Darkness pressed against Xiao Wang's skin like liquid iron.
The trial chamber was nothing like the starlit palaces or the celestial battlefields he had witnessed before. This place had no walls, no ceiling, no ground—just a vast, depthless abyss, rippling with distorted echoes of his heartbeat.
Footsteps clicked against nothing.
HIS footsteps.
Xiao Wang lifted his gaze.
The figure standing before him was undeniably himself—yet not.
His hair was longer, reaching his waist like a black waterfall streaked with ancient starlight. His eyes glowed with a coldness so deep it resembled a dying universe. And the sword in his hand… the blade was forged entirely from collapsed stars, a weapon the Emperor had sealed away in Xiao Wang's memories.
The Starfall Annihilation Sword.
The shadow smirked.
"For a reincarnation of ME… you look disappointingly fragile."
Xiao Wang felt the hairs on his arms rise.
His other personality whispered sharply:
"Wow. This guy looks like all the worst decisions we ever made—combined."
The Devouring Sword spirit shivered in his grip.
[Warning!]
[Trial Entity Detected!]
Designation: Shadow of the Emperor's Wrath
Nature: Soul Mirage – NOT an illusion
Threat Level: Catastrophic]
Another line of text flickered—hesitant, glitching.
[Recommendation: Run.]
Xiao Wang exhaled slowly.
"No."
The shadow's smile widened.
"Good."
Black lightning tore through the void.
A Blade That Cuts the Soul
The shadow blurred.
One heartbeat, he stood ten meters away.
Next, his blade was already pressed against Xiao Wang's throat.
"Slow," the shadow whispered. "Pathetically slow."
CLANG!!
The Devouring Sword barely rose in time, sparks exploding as two blades met. The impact threw Xiao Wang across the abyss—his body tumbling through darkness until he forced himself to land.
His shoulder burned.
His fingers shook.
But the shadow didn't press the attack. He watched, cold amusement twisting his lips.
"You're not even worth killing yet."
Xiao Wang tightened his grip.
"Doesn't matter," he muttered. "I'll surpass you."
The shadow laughed. Truly laughed.
It was not a sound meant for any mortal ear.
"You? Surpass me?"
He stepped forward, every footfall cracking the air. "I am the part of you that Heaven hated. The part YOU feared. The part your lover begged you to seal away."
Xiao Wang froze.
"…My lover?"
The shadow tilted his head mockingly.
"You think she betrayed you."
His blade lifted—
"But she was only following YOUR order."
Xiao Wang's blood went cold.
"That's a lie."
The shadow pointed the Starfall Sword at him.
"Then open the third door when you're able. And see who gave the command to end your life."
Xiao Wang's throat tightened.
No words came.
Because deep down… a small part of him feared it was true.
A Strike Faster Than Thought
The shadow vanished.
Not blurred.
Not moved.
Vanished.
Xiao Wang spun instinctively—
Too late.
A kick slammed into his ribs, sending him crashing into nothingness. The void rippled like disturbed water.
Before he could inhale—
SLASH!
A streak of star-fire cut across his chest. Pain shot through him, burning, nauseating.
[System Alert!]
[Soul Integrity: 94% → 72%]
[Warning: Trial damage applies directly to the soul!]
The shadow clicked his tongue.
"Fragile. Weak. You really are an embarrassment."
He cut down again.
And again.
And again.
A storm of sword strikes rained upon Xiao Wang—each one precise, cold, merciless. He deflected what he could—dodged what he couldn't. His breathing turned sharp and uneven. Blood—spiritual blood—dripped into the abyss and dissolved instantly.
Still, the shadow didn't stop.
He slashed sideways, carving an arc of collapsing starlight that tore open parts of Xiao Wang's soul.
[Soul Integrity: 72% → 58%]
Xiao Wang staggered.
The abyss shook.
The Devouring Sword spirit growled inside his mind:
"FOOL! Fight back!!"
Xiao Wang raised the sword—but the shadow grabbed his wrist with one hand, effortlessly.
"You think that toy will save you?"
Then he shattered Xiao Wang's guard.
One palm thrust into Xiao Wang's chest—
BOOM!!
Xiao Wang flew backwards so violently that cracks splintered across the void behind him.
He coughed, gripping his chest.
"You're… strong…"
"Of course I'm strong," the shadow replied calmly. "I am everything you suppressed. Everything Heaven tried to erase."
His expression darkened.
"I am the Emperor you were afraid to become again."
"Why Did You Seal Me Away?"
Xiao Wang's breath trembled.
"How are you here…?"
The shadow twirled his sword casually before resting it on his shoulder.
"Inside your true soul lies seven seals."
His finger extended.
"One opened when you awakened the Emperor Fragment."
"Another cracked when the Sword Ancestor interfered."
"And the third… opened the moment you touched that door."
Xiao Wang's body stiffened.
"…the black flame."
"Correct."
The shadow's eyes glowed.
"That door is the truth of your betrayal. The truth of your death. The truth of HER final act."
Xiao Wang clenched his fist.
"Tell me."
"No."
The shadow's voice softened unexpectedly.
"Some truths are earned. Not given."
He lifted his blade.
"And until you prove worthy, you will not take one step closer to who you were."
The Emperor's Shadow Attacks
The abyss groaned.
The shadow lifted his Sword "slowly..." reverently.
The Starfall Annihilation Sword pulsed with deadly light—each beat like the collapse of a star.
Then—
Everything exploded.
A burst of starlight illuminated the abyss, blinding and cold. The Shadow Swung His Blade in a perfect crescent.
Xiao Wang raised his sword—
But the shadow's blade cut through his defense like slicing through leaves.
SLASH!!
Xiao Wang staggered, agony lancing through him.
[Soul Integrity: 58% → 39%]
[Critical Condition!]
[If Soul Integrity reaches 0%, death will be permanent.]
His other personality shouted:
"BRO WE ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO DIE—MOVE!!"
Xiao Wang forced his legs to respond.
The shadow flicked his finger—
A beam of star-fire shot forward.
Xiao Wang dodged sideways, rolling—
BOOM!!
The abyss cracked open beneath him, a chasm of swirling darkness sucking everything inside.
The shadow floated above it effortlessly.
"Pathetic."
He raised his blade a final time.
"Die, imposter."
A Voice That Should Not Exist
As the blade descended-
A crack snapped through the void.
The sound was Small.
But ancient.
Primordial.
A second voice whispered behind Xiao Wang:
"Interesting."
The shadow froze.
Xiao Wang's eyes widened.
A figure materialized beside him.
Not the Sword Ancestor.
Not the Emperor fragment.
Not the girl.
It was the silhouette from the third door.
A man with no face—only swirling darkness where features should exist. His presence was oppressive, heavier than mountains.
The sealed version of Xiao Wang.
The version Heaven erased.
The one whose voice had warned him away from the door.
He spoke softly:
"You attack my reincarnation. How amusing."
The shadow hissed.
"You have no right to interfere. YOU were Sealed for a reason."
The faceless one tilted his head.
"And yet here I am."
He turned to Xiao Wang.
"You wish to survive this trial?"
Xiao Wang swallowed.
"Yes."
"Then listen."
The faceless figure touched Xiao Wang's forehead.
The world trembled.
[System Update Initiated!]
[Hidden Authority Unlocked: Emperor's Root — Tier 1]
[Soul Fortification: +20%]
[Sword Intent Resonance: Activated]
[Special Skill Granted: ??? (Sealed)]
A flood of power coursed through Xiao Wang's soul—sharp, ancient, familiar.
The shadow snarled, blade trembling.
"That power is forbidden!"
The faceless one ignored him.
"Use what is yours," he whispered. "Take what you were denied."
Then—
He vanished.
Gone as if he had never existed.
A New Power Awakens
Xiao Wang stood straighter.
His soul stabilized.
[Soul Integrity: 39% → 68%]
The Devouring Sword vibrated violently, awakened by the new energy.
The shadow glared.
"Don't think a scrap of power will save you."
Xiao Wang raised his sword slowly.
His eyes sharpened.
Starlight reflected in his pupils.
He spoke calmly—
"No."
The shadow blinked.
Xiao Wang stepped forward, voice cold.
"It won't save me."
He lifted the Devouring Sword—
Which now pulsed with Emperor's Root energy.
"But it will let me fight you."
For the first time…
For the very first time…
The shadow's smile faded.
"You've grown."
Xiao Wang exhaled, lowering his stance.
"Let's begin."
And the void detonated as the two versions of Xiao Wang clashed—
Light against darkness.
Past against present.
Emperor against reincarnation.
The real battle had begun.