Stealth in the Shadows · Disguised as Qin Ning

The lights inside flickered slightly.

A jar of "Sparkling Memories Brew" slowly rose from the table, releasing its steaming aroma. At that moment, Ning Hao's heart was in turmoil, as if he had fallen into an abyss.

Looking at Qin Yu, who had openly revealed his true identity, he didn't know whether to be shocked, in awe, or grateful.

In the silence, Qin Yu slowly spoke, his voice not loud, yet like the threads weaving the heavens of destiny, each word piercing the soul:

"Ning Hao, when we sat across from each other in that teahouse, I only wanted to investigate the Nightmare God Clan."

"At that time, I wasn't sure if this place was truly, as rumored, the beginning of a corner of the corruption within the Source of Epochless."

"Until—I speak with you."

Ning Hao paused for a moment, then looked up slightly.

Qin Yu continued:

"You said back then: ' The Source Ascension Logic Pill is a reward from the Nightmare God Temple's assessment, which can help you break the Quadrdimensional Chains and rebuild your Annihilation Essence Rank.'"

"But in your words, I detected a fear that shouldn't belong to a 'monk'."

What you fear... is not failure, but 'passing'.

Ning Hao's pupils dilated, and he murmured, "You... you noticed it back then?"

Qin Yu nodded slightly:

"At that moment, I knew that the Nightmare God Clan's trial was not as simple as 'supporting True Immortal '."

"I've looked into the Source Ascension Logic Pill' you mentioned."

"That's not a pill, but a core catalyst for Soul-Capturing Array built upon the rifts in the soul's consciousness."

"It was never meant to help people advance in their cultivation level, but rather..."

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes:

"Used to absorb your life's cultivation and the essence of your soul."

"This isn't an assessment, it's a selection of sacrifices. Moreover, anyone who crosses dimensions, whether True Immortal Great Emperor, Great Luo Golden Immortal, Dao Ancestor, or Immortal King, has only one way to break through the chains: the Flower of Stars. However, the Flower of Stars only blooms once every billions of years. It's not just precious, but also extremely dangerous and difficult to obtain. Most importantly, the flower chooses its owner. No matter how strong you are, even a top-tier expert Source of Epochless wouldn't dare to snatch this flower."

Ning Hao's expression changed drastically, and he almost spilled his wine. His voice was filled with disbelief:

"This... this is impossible... We... we just wanted to cultivate to the Annihilation Origin, are we going to become sacrifices?!"

Qin Yu's tone was calm, yet it exuded an even greater sense of authority:

"They don't want 'all of you'."

They want the 'strongest batch' of you.

"The moment you pass the three trials, are granted the token, and enter the Soul-Executing Altar, the so-called 'Ceremony Promotion' will activate the main ring of the Soul-Capturing Array within your token."

"Then, using your Fate Soul imprints, we will complete the 'Origin-Locking Annihilation Sacrifice' on the altar."

"Even your karma will become the offerings for them to forge the Nightmare Soul."

Ning Hao could no longer sit still, his voice trembling:

"So... the real 'reward' for the twenty people who passed the assessment this time is..."

"Death is the refinement of the soul."

Qin Yu nodded slowly.

"If I hadn't come, you would have been their carefully chosen 'nineteenth sacrifice'."

"You... will not have a third day."

A long silence.

The wind outside the window quietly slipped through the curtains, ruffling Qin Yu's long hair.

After a moment, Ning Hao finally stood up slowly, bowing his head in a deep voice:

"Senior... no... Lord Qin Yu."

"Ning Hao... is willing to serve you."

"Not to repay a debt of gratitude, but to fight for the innocence of the souls of the millions like me who have been treated as 'commodities'."

Qin Yu remained silent.

He simply took out a dark-colored Soul Wheel and gently placed it on the table. Spiritual energy surged, and a faint "Annihilation" divine seal appeared on his Soul Platform.

He said calmly:

"From this day forward, let us conspire together."

"Three days from now— at the Soul-Executing Altar, will be the day of their annihilation."

The night grew deeper, but the wine inside the room was still warm.

Ning Hao remained kneeling to one side, his fists clenched, his forehead slightly sweaty, and his expression complex.

Qin Yu remained unmoved, his eyes as clear as a deep Star Abyss, concealing a bottomless killing intent beneath his calm demeanor.

He slowly rose, walked to the window, and gazed in the direction of the Soul-Executing Altar the Nightmare God Temple in the distance. Suddenly, he spoke in a low voice:

"Ning Hao, we now face a truly thorny problem."

Ning Hao was slightly taken aback. "Please explain, senior."

Qin Yu turned around, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"Those are the remaining eighteen people."

"You know that each of them is a carefully selected 'best sacrifice.' They are either arrogant, indifferent, or extremely confident, and they simply won't believe in so-called 'truth,' especially not from strangers like you and me."

"If I were to inform them using my true identity, it would only cause unnecessary doubt and confusion."

"They even stirred up trouble in advance, causing the Nightmare God Clan to seal the formation prematurely, so they could then turn around and harvest our resources."

Qin Yu walked back to the table and slowly took something out of his sleeve.

It was none other than the Nightmare God Temple Bronze-grade Token.

Unlike ordinary tokens, this token contained extremely hidden black soul chains that could not be detected without a divine sense of at least the Primordial Void.

Qin Yu placed the token on the table, clenched his fist, and poured a wisp of soul energy, like ink flowing through it, into the token. Instantly, a "chain array" appeared on the token, its core engraved with densely packed rule characters:

"Soul Embedding, Causal Fusion Sacrifice, Source Locking and Spirit Offering"

Ning Hao's expression changed instantly, and he murmured:

"This is... the High Priest's Chains?!"

Qin Yu nodded, then flicked his finger, sending a wisp of annihilating soul light flying from his palm. It condensed into a small seal, hovering quietly in the air like a star, yet containing a powerful logical force capable of penetrating the soul chain.

"This is Soul Seal I temporarily created for you using the Annihilation Origin Soul Imprint."

"Memorize it in your mind. Whenever you come into contact with any of those eighteen people, simply activate this seal, and you will be able to briefly penetrate the core of their bronze-level tokens."

"At that time, they will clearly see that their Fate Soul consciousness is already bound to this 'token'."

"Beneath the binding lies a layer they've overlooked—a logically locked structure."

"They will see their names, realms, Fate Soul, and even the time of their death, all pre-written within the 'Nightmare Sacrifice-Conducting Array'."

Ning Hao was utterly shocked and speechless for a moment.

Qin Yu patted him on the shoulder, his gaze sharp:

Ning Hao.

"You have three days to contact all eighteen people."

"Tell them the truth. You don't need their trust, don't argue, you just need one sentence—"

He paused, his voice sharp as a blade in the night:

"If you don't believe me, look at the token in your hand."

Ning Hao lowered his head and took a deep breath.

He knew he was about to become the "game-changer" connecting the entire altar layout.

Within three days, he traversed the realm of the eighteen people, disrupting the very foundation of the God Clan's sacrificial rites.

He abruptly stood up, solemnly accepted the Soul Seal, and responded in a deep voice:

"Ning Hao —I will not fail in my mission."

"Three days later, the Nightmare Sacrifice-Conducting Altar will be shattered by the light of the truth!"

Outside the window, the clouds and moon met, and a wisp of Soul Annihilation light flew into Ning Hao's sea of consciousness.

Meanwhile, inside the Nightmare God Clan's main altar, the lights were still bright, and no one knew that a battle to "break the source lock" had quietly ignited in the darkness.

The night was as still as a tomb.

After Qin Yu's figure completely disappeared into the sky, the starlight lamp in the room quietly dimmed, as if it knew the heavy fate that was about to befall it.

Ning Hao sat frozen in place, as if his soul had left his body. His purple-patterned Daoist robe trembled slightly, his knuckles gripped his knees tightly, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

After a long while, he looked up and murmured to himself:

"Once upon a time, I, Ning Hao, also possessed the body of True Immortal, traversing countless ages and ruling over a dynasty for an entire era."

He once slew the Heavenly Emperor, trampled ancient gods, and competed with Mystic Immortal for the Dao.

"We, these powerful beings who have crossed dimensions, once looked down upon all realms, but now—we are to be used as 'sacrificial soul rings'."

A bitter, awkward smile appeared at the corner of his eye, as if his soul had been torn to the brink of Threshold.

With a heavy thud, he knelt down on the ground, looking down at his palm.

In his palm, the annihilation Soul Seal was quietly rotating, emitting a barely perceptible annihilation pattern, symbolizing the trust and mission entrusted to him by Qin Yu.

A solemn, blood-red light suddenly flashed in Ning Hao's eyes.

He spoke in a trembling voice, yet his resolve only grew stronger:

"Senior Qin Yu... I have no way to repay you."

But Ning Hao swears today—

"Within three days, even if it means burning away one's consciousness and withering Fate Soul, this truth must be transmitted to the soul of every single person!"

Even if they don't believe me, even if they hate me, avoid me, and curse me...

"And we will absolutely not let them... die without knowing why."

He slammed his fist into the ground, and with a crash, the wine jar shattered, spilling wine onto the ground like a rain of blood from a broken destiny.

Ning Hao's voice, though deep, was like a vow etched into stone:

If I cannot accomplish this—

He then offered himself up on the Soul-Executing Altar, sacrificing himself in place of nineteen others.

Only then did he truly stand up.

That annihilation mark had already been imprinted deep within his consciousness, radiating an "irresistible light."

The night wind rustled the eaves as Qin Yu atop a mountain ridge ten miles away, gazing back silently.

He didn't speak, but just smiled gently:

"This Ning Hao..."

"He's probably even more suited to 'breaking the deadlock' than he himself thought."

In the silent night, the outer perimeter of the Nightmare God Temple resembled a sleeping behemoth, ancient and majestic, yet chilling and merciless.

At this moment, a figure was slowly passing through the distant mountain range, bypassing the barrier light marks at the edge of the altar, and quietly approaching the inner domain of the Nightmare God Temple.

Dressed in a black and gray outfit, with a bronze token hanging from his waist, his face was handsome and composed; it was none other than:

--Qin Ning.

This person's appearance, soul frequency, and aura perfectly match the True Immortal Great Emperor "Qin Ning" who passed the test. However, if Annihilation Origin -level being were to condense their consciousness and penetrate through it, the "Wheel of Annihilation" and "Seal of the Annihilation Heart" hidden deep within his sea of consciousness would reveal his true identity— Qin Yu.

At this moment, he was no longer the temporary form he had taken when he disguised himself at the teahouse, but a soul domain mimicry created by fusing the power of the Azure Ring with his own Fate Soul skill, the Master Book of Cause Severing Name.

Such a level of disguise would be impossible for even the chief elders of the Nightmare God Clan to detect without undergoing a penetrating judgment of Recognition Annihilation.

Qin Yu stood atop a cliff hundreds of feet outside the temple, looking up at the towering, pitch-black main gate of the Nightmare God Temple.

He remained silent, only gently taking out the token and twirling it between his fingers.

Then, with a single step, his figure vanished into the night wind, transforming into a wisp of soul drifting with the wind, disappearing into the ranks of countless True Immortal Emperors, like a dormant "life core" entering the formation.

He did nothing and asked nothing.

But deep within his consciousness, beyond the "Soul Seal" that Ning Hao had taken away, lay a forbidden technique of annihilation that had never been activated.

The towering main gate of the Nightmare God Temple, thousands of feet high, appeared in the night sky, like an obsidian divine eye that blotted out the heavens, silently overlooking all those who ascended it.

Dozens of flying soul bridges intertwine and spiral, connecting numerous side halls and altar towers. Amidst the shifting light and shadow, they resemble a web of fate, binding countless souls within them.

At the very front of this temple, a figure radiating black and gold light walked step by step toward the "exclusive passage for bronze-level token holders" in front of the main gate.

He was one of the twenty people who passed the test and was a qualified "sacrifice".

He was seen as a lucky person by everyone.

But his true identity is the Lord of the Silent Abyss, the Origin Destroyer Sword Soul, and the "Logical Alien" whose Fate Soul is reversed by Source of Epochless.

He walked very slowly.

Like a True Immortal Great Emperor, he intently gazed upon the "stage" from which he was about to rise.

The steps behind Qin Yu were tinged with the faint moonlight, and his shadow fell obliquely to the ground, like a sword about to be drawn from its sheath.

Above the main gate of the Nightmare God Temple, the "Executing Soul Stele," which had not yet been opened, remained sealed, as if unaware of its surroundings.

A "reverse sacrifice and soul sealing" has quietly begun, spreading from the core of the temple to the very source of the soul.