70: Refining the Soul in the Ruins, Guarding the True Name

In the cold, chaotic, and dark Void Realm, the miniature annihilation energy sphere in the palm of the Phantom of Zhang Shouzhuo spun silently. The absolute "nothingness" at its core radiated a terminal will that froze the Soul. The declaration from the Gatekeeping Will of the Hall of Fate Wheel was like a judgment decree for the end of the Universe, instantly freezing the fighting spirit that had just ignited within Chen Feng.

"Erase... or... Refine..."

Two choices, both leading to a dead end.

Erasure meant turning completely into nothingness; his dao foundation, Divine Soul, and existence itself would be utterly devoured by that absolute annihilation.

Refining meant his consciousness would be forcibly extracted, broken apart, and integrated into the cold regulatory system of the Hall of Fate Wheel. He would become nourishment for the operation of this eternal divine hall, losing all sense of self and turning into an eternal Puppet!

The tribulation imprint on Chen Feng's chest throbbed frantically. The will of the tribulation remnant soul within the depths of the imprint let out a malicious, hideous laugh: "Guixu... will ultimately be devoured by the Path of Slaughter... Ant... accept your fate!" The filth of the Path of Slaughter took the opportunity to stir, attempting to once again pollute the Universe Ruin Vortex that had just stabilized.

Chen Feng stared fixedly at the Phantom of Zhang Shouzhuo, outlined by the chaotic dark starlight Origin. His gaze pierced through those "eyes" that resembled two annihilation vortexes, as if trying to stab into the core of this cold will. Zhang Shouzhuo, who had burned himself out to protect them—his final will imprint had actually been distorted and assimilated by this Hall of Fate Wheel, becoming a Puppet to execute the rules of erasure? An unspeakable grief, indignation, and violence surged within his chest like molten lava!

"Sen... ior..." Chen Feng's voice was as raspy as sandpaper rubbing together, every word carrying the excruciating pain of a tearing Divine Soul. "Is this... the final... destination... of your protection? To be ground down... and devoured... by this cold... broken hall?"

The Phantom of Zhang Shouzhuo showed no reaction. The annihilation energy sphere in its palm became increasingly solid, and its cold regulatory will locked onto Chen Feng like a heavy hammer. That chaotic dark silhouette and that familiar yet incredibly alien aura were like a cold dagger, repeatedly slicing through Chen Feng's nerves.

"No... this isn't Zhang Shouzhuo!" A thought flashed like lightning through the ruins of Chen Feng's consciousness, which was on the verge of collapse! "Senior Shouzhuo burned himself out to protect the star dome ark, to protect Last Light... to protect hope! He would never become a henchman for these cold rules! This phantom... is just a Puppet... forcibly fabricated by this broken hall... after stealing Senior's imprint!"

His obsession with protection was ignited once more! This time, it wasn't just for himself or for the missing Su Wanzhao, but for the old man who had burned everything to protect them! For his sacrifice, which should never be desecrated!

"Erase? Refine?" Chen Feng suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at the annihilation energy sphere. His lips curled into a near-manic arc, but his voice carried a decisive finality: "I choose... Refine!"

The moment the words left his mouth!

The annihilation energy sphere in the palm of the Phantom of Zhang Shouzhuo suddenly erupted with a blinding, chaotic dark light! It was no longer pure destruction but had transformed into countless chaotic dark chains as fine as silk, composed of pure rules! These chains ignored space, instantly piercing through the guixu Domain around Chen Feng. Like billions of cold poisonous needles, they stabbed ruthlessly into his brow, his limbs, his bones, and his Dantian dao foundation! Their target—directly aimed at his shattered Divine Soul and the newly formed Universe Ruin Vortex!

**Soul Refining in the Ruin Sea!**

Indescribable agony instantly submerged Chen Feng!

This wasn't physical torture, but the dismantling and restructuring at the level of rules! Every chaotic dark rule chain acted like the most precise, cold carving knife, attempting to forcibly strip away his consciousness, extract his memories, and disassemble his emotions. It sought to break down and integrate every core element that constituted the existence of "Chen Feng" into the vast regulatory network of the Hall of Fate Wheel, piece by piece, like dismantling components!

Within the ruins of his consciousness, those fragments of myriad ancient stardust memories that were already shattered and floating were violently churned and torn by the rule chains! The elegies of dying stars, the phantoms of the rise and fall of civilizations, the whispers of ancient wills... countless heavy and chaotic torrents of information were forcibly extracted and instilled by the rule chains. Chen Feng's self-awareness was like being thrown into the most violent information mill, repeatedly crushed and torn! His obsession with protection wavered under the impact of the rule torrent!

Inside his Dantian, the Universe Ruin Vortex was tightly bound by countless rule chains! That chaotic dark rule power was not destruction, but carried a higher, colder order of will, attempting to forcibly twist the rotation trajectory of the Universe Ruin Vortex and incorporate it into the Hall of Fate Wheel's own regulatory system! The dark vortex struggled and twisted frantically. The residues of the Path of Slaughter filth on the spiral arms, which had just been purified, began to stir again under the stimulation of this rule power! The Guixu Dao Foundation let out an overburdened wail, its condensation degree plummeting from 35% to 30%!

"Ugh... Aaaargh—!" Chen Feng's consciousness let out a silent scream of agony. His body convulsed violently in the void. What erupted from his seven orifices was no longer blood, but a mist mixed with shattered points of consciousness light and chaotic dark rule debris. His spark of self-awareness was like a candle in the wind, its light dimming rapidly under the tearing of the rule chains and the washing of the information torrent.

The dark red light of the tribulation imprint took the opportunity to surge! The will of the tribulation remnant soul let out a roar of wild joy: "Rule refining! Heaven helps me! Path of Slaughter... Corrode!" It no longer tried to directly oppose the rule chains. Instead, like the most cunning parasite, it followed the "channels" opened by the rule chains to frantically inject a more condensed and malicious Slaughter Dao Origin power—mixed with a distorted understanding of the Hall of Fate Wheel's rules—into the Soul wounds and dao foundation cracks torn open by the rule chains!

Attacked from both inside and out! Rule refining and Path of Slaughter corrosion were like two red-hot iron pincers, seeking to completely tear apart and devour Chen Feng's existence!

Chen Feng's consciousness drifted in boundless pain and Chaos. The light of his self-spark grew weaker and weaker, and his obsession with protection was shattered by the impact of heavy stardust memories and chaotic rule information. The rotation of the Universe Ruin Vortex nearly ground to a halt, its dark core heavily covered by chaotic dark rule chains and dark red Path of Slaughter filth.

Just as his consciousness was about to completely dissipate and be utterly devoured by the rules and the Path of Slaughter—

A faint but pure speck of starlight stubbornly lit up once more deep within the ruins of his consciousness, which had been turned upside down by the rule chains!

It was still the scene of Su Wanzhao's final protection! That single speck of pure starlight struggling at the core of the annihilation vortex! That silent "Live on"!

This starlight seemed to possess the power to penetrate all Chaos and filth! It was faint, yet like a stabilizing pillar, it instantly pinned down Chen Feng's collapsing spark of self-awareness!

"Wanzhao... protect... Senior Zhang..." His remaining will let out a final cry! This cry was no longer just an instinct for survival, but a condensation of his promise to the fallen protector and his responsibility to the survivor!

Buzz!

Driven by the will to protect, that pinned spark of self-awareness no longer fruitlessly resisted the tearing of the rule chains. Instead, it made a near-suicidal decision—it actively crashed into the largest fragment of myriad ancient stardust in the consciousness ruins, one that carried the ancient scene of a star's extinction!

Boom!

A massive explosion seemed to occur at the level of consciousness! The spark of self-awareness and the fragment of star extinction merged violently! A guixu Concept far heavier, more vast, and carrying the sorrow of an era's end than before suddenly erupted from the point of Fusion!

This Concept was no longer the immature guixu that Chen Feng had comprehended himself, but contained the ultimate realization of "guixu" from some ancient existence within the myriad ancient stardust! Like a world-ending flood that had breached its dikes, it instantly swept through Chen Feng's consciousness space that had been torn by the rule chains!

Puff, puff, puff!

Under the impact of this sudden, more ancient, and grander guixu Concept, the countless chaotic dark rule chains piercing deep into his consciousness actually groaned under the burden like ice needles thrown into a furnace, snapping and melting inch by inch!

"Hmm?" The Phantom of Zhang Shouzhuo, which had remained cold and emotionless, for the first time emitted an extremely subtle ripple of thought representing a "startled" rule logic! The rule output in its palm experienced an extremely brief moment of disorder!

Seizing this opportunity!

Within the Dantian, the Universe Ruin Vortex—heavily entangled by rule chains and Path of Slaughter filth and nearly stopped—suddenly erupted with unprecedented light from the point of darkness ignited by his protective will!

"Guixu... is not something... your rules... can refine! All things... have their end... and their own... order!" Chen Feng's intent was like a giant axe splitting the heavens, carrying the determination of the merged myriad ancient stardust extinction Concept as it hacked ruthlessly at the rule chains entangling the vortex!

Buzz—!

The Universe Ruin Vortex reversed its rotation at an unprecedented speed! That ponderous suction force merged with the ancient extinction Concept was no longer devouring, but... repelling! It was the end! It was the absolute will declaring the finish line for all things!

Crack! Crack!

Under the impact of this more ancient and original guixu will, the chaotic dark rule chains wrapped around the Universe Ruin Vortex became covered in cracks like withered vines weathered by time, and then snapped inch by inch! The cold rule power that had invaded the interior of the vortex was forcibly extracted, devoured, and returned to extinction by the absolute darkness at the core of the reversed vortex, just like a black hole!

"Roar!" The tribulation remnant soul let out a roar of shock and anger! The Path of Slaughter filth it had injected through the rule chains lost the cover of the rule power and was instantly exposed to the reversed Universe Ruin Vortex! That pure guixu power, merged with ancient extinction, was like a red-hot branding iron, ruthlessly searing the Slaughter Dao Origin! The dark red filth, as if meeting its nemesis, emitted a "hissing" sound of annihilation and was forcibly purified and stripped away!

Chen Feng's body shook violently! The rule chains binding his entire body disintegrated inch by inch! Like a trapped Dragon breaking free from invisible shackles, he straightened his blood-stained back in the chaotic void! In the ruins of his consciousness, the spark of self-awareness and the star extinction fragment had preliminarily merged, radiating a heavy and ancient guixu glow. Although still covered in cracks, it was a hundred times more solid than before! The momentum of the Universe Ruin Vortex's reversal did not diminish, and its condensation degree instantly soared from 30% to 45%! On the dark spiral arms, the Concept of myriad ancient stardust extinction flowed endlessly, radiating a heart-stopping terminal pressure!

"Rule... conflict... detected... high compatibility... ancient guixu... Origin imprint..." The cold intent of the Phantom of Zhang Shouzhuo sounded again, but this time it carried an unprecedented ripple of something near "confusion." The annihilation energy sphere in its palm slowly dissipated, and those two "eyes" like annihilation vortexes "focused" on Chen Feng for the first time, carrying a cold scrutiny and... re-evaluation.

However, the crisis of the tribulation imprint had not been resolved!

"Stealing ancient... power... Ant... you... have enraged... me!" The will of the tribulation remnant soul let out a hysterical roar from the depths of the imprint! Chen Feng's use of the myriad ancient stardust to break the situation had not only heavily damaged the Slaughter Dao Origin it used for corrosion but had also forcibly knocked its recovery progress back to 20%! Extreme rage and greed made it completely insane!

Buzz—!

The tribulation imprint erupted with an unprecedented dark red blood-light! This time, the blood-light contained not just the Slaughter Dao Origin, but was also mixed with wisps of incredibly pure yet eerily distorted... Hall of Fate Wheel Origin aura! That was the final trump card it had stolen and hidden when it previously polluted Su Wanzhao's star vortex core!

"With my... remnant Soul... as sacrifice! Path of Slaughter... knocks on the gate! Fate Wheel... open!!!"

The tribulation remnant soul let out a final, desperate roar! It actually actively burned its own 20% recovery Origin, mixing it with the stolen wisp of Hall of Fate Wheel Origin aura to transform into a dark red blood-arrow that was condensed to the extreme and fast beyond the Concept of time and space! This blood-arrow was no longer attacking Chen Feng. Instead, carrying a sacrificial mad will, it ignored the chaotic void and the rule barrier of the Phantom of Zhang Shouzhuo, shooting straight toward the deep core of the Hall of Fate Wheel, composed of countless nested light wheels—the area where a slight crack had previously appeared due to the pollution of Su Wanzhao's star vortex!

It wanted to use its own remnant Soul as a sacrifice and the stolen Origin aura as a lead to forcibly knock open the true core gate of the Hall of Fate Wheel! It wanted to trigger the descent of the deeper, more terrifying power of the Hall of Fate Wheel! It wanted to take Chen Feng... along with this damned gatekeeping will... down with it!

Wherever the dark red blood-arrow passed, the frozen chaotic dark void was actually dyed with an eerie blood color, emitting a "cracking" sound like shattering glass!

"Detected... illegal... core permission... access request... threat Rank... Terminal!"

The cold intent of the Phantom of Zhang Shouzhuo for the first time carried a clear sense of "alarm"! Its body, composed of chaotic darkness, instantly became solid, and countless dao patterns lit up as it tried to intercept and annihilate that gate-knocking blood-arrow!

Chen Feng's pupils constricted! The warning of death instantly climbed to its peak! This final madness of the Punishment Calamity would trigger the backlash of the entire Hall of Fate Wheel's core rules! Once the gate was successfully knocked open, it would be a true catastrophe!

He couldn't care about his just-stabilized dao foundation and frantically drove the reversed Universe Ruin Vortex with his intent! The ponderous guixu power, merged with the myriad ancient extinction Concept, transformed into a deep, dark torrent that arrived later but hit first, ruthlessly crashing into that gate-knocking blood-arrow!

Boom—!!!

The dark guixu torrent, the eerie Path of Slaughter blood-arrow, and the rule interception barrier of the Hall of Fate Wheel... three terrifying powers containing different universal Origin wills collided violently within the core void of the Hall of Fate Wheel!