The crowded streets of the Imperial City continued moving around Dao as if nothing had happened.
Merchants shouted from their stalls.
People pushed past one another.
The clattering of carts echoed between the enormous stone buildings, while the smell of roasted meat, incense, herbs, and freshly baked bread mixed together in the cool afternoon air.
Yet Dao barely noticed any of it.
He stood completely still.
His hand remained extended toward the place where Kio had disappeared.
Only moments ago, another person who shared his strange fate had been standing in front of him.
Now there was nothing.
No body.
No blood.
No trace.
Just an empty space in the middle of the street.
Dao slowly lowered his hand.
His fingers curled into a fist.
Dao: "So... I'm a fragment of Nothing."
The words felt strange coming out of his mouth.
He had spent so long believing that his lack of qi was simply an abnormality.
Something unfortunate.
Something that separated him from everyone else.
But now he had been given an answer.
And somehow, the answer created even more questions.
Dao looked down at his hands.
They looked completely normal.
No divine light surrounded them.
No terrifying aura leaked from his body.
There was nothing that made him look different from the thousands of people walking through the Imperial City.
Dao stared at his palm for several seconds.
Then he smiled.
Dao: "And somehow I'm supposed to become the strongest."
His smile widened.
Dao: "Sounds interesting."
He placed his hands behind his head and began walking.
The Imperial City was enormous.
Its streets seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, surrounded by buildings several stories tall. Elaborate wooden balconies overlooked the roads, colorful banners hung between rooftops, and enormous statues of ancient cultivators stood at intersections.
Dao had seen large cities before.
But this was different.
This place felt like an entire world contained inside walls.
Thousands upon thousands of people lived here.
Cultivators walked among ordinary citizens.
Sect disciples carried swords on their backs.
Merchants transported strange treasures in reinforced carts.
Even children seemed familiar with things Dao considered extraordinary.
For once, Dao found himself genuinely interested in exploring.
Then—
He stopped.
A strange sensation spread through his body.
Dao's smile disappeared.
The sound of the city faded.
The voices of the merchants became distant.
The footsteps disappeared.
Even the wind stopped touching his skin.
Dao looked around.
The world was changing.
The colors of the city began draining away.
The buildings became transparent.
The ground beneath his feet disappeared.
Dao's eyes widened.
Dao: "What the—"
Everything vanished.
---
Dao opened his eyes.
There was nothing.
Not darkness.
Something deeper than darkness.
Darkness was still something that could be seen.
This place had no light because there was nothing for light to exist upon.
There was no ground beneath Dao's feet.
Yet he wasn't falling.
There was no sky.
No horizon.
No direction.
Dao slowly turned his head.
Nothing changed.
He couldn't hear his breathing.
He couldn't hear his heartbeat.
He couldn't even feel the movement of air against his skin.
For the first time in a very long time, Dao felt something unfamiliar.
Unease.
He looked down.
There was no floor.
He raised his hand.
His hand existed.
But somehow it also felt distant.
As though even his own body didn't completely belong here.
Dao frowned.
Dao: "Where am I?"
His voice echoed.
But the echo didn't behave normally.
Instead of fading away, it continued traveling through the emptiness.
Dao: "Where am I?"
Dao: "Where am I?"
Dao: "Where am I?"
Then another voice answered.
Voice: "You are not ready."
Dao immediately turned around.
There was nobody there.
His eyes narrowed.
Dao: "Who said that?"
The voice came again.
Voice: "You."
Dao froze.
Dao: "...What?"
Something appeared in the distance.
A person.
A familiar face.
Dao stared.
The person walked closer.
It was him.
Another Dao.
Same black hair.
Same face.
Same clothes.
Same calm expression.
The other Dao stopped a few meters away.
Other Dao: "You are a fragment."
Dao stared at himself.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Dao pointed at the other version of himself.
Dao: "Another fragment?"
The other Dao smiled.
Other Dao: "No."
He took another step forward.
Other Dao: "I am you."
Dao's expression became flat.
Dao: "That's annoying."
The other Dao laughed.
The sound was strangely loud in the endless emptiness.
Suddenly, the space around them changed.
Thousands of images appeared.
They floated through the Void like windows.
Dao saw himself standing on mountains.
He saw another version of himself fighting a creature so enormous that its body wrapped around an entire planet.
Another Dao sat inside a futuristic city filled with towers of glass and metal.
Another walked through the ruins of a destroyed universe.
Another wore black armor covered in blood.
Another was old.
Another was young.
Another was a child.
Dao slowly turned in place.
Everywhere he looked...
Himself.
Different lives.
Different worlds.
Different choices.
Different endings.
His expression became serious.
Dao: "Those are..."
Other Dao: "Possibilities."
Dao watched one version of himself raise a sword toward an army.
Another version sat alone beneath a tree.
Another was surrounded by people.
Another stood completely alone.
Dao's eyes narrowed.
Dao: "Are they real?"
The other Dao looked at him.
Other Dao: "Some are."
Dao looked at the others.
Dao: "And the rest?"
Other Dao: "They haven't happened yet."
Dao remained silent.
The endless images continued floating around them.
Then Dao asked the question that immediately came to his mind.
Dao: "How many fragments are there?"
The other Dao looked toward the endless darkness.
Other Dao: "More than you could count."
Dao gave a small laugh.
Dao: "Of course."
He looked at the countless versions of himself.
Dao: "And all of them are connected to Nothing?"
Other Dao: "Yes."
Dao's expression hardened.
His thoughts returned to Kio.
Dao: "Then why did Kio die?"
The other Dao's smile disappeared.
Other Dao: "He didn't die."
Dao's eyes widened.
Dao: "What?"
Other Dao: "He returned."
The darkness behind them suddenly cracked.
A thin white line appeared in the endless Void.
The line slowly widened.
A faint figure appeared within it.
Dao recognized the voice immediately.
Kio: "Brother..."
Dao's heart jumped.
He immediately ran toward the light.
Dao: "Kio!"
He reached toward the figure.
His fingers almost touched it.
Then—
The light disappeared.
Dao stopped.
His hand remained stretched into the empty space.
Nothing.
Again.
Dao slowly lowered his hand.
Dao: "What the hell?"
The other Dao spoke from behind him.
Other Dao: "You absorbed his fragment."
Dao turned.
Dao: "Then why can I still hear him?"
Other Dao: "Because his memories are inside you."
Dao looked down.
A black mark slowly appeared on his palm.
It looked almost like a tiny hole in reality.
Dao touched it.
Instantly—
Pain exploded through his head.
Thousands of memories flooded into his mind.
Kio as a child.
Kio walking through the streets of his original world.
Kio staring at the sky after realizing he had no qi.
Kio's first reincarnation.
His loneliness.
His years of searching for an explanation.
His visions.
His discovery of the True Embodiment of Nothing.
Dao saw everything.
Every emotion.
Every fear.
Every moment of hope.
It felt as though Dao wasn't watching Kio's memories.
He was living them.
Dao fell to one knee.
His breathing became heavy.
Dao: "Too... many..."
The memories continued pouring into him.
Then, suddenly—
Silence.
Dao remained kneeling.
His hand trembled slightly.
The memories were gone.
But he could still feel them.
They were now part of him.
Dao slowly stood.
The other Dao watched him.
Other Dao: "Your time is almost over."
Dao looked up.
Dao: "Wait."
The other Dao began fading.
Dao's eyes narrowed.
Dao: "Can I control the Void?"
The other Dao smiled.
Other Dao: "Not yet."
Dao: "Then when?"
The other Dao's body became almost transparent.
Other Dao: "When you stop thinking of Nothing as power."
Dao frowned.
Dao: "Then what is it?"
The other Dao disappeared.
His final words echoed through the emptiness.
Other Dao: "It is what remains when everything else is gone."
The Void shattered.
---
Dao's eyes suddenly opened.
He was standing in the middle of the Imperial City's street.
The sounds of the city returned all at once.
Merchants shouting.
People talking.
Children laughing.
Wheels rolling across stone.
The smell of food filled his lungs.
Dao took a deep breath.
He looked around.
Nobody seemed to have noticed anything.
To everyone else, barely a second had passed.
Dao looked at his palm.
The black mark was gone.
He closed his hand.
Dao: "Interesting."
He continued walking.
But this time, his mind was racing.
The True Embodiment of Nothing.
Fragments.
Other universes.
The Void.
Kio.
And the strange version of himself.
There were more questions than answers.
But Dao wasn't worried.
If anything...
He was curious.
He wanted to see just how far this power could go.
He wanted to know what existed beyond the Void.
And eventually—
He wanted to meet the True Embodiment of Nothing.
Dao smiled.
Dao: "If you're really watching through our eyes..."
He looked toward the enormous Imperial Palace rising above the city.
Dao: "Then keep watching."
Dao continued down the street.
A few minutes later, shouting suddenly erupted nearby.
Man: "MOVE!"
Dao turned his head.
A group of Imperial guards came rushing through the street.
Their armor reflected the sunlight, and their boots struck the stone pavement in perfect rhythm.
Behind them ran a young man dressed in expensive white robes embroidered with golden patterns.
His face was red with anger.
Young Man: "CATCH THAT THIEF!"
A figure suddenly appeared around the corner.
The thief sprinted directly toward Dao.
Dao barely moved.
He simply shifted half a step to the side.
The thief missed him completely.
His foot caught against the edge of the stone pavement.
He fell forward.
Something flew from his clothes.
A small jade token landed directly beside Dao's foot.
Dao looked down.
The token was beautifully carved.
A black crown surrounded by nine tiny stars was engraved into its surface.
Dao picked it up.
The moment his fingers touched it, he felt a strange sensation.
Not qi.
Not spiritual energy.
Something faint.
Something familiar.
Dao's smile disappeared.
Dao: "This feels important."
The guards arrived.
One pointed his spear at Dao.
Guard: "You! Give us that token!"
Dao looked at the guard.
Then at the token.
Then back at the guard.
He calmly placed the token inside his clothes.
Dao: "No."
The guard froze.
Guard: "What did you say?"
Dao shrugged.
Dao: "I said no."
The young nobleman stepped forward.
His expensive robes swayed as he walked.
Young Noble: "Do you know who you're dealing with?"
Dao looked at him.
Dao: "Nope."
The nobleman's expression twisted with anger.
Young Noble: "I'm the son of one of the Imperial City's great families!"
Dao nodded.
Dao: "Congratulations."
The surrounding crowd became quiet.
Some people began whispering.
They clearly knew the family's name.
Dao didn't.
The guards slowly drew their weapons.
Metal scraped against metal.
Dao sighed.
He looked toward the Imperial Palace.
The massive structure towered over the city, its golden roofs shining beneath the afternoon sun.
Dao: "I was actually having a peaceful day."
He turned back toward the guards.
A small smile appeared on his face.
Dao: "And now I'm probably going to have to fight someone."
The guards tightened their grips.
Dao's smile widened.
Dao: "This city might actually be fun."
Far above them, deep inside the Imperial Palace, an old man suddenly opened his eyes.
He was sitting alone inside a dark chamber.
Ancient formations covered the walls.
Dozens of candles burned around him, their flames barely moving despite the wind coming through the open windows.
The old man's expression suddenly changed.
He slowly looked toward the Imperial City.
His eyes seemed to see through the enormous palace walls.
Through the streets.
Through the countless buildings.
Until they reached Dao.
The old man's pupils narrowed.
Old Man: "The Void..."
He slowly stood.
For the first time in hundreds of years, the calm expression on his face disappeared.
A faint tremor passed through the palace.
Then—
A bell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The sound spread across the entire Imperial City.
People stopped what they were doing.
Cultivators looked toward the palace.
Guards raised their heads.
Dao turned around.
Dao: "What's that?"
The old man's voice echoed through the palace.
Old Man: "It has appeared again."
The Imperial City's alarm had been activated.
And nobody knew why.
Except one person.
The old man looked toward the distant street.
Toward Dao.
Old Man: "The Void has returned."