13: Chapter 13 The Sea of ​​Suffering Opens, the Spring of Life Flows

Darkness.

A viscous darkness, as if capable of swallowing all light, pressed in from all directions.

Lin Ye felt himself falling—no, not falling, but being dragged down into some bottomless abyss. There was no sound, no sensation, and even the concept of "self" was blurring and dissipating. It was like a drop of ink falling into the ocean, about to be diluted and assimilated by the endless body of water, eventually disappearing completely.

Is this death?

No.

This is... the "Chaos Void" before opening the Bitter Sea.

Every Cultivator experiences this stage when opening the wheel sea secret realm—their consciousness sinks into the most primitive chaotic state of life, where they find their own "Dao Foundation," and then use the Dao Foundation as the Origin point to open the Bitter Sea, establishing the starting point of their path of cultivation.

The Chaos Void of an ordinary Cultivator is a region of ignorant gray.

The Chaos Void of a Genius Cultivator will have starlight, runes, or even projections of visions.

But Lin Ye's Chaos Void... is pure, absolute "Nothingness."

There is no color, no shape, no time, no space. Even the concept of "void" itself has no meaning here. Because Chaos is the Origin of all things and also the end of all things; it contains everything and transcends all definitions.

Just at the moment when his consciousness was about to dissipate completely—

A point of light lit up.

It was not light shining in from the outside world, but light naturally emerging from the deepest part of his consciousness, from the Soul Origin. The light was the color of Chaos, gray and hazy, seemingly weak, yet it contained an indescribable ancientness and majesty.

Within the light, a phantom appeared.

It was an existence that could not be described in words. He stood with his hands behind his back, a three-legged, two-eared cauldron floating above his head. Within the cauldron, Chaos Qi surged, evolving scenes of earth, water, fire, and wind, the creation of the world. Although his face could not be seen, that aura of suppressing eternity and dominating the epoch caused Lin Ye's dissipating consciousness to instantly coalesce!

Chaos Heavenly Emperor!

The phantom he had seen once during the Legacy, appeared again!

The phantom looked down, "looking" in the direction of Lin Ye's consciousness. It was not a gaze, but a message branded directly into the depths of his Soul:

[Chaos as the Foundation, Heavenly Emperor as the name. Once the Bitter Sea is opened, the Life Spring shall gush forth.]

The moment the voice finished speaking, the phantom transformed into nine streams of Chaos Qi, surging into the depths of Lin Ye's consciousness.

Meanwhile, his body in the outside world was undergoing earth-shaking changes.

Lin Ye sat cross-legged deep in the cave, his body covered by a layer of pale golden light cocoon. The light cocoon emitted a soft halo from the inside out, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daytime. Chen Hao and Su Qingyue stood guard at the cave entrance, their faces solemn, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the light cocoon—from the time Lin Ye consumed the three sacred fruits until now, a full three hours had passed.

Inside the light cocoon, at Lin Ye's Dantian, a world-creating upheaval was taking place.

The first sacred fruit—the "all-purpose" sacred fruit obtained from the First Sacred Mountain—melted first. The pure life Origin seeped into his limbs and bones like hot spring water, not as a violent impact, but as nourishment that moistened things silently. It repaired all the hidden injuries in Lin Ye's body, widened and reinforced his Meridians, tempered his bones until they were as crystalline as jade, and purified his flesh until it was flawless.

This was building the Foundation.

The second sacred fruit—the "Ice-attribute" sacred fruit obtained from the Second Sacred Mountain—melted next. Although the attributes did not match, the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body refused nothing, directly swallowing and converting the icy energy. During this process, Lin Ye gained a rudimentary understanding of the Law of "Ice," and a pale blue Law fragment seed appeared in the depths of his Soul.

This was comprehending the Law.

The third sacred fruit—the "Physique-type" sacred fruit obtained from the Fourth Sacred Mountain—melted last. The vast life vital energy surged out like a volcanic eruption; this time it was not gentle nourishment, but a violent impact that threatened to burst his body! But the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body had long been prepared; the Chaos vortex deep in his Dantian spun crazily, swallowing and converting all the surging life vital energy!

The converted energy was no longer attribute-less life vital energy, but... Chaos Divine Power!

A gray, hazy Chaos Divine Power that seemed capable of evolving all things!

This Divine Power accumulated and compressed in the Dantian, from gaseous to liquid, from liquid to solid, finally condensing into a rice-grain-sized, gray, hazy "seed" in the center of the Dantian.

Chaos Dao Seed!

This was the "Origin point" of the Bitter Sea, the Foundation of the wheel sea secret realm!

The moment the Dao Seed formed, Lin Ye's consciousness returned from the Chaos Void. He "saw" the scene inside his Dantian, saw that slowly rotating Chaos Dao Seed.

Without hesitation, he followed the method recorded in the "Qi Guiding Technique," sinking all his consciousness into the Dao Seed.

"Open... for me!"

A silent shout exploded in the depths of his Soul.

The Dao Seed shook violently!

Then, it cracked open.

It did not shatter, but like a seed sprouting, a fissure cracked open from the inside. From the fissure, gray, hazy mist surged out—that was Chaos Qi, more primitive and ancient than Chaos Divine Power!

The Chaos Qi surged out like a tide, quickly filling the Dantian, and then continued to expand.

The walls of the Dantian began to deform and expand under the impact of the Chaos Qi. The Dantian space, originally only the size of a fist, was forcibly stretched open! One time, two times, three times...

When the expansion stopped, the Dantian had become a spherical space with a diameter of one foot.

At the bottom of the space was a "sea."

It was not a sea made of water, but a gray, hazy "Chaos Liquid Sea" formed by the liquefaction of Chaos Qi. The sea surface was calm as a mirror, the seawater slowly rotating to form a huge vortex. At the center of the vortex was that cracked Chaos Dao Seed; it now acted like a spring, continuously gushing out new Chaos Divine Power.

This is the Bitter Sea!

The first Realm of the wheel sea secret realm—Bitter Sea Realm!

But Lin Ye's Bitter Sea was different from any Bitter Sea in the records.

The Bitter Sea of an ordinary Cultivator is black, lifeless, and requires cultivation to gradually "melt" and convert into vitality.

The Bitter Sea of a Genius Cultivator is golden, vibrant, and possesses powerful life force as soon as it is opened.

But Lin Ye's Bitter Sea... is the color of Chaos. It is not purely gray, but gray with countless tiny light spots; those light spots flicker like stars, each containing the embryonic form of a Law. The seawater is not just liquid energy, but breathes and flows as if it were alive; every flow absorbs weak Spiritual Qi from the Void Realm and converts it into Chaos Divine Power.

[Chaos Bitter Sea successfully opened]

[Quality: Unique (Golden)]

[Description: Exclusive Bitter Sea of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, contains chaos origin source, can evolve all Laws]

[Characteristics:]

1. Capacity: 10000 / 10000 (Ten times that of an ordinary Bitter Sea of the same Rank)

2. Divine Power recovery speed: +200%

3. All Chaos-type skill power: +30%

4. Energy conversion efficiency: Can absorb and convert energy of any attribute, 80% efficiency

5. Law Affinity: Affinity for high-level Laws such as Chaos, Time-Space, Life-Death, etc., +50%

[Current Realm: Early Stage Bitter Sea Realm (0 / 10000)]

It's done!

Lin Ye was overjoyed, but he knew it wasn't over yet.

The Bitter Sea is only the first step of the wheel sea secret realm. Above the Bitter Sea, one needs to open the "Life Spring," allowing Divine Power to gush out from the Bitter Sea and permeate the entire body's Meridians, only then can one truly unleash Divine Ability and activate Magic Treasure.

"Life Spring... open!"

His consciousness sank into the Dao Seed spring at the center of the Bitter Sea.

This time, it was not expansion, but "digging."

Under the impetus of his consciousness, the Chaos Dao Seed began to take root deep into the Bitter Sea. Like the roots of a tree, it continuously extended and divided downward, piercing through the "bottom" of the Bitter Sea, touching a deeper level... the life Origin.

"Boom!"

It was as if a sluice gate had been opened.

At the bottom of the Bitter Sea, a new spring was opened!

That was not Divine Power gushing from the Dao Seed, but more pure, more primitive Chaos energy gushing from the deepest part of life, from the Soul Origin! This energy gushed out like a fountain, forming a gray, hazy water column above the Bitter Sea; the top of the water column dispersed, turning into a fine rain that fell across the entire Bitter Sea.

Every drop of "rainwater" that fell into the Bitter Sea made the seawater more solid and pure.

This is the Life Spring!

The second Realm of the wheel sea secret realm—Life Spring Realm!

An ordinary Cultivator needs to Cultivate bitterly for several years to break through from the Bitter Sea Realm to the Life Spring Realm. And Lin Ye, with the help of the energy of the three sacred fruits and the talent of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, reached it in one step, directly crossing this threshold!

[Life Spring successfully opened]

[Chaos Divine Power upper limit increased to 5000 points]

[Divine Power recovery speed +100% (current total recovery speed +300%)]

[Ability unlocked: Divine Power Externalization]

[Divine Power Externalization: Can infuse Chaos Divine Power into limbs or weapons, significantly increasing attack/defense power; specific effects depend on the amount of Divine Power infused]

The light cocoon began to change.

The golden light on the surface gradually retracted, replaced by a layer of gray, hazy mist seeping out from Lin Ye's skin. The mist slowly rotated, forming a Chaos Domain with a diameter of three meters—but this time, the Domain no longer just weakened enemies, but began to actively absorb the surrounding Spiritual Qi!

The Spiritual Qi concentration in the cave was already very high (this was the reason Lin Ye chose this place to break through), and at this moment, under the traction of the Chaos Domain, it formed a visible pale white airflow, surging into Lin Ye's body like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!

Chen Hao and Su Qingyue watched this scene in shock.

They could feel the surrounding Spiritual Qi rapidly decreasing, while the aura on Lin Ye's body was climbing crazily! That sense of oppression was even stronger than when facing the Yao Beast Ape King!

"Brother Ye... did he succeed?" Chen Hao muttered.

Su Qingyue did not answer; the crescent mark on her forehead was glowing slightly—that was the instinctive reaction of the Vast Cold Spirit Body to high-level energy. She could "see" that the energy inside Lin Ye's body had undergone a qualitative change, from the previous chaotic and disorganized state to the now seamless, gray, hazy Chaos. That energy level was more than a grade higher than the icy Divine Power in her Bitter Sea!

Three minutes later, the Spiritual Qi vortex gradually subsided.

The gray mist on Lin Ye's body surface slowly retracted into his body, and the light cocoon disappeared completely.

He opened his eyes.

In the depths of his pupils, a Chaos-colored light flashed and vanished. The whole person seemed unchanged, but his temperament was completely different—if the previous Lin Ye was like a drawn sword, sharp and exposed; then the current him was like an unfathomably deep ancient pool, calm on the surface, but containing terrifying power within.

[Player: Lin Ye]

[Race: Human Race]

[Rank: 10 (Experience Points: 1200 / 5000) — Note: Experience points only represent accumulated kills, actual combat power far exceeds Rank]

[Talent: Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body (Unique)]

[Realm: Early Stage Life Spring Realm (Second Realm of the wheel sea secret realm)]

[Qi and Blood: 1500 / 1500 (Base 200 × 7.5)]

[Divine Power: 5000 / 5000]

[Attack: 150-180 (Base 20-24 × 7.5)]

[Defense: 120 (Base 16 × 7.5)]

[Strength: 75 (Base 10 × 7.5)]

[Agility: 75 (Base 10 × 7.5)]

[Physique: 75 (Base 10 × 7.5)]

[Spirit: 75 (Base 10 × 7.5)]

[Comprehension Ability: 75 (Base 10 × 7.5)]

[Fortune: ?]

[Luck: ?]

[Bitter Sea Capacity: 10000 / 10000]

[Life Spring gushing amount: 100 points of Divine Power/second]

[Chaos Domain range: 5 meters (increases with Realm)]

All attributes increased by 7.5 times!

This is not a simple numerical addition, but a leap in the level of life. To give the most intuitive example: the previous Lin Ye could shatter rock with one punch, now he can punch through steel!

More critical is the change in Divine Power. 5000 point upper limit, 100 points recovered per second (base recovery + Life Spring gushing), which means his sustained combat capability has reached a terrifying level. Combined with the Chaos Domain's ability to absorb Spiritual Qi from the outside world, as long as it is not a super high-intensity continuous burst, his Divine Power is almost inexhaustible!

"Brother Ye!" Chen Hao rushed over, his voice trembling with excitement, "You... you broke through? The wheel sea secret realm?"

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

Lin Ye stood up and stretched his body. His bones let out a series of crisp "crackling" sounds, and every inch of his muscles was filled with explosive power. He clenched his fists, feeling the Chaos Divine Power surging through his Meridians like a raging river.

"Hmm, Life Spring Realm." He nodded and looked at Su Qingyue. "How about you two? Have your injuries recovered?"

Su Qingyue walked over, sizing Lin Ye up carefully, a hint of complexity flashing in her eyes. "Completely recovered. And... your aura is very strong."

She paused and added, "Stronger than any Cultivator I've ever seen, including Daoist Master of Azure Cloud."

Lin Ye smiled slightly without explaining.

Daoist Master of Azure Cloud was at least in the Dao Palace Realm, perhaps even the Four Extremities Realm. In terms of Realm alone, the other party crushed him. But in terms of the 'quality' of energy, Chaos Divine Power indeed far surpassed ordinary Spiritual Qi. So Su Qingyue's feeling was correct—although his Realm was low, his actual combat power might not be inferior to a low-level Dao Palace Cultivator.

"It's your turn." Lin Ye took out the remaining two sacred fruits from his Storage Space—one All-purpose Type and one Ice-attribute type. "A-Hao, you take the all-purpose one. Su Qingyue, you take the Ice-attribute one. I will be your Protector."

Chen Hao took the sacred fruit, looking a bit hesitant. "Brother Ye, I... can I really do this? The commotion from your Breakthrough just now was so big, what if I..."

"Believe in yourself." Lin Ye patted his shoulder. "The potential of the God King Body is not inferior to the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body; it just needs time to develop. This sacred fruit can lay the best Foundation for you, and the road ahead will be much smoother."

Chen Hao nodded heavily, sat down cross-legged, and put the sacred fruit into his mouth.

Su Qingyue also consumed the Ice-attribute sacred fruit.

The two of them quickly entered a state of Cultivation.

Lin Ye stood in the center of the cave, closed his eyes, and expanded his Chaos Domain to its limit.

A five-meter range of gray mist enveloped the entire cave. Within the mist, he could clearly perceive the flow of energy within Chen Hao and Su Qingyue, and could even "see" their Bitter Seas slowly taking shape.

Chen Hao's Bitter Sea was golden, a characteristic of the God King Body. Although it was still very weak, one could already feel the embryonic form of something that could govern the heavens and suppress all Daos.

Su Qingyue's Bitter Sea was pale blue, with tiny ice crystals floating on the surface, which was the external manifestation of the Vast Cold Spirit Body. Her Breakthrough was smoother than Chen Hao's—the Ice-attribute sacred fruit was a perfect match for her Physique, resulting in almost no energy loss.

Time passed minute by minute.

Two hours later, Chen Hao was the first to break through.

He opened his eyes, and golden divine light flickered deep in his pupils before quickly fading away. He stood up, clenched his fists, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face. "I... I feel a 'sea' inside my body. Although it's very small, it definitely exists! And my strength... is at least three times what it was before!"

[Chen Hao has opened the wheel sea secret realm]

[Realm: Bitter Sea Realm Early Stage]

[God King Body Awakening progress increased to 10%]

[Unlocked Talent Skill: God King Battle Intent (Elementary)]

[God King Battle Intent (Elementary)]

Effect: After activation, all attributes increase by 20% for 30 seconds. During this period, attacks carry slight holy damage, providing extra suppression against sinister Soul bodies.

Cooldown: 5 minutes.

"Not bad." Lin Ye nodded. "God King Battle Intent is a very strong burst skill that can turn the tide at a critical moment. Practice more in the future to increase the duration and decrease the cooldown."

Chen Hao nodded excitedly.

Another hour later, Su Qingyue also completed her Breakthrough.

Her commotion was much larger than Chen Hao's. The temperature in the entire cave plummeted, and a thin layer of ice formed on the ground and walls. The crescent moon mark on her forehead fully manifested, emitting a piercing silver light, and even her hair was tinged with a faint ice-blue hue.

[Su Qingyue has opened the wheel sea secret realm]

[Realm: Bitter Sea Realm Early Stage]

[Vast Cold Spirit Body Awakening progress increased to 30%]

[Ice Control (Intermediate → Advanced)]

[Ice Control (Advanced)]

Effect: Can condense cold Qi to form various shapes such as ice spikes, ice walls, ice shields, and ice mist. Consumes Divine Power. Power is related to the spirit attribute. New effects: Frozen Miles (large-scale slow), Absolute Zero (single-target strong control).

Current Rank: Advanced (0/1000)

Proficiency Improvement: Use skills, absorb Ice-attribute Spiritual Qi, or comprehend ice-System Laws.

"Advanced?" Lin Ye was somewhat surprised.

A talent skill like Ice Control was extremely difficult to upgrade. Ordinary players might play until the game servers shut down without ever reaching the Advanced Rank. Su Qingyue's ability to break through so quickly was partly due to the talent of the Vast Cold Spirit Body, but it also showed that her Comprehension Ability regarding ice-System Laws was indeed very deep.

"How does it feel?" he asked.

"Very good." Su Qingyue withdrew the cold Qi, and the cave temperature rose back up. "The Bitter Sea capacity is thirty percent larger than expected, and the recovery speed of Divine Power is also very fast. And... I seem to be able to 'see' the flow trajectories of Ice-attribute energy in the air."

She raised her hand, and an exquisite ice flower condensed above her palm. The ice flower rotated slowly, each petal as thin as a cicada's wing and as sharp as a blade, with a faint blue glow flowing inside.

This wasn't a skill, but the most basic control over energy.

Being able to reach this step showed that her control over ice-type energy had reached the 'microscopic' level.

"Very good." Lin Ye smiled with satisfaction. "Now, all three of us are true Cultivators. Next..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a series of System notification sounds suddenly rang in his ears:

[Server-wide Announcement: Player 'Lin Ye' has successfully opened the wheel sea secret realm, becoming the first player on the server to break through to the 'Bitter Sea Realm'! Obtained the title 'Pioneer of Cultivation', rewards: Reputation +1000, Free Attribute Points x20, special item 'Secret Realm Key' x1]

[Server-wide Announcement: Player 'Chen Hao' has successfully opened the wheel sea secret realm, becoming the second player on the server to break through to the 'Bitter Sea Realm'! Obtained the title 'Cultivation Elite', rewards: Reputation +500, Free Attribute Points x10]

[Server-wide Announcement: Player 'Su Qingyue' has successfully opened the wheel sea secret realm, becoming the third player on the server to break through to the 'Bitter Sea Realm'! Obtained the title 'Cultivation Elite', rewards: Reputation +500, Free Attribute Points x10]

The announcement rang three times.

The entire world channel instantly exploded.

"Holy crap?! Someone broke through to the wheel sea secret realm?!"

"Lin Ye? That name sounds a bit familiar..."

"He's the one who was the first to create a character! I saw him during the Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin!"

"Three people? Are they together?"

"The game has only been live for two days, right? Someone already broke through to the Wheel Sea? We're still out here killing wild boars!"

"Requesting a guide! Requesting to carry me!"

Lin Ye frowned slightly.

He expected there would be an announcement for the first Breakthrough, but he didn't expect it to include Chen Hao and Su Qingyue as well. Now, all three of them were famous, and it would be hard to keep a low profile in the future.

However, there were benefits.

Title 'Pioneer of Cultivation': All attributes +8%, experience gain in Secret Realms and ruins-type maps +30%, damage to Secret Realm guardian beasts +15%.

Title 'Cultivation Elite': All attributes +5%, experience gain +15%.

These were all very strong buff effects. And those 20 free attribute points... Lin Ye thought about it and added them all to his Comprehension Ability. The Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body didn't lack attack or defense; what it lacked was the speed of comprehending Laws. The higher the Comprehension Ability, the greater the advantage in the later stages.

[Comprehension Ability: 75 → 95]

Then there was the special item, the 'Secret Realm Key'.

It was a palm-sized bronze key, its surface covered with dense runes, and it felt cold and heavy in his hand.

[Secret Realm Key (Unique)]

Quality: Legendary (Gold)

Description: A key to open a certain unknown Secret Realm, seemingly related to the 'Bronze Ancient Palace'.

Effect: After use, it can open the entrance to the hidden dungeon 'Bronze Ancient Palace (Unique)'. Limited to one use, and only for the holder and their party (up to 5 people).

Warning: This dungeon is extremely difficult. It is recommended that all members reach the Dao Palace Realm before attempting it.

Note: This item is bound, cannot be traded, and cannot be dropped.

The Bronze Ancient Palace!

And it wasn't an ordinary Bronze Ancient Palace; it was a "Unique" dungeon, meaning it could only be opened once on the entire server. Their party would be the only players able to enter!

"It seems our next stop is decided." Lin Ye put away the Secret Realm Key. "But before that, we need to find the remaining sacred fruits and raise our strength to the Dao Palace Realm."

Chen Hao and Su Qingyue had also finished looking at their rewards.

Both were very excited, especially Chen Hao. Looking at his skyrocketing attribute panel, he couldn't close his mouth.

"Brother Ye, are we... invincible now?" he asked.

"Far from it." Lin Ye shook his head. "The wheel sea secret realm is only the starting point of Cultivation. Above it are the Dao Palace, Four Extremities, Dragon Transformation, Immortal Altar... Moreover, we are definitely not the only three players with special Physiques. Now that we're famous, more people will be watching us and challenging us in the future."

He looked outside the cave; the sky had already darkened.

"Let's leave here first. The commotion from the Breakthrough might have attracted some uninvited guests."

The three of them packed their things and walked out of the cave.

Outside was the edge of the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land. Under the cover of night, the Forbidden Ground was even more eerie and terrifying. From the direction of the Sacred Mountain in the distance, the roars of Yao Beasts could be heard faintly, one after another, as if responding to the vision of the Breakthrough just now.

Lin Ye expanded his Chaos Domain to sense the surroundings.

Within a five-meter range, everything was crystal clear. Within fifty meters, he could vaguely sense life auras. Beyond fifty meters, there were only blurry outlines.

Suddenly, his brow furrowed.

At the edge of his perception, about eighty meters away in a thicket of bushes, there was a weak but exceptionally "solid" life aura. It wasn't a Yao Beast, nor was it a player... it was...

"Someone's there," he said in a low voice. "Watching us."

Chen Hao and Su Qingyue immediately became alert.

"Should we make a move?" Cold Qi was already condensing in Su Qingyue's palm.

"No." Lin Ye shook his head. "The other party has no hostility; they're just observing. And... their strength is very high, at least at the Peak of the Bitter Sea Realm, or possibly even the Dao Palace Realm."

His gaze pierced through the night, looking in that direction.

In the bushes, a pair of eyes was also looking at him.

Those eyes were very calm, with neither malice nor goodwill, as if looking at an... interesting experimental subject.

After three seconds of eye contact, the owner of the eyes slowly retreated into the darkness and vanished.

Lin Ye withdrew his gaze, his mind churning with thoughts.

Who was it?

Daoist Master of Azure Cloud? Or some other NPC faction? Or... the 'Stargazer'?

Whoever it was, they had been startled by the Breakthrough just now.

It seemed the peaceful days were over.

"Let's go," Lin Ye said. "Back to Qingyun Temple first. We need supplies, and we also need to... learn more information about this world."

The three figures disappeared into the night.

Not long after they left, the figure that had vanished reappeared.

Under the moonlight, one could see it was a middle-aged Daoist wearing a cyan Daoist robe and carrying a long sword on his back.

It was indeed Daoist Master of Azure Cloud.

He looked in the direction where Lin Ye's group had departed, holding a shattered Jade Slip in his hand—it was the Jade Slip used previously to teach the players the 'Introduction to Wheel Sea'. At this moment, all the monitoring marks inside had failed, completely erased by some higher level of power.

"Chaos... Heavenly Emperor Body..."

Daoist Master of Azure Cloud murmured to himself, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

"Has the ten-thousand-year prophecy finally come true?"

He put away the Jade Slip, turned around, and walked toward Qingyun Temple.

The night wind blew, making his Daoist robe rustle.

And in the darkness further away, another pair of eyes was also watching all of this.

Those eyes were silver-white, cold and indifferent, as if they didn't belong to this world.

It watched Daoist Master of Azure Cloud leave, then looked in the direction where Lin Ye's group had disappeared.

Finally, they slowly closed.

Leaving behind only a faint sigh that dissipated into the night wind.

"The chess game... has begun."