The River of Illusion has been severed, and bones lie scattered like threads; beneath this broken world, only the remnants of a dead realm remain.
Just as the Soul Coffin War Chariot came to a heavy stop before the Ancient Soul Steps—
The four Sealed Servitor Construct Spirit its massive body suddenly seemed to sense some kind of command; all four stopped simultaneously, stamping their feet, and then—
The four chains of annihilating gold instantly snapped!
A piercing tearing sound, like a starburst, shattered all the floating and sinking bones around them! The remnant soul sealing talismans on the four spirit Sealed Servitor Construct Spirit known as the "Coffin Draggers" peeled off one by one, revealing their terrifying forms scorched by karma and Fate Soul.
They opened their eyes.
Those are not the eyes of living beings, but the vision directly engraved into the soul by the "Star Abyss Structure - Mieyin Imprint". Every glance can break through the protective barrier of fate and strike the core of consciousness.
They roared to the sky at the same time!
--The sound was like the cries and roars of the entire Epoch Origin all coming out at once!
In the next moment--
The four Coffin Draggers rushed towards Qin Yu and his companion like four roaring torrents. Their broken yet Ultimate oppressive Annihilation Structure structures tore through the void, each step accompanied by a surge of cursed flames. The ground was carbonized, and blazing white cracks appeared in the space, causing tremors in all directions!
Yao Zhiyan suddenly drew her sword, muttering a low chant:
"[Lingxi Xuanyin · Qianling Buguang]!"
--She stepped onto the array of shadowy figures, and streaks of silver-white light swirled out from beneath her feet, like the moon reflected in water and shattered stars in a galaxy, flashing across the sky!
At the same time, the sword light, like silk, transformed into a hundred streaks of spiritual light, and then burst forth towards the Coffin Draggers rushing towards the left front!
--Amidst the clashing sword lights, a spirit's body was completely shattered, unleashing a sky full of annihilating soul flames!
Qin Yu stared coldly at the Sealed Servitor Construct Spirit attacking from his right front, and with a swift stroke of the [Book of Fate Law], he drew his right hand:
"[Destiny Seal - Abyss-Turning Star Platform]--"
Suddenly, the world went dark.
Countless golden patterns of destiny rose instantly from beneath his feet, and a phantom star platform rose from the River of Annihilation, freezing the oncoming Coffin Draggers in mid-air.
The Fate Soul threads within that construct seemed to be dragged and reversed by the main narrative of the entire world, ending with a deafening roar—
"Bang!"
The entire Sealed Servitor Construct Spirit exploded into countless fragments of soul structure, transforming into thousands of lingering soul whispers and storms, which instantly dissipated!
The remaining two Coffin Draggers sensed the danger and, surprisingly, did not roar. Instead, they twisted and turned like ferocious beasts, trying to return to the chariot!
However, at this moment, Qin Yu held a pen in his left hand and raised the Silent Origin Divine Sword in his right, his eyes as cold and sharp as the polar night of the Star Abyss:
"[Sever the Soul in Nine Silences]."
That is the fifth move of the Eleven Severing Forms of the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword, a single strike that cuts through the nine realms of soul consciousness.
Before the sword's edge even arrived, the world had already fallen silent.
The void suddenly fell silent; the wind stopped, the clouds stopped, and even the flow of time seemed to be frozen by this move!
Boom!!
With a single sword strike, the two Coffin Draggers that were leaping back to the chariot had their cores severed simultaneously. Before their massive spirit-constructed bodies even hit the ground, they exploded in mid-air into "soulless forms," their limbs and bodies instantly weathering away, leaving only two golden remnants that fell mournfully through the air.
The battle lasted less than thirty breaths.
But the shockwave was like an apocalypse, its aftershocks sweeping across hundreds of miles.
The Soul Coffin War Chariot fell into deathly silence, all its chains silently crumbling... The Eye of Soul Annihilation at the center of the coffin closed quietly—as if sensing the arrival of a deeper will...
Heaven and earth stood still. The winds of the soul ceased.
After Qin Yu and Yao Zhiyan completely destroyed the four souls of the Sealed Servitor Construct Spirit that was being towed, the obsidian coffin, which had been silent and lifeless, suddenly made a very fine cracking sound, as if a tomb door was gently opening from the deepest part of the Nine Nether.
Immediately afterwards, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and even the eternal flames in the Star Abyss Forecourt dimmed eerily for a moment.
Under the watchful eyes of Qin Yu and Yao Zhiyan, the coffin slowly opened.
A silent light emanated from it, not a spiritual radiance, nor a soul's glow, but a mysterious and noble dark golden light, like the blood of the Netherworld King condensed from the melting of countless wronged souls, swirling in the mist and coldly illuminating all directions.
Immediately, a slender hand, shrouded in bronze armor and abyssal runes, emerged from the coffin and gently touched its side.
She appeared.
She was a tall, slender woman, yet possessed a majestic and dignified air.
She was dressed entirely in a jet-black divine robe, the surface of which was woven with intricate and mysterious soul-locking incantations in gold-destroying patterns, as if the laws of the underworld were engraved on her clothes. The cloak was wide and heavy, hanging from her head to her ankles, layered like the night sky, and inlaid with scattered gold-locking needles like shattered stars. Every wisp of it moved slightly in the wind, emitting a faint, almost inaudible incantation.
She lowered her head, revealing only half of her profile beneath her hood. Her skin was as white as a ghost, and her features were serene and aloof, like a saint who had slept for a thousand years in a tomb. Her eyes were not yet open, but the moment she took a step, the entire Star Abyss Forecourt seemed to freeze for a moment.
She neither spoke nor made a move.
But all the soul light, curse smoke, and post-war lingering energy floating in the air... all descended upon her, as if all spirits were paying homage to the crowned lord returning to her throne.
A string of dark, dangling metal pendants hung beside her, densely packed, each one a small annihilation bell formed from an ancient underworld spirit. Whenever she moved slightly, an extremely faint "ringing" sound would ring out; it was not a sound, but the sound of time and memories being erased.
Her aura was neither sharp nor violent.
But it gives people an extremely clear sense of oppression--
It was as if she was not a "living being," but rather a part of the "Will of the Star Abyss."
A still figure immediately becomes the female protagonist of the nightmare realm of the dead.
Yao Zhiyan took a small step back and murmured softly, "Senior Brother Mo... she's not a spirit construct... nor is she a soul being controlled... she... seems to be... someone who willingly lay down in that coffin."
Qin Yu remained silent, but slowly unfolded the Book of Fate Law, with the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword floating in his palm, his eyes extremely deep.
He understood that if this person took the initiative to attack, even if it was just a wisp of "projection," it would be far beyond what an ordinary opponent could achieve.
At this moment, the Star Abyss Forecourt seemed to have entered a kind of Observation Deathly Stillness.
Simply because she hadn't spoken yet.
The deep wind was still, and the world seemed frozen in the woman's whispers.
She slightly raised her head, and two eerie lights suddenly shone from her eyes beneath the hood, like the fading light of a dead star that had traversed countless eons. A deep, hoarse yet clear and penetrating female voice echoed through the deathly silent space of the Star Abyss Forecourt:
"Do you... want to leave this place?"
The sound wasn't loud, but it seemed to strike directly into the sea of consciousness, like a nail sinking deep into the soul.
Qin Yu and Yao Zhiyan were both shocked. Yao Zhiyan instinctively took half a step closer to Qin Yu and whispered, "She... she knows we come from beyond the realm."
Qin Yu remained silent, but his gaze suddenly sharpened Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword slowly rotated and floated to his side, his soul and Fate Soul both entering a state of combat readiness. His voice was calm yet sharp, directly addressing the core question, "Who are you?"
The woman did not answer, but slowly took a step forward. The chains around her trembled gently, and the faint "bell sounds" were like the lingering notes of a curse, splashing into the air in barely perceptible ripples.
"Without my help..." she spoke again, her voice rising slowly from the depths of the coffin abyss, "You—will never be able to leave the Star Abyss Forecourt."
At this moment, Qin Yu's mind was shaken.
The information revealed in this statement is far more complex than it appears on the surface.
She not only knew their origins, but also the spatial-temporal logic and exit mechanism of this place... and what she meant by "unable to leave" was not getting lost, but rather being blocked by some deeper logic of Fate-Cause.
Qin Yu's gaze was sharp as he sheathed the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword and slowly descended into the Soul Diagram, hovering there. His voice held a hint of probing and coldness. "You really... can lead us away from this place?"
The woman didn't say much, but simply tilted her head slightly, a faint smile curving her delicate, pale face beneath her cloak.
"Come with me."
As she finished speaking, she turned, her footsteps silent, like an ancient spirit emerging from nothingness, slowly making her way into the deep alleys behind the coffin. Her steps were extremely slow, but with each step, the surrounding space trembled slightly. It wasn't that she was moving forward—it was that a corner of the entire "Star Abyss Forecourt" was being rewritten by her logic, opening up a new "path."
Yao Zhiyan subconsciously asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother Mo... should we follow?"
Qin Yu did not answer, but his figure had already taken the first step with the woman. He had no choice.
Because he understood that the woman was right.
Without her guidance, the Star Abyss... Boundless Realm a path, forever sealed off.
The dark night spread out like a curtain, heavily covering the entire Star Abyss Forecourt. The woman's figure moved through the overgrown woodland, her black robe trailing on the ground, its intricate details like woven threads of fate. Qin Yu and Yao Zhiyan followed closely behind, the only sounds in the silence being their footsteps and the night wind rustling through the dry branches.
Finally, at the edge of a broken forest slumbering amidst mist and ancient vines, a cluster of black churches came into view. They seemed to have survived from some forgotten era, their Gothic spires piercing the sky, outlining a deathly solemn silhouette against the dark green clouds. The black stone walls were mottled, with crosses hanging precariously on them, as if mourning all the sunken souls of the world.
The woman walked into the front of the central church and whispered incantations that no one could understand, as if she were awakening some ancient will that had been dormant. Just as Qin Yu was on high alert, a crack suddenly appeared in the shadows of the nearby woods, revealing a stone path that was completely imperceptible to ordinary people, leading to a shadowy courtyard behind the church.
The woman turned to look at them. "There's no going back."
So the three of them stepped into this mysterious back courtyard.
Ahead lay a breathtaking sight that completely shattered their preconceived notions—
Dim candlelight hung from a wrought-iron chandelier entwined with vines, illuminating the round, classic table in the center. The table and chairs were rusted and mottled, yet spotless; a dozen or so crystal wine glasses were neatly arranged, as if a banquet that had never begun yet would never end was awaiting its guests. Moonlight, fragmented by the shadows of the trees, shone upon everything, casting a filter of nightmare and poetry over this eternal banquet in the darkness.
"This was once the 'Reception Hall' in the Star Abyss Forecourt, a place only those abandoned by fate could set foot in," the woman said in a low voice. "And I... am the last one who failed to return."
Qin Yu stood before the twisted vines of the doorway, squinting slightly at the dining table, and slowly asked, "Who exactly are you?"
The woman simply pointed a finger at the table, and the benches were pulled out one by one. The candlelight suddenly flickered violently, and the empty chairs seemed to reflect the lingering shadows of people who had long since died. Silently, they sat down, raised their glasses, as if the grand feast had been restarted.
"If you wish to leave, you must fulfill a contract." The woman slowly walked to the head of the table and softly uttered those four words:
"Banquet of Returning to One's Seat." A gentle night breeze stirred, as if caressing the unclosed eyelids of the dead.
Qin Yu stood quietly before the round table, where candlelight and vine shadows intertwined. His gaze was sharp as a blade as he surveyed the Emptiness seats and the lingering shadows reflected on the table. Finally, he slowly asked:
"What if we don't complete... your so-called 'Banquet of Returning to One's Seat'?"
Although his voice was soft, it carried an unwavering vigilance. His right palm was already slightly close to the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword at his waist, and his aura was slowly gathering around him, ready to transform into an annihilating blade in an instant.
The woman showed no anger upon hearing this. She simply turned slowly, walked to the head of the table, and gently pressed her palm against the back of the chair. Her robes billowed in the air like a night tide, creating a smooth arc. Her veil was slightly lowered, and her voice was soft and gentle, yet carried an undeniable composure.
Please take a seat—let me explain.
As soon as these words were spoken, the candlelight around them danced without wind, and the dozen or so cups on the table trembled and jingled softly, as if some ancient will was awakening, reawakening this deadly place into a central node of destiny.
Qin Yu frowned, slowly exchanged a glance with Yao Zhiyan, and then, without saying a word, took a step forward. His robes fluttered softly in the night like a waterfall of stars as he slowly sat down on the chair etched with the marks of time.
The next moment, heaven and earth fell silent; the banquet had not yet begun, but the contract was about to be formed.