Abyssal Dream's True Form · The Hunt Is About to Begin

Epoch Origin Ash Ruins, Black Mist Hollow Forest, a branch of the Soul Tide in the Eastern Region.

This area, due to its proximity to the Annihilation Collapse Broken Rocks, is known as the "Ash Soul Wind-Erosion Belt." The constant backdrafts of soul winds and chaotic energy make it extremely easy to interfere with divine sense perception, making it the most undesirable edge area for the Heavenly Radiance Hall's routine patrols.

But at this moment, atop a Soul Rend tree deep within this forest, stood a person, motionless.

His black robe billowed slightly, the hem clinging to the cracks in the tree bark, his aura completely sinking into the gray soul layer. Even a powerful expert at the Primordial Void Realm would find it difficult to detect his presence.

Qin Yu.

He gazed silently ahead.

About a hundred feet away, in a secluded valley, six masked figures were having a secret conversation around a floating, fragmented soul scroll.

The voice was deep and contained multiple layers of soul-breath encryption techniques, making it impossible for ordinary cultivators to hear.

But at this moment, Qin Yu had already mobilized the Fate Cause Master Seal - Mirror Returning Ring in his sea of consciousness, folded out the Cause Chain Echo Interface, and clearly locked onto their verbal fluctuations.

--The contents of the secret conversation gradually emerge:

"Mirror Abyss Yu has reached the seventh stage of the Gray Soul realm and is expected to arrive at the return coordinates within three days."

"The first phase of the Destiny Chart and Attraction Manual is nearing completion, and Lord Liang Jichen is also making moves."

"Although the Yu Clan suffered heavy losses, they have decided to send 'Feng Shulin' and 'Yu Yanliu' to perform the 'Redrawing of the Life Chain' at the intersection of the Soul Maps."

"As for Qin Yu... we have not yet been able to detect his exact soul essence, but we deduce that he has not yet escaped the gray ruins."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yu's gaze darkened slightly.

These men in black were not ordinary guards, but rather the "Fate Capture Corps" planted by the True Word Extremity Hall to patrol various realms.

The person responsible for collecting, compiling, and even "convicting" key Fate-Cause.

They mentioned Mirror Abyss Yu and Liang Jichen.

It also mentioned the analysis of Qin Yu's soul trajectory.

This illustrates one thing:

Mirror Abyss Yu himself is related to this "hunting operation against Qin Yu".

Even at crucial moments, Qin Yu remained expressionless, but he had already decided on those six people in his mind.

He didn't act rashly. Because he knew:

These six were merely peripheral scouts; the real threat to him was the Soul Master who was still advancing through the Ash Ruins:

Mirror Abyss · Yu.

After the six men in black finished their secret discussion, they exchanged few words and, after a brief exchange, their six figures instantly pierced through the air like soul blades, flying off in six different directions from where the Gray Soul's Meridians had been severed.

They left no trace.

However, just as one of them had leaped a short distance, crossing the third layer of Soul Rock, from behind—

A tiny ripple in space quietly tore open.

Qin Yu moved as close to the ground as a shadow, locking onto one of the people ten feet behind him, his senses completely absorbed into the edge of the Origin Destroyer Sword.

The person did not sense any fluctuations, but suddenly felt a tightness in their heart and a slight alarm in their soul sense during the flight!

Just as I was about to turn around!

"Pfft—" A sword pierced through the heart.

There was no ripple, no sound.

The Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword did not cause the slightest energy fluctuation; it was merely an absolute annihilation-level thin blade that pierced through, severing the black-clad man's consciousness core, life lock, and soul chain simultaneously!

This person—without even uttering a scream—collapsed and fell to the ground, turning into the quietest dust before the blood could spread.

Qin Yu's gaze was calm, and he continued walking, instantly dragging the body into a soul bone rift valley below, using the gray rocks to conceal the fluctuations of soul energy.

Then, he took out a remnant soul token from his pocket.

The token was cast from Black Bone, and a soul-patterned ancient character appeared prominently on it:

"Dream"

Below, in small, pale gold characters, is inscribed: Xiao Menglin

Nightmare God Clan - Intermediate Disciple

Qin Yu's expression remained unchanged; he merely smiled slightly, but his eyes gradually turned cold.

"The Nightmare God Clan... It's been a long time since I've heard of them. You were the ones who laid an ambush when I returned from the Annihilation Abyss Epoch."

The Nightmare Clan resides in the deepest secrets of the Annihilation Origin Soul Abyss. They were one of the last few "Soul Inscription Clans" before the fall of the Deep Dream Domain.

They are known for their ability to enter consciousness through dreams and subconscious constructs, silently writing into the consciousness of others and manipulating their commands, behaviors, and even beliefs.

In the early days of the Source of Epochless, they were designated as a "forbidden race".

However, he still participates in the fate-hunting sequence of the True Word Extremity Hall and Mirror Abyss Yu under the name of "intermediate disciple".

This is enough to prove that "the nightmare is not over."

"Mirror Abyss Yu is not merely on patrol."

Qin Yu slowly put the token into his sleeve and muttered to himself:

"Xiao Menglin —since you are the one destined to capture, then I will..."

"I'll take over your 'life'."

He then peeled a Dream Bone Emblem from its body and used the [Mirror Returning Ring] of the Fate Cause Master Seal to rewrite the surface of its aura. The appearance of the Soul Chart changed instantly, becoming no different from Xiao Menglin's.

Once the soul's essence had transformed, the consciousness was completely overwritten.

He sheathed the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword and turned his gaze back to the direction Xiao Menglin had originally flown:

"Dream Clan Reporter... It's time to set off."

"This is perfect opportunity for me to see what schemes your 'Yu Fate Squad' has set up."

Epoch Origin Ash Ruins, beneath the Wind-Eroded Ash Ridge Cliff.

Storms cannot penetrate this place, and ashes gather here. A secluded valley hidden in the fault line is shielded by a natural soul pattern array, untouched by any patrolling soul patterns.

Qin Yu slowly stepped into the cliff, removed Xiao Menglin's mask and token, and gently placed them on the rock.

Then, he quietly closed his eyes, and his consciousness subtly fluctuated.

A rune appeared between his brows.

--A flash of azure soul light appeared.

Fate Soul Golden Core.

This is the core of the Fate Soul oath Annihilation Crown Emperor An and three mid-level Dark Beings in the No Consciousness Realm.

Once activated by the soul, this object can forcibly draw upon the consciousness of its original self throughout the entire realm, ignoring the suppression of spatial logic.

At this moment, Qin Yu slowly activated his soul consciousness.

The next moment, the void trembled slightly.

Four dark figures, like shattered stars in Ash Abyss, silently descended behind him amidst the swirling space.

The one at the very front was none other than the Annihilation Crown Emperor An, whose body was a colossal vessel of soul flames and whose crown was covered by two horns.

The other three were ancient souls that had awakened and returned from the forbidden realm. They stood in a circle, their soul energy stabilizing, without releasing any pressure.

All four bowed their heads, making no attempt to communicate, and awaited their master's summons.

A few breaths later, Annihilation Crown Emperor An spoke softly, his tone even more respectful and calm than when he was in the Obsidian Soul Hall:

"Your Excellency... what are your orders?"

There wasn't a single ulterior motive in his tone.

That was the complete voice of the Fate Soul's belonging.

Qin Yu did not speak immediately.

He simply stood with his hands behind his back, slowly turned around, and glanced at the four ancient soul figures, his eyes showing no joy or anger.

He walked slowly forward, stopped in front of the black rocks, and looked at the edge of the deep valley where the gray light swirled in the wind.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

The voice was not loud, but every word seemed to be drawn from the depths of the Soul Sea and destiny.

Annihilation Crown Emperor An was startled upon hearing this.

The three beings simultaneously looked up, their expressions revealing an unprecedented turmoil and astonishment.

But they did not question it.

There was no resistance.

They simply responded slowly and in unison, "We will obey Your Majesty's command."

Having said that, the four figures vanished into the void once more, leaving not even a trace behind.

Qin Yu stood still, glanced at Xiao Menglin's token, and muttered to himself:

"The preparations that needed to be made... are complete." "This 'dream'—it's time to wake up."

Epoch Origin Ash Ruins, Eastern Abyss Hidden Layer, Nightmare Breath Traversing Realm.

Before the storm arrived, the soul clouds were silent. Space seemed frozen at the boundary of an "unwritten chapter," and all the remaining light in the sky carried a pale blue glow distorted by the soul.

Above all this, a figure was slowly walking through the air.

He wore a gray-blue battle robe with life patterns, his face was cold and aloof, and a barely perceptible nightmare soul pattern on his forehead was like a closed, unawakened eye.

Xiao Menglin.

That is, Qin Yu.

But at this moment, "Qin Yu" no longer possesses any outward characteristics related to "Qin Yu".

He activated the core "identity reflection mechanism" within [Fate Cause Master Seal - Mirror Returning Ring], precisely overwriting "Xiao Menglin's " life chain records, conception frequency, soul consciousness value, perception response, and logical jump chains in this Gray Domain one by one.

This is neither "disguise" nor "disguise".

Instead, the name "Xiao Menglin" is remapped as "him" within the world's logic.

In short: unless one is at the Supreme level of the Only Book Realm, or is an expert in "external senses of destiny", it is impossible to see through it.

Even the elders of the same clan who had cultivated alongside Xiao Menglin since childhood, the recorders of his destiny, and the masters of the Soul Sensing Consensus Array would only believe that:

"Xiao Menglin is back."

At this moment, "Xiao Menglin" was heading towards the secret residence of the Nightmare God Clan's Eastern Abyss Branch Hall.

It was an entity not recorded on any official map, and only core members of the Dream Clan were allowed to approach it.

Here, the Nightmare God Clan did not flaunt their power like other temples, but instead remained hidden deep within a layer of rifts in the ruins of the Epoch Origin, known as:

"Dream Abyss"

A realm that is neither the realm of light nor the realm of the abyss, a realm of souls.

During the flight of the shield, Qin Yu did not release his senses.

He knew that the Dream Clan was extremely sensitive to "subconscious disturbances," and that even the slightest abnormality could trigger a coordinated response of dream sensations across the entire realm.

Each of his spatial leaps followed the trajectory of "Xiao Menglin's" destiny pattern, echoing it at different levels.

Everything fits together perfectly.

A moment later, at the end of the gray clouds, a Void Realm resembling "floating mountains and rivers" appeared at the edge of the horizon.

The gate to the boundary has no physical form, but is a rotating ripple composed of ten "Dream Soul Patterns".

Each line, like the finger of an ancient dream, awakens the silence.

Qin Yu (Xiao Menglin) slowly landed in front of the ripples, and a wisp of his soul energy naturally activated the boundary gate.

Amidst the shimmering pale blue dream patterns, a voice emanated from the boundary gate, extremely languid, yet carrying a subtle, irresistible intent to control the soul:

"·Inscription and serial number..."

Qin Yu remained expressionless and replied in a deep voice:

"Dream Abyss Fifty-Eight - Sequence Three Fifty-One."

"Mid-level Detective Xiao Menglin, executing the rewind command - Reporting to the Seven Dream Seals."

The boundary gate paused slightly.

Then—"Ding."

With the Dream Patterns fully activated, a passage opened up from the depths of space.

Whispers of the soul surged like a tide:

"The Dream Abyss has been opened--"

"Mid-level disciple Xiao Menglin has returned."

After the Gate of Dream Abyss opened, Qin Yu (Xiao Menglin) slowly walked through it.

The scene before my eyes suddenly changed.

--As if falling into a soul prison conceived by eternal night.

The entire Dream Abyss Squad's base was like a closed fragment of consciousness, composed of countless floating soul platforms, dream-embroidered sky belts, and slumbering stone steps, with large areas of folding boundary threads woven from soul patterns floating around the edges, as if they were traces of the Dream God's breath.

The space was small, but extremely quiet. The souls of each guard were kept as if they were in a deep dream, sitting silently, as if even their thoughts had been sealed within the threads of a dream.

The base has only fifteen people, but none of them are weak.

Each person possesses at least the Primordial Void Realm cultivation level, and their soul chains have been sealed by the "Dream Writing Imprint," making them immune to external soul consciousness interference. Communication between them relies solely on extremely short "Soul Seal Jump Codes."

On the uppermost floating platform adorned with black soul dream patterns, sat a powerful Dream Clan member with a sinister expression.

He had a gaunt face, eyes that were a double layer of pale gray and deep blue soul rainbows, and wore a deep purple soul robe. Behind his Soul Sea was a pair of invisible dream-patterned refracting wings.

That is a soul artifact phenomenon that only "Dream Masters" can possess, and that is above the mid-level of the Dream Clan.

His name is: Meng Longjin.

The current leader of the Dream Abyss Squad is a Nightmare God Clan direct hunter, with a cultivation level of the Primordial Void Realm - Supreme.

At this moment, his eyes were half-closed, as if he were in someone else's dream, but the moment Qin Yu stepped in, his pupils twitched slightly.

Qin Yu stepped forward, respectfully knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Reporting to your Excellency, this temporary liaison mission has been completed."

"The Yu Clan has confirmed that they will dispatch two high-ranking Hunter Masters to provide support— Feng Shulin and Yu Yanliu."

"The Returning Consciousness Clan has also dispatched two Dream Interpreters and Soul Decipherers—their names have not been disclosed, but they have already entered the outer perimeter of the Abyss to await orders."

"Mirror Abyss Yu has completed the deployment, and the overall tuning is about to begin."

"We have obtained 90% of the leads on Qin Yu's actions. We await his appearance—then we'll close the net immediately."

Meng Longjin slowly opened her eyes, her tone calm, yet concealing a chilling calmness:

"Very good."

He tapped his knuckles lightly, and the Dream Ring beneath him hummed softly, as if establishing a sensory link with some unmanifested soul.

"Since the Yu Clan has taken the initiative to send reinforcements, it means they also know that Qin Yu cannot be allowed to live any longer."

"The Returning Consciousness Clan usually doesn't make any moves, but their cooperation this time indicates that Liang Jichen's connection has also been activated."

His eyes were as deep as Ash Abyss, and he exhaled softly:

"That's good." "This boy—he must die in this battle."

He waved his sleeve and gave a brief order:

"Instruct each Dream Chain team to pinpoint the nine possible convergence points of the boundary veins where this person might appear."

"Notify me immediately of any disturbances." "The fifteen members of Dream Abyss are ready to strike at any time."

The members of the Dream Clan responded in unison, their voices not traveling but surging into the void, forming a dream imprint that then rose again from the ashes.

Standing below, "Xiao Menglin"—Qin Yu —simply lowered his gaze, his face expressionless.

Yet the cold light in his eyes revealed a clarity that surpassed that of anyone else.

"Very good." "You're all ready."

"So, what's next..."

"Now it's my turn to make a move."