Ember of the Ruins of Return · Lingering Traces of Dao Shadows

In the void, Qin Yuqing's power poured down with a roar, and a large number of Dao Shadow Soldiers instantly turned into golden-blue light dust, disintegrating into the torrent of time and space. However, not all enemy shadows were completely annihilated - three surviving figures trembled and reassembled in the disintegrating debris.

Their bodies were translucent, their runes broken yet still shimmering, as if they had been forcibly torn back from an eternal abyss of annihilation. The three Dao Shadow Soldier stood side by side, golden-blue "Dao Flame" burning to their Ultimate above their heads. As the runes flowed, they were no longer isolated individuals, but rather overlapped and converged into a terrifying "collective resonance."

That was "Three Lives, One Law" -- the three Dao Shadow Soldier General intertwined their respective soul consciousness, causal relationships, and existence circuits, forming a resonant domain. A deep Dao chant suddenly resounded between heaven and earth, as if countless spirits were chanting "Return to the Source" behind them. The void trembled, and space folded into layers of echo walls, trapping Qin Yu within them.

Behind them, suspended in the sea of mist, floated an ancient scroll—its entire body like solidified gray tide, its spine engraved with dim runes, it was the "Annihilation Thought Sea Scroll." The ripples it emitted were like the echoes of endless thoughts being annihilated, wave after wave eroding Qin Yu's sea of mind, causing him to feel a momentary daze.

"Unborn, there is Annihilation." The Dao chants of the three Dao Shadow Soldier overlapped, like a judgment that shook the universe.

Qin Yu's expression darkened, his mind reeling, yet he still stepped forward. Azure Ring of light emanated from between his brows, but he clearly sensed that these three Dao Shadow Soldiers had merged with him. They were no longer simply Annihilation Dawn Realm · Supreme, but rather, through the Resonance Method, they were temporarily approaching a higher level of terrifying pressure.

To completely seize the "Annihilation Thought Sea Scroll," he must break through again!

Qin Yu's gaze locked onto the ancient book, his body shimmering with azure light and an aura of Annihilation. He murmured, "Since it is the 'Thought Sea,' then let me break through you with the 'Unborn Silent Cause.'"

Above the void, annihilation and azure light surged once more, as if the heavens and earth were torn in two, and an even more breathtaking battle was about to erupt.

The chanting of the three Dao Shadow Soldier grew increasingly deep, the runic light intertwining and coalescing into a resonant domain like a surging tide. Within that domain, all thoughts were stripped away, even the sparks of thought were rendered lifeless before they could be generated.

Qin Yu's pupils suddenly contracted, his chest felt as if it were being pressed down by billions of stars, and even the edge of his consciousness went blank for a moment. But in this deathly silent realm, his mind suddenly calmed down, his palm slowly rose, and he softly uttered four words:

"The Unborn Silent Cause."

In an instant, the heavens and earth trembled.

Deep within his sea of consciousness, the Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel suddenly spun in unison, their radiance engulfing all directions like a vortex. As the scriptures flowed, Qin Yu's body was enveloped in a layer of dark yet pure annihilation flames, as if he had merged with the void and no longer belonged to the realm of "existence."

That is to completely erase all causes and effects that Unborn.

Deep within the void, dark blue chains of cause and effect emerged, flowing like a reversed river from the future and returning to the Silent Abyss from the past. The power of the Thought Sea released by the "collective resonance" of the three Dao Shadow Soldier was instantly sealed by these chains of cause and effect. Before the ripples of their thoughts could fully unfold, they turned into blue dust and were dragged into the vortex of nothingness Annihilation.

Boom--!

An invisible collision exploded in the void, tearing the heavens and earth apart with dozens of light-like cracks. The space beneath Qin Yu's feet disintegrated into fragments, which then turned into bluish-gray dust under the annihilation ripples.

The bodies of the three Dao Shadow Soldier trembled violently, the "Dao Flame" above their heads flickered erratically, and the runic radiance shattered silently. Their harmonious Dao sounds also abruptly broke off, as if an invisible hand had pressed the stop button, and the entire world returned to deathly silence.

As Qin Yu took a step forward, it seemed as if the entire world traversed with him.

The scroll—the "Annihilation Thought Sea Scroll"—floated before him, its pages trembling slightly, as if sensing its true "bearer." The gray tidal factors surrounding it were shattered by the power of "the Unborn Silent Cause," and the scroll released a ray of light, as if beckoning Qin Yu to come forward and take it.

Azure Ring's voice rang out in his mind at this moment, clear and cold with a hint of solemnity:

"Well done, Qin Yu... but be careful, they might not stop there."

Before the words were finished, the three Dao Shadow Soldiers, while collapsing, superimposed their remaining bodies once more, transforming into a phantom "giant shadow body," its form blurred, yet seemingly the Ultimate fusion of the three.

Their final resistance was far more terrifying than anything before.

Qin Yu will also face his true final blow.

Deep within the void, the remains of three Dao Shadow Soldier suddenly coalesced amidst the collapse. Golden and azure "Dao Flame" intertwined, accompanied by countless Daoist runes that abruptly converged into a phantom.

It was a colossal shadow body tens of thousands of feet tall, its face blurred, with only burning flames and illusions of reincarnation constantly twisting, as if it were not existence, but "the Ultimate negation itself". It raised the Origin-Returning Blade gathered in its hand, and the blade instantly shattered into millions of fragments, each reflecting the deathly silence of countless stars and the collapse of reincarnation.

Immediately afterwards, it let out a low, guttural roar that was not human:

"The Thought Sea ceases to surge, returning to its source in utter stillness!"

The earth and sky shook violently!

The entire area was instantly enveloped in a deathly still wave. Countless gray-white streams of thought surged from the void abyss, like a raging tsunami, completely engulfing Qin Yu and the entire world. Each stream of light carried a destructive suppression—any thought, any existence, any identity would be forcibly erased.

Hong Xiuxiang and the other cultivators watching from afar could only feel a violent tearing pain in their sea of consciousness, almost causing them to collapse even from a distance.

However, at the center of this absolute suppression, Qin Yu's eyes suddenly flashed with a cold light.

He reached into his sea of consciousness, and the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword and the Book of Fate Law vibrated simultaneously, but he did not activate them immediately. Instead, he looked up at the illusory giant shadow.

He whispered:

"Azure Ring - Annihilate the Soul and Draw the Dawn!"

Boom--!

In an instant, Azure Ring suddenly bloomed from between his eyebrows.

A cyan halo spread out, transforming into a soul domain that tore through the void. A massive Realm Splitting appeared within the Realm Splitting, emanating endless sounds of Annihilation, as if trying to pull all the souls in the world into it. The three fused Dao Shadow Soldier, the moment they were enveloped by the cyan light, had their entire "Soul Foundation" forcibly drawn in. Their flames trembled violently as they tried to resist, only to find their soul chains being peeled away bit by bit.

However, the giant shadow was no ordinary Dao Shadow Soldier; its runes trembled violently as it forcefully stabilized its body. In that instant of resistance—

Qin Yu raised his left hand high, and a hand seal appeared. In his sea of consciousness, the Fate Cause Master Seal transformed into a magnificent golden seal platform, and runes poured down like a tide.

"Fate Ring: Rank- Linked-Stage Judgment!"

The power of the Fate Cause Master Seal and Azure Ring's soul-killing technique erupted simultaneously.

The void roared, and the colossal shadow was instantly caught in a pincer attack by two forces:

The Azure Ring tore at its soul, attempting to pull it into the Realm Splitting, annihilating it with no way back.

The Fate Cause Master Seal locks its causal chain, forcibly denying its class of existence with the power of "judgment," and stripping it from the Annihilation Dawn Realm · Supreme.

In an instant, the giant shadow's surrounding flames seemed to be torn apart by a thousand knives, its runes shattered continuously, its body peeled away into particles bit by bit, and finally let out a roar of unwilling anger.

Boom--!

Endless waves of gray-white light collapsed, turning into dust and debris. The colossal shadow formed by the fusion of the three Dao Shadow Soldier was finally shattered under the dual suppression of the Azure Ring - Annihilate the Soul and Draw the Dawn and the Fate Cause Master Seal - Linked-Stage Judgment. Its soul consciousness disintegrated, and its chain of existence was severed.

A moment later, the world returned to deathly silence.

Qin Yu's body trembled violently, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his shoulders slumped slightly, and his aura weakened considerably. But before him, the "Annihilation Thought Sea Scroll" had finally lost its last protection.

The ancient scroll was gently turned, and a gray river of annihilation flowed between the pages. A wisp of gray light emerged, as if acknowledging a new bearer.

Azure Ring's voice rang in Qin Yu's mind, calm yet tinged with a hint of relief:

"You did it... Thought Sea has acknowledged you as his master."

Qin Yu raised his hand and slowly grasped the scroll. The moment his fingertips touched it, an extremely terrifying annihilation power surged into his body, instantly resonating with the "Beginningless Origin Record" and "The Origin Truth Framework Scripture" that he had obtained before.

The auras of the three ancient scriptures intertwined, faintly converging into the nascent form of the "Beginningless Silent Origin True Scripture," and a fleeting celestial illusion flashed in the void.

The greyish-white ancient scroll was gently turned in Qin Yu's palm.

The pages are not paper, but formed from countless gray-white annihilated light streams, like a "deadly river" formed after all thoughts of heaven and earth have been ground into dust. There are no words on the pages, only winding annihilation lines, as if the thoughts of billions of beings in the heavens were engraved on them, and then silently turned into eternal nothingness.

Azure Ring light flashed between Qin Yu's brows, and Qinghuan's voice then resounded in his mind:

"This is not one of the thirteen books..."

Qin Yu was startled and immediately focused his attention.

Azure Ring slowly said:

"The thirteen volumes circulating outside are core fragments that were actively scattered from the 'Beginningless Silent Origin True Scripture,' representing the surface logic of the original text. Each of them carries thirteen core concepts such as origin, emptiness, definition, return to nothingness, and cycle, which can ultimately be integrated into the complete true scripture."

She paused, her gaze becoming focused, and her voice carrying a rare hint of solemnity:

"But this book before us—the 'Annihilation Thought Sea Scroll' —does not belong to the thirteen scrolls. It is a deeper, hidden fragment, a part of the true essence that was severed away when the Beginningless Silent Origin True Scripture was protecting itself. It represents the Ultimate forbidden principle of 'stillness before thought Unborn,' and only when it is fully integrated with the thirteen scrolls will the true 'root form' of the scripture be revealed."

As Azure Ring explained, Qin Yu's fingertips slowly traced the pages of the book.

Boom--!

In an instant, it seemed as if countless voices resounded in his mind, only to fall into complete silence in the next moment.

A gray-white tide surged in the sea of consciousness, like an endless Thought Sea, yet without a sound. Every thought that tried to arise was instantly swallowed up by this annihilating tide, and even the trace of "arising of a thought" vanished completely.

The scroll slowly floated into the air, joining the three scrolls already existing in Qin Yu's sea of consciousness.

The Beginningless Origin Record (All tracing back leads to zero)

The Origin Truth Framework Scripture (All illegal components are invalid)

A faint, lingering light intertwined.

At that moment, a stream of light, a blend of gray and black gold, suddenly flashed between the three scrolls, condensing into a semi-transparent halo that slowly rotated.

As the halo rotated, Qin Yu clearly sensed that this was not merely a resonance between the three volumes, but rather the "Annihilation Thought Sea Scroll" awakening some kind of "hidden true scripture source."

Azure Ring spoke again, her tone unusually solemn:

"Remember, Qin Yu. If the thirteen volumes are the skeleton of the Beginningless Silent Origin True Scripture, then this 'Annihilation Thought Sea Scroll' is the buried 'heart vein.' Only by possessing both the 'heart vein' and the 'skeleton' can you truly grasp the complete picture of the Beginningless Silent Origin True Scripture."

Qin Yu took a deep breath and slowly gripped the book.

At this moment, he finally understood that what he had obtained was not just three ancient scriptures, but rather he had touched upon a deeper secret.

Deep within his sea of consciousness, the translucent halo slowly solidified, as if the next fusion would no longer be merely a "merging of fragments," but would directly point to the "original body" of the true scripture.

"Boom--"

The world suddenly fell into a deathly silence. The cracks in the void did not close immediately, but instead, countless symbols resembling ancient Daoist patterns emerged, as if the mark of "Annihilation" had been engraved on the deep logic of the Source of Epochless.

Immediately afterwards, three fragments of light slowly coalesced in the void.

These were not ordinary remains, but three floating golden-blue glimmers, shaped like unstable stars, each with a broken ancient rune embedded in its core.

The first rune faintly reads "Tao," and black-gold energy flows through the cracks, as if it were the Ultimate declaration of the endless universe.

The second rune is "Return," its shattered texture scattering a faint glow, reflecting the fall and rebirth of stars.

The third rune was completely blurred, yet it echoed silently in the void, like a deep Daoist chant, penetrating Qin Yu's sea of consciousness.

Three wisps of light slowly rotated before Qin Yu, surrounded by faint illusions: the birth and death of galaxies, the reincarnation of billions of living beings, and the microcosm of the rise and fall of civilizations, as if condensing countless cycles of Annihilation and rebirth throughout the entire Source of Epochless.

Qin Yu's eyes narrowed. Azure Ring solemnly said in her sea of consciousness:

"This is— the Ember of the Ruins of Return."

The light suddenly spread, and concentric rings of Daoist runes rippled outward, illuminating the surrounding space in a deep golden-blue hue.

In a brief moment, the entire area seemed to transform into a cosmic corridor: the ground beneath their feet vanished, turning into an endless galaxy; the sky above collapsed, only to be reshaped again. Each cycle was accompanied by flashes of images remnants of the battle between the Dao Shadow Soldier, as if the reflection of history were etched into these few embers.

Finally, the three Ashes of Ember of the Ruins of Return Annihilation floated silently above Qin Yu's palm, shimmering like breaths. They were as light as a feather, yet possessed a tactile quality that mingled with the tangible, as if he were not holding a physical object, but rather "the boundary between existence and annihilation."

Azure Ring's voice rang out again:

"They did not truly perish, but returned to the embrace of the 'Dao' in another form. Qin Yu, if you collect these Ember of the Ruins of Return, they can serve as proof of your annihilation of the Phantom Demonic Spirit, and are also key materials for rebuilding deeper formations and entering higher realms in the future."

Qin Yu reached out and gently shook hands.

"Buzz--"

The three fragments of the Ember of the Ruins of Return shrank instantly, transforming into three streams of golden-blue light that disappeared into the Azure Evolution Core, vanishing without a sound, yet still leaving a deep, resonant Dao chant echoing in the heart.

The world returned to silence, with only the lingering ripples testifying to the Annihilation.