Chapter 1264: Cover

"This is not natural 'Silence'! This is… polluted 'Silence'! Or rather, a strange existence that was born relying on the Silence of this place!" Han Wuxian instantly understood.

Han Wuxian felt that the power contained in that pale‑blue light mist was of an extremely high tier, far surpassing any opponent he had previously encountered, even giving him a sense of oppression akin to facing a Heavenly Dao envoy! Moreover, this power was filled with extreme hatred and greed toward some trait of his!

It's coming straight at him! At his unique Path of Return to the Void, which has begun to merge with the world's Silence!

Escape?

The thought arose, but he suppressed it instantly. The mist spread at incredible speed, locking onto his breath; within this environment affected by its power, he had nowhere to flee.

Fight?

With his currently limited power, confronting it head‑on is no different than striking stone with an egg.

In the flash of lightning, Han Wuxian made a decision.

He not only did not retreat, but stepped forward into the surging pale‑blue mist!

He raised both hands, not to form a seal attack but to trace an extremely subtle trajectory before him. The strand of Return‑to‑the‑Void qi linked to his spirit moved with it, no longer manifesting sharp edges, but like ink dropped into clear water, silently merging into the surrounding untainted, "pure" Silence of Wanji Mountain.

He is reinforcing the "Silence" of this realm!

Using himself as a conduit and the Return‑to‑the‑Void as a bridge, he draws out the truer, purer, more primordial meaning of "Silence" from the foundation of the world's tides, bestowing it upon this area about to be polluted!

He is not battling the pale‑blue mist; he is awakening the realm's own power to repel the foreign intrusion!

"This is your home, how can external evil run rampant?"

Han Wuxian's voice was calm, yet resonated with the vast echo of the world, reverberating through the dead‑silent night sky.

"Return to your stillness, guard your Silence… all sounds return to truth!"

Buzz!

Centered on Han Wuxian, a far deeper, more majestic "Silence" aura, like a sleeping giant awakened, Boom— descended! This power was not an attack but Assimilation, a soothing! The surging pale‑blue mist, upon touching this pure Silence, found its violent erosion smoothed by an unseen great hand, its speed abruptly slowed and its light dimmed.

From deep within the mist came a sharp yet silent screech, filled with anger and… a hint of bewildered doubt! It seemed not to have expected that this seemingly weak being could summon such pure, primordial power of the realm!

A silent contest unfolded beneath the night of Wanji Mountain.

On one side, the alien‑polluted strange mist, bearing absolute malice and destruction.

On the other, the primordial Silence of the world that Han Wuxian invoked, bearing protection and the peace of returning to truth.

Han Wuxian stood between them, his figure seemingly slight yet like the Divine Needle anchoring the sea. He shut his eyes, devoting all his spirit to maintaining the link between himself and the world's Silence, guiding the massive force to repel the intrusion. The Heavenly Dao Forbidden Seal at his brow showed no response at that moment, as if tacitly approving this "guarding the world" act.

Yet the power of the pale‑blue mist was so massive and bizarre that, even when temporarily blocked, it continued to advance slowly yet steadily. Han Wuxian's complexion grew pale, his spirit feeling a tearing pain—the backlash of over‑drawing the world's power!

How long can he endure?

Just as he felt his strength waning

the anomaly rebirthed!

From the deepest part of Wanji Mountain, the source of the world's tidal upheaval, a sudden ancient‑sounding, low and majestic sigh echoed!

The sigh did not travel through the air but resonated directly on the soul level, bearing endless vicissitudes and… a hint of awakening.

Immediately after, a dull gray, ancient light that seemed able to devour all illumination surged from the mountain's depths, ignoring distance, and instantly bathed the pale‑blue mist!

Bathed in that gray light, the strange mist, as if meeting its nemesis, emitted an extremely mournful wail, the fog roiled and contracted, and the pale‑blue glow extinguished and vanished at a visible speed!

Within a few breaths, the once raging mist completely collapsed, turning to void as if it had never existed.

Wanji Mountain returned to Silence; the polluted malice vanished without a trace. Only the deep, pure "Silence" aura still permeated the world, even more refined than before.

Han Wuxian's pressure eased, and he staggered a step, nearly exhausted. He looked up toward the direction of the vanished gray light deep in the mountain, his heart filled with shock and doubt.

What was that?

Is it the will of Wanji Mountain itself?

Or some ancient being sleeping here?

The sigh, the gray light… their depth far exceeds his comprehension.

He felt that he had inadvertently brushed against a deeper secret of this realm.

The crisis was temporarily resolved, yet a greater mystery now lay before him.

Wanji Mountain is far more complex than he imagined.

He inhaled deeply, suppressing the surging qi, his gaze steadied once more.

It seems quietly attaining Dao here is impossible.

He needs to uncover what the pale‑blue mist truly is, and where the sigh and gray light from the mountain's depths originate.

His steps must now lead toward the deeper, more mysterious and perilous heart of Wanji Mountain.

Last night's heart‑pounding ordeal seemed only a dream; Wanji Mountain again reclaimed its ancient tranquility. Only the still‑lingering, more refined and pure "Silence" aura in the air, and a trace of fatigue in Han Wuxian's brows, testified to the reality of that silent clash.

He paced his breath for an entire night, barely suppressing the backlash of over‑drawing the world's power. Now, he stood before the cave dwelling, gazing into the dense blackness deep in Wanji Mountain that devoured all light and sound, his eyes profound.

The attack of the pale‑blue mist was no accident. Its target was clear: the Return‑to‑the‑Void essence with which he had begun to merge into the world's Silence. The sigh and gray light from the mountain's depths were even more enigmatic.

"Avoiding and not seeing is not the way to a solution," Han Wuxian murmured. The gray light's existence was of a very high tier; if it harbored malice, last night he and the mist might have perished together. Since the other side extended aid, perhaps… communication is possible?

He needs answers: about the mist's origin, about Wanji Mountain's secret, and about his own Dao's place within this realm.

Resolute, Han Wuxian no longer lingered. He gathered all his breath, pushing the effect of the "Return‑Silence Amulet" to its limit, his form merging with the morning mist as he cautiously advanced toward Wanji Mountain's depths.

The deeper he went, the richer the surrounding "Silence" aura became, almost solidifying. Light here twisted and dimmed, sound vanished entirely, and even a spirit probe felt a viscous resistance. An ordinary cultivator here would likely lose composure in an instant, assimilated by the absolute Silence into the mountain itself.

But Han Wuxian was different. His Path of Return to the Void shared the same source as this realm's aura; now he deliberately released his spirit, guiding his Return‑to‑the‑Void qi to blend seamlessly with the surrounding Silence. He seemed to become part of this dead‑Silent world, moving within it not with discomfort but with a feeling of a fish in water. The Heavenly Dao Forbidden Seal at his brow was completely dormant here, as if the realm's law had temporarily "Cover" it.