Shen Yuan stood motionless, his dark robes fluttering as spatial cracks expanded around Elder Tian Xu, distorting the very fabric of reality. Yet, these were no ordinary rifts. They pulsated with a sinister aura, as if they were alive—hungry, ready to devour anything foolish enough to approach. Each crack seemed to emanate whispers of doom, brushing against Shen Yuan's skin like icy tendrils.
Zhou Rui sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "What's wrong, Shen Yuan? No snarky comebacks this time? Have you finally realized your fate is sealed?"
Shen Yuan didn't reply. For once, silence hung heavy around him—not out of fear of Zhou Rui, but because he could sense it. This time, he was truly fucked up.
Elder Tian Xu's hands continued weaving intricate signs, his face twisted with a sinister grin. Above him, the rifts began to converge toward a single point, their pace accelerating until they formed a massive void-like vortex that blotted out the battlefield's sky. The planet itself seemed to shudder under an invisible weight, cracks spidering across the ground as the void radiated an overwhelming presence.
Shen Yuan's sharp gaze studied the swirling blackness and streaks of dark purple lightning that flickered within. His mind raced. He had heard of this technique before—the temporary gate to Chrono-Void, a forbidden void outside the boundaries of all universes and all of space-time. Nirvana Realm cultivators could summon a portal to it only by sacrificing years of their lifespan. Yet, despite his knowledge, he had never truly understood its nature.
The answer came soon enough. Elder Tian Xu cackled, his laughter echoing unnaturally across the battlefield. "Shen Yuan, you've fought well for a mere ant, but it's time you understood the power you face! This—" he gestured dramatically to the swirling void, "—is the Chrono-Void, the void among voids! It exists beyond the framework of all universes, connecting all of space and time and all of dimensions."
His eyes burned with malice as he continued, "No one but those in the so-called legendary Origin Descent Realm or higher can survive within it. Its power doesn't just erase you, it eliminates your very essence, wiping out all versions of you across every timelines and universes and every possibility that might be connected to one-self. Even the heavens themselves would not remember you existed! This is basically your complete null day!"
Shen Yuan's eyes narrowed. For the first time in years, his composure faltered. The Chrono-Void wasn't just death, it was annihilation on a scale no mortal could comprehend.
"And now..." Tian Xu's lips curled into a sadistic grin. "You will see its power firsthand."
Without hesitation, Tian Xu unleashed the void's hunger upon Shen Yuan's pawns. The soldiers screamed as they were pulled into the swirling darkness, their cries silenced before they even echoed. Nothing remained—not a shred of their bodies or souls.
Shen Yuan clenched his fists. His mind worked furiously, searching for an opening. Perhaps he could use his speed to strike Tian Xu before the void consumed him. But the moment he moved, a streak of dark lightning lashed out from the portal, coiling around his wrist like a hungry serpent.
Pain shot through him, unlike anything he had ever felt. His strength drained in an instant, his body trembling as if every ounce of his cultivation was being torn away. The void tugged at him, an unrelenting force dragging him toward its abyss. He stumbled, falling to one knee.
In those fleeting moments, Shen Yuan turned his head toward Feng Yanqing, who stood frozen in fear. He reached out, pulling her close. His voice was a whisper, barely audible over the roar of the portal.
"Listen carefully," he said, his tone calm despite the storm raging within him. "You need to leave—now. Go. Do what I told you. Make sure it's done properly."
Her eyes widened in horror. "Shen Yuan... Are you sure?!"
He forced a weak smile. "Of course not. But being afraid won't change anything. Now go."
For a moment, Feng Yanqing hesitated, her fiery temperament warring with the dread in her chest. But his unwavering gaze left no room for argument. She bit her lip, nodded, and disappeared into the shadows, her figure vanishing from sight.
The planet trembled as the void's pull intensified. Shen Yuan felt the force tighten around his body, dragging him closer. Elder Tian Xu grinned triumphantly, raising his arms in mock celebration. "Struggle all you want, Shen Yuan! Even the mighty fall before the Chrono-Void!"
With a final surge of strength, Shen Yuan formed a hand sign—his silent message to Yanqing to flee further. Then, the void claimed him.
Seeing his doom, the elders practically started dancing and singing for Elder Tian Xu, who stood in his place with a proud smile. The other elders are practically licking his shoes like damn dogs.
Darkness….. Only a crackle of weird thunder…. end?
Shen Yuan drifted in an endless abyss. He doesn't even know how many months or days it has been. His body felt like it was unraveling, thread by thread, while his soul flickered weakly. The oppressive silence was broken only by the faint crackle of the void's power, each spark erasing another fragment of his existence.
His mind raced, searching for a way out. But there was none. The heavens themselves seemed to mock him for his ambition, for daring to defy his fate as a mortal.
"So this is it," he muttered, his voice barely a whisper in the vast nothingness. "All I wanted... was to change everything. To rise above this damned fate. That we humans are forced into…."
As his soul began to fracture, a surge of defiance welled up within him. With the last remnants of his strength, he roared into the void, "If this is what I get for defying the heavens, then the heavens are nothing but cowards! Do you hear me?!! Cowards hiding behind their thrones!"
His voice faded, his soul moments away from complete erasure. But then—
A sound could be heard, in this silent nothingness out of nowhere.
The soft, melodic notes of a flute echoed through the darkness, cutting through the oppressive silence like a beacon. A radiant blue light enveloped Shen Yuan, its warmth rekindling the fragments of his soul. His body began to reconstruct itself, piece by piece, as if the universe itself was weaving him anew.
He didn't know who this mysterious power was, but one thing was clear, he had found great respect for it and will always be indebted to it.
The pain subsided, replaced by an overwhelming power. Shen Yuan opened his eyes, his vision sharper, his senses heightened. His hair, once dark as night, was now white as snow, glowing faintly in the void. His body felt stronger, his very essence transformed.
He clenched his fist, feeling the raw energy coursing through him. A predatory smile spread across his lips.
"Time for the demon to return as the worst nightmare….", Shen Yuan, eyes glowed red with vertical pupils, as a reminder, he is still him!