Dream Annihilation Awakens · Oath in the Sea of Flowers

Deep within the culvert, the ancient rocks were slightly cold, and amidst the swirling purple mist, it seemed as if some ancient being was softly groaning in the silence. Yan Yue whispered, "Her soul's breath hasn't extinguished." Lin Yun then lightly touched the Soul Seal: "Moreover, she's still alive."

The shadows of flowers floated all around, like a dream.

They walked step by step into the heart of that purple sea of flowers—where the light was strangely dim, and countless purple flowers exuded a faint, soulful aura, as if telling a forgotten history. And right in the center of that sea of flowers, a woman leaned quietly against a broken stone entangled by flower roots, unconscious.

At that moment, even Yan Yue and Qin Yu paused in their steps.

The woman wore a long, thin gauze dress woven from deep purple and dark silver, as if fragments of a dream had been cut into garments. Every flowing pattern shimmered with a faint light, like a divine garment woven by the spirit of flowers in a moment of heart-pounding emotion. Her skin was extremely pale, but not in a sickly way. Rather, it was a sacred, pale white, like aloofness under the moonlight, and under the dim light, it was like misty snow and jade.

Her long hair cascaded down the stone wall like a night tide, deep purple with a hint of crimson silver, like shooting stars intertwined with misty vines. Each strand gently rested on her shoulders and on the flowers and leaves, while the silver-gray mark between her brows seemed to be etched by a dream, implying the trace of her Soul Seal being sealed.

Her eyes were tightly closed, her eyelashes extremely long, and she lay quietly like a butterfly with trembling wings. Her lips were as fresh as dew, and though she was silent, she possessed the aura of a soul who "sorrows without speaking." On her chest was a very deep Extinction Trace, from which a faint soul light slowly seeped out, drawn by the petals and dissolving into the soul stream in the cave.

Wang Long looked at the woman, his heart tightening. "She... is a shapeshifter?"

Yan Yue slightly, her gaze solemn. "She's not just a shapeshifter; she was once a shapeshifter of some extremely high-grade primordial divine runes... But now, her Fate Soul has been completely severed, with only a remnant of her consciousness remaining."

Qin Yu looked at her, his voice low and deep. "That scar was inflicted by the 'Annihilation Breath Brush Seal' of the True Word Extremity Hall. She resisted."

The four remained silent, their presence only echoing the woman's slightly trembling breaths from the depths of the flower field.

The flowers are still blooming, the purple mist is still flowing, and beneath the gloom lies a quiet sorrow that is unsettling.

She lay there asleep, as if this sea of flowers was a manifestation of her last breath of will before she was annihilated, used to guard her soul.

What exactly did she go through?

No one could answer.

Inside the culvert, the flowers still sway, their spirits lingering.

At this moment, Qin Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and with a wave of his hand, the vast azure soul wheel in his sea of consciousness slowly emerged— the Azure Ring manifested.

A streak of azure light transformed into a wisp of spiritual mist, silently brushing across the void and swirling around the woman, as if the heavens were reweaving a soul chain for her. Fine rain-like azure light slowly fell from the heart of the Azure Ring, passing through layers of petals and dripping onto the soul wound on the woman's forehead.

Like a divine mirror reflecting her image, Azure Ring repaired her shattered consciousness piece by piece, Extinction Trace faded away inch by inch, as if washed away by spring water.

The woman let out a soft moan, her body trembled slightly, and her long eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes.

She was stunned at first—her gaze met Qin Yu's deep, still eyes, and in that instant, she seemed to see some kind of will and logic that transcended everything. She instinctively leaned back an inch, then focused her attention and looked closely. Above his head, the slowly rotating Azure Ring was quietly suspended in the azure light.

It was a divine object she had never seen before.

Seeing this Yan Yue spoke gently, "What's wrong? We found you were in critical condition, your consciousness was almost shattered... that's why we saved you."

A trace of bewilderment lingered between the woman's brows. After a moment, she slowly shifted her gaze to Qin Yu and murmured softly, "You... you are..."

She was about to speak, but the moment she touched Azure Ring, her expression suddenly changed. Her eyes, which had been filled with shame and exhaustion, turned solemn. Then she gently rose and bowed gracefully to Qin Yu.

"I was originally an Annihilation Dream Immortal Grass in the Heavenly Emanation Treasure Realm · Middle Layer, named Meng Qing."

"Born in the Purple Silent Light Forest, breathing in dreams, rooted in the Source of Consciousness."

"A few days ago, I traveled to the Mirror Moon Spring Domain, but unexpectedly I was ambushed and captured by a Logic Realm Realm expert who claimed to be from the True Word Extremity Hall."

She spoke very softly, like the fragrance of flowers in the breeze, as if afraid to disturb this sleeping paradise.

"The person didn't reveal their name, but with just a single 'Logic Fixing Technique,' they sealed my consciousness and then led me into a sealed Rending Domain. I was in a daze, only feeling more and more people gathering around me—there were weapon refiners who had materialized, spirits of ancient talismans, immortal herbs, strange fires, and even the souls of ancient texts..."

"When I awoke again, the being who called himself 'Mystic Emanation Nether Venerable Liang Jichen' was already on the high platform."

He said... he wanted us to do a task for him--

She paused for a moment, her gaze gradually becoming serious, and then slowly took something out of her bosom.

It was a gray scroll of Fate Soul, its edges slightly scorched by soul fire. In the center of the scroll was a portrait—the person in the portrait was none other than Qin Yu.

Lin Yun's expression changed. "This is... the portrait he gave you?"

Meng Qing nodded slightly, her gaze complex. "He said... if we can kill the person in the picture, he will bestow upon each of us the supreme logical cultivation technique and return our Fate Soul."

"Otherwise, we will be annihilated one by one."

As she spoke, her eyes lowered, clearly still shaken; the oppressive, locked seal deep within her Fate Soul had not yet completely faded.

She slowly raised her head, looking at Azure Ring —then at Qin Yu, and finally whispered:

"The moment I saw this image, I knew... you weren't the kind of person who would hurt anyone."

"I... I'm sorry. If it weren't for you, I would have perished in the Flower Abyss."

As she finished speaking, she bowed her head in a respectful gesture, her soul-like robes swaying in the wind along with the flowers, as if she had transformed into the softest petal in that Dream Stillness flower forest, her conscience hidden in the wind, her soul filled with longing.

Inside the cave, purple flowers swayed gently, and the lingering scent of a dream still hung in the air, as if the world was still immersed in the sorrow and dreamlike atmosphere of just moments before.

Meng Qing gently smoothed a strand of light purple hair from her shoulder, a trace of pain and weakness still lingering in her eyes, but her tone gradually became steady and firm. She lowered her gaze in remembrance, her voice like a dream, yet each word was heavy:

"So... I returned to my original residence."

She slowly raised her hand and pointed to the dense patch of purple flowers in the center of the cave.

"These Dream Annihilation Flower are the outward manifestation of the source of my Fate Soul. They possess the power to peel away imprints, gradually erasing the imposed Fate Soul Lock Seal."

"But—" she sighed softly, "The process... was extremely painful."

"That Fate Soul Lock Seal is not an ordinary curse, but a kind of existence binding logic that is 'based on records.' With each piece peeled away, my sea of consciousness feels like it's being torn apart, and I even experience memory distortion and logical breaks."

"I've tried three times, and each time I passed out during the tearing process."

She bit her lip, her hands unconsciously clasped together, trembling slightly.

"If you hadn't arrived in time... I might have truly fallen into eternal sleep."

Yan Yue slowly stepped forward, gently placing her hand on Meng Qing's shoulder, her gaze soft yet her words firm:

"It's alright, you've fully recovered now."

"Those painful memories will slowly fade as your Fate Soul heals. We understand what you've endured."

Qin Yu stood at the edge of the flowerbed, silently watching her, his brows furrowed, and asked in a low voice:

"Meng Qing, just how many Fate Soul Lock Seal did Liang Jichen inscribe?"

Meng Qing raised her head, her gaze no longer averted, her tone carrying a clear chill:

"A lot of."

"Any shapeshifter who enters the Heavenly Emanation Treasure Realm · Middle Layer —whether it's a divine artifact, immortal herb, ancient talisman, magic weapon, or strange fire..."

"He has almost completely controlled them."

"We were captured in batches, then our souls were forcibly sealed and our consciousness suppressed. After having life crystals implanted in us, we were released back into the middle-level area."

"If you disobey, the self-destruct logic of the life crystal will be triggered, completely erasing your soul consciousness."

Hearing this, Wang Long's eyes darkened, and he gritted his teeth, muttering, "Such ruthless methods..."

Lin Yun clenched his fists, his voice cold. "This isn't treasure hunting at all, this is... controlling the entire middle level, using all the shapeshifters as 'pawns' to hunt down Qin Yu."

Meng Qing nodded, a slight tremor in her voice. "Liang Jichen has only one target— Qin Yu."

She looked at Qin Yu with a serious expression.

"All your information, aura characteristics, Fate Soul frequency, and even... your recent battle trajectory have been almost entirely etched into your destiny chart."

"Moreover, he promised us that if we could kill you and bring back your Fate Soul seal, he would bestow upon us a 'Supreme Logic Mechanism Technique'."

After he finished speaking, the cave fell silent.

The flowers are still swaying, and purple light flows.

After a moment, Yan Yue spoke quietly, asking softly:

"Besides these controlled shapeshifters, who else hasn't been marked?"

Meng Qing pondered for a moment, then slowly said:

"Besides those dark creatures... there are a few more."

"They are the 'Cultivation Technique Manifestations' and 'Array Origin Spirits' deepest within the middle layer—they inherently possess control over a portion of the main logic, and their structure is closer to fragments of rules, Liang Jichen dares not approach them easily."

"But... he once said that he was searching for a relic called the 'Soul Annihilation Ancient Scroll,' and that if he obtained it, he could control even these high-level beings."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yu's expression became completely serious, Yan Yue gently squeezed Qin Yu's hand.

Wang Long and Lin Yun exchanged a glance, their expressions no longer showing anger, but rather a suppressed, rising killing intent.

- A faint glow of spiritual light flickered within the cave, purple flowers bloomed in profusion, and the future had begun to subtly tilt.

Qin Yu nodded slightly, then gently waved his right hand. A stream of dark blue soul energy flowed from his palm, cascading down like a waterfall, silently enveloping the entire Dream Annihilation Cave Abode. It was an extremely high-level Fate Soul concealment array, derived from the "Realm Severing Concealment" component logic in the "Silent Principle Void Annihilation Scripture." It could completely shield auras, Spiritual Sense fluctuations, and life trajectory detection. Even the Fate Soul tracking technique of the True Word Extremity Hall would be ineffective here.

As the formation took shape, the entire cave seemed to vanish from the world, slowly disappearing into the gaps in space, leaving only a barely perceptible emanation of annihilation.

Qin Yu withdrew his palm and stood up, looking at Meng Qing with gentle eyes, and said in a low voice:

"Miss Meng, I have set up the 'Annihilation Concealment Realm Sealing Array' for you. No matter who steps into the middle level, they will not be aware of this place."

"You should rest and recuperate here for now. I will come back to take you away after I have completely Annihilation Mystic Emanation Nether Venerable Liang Jichen."

"It's too dangerous outside now."

Meng Qing gazed at him quietly, her eyes softening with an unprecedented sense of peace and emotion.

She nodded gently, slowly rose, her skirt swaying like clouds, and then gently took out a flower-shaped spirit core from the cluster of Dream Annihilation Flower behind her that was trembling slightly.

The spirit core was entirely a clear, amethyst-like crystal, like a crescent moon fallen into water. Within it, soul light swirled like a dream, seemingly containing the ancient memories and profound mysteries of slumber of the entire Dream Annihilation Clan. Its petal-like outer shell gently unfolded, and wisps of dreamlike aura slowly flowed, sketching out scenes of dreamlike illusions in the air—as if thousands of souls were weeping in their slumber, or as if countless magical artifacts, in their physical forms, longed to awaken in their dreams but could never do so.

She offered the spirit core with both hands, her voice as gentle as the wind:

"My benefactor--"

"This is the [Dream Annihilation Spirit Core], which originated from the Dream Annihilation Flower. It is the soul-protecting treasure of my clan."

"It contains the essence of Dream Annihilation, which can instantly plunge an enemy's consciousness into a deep slumber. If the soul of the one being corrupted is even slightly damaged, they may be forever trapped in a delusional dream, never to awaken again."

"This thing is extremely difficult to control; only those with unwavering will and a undisturbed Fate Soul can activate it."

"I should have protected it forever... but now, I wish to give it to you."

She smiled slightly, a glimmer of light appearing in her eyes, but it wasn't sadness; rather, it was a calm, grateful emotion.

"At the same time, on behalf of... all those whose Fate Soul has been inscribed, I thank you in advance."

"If you... can truly vanquish Liang Jichen, we—all beings bound by the Fate Soul Lock Seal —will forever remember your kindness."

At this moment, the Dream Annihilation Flower swayed in the wind, and the purple light filling the cave, like stars, quietly fell.

Yan Yue stood behind Qin Yu, quietly watching everything before her, her gaze gentle yet profound. She knew—this was not just a parting protection, but a vow to entrust their Fate Soul to each other.

Wang Long and Lin Yun nodded slightly, their expressions solemn, accepting this silent inheritance and entrustment.

Qin Yu slowly reached out and gently collected the spirit core in his palm. After closing his eyes for a moment, he sealed it into the "Spirit Dream Abyss Page of the Book of Fate Soul. His tone was calm, yet like a decisive sword in a galaxy, slowly descending:

"I will use it."

"Used to plunge those despicable people like Liang Jichen... into a nightmare from which Bugui awaken."

Meng Qing stood amidst the sea of flowers, watching the figures of several people vanish into the void, like petals falling silently in a dream.