The Star-Soul Echoes of the People of the Radiant Waterfall

Within the hall, a sea of light swirled, and the very essence of heaven and earth seemed to freeze. The Wordless Heavenly Book suspended in mid-air suddenly unleashed countless streams of light, like stars cascading down a long river, illuminating the entire Stainless Sacred Hall. Golden-white radiance transformed into spiritual streams, falling from the void and pouring into Qin Yu's brow like a celestial river flowing backward. Instantly, the entire space was engulfed by light, leaving only Qin Yu's figure floating and sinking within the endless sea of light.

The stream of light didn't resemble energy; it was more like a "transmission of consciousness." Each ray of light carried ancient symbols, shattered wills, and annihilated memories. Qin Yu's soul was drawn into it, and endless illusions surfaced deep within his sea of consciousness—the collapse of heaven and earth billions of years ago, the Lord of Stainless standing atop the peak of Annihilation, all realms and spirits prostrating themselves at his feet, and before him lay this "Wordless Heavenly Book."

Qin Yu's consciousness floated within that image, and the ancient, deep voice echoed in his ears, "This knowledge is neither literature nor Tao, but the light forged by my soul. Those who obtain it do not inherit my methods, but continue my will. All thoughts in the world can be written down, but Silent Void be transmitted. If your heart is free of dust, then knowledge will naturally form."

The sound boomed outwards, transforming into a string of golden runes that unfolded layer by layer like a halo within Qin Yu's sea of consciousness. Each rune represented a page of memory from the "Stainless Consciousness Codex." The meaning of these symbols transcended language itself, containing not "words" but a profound understanding of the "definition of existence." Qin Yu felt his soul tremble, and the Azure Evolution Core of his sea of consciousness resonated, emitting a faint, deep blue mist that intertwined with the golden stream of consciousness, forming a strange harmony—annihilation and purity, Annihilation and vitality, achieving perfect balance at this moment.

Ancient scenes flashed by one after another:

The Lord of Stainless forged his soul with "Consciousnessless," severing all cause and effect, and stood at the edge of the Silent Realm;

He used his pen as a boundary to write the ultimate meaning of "nothingness," resetting heaven and earth to pure white;

Finally, he passed away at the end of time and space, transforming himself into this Wordless Heavenly Book, so that future generations could obtain it and continue the true meaning of "Stainless Consciousness".

Qin Yu felt a sharp pain in his head, as if he had been pierced by billions of thoughts in an instant. He closed his eyes tightly, his body suspended in the air, and the Silent Origin Stainless Sword resonated softly in his sea of consciousness, its halo appearing, and the brilliance of the sword and the Heavenly Book merged into one. The runes of the Stainless Consciousness Codex Scripture and the Annihilation runes on the sword's edge intertwined, forming a new Soul Seal circuit.

"So... Stainless is not pure annihilation, but a tranquility that is 'undefined'." Qin Yu's consciousness murmured in the spiritual stream, his tone filled with solemnity and sudden enlightenment.

Immediately, the radiance of the Stainless Heavenly Book slowly receded, transforming into a tiny "Identity Imprint" embedded between his brows. The afterimage of the Heavenly Book gradually dissipated, leaving only countless golden dust particles drifting in the air, like billions of thoughts scattering into the other side of the universe. The hall returned to silence, with only the halo around Qin Yu still flowing, marking the initial awakening of the "Stainless Consciousness Codex".

He slowly opened his eyes, a strange platinum hue swirling within them. At this moment, an invisible force had emerged within his soul, a will that could not be observed or defined, as if he could silence the very logic of the universe if he so desired.

"This is... the knowledge of the Stainless Ones." Qin Yu raised his hand, and the light flowing in his palm transformed into a wisp of soft mist, writing a few faint characters in the air. "Silent Consciousness Boundless Realm." Before the characters were fully revealed, they quietly dissipated, as if the world itself could not bear their existence.

The Stainless Sacred Hall trembled gently in its radiance, its roof showering down countless tiny specks of light, as if crowning its new occupant. Qin Yu's aura gradually calmed, his mind became tranquil, and he stood as if at the boundary between light and Annihilation, his breath no longer fluctuating in the slightest.

The wind howled like knives as Qin Yu Annihilation Abyss Return Realm, space cracked and healed like a mirror, and he traversed through endless streams of gray-white light. The teleportation glow of the Stainless Sacred Hall had just faded when he returned from that silent Consciousness Realm to the chaotic currents of reality. The world before him was torn to shreds by countless rift-like spatial fissures, floating mountains drifted in weightlessness, and the aura of the Annihilation Abyss surged like a tide. With each step, the light and shadow beneath his feet felt like stepping on a deleted world, echoing with ancient low hums.

Qin Yu moved forward silently, his gaze gleaming with a pale gold light against the backdrop of a sky shrouded in gloom and lightning. The Silent Origin Stainless Sword hovered beside him, its blade formless, occasionally punctuated by faint flashes of chaotic lotus light that reflected the folds of the void. Just as he was about to traverse a canyon composed of flowing, shattered walls, a broken shout suddenly rang out from ahead—

"Help!"

The voice was hoarse, filled with extreme fear and despair, emanating from the direction where the annihilation energy was densest. As the sound wave swept past, Qin Yu felt an unusually distorted energy fluctuation, a frequency emitted by a soul on the verge of collapse Time Splitting.

He frowned slightly, his figure swayed, and he transformed into a silver-white streak of light, directly tearing through the void and rushing towards the source of the sound.

As they drew closer, the scene ahead gradually became clear—it was a ruined area swallowed by the power of the Annihilation Abyss. Broken palace pillars floated in the air, and the rock walls continued to collapse inward, forming a vortex-like pit. In the center of that pit, a cultivator was firmly bound by blood-red chains. Those chains were like living things, constantly draining his spiritual power and life force, the surrounding air was stained dark red, accompanied by a low groan of souls being torn apart.

"Cough... cough cough... I shouldn't have... entered here..." The cultivator's voice was weak, his eyes filled with endless fear and despair.

Qin Yu's gaze darkened, and in an instant, he leaped into the air, the Silent Origin Stainless Sword transforming into several streaks of light beside him. Countless rotating "existence fractures" appeared in the void, which were spacetime imbalanced due to the power of Annihilation Abyss.

He raised his hand and waved it lightly, the golden light between his fingers flashing, and an invisible sword intent tore through space, precisely slashing at the core of the chain.

"Bang--!"

A deafening roar erupted, shaking the heavens and earth. The blood-red runes on the chains shattered instantly, and the remaining spiritual energy dissipated into black smoke. The trapped cultivator plummeted from the sky, his body riddled with wounds, half of his body corroded to the point of being almost transparent.

Qin Yu landed, raised his palm, and a wisp of blue-white light surrounded the man, sealing the out-of-control annihilation energy within him.

The cultivator looked up, and the instant he saw Qin Yu, a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, tinged with deep fear. "You... are an outsider? Get out of here! This isn't a place for you. That... that thing... is still here—"

His voice suddenly caught in his throat, and his gaze was fixed on what was behind Qin Yu.

Qin Yu slowly turned around.

A shadow emerged from the depths of the vortex. It was not a physical entity, but a constantly reconstructing "black will." Its existence caused the laws of the entire space to begin to collapse, and even the Annihilation Abyss energy was avoiding it.

The air seemed to freeze, utterly silent.

Within that dark shadow, a "Non-Existence eye" slowly opened—without pupil, without color, only an indefinable void, as if the object being gazed upon was nothingness itself.

Qin Yu's mind trembled slightly, and his fingers gripping the Silent Origin Stainless Sword tightened slightly.

The black will slowly unfolded, lacking a definite form but composed of countless "fragments of concepts." Its outline shifted with each passing moment: sometimes like the low growl of a colossal beast, sometimes like a figure slowly emerging, sometimes merely a vortex of abyss. Its surface churned with interwoven black and silver light—not light itself, but the "reflection of existence being Time Splitting." Under that light, heaven and earth seemed to lose focus, as if the very definition of the world was being erased bit by bit.

When it raised that "eye of Non-Existence," the light in the entire Annihilation Abyss suddenly collapsed, all sound was sucked away, leaving only a strange low-frequency hum, as if the entire spacetime was making way for it. At that moment, Qin Yu felt an unprecedented pressure—not power, but "the negation of definition": beneath his feet, even the existence of the ground was collapsing, turning into a white void.

The Black Will spread its arms, and thousands of reverse symbols exploded in the void. These symbols seemed to come from the opposite of language, carrying a logical paradox that was incomprehensible to others.

"Annihilation—that is, definition." Its voice is not a sound, but a cognitive vibration that reverberates directly within the soul.

Fictional Backlash

In that instant, the sky shattered completely, and space was reversed into a black, fragmented mirror. Qin Yu in the mirror was torn apart by countless fragments, each piece of the mirror trying to alter his existence: one Qin Yu died, one Qin Yu was reconstructed, and one Qin Yu turned into nothingness. It was a battlefield where "existence and Non-Existence" devoured each other.

Qin Yu's aura deepened slightly, and the Silent Origin Stainless Sword slowly floated in front of him. The sword was formless and intangible, but the surrounding space began to fold, and three thousand chaotic lotus petals emerged from the void. Each petal reflected a different world, a different Qin Yu, and a different ending.

He whispered, "Since you exist as 'Non-Existence'... then I will erase the possibility of your existence."

The sword trembled slightly—[The No-Thought Absolute Silence Sword].

That was the first move of the Silent Origin Stainless Sword, the ultimate move that severed the "Origin of Conception". A silent white light bloomed from the sword's edge, without an explosion, without a sound wave, only the world's breath stopped. Where the white light passed, even light was erased.

The black will let out a twisted howl, its body began to disintegrate, but at the same time it released a second layer of attack.

[Reverse-Construction Annihilation Law] -- Its remains transformed into countless inverted symbols, forming a "Definition Backlash Formation," attempting to devour Qin Yu's consciousness through "reverse existence."

At that moment, the entire sky of the Annihilation Abyss Return Realm was divided into black and white, one half being "existence" and the other half being "Non-Existence," and all the flow of energy and time came to a standstill.

Qin Yu stood in the center of the void, his sword pointing downwards, whispering as if it were a divine decree.

"The Causeless Disillusionment Sword".

With the second move, the cause and effect of heaven and earth completely dissipated. The anti-structure symbols that attacked him melted like ice and snow meeting fire the moment they came into contact with the Sword Qi, turning into a No Definition mist of light. The Silent Origin Stainless Sword gently swept across, and the entire anti-structure formation collapsed into silent dust.

But that black will was not completely dead. In its final struggle, it transformed into countless "imaginary eyes," opening towards Qin Yu from different dimensions. That was its Ultimate technique—

[Final Form: Formless Eternal Devouring].

At this moment, the entire Annihilation Abyss Return Realm was swallowed by darkness, the logic of heaven and earth began to reverse, and even "light" was defined as "shadow".

Qin Yu closed his eyes slightly, his breath returning to calm, his entire being like a statue standing in the midst of Annihilation. Sword light suddenly bloomed behind him, like a lotus, like a ring, like Annihilation galaxy flowing backward.

"Undefined Destruction Sword."

With the final sword strike, the world fell into complete silence.

The black and white of heaven and earth merged instantly, the spatial rift in the Annihilation Abyss Return Realm collapsed simultaneously, and light and darkness returned to nothingness. The black will, pierced by the sword light, did not even leave a trace of "disappearance." It was completely erased, and even the concept of "having ever existed" ceased to exist.

A moment later, the wind picked up again, and the colors of the world slowly returned.

Qin Yu stood in the air, his figure immaculate, his sword hanging low, the silence as profound as night. The rescued cultivator knelt on the ground, staring at the emptiness that followed the Annihilation, his voice trembling. "That... what kind of power was that...?"

Qin Yu did not answer, but slowly raised his head, his eyes reflecting the Annihilation Abyss Return Realm —where the light mist was re-condensing.

Qin Yu crouched down, and with a flick of his palms, the residual light of the Silent Origin Stainless Sword transformed into a faint protective barrier in the air, enveloping the cultivator. His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power. "Go, go quickly, it's no longer safe here."

The cultivator weakly raised his head, his eyes still trembling. "You saved me... but that thing's aura probably hasn't completely dissipated yet."

Qin Yu looked around. The spatial rift in the Annihilation Abyss was slowly healing, but every inch of air still retained the aftershocks of "existence being denied." Heaven and earth seemed to still fear the sword in his hand.

"I have my own way." Qin Yu said coldly, raising his hand and waving. The blade of the Silent Origin Stainless Sword lightly sliced through the void, causing the air to ripple like water, forming a silver-white spatial rift. He lifted the cultivator with one hand and stepped into the rift.

A moment later, the two appeared atop a precipice shrouded in swirling light and mist. In the distance, mountains rose and fell, shimmering with light like waterfalls, making the sky and earth seem to have no boundary. Qin Yu's aura receded to the depths of an abyss, and he turned his gaze to the cultivator, calmly asking:

"Speak! Who are you? Why are you trapped in the Annihilation Abyss Return Realm?"

The cultivator paused, seemingly hesitant to speak, but upon seeing Qin Yu's calm, almost indifferent eyes, he finally spoke.

"I... am the chieftain of the People of the Radiant Waterfall, my name is Yi Fuguang."

His voice was deep and resonant, carrying an ancient rhythm, like a language flowing between starlight and mist. As he spoke, a faint halo appeared in the air around Qin Yu, as if his words alone could awaken the memories of heaven and earth.

"We, the People of the Radiant Waterfall, originate from ancient times." Yi Fuguang's gaze turned to the sky, where the stars flowed, as if he were telling a dream that transcended eras.

"Legend has it that in the beginning of the universe, before the stars and the earth had taken shape, a mysterious seed fell from the boundless sky and landed on a secluded island embraced by starlight and waterfalls. That seed absorbed the essence of starlight and water spirits, and gave birth to four sacred giant trees— the Radiant Sacred Tree, the Starfall Divine Tree, the Blazing Flame Eternal Tree, and the Firmament Root Spirit."

He raised his hand, and four projections of light and shadow appeared in his palm—golden radiance, blue starfall, crimson flame branches, and silvery roots.

"The four trees resonated, their roots intertwined, their branches connected, forming a life domain that echoed the heavens and earth. On that very night, starlight materialized, flowing from the leaves of the giant trees and coalescing into the first 'People of the Radiant Waterfall' —our race."

Yi Fuguang spoke, a gentle pride softened his tone. "We are not ordinary humans, but a race born from the breath of stars and the spirit of water. Our souls are connected to the giant trees, our leaves carry memories, and our waterfalls flow with life. We are born of nature and breathe with the universe. Every drop of rain, every ray of starlight, is an ancestral song of our race."

Qin Yu listened quietly, a strange light flashing in his eyes. The People of the Radiant Waterfall —he had never heard of this name before, yet he could sense an aura that resonated with the very essence of heaven and earth—the purest will to live.

"And then?" he asked in a low voice.

Yi Fuguang smiled bitterly, his gaze turning to the endless void in the distance. "Later, light and darkness alternated, and the Starfall ceased its flow. The light of our sacred tree began to dim. The legendary prophecy also awakened at that time—'When the four trees lose their brilliance, the People of the Radiant Waterfall will face a choice: to protect their old land, or to embark on a journey to find the stars.'"

As he spoke, his voice trailed off. "And so, we split. Some of our people chose to stay behind, risking their lives to protect the remnant tree; while I... led the strongest branch of our tribe into the Annihilation Abyss Return Realm. We thought this was the origin of a new star, but little did we know—this was the 'end of existence.'"

His voice trembled slightly. "That 'black will'... is the ruler of this realm. It devoured our people, leaving only me to survive... until today when you saved me."

After saying that, he lowered his head, his voice almost inaudible. "You... you're not from this world, are you?"

Qin Yu was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. "I come from the middle level of the Source of Epochless, and entered here through the Nine Rainbow Bridges."

Yi Fuguang looked up, a fleeting look of amazement and awe in his eyes.

"I see... Perhaps, your arrival is an echo of starlight."

The wind rises.

Qin Yu looked up and saw the distant sky trembling slightly, a pale crack slowly expanding. It seemed to indicate that the ruins of the "Radiant Waterfall Sacred Domain," a deeper level within the Annihilation Abyss Return Realm, were being opened.

He withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "Let's go. Take me to your clan's former sacred land."

Yi Fuguang nodded slightly, the despair in his eyes gradually fading, leaving only the faint glimmer of starlight.