True Name Revealed · Doubts Dispelled with a Thought

As night deepened, starlight shone like a tapestry in the courtyard of the Radiant Palace Eastern Region · Conradiance Halls, bathing the couch in its glow.

Several figures sat around in the main courtyard. The oppressive aura of the hall that had just dissipated seemed to still linger in the air, but the atmosphere gradually calmed down.

With a solemn expression, Qin Yu slowly recounted the entire "breakthrough plan" that he and Venerable Lord Tong Ning had devised together in the Star Palace to the people present.

He shared his knowledge openly and without reservation, recounting the events in detail...

All of this was a high-level contest between him and Tong Ning, who, with their superior rank, engaged in a battle of wits with the higher-ups of the Nightmare God Clan.

As Qin Yu finished speaking, Feng Wujin let out a soft breath, his eyes revealing a rare solemnity and approval:

"Very good."

"With the blessing of Tong Ning, and with your scheme within, while the three of us provide external cover—this plan is nearly perfect."

"If the person behind the nightmare dares to make a move at the 'Soul-Executing Altar'... we will imprison their soul forever in this Epoch Realm."

Shu Xunyan nodded slightly, his tone chilling:

"This is the true deterrent power of the Prime Realm's Harmonizers."

Yao Guangxun put one hand behind his back and said in a deep voice:

"Qin Yu, you are no longer a newcomer to Yongyan. We need not say more about your actions—three days from now, we hope you will completely sever this source of chaos."

After speaking, the three powerful figures bowed respectfully, then, without lingering, stepped into the light and disappeared into the starry dome.

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

At this moment, only five people remained in the courtyard:

A gentle night breeze stirred the branches and leaves. The group sat silently, yet a tacit understanding and a certain emotion were quietly gathering between them.

Yunyi crossed her legs, shaking her hair as she broke the silence. "I knew your Brother Yu couldn't just be doing a simple 'undercover' job. He really is pulling off something big."

Extinguished Light snorted lightly, "A person like him can't be stingy when he strikes, and the key is that he can come back—look at Yan Yue was almost scared out of her wits just now."

Yan Yue taken aback, then gently turned her head away without saying a word.

Qin Yu smiled and said, "If something really happens to me, the four of you... I'm afraid you'll have to raze Epoch Origin to the ground, right?"

Zi Xue smiled silently, her eyes as gentle as the first melting of frost and snow.

Yan Yue finally spoke, her voice calm:

"I will not only Annihilation that person."

"I will also personally annihilate the entire Epoch Origin."

The group exchanged glances and smiled.

Qin Yu looked up at the starry sky, his voice calm:

"Three days from now, the most crucial step will take place."

"After this step, we should... close the net."

The night was as dark as ink, and the wind was as still as death.

Beneath an ancient cliff on the west side of the Nightmare God Temple, a figure stood silently between the dark abyss walls, his aura completely concealed, as if he had merged entirely with the logic of space itself.

Qin Yu.

Beneath his feet lay an ancient array pattern enveloped in dense black light, one of the outer energy convergence points for the Nightmare God Temple's upcoming Soul-Executing Altar ceremony.

This place is only ten miles away from the main center of the altar.

However, if someone could see the void behind Qin Yu's left side at this moment, they would realize that he was not traveling alone.

Beside him stood an elderly figure dressed in a blue and gold patterned battle robe.

This person was towering, with eyebrows like knives. His soul energy intertwined with the laws of space, faintly generating vortexes of Annihilation, as if capable of devouring the very root of the logic of all worlds.

--Annihilation Source Realm - High-Level Expert.

This person was the core executor of the first link in the "High Priest's Breakthrough" plan, personally dispatched by Tong Ning.

His code name was never revealed.

His origins are not even recorded in the Eternal Evolution Realm Hall.

But he only obeys one person's orders.

That was -- Source of Epochless · Observation Sovereign · Origin Venerable Judge - Tong Ning.

At this moment, the two stood at the foot of the cliff.

The old man in blue robes closed his eyes slightly, sensing the rhythmic ripples of the altar components deep within the void.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, his voice deep and resonant like thunder:

"Location complete -- This location is an extension of the main formation 'Soul-Locking Revolving Wheel'."

"As I predicted, this position is one of the three soul locks, governing 'altar overlap' and 'soul convergence'."

"If this stage gets out of control, the entire altar will be unable to complete the soul-suppressing and dimensional-suppressing structure at the critical juncture."

Qin Yu nodded, his voice calm:

"Then let's get started."

"Erase the 'Sacrifice Mark Energy' completely before they notice."

The old man in the blue robe revealed a faint smile and extended a palm.

In an instant, a silent, serene light bloomed in his palm, and countless shattered soul wheels spun out, transforming into billions of silent points that slowly disappeared into the boundary between the rock formation and the space beneath it.

The once calm and still ancient land trembled slightly, and the next instant—

Silently

A wisp of black light surged forward, only to be shattered by the blue-robed elder's fingertip, vanishing completely.

Qin Yu remained unmoved, Azure Ring responded with gentle vibrations in his sea of consciousness, clearly confirming that the node had been successfully erased.

He turned his head, glanced at the old man in blue, and whispered:

"Mission accomplished here. We will split up as planned."

"I will return to the front of the array and wait for the main ritual to begin, then use it as a trigger to counterattack the core of the array."

The old man in the blue robe smiled and nodded:

"I heard of Your Excellency's name a hundred years ago."

"If I can break through this impasse for her even once in this life, then my 'hidden destiny' will not have been in vain."

With a flick of his sleeve, he vanished like the wind.

Qin Yu stared at the ground for a moment, then transformed into a streak of bluish-white light and vanished into the night sky.

In the northern part of the Source of Epochless, the night in the Black Abyss is as still as death.

Deep within the Nightmare God Temple, the Three-Soul Sacrificial Array is quietly losing a link.

The roar subsided, and deathly silence returned to the area below the cliff.

The lingering light that had just disappeared from Qin Yu and the old man in blue robes had not yet completely dissipated.

Suddenly, the night sky in the distance trembled.

A streak of black lightning ripped across the sky, and three patrol auras from the Nightmare God Temple emerged from the void in succession. The black-robed figures, wielding their commands, exuded a chilling aura and arrived with lightning speed, like eagles swooping down from the abyss.

All three were at the Primordial Void Realm · Middle Stage, wearing the Nightmare God Clan's unique "Soul Domain Robe," and trailing behind them was a monitoring array projection, corresponding to the soul energy flow status of the entire outer Three-Soul Sacrificial Array.

The leader, with the character "Dream" flashing between his brows, spoke in a deep voice as soon as he landed:

"The vibrations at the core of this array have shown signs of resonance at different frequencies."

"Immediately initiate a soul suppression layer scan."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other two Nightmare disciples swiftly leaped into position on the array platform, extended their Origin Consciousness Eyes, and circles of soul waves spread out.

But at this moment...

Everything there has long since returned to normal.

The energy nodes were sealed, the Soul Source vanished without a trace, and even the "Echoing Shock" had been annihilated by the blue-robed elder with a single palm strike.

The patrolmen kept probing, once, twice, three times.

Until it was confirmed that there was not a single abnormal residue.

The leader frowned slightly.

"Strange... I clearly sensed a tear in my soul."

But now...

Another person nearby whispered, "Could it just be a misalignment and backflow of the array's own energy channels? The spiritual pressure has been unstable these past few days; perhaps it's just a tremor."

"... Perhaps."

The group looked grave, but ultimately had no choice but to retreat.

The night wind blew across the cliff once more.

Between a hair's breadth, their souls clashed and they passed each other.

Meanwhile, Qin Yu, who had already fled dozens of miles away, stood atop a rocky hill, looking back into the distance.

He sensed the presence of the three patrolling figures, and also the aftershocks that had not yet completely subsided in that area of the array.

But he simply smiled faintly and spoke softly:

Fortunately... we acted a step ahead of time.

"Otherwise—it won't be the Nightmare Array's core that's eliminated today, but myself."

Within his mind, the Azure Ring responded softly, as if whispering.

"The source veins are locked in annihilation, the echoes of Annihilation resound—just one breath away."

Deep within the Nightmare God Clan's main city, beside a simple and quiet residence.

A gentle night breeze swept across the green tiles, the stars and moon were hidden, and the light of the altar in the distance appeared and disappeared. This place was a peaceful retreat for the trial participants of various races.

Outside the door, a young man dressed in a black and gold robe stood quietly. His figure was upright, and his aura was restrained yet carried an imposing pressure, the kind of pressure that belonged to the upper realm and possessed the power to dominate logic—even without being deliberately released, it was as if heaven and earth instinctively bowed down.

He was neither deformed nor concealed—it was Qin Yu himself manifesting.

At this moment, he stood quietly outside the door.

Memories faintly surfaced:

Before parting ways that day, Ning Hao said sincerely, "Brother Dao, if you have time in the future, you might as well come to my place for a drink. Although my residence is small, I have some fine spirit wine stored here."

Qin Yu smiled and agreed, "Alright, I will definitely come to bother you when I have nothing else to do."

And today, he has arrived.

As promised.

He slowly raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.

"Knock knock."

Inside the room, after a moment of silence, a familiar voice broke the silence:

"Who is it? Is there something you need now?"

Qin Yu replied calmly, "Brother Ning Hao, it's me, Qin Ning."

The voice was extremely calm, yet it contained an undeniable penetrating power of primordial divine consciousness, carrying a composure and strength from a higher dimension.

Ning Hao, who was inside the door, suddenly shuddered.

He knew that voice all too well.

But when he hurriedly opened the door, the scene before him completely stunned him.

The person outside the door still had the same voice and the same silhouette, but the divine aura emanating from him had completely transcended the realm of True Immortal Emperor, subtly suppressing his very soul.

That level of cultivation... that feeling of "the world allowing you to write the destinies of others"—it's something no true True Immortal Emperor could possess!

Ning Hao's expression changed drastically. He took half a step back, immediately cupped his hands, and bowed his head.

"Senior... you've probably come to the wrong place."

"This junior is merely an ordinary True Immortal Great Emperor from the eons past... If I have offended you, I hope you will forgive me, senior..."

He said this aloud, but his heart was churning like a stormy sea.

[Qin Ning? How could he possibly be someone of this level... No... that voice was his, but this divine power... could it be...?]

At this moment, Qin Yu simply spoke slowly, his eyes remaining calm:

I didn't go to the wrong place.

"You invited me to have drinks; it was a promise I kept."

However... my real name isn't Qin Ning.

He gently raised his hand, and a surge of energy flowed through his sea of consciousness. A beam of life force emerged from his palm, slowly writing two characters—

Qin Yu.

Ning Hao froze on the spot, his face drained of color, and his knees almost buckled.

"You... you are..."

He had heard of that being renowned Source of Epochless, regarded as the "Beyond-the-Realm Annihilation Lord," and possessing the power to sever the causal ties between all realms—

Now, that person has actually appeared at his door in person.

Qin Yu raised his hand to help, and softly stopped him:

"If you consider me a friend, then it won't be like this."

"Whatever my name is, I've come to keep your invitation to drink."

"Just one question: Do you have any wine left?"

Ning Hao trembled for a moment, then finally nodded sharply and said in a low voice:

"Yes... yes... there's wine! Of course there is!"

He turned and hurried inside, carrying out the jar of "Sparkling Memories Brew" that he had personally sealed and never dared to open, placing it on the table with trembling hands.

The candles were lit, and the wine glasses were filled.

Qin Yu downed his drink in one gulp and smiled faintly.

Ning Hao then realized that the person before him—though terrifying as an abyss—was still the same "Qin Ning" who had sat in the teahouse during the assessment, chatting and laughing over wine.

Without seeking glory or showing off, he focused solely on upholding discipline.

He whispered, "Why did you tell me your real name?"

Qin Yu replied softly, "Because what I'm about to do might be bigger than you imagine."

"And you, perhaps, will see another side of this world."