"That aura, it''s unmistakably real!"


    Even though it was just a fleeting moment when he activated the Soulborn Eye, Timothy sensed it with crystal rity.


    It was as if it came from the deepest abyss, a presence far more profound than the Undead Sanctuary, seemingly hidden with all the might one could muster.


    "Soulborn Eye, perceive."


    A strong light emanated from Timothy''s left eye, piercing into the deepest parts of the flowing river of gold.


    Countless arrays scattered throughout the golden river tried to conceal whatevery at its core.


    The power of the Soulborn Eye was immense, yet it struggled against these ancient arrays!


    "Break through."


    Timothy gritted his teeth, infusing the light from the Soulborn Eye with a continuous stream of icy cold energy.


    For some reason, this icy energy seemed to have a bizarre connection with the secrets of the Grim Expanse.


    And the seemingly impregnable golden river could not withstand the eerie chill of this icy energy.


    "Boom!"


    The arrays blocking Timothy''s vision were suddenly shattered, andyers of barriers were sessively broken.


    Immediately after, apletely different scene unfolded before him.


    Timothy clearly saw that beneath this golden river, thendscape was utterly unlike anything on earth.


    It was... another world!


    The sky was a dark green, with no sunlight or vegetation.


    Only abyss-like canyons stretched endlessly, their contents unfathomable.


    The dark green sky spun ceaselessly, and the air drifting there was bitterly cold.


    It seemed capable of freezing everything, even time itself.


    As Timothy''s gaze prated deeper, suddenly, countless souls and spectral beings surged from the abyss.


    The mournful wailing of the wind sounded like the cries of a million tortured spirits.


    Only then did Timothy see clearly.


    At the edge of a cliff, a solitary, frail soul drifted.


    It was the soul of a woman, ethereal and half-floating in the air, but the aura she emitted was distinctly different from ordinary spectral beings.


    Delicate, beautiful, and even... carrying an air of invible majesty.


    A magnificent crown sat atop her head, its oppressive aura highlighting her uniqueness.


    Yet, thousands of spectral beings hadpletely surrounded her, seemingly desperate to tear her apart and devour her.


    "What on earth is this scene?"


    Timothy frowned slightly, puzzled.


    Even though he had never seen such a sight, he could feel that it was a worldpletely different from the other side of the golden river.


    [Ding, system notification, this is the Netherworld of Reincarnation.


    The woman by the cliff is named Erelyn, a princess who has guarded the Netherworld for ten thousand years.


    Important notice: The host can forge a deep connection with her with a single strike.]


    "Netherworld, Erelyn?"


    These were names Timothy had never heard before.


    However, the system''s prompt quickly helped him make a decision.


    The Bone Sovereign had gone to great lengths, even opening the forbiddennds to various Sects, all for the strange scene hidden beneath this golden river.


    If that''s the case, I''ll take this fate for him!


    Hovering above the golden river, Timothy drew the Phoenix de.


    As if a divine phoenix were crying out, a surge of mes rose with it.


    The infinite fierce fire within the de seemed capable of devouring the heavens and earth, sweeping across the vast universe.


    "This is... the Phoenix de."


    "Isn''t the Phoenix de the personal sword of Holy Emperor Vorenus?


    Could it be that after the goddess slew Holy Emperor Vorenus, she handed the sword over to Timothy!"


    "The phoenix cries, devouring the sun and the moon.


    Reborn from the ashes, a myriad of mes fall.


    This... is actually the Phoenix de!"


    It wasn''t just the Phoenix de that shocked everyone to their core.


    As Timothy drew the sword, infinite fierce mes soared into the sky, and the sacred cry of the phoenix echoed throughout the entire forbiddennd.


    Above was the sky of the forbiddennd, and below, the Netherworld of Reincarnation.


    Holding the sword, Timothy seemed like a deity descended to earth, his left eye radiating golden light, his arms engulfed in mes.


    With every breath, it was as if he was channeling the fundamentalws of the universe.


    The hand that held the sword seemed capable of grasping the sun, moon, and stars!


    Countless souls wailed and rushed towards Erelyn at the cliff''s edge.


    Her slender figure looked as though it could be swallowed up at any moment.


    Then, Timothy swung his sword down.


    One strike!


    It split mountains and severed rivers.


    The heavens and the earth seemed to shatter!


    Golden light mixed with fierce mes filled the sky, and the sacred phoenix cry resounded across the heavens.


    In that moment, thousands of souls were extinguished.


    The golden mes cut through countless miles.


    Countless evil spirits wailed as they were destroyed in the mes, the golden fire spreading far and wide,pletely cutting off the other side of the cliff.


    This one strike, no ghost could cross, no person could break.


    Just one strike, and thousands of souls could not advance an inch!


    The Netherworld of Reincarnation seemed split in two!


    Watching the spectral beings consumed by mes, instantly turning to ash and dissolving.


    Even though the beings they longed for were just on the other side of the mes, countless fierce spirits dared not advance a step.


    This scene thoroughly shocked everyone.


    Although they couldn''t see the scene within the Netherworld clearly, they could distinctly feel the power mixed within Timothy''s strike.


    Even though the Phoenix de was a Heavenly-level artifact, to unleash such terrifying power...


    Could this really be the strength that a Mystic Core could exhibit?


    That one strike even seemed to contain the majesty of the Holy Emperor, inspiring infinite awe.


    Even now, many Sects had not recovered from the shock of that strike.


    Even Holy Maiden Aeliana, who had long stepped into the Transcendence Realm, looked at Timothy in astonishment, unable to hide the shock in her heart.


    The might of that one strike, even she could not easily deliver, how did Timothy do it!


    But no one could see.


    Beneath the golden river.


    In the Netherworld of Reincarnation, the soul of the woman by the cliff raised her head, a faint green glow shimmering on her crown.


    Facing Timothy, she nodded slightly, her lips curling into a faint smile.


    It seemed like a thank you, and also like a response.


    The mes burned fiercely, and then, the scene of the Netherworld of Reincarnation began to gradually blur and seemed somewhat chaotic.


    The scene in the Netherworld and Erelyn by the cliff also slowly faded away.


    However, an image suddenly emerged in Timothy''s mind.


    By the pale blue river, a cute little girl with bare feet looked somewhat sullen, her head bowed.


    Sitting beside her, always smiling silently, was Erelyn.


    She looked at the little girl, her eyes filled with a melting tenderness.


    This scene, though sad, was as harmoniously beautiful as the setting sun.


    But... looking at this little girl, Timothy felt a sense of familiarity.


    Suddenly, Timothy''s pupils contracted, appearing somewhat incredulous.


    That little girl, swinging her bare feet, though slightly mncholic yet yfully cute, was actually... Sylvia as a child!