The black fog swallowed him whole. Hou Yu's senses screamed against the suffocating void, a weightless emptiness stretching infinitely in all directions. Time fractured, each heartbeat echoing as if it were a thousand, and reality itself seemed to splinter around him. He had no ground beneath his feet, no horizon to guide him—only the darkness, endless and suffocating.
Then, faintly, a voice whispered—not from outside, but from within himself. "You cannot remain here. To rise, you must traverse the abyss."
Hou Yu's eyes snapped open, and a searing light ignited at the center of the void. The black fog writhed around him like living tendrils, twisting and writhing as if resisting his very existence. He felt the pull of countless universes, each tugging at his being, until he understood: the void itself was a bridge, a turbulent river connecting dimensions, and he was about to be carried on its currents.
He raised his arms instinctively, and his inner energy flared, colliding with the chaotic forces of the void. Every instinct screamed to resist, but Hou Yu surrendered, letting the currents of the multiverse sweep him away. The sensation was unbearable—his consciousness stretched, fragmented, and reshaped as he was hurled across distances impossible to measure.
Stars became streaks of fire. Worlds twisted and collapsed into one another. The black fog threatened to engulf him entirely, but he pressed forward with the single thought that had sustained him through death and despair: revenge, and the protection of what remained of my family.
Then, with a final, violent surge, the void expelled him. Hou Yu landed hard, knees hitting the ground, as the black fog collapsed behind him like a dying storm. He gasped, inhaling the thick, electric air of a new universe.
Before him stretched a realm unlike any he had known. The sky shimmered with colors that defied comprehension, streams of energy coursing like living rivers through mountains that floated midair. Cities made of light hovered above landscapes pulsing with raw Dao power. This was a far dimension, a universe where cultivation dominated everything. Technology, war machines, and fleets—the foundations of his old world—were meaningless here.
Hou Yu staggered to his feet, his body trembling from the transportation. And then the memory struck him—the cruelest wound of all. Sheng-Hou, Hou Lin, Hou Wei, and Hou Mei… taken from him by the void creatures. Anger and grief surged, hotter and fiercer than any energy he had ever felt.
"I will return," he whispered, his voice carrying across the alien winds. "Stronger. Smarter. And I will make them pay."
The horizon shifted like a living entity. Golden and violet energies twisted into rivers, mountains, and cities built from the essence of the Dao. Around him, cultivators radiated a presence that bent reality, their aura overwhelming yet mesmerizing. Hou Yu realized the journey ahead would be perilous, but he welcomed it. This universe, with its secrets and power, was a crucible—and he would forge himself anew.
He inhaled deeply, feeling the energy of this dimension surge through him. The black fog behind him was gone, but its memory lingered—a reminder of the void, of loss, and of the path he must walk. Hou Yu's gaze hardened.
This is a far dimension, a distant universe, unlike anything my old world could offer. Here, I will rise. Here, I will master the Dao. And when I return… the universe itself will burn before me.
Hou Yu, tempered by grief, rage, and undying love for his lost family, stepped forward. The eternal abyss behind him had transported him to a new beginning—and nothing would stop him from ascending.
---I hope that people's enjoy this series