The Light of Causality Reflected in the Lotus

Above the scorched earth shrouded in blood mist, Li Chuan sat cross-legged in the center of the collapsed ruins, the blood-red light surrounding him like embers, sometimes flickering, sometimes extinguishing. The world remained deathly silent, the air still carrying a pungent, metallic smell, as if even the Spiritual Qi had been burned away. Suddenly, a subtle ripple came from outside the forest.

Li Chuan suddenly opened his eyes, the blood-red light deep in his pupils suddenly brightening. His divine sense spread out in an instant, his brows furrowed. The aura was gentle yet cold, but it was not a source of hostility—rather, it was a fluctuation with spiritual charm, like the aura of a lotus floating in the wind, light and mysterious.

He stood up, his blood-stained robes fluttering in the wind, his eyes sweeping forward like cold blades.

The next moment, three figures slowly appeared before him.

There were three women in a row.

At the forefront stood Luo Shuangyue, dressed in simple white robes, her silver hair slightly cascading down, her eyes clear and cold like the moon. A faint moonlit glow enveloped her, making her seem as if separated from the world by a veil. Behind her, Ning Qingyao appeared slightly tense, her hands slightly raised, as if ready to activate a defensive spell at any moment. Beside them stood a young female disciple at the Severed Observation Realm · Initial Stage, holding a blue spiritual sword, its blade shimmering with light.

"Senior sister... that person ahead—" Ning Qingyao said in a low voice, her tone clearly wary.

Luo Shuangyue's gaze was fixed on the figure on the scorched earth, her expression changing slightly. The man was clad in tattered blood armor, his long hair disheveled, and his aura chaotic, yet he still exuded a pressure that could terrify heaven and earth. She was all too familiar with that aura—it was one of the core energy channels of the Nine Alliances Gang, bearing a unique blood halberd pattern.

"That's... Li Chuan, the deputy leader of the Blood Blade Hall." Luo Shuangyue's voice was extremely soft, yet it instantly startled the two people behind her.

"The Nine Alliances Gang?!" the young disciple exclaimed in surprise, immediately raising his sword in alert.

Luo Shuangyue frowned and whispered, "Don't move! This person Annihilation Dawn Realm · Supreme; he can destroy cities and annihilate domains in the blink of an eye. Our current cultivation is no match for him. Retreat, retreat immediately!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Li Chuan slowly raised his blood-red eyes. His gaze was so cold it seemed to freeze the soul.

A cold laugh surfaced at the corner of his mouth, tinged with intense contempt and weariness. "Heh... people from the Lotus Immortal Hall?"

The air froze instantly.

He dragged his battered body toward them step by step, each step accompanied by a deep rumble from the earth, as if the entire ruins were trembling in unison with his presence. Blood ignited once more from his body, and even in his wounded state, his oppressive aura remained as abyssal as hell.

Luo Shuangyue took a slight step back, raising her left hand lightly, and a moonlight barrier slowly appeared in front of the three of them. Her voice was calm, yet carried a clear sense of restraint and wariness. "Sect Leader Li Chuan, we have no intention of offending you; we are merely passing through. If we have caused any disturbance, we wish to leave immediately."

Li Chuan's smile deepened, his eyes turning extremely sinister. He pointed at the three people, his voice low and iron-like. "Passing by? Ha... I just had a bloody battle with the Liu Yuan Practitioners, and my injuries haven't healed yet. And you just happen to show up."

He paused, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

"Since you're here, stay."

Luo Shuangyue's expression changed drastically, her clothes billowed, and her spiritual power instantly gathered into a defensive light barrier.

Ning Qingyao and the young disciple gripped their spirit swords almost simultaneously, their swords flashing with spiritual light, their blades poised to strike.

The air was thick with the oppressive atmosphere of the impending war and the scent of death.

Li Chuan slowly raised his hand, the blood-red light in his palm condensing into an ancient blood-red mark. He chuckled deeply, "Come here, all of you."

At that moment, the world changed color once again.

Blood flames tore through the sky, and a terrifying killing intent once again surged amidst the ruins of the Withering Soul Forest.

Li Chuan stood amidst the blood-red light, his aura surging like the sea. His blood-red halberd swept across the sky, whipping up endless rubble and broken branches from the ground. The flames on the halberd were not pure fire, but rather an annihilation energy flow generated by the burning power of his bloodline, scorching the void, distorting space, and filling the air with the aura of death and hell.

Luo Shuangyue stood before the three, her silver hair billowing in the air currents, her moon-white sleeves fluttering. She raised her hand, and soft moonlight appeared in her palm, its light as clear as water, yet indestructible. In that instant, the crimson hue of the world seemed to be smoothed out by the cold light, and a mirror-like crescent moon spread out, enveloping the three of them.

Li Chuan sneered, his voice hoarse and low. "Heh... a few mere streaks of moonlight dare to block my Blood Halberd?"

He suddenly swung his blood-red halberd, transforming it into a raging river of blood that crashed down with the force of a thunderbolt. The air was torn apart in that instant, and the entire world seemed to be split in two.

Luo Shuangyue's expression hardened, her robes fluttered, and a huge phantom of a silver moon appeared behind her. She raised her hand and waved her sleeve, and the moonlight transformed into thousands of shattered mirrors, weaving together a "Moonlight Mirror Realm" to meet the river of blood.

Boom--!

Moonlight and blood-red flames collided in mid-air, unleashing a deafening sonic boom. The heavens and earth trembled violently, rocks crumbled, and shockwaves swept across several miles. Silver and blood intertwined to create a breathtaking yet cruel spectacle—the sacred moonlight and the grotesque blood hell clashed, burning in the sky as two extreme forms of light.

However, the oppressive aura of the Annihilation Dawn Realm · Supreme was too terrifying. In just a few breaths, the Moonlight Mirror Realm began to crack, and the mirror pieces shattered and scattered into light dust.

"Ah--!" A scream rang out. The female disciple, who was at the Severed Observation Realm · Initial Stage, was caught off guard and was swept away by the aftershocks of Li Chuan's blood flames. Her figure instantly turned into ashes, leaving not even a trace of her soul.

"Qingling!!!" Ning Qingyao exclaimed, her eyes instantly becoming bloodshot. Her spiritual power surged, and she swung her sword, creating dozens of streaks of light that pointed directly at Li Chuan's heart.

Li Chuan snorted coldly, his blood halberd flipped back, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi suddenly condensed. With a "bang", Ning Qingyao's sword light shattered in mid-air, and her body was sent flying hundreds of feet like a kite with a broken string, her blood turning into a long rainbow in the air.

Luo Shuangyue was deeply shaken, and a resolute light flashed in her eyes. She raised her hand, and a mark resembling a lotus flower appeared in her palm—the inheritance mark she had obtained on the seventh floor of the Ancient Logic Cultivation God Tower.

"Annihilation Light Mirror Heart, True Seal of Radiant Flower - Open!"

A whispered sound, and the world flickered between light and shadow.

Centered on her, nine mirrors of light unfolded in the air in sequence, their light flowing and lotus shadows shimmering. Each mirror was engraved with flowing patterns, and at its center was a crystal core that shimmered with starlight. The light was not a simple reflection, but rather a folding of the dimensions of space and consciousness.

In an instant, the entire battlefield seemed to be covered by nine layers of mirrored realms. The flames of the blood halberd struck the mirror light, and were decomposed, reflected, and deflected layer by layer, forming hundreds of energy zigzags that intersected and flowed back and forth in the air.

Li Chuan frowned, his eyes flashing with cold light.

"The art of redefinition? Your Lotus Immortal Hall's stuff is really annoying."

Luo Shuangyue's aura became slightly disordered, her silver hair danced wildly, and the true seal in her palm spun even faster. The nine layers of the Mirror Realm operated simultaneously, forming the largest form of the Annihilation Light Mirror Heart— [Annihilation Light Mirror Realm].

"Observe the soul with a mirror, and determine identity with light!"

The nine mirrors suddenly shone brightly, reflecting the image of Li Chuan's blood halberd. The reflection seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, and the originally surging blood flame energy began to become disordered, as if it was about to be swallowed up by the mirror realm.

Li Chuan sneered, his aura becoming extremely violent. "With your meager strength, you think you can shake my very essence? Shatter!"

He gripped the blood halberd with both hands, and the power of his bloodline instantly burned to its Limit, causing his aura to surge several times over.

With a furious roar, like the howl of a demon god from hell, the blood halberd slammed into the Mirror Realm.

Boom!!!

Heaven and earth collapsed once more, and the mirror light and blood flames exploded completely in the void, turning into dust and light that filled the sky. The Annihilation Void Mountain Forest was torn into a huge valley, and the broken stones and energy flow mixed together to form a meteor shower that fell in all directions.

Luo Shuangyue was thrown back dozens of feet by the impact, blood gushing from her shoulder. She tried her best to steady her breathing.

The Annihilation Light Mirror Heart continued to spin, but its light had dimmed considerably.

Li Chuan still stood in the same spot, his blood-stained halberd hanging to the ground, the air thick with blood.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and chuckled softly, "As expected of a prodigy from the Lotus Immortal Hall. If I hadn't been injured, you probably wouldn't have lasted three breaths."

Luo Shuangyue's expression was cold and stern, the light seal in her hand gradually fading. She responded softly, her tone calm yet resolute:

"If your cultivation level weren't higher than mine, you wouldn't be standing here alive."

Their auras intertwined in mid-air, blood and light, slaughter and holiness, forming the most Ultimate contrast. The winds of heaven and earth seemed to dare not blow anymore, only the shattered mirror still slowly drifted in the air, reflecting two figures that could not coexist.

In the storm-ravaged forest, blood and the waning moon's afterglow intertwine to form a cruel waterfall.

Li Chuan's figure resembled a demon god emerging from purgatory, his body covered in cracks and blood flames, his blood halberd still dripping with deep red liquid. That was the life essence dissipating after he burned out his source, a harbinger of death. Even so, his eyes burned with greed and cruelty, as if he wanted to crush any hope of escape in his palm.

Luo Shuangyue felt a sharp pain in her chest. She thought, "I absolutely cannot continue fighting like this. I have to find a way to escape." Blood soaked through her clothes, but she had no time to care about herself. Ning Qingyao in her arms had already lost consciousness, her breath so weak it was almost gone. She forcibly focused her consciousness, and the last rays of moonlight flickered at her fingertips. An ancient magical artifact appeared in her palm—a jade lotus lamp, with a wisp of crystal-clear blue flame burning at its core, as if it could purify both light and soul.

Her gaze was resolute, and she gritted her teeth, chanting in a low voice. "Lotus Realm Control, Nine Phases of Xu Li —Open!"

As her voice faded, the dim lamp suddenly burst forth with countless petals of light, layer upon layer, encircling her and Ning Qingyao's bodies. Countless lotus patterns appeared in the void, each petal containing the energy of folded space, transforming into illusory bridges of light that stretched into the distant darkness.

Li Chuan's breath suddenly tightened as he sensed the unusual fluctuations in the space. His hoarse, deep voice exploded amidst the blood-red light. "Trying to escape?!"

He took a sudden step forward, the ground beneath his feet shattered, and blood flames soared into the sky. He raised his blood halberd and slashed fiercely—a blood-red arc of light traversed the heavens and earth, illuminating the entire forest as crimson as hell. That slash seemed to sever the soul's path home, chasing after Luo Shuangyue's retreating figure.

However, just as the blood-red light was about to engulf the two, Luo Shuangyue's lotus-shaped magic weapon erupted in full force. Countless illusory reflections of mirror flowers unfolded behind her, like shattered mirrors of the moon, instantly reflecting the blood-red light of Li Chuan and forcefully repelling the annihilating power. The heavens and earth roared, space collapsed, and a tearing sensation caused the entire forest to howl in agony.

Taking advantage of the opportunity Luo Shuangyue bit her tongue, using her own blood energy to unleash the Limit power of her magic weapon. Holding Ning Qingyao, she transformed into a silver streak of light and rushed into the spatial rift.

The light flashed and disappeared in an instant, leaving only shattered spiritual energy and faint moonlight in the world.

Li Chuan stood rooted to the spot, his gaze icy cold. His blood-stained halberd plunged diagonally into the ground, sending up ripples of energy. He chuckled softly, his voice like the scraping of metal. "Heh... to sacrifice your life for a lamp, you're quite willing."

He raised his hand and waved it, and the surrounding blood-red light transformed into countless threads, sweeping up all the spirit crystals and materials scattered on the ground. These were the supplies and spoils of war that the Blood Blade Hall had accumulated over many years, which he sealed into storage crystal cores using magic array talismans. The crystal cores flashed and sank into his palm.

"Since your Lotus Immortal Hall dares to appear on my territory, don't blame me for hunting you down to the bitter end."

He licked his chapped lips, a flash of crimson madness deep in his eyes.

Boom--

The ground beneath Li Chuan's feet instantly cracked, and he transformed into a blood-red shadow, stirring up countless shattered dust waves as he chased after Luo Shuangyue in the direction she had fled. Blood flames tore through the edge of the forest, turning all the spirit trees along the way to ash and shattering the rocks, leaving behind a blood-red line that stretched across the heavens and the earth.

The moonlight was pale, and the depths of the Withering Soul Forest were shrouded in an eerie, bluish-green mist. The air seemed to freeze, with only the occasional sound of breaking branches in the distance, like some ancient creature turning over in a dream. Luo Shuangyue carried the heavily injured and unconscious Ning Qingyao at breakneck speed. Her breathing was erratic, her silver hair was disheveled, and blood slid down her neck, yet she still tightly protected her junior sister in her arms, preventing her from suffering even the slightest shock.

Behind him, the world seemed to be collapsing. Li Chuan's aura approached at an incredible speed, the Ultimate soul-chasing force unleashed after the Blood Halberd burned its life force—like the gates of purgatory being pushed open, the entire forest turned into scorched earth wherever he passed, even his soul consciousness was crushed and turned into nothingness dust.

Luo Shuangyue's chest heaved violently as she suppressed the surging spiritual energy within her body, her gaze fixed on the azure light domain ahead—an ancient lotus platform slumbering in the depths of time, named [Silent Spirit Lotus Platform].

Legend has it that this place is one of the ancient sacred sites of the Lotus Immortal Hall, and only those with pure hearts and Stainless Spiritual Sense can enter. She knew that if she wanted to find a glimmer of hope in this blood-soaked pursuit, she could only rely on the spiritual energy of this place for protection.

"Hang in there a little longer, Qingyao... just one more step and we'll be able to—"

Her voice was hoarse, her steps were unsteady, and her spiritual energy was burning. Finally, when she stepped into the area shrouded in pale golden lotus mist, the blood-red light of heaven and earth was blocked from the outside world, and the surrounding scenery instantly froze.

Countless lotuses of light floated in the air, gently rotating, like a dream. At the heart of the lotus platform, a clear spiritual current surged, exuding an ancient and peaceful aura. Luo Shuangyue knelt on the edge of the lotus platform, gently setting Ning Qingyao down, her fingertips trembling as she wiped away the bloodstains from the corner of her lips.

"Lotus Immortal Hall - Mind Logic Seal, Begins--"

She clasped her hands together, and a pale blue spiritual flower condensed in her palms. Within the flower, countless tiny runes appeared; they were not words, but reflections of causal logic. Each petal corresponded to the soul coordinates and sensory imprints of the Lotus Immortal Hall disciple.

As the spiritual flower slowly bloomed, a soft light pierced through layers of space, transforming into countless rays of causal light that soared towards the endless sky. That was the Lotus Immortal Hall's most ancient telepathic technique— Logic Causality Mind.

No matter how far away they are, as long as they are within the sphere of the causal network, those who possess the Lotus Immortal Hall Heart Seal will sense the call at this moment.

At this moment, the light Realm Breaking, traversing countless planes and spacetime barriers.

Meanwhile, in the Myriad Phenomena Main City in the northern part of the Void Obliteration Domain, on a riverbank where a night breeze gently caressed, a young man in black robes sat quietly in a wooden pavilion. That man was none other than Qin Yu.

His brow twitched slightly, and the Fate Soul Crystal Core within his body suddenly vibrated, with an extremely subtle wisp of causal energy spreading through his sea of consciousness.

Azure Ring was leaning on the railing, munching on a spirit fruit and humming a soft tune. Noticing the commotion, she looked up and asked, "Huh? Little Qinzi, your aura is a little off. What's wrong?"

Qin Yu looked down at his palm and saw that the token he usually kept casually in his sleeve had suddenly floated out on its own, trembling slightly in the air. It was the Lotus Immortal Hall token that Luo Shuangyue had given him in the Ancient Logic Cultivation God Tower —a symbol of friendship, and also the spiritual imprint she left behind when she parted.

Now, a faint blue light emanates from the center of the token. The light is subtle yet extremely pure, and it seems to be drawing in the spiritual energy of the surrounding space, as if responding to some distant call.

Qin Yu's expression instantly turned serious.

"... This fluctuation—is a logical causal induction," he said softly, his tone tinged with surprise and wariness.

Azure Ring blinked, biting into the fruit in her hand, her voice slightly raised at the end. "Logical causal distress signal? This is a unique telepathic resonance array. This token of yours... who gave it to you, Little Qinzi?"

Qin Yu's eyes flickered slightly, his thoughts instantly returning to that ancient tower trial. Back then, Luo Shuangyue's robes fluttered, her silver hair like snow. When she handed the token to his palm, she smiled softly and said, "If fate allows, we shall use this as a seal to find each other again."

He whispered, "It's her, Miss Luo Shuangyue from the Lotus Immortal Hall. She... something happened to her."

Azure Ring froze for a moment, then slammed her small hand on the table, sending even the spirit fruit flying. "Huh? What are you standing there for? If this token lights up, it's a distress signal! She's probably been cornered, Little Qinzi!"

Qin Yu's gaze darkened, and his mind suddenly brightened.

"... She is in the Withering Soul Forest."

Azure Ring looked at him in surprise. "You can locate things?"

Qin Yu closed his eyes, the light from the token flowing in his palm, the lines of cause and effect gradually intertwining into a blurry spiritual map. His sea of consciousness expanded in an instant, capturing the familiar lotus causal pulse, resonating with the spiritual energy of this place.

He opened his eyes, his voice low and firm.

"Azure Ring, let's go. Her life is fading—if we're even a moment later, it will be too late."

Azure Ring's eyes lit up, and she instantly jumped down from the railing, dusting off her hands. "Alright, this fairy is full and ready to stretch my muscles! How about I open a teleportation portal for you this time?"

Qin Yu's lips curled slightly, and with a flick of his sleeve, the void shattered into a vortex. "No need, you only need to protect my sea of consciousness. I will—forcefully pierce the causal barrier with the 'Limitless True Evolution Core'."

In an instant, the air collapsed into a dark aperture of light. Qin Yu stepped into it, Azure Ring behind him transformed into a wisp of emerald light, which then entered his brow.

The earth shook, and the night wind by the river suddenly stopped.

The next moment, the light aperture vanished, leaving only a faint wisp of annihilation air swirling in the air.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the Withering Soul Forest, Luo Shuangyue, holding Ning Qingyao, remained steadfast before the Silent Spirit Lotus Platform, the moonlight gradually fading—

The crimson pressure, like the abyss of hell, was closing in step by step from afar.