The battlefield gradually fell silent.
Only the sound of the wind moving through the shattered forest remained.
The Snow Feng White Tiger quietly rested within Han Qing Li's arms.
Its crystal-blue eyes occasionally glanced toward Lin Shuan.
As if trying to understand what kind of human stood before it.
Around them, the surviving members of the fallen Wanling Empire slowly gathered together.
Their injuries were severe.
Their robes were stained with blood.
Yet all of them had survived.
For now.
The three young women—
Lei Yun Hua.
Xue Mei Yun.
Xue Han Yue.
The three young men—
Han Xue Long.
Lei Hao Tian.
Yan Feng Luo.
And the three elders—
Han Lei Jun.
Lei Zhan Yu.
Tai Gu Chen.
All approached Lin Shuan.
Expressions of gratitude appeared on their faces.
Especially the elders.
They understood better than anyone how close they had been to death.
Han Lei Jun stepped forward first.
His face was pale.
Yet his eyes carried sincerity.
"You saved our lives."
The elder bowed slightly.
"Thank you."
Lei Zhan Yu also cupped his fists.
"If not for you, none of us would still be standing."
Tai Gu Chen nodded silently.
The younger generation quickly followed.
Even the proud Han Xue Long lowered his head.
"Thank you, Brother Shuan Hao."
Xue Mei Yun smiled weakly.
"You appeared at exactly the right moment."
Lei Yun Hua laughed softly.
"I thought we were finished."
Xue Han Yue nodded.
"So did I."
For a brief moment—
the atmosphere became warm.
Then—
a snort sounded.
Everyone turned.
Yan Feng Luo stood nearby.
The young man in lava-colored robes crossed his arms.
His expression remained unpleasant.
"Thank him?"
He laughed coldly.
"Thank him for what?"
Silence.
Everyone frowned.
Yan Feng Luo pointed toward the tiny Snow Feng White Tiger.
"Do you all seriously think a Meridian Tracer cultivator defeated a Rank Seven Talismanic Beast?"
His voice grew louder.
"We had already injured it."
"We exhausted its strength."
"We nearly killed it ourselves."
His gaze landed on Lin Shuan.
"At most, he landed the final strike."
The surrounding atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Lei Hao Tian's face darkened.
"Yan Feng Luo."
The young man ignored him.
Han Xue Long clenched his fists.
"Show some respect."
Yan Feng Luo laughed.
"Respect?"
"I'm only speaking the truth."
Nobody noticed—
Lin Shuan wasn't listening.
Not at all.
His mind was already elsewhere.
Inside the pendant.
Inside a conversation that none of them could hear.
His gaze drifted toward Han Qing Li's injured arm.
Toward the black Void wound.
Toward the strange energy slowly devouring her life.
"Master..."
His voice sounded serious.
"What exactly is Void Chaos?"
Silence followed.
For the first time—
Tian Wuchen didn't answer immediately.
The old monster remained quiet.
As though recalling memories buried beneath countless years.
Memories he rarely touched.
Eventually—
he spoke.
"Lin Shuan..."
His voice had become unusually heavy.
"Long ago..."
"When your ancestor Lin Xin Jian and I traveled throughout the universe..."
"We witnessed something."
Lin Shuan frowned.
Tian Wuchen continued.
"The first appearance of Void Chaos."
The old monster's eyes narrowed.
"It became known as..."
"The Age of Void Chaos."
The moment those words appeared—
an indescribable pressure seemed to fill the air.
Even Longshe slowly raised his head.
For once—
the lazy serpent appeared completely awake.
Tian Wuchen's voice grew lower.
"Entire star regions disappeared."
"Worlds vanished."
"Civilizations collapsed."
"Countless races went extinct."
Lin Shuan's pupils contracted.
The old monster continued quietly.
"Almost seventy percent of the known universe was swallowed."
"What remained became fragmented."
"Broken."
"Scarred."
The young cultivator felt his scalp tingle.
Seventy percent?
An entire universe?
What kind of disaster was that?
Tian Wuchen slowly shook his head.
"No."
"This wasn't a natural phenomenon."
"It wasn't an accident."
"It was an attack."
Those words stunned Lin Shuan.
An attack?
Something capable of destroying most of existence?
Who could possibly possess such power?
The old monster looked toward the sky.
Toward a place beyond the clouds.
Beyond the stars.
Beyond imagination.
"It was carried out by some of the strongest forces to ever exist."
His voice became solemn.
"Compared to them..."
"Your Da Cang Empire is insignificant."
"Xing Luo is insignificant."
"The Five Continents are insignificant."
Lin Shuan stared blankly.
He felt as if every word simply flew over his head.
His brain struggled to process it.
He couldn't even comprehend such a scale.
Yet one thing became clear.
Void Chaos was terrifying.
Far more terrifying than Yu Long Sect.
Far more terrifying than Yue Sha Empire.
Far more terrifying than anything he had encountered before.
And strangely—
the young cultivator felt a faint chill.
Because he had once drifted within the Void himself.
Thousands of years.
Endless darkness.
Infinite silence.
Even now—
those memories occasionally haunted him.
Suddenly—
movement interrupted his thoughts.
Thud.
Han Xue Long collapsed.
Everyone froze.
A second later—
Xue Mei Yun fell.
Then Lei Hao Tian.
Then Tai Gu Chen.
One after another.
Bodies crashed onto the ground.
The survivors immediately panicked.
"What happened?!"
"Elder!"
"Brother Han!"
Han Qing Li's face turned pale.
She took a step forward—
and suddenly lost balance.
Lin Shuan moved instantly.
His figure blurred.
Before she could fall—
his arms caught her.
The princess looked startled.
Then her eyes slowly closed.
Her body went limp.
Lin Shuan carefully lowered her onto the ground.
Nearby—
the Snow Feng White Tiger released a worried sound.
The tiny beast rubbed against her shoulder.
As if attempting to wake her.
But nothing happened.
Everyone had fallen unconscious.
Every single one.
The black wounds across their bodies pulsed ominously.
Void energy spread slowly beneath their skin.
Like countless black veins.
Tian Wuchen's expression changed.
"Lin Shuan."
The young cultivator immediately looked up.
The old monster's voice had become serious.
Very serious.
"This is no longer political."
The words echoed within his mind.
"This isn't about kingdoms."
"This isn't about sects."
"This isn't about personal grudges."
The old monster slowly looked toward the unconscious princess.
"This is a cosmic threat."
"A disaster that concerns all living beings."
His gaze hardened.
"We must face it together."
Lin Shuan remained silent.
Tian Wuchen continued.
"You should help them."
"Not because they may become your allies."
"Not because they may help fight your enemies."
"Not because they owe you a favor."
His voice became deeper.
"You should help them because this isn't only about you."
The words struck deeply.
Lin Shuan lowered his head.
His gaze landed on Han Qing Li's hand.
The black wound had spread even further.
Her Luo Essence was being drained continuously.
Devoured.
Consumed.
As though something hidden within the Void was feeding.
The young cultivator frowned.
Then—
a thought surfaced.
His Golden Eye.
The mysterious eye that had revealed the secrets of the Treasury Realm.
The eye that had shown him hidden patterns.
Ancient laws.
Invisible formations.
If it could see through those mysteries—
perhaps...
It could see through this one as well.
Without hesitation—
Lin Shuan activated it.
A golden radiance emerged.
His right eye transformed.
The world instantly changed.
Countless hidden structures appeared.
Countless invisible threads.
Countless layers of reality.
Tian Wuchen immediately stepped forward.
The old monster emerged from the pendant.
Golden spiritual energy erupted outward.
A massive spiritual barrier formed around the camp.
No beast.
No cultivator.
No outsider.
Would interrupt.
Then—
Lin Shuan looked into the wound.
And froze.
The black scar disappeared.
The flesh disappeared.
The body disappeared.
Everything disappeared.
His vision entered the Void itself.
Darkness.
Infinite darkness.
Yet it wasn't empty.
Thousands of figures floated inside.
Souls.
Countless souls.
Twisted.
Distorted.
Screaming silently.
They clung to the wound like parasites.
Constantly devouring Luo Essence.
Growing stronger.
Feeding.
Evolving.
The sight was horrifying.
Even Lin Shuan felt a chill.
Then—
something strange happened.
A memory surfaced.
Not his own.
Not entirely.
An ancient memory.
A forgotten understanding.
Words emerged naturally from his mouth.
Words he himself didn't fully understand.
He turned toward Tian Wuchen.
And calmly said—
"Golden Emperor Dragon..."
"Watch carefully."
"If you wish to survive the Void..."
"You must understand this."
Tian Wuchen froze.
Completely froze.
His eyes widened.
Because for a brief moment—
Lin Shuan didn't seem like Lin Shuan.
His tone.
His gaze.
His presence.
Everything felt different.
Ancient.
Unfathomably ancient.
The old monster slowly nodded.
Without speaking.
Without questioning.
Then he watched.
Carefully.
Lin Shuan raised both hands.
Countless seals began forming.
One after another.
Ancient.
Complicated.
Mysterious.
Even Tian Wuchen had never seen them before.
Then—
something appeared.
Inside the Void.
A sword.
An ancient sword.
The same sword.
The sword from the Lost Divine Region.
The sword hidden beyond countless mysteries.
The sword that should not exist here.
Yet it did.
It appeared silently.
Suspended within endless darkness.
The surrounding souls immediately trembled.
Fear.
Pure fear.
Lin Shuan pointed forward.
The sword moved.
One slash.
Thousands of souls vanished.
A second slash.
Entire clusters disappeared.
A third slash.
Darkness itself split apart.
The souls attempted to flee.
Attempted to hide.
Attempted to escape deeper into the Void.
It didn't matter.
The sword hunted them relentlessly.
Destroying everything.
Lin Shuan's voice echoed softly.
"So that's their new method..."
Tian Wuchen listened carefully.
"There are souls hidden within the Void."
"They continuously repair the corruption."
"They continuously strengthen it."
His golden eye flashed.
"Destroy the souls first."
"Otherwise the wound will never heal."
The old monster's heart shook.
Instant understanding appeared.
One million years.
For one million years—
he had fought the Void.
Yet he had never discovered this.
Not once.
Not until now.
Suddenly—
far away.
Inside a miniature universe.
A blood-covered figure opened his eyes.
Golden hair.
Golden scales.
Golden dragon horns.
The true body of Tian Wuchen.
His entire body was covered with Void wounds.
Thousands of them.
Countless black scars devoured his flesh.
Yet at this moment—
his hands moved rapidly.
Repeating every seal Lin Shuan formed.
Hope appeared within his eyes.
For the first time in one million years.
Meanwhile—
Lin Shuan continued.
The ancient sword slaughtered endlessly.
One soul.
Ten souls.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Time lost meaning.
Day became night.
Night became day.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The survivors remained unconscious.
The forest remained silent.
The spiritual barrier remained intact.
The only thing moving was the sword.
And the young cultivator guiding it.
Ten days passed.
Ten entire days.
Finally—
the last soul disappeared.
Nothing remained.
The Void became still.
Silent.
Empty.
Lin Shuan slowly exhaled.
Then reached forward.
His hand entered the wound itself.
The remaining Void energy resisted violently.
It twisted.
It screamed.
It struggled.
Yet his grip tightened.
The darkness was forcibly extracted.
Pulled out from Han Qing Li's body.
Gathered within his palm.
A small sphere of pure Void formed.
Pitch black.
Silent.
Terrifying.
Lin Shuan stared at it quietly.
His golden eye reflected endless darkness.
For a brief moment—
nobody spoke.
Not even Tian Wuchen.
Then the young cultivator murmured softly—
"It is still the same."
A strange sadness appeared in his voice.
As though remembering something.
Something ancient.
Something lost.
Then—
his fingers closed.
CRUSH.
The sphere shattered.
And the world exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
An unimaginable shockwave erupted.
The forest disappeared.
Mountains vanished.
The earth tore apart.
Everything within thousands of kilometers was swallowed.
Space fractured.
Reality twisted.
Void spread outward like a black ocean.
Even Tian Wuchen's barrier shattered instantly.
The old monster's expression changed drastically.
Yet before the destruction could continue—
the remaining Void energy finally collapsed.
Completely.
Utterly.
Erased.
Silence descended.
The black corruption disappeared.
The devastation stopped.
The surviving cultivators remained unconscious.
And slowly—
very slowly—
Han Qing Li's eyelashes trembled.
The princess opened her eyes.
For a moment she looked confused.
Then shocked.
Then overwhelmed.
Because the first thing she felt was something she hadn't experienced in a very long time.
Relief.
The suffocating pain was gone.
The devouring darkness was gone.
The endless pressure was gone.
Without hesitation—
she immediately sat cross-legged.
And began cultivating.