Chapter 85: The Silent Trial
The chamber remained silent after Fenglan and Meiyue completed their trials.
A faint glow lingered on their arms.
The Void Marks.
Neither of them spoke.
The experiences they had just gone through were difficult to describe.
Fenglan had witnessed a world that continued without him.
Meiyue had witnessed a world that should never have existed.
Both had gained understanding.
Yet when they looked toward Qin Huaian, they realized something strange.
He had not moved.
Not even once.
Far away, beneath the floating black crystal palace, the Will of the First Void Emperor continued to watch him.
The ancient presence seemed less interested in the twins now.
Its entire attention had shifted toward one man.
Qin Huaian.
...
Darkness surrounded him.
No sky.
No ground.
No stars.
No light.
Only endless Void.
Yet Huaian did not find it uncomfortable.
In fact...
It felt familiar.
Almost nostalgic.
For a long moment, nothing happened.
No enemies appeared.
No illusions formed.
No trial began.
It was as though the world itself had forgotten he was there.
Then a voice echoed through the darkness.
"You have walked far."
The voice carried no emotion.
No hostility.
No warmth.
Only truth.
Huaian calmly raised his gaze.
"You are the First Void Emperor's remaining will."
The darkness rippled.
"Correct."
Silence followed.
Then the voice spoke again.
"You stand where I once stood."
For the first time, Huaian's eyes narrowed slightly.
The First Void Emperor.
The founder of the Void Path.
The man whose name had become myth.
The being who created these ruins.
Had failed.
That alone was enough to make anyone curious.
"What did you fail to achieve?" Huaian asked.
The darkness trembled.
And suddenly—
The Void changed.
...
A world appeared.
Mountains.
Oceans.
Cities.
Kingdoms.
Countless living beings.
A complete world.
Beautiful.
Alive.
Thriving.
Then everything disappeared.
Without warning.
Without struggle.
Without resistance.
The mountains vanished.
The oceans vanished.
The cities vanished.
Even time itself vanished.
Nothing remained.
Only Void.
Pure.
Absolute.
Perfect.
The voice echoed once more.
"This is one future."
The darkness shifted again.
The world returned.
This time imperfect.
Wars existed.
Conflict existed.
Death existed.
People suffered.
People struggled.
People loved.
People lived.
The world was flawed.
But it endured.
"This is another."
Huaian quietly observed both visions.
Neither moved him.
Neither surprised him.
The voice continued.
"Existence creates suffering."
"Void removes suffering."
"If everything returns to nothing..."
"There will be peace."
The darkness grew heavier.
Even reality itself seemed to agree.
After all...
Could there be conflict if nothing existed?
Could there be pain if nothing remained?
The logic was flawless.
Yet Huaian remained silent.
For a very long time.
Then he spoke.
"If all existence disappears..."
"What meaning does peace have?"
The darkness froze.
For the first time, the Will did not answer immediately.
Huaian continued.
"Void is not superior to existence."
"It is not meant to replace it."
The vision of endless nothingness began to shake.
Cracks spread through it.
Like shattered glass.
"Without existence..."
"Void has no meaning."
The entire world trembled.
The First Void Emperor's Will finally spoke.
Its voice carried the slightest trace of surprise.
"You chose differently."
Huaian's expression remained calm.
"I do not seek a perfect world."
A pause.
"I seek a world that continues."
The moment those words fell—
The darkness exploded.
Not violently.
But peacefully.
As if a locked door had finally opened.
A golden-black light appeared before Huaian.
Within it floated an ancient symbol.
Unlike the Void Marks obtained by Fenglan and Meiyue.
This symbol was different.
Older.
Deeper.
It felt like the origin of countless Void paths.
The Emperor's Will spoke one final sentence.
"The path I could not complete..."
"...may finally continue."
The light disappeared into the distance.
Far beneath the floating crystal palace.
Deep within the ruins.
A sealed chamber began to awaken.
Outside the trial space, Fenglan and Meiyue suddenly felt the entire world shake.
The black crystal palace released a faint pulse.
Ancient doors that had remained closed for countless years slowly began to open.
Qin Xiaoxiao's eyes widened.
"What is happening?"
Then—
Qin Huaian opened his eyes.
For the first time since entering the ruins...
His expression became serious.
"Something is waiting for us."
Far below the palace.
In the deepest part of the Emperor's Forgotten World.
An ancient presence stirred.
And this time—
It was no longer sleeping.