At this moment, three hundred miles east of the main Illusion God Main City, a huge floating plaza constructed from Annihilation Radiance Black Bone Stone and Fate-Burning Soul Flame Crystal is slowly rotating beneath the Realm Splitting Sky.
This is the core element when the Nightmare God Temple initiates its disciple assessment:
--The Soul-Executing Altar.
The entire altar is inlaid with nine layers of soul wheel imprints. As it rotates autonomously, it faintly reflects dozens of soul shadow celestial maps from different eras and dimensions. It does not belong to any temple-level power, yet it is regarded by the Nightmare God Clan as the first "Gate of Heavenly Guidance" for the "Fate Soul Selection Boundary Core".
In the center of the square, lanterns were lit at the celestial corner, and obsidian arrays filled the sky, as if the main soul consciousness of the Nightmare God Temple had personally arrived.
And at this moment--
Tens of thousands of powerful individuals have gathered here!
These people are at least at the True Immortal in terms of cultivation level, and many more are at --
True Immortal Emperor;
The Heavenly Emperor reigns supreme;
Descendants of the ancient gods;
There are also many "Soul Pattern Forgers" and "Star Grid Manifestations" who transcend dimensions;
They all came from the Dead Realm Rending Domain, the Flowing Epoch Lost Dimension, and the Annihilated Ancient Era outside the Source of Epochless, and there were even some lone powerhouses who had traveled far from the Star Abyss in hidden dimensions.
This place is a gathering place for the embers of the heavens.
It is the last resort for countless "those not accepted by the main world".
Qin Yu and Ning Hao entered the south entrance of the altar one after the other. Both of them had calm expressions, and their cultivation levels were concealed at the "True Immortal Great Emperor - Upper Stage" level.
The surrounding air surged and soul breaths surged like a tide, but under the cover of Azure Ring's "Spirit Filth Annihilation Lock", no one could detect the true soul structure level of these two imposters.
Ning Hao sighed softly:
"Look, in just a hundred years, the Nightmare God Clan has attracted so many cultivators from other realms."
"This is a test, and it could also be... a strategic move to completely reshape the world's power structure."
Qin Yu remained silent, only raising his eyes.
His gaze fell upon the three core structures at the very center of the altar:
⸻
Fate Soul Level Screening Device
--The floating Kong Ling pillar has soul pattern arrays on all four sides, which can directly read the cultivator's soul source, Fate Soul attribute, and causal chain level.
Source Consciousness Resonance Platform
--It is structured in a cross shape, requiring the cultivator to stand in the center to test the compatibility of their soul consciousness with the "Nightmare Main Soul Source" and the threshold of backlash.
Initial Yuan Threshold Challenge Array
--A gigantic circular battle platform, said to be able to simulate the two primordial states of "Silent Space-Time" and "Heaven and Earth Awakened by Thought," assessing whether a cultivator possesses "initial potential for world-building."
⸻
Ning Hao chuckled softly:
Legend has it that only one person in a hundred centuries can truly pass all three trials.
"And those ultimately selected for the Nightmare God Temple are often the future war spirits, sacrificial spirits, or even... host spirits of the Nightmare God Clan."
Qin Yu remained calm and composed, leaving only one sentence:
"Then let's see what kind of 'disciples' this Nightmare God Temple accepts."
Amidst the surging crowd of thousands, the two figures, though extremely small, gradually entered the center of the torrent of fate.
As the annihilation storm surged, the pillar of source soul light in the center of the altar suddenly froze.
The next moment--
An old man dressed in Purple Radiance robe and with a cold expression slowly appeared from the void. No one could see how he made his appearance, but he seemed to have been extracted and manifested from the spatial structure of the Soul-Executing Altar, like the manifestation of the original will of the nightmare.
His hair was half white and half black, and his pupils contained a wheel of destiny; his cultivation was so profound that it was clearly at the level of—
The Primordial Void Realm -Supreme Peak!
The tens of thousands of True Immortal Emperor present all felt their Soul Sea tremble slightly as a lower-level pressure originating from their bloodline and laws swept over them in an instant.
The purple-robed elder stood firmly on the sacrificial steps in the center of the altar, his voice as steady as iron, yet it shook the entire space, his words forming a powerful, rhythmic pattern:
"Nightmare God Clan - Primordial Era - Extradimensional True Immortal Assessment--"
"--Officially launched today!"
Time Silence.
The old man surveyed the room and continued speaking, his tone suddenly becoming more forceful:
"This assessment is different from previous ones."
"No longer will we open our doors wide, no longer will we indiscriminately collect Soul Annihilation."
"This time, only the top twenty qualified individuals will be selected to enter the Nightmare God Temple and be granted the title of novice disciple."
Boom!
The soul intent on the altar fluctuated for a moment, and the expressions of many dimensional True Immortal powerhouses changed drastically, their hearts filled with shock and turmoil.
"Only twenty people?! So many people came, and you're only taking twenty?!"
"In the past, they would select hundreds or thousands of people! What kind of screening mechanism is this?"
"This... this isn't recruiting disciples at all, this is selecting war slaves, or... the Soul Bearers of the Seals!"
The crowd erupted in a frenzy, but no one dared to raise a voice in protest, for the purple-robed elder's next words silenced all the commotion:
"This selection process was personally overseen by high-ranking members of the Nightmare God Clan's main soul."
"Success in the trial means you will have the only opportunity to break free from dimensional shackles, enter the realm of epochal transformation, and step towards the primordial era."
"--Those who dare not try may step back now; those who retreat will not be pursued."
With a flick of his sleeve, hundreds of soul talisman seals appeared in the air and fell above the crowd, numbered sequentially like a roster for a hunting ground.
He then gave a cold laugh, his tone carrying an barely suppressed contempt:
"As for those who do not believe in fate, the soul, or nightmares..."
"--You can try and see if your names can remain on the next sacrificial list."
He slowly turned around and floated into the airborne Soul-Viewing Platform.
Behind him, the three core assessment structures suddenly began to operate:
[Fate Soul Level Screening Device]: As if Soul Tower were rising, it emitted a bluish-black shimmering light and a warning-like buzzing sound;
[Source Consciousness Resonance Platform]: A gigantic phantom of the Nightmare Main Soul emerges, slowly opening a blurry "Eye of Consensus";
[Initial Yuan Threshold Challenge Array]: The core of the battle arena begins to crumble and reshape, and the spatial walls exhibit two states: "Time freeze" and "soul source creation".
At this moment, everyone in the stadium held their breath.
Qin Yu stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
Ning Hao chuckled softly beside him:
"It seems... to be even more brutal than we thought."
"It's also more fun."
Qin Yu responded calmly:
"Top 20?"
"Then let these people remember what it means to have the sovereignty of Fate Soul."
He stepped forward slowly, a number appearing above his head:
Qin Ning, No. 472
Soul-Executing Altar - In front of the Fate Soul Level Screening Device
As the purple-robed elder ascended into the sky and departed, the three assessment structures were officially activated. Thousands of beams of light surged forth from all sides of the altar, like execution spears of the Soul Realm, piercing through the void and connecting with the rules.
The [Fate Soul Level Screening Device] was the first to be activated.
This is a nine-zhang-tall Annihilation Radiance Crystal Pillar, with seventy-six layers of life-pattern chains encircling its body. A gray-blue rune, like a soul eye, floats in the center, with the mark of ten thousand souls embedded within it.
The purple-robed elder's voice echoed once more in the void:
"The first stage – Fate Soul Identification: This tests your Fate Soul's origin, naming, soul quality level, and compatibility with the world."
"Those with Fate Soul Level below Level 4 will be immediately removed."
"Those whose Fate Soul Level fluctuations are out of control - annihilate them on the spot."
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this.
The first person to take the stage: Number 132, Soul Name "Mo Youyuan", from the Lost Dimension Shattered Epoch, mid-level True Immortal Emperor.
As this person stepped beneath the crystal pillar, their Fate Soul consciousness activated between their brows, Fate Soul scan instantly began.
"Zzz--"
The Fate Soul Mechanism flashed with a gray light, and a line of characters appeared on its surface:
[Fate Soul Level: Tier 3, Lower Grade -- Foreign Soul Structure]
The next instant, a black line of soul blade shot out from the ritual pillar, piercing straight through his brow!
"Ah--!"
Mo Youyuan screamed in agony, his soul instantly shattered, and his body fell onto the altar, dying a clean and swift death!
The entire room fell silent.
The old man in purple robes spoke again, his voice completely calm:
Those whose Fate Soul Level is insufficient are neither qualified to construct a realm nor worthy to step into the Nightmare Domain.
"Next."
The second one comes from the Chronicle of Memories, the initial stage of the Heavenly Emperor.
Result: Fate Soul level 4, lower tier, barely passed.
Third, fourth, fifth --
All failed!
Two of them even lost control of their Fate Soul on the spot, causing their souls to spontaneously combust and burn to death under the ritual pillar!
At this moment, Ning Hao's expression also changed as he watched all of this.
He whispered:
"This Fate Soul Level Screening Device... is not as simple as an assessment."
"It's forcing us to reveal our soul core source track... If it's not a truly powerful soul, even the slightest flaw will result in its immediate elimination."
Qin Yu nodded slightly, his gaze remaining calm.
But deep within his consciousness, the Azure Ring trembled slightly, and a stream of light that sealed his soul slowly enveloped his body.
"I see..."
"This is an attempt to extract the prototype of the Fate Soul — Realm Breaking judgment mechanism."
"You want to search my Soul Name? Ha... You're not even worthy of seeing the logic behind the name 'Qin Yu'."
Next, the eleventh to thirtieth positions:
Only three people made it through; the rest were either killed or injured!
At this moment, the atmosphere at the Soul-Executing Altar had completely solidified, the oppressive spiritual energy making it hard to breathe. Everyone had only one thought in their minds:
"This isn't an assessment, this is... a cleanup."
Qin Yu, his eyes slightly narrowed and his feet remaining still, slowly uttered a single word:
"Crazy."
It was Ning Hao's turn in front of him.
Soul-Executing Altar - In front of the Fate Soul Level Screening Device
In the dead silence, all eyes were focused on the next person about to take the stage.
Number--No. 186.
Fate Soul Imprint: Ning Hao, Eternal Era, Outer Dimension True Immortal Emperor Upper Rank)
His expression remained unchanged, and his aura was contained. Only a half-hidden star-patterned soul ring appeared on the edge of his Daoist robe behind him. It was a soul map mark that he had refined himself after breaking through to the True Immortal Emperor in the old era.
With steady steps, Ning Hao slowly ascended the ceremonial pillar.
The entire room fell silent.
Ning Hao closed his eyes for a moment, then gently touched his brow. A wisp of cyan-gold Fate Soul talisman slowly rose from his soul core and disappeared into the screening device.
--Buzz!!!
The entire [Fate Soul Level Screening Device] trembled instantly!
The normally flowing pillar of Fate Soul judgment light fluctuated violently the moment it came into contact with Ning Hao's soul consciousness. Its internal life chain structure spun rapidly, the runes flashed, and even some unrecognized garbled characters appeared!
The thousands of people around all turned pale.
"Something went wrong? Is he going to suffer a backlash?"
"Is it Fate Soul is unstable, or... the level is too high?"
"No, it's because they can't identify his soul core..."
But a moment later, the screening device suddenly went silent, and a beam of light appeared in the sky, clearly visible:
[Fate Soul Level: Mid-Level 4 - Intra-Cycle Soul Source Threshold Body - Eligible for Assessment]
Everyone gasped.
Even with his external dimensional body, Ning Hao had actually reached the Threshold -fourth tier threshold in terms of soul quality, which meant he possessed extremely high "Epoch Origin Fusion Adaptability" --
Once this kind of soul body takes the Source Ascension Logic Pill, it is highly likely to break through and enter the Initial Yuan Realm!
However, just as everyone was marveling, Ning Hao slowly opened his eyes, his face slightly pale and sweat on his forehead.
He exhaled softly and whispered:
"Incredibly... even an inch of the Soul Core's secondary ring was forcibly extracted."
Qin Yu's eyes flickered slightly; he had secretly recorded the entire process.
"As expected of someone who could bring me into this matter."
"While the level of his Fate Soul isn't impressive, it's resilient enough."
"This type of person is usable."
Ning Hao slowly walked down from the platform, and as soon as he stopped, he smiled and transmitted his voice to Qin Yu:
"Fellow Daoist Qin, it will be your turn soon."
"The weight of one's Fate Soul is beyond the comprehension of others... If you cannot overcome this, I dare not enter the Hall of Nightmares alone."
Qin Yu smiled gently:
"Then you'd better watch carefully--"
"You might witness a... 'reverse collapse' of the Fate Soul Screening Device."
He took a step forward, his long robe fluttering silently, and walked step by step toward the screening device.