Eternal Evolution Realm Hall, Radiant Palace Eastern Region, Conradiance Halls.
As dusk settled and the celestial radiance spilled between the corridors and palaces, Qin Yu, Yan Yue, Zi Xue, Yunyi, and Extinguished Light had just returned when they saw Yao Guangxun leading a middle-aged man clad in a blue-patterned golden robe slowly approaching. His steps were steady, and his divine might was as vast as the sea; wherever he passed, the space trembled slightly.
"Qin Yu, this is the Vice Hall Master of this Hall." Yao Guangxun said respectfully.
No one dared to be negligent, and they all clasped their hands in greeting. "Greetings, Vice Hall Master!"
The deputy hall master, his gaze sharp as a mirror, observed Qin Yu and the women, nodding and smiling, "Very well, please rise. You have not only rendered a great service to the Eternal Evolution Realm Hall, but also eradicated the evil veins of Source of Epochless and cleansed the wronged souls of tens of millions of cross-dimensional True Immortal Great Emperor... Such merits should be forever remembered."
He paused, his gaze sharp, seemingly able to pierce through the entire Silent Origin universe:
"This trip also represents the Palace Master's personal wishes—from this day forward, you are officially appointed as the Eternal Evolution Realm Hall's Oath Hall Divine Guard, with a status equivalent to that of the Palace Elders, enjoying all the privileges and preferential treatment within the Palace."
Yan Yue, Zi Xue, Extinguished Light, Yunyi, and Qin Yu stood up simultaneously, clasped their hands in unison, and said, "We swear to uphold the prestige of the hall with our Fate Soul, and live up to this name."
The deputy hall master revealed a satisfied expression, and his right palm revealed five golden tokens with silver and black intertwined bodies and the word "oath" engraved on the edges. Three mysterious patterns, namely the Silent Pattern, the Fate Pattern, and the Oath Pattern, appeared on them.
"This is your Oath Hall Divine Guard Token. Those who possess it will enjoy supreme protection both inside and outside the Eternal Evolution Realm Hall. Seeing this oath is as if seeing the Temple Master himself. Even if other temples dare to act recklessly against you, they should consider whether they can bear the consequences."
Qin Yu respectfully accepted it, and the five people were also slightly shaken. Yan Yue's fingertips trembled slightly, and a faint halo floated between her Recognition Annihilation Fate Soul. She looked at Qin Yu and whispered without saying a word, but she had already communicated with him.
The deputy hall master composed himself, suddenly looked towards the distant sky, and solemnly said:
"If other temples wish to cause trouble, they'll have to see if the Eternal Evolution Realm Hall exists. As long as we are not destroyed, no one is allowed to touch a single hair on your head."
After saying this, he transformed into light and vanished, and the world returned to silence.
Only the faint afterglow of the setting sun illuminated the five figures in the courtyard. The five Oath Hall Divine Guard Token floated silently in their palms, like five dormant stars, re-engraved by fate.
In the courtyard, the setting sun cast a low glow, and the five Oath Hall Divine Guard Token still gleamed faintly in his hand. Just as everyone was still immersed in the afterglow of the glory bestowed by the Deputy Hall Master, Qin Yu's brows furrowed slightly, as if he were deep in thought.
He slowly turned around, looking at Yan Yue, Zi Xue, Extinguished Light, and Yunyi, his voice low but firm:
"Oh, right, there's one more thing—a few days before the great battle, I went to look for Wang Long."
"Wang Long?" Yunyi murmured, slightly startled. "Isn't he in seclusion?"
Qin Yu gently shook his head. "No, he's not in seclusion. I went to the palace area where he was staying, but I only met a night watch disciple. That disciple told me that three days ago, Elder Fuyao sent Wang Long to carry out a certain mission, and he was alone."
He paused slightly at this point, a cold glint flashing in his eyes:
"Seven days have passed, and there has been no news of him, nor has he returned to the palace. I fear he may... have encountered some misfortune."
Yan Yue slightly as she pondered, "Given Wang Long's cultivation level, he shouldn't have disappeared without a trace, unless he was targeted in an ambush... But now that the Nightmare God Clan has been wiped out, and the Nüe Clan, the Returning Consciousness Clan, and the True Word Extremity Hall are temporarily holding back, this is the perfect opportunity to investigate this matter."
"Therefore, I plan to go there myself." Qin Yu's gaze was deep, and his tone left no room for doubt. "Wang Long is a comrade-in-arms who fought alongside me. If he is in danger, I cannot stand idly by."
Zi Xue was about to speak up and follow, but Qin Yu gently waved his hand to stop her. "This time, I'm going alone."
Extinguished Light frowned. "Alone? Elder Brother Yu Qin, although your strength is already heaven-defying, what if—"
Qin Yu smiled and said, "I know what I'm doing, don't worry."
His gaze shifted to Yan Yue, his eyes gentle yet resolute:
"Yue'er, if I truly encounter an unforeseen peril, I will immediately resonate with you through the Wheel of Annihilation Dawn. At that time... you will have no more hesitation and will sever everything for me."
Yan Yue nodded slowly, her eyes swirling with complex emotions, and finally uttered only one sentence:
"If you're going alone... then you absolutely must come back safely."
Yunyi, Extinguished Light, Zi Xue nodded silently, saying nothing more.
At that very moment, Qin Yu turned and transformed into a streak of black light, disappearing into the distant Shadow Clouds in the sky.
Yan Yue stood still, quietly gazing at the remaining ripple. Her palm clenched slightly, and the Annihilation Dawn Wheel Ring trembled slightly in her sea of consciousness, as if some kind of premonition was quietly emerging.
As the morning light streamed into the courtyard, Yan Yue, Yunyi, and Extinguished Light sat quietly brewing tea, subtly guiding their spiritual senses while keeping an eye on Qin Yu, who was out and about. Suddenly, a familiar aura slowly approached from the distance. Amidst the flowing light, it was none other than Senior Shu Xunyan, a third-tier examiner of the Eternal Evolution Realm Hall.
She landed gracefully, her expression calm. She glanced around, then asked with slight surprise:
"Huh? Where's Qin Yu? Why didn't we see you all together?"
Yan Yue rose respectfully and bowed, replying softly, "Reporting to Senior, Qin Yu has some important business to attend to and will be away for a short time. He said it won't be long."
Shu Xunyan nodded, without asking any further questions, and continued:
"I have come here to discuss something."
Her expression was gentle, then she changed the subject. "I am about to embark on a special trial—a journey to the Illusory Realm Void Light deep within the Source of Epochless."
"This illusion is an ancient domain of fragmented rules, evolved spontaneously by the 'Remnant Consciousness of the Epoch Origin,' containing the power of logical flow and the disorder of rules. It is an excellent place for novice disciples to hone their skills. Anyone who can persist through a complete cycle will make a great breakthrough in their understanding of the rules."
She paused, then turned her gaze to Zi Xue: "Miss Zi Xue, you are now at the Final Cycle Realm Middle Stage, in a period of high-density growth in your Spiritual Sense and construction skills, so I took the liberty of registering you."
Upon hearing this, Yan Yue nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said:
"Illusory Realm Void Light... Senior, are you referring to the illusory sub-realm that was formed by the self-condensation of 'fragments of logic and rules' within the Source of Epochless? I remember that place is a unique trial ground of the Eternal Evolution Realm Hall, open only to the palace's novice disciples."
"That's right." Shu Xunyan nodded. "Due to the unstable feedback of the laws in this illusion, the outer hall cannot intervene. Only one logical channel can be opened at a time, allowing a maximum of thirty people to enter. With your current combat strength, you don't need this kind of basic trial, but Zi Xue is different. Although she is strong, she still lacks the ability to self-correct in a 'disrupted rule environment'."
At this moment, Yunyi, who had been listening quietly, suddenly said in a sweet voice:
"That's perfect! Sister Xue'er always works too hard; she needs a suitable place to focus on her breakthrough! Besides, the illusion is under the control of our temple, so there won't be any outside interference."
Upon hearing this, Zi Xue's gaze flickered slightly. She paused for a moment, then slowly stood up.
She glanced at Shu Xunyan, her eyes resolute. "Senior, I am willing to go. From the previous battles, I am well aware of the limitations of my cultivation. Qin Yu and Yue'er have progressed too quickly; if I don't actively cultivate, I will eventually become a burden."
"This time, I will return stronger."
A hint of appreciation flashed in Shu Xunyan's eyes, and he nodded with a smile:
"Very good. Then make your preparations. I have already applied for a temple flight order, and we will depart shortly."
Zi Xue smiled gently at everyone, then turned and went back into the house to tidy up.
Yan Yue watched her departing figure, her eyes revealing a mixture of relief and reluctance.
Yunyi whispered to herself, "This time when she comes back, Sister Xue'er might have broken through to the Ultimate Final Wheel and entered the Annihilation Lord Realm. She'll be even more beautiful and dashing then!"
Extinguished Light smiled faintly, "She is our comrade-in-arms, and the future guardian of the Annihilation Abyss Epoch. She should be even stronger."
Yan Yue nodded silently, but silently noted in her heart. "Illusory Realm Void Light... We'll go pick her up together when Qin Yu returns."
In the easternmost part of the Annihilation Eastern Region, at the Source of Epochless, lies a boundary fault known as the "Old Ring of Fate Principles."
Qin Yu slowly stepped into this unfamiliar land. With each step, the space beneath his feet rippled with golden and silver stripes, as if regular lines were gently weaving in the void. Everything around him had long since deviated from the visual logic of "normal structure".
The entire land unfolded like a shattered star map, with mountains and rivers hanging upside down, clouds flowing backward, and runic waterfalls cascading from the sky, yet they did not follow the order of time or space, but existed only in the order allowed by the "definition".
The ground vegetation floated with a ghostly blue fluorescence, like flowers and grasses formed from logical formulas, their roots penetrating deep into the cracks of space and time, and the floating aura subtly vibrated like a "Causal Retracing line".
Each mountain range is angular, like a landscape forcibly compressed and constructed by a masterful stroke of the pen;
The sky is composed of seven planes of law, with ancient "gears of rules" constantly turning above the clouds, leaving behind traces of time and reflecting rainbow light through causality*;
Numerous "construction sparks" float in the air; once touched, they will trigger a random memory logic, recreating a certain historical moment.
After traveling a hundred miles, Qin Yu arrived at an area known as the "Fate Construct Stele Forest".
This place is filled with countless towering stone tablets, each engraved with "failed rule experiments," such as "due to no results," "time does not move," and "the soul cannot define itself." These inscriptions are constantly rewriting themselves, and some even begin to "attack" each other's logic of existence.
Throughout the entire forest of steles, the balance of cause and effect is disrupted, with "spiritual backtracking chains" tens of meters high often descending from the sky, or "blades of definition" Time Splitting.
In the distance, several silent vortexes of cause and effect can be seen, like closed trials of fate. Legend has it that once you step into them, you will be trapped in a proposition that you never even created.
Finally, Qin Yu arrived at a plateau area known as the "Spiritual Sense Drifting Terrace".
Numerous "echoes of destiny" and "ribbons of logic" floated around this place, like shimmering threads, entwining between the sky and the earth. Occasionally, wisps of "soul consciousness fluctuations" could be seen struggling and dissipating within them, like the lingering mist of will left behind by those who failed in their missions here.
In the center of the sky, a three-sided rotating floating island floats silently, upon which floats a semi-transparent "Monument of Retrospection," on which three characters can be faintly seen:
Wang Long Can
At that moment, a cold glint flashed in Qin Yu's eyes.
He could already sense the lingering aura of Wang Long, but it was extremely weak. The aura seemed to be torn apart and scattered across different logical layers, faintly sealed off by an extremely mysterious fluctuation of order.
He slowly raised his hand, a faint Azure Ring appearing, a wisp of blue light swirling around his fingertips.
"Wang Long, I'm here."
At the top of the silent forest of steles, Qin Yu stood at the very core of the "Spiritual Sense Drifting Terrace," his palm outstretched, and the Silent Beginning Ring Master Soul Diagram appeared behind him. Rings of causal fluctuations rippled out from his fingertips, traversing the curtain of time in the void.
He slowly closed his eyes, the Azure Ring chimed softly, and he uttered four words:
"Logic Soul Pursuit - Begins."
Above his sea of consciousness, Qin Yu summoned a long, azure-blue soul-locking chain, which rapidly unfolded like a logical grid, following the residual aura of Wang Long in the space.
In the void, countless components of cause and effect began to intertwine and manifest, and scenes of retrospection intertwined in the air like shards of glass:
Wang Long arrived at this location to investigate the unusual fluctuations.
Dragged into the "Cause-and-Effect Folding Domain" by an unknown rule structure
Battle, cursed seals, wailing... replaying frame by frame.
Finally, only a faint wisp of soul light remained, torn apart by the "Logic Devourer" and dissipating into the nine-layered Genesis Rift.
Qin Yu frowned, his eyes cold.
"So that's how it is. You were swallowed into the Logic Forbidden Domain by... the Rule Remnant Devourer?"
Boom!!!
The void shattered, and an abyss-like entity suddenly appeared from the crack behind the stele forest.
It was a monster composed of countless fragments of incomplete logic, rejected causality, and chaotic definitions, named:
Rule Remnant Devourer · Devouring Logic · Enclosed Consciousness
Fragments of abandoned rules, such as "exists but Nameless," "beginning is ending," and "soul consciousness is unrecognizable," floated on its body, as if it were itself a collection of the remnants of "all failed propositions."
Its appearance immediately threw the world into disarray. The causal lines in space broke and regenerated like ashes, collapsing again and again, and all logic was on the verge of chaos.
Qin Yu snorted coldly, "Break Delusion and remnants is nothing more than an unwritten thought."
At this moment, Qin Yu stepped into the forest of steles, causing the Ring Master Soul Diagram to tremble violently. He swiftly drew the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword with his right hand, and with his left hand pointing, a massive page of the Fate Book appeared in the void: The Fate Book Unfolds – Named Wang Long
He drank in a low voice:
"The Master Book — Cause Severing Name!"
Suddenly, the heavens and earth seemed to fall from the brush!
With Azure Ring fully resonating, the pages of the Fate Book reflected the Nine Abyss. A "silver-colored" Fate Brush, formed from Qin Yu's soul consciousness, swept across the air, instantly rewriting the logical fragments of Wang Long's name!
The extracted thread transformed into a black-gold chain, which flew out with a resounding thud and pierced the void deep within the Forest of Steles.
Boom!! That's Wang Long's naming core!
In an instant, the earth lost its color, runes surged, and the Devourer roared as it charged out, attempting to tear apart the Fate Book!
Qin Yu's expression remained unchanged as he suddenly thrust the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword upwards!
"Recognition Annihilation Law Severance!"
With a single strike, the entire Forest of Steles was transformed into a sea of Recognition Annihilation. A chain of interwoven cyan and black soul energy transformed into a stream of flames, piercing through the core of the Devourer's sea of consciousness, instantly severing all the logical chains within its body!
The Devouring Logic and the Buried Consciousness exploded and collapsed, turning into ashes.
The Fate Book was returned to its scroll in mid-air, the lineage of Wang Long's name was completely reconstructed, and the location of the remnant soul was precisely locked!
Qin Yu stored Wang Long's name deep within his consciousness, his eyes as still as Silent Abyss.
"Next step—enter the Valley of Cause and Effect, and bring you back."
He turned around, the Fate Book ringing around him, and the silent forest of steles stirred again. The next step was to step into the ninth Constructed Cause Rending Domain and confront the mastermind who had dragged Wang Long into the abyss of annihilation.