Annihilation Abyss Star Banquet · The Ghostly Journey Awaits

The atmosphere within the Annihilation Abyss Star Palace was exceptionally harmonious, with everyone enjoying their drinks. But at that moment, Wang Yuan suddenly put down his wine cup, his expression turning serious, and he said in a low voice:

"Brother Qin, that day when I was near the Seyan Ancient Soul Forest, I sensed someone setting up a Soul Net Locking Array. Later I learned that it was that Chen Po who laid an ambush, intending to assassinate you and Junior Sister Chi Ning."

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent instantly. Shen Yuzhi and the others' expressions changed. Luo Huan's fingers unconsciously pressed against the Soul Seal at his waist. Mu Xun frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Yes, we also know it's him."

Qin Yu's eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly spoke, "Chen Po... it really is him. That day, when we were ambushed, I thought it was just a remnant of the Demon Soul faction, but I never expected it to be a trap set by one of our own disciples."

Wang Yuan nodded and smiled calmly, "It's nothing new that he's so audacious, relying on his uncle from the temple and the protection of his master Chen Chao."

"Chen Chao?" Qin Yu's tone turned serious as the image of the elder with piercing eyes and hidden hostility from earlier that day flashed through his mind. "The one who came with the Vice Hall Master... the Core Elder?"

Chi Ning nodded slightly upon hearing this, her gaze complex. "It is indeed him. On the surface, he is the Grand Elder of the Temple, but in reality, he has long been deeply entangled with the Chen Clan. My master, Meng Qing, once reminded me that Chen Chao's strong support for Chen Po was because everyone was quite drunk, and the atmosphere within the Annihilation Abyss Star Palace was exceptionally harmonious." At that very moment, Wang Yuan suddenly put down his wine cup, his expression turning serious, and whispered:

She sighed and continued, "Not only that, the Chen Clan invites Chen Chao to their residence every year to give lectures and host banquets, treating him like an honored guest. This relationship has long surpassed that of an ordinary teacher and student."

Du Linglin sneered, "No wonder I felt something was off when you were sent on that certain death mission to the Purge the Devil Palace. How could an inner sect steward dare to make such a decision on his own? It turns out Chen Yan and Chen Chao were in cahoots behind it all."

Mo Zhiyan's gaze turned slightly cold, his tone carrying a chilling undertone. "Chen Chao, taking advantage of the Ancestor's neglect of internal affairs, has already secretly formed cliques and pursued personal gain. If it weren't for your Senior Brother Qin's extraordinary achievements this time, he might have truly brought you down in one fell swoop."

Luo Huan said in a deep voice, "He dared to act so recklessly because he was certain you were all alone and helpless. But he didn't expect that you would actually condense the Nine-Ring True Evolution Dharma Wheel and be personally selected by the Ancestor. Now he's probably in a difficult position."

Qin Yu gripped his wine cup tightly, his gaze deep and unfathomable. "I've remembered it. Qin Yu thanks you all again for the reminder."

Wang Yuan smiled slightly and took a sip of wine, "The Chen Clan's affairs are not urgent. You are now a core disciple, with access to the highest levels of resources in the Divine Temple. No matter how much Chen Chao desires, he cannot act rashly. However..."

He paused, a meaningful glint in his eyes. "If one day you wish to cleanse the sect, I will surely be there to fight for you."

Chi Ning chuckled softly, "We're the same. You're not alone."

Shen Yuzhi, Mu Xun, Du Linglin, Mo Zhiyan, and others all raised their glasses. "For this sword, for this battle—cheers!"

Amidst the clinking of cups and the flickering firelight, at that moment, the gazes of everyone in the Annihilation Abyss Star Palace met, and a destiny oath that would shake the entire Source of Epochless quietly took shape.

As the banquet progressed and everyone chatted and laughed, Wang Yuan suddenly became serious and slowly spoke:

"Brother Qin, have you ever heard of... a place in the Source of Epochless · Middle Layer called the Spectral Ghost Cemetery?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere at the table froze.

Shen Yuzhi frowned, looking up with slight surprise. "The Spectral Ghost Cemetery... that place? Legend has it that the area is perpetually filled with a substance called 'Reverse Causality Particles,' which can interfere with the flow of soul consciousness and disrupt the order of time and the trajectory of cause and effect. Some have said that it is a corner forgotten by the world."

She paused, her gaze darkening slightly. "Those particles contain a large number of fragments of remnant souls, abandoned mental energy, and obsessions. They eventually coalesce into 'Vengeful Ghost Factors,' which take the form of strange beasts and eerie shadows, making them extremely difficult to deal with."

Mo Zhiyan picked up the conversation, his gaze serious. "That's right. However, as far as I know, the outer perimeter of the Spectral Ghost Cemetery has been sealed by a high-level logical restriction since tens of millions of years ago, making it difficult for cultivators to enter, no matter what they do. And because of this, the ghostly beings are unable to leave, making it a closed, eerie realm."

As everyone pondered, Wang Yuan nodded slightly, his tone gradually lowering:

"A few days ago, I learned from an old acquaintance that the Spectral Ghost Cemetery has changed."

His gaze was as deep as an abyss as he slowly uttered the startling words. "It is said that the restriction... developed a crack three days ago."

"As the crack appeared, a strange emerald green light emerged from the depths of the cemetery, like mist and flame, stretching from heaven to earth, illuminating the entire night sky in a ghostly green hue."

Du Linglin's expression changed slightly. "Emerald green? Could it be a leak of some kind of anti-logical component?"

Wang Yuan nodded. "Very likely. That green light is not ordinary energy; it may be the appearance of some kind of illogical treasure. You should know that once such a treasure appears, it is very likely to cause a turbulence in the world's rules."

Chi Ning bit her lip and looked at Wang Yuan: "Senior Brother Wang Yuan, could it be that you... want to go to the Spectral Ghost Cemetery?"

Wang Yuan smiled calmly, "Chi Ning is indeed intelligent."

He stood up, his robes fluttering, but his tone held a newfound seriousness and frankness. "To be honest, I have indeed come here for one reason—"

"Exploring for treasure is one aspect; but the most important thing is for the legendary 'Dark Spirit Ghost Flower' deep within that cemetery."

"That flower—" A rare, burning light appeared in his eyes, "... for my Innate Martial Soul [Recognition Annihilation Without Remnant], it is the only crucial opportunity that can allow it to Realm Breaking and truly sublimate."

"If I can obtain it, my martial soul can enter the 'Recognition Annihilation True Realm' and control a deeper level of 'Thought-Forgotten Logic,' and may even make the enemy forget their own name for a short period of time."

Everyone present was shocked upon hearing this.

Shen Yuzhi whispered, "Dark Spirit Ghost Flower... It's said that it only blooms once every billion years, and it only grows in extremely extreme 'soul-burial environments.' It's impossible for it to grow under normal circumstances. Are you... sure that thing will appear in the Spectral Ghost Cemetery?"

Wang Yuan nodded gently, his expression calm and firm. "I'm sure."

Qin Yu slowly rose, gazing at the deep night sky outside the window. "If something truly happens there, it won't just concern our opportunities; the leakage of those vengeful spirits... it will likely cause immense disaster to the surrounding villages and cultivators."

Chi Ning asked softly, "You want to go?"

Qin Yu's gaze remained unchanged, and he smiled faintly, "How about we go together?"

The crowd's expressions shifted slightly, as if an unspoken consensus was quietly forming between the intoxication and the starlight.

Chi Ning sighed softly, her face showing a hint of helplessness, yet still bearing a faint smile, "Alas, I really wanted to go to the Spectral Ghost Cemetery with you all... but the 'Desolate Annihilation Secret Realm' will open in a month, and my master has ordered me to go into seclusion and prepare for the battle with all my might."

She looked at Qin Yu, her eyes filled with apology, but even more so with blessings for the future.

Shen Yuzhi nodded gently, picked up her wine glass, and smiled Wenwan: "This battle for the secret realm is related to whether we can set foot in the deeper areas of the middle level... We have no choice but to decline. Senior Brother Qin, please be careful."

"The Desolate Annihilation Secret Realm is of vital importance to each and every one of us."

Luo Huan downed the wine bowl in one gulp and slammed it down. "Senior Brother Qin, Senior Brother Wang Yuan, when you return safely from that hellish place, we'll drink three more jars together!"

"Of course." Qin Yu said calmly, glancing around at everyone, and slowly raised his glass. "Then Senior Brother Wang Yuan and I will make the trip. We'll try to return within a month."

"Hmm." Wang Yuan nodded with a smile. "In that case, we'll depart in three days. Tomorrow, Junior Brother Qin will accompany me to the Radiant Heaven Imperial Capital to purchase some spiritual artifacts and defensive items as preparation."

"We'll see when the time comes." His words were gentle, yet they revealed a hint of composure towards the unknown battlefield.

At this moment, the people at the table looked at each other. Although they each had their own paths to follow, their gazes were calm and firm. They were no longer the ignorant new disciples in the Annihilation Star Hall, but were gradually stepping onto the torrent of intertwined destinies.

As the starlight dimmed, wine glasses clinked.

Outside the distant Annihilation Abyss Star Palace, a cold moon slowly rose, casting its clear light and framing the laughter and chatter of the crowd into gentle, flowing shadows.

Amidst the light and shadow, Shen Yuzhi's soft laughter was like a star bell, Chi Ning's eyes shimmered with a gentle glint of water, Luo Huan Mu Xun his cup with heroic spirit, Mo Zhiyan poured softly, Du Linglin her head back slightly to drink the clear dew in her cup...

Qin Yu raised his cup and smiled, while Wang Yuan sat silently, his eyes clear and bright, as if piercing through the present moment to gaze into the depths of the Spectral Ghost Cemetery.

One by one, the luminous starlight lamps rose, floating above the Annihilation Abyss Star Palace, like stars in a dream.

Starlight flickered, palaces stood majestically, figures mingled, and laughter lingered.

As darkness fell and silence descended, everyone departed...

The night in the Annihilation Abyss Star Palace was as dark as ink, with starlight pouring down from the dome and flowing into the most central training platform in the vast palace domain. This platform floated above a bottomless abyss, surrounded by a slowly flowing, star-like annihilation barrier, like a cosmic map slowly rotating. The sky was silent, with only the pulsating vibrations of spacetime particles echoing in the air.

Qin Yu sat alone in the center of the star array, his black robes billowing on the ground. He sat cross-legged, his expression solemn. A dazzling Purple-Gold Eternal Pole Crystal Core slowly emerged between his brows, like a heavenly eye embedded deep within his Fate Soul, its faint flow surging with the aura of Annihilation Abyss. He extended his right palm, and the crystal core's light surged like a tide, its purple-gold halo transforming into countless flowing runes, reversing the void and enveloping his entire body in a constant spacetime barrier.

The next moment, Qin Yu slowly circulated the "Limitless Essence Absorption Art" within his body.

--boom!!

Deep within his sea of consciousness, the Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel revived like the primordial light of the universe, rotating layer by layer and slowly unfolding, like nine layers of nested heavens. Each ring was engraved with billions of logical structures and causal secrets, burning, roaring, and vibrating deep within his sea of consciousness!

As the nine wheels began to rotate, the Limitless Evolving True Flow between heaven and earth suddenly trembled!

"Whoosh!!"

As if an invisible torrent suddenly surged in from all directions, the entire space layer Annihilation Abyss Star Palace was instantly stirred up, and the Limitless Evolving True Flow swept back like the light of billions of stars!

Strands of primordial energy flowed like a siphon, defying the heavens, and surged wildly into Qin Yu's sea of consciousness on the training platform.

The light in the air converged, like an inverted galaxy, causing the heavens and earth to lose their balance. The form of the Limitless Evolving True Flow began to change drastically. It was initially a mist, like a surge of black and gold stardust, then it condensed into liquid, transformed into crystalline threads, and finally broke apart into bundles of visible superdimensional energy fluctuations, displaying dozens of different colors such as blazing white, annihilated gold, azure, silent black, and rainbow, swirling and circling around the Nine-Wheel Dharma Wheel.

The Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel vibrated violently, gradually revealing a profound three-dimensional light array. As it rotated, it drew in the causal lines, spacetime trajectories, and logical nodes within the universe's structure, causing them to resonate together, as if opening up a completely new "dimensional furnace" within its sea of consciousness.

Within the sea of consciousness, strands of the Limitless Evolving True Flow were instantly analyzed, decomposed, absorbed, and reconstructed!

The entire Annihilation Abyss Star Palace was now radiant with light. A magnificent star map appeared above the training platform, overlapping with the illusion of a divine altar and the core of the universe. In a few breaths, it transformed into a dazzling pillar of light that broke through the palace dome and illuminated the nine layers of void!

Qin Yu slowly opened his eyes, his pupils filled with countless shimmering starlight.

He spoke softly, his voice tinged with emotion. "Although I have already stepped into the Logic Realm Realm · Initial Stage, Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel can absorb and transform the Limitless Evolving True Flow on a large scale, this is only the first step towards heaven."

He looked down at the endlessly spinning Dharma wheel in his sea of consciousness, a ring that had been impossible to solidify for countless ages, now transformed into the core of his most primal power. But precisely because of this, he perceived even more clearly—

The Logic Realm Realm · Middle Stage is far more complex than simply accumulating the Limitless Evolving True Flow.

"If we truly want to establish the authority over a complete cosmological configuration and spatiotemporal narrative... relying solely on the Evolving True Flow is far from sufficient." He muttered to himself, his expression solemn.

A moment later, Qin Yu withdrew his consciousness, and the nine wheels slowly returned to silence, leaving only a barely perceptible ripple of star rings flowing quietly in his sea of consciousness.

Outside the Annihilation Abyss Star Palace, the starlight continued to slowly spread, as if the whole world was whispering in remembrance of a being who had truly entered the "realm of logic".