CHAPTER 28:ERASE
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HAZE VILLAGE — MIST BORDER ZONE
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Fanli stood above the shattered foundation of the Wang clan, his gaze cold and detached.
"I have encountered countless irrelevant beings," he said slowly.
"But you are worse than all of them."
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His eyes shifted to the elder.
"…You."
"Tell me your name."
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The elder hesitated.
Only for a moment.
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That hesitation was enough.
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Gravity intensified instantly.
The entire space collapsed downward, forcing everyone to their knees as blood seeped from their lips.
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Fanli let out a faint laugh.
"…How satisfying."
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The elder trembled, barely able to speak.
"…Zhang… Lai…"
"…Zhang Lai is my name…"
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Fanli's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then, with a thought, he pulled Zhang Lai upward through the crushing gravity, gripping him by the throat.
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"You old failure," Fanli said coldly.
"You are not even worthy of looking at me… yet you dare hesitate?"
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Zhang Lai coughed violently, struggling for breath.
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Fanli's voice sharpened.
"Since you chose to help him… don't expect to leave alive."
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Xun Cheng stood frozen, unable to move or speak under the overwhelming pressure.
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Fanli raised his hand again.
"Give me the pill."
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Zhang Lai, trembling, immediately handed it over.
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Fanli released him.
Zhang Lai collapsed to the ground, gasping.
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Fanli looked down at him.
Then stepped forward and pressed him down with overwhelming force.
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"This pill…" Fanli said slowly.
"…can revive my brother."
"And you thought you could hide it from me?"
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His tone darkened.
"How dare you."
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He grabbed Zhang Lai by the hair and slammed him down again, the impact shaking the ground.
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Fanli leaned closer.
"Look at me."
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Zhang Lai, weak and broken, slowly raised his eyes.
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Fanli smiled faintly.
"…Good."
"Like a obedient dog."
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He lowered his gaze to the pill again.
"You are not even worthy to hold this."
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Fanli suddenly smiled.
"How about this?"
"I'll give you a gift."
"Praise me."
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Zhang Lai looked at him weakly, coughing blood nonstop.
His eyes were already losing light.
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Fanli chuckled softly.
"…Here."
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Then he tapped Zhang Lai's forehead lightly.
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In an instant—
Zhang Lai's body, soul, and existence unraveled completely.
No trace remained.
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Fanli exhaled softly.
"…Not even effortless."
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He turned his gaze toward the remaining figures.
Wang Zhong.
Xun Yu.
Xun Cheng.
Jing Wei.
Wang Shuang.
Wang Gao.
And the others.
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All frozen in place.
All powerless.
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"Hmph."
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Fanli tore open the void behind him.
A dark passage split reality itself.
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He stepped inside.
Then paused.
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Without turning back, he raised his hand.
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A silent wave spread outward.
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Wang Zhong and the others were erased.
Not destroyed.
Not burned.
Simply… removed from existence.
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Xun Yu.
Xun Cheng.
Jing Wei.
Wang Shuang.
Wang Gao.
And the others.
Even the house itself was erased from reality.
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Only lingering fragments of blood dissolved slowly into nothingness.
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Fanli stood at the edge of the void.
Expression unchanged.
"…Pathetic."
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Then he stepped forward.
The void closed behind him.
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UNKNOWN VOID PALACE
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Darkness stretched endlessly across the silent dimension.
Stars drifted like shattered fragments beneath a black sky.
At the center of the void stood an enormous throne forged from distorted space itself.
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A man sat upon it calmly.
Shang Yuan.
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Four beautiful women stood around him silently, their expressions emotionless as they poured wine and maintained the surrounding spiritual barriers.
None of them dared to speak.
None dared to breathe too loudly.
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Below the throne—
Fanli knelt.
His head lowered deeply.
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Shang Yuan swirled the wine within his cup lazily.
"…Good dog."
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His voice was calm.
Almost gentle.
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"…Did you erase them completely?"
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Fanli immediately replied.
"Yes, Young Master."
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Shang Yuan eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Conceptually?"
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Silence.
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Fanli froze.
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Shang Yuan slowly smiled.
"…No, right?"
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The temperature of the entire void dropped instantly.
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Before Fanli could answer—
an invisible gravity descended.
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BOOM.
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Fanli's body slammed against the ground instantly.
Cracks spread across the void floor beneath him as his bones shattered repeatedly under the overwhelming pressure.
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He couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't even lift a finger.
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Shang Yuan sighed softly.
"…Erase them completely."
"…Before anything troublesome happens."
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Fanli coughed blood violently.
"…S-sorry… Young Master…"
"…I deserve punishment…"
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Shang Yuan suddenly vanished from the throne.
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The next instant—
he appeared directly before Fanli.
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He lowered himself slightly and tapped Fanli's forehead gently.
Like disciplining a disobedient pet.
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"…Deserve?" Shang Yuan said softly.
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Then—
SLAP.
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A light smack across Fanli's face.
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SLAP.
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Again.
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SLAP.
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Again.
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Fanli trembled violently but did not resist.
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Shang Yuan smiled faintly.
"…Go now."
"I'll give you one chance."
"…Understand?"
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He tapped Fanli's cheek repeatedly with a faint smile.
Not hard.
But humiliating beyond words.
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Fanli lowered his head even deeper.
"…Yes… Young Master."
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Shang Yuan turned away calmly and returned toward the throne.
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"…Don't disappoint me again."
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Fanli immediately tore open the void and disappeared without hesitation.
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The palace became silent once more.
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One of the women spoke softly.
"…Young Master… are they truly that important?"
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Shang Yuan leaned against the throne lazily.
His eyes stared into the endless darkness.
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"…No."
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A faint smile appeared on his face.
Cold.
Unreadable.
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"…But loose threads become problems."
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SKY VEIN SECT — OUTER REGION
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Morning light spread across the sect as usual.
Disciples trained.
Elders moved through the paths.
Everything followed its normal rhythm.
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Wang Zhongyu stood at the edge of the outer grounds.
Quiet.
Still.
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A deacon elder passed by and stopped slightly.
He looked at Zhongyu for a moment.
Then spoke plainly.
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"You there. Why are you standing here?"
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Zhongyu turned his head.
"…Here?"
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He glanced around once.
No emotion.
No recognition of importance.
Just observation.
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"I am standing."
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The elder frowned slightly.
"There is no assignment for you in this area."
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Zhongyu nodded once.
"…Understood."
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No confusion followed.
No resistance.
No sense of being misplaced.
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Because in his reality—
there was no defined reason for him to belong anywhere in particular.
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The elder waved his hand casually.
"Leave the grounds."
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Zhongyu bowed slightly.
"…Yes."
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He turned and walked away.
Calmly.
Naturally.
Without hesitation.
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Not because he was expelled.
Not because he was confused.
But because nothing anchored him to staying.
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OUTSIDE THE SECT — MOUNTAIN PATH
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Wind moved across the cliffs.
Clouds drifted below.
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Zhongyu stepped onto the open path.
Then stopped for a moment.
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He looked back at the sect gates.
Silent.
Distant.
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"…Hm."
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A faint pause.
Not thought.
Not emotion.
Just presence registering space.
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Then he turned forward again.
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And continued walking.
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No anger.
No sadness.
No questioning of identity.
No search for meaning.
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Because nothing inside him defined *why* he should search.
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He simply moved.
As something that existed.
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ABOVE REALITY — VOID THRONE
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Fanli knelt.
Silent.
Motionless.
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Shang Yuan rested against his throne, eyes half-lidded.
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"…Fully complete?"
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Fanli replied immediately.
"Yes, Young Master."
"No concept, no memory, no causal linkage."
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Shang Yuan nodded slowly.
"…Good."
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A pause.
Then a faint smile.
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"…Even if the members of that irrelevant clans returns to where once lived…"
"…the world will not recognize the shape of their past."
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Fanli lowered his head further.
"…Yes."
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Shang Yuan gaze drifted into the void.
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"…Now it's clean."
"…No threads."
"…No anchors."
"…No echo."
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He leaned back slightly.
Satisfied.
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WILDERNESS PATH
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Wang Zhongyu continued walking.
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The world around him remained unchanged.
Wind passed.
Time flowed.
Life continued.
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But nothing called to him.
Nothing resisted him.
Nothing defined him.
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He was not lost.
He was not searching.
He was not broken.
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He was simply unassigned to anything.
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A presence without attachment.
A life without origin.
A path without direction.
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And so—
he kept walking forward.