"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Qin Ye took a step backward as he drew upon all of the Yin energy within his own body, ready to unleash it at a moment's notice. "If so, that's not a very funny joke."

"I never make jokes." Nothingness's voice was as graceful and mysterious as ever. "If you want something, then you have to give up something for it. The Heavenly Dao has always upheld fairness. You attempted to destroy the first-ever treaty of the underworld, and for that, you must be punished."

"What's the punishment?"

"The trial of inner demons." The radiance in the Heavenly Dao's palm was growing brighter and brighter as They spoke. "It's a divine art created by the ruler death gods of the four pillars, alongside Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa of the new continent."

Qin Ye didn't say anything. He could tell that Nothingness definitely wasn't kidding.

"Will I die?"

"No," Nothingness replied. "You'll only be forever lost in an illusion unless you can break through the cycle of fate and return to this time and place."

A divine art related to time, eh? 

Qin Ye was feeling extremely wary at this point. All arts related to the domains of space and time were arts of the highest caliber.

"Are you ready?" Nothingness didn't...