The world inside the Void had no concept of time.
No sunrise.
No sunset.
No seasons.
No life.
Only endless darkness.
Only silence.
Only souls.
Thousands.
Millions.
Countless fragmented spirits drifted through the black abyss hidden inside the wounds of the fallen survivors.
Each soul carried resentment.
Pain.
Fear.
Hatred.
They devoured Luo Essence endlessly.
Feeding the corruption.
Strengthening the Void.
Preventing healing.
Preventing life.
And yet—
within that endless darkness—
a single golden figure moved.
Lin Shuan.
Or perhaps—
something wearing Lin Shuan's body.
His golden eye radiated ancient brilliance.
An ancient sword floated beside him.
Every swing erased countless souls.
Every movement severed invisible laws hidden within the corruption.
Far away—
Tian Wuchen watched silently.
Even now he could not fully understand what he was witnessing.
The old monster had battled Void corruption for over ten thousand years.
He had watched worlds collapse.
He had seen star systems vanish.
He had personally witnessed the Age of Void Chaos.
Yet the methods Lin Shuan was using now were completely unknown to him.
Every seal.
Every movement.
Every technique.
All belonged to an era older than memory itself.
Even older than legends.
At first Tian Wuchen merely observed.
Then—
he heard that voice again.
Calm.
Ancient.
Unfathomable.
"You too..."
The golden-eyed Lin Shuan did not even turn around.
Yet somehow he knew Tian Wuchen was watching.
"Help me."
The words echoed through the Void.
"If they are not healed quickly..."
His golden gaze swept across the countless unconscious cultivators.
"They will eventually become part of this Void."
For a brief moment—
even Tian Wuchen felt chills.
Because those words were not speculation.
They were certainty.
The certainty of someone who understood the Void far better than he did.
Slowly—
the old monster nodded.
No pride.
No hesitation.
No questions.
Only action.
Golden spiritual energy exploded from his body.
His soul entered the Void hidden within the wounds of the three elders.
Han Lei Jun.
Lei Zhan Yu.
Tai Gu Chen.
The moment he entered—
he saw exactly what Lin Shuan had described.
Countless souls.
Countless parasites.
Feeding endlessly.
A cold light flashed through Tian Wuchen's eyes.
Golden radiance erupted.
A massive halberd appeared within his grasp.
The Golden Dragon Halberd.
A weapon forged from his own soul.
Its brilliance illuminated the endless darkness.
The souls immediately screamed.
Fear.
Pure fear.
Then—
Tian Wuchen attacked.
BOOM!
Golden light exploded.
Thousands of souls vanished instantly.
The old monster began slaughtering relentlessly.
Meanwhile—
Lin Shuan moved toward the younger generation.
Han Xue Long.
Lei Hao Tian.
Yan Feng Luo.
Lei Yun Hua.
Xue Mei Yun.
Xue Han Yue.
One by one—
he entered the Void hidden within their wounds.
One by one—
the ancient sword descended.
One by one—
the corruption began disappearing.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
Then months.
The forest remained silent.
The survivors remained unconscious.
The only sounds were flowing water and distant winds.
Time itself seemed forgotten.
The first to awaken was Lei Yun Hua.
Her eyes opened slowly.
Confusion filled her face.
She looked around.
The river.
The forest.
The barrier.
Then she noticed Lin Shuan.
His golden eye remained active.
His expression remained emotionless.
Ancient.
Cold.
Completely unlike the young cultivator she had met before.
Before she could speak—
he simply handed her several medicinal treasures.
Rare herbs.
Ancient roots.
Treasures that would cause sects to fight wars.
Then he pointed toward a nearby area.
"Cultivate."
Only one word.
Nothing else.
Lei Yun Hua obeyed instinctively.
Days later—
Xue Mei Yun awakened.
Then Xue Han Yue.
Then Han Xue Long.
Then Lei Hao Tian.
Then the elders.
One after another.
Each awakening followed the same pattern.
Shock.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
Then cultivation.
The medicinal treasures Lin Shuan provided allowed them to recover rapidly.
Every single treasure was priceless.
Every single treasure possessed immense medicinal energy.
The survivors gradually realized something.
The mysterious cultivator called Shuan Hao possessed resources beyond imagination.
No ordinary wandering cultivator could casually hand out treasures like this.
Yet nobody dared ask.
Because every time they looked at him—
his golden eye filled them with unease.
Especially Tian Wuchen.
The old monster grew increasingly disturbed.
Three months.
Three entire months.
Lin Shuan never slept.
Never rested.
Never ate.
Never stopped.
The moment one survivor recovered—
he moved to the next.
The moment one wound disappeared—
he entered another.
Like an ancient machine.
Endless.
Tireless.
Relentless.
Even Tian Wuchen began feeling exhausted.
Yet Lin Shuan continued.
Until finally—
only one person remained.
Yan Feng Luo.
The young man sat cross-legged.
His injuries had almost vanished.
Void corruption disappeared completely.
After several days—
he also entered cultivation.
The last survivor.
The final patient.
At that moment—
the golden eye suddenly flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
vanished.
Silence.
The ancient aura disappeared instantly.
The mysterious pressure faded.
The strange wisdom vanished.
And Lin Shuan's body swayed.
His face became pale.
Extremely pale.
Tian Wuchen's expression changed.
"Lin Shuan!"
The young cultivator's eyes rolled upward.
Then—
he collapsed.
Thud.
The unconscious body crashed onto the ground.
The old monster appeared instantly.
Golden energy flowed through Lin Shuan's meridians.
Tian Wuchen checked everything carefully.
His pulse.
His soul.
His meridians.
His spiritual sea.
After several moments—
he finally sighed.
Relief appeared in his eyes.
"He isn't injured."
The old monster looked toward the sleeping cultivator.
"His body simply reached its limit."
Three months.
Without rest.
Without sleep.
Without stopping.
Even an Immortal Seed expert might collapse under such strain.
The Snow Feng White Tiger slowly approached.
The tiny beast stared at Lin Shuan.
Then quietly sat beside him.
Protecting him.
As if standing guard.
Days passed quietly.
The survivors cultivated.
The river flowed.
The moon rose and fell.
And Lin Shuan remained unconscious.
Ten days later—
his fingers twitched.
A moment later—
his eyes slowly opened.
The first thing he saw was moonlight.
Soft.
Silver.
Gentle.
The second thing he saw—
was Han Qing Li.
She sat beside him silently.
The silver moon hung directly above her.
Countless stars filled the sky.
Moonlight illuminated her snow-white cheeks.
Her black hair shimmered beneath the night sky.
For a brief moment—
Lin Shuan forgot how to breathe.
She looked beautiful.
Unbelievably beautiful.
Like a celestial fairy sitting beneath the stars.
Then—
Han Qing Li noticed his eyes open.
Instantly—
her face became red.
She quickly moved backward.
"W-What..."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Shuan Hao... are you alright?"
Lin Shuan's own face became warm.
Because suddenly—
he realized something.
This beautiful girl had apparently remained beside him until he woke up.
"Hm..."
He coughed awkwardly.
"I'm alright now."
Han Qing Li visibly relaxed.
A gentle smile appeared.
"When I woke up..."
She looked toward him.
"You were already unconscious."
Lin Shuan frowned.
His mind became blank.
No matter how hard he tried—
he couldn't remember.
The missing memories simply refused to return.
Eventually he gave up.
Looking around—
he realized something else.
Everyone remained in cultivation.
Only Han Qing Li had already recovered completely.
At that moment—
Tian Wuchen's voice echoed from the pendant.
"Lin Shuan."
The young cultivator immediately focused.
"Master?"
"You remained awake for three entire months."
"What?"
Lin Shuan nearly jumped.
The old monster sighed.
"After that..."
"You collapsed."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Three months?
Awake?
Without sleeping?
Lin Shuan stared blankly.
He couldn't remember any of it.
Not even a little.
Then—
his eyes widened.
Because he finally noticed the surroundings.
The forest was gone.
Completely gone.
No trees.
No mountains.
No vegetation.
Nothing.
A gigantic crater stretched across the horizon.
Three thousand kilometers.
Perhaps four thousand.
The earth looked shattered.
Broken.
Destroyed.
Like the world itself had nearly split apart.
Lin Shuan's jaw dropped.
"What happened here?!"
Han Qing Li immediately looked toward him.
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
Lin Shuan froze.
"..."
Han Qing Li blinked.
Lin Shuan blinked.
Both stared at one another.
Neither had an answer.
Eventually—
Han Qing Li smiled helplessly.
The atmosphere gradually relaxed.
Then—
her expression became serious.
"Shuan Hao..."
"May I ask something?"
Lin Shuan nodded.
"Of course."
The princess hesitated.
As if choosing her words carefully.
Then she finally asked—
"What technique did you use?"
Lin Shuan froze.
Han Qing Li continued softly.
"When everyone collapsed..."
"You healed us."
"All of us."
Her beautiful eyes remained fixed upon him.
"You are still a Meridian Tracer cultivator."
"Yet you healed wounds that none of us could overcome."
Her voice gradually became quieter.
Sadder.
More painful.
"My father died because of those wounds."
Lin Shuan became silent.
Han Qing Li lowered her head.
Tears glimmered faintly.
"He was a Divine Cycle Emperor."
"The Emperor of Wanling Empire."
A bitter smile appeared.
"Yet even he couldn't survive."
The night breeze moved gently through her hair.
She looked toward the moon.
Loneliness filled her eyes.
"Do you know anything about Void Chaos?"
Lin Shuan wanted to answer.
But he couldn't.
Because he genuinely didn't know.
Not anymore.
Not after losing those memories.
Eventually—
he could only smile bitterly.
"To be honest..."
"I don't remember anything."
Han Qing Li stared at him.
Searching his eyes.
Trying to determine whether he was lying.
Yet she found nothing.
Only confusion.
Only sincerity.
After several moments—
she nodded.
"Then perhaps..."
"You truly don't remember."
Although inwardly—
she remained unconvinced.
This mysterious cultivator appeared from nowhere.
Moved faster than anyone she had ever seen.
Possessed unimaginable treasures.
Lived deep within one of the most dangerous forests on the continent.
And somehow healed Void wounds.
Nothing about him felt ordinary.
Nothing.
Nearby—
inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen suddenly spoke.
"Lin Shuan."
"Master."
The old monster's voice became unusually serious.
"There is something inside you."
Lin Shuan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Tian Wuchen remained silent briefly.
Then answered.
"When you activated the Golden Eye..."
"You were no longer yourself."
The young cultivator froze.
Memories surfaced.
Pressure.
Darkness.
A cage.
Being trapped.
Being pushed away.
His expression changed.
"Master..."
He slowly nodded.
"I remember something."
"What?"
Lin Shuan stared toward the stars.
"It felt like someone was suppressing me."
His voice became uncertain.
"Eventually..."
"I became trapped somewhere."
"As if my consciousness had been imprisoned."
"And I lost control of my body."
Tian Wuchen's eyes narrowed.
The old monster sighed heavily.
"You used an art that disappeared in ancient times."
Lin Shuan blinked.
"What?"
"A soul-destruction art."
"An art specifically created to control and destroy souls."
The young cultivator stared blankly.
"I don't remember any of that."
Tian Wuchen rubbed his forehead.
Neither did he understand.
Not completely.
Not yet.
Eventually—
the old monster sighed.
"Then I suppose..."
"I'll have to investigate myself."
Silence returned.
The conversation ended.
For a long time—
neither Lin Shuan nor Han Qing Li spoke.
The moon remained beautiful.
The stars remained bright.
The night remained peaceful.
Eventually—
Han Qing Li slowly looked upward.
Toward the moon.
A faint smile appeared.
Yet sadness lingered within it.
"My empire used to be beautiful."
Her voice was soft.
Almost a whisper.
"When I was younger..."
"I often sat on the palace rooftop."
"And watched the moon."
Her eyes became distant.
Lost in memories.
Memories of home.
Of family.
Of people now gone forever.
"The moon..."
She murmured softly.
"Even while remaining high above the heavens..."
"It still illuminates the earth."
Her gaze reflected silver light.
"It gives life to countless beings through its gentle radiance."
"It asks for nothing in return."
A faint smile appeared.
"It is truly magnificent."
Lin Shuan followed her gaze.
For a moment—
he forgot everything.
The Void.
The war.
The destruction.
The enemies.
Everything.
Only the moon remained.
And the girl sitting beside him.
A smile appeared on his face.
"You're right."
He looked upward.
"It truly is magnificent."
Then suddenly—
an idea appeared.
A ridiculous idea.
An impossible idea.
The kind of idea only Lin Shuan could have.
Excitement appeared in his eyes.
He turned toward Han Qing Li.
"What if..."
The princess blinked.
"What?"
Lin Shuan grinned.
"What if you could see it from much closer?"
Han Qing Li froze.
For a moment—
she thought she misheard.
"The moon?"
Lin Shuan nodded enthusiastically.
"The moon."
Han Qing Li stared at the silver sphere hanging high above the sky.
A distant dream.
An unreachable existence.
Then—
a beautiful smile appeared on her face.
A genuine smile.
Perhaps the first genuine smile since her empire fell.
"Yes."
Her eyes reflected moonlight.
Warm.
Hopeful.
Beautiful.
"I would like that."
She looked toward the heavens once more.
Toward the moon that had accompanied her entire life.
Toward the silent guardian of countless lonely nights.
And softly whispered—
"Yes... I also wish to obtain the greatness that the moon has stolen from everyone."