Chapter 1186: Calamity of the Great Dao

Crack… Crack…

Amid the crisp cracking sounds, three Fallen Soul Crystals simultaneously… burst with a roar!

The massive Silence Extinction dead energy lost its core, instantly went out of control, surging back down like a breached river, forcefully pouring into the black altar below!

The altar shook violently, the Eternal Dark runes on its surface flickered wildly, yet they could not withstand the terrifying energy backlash!

Boom—boom—boom—!

An earth‑shattering roar!

The massive black altar began to crack inch by inch from the top, explode, and finally collapse completely, turning into ruins!

A massive energy shockwave swept across the basin, erasing all remaining traces!

High above, Han Wuxian's complexion turned slightly pallid, his breath a bit erratic. That strike just now had nearly drained most of his Yuan force, and was an ultimate application of his Great Dao comprehension.

But he succeeded.

He slowly descended, standing in the center of the devastated basin.

In the distant stone forest, Qinglin stared dumbfounded at everything, as if witnessing a miracle.

One person, one strike, destroyed the crucial stronghold that Eternal Dark had maintained here for countless ten‑thousands of years!

Who… exactly is this person?!

The smoke slowly cleared, and Han Wuxian's gaze was suddenly drawn to a faint glimmer at the center of the altar ruins.

He stepped forward, waving his hand to brush aside the debris.

Below the ruins lay a broken, blood‑stained bronze token. The token bore an ancient character, not an Eternal Dark rune, but one sharing origin with the Star Gate script.

"Chi"!

Next to the token lay a half‑cracked jade tablet, shimmering with a faint light.

Han Wuxian picked up the jade tablet, his spirit sense sinking.

A clearer yet more heart‑pounding message surged into his mind.

The images were fragmented, yet they sketched a scene far more terrifying and profound than Eternal Dark's betrayal.

The so‑called "Silence Extinction Star" was not a randomly fallen alien star. It resembled a… deliberately dispatched "seed"! A seed imbued with the ultimate Silence Extinction and death law!

And the one that sent this "seed" was not a tangible enemy, but a… "Silence Extinction Tide" that pervades the endless star sea—cold, void, seemingly a part of the universe's own rules. Or, the "Calamity of the Great Dao"!

According to Yu's speculation, this "Silence Extinction Tide" functions as a periodic cleansing mechanism that quietly arrives when a civilization or world reaches a certain stage, touching a "taboo" or the limit of "balance", sowing a "seed", triggering the world's own Silence Extinction and return to ruin, reverting it to chaos and awaiting the next cycle's awakening.

The Cangwu Realm had indeed encountered such a "Calamity of the Great Dao". And that "Silence Extinction Star" was the beginning of the disaster.

Eternal Dark, those original traitors, were not merely fallen; under the lure of the "Silence Extinction Seed", they willingly embraced this destructive power, deeming it the ultimate direction of cosmic evolution—the "Holy Dao". They betrayed their kin, becoming agents of the "Silence Extinction Tide" in this realm, hastening the world's demise.

At the end of the jade tablet, Yu, on the brink of death after a fierce battle, left a howl and warning with his last strength:

"…Not a human disaster, but Heaven's tilt! The Silence Extinction Tide comes cyclically, like the breathing of the star sea, merciless and unknowing, only for 'balance'!"

"…Eternal Dark's ignorance, gladly becoming minions, yet its power will eventually wane… The true great terror is the tide itself!"

"…With my lingering soul sensing, this tide… is not natural… afterwards there seems to be… the 'Hand of the Staff'…"

"…Beware… the 'Gravekeepers'… they…"

The images then abruptly stopped. Yu's lingering soul completely dissipated.

Han Wuxian stood where he was, holding the half‑tablet in his hand, silent for a long while.

The information was so shocking it nearly overturned his prior understanding.

Eternal Dark was not the ultimate enemy; they were merely a pitiful, used pawn. The true horror was that cold, relentless, periodic "Silence Extinction Tide", seemingly the embodiment of universal law! Moreover, behind this tide might still lurk an invisible pair of hands manipulating the 'Hand of the Staff'?

And what are the 'Gravekeepers'? Agents like Eternal Dark? Or something else?

What does all this have to do with the Tianyuan Realm? Is Eternal Dark rushing to open a passage to channel the "Silence Extinction Tide" into Tianyuan? Or to… escape this ruin that is about to be completely 'cleansed'?

Countless questions churned in Han Wuxian's mind, weighing him down like never before. The opponent's level seemed far beyond sect rivalries, rising to the survival of worlds and even touching the realm of cosmic law.

"Han… Han Daoist friend?" Qinglin's cautious voice came from behind. She saw Han Wuxian's grim complexion and felt uneasy.

Han Wuxian took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the stormy turmoil inside, and tucked the jade tablet away. The information was too terrifying to fully disclose to Qinglin for now.

"Nothing." He turned, his tone returning to calm, "I just learned some ancient matters. The altar is destroyed, the threat here is temporarily lifted. Miss Qinglin, do you know if there are any other survivors nearby? Or a way to leave this… Cangwu Realm?"

Qinglin heard this, her expression gloomy, and shook her head: "As far as I know, the Qingmu Secret Realm might be the last place with living aura, but it's precarious, surrounded by Silence Extinction beasts. I came out this time to find a chance to destroy the altar, to win a sliver of hope for the secret realm… As for leaving…"

She gave a wry smile: "The ancient Star Gates have long been broken or sealed. The only hope is the 'Gate of Hope' in your Tianyuan Realm." She looked at Han Wuxian with expectation.

Han Wuxian was silent for a moment. The Tianyuan Realm's Star Gate is two‑way; he could come here and, in theory, return. Yet bringing an outsider back involves massive karmic and risk factors. Moreover, the Tianyuan Realm is currently under a fierce assault by Eternal Dark, its situation uncertain.

But seeing Qinglin's eyes, full of hope yet barely concealing despair, and thinking of Cangwu Realm's tragedy, he ultimately could not harden his heart.

"I can take you away." Han Wuxian finally said, "But the Tianyuan Realm is no paradise; it also faces Eternal Dark's threat, and may even… face the 'Silence Extinction Tide'."

Qinglin's eyes instantly burst with brilliant light, her excitement uncontrollable: "That's enough! As long as there's a sliver of hope, a thread to resist Eternal Dark, it's enough! Han Daoist friend, your great kindness I will never forget!"

"First take me to your secret realm to see." Han Wuxian said, "Perhaps there are other survivors."