The starlight in the scroll resonated with Bai Cheng's soul, as countless fragments of information reassembled and surfaced deep within her consciousness.

She saw the distant era before the birth of the Emerald Sea.

Back then, this was not an ocean, but an endless continent known as the Primordial Starry Vault.

Countless races coexisted, and civilizations flourished, until a cataclysm of faith-hunger swept across all realms.

A will born from the void abyss, known as the Abyssal Pupil, began devouring the faith and soul essences of various civilizations.

The drained civilizations turned into desolate ruins, but their knowledge, history, and resentment were not fully digested. Instead, they accumulated and twisted within the Abyssal Pupil, eventually coalescing into those two nebula-like giant eyes.

To seal the Abyssal Pupil, the mightiest beings of the Primordial Starry Vault sacrificed themselves, forging eight chains of law to suppress it deep within the Starry Vault's fissure.

Over eons, that fissure was eventually submerged by seawater, becoming today's Abyssal Trench.

But the seal was not eternal.

The power of the chains would weaken over time, while the Abyssal Pupil could accelerate its escape by absorbing the external Power of Faith.

With each broken chain, its power would recover a portion; when all eight chains were severed, it would return to the world and resume its devouring.

"So that's how it is."

Bai Cheng opened her silver eyes, their depths reflecting the final flickering text on the scroll:

"To completely annihilate the Abyssal Pupil, one must use pure faith as fire and the Door of Time and Space as a furnace, dragging its core into the nothingness beyond the door, banishing it forever.

However, this method requires sacrificing half of the caster's essence. If it fails, the caster's soul will be devoured by the Abyssal Pupil, forever imprisoned in the abyss."

"Miss?" Qingniao noticed the stagnation in her aura.

Bai Cheng succinctly shared what she had seen and learned, and everyone fell silent.

"So, we now have two choices," Leng Ningxue said, her ice-blue eyes sharp. "One is to find a way to reinforce the seal, buying time; the other is to risk executing the Annihilation Technique recorded in the scroll, but the cost is immense."

"Reinforcing the seal can only delay things. The Abyssal Pupil has already awakened, and the chains' disintegration is irreversible," Zi Yuan said, gripping her sword hilt. "Moreover, the leader and the Enforcement Officers are lurking in the shadows, watching us. We can't afford to delay."

Yu Nian clenched the hem of her clothes. "But sacrificing half of your essence... Miss, you would..."

"There might still be a way," Lu Duo suddenly spoke softly, life-light swirling in her palm. "If we use the Law of Life as a bridge to distribute the sacrificial damage among everyone, we might preserve Miss's foundation.

However... those sharing the burden will also have to endure the pain of soul-burning."

"Then let's share it," Qingniao said without hesitation. "It's better than letting Miss bear it alone."

"Agreed," Zi Yuan nodded.

Leng Ningxue and Yu Nian also had no objections.

Bai Cheng looked at her companions, a flow of light surging in her silver eyes, finally turning into a soft sigh. "...Thank you." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

She lightly tapped the scroll with her fingertip, and the last ray of starlight vanished into her brow.

"The Final Chapter of the Era" slowly closed and dissipated into the void.

In its place, an ancient key formed from starlight fell into Bai Cheng's palm.

This was the Key to the Door leading to the core seal of the Abyssal Pupil.

"It's time to leave," Bai Cheng turned, gazing at the boundless starry hall below the tower. "The Tower Guardian won't let us stay long."

Everyone hurried back along the original path.

Just as they were about to step out of the tower's range, the Tower Guardian's calm, unperturbed voice sounded again:

"The truth has been given, but the price remains unpaid."

"Until the Abyssal Pupil is annihilated, your souls bear the Debt of Knowledge. If this debt is not settled within three years, the Star Archive will personally reclaim all your memories and cultivation."

A flash of starlight, and a faint Star Mark appeared on the foreheads of all six, vanishing beneath their skin.

"...As expected, there's no free lunch," Qingniao clicked her tongue.

"It's fine," Bai Cheng put away the key. "Three years is enough."

They boarded the silver train, and the cabin door closed.

The Tower Guardian watched as the train transformed into a stream of light, piercing through the nebula vortex and disappearing into the depths of the Shattered Star Corridor.

The hall returned to silence, with only the vast sea of books flowing soundlessly.

Inside the train, Bai Cheng stood by the porthole, the key in her palm slightly warm.

On the star chart, a new route was marked—not directly back to the Emerald Sea, but pointing toward a forbidden sea area referred to in ancient texts as the Void Corridor.

According to "The Final Chapter," there lay an ancient relic capable of briefly amplifying the power of the door, crucial for executing the Annihilation Technique.

"Where to next?" Qingniao leaned over.

"The Void Corridor," Bai Cheng lightly tapped the star chart. "Before seeking the final battle with the Abyssal Pupil, we need more chips."

Outside the window, starlight flowed as the train cut through the darkness, heading toward deeper unknowns.

And deep within their souls, the mark of the Abyssal Pupil lingered like a shadow, its cold whisper seeming to echo again:

"I... await you..."

Soon, everyone returned to the train.

The silver train traced a winding silver arc through the starry sea, changing course and heading toward the forbidden sea area marked as the Void Corridor at the edge of the Emerald Sea.

Outside the porthole, starlight gradually thinned, replaced by a viscous, deep-gray void that seemed to absorb all light.

Occasionally, shattered stellar debris passed by, their surfaces covered with crystallized energy scabs, silently telling of the intense law collisions that had occurred here.

"Anomaly ahead," Leng Ningxue stood by the central control console, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) her ice-blue eyes reflecting the flickering data streams on the screen. "The spatial structure ahead is fragmented; conventional navigation methods likely won't work."

"Then we'll use unconventional ones," Bai Cheng placed her hands over the control console, injecting silver time-space power into the rune array.

"Activate train engine resonance!"

The silver light on the train's shell suddenly intensified, countless fine spatial runes spreading like vines, tracing a faint silver trajectory in the deep-gray void ahead.

"Miss, we'll enter the peripheral zone in three minutes," Lu Duo softly reminded, life-light spreading from her palm like ripples, enveloping the entire train.

"I can sense... the life aura in that sea area is almost nonexistent, but it retains extremely ancient law remnants."

"Ancient is good," Qingniao grinned, lightning dancing at her fingertips. "The older it is, the more interesting things it hides."

Zi Yuan drew her longsword half an inch, purple electricity swirling around it. "And the more dangerous."

Three minutes passed in an instant.

As the train entered the boundary of the Void Corridor, everyone felt a strong sense of weightlessness.

The scene outside the porthole completely changed.

There was no seawater, no sky—only countless shattered space fragments floating like mirrors, each reflecting different distorted scenes:

Burning starry vaults, frozen time streams, ancient trees growing in reverse, phantom images of giant beasts silently roaring... "This place... is a Spatial Graveyard," Yu Nian pressed against the porthole, her eyes wide. "So many dead spatial dimensions!"

Bai Cheng's silver eyes narrowed slightly.