The wind howled through the forest, but the branches and leaves did not sway with the wind. Instead, they rose and fell with the rhythm of heaven and earth, like a living, breathing ocean. The overwhelming sense of oppression gradually dissipated, leaving only the faint, low murmurs of the Dao among the trees.
Hong Xiuxiang let out a long breath, her slender hand clutching her chest, her eyes still filled with lingering fear. She whispered, "So... it wasn't trying to kill us, but simply guarding this dense forest. If we could withstand one of its attacks, we could enter."
Qin Yu's gaze narrowed slightly as he recalled the devastating power of the battle halberd that had nearly crushed the world. A cold glint still lingered in his eyes. He nodded slowly, his voice low and firm. "Yes... they meant no harm, it was merely a trial. If we cannot even withstand this attack, then we are not qualified to set foot in this forest."
Hong Xiuxiang looked up at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She whispered, "If you hadn't shielded me from that impact just now, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to hold on."
Qin Yu shook his head, his tone gentle yet unwavering. "You got this far not because of others, but because of your own willpower. This forest isn't trying to stop us; it's selecting the qualified."
Hong Xiuxiang was silent for a moment, then smiled slightly, a glimmer of light appearing in her eyes. "Since that's the case, then we've been recognized by it. We've stepped into another area of Primordial Echoes."
Qin Yu gazed at the towering, seemingly all-encompassing Jingyin Realm-Cause Dense Forest before him, his eyes like a deep abyss, yet a faint premonition welled up within him: all of this was far more than just simple protection.
The moment I stepped into the depths of the dense forest, the world suddenly distorted.
The moment Qin Yu and Hong Xiuxiang landed, the earth seemed to swirl before their eyes. Mountains and forests instantly transformed into countless shattered shadows, as if forcibly broken and then pieced back together by the hand of time and space. The wind was no longer the wind, but a whisper against the current, and even the rhythm of their breathing seemed to be flowing backward. Their shadows instantly detached from their bodies, reflected in the void before them, as if they no longer belonged to themselves, but had been stripped of their individual existence, frozen in the chaotic torrent of time.
Hong Xiuxiang was startled and whispered, "The shadow... has been stripped away!" She reached out to touch it, but saw that the illusory shadow moved in the opposite direction, as if mocking them.
Qin Yu's gaze deepened, and his aura instantly subsided, the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword humming softly within his body. He clearly sensed that this dense forest was not merely a collection of trees, but a reflection of "time and existence," and every step he took was a struggle against invisible rules.
However, at that moment, the space-time before them suddenly contracted again, and the stripped shadow transformed into a stream of light, as if a curtain had been lifted.
The two looked up and were astonished to find an incredible ancient castle emerging from the depths of the distant sky.
The castle stands suspended above an endless sea of clouds, like a sanctuary fallen from mythology. Waterfalls cascade down from the sky, like fragments of the Milky Way falling to earth, and light shimmers among the clouds, illuminating the entire castle as if it were an eternal sanctuary. Towers soar into the clouds, their spires shimmering with rainbow-like reflections, like the breathing of stars. Surrounded by clouds, the entire castle exudes an untouchable majesty, as if it were a miracle forged by time itself.
Hong Xiuxiang stared blankly, her beautiful eyes trembling slightly. "There really is such a castle..."
Qin Yu stared at it for a long time, his eyes gleaming, and murmured softly, "This is not a building that could exist in the mortal world... It itself may be a part of the Realm of Primordial Echoes."
Standing amidst the chaotic torrent of time and space, their shadows still not returned to their original forms, the two knew in their hearts—the ancient castle suspended above the sea of clouds, they had to go there.
The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with solemnity and anticipation. Qin Yu lifted his foot and stepped onto the path ahead, which seemed to be woven from light and mist. With each step, there were violent ripples in space and time; the grass and trees beneath his feet withered instantly, and then bloomed again in a flash, as if life and death were forcibly superimposed in the same instant.
Hong Xiuxiang followed closely beside her, her robes fluttering in the mist, as if she might be pulled away at any moment and become another phantom. She couldn't help but speak, "Be careful, this path... it seems to be swallowing our very existence."
Qin Yu narrowed his eyes, his hand resting on the hilt of the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword. The aura of the Azure Ring within his body flowed slowly out, temporarily isolating the surrounding spatial disorder. He whispered, "This is a test from the Realm of Primordial Echoes. It wants to force us to give up... but now that we've stepped in, we can't turn back."
As they drew closer, the details of the ancient castle in the distance became increasingly clear.
The ancient castle is surrounded by countless floating rubble and remnants of palaces, like scenes from the past crushed by the torrent of time, yet constantly being reassembled by some unseen force. The towering walls are covered with runes interwoven with gold and silver, each rune appearing and disappearing in the clouds as if carrying the breath of billions of years. Countless feathers of light float in the air, like fallen stars, reflecting on the castle and making it seem not as a material entity, but as a sacred relic projected from the depths of the universe.
The waterfall cascades from the abyss of the void, flows into the sea of clouds, and then plunges into the endless void below, its roar shaking the soul like the heartbeat of heaven and earth.
Hong Xiuxiang stared, breathless, her eyes filled with amazement and shock. Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that such a place existed in this world."
Qin Yu slowly withdrew his gaze, but a stronger fighting spirit and caution arose in his heart. He could sense that the ancient castle must contain an opportunity that could overturn their fate—and also a crisis that could completely annihilate them.
Amidst the rising winds and surging clouds, they finally approached the outer perimeter of the ancient castle. The world was silent, with only the castle towering high above, overlooking all living beings, as if waiting for their arrival.
The moment they stepped through the castle gates, the heavy bronze doors slammed shut behind them with a loud bang, shaking the entire palace. Qin Yu and Hong Xiuxiang felt as if the world had instantly turned upside down, and the flow of space and time had lost its order. The bluestone floor beneath their feet seemed to transform into countless shattered mirrors, reflecting countless figures and fragments of the past, like torn pieces of time.
The air in the hall was cold and heavy, each breath feeling like being pulled by invisible chains. The towering domes around them were shrouded in gloom, with only the colorful stained-glass windows scattering countless dazzling lights and shadows, making the hall look like a dream. Those lights were not gentle illuminations, but rather like cold, divine blades of punishment, constantly pulling and peeling away the shadows of the two people on the ground, as if trying to sever their very existence.
Hong Xiuxiang took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with shock, and murmured softly, "This... is simply not a realm that mortals can withstand..."
Qin Yu's brows furrowed, and a faint Azure Ring appeared behind him, emanating a silent ripple of Annihilation that slightly blocked the pressure that was trying to tear his soul away. He gripped the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword, his eyes cold, but his heart was equally shaken—this ancient castle was not a building, but more like a frozen world, where all laws, order, and cause and effect were bound within this palace.
The castle gates slowly closed with a heavy rumble, instantly shutting out the outside light and noise. Qin Yu and Hong Xiuxiang felt the world suddenly fall silent, with only the sound of their own heartbeats remaining in their ears. Inside the palace, stained glass windows let in fragmented light, like countless shattered stars cascading down, interwoven under the dome, resembling a still Milky Way.
At the very center, a throne carved from gold and obsidian sits high above, its patterns flowing like the Dao, ancient and unfathomable. Upon that throne, a woman sits quietly.
Her long dress seemed to be inlaid with billions of stars, blooming with a magical rainbow as the light and shadow shifted. The golden crown carried the flowing light, as if it condensed the order of the entire universe into one. Her face was like ice and snow sculpture, with an unapproachable majesty. Her eyes were closed, yet they seemed to pierce through the entire world.
Hong Xiuxiang's mind nearly froze for a moment, her breath caught in her throat, and she whispered, her voice trembling, "Is... this a human? Or... a legendary deity...?"
Qin Yu stood still, his hand tightly gripping the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword. Azure Ring slowly appeared behind him, releasing a faint ripple of Annihilation that isolated the oppressive aura that resembled the Dao of Heaven. Yet, he was also deeply shaken—the aura surrounding this woman did not belong to any cultivator of any known realm, but rather seemed to be a manifestation of the "realm" itself.
Inside the palace, light and shadow intertwined, all the statues seemed to bow down to her, and even the earth seemed to droop because of her presence.
Just as the two held their breath in suspense, the woman slowly opened her eyes, her gaze as deep as an ancient starry sea. A voice, silent yet penetrating their consciousness, carried an irresistible majesty:
"Those who trespass upon my Echo Castle... do you even know where you are?"
The woman on the throne slightly raised her eyes, which were like two deep galaxies, flowing with billions of Logic Fragments and countless causes and Mieyin. In that instant, Qin Yu felt his mind tremble violently, as if he had been pulled into an irresistible tide of logic.
The woman's gaze fell upon him, without a trace of coldness, but rather with an inexplicable familiarity, as if some extremely intimate connection was slowly flowing from her body, resonating with a certain source point within Qin Yu's body.
Qin Yu's heart skipped a beat. The Azure Ring suddenly stirred up ripples deep within his sea of consciousness, as if it wanted to protect him, but he secretly suppressed it. He could feel that it was not hostility, but an indescribable intimacy—like an echo that had crossed countless times and annihilation, meeting him at this moment.
The woman gazed at him silently, her voice remaining unspoken, yet it traveled through his very being. "... So... you actually carry that trace of primordial cause."
Hong Xiuxiang, standing to the side, only saw Qin Yu's body shudder, but she didn't know what kind of shock he was experiencing. Her brows furrowed, and she asked in a low voice, "Qin Yu... what's wrong?"
Qin Yu took a deep breath, looked up and met the woman's gaze, his heart churning. He could clearly feel that the sense of familiarity did not come from his own memories, but from the source point deep within the Azure Ring, an existence beyond his current comprehension.
The woman's gaze softened slowly, as if confirming something, and she whispered, "You remind me... of someone."
She didn't say anything more; her words shattered into starlight-like fragments in the air, enveloping the entire palace and bringing an atmosphere that was both unsettling and indescribably oppressive yet gentle.
The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly heavy. Qin Yu's expression was solemn as he clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and spoke in a steady yet cautious voice, "Senior, this is our first meeting. May I ask who I have reminded you of?"
The woman on the throne lowered her gaze slightly, her lips slowly pursed, her expression carrying an indescribable longing and complexity. After a long while, she finally parted her lips, her voice like shattered stars, striking Qin Yu's heart directly. "That trace of primordial energy within you reminds me of my sister— Mengxi."
As soon as she finished speaking, the colorful lights in the palace suddenly vibrated, as if even the walls and dome of the ancient castle resonated with her words.
Qin Yu's heart jolted, his pupils contracted sharply, and an overwhelming sense of disbelief surged through him. Mengxi! This name struck him like a thunderbolt from the depths of his memory.
He suddenly recalled his past in Gloomshadow Source Village, a world sealed by time, where he had personally witnessed a woman encased in a giant crystal. She slept in endless ice, like a fusion of dream and reality, her existence seemingly transcending all logic and causality.
Qin Yu felt a sudden chill run down his spine, his heart pounding like a drum. "Could it be... that Mengxi she mentioned is the same Realm Maiden who was sealed inside the crystal back then?!"
His breathing quickened slightly, and an indescribable shock and unease rose in his heart. He still couldn't forget the overwhelming aura of Annihilation emanating from that World Maiden, and now it was being mentioned here, and by the "older sister" of this woman who was like an emperor!
The atmosphere in the palace instantly became extremely oppressive. Hong Xiuxiang was standing to the side, keenly noticed the sudden change in Qin Yu's expression. Although she didn't understand why, she still stared intently at Qin Yu, a look of worry flashing in her eyes.
Qin Yu's mind was in turmoil, his thoughts completely ripped apart by the name "Mengxi," leaving him shaken.
Who exactly is that World Maiden sealed within the crystal?
What is the connection between her and the woman before her?
Why did he carry a trace of the source of her thoughts that reminded her of Mengxi?
The atmosphere inside the hall grew increasingly mysterious and heavy.