Chapter 4188: 4188 Chapter 4188: The Shadow in the Depths Passing through the divine rune formations, Lin Moyu finally reached the deepest core of the realm. Here, the density and complexity of the divine runes far exceeded those of the outer layers. The runes here no longer represented individual Daos; this was the very heart of the realm, and the arrays formed by these runes represented the fundamental rules of the entire realm. Countless rules combined to maintain the normal operation of the realm, and immense world fortune permeated this place. Upon close inspection, Lin Moyu saw that a few of the rune-arrays were actually breathing—space would fracture with each exhale and swiftly absorb with each inhale, drawing in great currents of chaotic energy. "If I’m not mistaken, this array connects to the Land of Severed Daos—this chaotic energy comes from there." Why didn’t the rune array draw directly from chaos? It was to protect the realm’s core, so they transferred it via the Land of Severed Daos. Starting from these arrays, Lin Moyu observed other rune formations. Some arrays would convert and refine the absorbed chaotic energy, transforming it into power compatible with the realm before distributing it to other runes. If the realm were a precision machine, this place would be its heart—the entire realm’s operation depended on these few runes for power. To destroy this realm, one would merely need to shatter these runes; the realm would then descend into chaos and, within a few millennia, collapse entirely. Suddenly, Lin Moyu’s eyes narrowed: there it was. Behind an array that absorbed chaotic energy lurked a shadowy figure. The shadow was hidden so cleverly that even Lin Moyu only noticed after careful scrutiny. Its presence confirmed his suspicion—someone had tampered with the core of the realm. After some observation, Lin Moyu understood: it was not a real body, nor even a soul avatar, but a mere will or imprint. Its purpose was to absorb world fortune from the Five World Realms. Clearly, this entity had been treating the Five Realms as a long-term source of fortune, absorbing an immeasurable amount over the years. By Lin Moyu’s estimate, about one percent of the realm’s accumulated fortune had gone to this entity—an enormous amount over countless years. What’s more, this entity likely left imprints in other realms, gathering even greater fortune. For a being who had already transcended, why bother with the world fortune from within a realm? Perhaps because world fortune contained traces of primordial energy—refined, purified chaos. Still, Lin Moyu thought the quantity was negligible. "Strange. If he wanted chaos, wouldn’t it be easier to draw it directly from chaos itself?" Unable to reason it out, Lin Moyu circled the shadow at a distance, unable to discern its appearance but memorizing its aura, in case they met in chaos one day—he wanted to ask directly. Moreover, while this mark absorbed chaotic energy, there were also vortexes below some runes, also absorbing fortune. Where did that fortune go, and who received it? Another mystery. Lin Moyu had been beyond the realm and had not discovered anything lurking outside, a fact he was now certain of. The Candle Dragon had been the rules’ manager for countless years, yet knew less about the realm’s core than Lin Moyu gained from this short visit. Suddenly, Lin Moyu stepped back several paces into a formation and hid his presence. The shadow he was watching suddenly showed a pair of eyes, turning to look his way. Lin Moyu’s quickness saved him from being detected. Moments later, the shadow returned to normal and became still again. "This guy is sharp," Lin Moyu noted. "If I want to become master of the realm, he’ll definitely notice—I’m sure that will cause trouble. No matter who you are, if you dare block my way, I’ll tear you to shreds." Resolute in heart, Lin Moyu was never deterred by obstacles; rather, challenges only fueled his determination. He left and moved on to observe other regions, gradually uncovering the entire core structure of the realm. He concluded the core has several layers: The innermost layer provides energy for the entire realm and contains its most fundamental rules. The next layer outward corresponds to the Daos within the Origin Land; for example, the Curse Dao destroyed by Lin Moyu was housed here. In this layer, every Dao except the Immortality Dao had a rune representing it. To destroy a Dao in the Origin Land, one had to eventually break its rune here. The third layer outward corresponds to the Dao essences in the Source Ancestral Land. However, the connection between these Dao essences and the runes is weak; if a Dao essence in the Source Land collapses, its rune here shatters too, without needing to enter the core. As this is the outer layer, its stability barely impacts the core—only massive destruction would destabilize the realm, so destroying just a few Daos was not enough to severely disrupt it. The outermost region’s runes symbolize individual worlds, with each rune’s formation carrying a Dao essence projection. It’s unclear which came first—the world or the rune—but being outermost, their rise or fall hardly affects the core’s stability unless thousands collapse at once. Once he grasped the structure, Lin Moyu knew how to proceed. To become master of the realm meant mastering these runes. To master the runes, he would need to refine them; understanding their nature was the first step. Luckily, he was especially gifted in this area. Confident, Lin Moyu believed that with enough time, he could succeed. "Master!" Suddenly, Lin Moyu received a message from the Soulless Beast—its soul had fully evolved. Now imbued with intelligence, it could communicate at last. Flying over, Lin Moyu sensed a new aura in the Soulless Beast, similar to that of the Candle Dragon. As he expected, the Soulless Beast had become the realm’s new rule manager. ************************************** Ko-Fi is now working Special shout out to Roger for donating thanks a bunch Thank you for being part of this journey with me. Also if anyone wants to Join my discord https://discord.gg/c43Y7G5p ************************************** Ko-fi.com/translatetoki only donate if u want to My p@treon is now up go to [email protected]/Translatetoki Remove the @ symbol and type a