One Beyond Fate, the Path of Severing Causality

As dawn broke the following day, the mist over the Lotus Sacred Domain slowly dissipated in the morning breeze. The spiritual light between the mountains and palaces fell like ribbons, reflecting the myriad lotus rays like a mirror. The distant spiritual pool was shrouded in mist, and the morning bell echoed in the air. Everything was enveloped in a sacred and tranquil atmosphere.

Qin Yu got up early, straightened his clothes, and pushed open the palace door. A ray of light shone on his brow, reflecting a faint golden glow. The lotus pond outside the courtyard rippled gently, and the fragrance of lotus flowers wafted on the breeze.

Just then, a light footstep sounded, and Ning Qingyao's figure walked out from the depths of the flower path. She was dressed in a light pink long dress, with a gentle Wenwan and a smile as fresh as the morning dew on her face.

"Young Master Qin, you're up very early." Ning Qingyao nodded slightly, her tone gentle yet respectful.

Qin Yu smiled and returned the greeting, "Good morning, Miss Qingyao. The morning light in the Lotus Sacred Domain is indeed extraordinary, so quiet that it seems as if the entire world is cultivating."

Ning Qingyao covered her mouth and chuckled, "Our Lotus Immortal Hall emphasizes quiet cultivation and tranquility. The Spiritual Qi is purest in the morning, making it the most suitable time for cultivation. My master instructed me to take you to the main hall—she specifically wants to see you today."

"Summoned by the Immortal Venerable?" Qin Yu nodded slightly, a hint of profound meaning in his eyes. The lingering resonance of the lotus light from last night still echoed within him, and he vaguely sensed the gaze of the Immortal Venerable Jingxin —not the scrutiny of an ordinary person.

"Yes." Ning Qingyao smiled and stepped aside to lead the way. "Please follow me."

The two walked slowly along the corridor bridge covered with shimmering flowers, one after the other. The jade steps beneath their feet were inlaid with flowing star patterns, which shimmered slightly with each step, as if the pulse of heaven and earth flowed beneath their feet. The Lotus Temple was magnificent and serene, its thousand-layered glazed towers shrouded in divine radiance, and a gentle breeze stirred the bells outside the palace, like the chanting of heaven and earth.

Upon entering the main hall, Immortal Venerable Jingxin was already seated on a nine-tiered lotus platform, his brows like water, his aura restrained, and surrounded by a light curtain interwoven with pale gold and cyan.

The moment she looked up, her gaze fell on Qin Yu. Her eyes were as deep as the starry sea, with a complex and subtle fluctuation in their light.

The shock of last night's divination has not yet dissipated.

The image of the "Black Gold Ring" nearly destroyed her consciousness; even with her peak cultivation at the Chaos Realm · Supreme, she was almost erased from the realm of cause and effect. She could not forget the terrifying scene of the world collapsing, fate reversing, and even the word "existence" being erased.

The young man before her stood calmly, as still as a mirror after a breeze.

Qin Yu bowed respectfully, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable air of authority. "Greetings Immortal Venerable Jingxin."

Immortal Venerable Jingxin gently raised her jade hand and smiled, "No need for formalities, Young Master Qin. I have heard everything Shuangyue and Qingyao said yesterday. You saved them both, making you a great benefactor of my Lotus Immortal Hall."

"You flatter me, Immortal Venerable." Qin Yu smiled faintly, his tone calm as still water. "It's nothing more than a small favor. Besides, the Blood Blade Hall members are cruel. If I encountered them and didn't intervene, wouldn't I be unworthy of the title of cultivator?"

Immortal Venerable Jingxin's gaze narrowed slightly, a ripple stirring within his heart. -- Such a calm tone, such a serene gaze, as if even the annihilation of an entire realm was nothing more than the settling of dust.

Her divine sense silently probed out, but instantly withdrew upon contact with the aura within Qin Yu's body. That "unobservable" fluctuation startled her once more. She took a slight breath, suppressing the tremor in her heart, and whispered:

"Young master, your mind is extraordinary, your aura profound; I cannot see through you."

Qin Yu smiled slightly and said calmly, "All things in the universe have cause and effect; only the observer should not be the one who observes."

These words, like a gentle breeze, swept through the hall, yet they caused Immortal Venerable Jingxin's mind to tremble once more—this was a philosophical truth that even those in the Chaos Realm might not be able to comprehend. And yet he spoke it so naturally.

Immortal Venerable Jingxin sighed softly, raised his hand, and a lotus-shaped light appeared in the hall, slowly hovering in front of Qin Yu: "This is the holy light of the Lotus Immortal Hall, which can pass through all levels of the Holy Domain. If Young Master Qin does not mind, you may stay in my palace temporarily. The lotus light will protect you and keep you undisturbed."

Qin Yu nodded slightly and accepted the lotus light with both hands. The light shone in his palms, and the radiance resonated slightly with the Limitless True Evolution Core within his body, causing golden fluctuations to rise again in the hall.

Immortal Venerable Jingxin raised her eyes to gaze at the trembling light, a strange shock rising in her heart once more. She slowly said, "Indeed... even my holy light is submitting to him."

Ning Qingyao and Luo Shuangyue watched quietly from the side, feeling that Qin Yu at this moment was as if he were born from the very heart of heaven and earth, and even the air seemed to make way for him.

Immortal Venerable Jingxin smiled slightly, her gaze gentle yet filled with undisguised respect. "Young Master Qin, if one day you are willing to lend a helping hand to this Void Obliteration Domain... I swear in the name of the Lotus Holy Temple that I will act as you wish."

The lotus light in the hall trembled slightly once more. Qin Yu raised his eyes, his expression as still as an ancient mirror, his tone as calm as ever. "If needed, I will take action."

Immortal Venerable Jingxin nodded slowly, the smile on her lips unable to conceal the complexity of her inner feelings. She murmured softly, "That's good... that's good."

She gazed at him, the scene from last night's divination echoing in her mind once more. The Nameless Black Gold Ring slowly rotated in the void, like the pulse of destiny.

She understood—that was not something she could fathom.

That was the "Lord of the No Observation Source of Epochless had to bow before.

A gentle breeze swept through the Lotus Temple, and in the instant all the petals froze, Immortal Venerable Jingxin sighed softly, his gaze lowered:

"I hope this child will remember my Lotus Immortal Hall in the future..."

Inside the main hall of the Lotus Temple, layers of lotus light reflected in the void, and the light and shadow in the hall flowed like ripples. Immortal Venerable Jingxin sat on the lotus platform, her body shrouded in a soft yet unfathomable chaotic mist. Her aura fluctuated slightly. Since the strange divination last night, her consciousness still ached faintly, but her expression remained dignified and indifferent.

Qin Yu walked to the front of the hall, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said in a calm and respectful tone, "Immortal Venerable Jingxin, this junior has a matter I would like to ask you."

Immortal Venerable Jingxin slightly raised her slender hand, the lotus light illuminating her serene face. Her voice was gentle and steady. "Yes, please speak."

Qin Yu pondered for a moment, then flipped his right palm, casting a stream of light into the air, forming four floating illusory images. They were all different in shape, but they all exuded an indescribable aura, as if simply staring at them could cause the space to collapse slightly.

"Immortal Venerable," Qin Yu said solemnly, his gaze resolute, "This junior has been searching for these four items. I wonder if there are any clues about them within this Void Obliteration Domain?"

Immortal Venerable Jingxin's gaze narrowed slightly. "Oh? Let me see."

Four beams of illusory light rotated and unfolded:

The first silvery-white flame floated slowly, its interior seemingly containing a waterfall of starlight and decay—that was the [Final Light Ember Core].

The second was a jet-black, azure liquid light stream, spinning in the void, causing the surrounding air to distort slightly—that was [the Annihilation Star Sea Essence];

The third illusory figure was like dust in the wind, with silver-black stardust floating in the fragments of time and space. It seemed that each grain of dust carried some kind of broken echo of time—that was [Time Endpoint Dust].

The final one was a translucent crystal fragment, its edges as soft as silk, yet capable of cleaving through the void. Each slight tremor was accompanied by a subtle spatial collapse—that was the [Space Limit Rift Crystal].

The aura of these four items instantly resonated with energy within the hall, causing the light of the myriad lotuses to dim and the void to tremble. The chaotic rune between the brows of Immortal Venerable Jingxin suddenly flickered, her divine soul being impacted by that power fluctuation, even causing the energy ripples beneath the lotus platform to slightly distort.

"The Final Light Ember Core... The Annihilation Star Sea Essence... The Time Endpoint Dust... The Space Limit Rift Crystal..."

She spoke slowly and deliberately, her voice so low it almost echoed like the sound of an ancient bell.

After a moment of silence, she raised her eyes, her gaze now solemn. "Young Master Qin, these four items... are not from this world. They exist not in the mortal realm, but deep within the Realm Splitting of the Source of Epochless, even in a realm that the Void Obliteration Domain cannot tolerate."

Qin Yu's expression was as calm as an ancient mirror. "The Immortal Venerable's knowledge is unparalleled; he must also know of their existence."

Immortal Venerable Jingxin pondered for a moment, then slowly rose. Her robes flowed like a galaxy, and with a flick of her finger, a star map composed of light appeared in the hall. Nine hundred and ninety-nine light veins intertwined and flowed, transforming into a phantom Annihilation Void star map.

She raised her hand and made a sweeping motion, her fingertips transforming into a stream of light, marking four dark coordinate points on the map.

"Listen—" Her voice carried a solemn, soul-stirring quality, "The first place, 'The Radiant Ember Severed Realm,' is the final flame realm where light and era perished together. Legend has it that the remnants of starlight from when the era burned out still slumber there. The 'Final Light Ember Core' you seek may be there. But that realm has long since become unstable; anyone who enters will have their soul consumed."

"The second place is the 'Annihilation Star Trench,' the sea where the ancient Annihilation God fell. All gods were annihilated, and their souls and breaths mixed into an eternal dead current. The 'Annihilation Star Sea Essence' is born in the depths of this dead current, but there is no light or cause there, and even the trajectory of life is emptied—even a powerful being at the Annihilation Dawn Realm cannot stay there for long."

"The third place is the 'Time's End Sand Plain,' the place where time ends. Legend has it that it is the site where ancient gods and fate clashed, and time collapsed into sand there, condensing into 'Time Endpoint Dust.' But a single breath there can last for billions of years; only those who possess the 'Tenseless Resonance' can approach it."

"The fourth place, the 'Limit Rift,' is the root of spatial collapse, where the dimensional winds never cease. 'Space Limit Rift Crystal' are born within it, but the space there is a shattered dream, a boundary No Definition; a single misstep can shatter body and soul."

As she spoke, her tone softened, and the light in the Lotus Temple dimmed, plunging the entire main hall into a moment of silence.

"These four things," Immortal Venerable Jingxin sighed softly, his gaze fixed intently on Qin Yu, "Each one can alter the causal chain of an era. If someone were to truly gather them all, they could not only reshape the order of the Void Obliteration Domain, but even rewrite the very rules of existence of the Source of Epochless."

Her expression gradually turned serious, and she slowly said, "Young Master Qin, do you know what this means?"

Qin Yu raised his head, his gaze deep and unfathomable, his voice firm and calm. "I know. But I know even more clearly—if we don't awaken her, everything will vanish into nothingness."

Immortal Venerable Jingxin was stunned for a moment, her lotus light trembling slightly. That calm yet unquestionable tone made her feel an inexplicable pressure, Chaos Realm · Supreme.

She said softly, "The person you're trying to save... isn't someone from the mortal realm, is he?"

Qin Yu gently shook his head, his gaze distant. "She was born alongside the light, moving in step with time. If she doesn't awaken, the light in this world will eventually be extinguished."

Immortal Venerable Jingxin's eyes flickered slightly, and her divine sense trembled slightly. She looked at the young man in front of her and seemed to see the "Nameless Black Gold Ring" in the divination that had once made her vomit blood slowly rotating in the depths of Qin Yu's sea of consciousness.

She sighed softly, reached out and pointed, and a pure white lotus flower bloomed from her palm, its light surging like a tide, condensing the four coordinates into a lotus imprint, which was then imprinted into a silver token. The Lotus Token floated in front of Qin Yu.

"This token grants access to the Secret Scroll Repository Domain of my Lotus Temple, where all the fragments of records concerning the ancient era of the Void Obliteration Domain are preserved. Perhaps you can find more clues about them there."

Qin Yu accepted the Lotus Token and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Immortal Venerable."

Immortal Venerable Jingxin gazed at him, her eyes deep and unfathomable. "Young Master Qin, this path is fraught with peril. You are traversing the 'Path of Mieyin,' a path even Heaven itself dares not foresee. Heaven will not protect you—you are already beyond destiny."

Qin Yu smiled slightly, a faint glint of loneliness in his eyes. "If Heaven does not permit it, then I will make Heaven close its eyes."

As soon as the words fell, the nine lotuses in the hall resonated in unison, and the light of the entire Lotus Holy Temple instantly soared to its brightest point. A massive resonance echoed throughout the Void Obliteration Domain —it was the "aura of an outsider," causing the souls of countless ancestors to tremble.

As Immortal Venerable Jingxin watched his departing figure, she murmured to herself, "That Black Gold Ring... its fate may very well unfold in his hands."

Outside the hall, lotus petals fell in profusion, and light and shadow intertwined to create silent ripples.