Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 220 The Gate of Breakthrough
It was not a simple seal, but more like a red-hot branding iron stamp, bearing the absolute will of "order," fiercely imprinted on the crack that was frantically writhing, trying to mend itself, and emitting the unwilling roar of the Soul Abyss.

"laugh--"

A chilling, burning sound rang out.

The roar of the Soul Abyss turned into a painful shriek.

The space at the edge of the crack twisted and boiled violently, like molten wax.

The dark golden net was deeply embedded in the spatial structure, forcibly welding and sealing the crack that connected to the Tomb of Despair.

The final crimson soul flame exploded on the surface of the light net, like the last counterattack of a dying beast, but it only left a few charred marks before completely dissipating.

Above the vast snow-covered plains, the raging wind and snow mysteriously subsided.

The massive spatial rift that stretched across the sky remained menacing, but the surging demonic flames and the suffocating will of the Soul Abyss within it had been temporarily suppressed and isolated.

The leaden-gray sky somehow exuded a morbid "tranquility" born of survival.

The survivors, gazing at the blood-stained figure who had fought his way out of the deepest hell, almost covered in blood, his soul lock dim and cracked, his aura weak yet still standing tall like Mount Buzhou, his gaze piercing through the void and locking onto the seal, felt an indescribable shock and awe in their hearts.

They all knelt on one knee, their voices trembling with excitement and relief, yet converging into a torrent that pierced the clouds:
"Greetings, Lord Lord!!!"

Chu Ning seemed oblivious to the commotion behind him.

He just stared intently at the seam of the "sky" that had just been forcibly stitched together, the dark golden net still pulsating slightly, as if imprisoning a primordial beast that might break free at any moment.

Blood kept seeping from his split tiger's mouth and the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the red-stained snow at his feet, leaving a glaring mark.

The waves of weakness and stinging pain emanating from the Soul Lock, along with the mad babbling of countless departed souls remaining in his sea of ​​consciousness, constantly reminded him of the devastating cost of this battle.

He slowly raised his trembling hand to wipe the blood from his lips, the movement heavy with exhaustion.

“Soul Abyss…” Blood seeped from his tightly pressed lips again, dripping onto the already stained ice crystals at his feet, spreading into a dazzling pattern. His voice was hoarse, heavy with exhaustion, yet each word struck the hearts of those behind him like a hammer blow, “Never… truly closed.”

"This battle..."

"This is only... the first cry of catastrophe."

Although the seal in the far north is temporarily secure and the wind and snow have subsided, the heaviness permeating the air is colder than ten-thousand-year-old ice.

……

The heater inside the tent could not dispel the lingering chill that permeated the air.

Li Jing'an, Yu Xingshui, Lei Jingjing, Chu Yun, Chi Yan... all the core combat forces gathered together, their snow-white robes still on, their expressions solemn as they gazed at the silent figure in the tent.

The stench of blood emanating from Chu Ning and the decay of the Soul Lock silently testified to the brutality of the Battle of Soul Abyss.

After a long while, Chu Ning slowly turned around.

His face was as pale as snow, and deep in his eyes was an overwhelming weariness, yet burning with an almost obsessive determination.

“Today,” his voice was deep, cutting through the crackling fire and reaching everyone’s ears clearly, “you saw me fall into that tomb of despair, and you also saw me… return from the abyss of the dead.”

His gaze swept over the crowd, sharp enough to pierce their very souls. "Have you ever wondered why there are always rifts in this world? Why do evil spirits keep multiplying? Why did Master Hunyuan... seal the Heavenly Gate, cutting off the path to ascension?"

Inside the tent, you could hear a pin drop; the only sound was heavy breathing.

Chu Ning did not wait for a reply. He opened his palm, where the lingering resentment of the Soul Abyss and a trace of... even more ancient and ethereal aura intertwined and lingered.

His voice carried a deep stirring and enlightenment from the depths of his soul:
"The root of this calamity that has lasted for millennia... lies not in the demonic flames, nor in the conflict between the realms."

"The problem is that the road is broken."

"The path to ascension... is completely severed."

"Severed?!" Li Jing'an's pupils constricted, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Does the Pavilion Master mean... that beyond the Heavenly Gate is not the Immortal Realm?"

"The Immortal Realm?" Chu Ning's lips curled into an extremely bitter smile, a smile more chilling than tears. "Master Hunyuan... our ancestor, when he ascended to the top of the Heavenly Gate, what he saw was not a magnificent palace with celestial music."

He closed his eyes, as if recalling terrifying fragments of memory from the depths of the Soul Abyss, or perhaps left behind by the Primordial Chaos, his voice carrying a chilling depth:
"What he saw... was 'illusion and falsehood'."

"Boundless, limitless, lightless, timeless, and without return... Only eternal exile and annihilation. It is the endless graveyard that connects all realms! Ascended beings who step into it are like drops of water entering the ocean, instantly assimilated and dissolved, leaving not even a ripple, let alone... a way home."

"Sect Master," a young retainer said, clasping his hands in greeting, "then... after ascension, is it the Immortal Realm?"

Chu Ning paused slightly, then slowly shook his head:
"No. The true immortal realm is far beyond, and what you will face first is the 'Void of Illusion'."

He paused, his tone grim:
"That is a void between realms, devoid of light, time, and place, where the laws of nature are incomplete, space is disordered, and the souls are unbalanced. Many sages of the past were trapped there after their ascension and have never been heard from since."

Dead silence.

The temperature inside the tent seemed to drop to freezing point instantly. The firelight reflected on everyone's pale faces, their pulse beating like that of dying hearts.

"Master Hunyuan..." Yu Xingshui's voice trembled, "He sealed the boundary lock not to claim supremacy... but for..."

"It was to keep the flame burning!" Chu Yun interjected, his voice hoarse and filled with disbelief and shock. "He... was he in fear? In despair... chose the cage?!"

"Yes." Chu Ning opened his eyes, his eyes showing no contempt for the patriarch, only deep sorrow and understanding. "He used his supreme power to lock the Heavenly Gate and imprison us in this world, intending to use this cage... to protect the last bit of embers. He thought that sealing off meant safety, and isolation meant eternity."

He paused, then his voice suddenly rose, carrying a resolute determination that seemed to pierce through the fog:
But he was wrong!

"This cage not only imprisons our steps, but also our very life! The Abyss of Souls is growing, and the shadow of the Void of Delusion has never left! The closure only brings the accumulation of internal energy, the intensification of contradictions, and... a slow death! Look at this devastated realm, look at the ever-tearful seal! This path is blocked!"

Chu Ning's gaze, sharp as lightning, swept over every powerful figure below the stage, especially those First-Rank Elders whose auras were heavy and who had reached the pinnacle of this realm but whose future seemed hopeless:

"And I have already taken control of the key to the boundary lock."

"Today, I'm giving you a choice—"

His voice was like thunder, resounding deep within everyone's soul:
"If your heart yearns for the heavens and you are unwilling to be imprisoned in this cage... I can—open the gates of heaven again for you!"

"boom--!"

The tent erupted in chaos.

Shock, ecstasy, fear, disbelief... a tidal wave of emotions swept over them.

Chi Yan abruptly stood up, his battle blade humming: "Sect Master! Is this true?! The Heavenly Gate... can really open?!"

Yu Xingshui's breathing was rapid, her eyes flashing with a mixture of longing and fear:

"Leave this realm...and step into the void of nothingness? Wouldn't that be..."

Li Muwan clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white:

"Knowing it was a death trap, why... why did you still open it?!"

Li Jing'an took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and asked the most crucial question: "Since the Pavilion Master knows that Wuwangxu is a deadly place, why... did you still let them pass? Isn't this... suicide?"

Chu Ning did not answer immediately.

He slowly walked to the tent flap and lifted the heavy curtain. A biting wind instantly rushed in, whipping his tattered black robe.

Outside the tent stretched a vast, frozen, and deathly silent snowfield, symbolizing the...end of this sealed-off world.

With his back to the crowd, his voice blended into the howling wind and snow, heavy and far-reaching:
"The path of Hunyuan is to keep the fire burning and to confine oneself to a self-imposed prison."

"My path is to break free from this dead end and seek life amidst death!"

"The Void of Delusion... is a dead end, but also... the only path to survival! Though it is infinitely dangerous, it is not... insurmountable!"

"If I wield the Boundary Lock and merely use it to reinforce this cage, how am I different from a Primordial Chaos cultivator? How am I different from sitting and waiting for death?"

He turned abruptly, his gaze, like burning stars, sweeping across the entire room:
"Sealing it is like waiting for calamity to devour you; it's a slow death!"

"Only by letting go can we find a glimmer of hope, a chance... to break free from our cocoons!"

"I opened the Heavenly Gate not to send you to your deaths!" His voice was resolute. "But to give you—the right to choose. A chance... to fight for that one in ten thousand chance of survival. A hope... to no longer be trapped in a cage."

He met the extremely complex gazes of the crowd and spoke, word by word:
"Nothing is truly illusory... someone must eventually tread upon it! Explore it! Carve out a path to survival!"

"If all souls are content in their cages, what future will this world have? If I, Chu Ning, also stop here, guarding this empty title of 'Soul Master,' and watching the world fall into ruin... then what use is this power?!"

"This cage—must be broken!"

Silence.

A deathly silence spread through the tent, broken only by the crackling of the fire and the howling of the wind and snow outside.

Shock, struggle, passion... all surged in the eyes of every strong person.

The desire for ascension, sealed away for millennia, was like dry tinder being ignited, setting off the first glimmer of light on the desolate, icy plains.

After a long while, the old retainer, Mu Guishan, whose hair and beard were all white and whose aura was as deep as the ocean, slowly got up.

The seemingly ordinary wooden cane in his hand tapped lightly on the ground, producing a dull echo. He uttered no impassioned words, only a calm and resolute acceptance born of life's trials:

"I have wasted a hundred years, trapped in this situation... If this door truly opens, I am willing to be the first in the world to explore the void of nothingness."

"Clang!" Xian Xinghe drew her longsword half an inch from its sheath, the cold light illuminating her resolute face: "In my life, I have never believed in fate, nor have I ever feared death! If the Pavilion Master dares to open this path, I dare to be the vanguard! I will have no regrets even if I die!"

Yu Xingshui sighed softly, the complex emotions in her eyes finally turning into clarity:
"Yipin Pavilion has guarded the boundary for a thousand years... It seems that in the end, it will have to... face the Heavenly Road."

Li Jing'an gave Chu Ning a deep look, then clasped his hands in a respectful voice:

"Now that the boundary lock is in the hands of the Pavilion Master, wherever it points, we... will follow the Pavilion Master there! Without fear or regret!"

One by one, figures rose to their feet, and resolute voices rang out in registration. The long-suppressed desire, intertwined with the shadow of death and the hope of breaking the deadlock, erupted with a deafening roar.

Chu Ning raised his hand, and an invisible force calmed the surging noise.

He slowly raised his right palm, and five soul patterns emerged from the back of his fingers. These were not ordinary martial marks, but the marks of the Soul Master, patterns condensed from an ancient will, proclaiming his dominion over the five Soul Pavilions—these were the Five Soul Lock Patterns.

As everyone knows, the Soul Lock connects the Soul Realm and the Human Realm.

Only when the Soul Master condenses the five patterns can he wield the seal and command, summoning the power of laws and decrees to protect the country and secure the borders.

His gaze swept over the faces—some aged, some young, some excited, some solemn—and his voice regained its somber tone:
"This is no child's play. There is no danger of deception, only a nine-out-of-ten chance of death. I will open the Heavenly Gate and also set up... a threshold of life and death."

"Three months from now, on the Heavenly Mirror Platform, I will set up the 'Order-Level Critical Array'!"

He pointed his fingers like a sword and pointed in mid-air.

"Om-!"

Five soul patterns emerged from his body, not for defense or attack, but transformed into countless mysterious runes flowing with golden light, rapidly outlining and intertwining in the air.

In the blink of an eye, a massive, incredibly precise three-dimensional array floated in the center of the tent.

The array was not a gate, but a "tower" that pierced the clouds.

The tower is composed of countless rotating soul diagrams and patterns, exuding a chilling sense of oppression.

An elderly man couldn't help but speak up:

"Sect Master, that 'Order-Level Critical Array'... can it really guide ascension?"

Chu Ning nodded and said:

"That is a transit array between the celestial realm and the mortal realm, forged by combining the techniques of the Soul Array and the remaining power of the Boundary Lock. It can construct a 'stable critical zone' in a short time. Although the Heavenly Gate is damaged, this array can temporarily stabilize the spatial node, helping you break through the dimensional barrier and step into the 'Void of Illusion'."

"This formation uses my Five-Patterned Heart of Law as the guide, the myriad scrolls of the Soul Map Pavilion as the veins, and the power of the Boundary Lock as the pivot!"

"Those who enter the formation—" Chu Ning's voice carried a metallic chill, "will directly face the projection of the resentment of the Soul Abyss, endure the illusion of the collapse of the Void Realm, experience the immense pressure of the limits of their realm... and moreover, they will personally... be tainted by a trace of the true 'aura of nothingness'!"

"Only those who, within this formation, maintain their composure, unwavering will, and undying soul fire... can endure three breaths..."

His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept across the crowd:

Only then are you qualified to take that step! To plunge into... the boundless void!

A collective gasp filled the tent.

Soul Abyss Projection!

An aura of nothingness!

Just hearing it sends chills down your spine.

This is not a selection process; it is clearly a rehearsal for torture and death.

No wonder Master Hunyuan dared not release them.

"This formation offers no guarantee of survival!" Chu Ning's voice was resolute and unwavering. "It only selects... those souls who have the best chance of survival and who least deserve to die in this cage!"

"But!" he suddenly changed his tone, his voice booming like a thunderclap, carrying a resolute determination that seemed to shatter the heavens and the earth:

"If you can cross this threshold and step out of this world—"

"Behind you, there will be no more shackles to bind your ambitions!"

"Soul Master, I will no longer seal your heart's desire for the Dao!"

"This world—is no longer a prison that confines your soul!"

"Your path... lies outside the formation! In the Void Sea! In... the other shore that may exist in all the heavens and myriad worlds!"

After the deathly silence came even more fervent gazes! No one retreated! Fear remained, but it was overwhelmed by an even stronger will to break free.

(End of this chapter)