The forest near the sect's eastern ridge was silent.
Too silent.
No birds.
No wind.
Just pressure.
The kind that made Qi retreat into the roots of the trees and the stones forget their shape.
And standing at the heart of it—
Wang Lin.
Facing a monster not born of this world.
Ten feet tall, cloaked in pulsing armor, its six arms each holding a spiritual weapon from a different realm. Its movements were fluid, but wrong, like it wasn't walking — but replaying the memory of walking.
The first Voidborn had arrived.
| "This is no beast." |
"I know."
| "It has memory. Thought. It was sent." |
"To test me."
The creature twitched, sensing Wang Lin's awareness.
It raised a blade made of compressed starlight and charged.
Wang Lin didn't move.
Not until the last step.
Then—Voidstep.
He vanished.
Reappeared behind the creature, palm glowing with violet light.
Void Pulse – Stage One.
He struck the base of the creature's spine.
A shockwave ripped through the air, distorting the trees and sky for several meters.
The beast staggered—but didn't fall.
Its wounds healed instantly, bone reforming through liquid smoke.
| "Not physical. You need to unmake its existence, not just damage its flesh." |
"Then I'll strike where it remembers pain."
Wang Lin raised both hands.
Qi poured into his arms. His veins lit with blue and violet.
Void Pulse – Phase Two: Collapse Fang.
He rushed forward—
The beast met him with all six weapons.
Blades sang. Force clashed.
Steel tore air.
Palm shattered illusion.
Wang Lin ducked a horizontal slash, spun low, and punched upward under the creature's rib cage.
This time the violet strike pulsed through the body.
The creature's upper chest imploded.
It let out a guttural shriek, staggered backward, and tried to rebuild—
But the light didn't return.
Its healing failed.
| "You struck its existence core. That's its weakness." |
"And the others?"
| "Each will be different. The Void doesn't repeat itself." |
The creature raised one final blade—
But Wang Lin had already leapt.
Dragon Step – Sky Raze.
He dropped down from above, elbow smashing into the center of the beast's spine with amplified Void Qi.
CRACK.
The monster's body split open like hollow bark.
A burst of white fire shot into the sky—and vanished.
Gone.
Unmade.
Wang Lin exhaled slowly.
His body burned from the effort. Blood dripped from his lip.
But his gaze was steady.
He turned to the shattered clearing.
Still.
Empty.
But not quiet.
Because deep inside his spiritual field… the egg pulsed again.
Then—
Spoke.
Not in words.
Not in language.
But in a feeling:
I remember that shape.
More are coming.
And I will not sleep through it.
Wang Lin clenched his fists.
"You won't need to."
| "Wang Lin..." |
"Yeah?"
| "That wasn't even a soldier."
That was a scout.
He smiled.
"I hope they bring more."