THE REAL PROTEGE-Chapter 522: THE DOMAIN OF SILENT EXTINCTION

When Otako’s Restrain Vanishes

"Oh," the Azure Dragon said suddenly, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You might wonder what Otako becomes when his true fury is unbound."

The room’s air tightened, every breath drawn shallow.

"He can do more?" Lily breathed, half in awe, half in fear.

"Much more," the Azure Dragon replied, voice smooth as silk. "Though few have seen it and lived."

A hush, heavy and expectant, settled over them.

"If enraged... if someone threatens his family—"

Ling Li’s fingers froze, trembling faintly.

"If restraint is lost—"

The Azure Dragon’s sapphire eyes flashed, cold and brilliant.

"Otako invokes the ’Domain of Silent Extinction.’

Some whisper that this domain was not forged by mortal cultivation, but drawn from the echo of something older — a void untouched by time, feared even among ancient spirits. Its true source is shrouded in secrecy, and those who ponder it too long rarely find rest."

"...."

Ling Li could only sigh inwardly.

A silence more complete than death crashed down the hall — no footsteps, no water, not even the wind’s sigh. The air itself thickened, suffocating. At the center, a faint, high ringing teased the edge of hearing. Four Eyes’ teacup was perfectly still, the liquid inside undisturbed and black as onyx. Someone exhaled, but the silence instantly devoured the sound. Even thoughts seemed to cower, flattened beneath the unnatural hush.

Fatty swallowed, throat bobbing at the name.

The Azure Dragon went on.

"Within a certain radius—

Otako spread his hand outward.

All qi fluctuations freeze."

For a breathless instant, the tiniest droplets on Fatty’s sleeve sharpened into frost-needles. A cold shimmer glazed the lacquered table. The air itself felt brittle, every fiber in the room stretched taut in silent, expectant terror.

The koi pond stilled once more, as if in response.

"Spiritual sense becomes muted. Sound dampens unnaturally.

And the air appears heavy."

Shun’s shoulders tensed, protective. The bamboo stopped whispering.

Now, they felt it.

Even the thought made breathing tight.

"Inside this domain—"

The Azure Dragon’s voice dropped, now only a thread in the smothered air. Pressure crushed downward, so dense it seemed the air might fracture.

Shun swallowed, ears buzzing with phantom noise.

Ren’s eyelid twitched, then stilled.

Mushu’s hand hung, numb and dead-fingered, on porcelain chilled to the bone. Cold sweat crept down necks.

Four Eyes felt his pulse hammer at his temple.

Lily’s knuckles blanched, breath frozen in her chest.

Every smallest sound — cloth, breath, heartbeat — was muffled, erased by the suffocating hush.

"Otako does not need to flick. He only chooses."

Lily clutched her sleeve, knuckles white at the word’s finality.

"And selected targets experience—

Instant meridian collapse. Channels shatter, qi spilling and vanishing in an agonizing flash. Heart rupture.

Soul severance. One by one. Calmly. Leaving the body hollowed, all power lost."

For a heartbeat, the words carved through Ren. She remembered tracing qi through narrow, vulnerable channels; the ache of careful healing; the silent dread when a pulse fluttered under her touch. To lose everything in a single instant — her knuckles dug in, a cold memory stabbing down her spine.

The Azure Dragon did not blink.

"This is why entire sects would dissolve overnight when they cross Otako.

A few still whispered about the fall of Jade Vermilion Pavilion, a sect once counted among the unbreakable. They vanished in a single night, their banners left fluttering in empty halls, every disciple gone without a single cry for help. Some said Otako never entered their gates — only that unnatural hush crept through their grounds until not even echoes remained."

A long, strangling silence followed.

It was not dramatic silence.

It was the kind that pressed on ribs and made lungs forget how to move.

"Have you ever witnessed Otako use this technique?" Shun asked quietly.

His voice edged with protectiveness.

He needed to measure the danger.

The Azure Dragon’s lips curved.

"I did."

Everyone leaned forward.

"Allow me to tell you."

He paused, gaze clouded by memory.

“Otako stood alone.”

The Azure Dragon spoke slowly, each word deliberate.

"Ten peak cultivators surrounded him."

The hall seemed to reshape itself around the memory.

"They said, ’You dare—’"

The Azure Dragon flicked his finger lightly.

"Otako flicked his finger. The speaker’s head tilted slightly.

Then he fell.

No wound. No blood.

Just absence."

Ren felt her belly twist.

"The others stepped back in horror."

The Azure Dragon’s eyes gleamed.

"Otako’s voice drifted from behind the mask."

He lowered his tone, imitating.

"NEXT."

A chill passed through everyone.

"I was there like — wow!" the Azure Dragon laughed suddenly, diffusing the tension. "I wish I could do that!"

Fatty let out a faltering breath.

Stared at the Azure Dragon incredulously.

"You’re joking, right?"

Taboo Rumor

The Azure Dragon only chuckled.

"Heh." He did not deny or affirm.

Then his tone darkened slightly.

"There is a rumor about this technique."

Everyone stiffened again.

"They say those struck by his finger do not enter reincarnation."

In this universe, reincarnation is an integral part of existence. Every soul, whether noble or wretched, is meant to return and start fresh — life after life — bearing the consequences of their deeds. Without this divine return, a spirit becomes unanchored, denied the opportunity for redemption. The very thought of a soul severed from the cycle evokes a fear beyond understanding.

For some, this rumor cuts deeper than death. In a world built on cycles and return, the thought of a soul erased forever stirs a deeper fear. Whispers of this fate slip through temples and clan halls, unsettling even the most hardened cultivators. Priests offer uneasy prayers for the lost. Parents hush their children, warning that some lines must never be crossed. Sects have rewritten funeral rites, hoping to shield their dead from such oblivion.

Lily’s lips parted.

The Azure Dragon continued.

"Their soul imprint is erased."

The koi pond seemed unnaturally quiet.

"Whether that’s true or not..."

The Azure Dragon shrugged lightly.

"No one dares test it."

Even Mushu looked unsettled now.

Ren’s thoughts spun, uneasy.

Erasing someone from reincarnation.

That was beyond killing.

That was annihilation.

Shi Min remained silent — but something deep in his gaze flickered.

Recognition.

Or resonance. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Ling Li “....”

She feels truly helpless regarding all the exaggerated rumors.

Just before Lily spoke, a faint shiver seemed to run through the silence, as if the shadows themselves leaned in. Stories about Otako’s beginnings were as numerous as stars — some whispered he descended from an exiled Immortal, others that he was born the night an entire city vanished without explanation. No two versions ever matched, but every tale agreed: Otako’s earliest days were shrouded in secrecy, and those searching for answers often discovered trouble instead.

"Do you know Otako’s origin?" Lily asked suddenly.

Collectively—

Everyone silently groaned.

’Come on, Lily! Can you let us breathe???!!!’

Even Four Eyes pinched the bridge of his nose.

Fatty muttered under his breath. He truly wanted to keep his lively little girlfriend in his pocket this time.

Ren stared at Lily as if debating whether to cover her mouth.

But Lily was unstoppable.

Her eyes shone brighter.

The Azure Dragon stared at her for a long moment.

Then—

He smiled.

And Ling Li’s fingers tightened ever so slightly.

The mountain breeze returned.

But something told them—

They were not ready for what came next.