you should follow."

"You have been bound for billions of years, don't you want to be truly free just once?"

As the words fell, Annihilation Crown Emperor An and the three beings trembled slightly.

They lowered their heads and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, the Annihilation Crown Emperor An seemed to finally accept this fateful yet gentle rejection. Then, it gently spat out a Soul Pill that shone like a shimmering blue star.

The Soul Pill was spotless, surrounded by a solidified Soul Oath Ring.

It gently lifted the pill into the void and bowed, saying:

"Since our lord refuses to accept us as servants, we dare not insist."

"This is the Fate Soul Golden Core formed from the condensation of our four souls."

"The inner seal resonates with the soul's source of consciousness and the life lock's resonance circuit."

"If Your Majesty encounters a heaven-defying predicament, a mere whisper of your divine sense will summon our three souls and one crown to the Silent Realm in an instant."

The three beings simultaneously swore an oath:

"When all realms Bugui, only the Lord's summons will move them."

Qin Yu glanced at the Fate Soul Golden Core, then gently lifted his fingertip, causing the golden core to transform into light and sink into the deepest part of his sea of consciousness between his brows.

The Ring Master Soul Diagram resonated faintly, and it was inscribed as one of the summonable soul rings.

He nodded. "I understand."

... The Annihilation Crown Emperor An a slight step back, his body gradually turning into a gray shadow, and together with the three beings, slowly entered the void gate into the depths of the Ash Abyss.

Before they left, they whispered in unison:

"May your lord Bugui with a single sword strike, and Nameless in countless battles."

The sound faded into the distance. The entire Obsidian Soul Realm fell into complete silence.

From this day forward, there will be no more "He," no more woman, no more blockade, no more wronged souls in this place.

Only the gray shadow of Qin Yu remains, lingering in the deepest folds of time and space.

The Ancient Soul-Annihilating Forest, is silent and still.

The boundary has fallen silent, the oppressive force of the soul has long since dissipated, and all things in the forest are asleep and speechless.

Deep within an ancient abyss, untouched by war, lies a hidden cave nestled beneath withered rocks.

At this moment, Qin Yu was sitting cross-legged in the center of the cave, his tattered battle clothes still intact, bloodstains still unwashed, Ring Master Soul Diagram temporarily dormant, with only a faint light protecting his soul consciousness.

A soft blue light appeared on his right shoulder.

That was Azure Ring's spiritual manifestation, slowly emitting gentle waves of soul healing, repairing the remaining cracks in his consciousness, the erosion of his life chains, and the turbulence in his sea of consciousness, gradually reconstructing the rhythm of his life consciousness.

While healing, Qin Yu remained silent, his expression serene, simply closing his eyes.

But within his consciousness, waves of memories had quietly stirred.

That battle.

From beginning to end, he never summoned Azure Ring to assist him in the battle.

Even at the most critical moment when his soul was in danger, his consciousness core was about to crack, and his life seal was backfiring, he did not use any "external help". He relied solely on himself, the main seal, the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword, and his remnant soul to complete the annihilation of Him.

Azure Ring silently healed his wounds for a long time, finally letting out a soft laugh, her voice carrying a gentle yet slightly smug tone:

"You... you didn't even require me to lift a finger from beginning to end."

"I watched you and that thing endure the storm of fate for seven days and seven nights."

"You're getting stronger and stronger to be able to suppress my interference."

"This is truly 'the embodiment of my will,' hahaha!"

As the voice faded, Azure Ring's spirit body flickered slightly, as if circling around him in a coquettish manner, yet also carrying a hint of pride.

Qin Yu slightly opened his eyes, looked at his still unhealed metacarpal bone, and simply said:

"I need that battle."

"Completely, with my own strength."

Azure Ring nodded. "Indeed, after that battle, the defense chain deep within your soul consciousness has now formed a closed loop. Even against a creator at the level of writing destiny, you are qualified to 'defy the main logic'."

But the next moment, Azure Ring's tone shifted slightly, and she asked a seemingly casual yet meaningful question:

However...

"Why don't you take in those three souls and one crown? Especially since there's still that threat, Mirror Abyss Yu, in this gray ruins secret realm."

"Wouldn't it be safer to take them in?"

Qin Yu did not answer immediately, but instead looked down at the slowly repairing consciousness chain in his palm.

After a moment, he spoke calmly:

"One's own path needs no excessive constraints."

Even if the constraints are well-intentioned.

Azure Ring paused for a moment, then didn't interrupt.

Qin Yu continued:

"They've been imprisoned for billions of years, those days..."

I've felt that way too.

"I was able to break free from their shackles because I understand the pain of being unable to leave one's own proposition."

"Therefore, I do not want them to fall into another causal chain called 'following' out of gratitude."

His eyes were clear as he looked out at the silent light of day outside the cave:

"If one day they truly wish to return, it will not be because of constraints, but rather..."

"The path they chose to take."

... Azure Ring didn't speak again, but floated gently above his sea of consciousness, as if silently watching him continue to heal, feeling his silent belief that belonged to the strong.