Dark Flower Imprisons the Heart · One Thought Shatters the Illusion

Just as everyone struggled through the "Soundless Trap," the outline of the altar ahead became clearer. Layers of purplish-black Netherworld energy rose slowly like a curtain, and amidst the flickering light, a strange spatial fluctuation quietly emerged. The two core disciples of the Eternal Night Observatory Pavilion who were at the forefront stopped abruptly as soon as they stepped into that area, their brows trembling slightly, as if their consciousness had suffered some fatal shock.

It was an area that seemed to have been stripped of reality.

Space collapsed, and time went out of control. The entire area resembled a crumpled scroll, collapsing inward and expanding outward. Countless temporal cracks, invisible to the naked eye, intertwined and shimmered in the air, like billions of fine threads piercing through the void, each carrying the weight of millennia of silence and the fleeting passage of a thousand years.

One disciple's expression changed drastically, his eyes reflecting a vision of his future—a future battle on a certain day, where he would be pierced through the heart by an unknown being, his blood staining the mountains. Another disciple looked grief-stricken, as if he could see his dearest childhood sister dying tragically in a sea of fire, and he was powerless to help. These phantoms of the "past" and the "future" surged into their souls like a tide, constantly tearing at their will.

"Ah!!!"

The two people in front finally couldn't help but let out a wail, and instantly--

Boom!

Their bodies seemed to have been crushed by the power of spacetime, instantly turning into nothingness and dust, leaving not even a trace of their souls behind. The entire space seemed as if these two had never existed, just as if they had never been born into this universe.

This is --

[Trap Three: Time-Slot Rift]

The cracks in time are no longer a spatial calamity, but a denial of "existence itself".

The others around them looked horrified and stopped in their tracks. The woman in red stood in front of Qin Yu and Wang Yuan and said coldly:

"This is a 'Time-Slot Rift'... a conceptual folding band shaped by the Dark Spirit Ghost Flower using the energy of the Netherworld. From this moment on, every step you take will confront the memories you least want to face, or the future you least want to endure. If you waver even slightly, you will die in an instant."

Having said that, she unfurled her red dress and was the first to step into the crevice area.

In that instant, space twisted into a vortex, the earth beneath their feet transformed into a swirling galaxy, and the world before them resembled a shattered mirror, each fragment reflecting a "self"—sometimes an old, frail body, sometimes a madman self-harming, sometimes kneeling before the graves of the deceased, weeping bitterly.

Wang Yuan trembled all over, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, while Qin Yu remained indifferent. Deep within his sea of consciousness, the Annihilation Origin -level Fate Soul Crystal Core [Azure Evolution Core] shone with a faint black light, devouring all the fragments that interfered with the logic of time.

"Look carefully."

Qin Yu whispered to Wang Yuan, "Everything here is a disturbance, not reality. Keep your mind focused and don't let any memories sway you."

If the primordial state remains still, then the fissures will be powerless.

Guided by Qin Yu's Soul-Suppressing Technique, Wang Yuan also forced himself to stay focused and slowly moved forward with him. The other disciple of the Eternal Night Observatory Pavilion was already deathly pale, drenched in cold sweat, and utterly shocked.

"If any further convictions waver..."

The woman in red coldly swept her gaze over them, "Then, along with your two fellow disciples, we were swallowed up by time."

They took the last ten steps into the depths.

At this moment, the surrounding space had undergone a silent and qualitative change. There was no roar, no change in light or shadow, only an indescribable sense of "disappearance" quietly descending—as if the whole world had held its breath, and even the particles in the air had faded one by one.

Trap Four: Existence Devouring, Quietly Unfolding.

At the very front, the only surviving disciple of the Eternal Night Observatory Pavilion hadn't even taken three steps when his expression suddenly changed drastically. He looked down at himself and saw that his palms were beginning to turn transparent, the bones beneath his flesh were gradually blurring, and the shadow... had completely vanished without him noticing.

"Am I... am I still here? Who am I...?"

His voice was weak, his consciousness crumbled like a bubble, and his words revealed a fundamental wavering. He reached out to touch his face—but suddenly realized that his fingers could no longer confirm the existence of "touch," as if this body was merely a memory stripped of its consciousness.

The next moment--

A silent vortex appears!

It was a vortex composed entirely of nothingness, spinning without a sound, yet tearing apart and stripping away all sense of existence around it. The disciple screamed suddenly, but he couldn't utter a sound; even the act of screaming itself seemed to have been forgotten by the world. His features collapsed, his bones crumbled, and his soul vanished...

Ultimately, even the fact that "he once existed" faded from everyone's memory.

Nameless, formless, and Wuhen —this is true "deletion."

The remaining three felt their skin crawl. The woman in red abruptly stopped, her sleeves fluttering, a sharp, cold glint in her eyes. "This is... Existence Devouring?"

"Wang Yuan, step back three steps!" Qin Yu instantly blocked his way, his gaze fixed on the "vortex of nothingness." He felt even the depths of his own sea of consciousness being subtly drawn in, and the Azure Evolution Core automatically activated, secretly deploying its defenses.

But at that moment, the wave of devouring logic still forcefully surged forth.

"Cough--"

The woman in red swayed, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, and cracks appeared on her red dress, clearly indicating she had been severely injured. She took five steps back, then immediately took out a pill shaped like a lotus crystal and swallowed it. Instantly, red lotus spiritual patterns appeared on her body, and wisps of crimson aura forcibly suppressed the remaining "sense of deletion" within her body.

In contrast, Wang Yuan, though not completely close to the center, was still affected by the Netherworld Qi, his face turning pale and his body trembling slightly. Qin Yu decisively reached out and pulled, an Azure Ring of light enveloping Wang Yuan, stripping away the remaining "will of deprivation".

Qin Yu narrowed his eyes, quietly observing the core area of "nothingness".

That is the Ultimate negation logic that even existence cannot approach—any force that actively tries to resist it will be defined as "reinforcing material" and annihilated more quickly.

The woman in red slowly spoke, "... This is the Dark Spirit Ghost Flower's ultimate self-protection logic. To pass it, unless..."

She looked at Qin Yu, a strange light flashing in her eyes, "... You can give up your existence, annihilate yourself, and then traverse this area."

Qin Yu remained unmoved, a near- Consciousnessless core annihilation force faintly emanating from the Azure Evolution Core, subtly counteracting the Existence Devouring force. He gazed at the space before him, a space devoid of time, memory, and everything else, and slowly spoke:

"Give up existence?... No need."

He took a step forward, Azure Evolution Core swirled within his body like a vortex of dark stars, radiating an invisible, silent light. It directly tore open a hidden gap in the Devouring Vortex. There was no resistance, no confrontation, but rather he temporarily concealed his "logic of existence" beyond the visible world, like hiding a page of a book within an undefined chapter.

The woman in red suddenly showed an expression of disbelief.

"... He actually bypassed the barrier of 'definition of existence'..."

As Qin Yu's figure disappeared into that "void," the entire area of Existence Devouring instantly calmed down, as if acknowledging that this was a person who needed no definition.

Everyone remained silent, and the woman in red also said nothing more.

Having traversed four near-impossible Netherworld, the three finally stepped into this tranquil forbidden zone, their final destination.

Beneath their feet lay the twisted and cracked stone patterns of the altar, resembling the spine of a sleeping dragon; a hundred paces ahead, a Dark Spirit Ghost Flower bloomed quietly at the edge of the Netherworld.

The flower was not a flower, but a rootless creature that floated in the void, as if time itself had stood still. Its petals were ninefold, layer upon layer, like a vortex of reversed phenomena, and at its center, there was a stamen that resembled an "annihilation black star," shimmering slightly and reflecting the collapse and fluctuation of the surrounding spacetime particles.

Here, there is no wind, no sound, but "existence" itself is collapsing.

The woman in red slowly stopped, turned to look at Qin Yu, her gaze solemn. Her tone no longer held the previous contempt and controlling manner, but instead revealed a deep sense of apprehension for the first time.

Who exactly are you...?

Her voice was deep, and her mind seemed to be filled with countless algorithms, yet none of them could define the trajectory of the young man's existence before her.

"My cultivation has reached the Chaos Realm · Supreme, and even I couldn't escape the fourth [Existence Devouring] unscathed... But you..."

Her eyes were fixed on Qin Yu, as if trying to see through the essence of his soul.

However, Qin Yu simply smiled faintly.

That smile seemed to completely sever the connection between this Netherworld and reality, exuding an undeniable calm amidst the Annihilation. He spoke, his voice not loud, yet it seemed to land on the chain of destiny:

There is no enmity between us.

"But if you insist on 'deleting' me and my senior brother..."

"Then you'd better consider whether you can bear the consequences of 'failure'."

Before the words were finished, a faint trace of the annihilating light and silent intent hidden behind Qin Yu rippled slightly Silent Origin Heart-Annihilating Key trembled quietly deep within his sea of consciousness, as if as long as Qin Yu uttered the word, the radiance powerful enough to annihilate the source of his thoughts would return everything to [Primordial Silence].

The woman in red's gaze sharpened, her robes fluttering.

She snorted coldly, seemingly unwilling to continue dwelling on Qin Yu's mystery and the unknown, and then turned her gaze to Wang Yuan, who stood beside her with a solemn expression.

"You, go forward and pick a flower."

The voice carried an undeniable pressure and command. Although it no longer had the arrogant attitude it had before, it still retained the confidence of the Chaos Realm expert.

However, the next moment--

Qin Yu's arm shot out horizontally, like a boundary seal tearing through reality, directly blocking Wang Yuan's path.

"I'll go."

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty.

In an instant, the woman in red's eyes flickered with a mixture of surprise and suspicion, as if she were trying to figure out Qin Yu's motives and preparations, but she ultimately remained silent.

The atmosphere before the altar was frozen solid.

In the distance, the [Dark Spirit Ghost Flower] quietly blooms, its faint light like tears, as if waiting for the next being to approach it—to be verified, devoured, or... recognized.

The next step is the silent path to Ultimate temptation.

The Dark Spirit Ghost Flower can only be approached by one person.

Just as Qin Yu took the final step, his fingers about to touch the dreamlike, ethereal, and faintly glowing Dark Spirit Ghost Flower—

In an instant, the world fell silent.

It wasn't that space was still, nor that time was frozen, but rather that everything "external existence" had been emptied into a Limit vacuum, as if the entire world consisted only of the connection between Qin Yu's consciousness and this ghostly flower.

The next instant.

A burst of light suddenly erupted from his pupils.

The ethereal flower instantly disintegrated into countless points of light, transforming into a figure—

She slowly emerged from the light, her robes fluttering gently. It was that gentle face that had long slumbered deep in my memory, radiating Ultimate softness, smiling as she opened her arms, "A-Yu, come back."

The surrounding world is thus restructured.

The wind swept across the forest path of his childhood; light spilled onto the rim of the herb-filled teapot in his mother's hand; familiar sounds, familiar tears, everything was familiar. Qin Yu seemed to have returned to that carefree age, before he stepped into the Annihilation Origin.

Everything he had lost is here.

With every step he took, the laughter of his childhood echoed. At every turn, fragments of memories that once warmed his soul were hidden.

The mental prison has been completed.

This is centered around the warm world that Qin Yu yearns for most deep in his heart. The will of the Dark Spirit Ghost Flower invades his sea of consciousness in the form of a mother, creating the most deadly illusion:

"Stay, A-Yu, stop fighting... You can stop being alone, stop enduring all that tearing and betrayal."

She spoke softly, her voice seemingly coming from the most tender part of her soul.

However

Qin Yu stood quietly in place, his eyes growing ever more profound. It was a detached solitude, a profound understanding gained after traversing the abyss of annihilation and shattering countless Realm Wheel.

He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the illusory form, like a sharp blade penetrating the essence of falsehood.

"You're wonderful." "But you're not her."

As soon as he finished speaking, with a loud crash, the world overflowing with warmth in his mind began to collapse, like a mirror sea shattering and stars falling.

The [Fate Cause Master Seal] slowly emerged behind him, and a ring of Wuji starlight unfolded in the void.

His heart

[Silent Origin Heart-Annihilating Key] quietly activated, an Annihilation starlight, like the true veins of the soul, spread outwards.

And in his consciousness, only a whisper remained, echoing like Silent Abyss:

"All is emptiness, only the mind is immortal; thoughts are illusions, and I am the judge."

Boom!

The woman, who had transformed into a "mother," suddenly turned into countless fragments of cause and effect, which he tore apart with a single thought.

The entire illusory world trembled violently. Heaven and earth were like a giant canvas being ignited by flames, and the scenes rolled up, collapsed, and vanished like burning paper, turning into the initial pitch-black nothingness.

Immediately afterwards

A gigantic eye, composed of flower petals, appeared in the star -Silent Void; it was the true core of the Dark Spirit Ghost Flower's will!

It was forced to reveal its true form, like a parasite hiding deep within the soul being forcibly pulled out.

Its body floated above the altar of reality, intertwined with billions of petals, and the pupil at its center, which seemed to be the "source of concepts," surged with countless afterimages of illusions. However, in front of Qin Yu, it lost all ability to disturb his mind.

He exhaled softly, his steps landing steadily, returning from the illusion without a ripple.