THE PATHLESS DAO
CHAPTER 1 : WORLD BEYOND DEATH
It was a starless night. Only a thin crescent moon hung quietly in the sky. Inside a dark room where not even a single light flickered, a man sat alone. The silence was so heavy it felt as if the entire world had stopped, no wind, no rustle, no life.
Lin Xuan sat there, a broken figure with only one eye, one hand, and one leg left. His muscles were torn, his body ruined, yet his expression was empty. Slowly, he rose from his chair and limped toward the kitchen.
Without hesitation, he picked up a knife and drove it into his own chest.
He did not scream. He did not even flinch. He simply stood there as if the pain meant nothing, as if his soul had already died long before his body did. Pulling himself back to the chair, the knife still lodged in his chest, he sat down and began counting softly:
One… two… three… four… five…"
Blood dripped steadily from him, like a faucet left open. Yet his face remained blank, lifeless—only a faint spark of consciousness lingered inside him.
Finally, his weak voice broke the silence.
"O death… what sin have I committed to deserve this life? O God… if you exist, answer me…"
His voice faded, and silence reclaimed the room.
Hours passed. The blood pooling beneath him grew cold. At last, his heart stopped. Lin Xuan died.
A light descended upon his lifeless form.
It forced his eyes open. When he came to, he was no longer in his room. Instead, he floated in a vast, endless white void—so boundless it felt like the sky itself.
Before he could understand where he was, something appeared in front of him.
A figure—pitch black, shaped like a human but clearly not one. It radiated depth, an abyss so profound that no mind could comprehend it.
With trembling fear, Lin Xuan asked,
"W-who are you…?"
For a long moment, the entity remained silent. Just as Lin believed it would never reply, a voice echoed through the endless void—grand, overwhelming, divine.
"I AM THE TRUTH. I AM THE LIE.
I AM THE DEATH. I AM THE LIFE.
I AM YOU, AND YOU ARE ME.
THE WORLD YOU SEE BELONGS TO ME.
I AM SORROW. I AM DELIGHT.
I AM DAY AND I AM NIGHT.
SOME CALL ME FRAUD, SOME CALL ME GOD.
I CREATE LIFE AND I END IT.
I GIVE, AND I TAKE.
I AM NOTHINGNESS."
Silence fell again.
Lin struggled to breathe. He wanted to deny it, but deep down he knew—no being other than a god could stand before him like this.
With fear shaking his voice, he asked,
"What… what does God want from me?"
The entity smiled—a smile he could not see, but could feel.
"O my poor child… I want nothing from you. I am here to give."
"Give… what?" Lin whispered.
"Your happiness. I have seen your suffering, child. Every wound, every cry, every betrayal. And even as God…
I AM SORRY, MY CHILD."
Lin broke instantly. Tears poured from him like rain. His heart, shattered through years of torment, finally burst open.
After what felt like an eternity, he wiped his tears and asked softly,
"What… do you wish to give me?"
The divine voice replied gently,
"A second chance. Another life."
Lin froze. Then he shook his head.
"I don't want it… I can't suffer anymore. This world… it isn't made for good people. They kill for greed. They use others. Money rules everything. Family, bonds… they're lies. In this world, those with wealth treat others like insects."
God answered calmly,
"Such is the nature of the world you lived in. None can escape it—except me. But I never said you must return to the same world. You may choose any world you desire."
Lin didn't hesitate.
"A cultivation world… where one can become immortal."
The entity chuckled softly.
"Immortal, huh?"
"As you wish, child. But know this ,I am only giving you a new life, not immortality. You will be born as a mortal. Whether you rise or fall… that will depend on you."
The void trembled as the entity's voice grew faint.
"NOW GO, CHILD.
YOU HAVE MY BLESSING.
BE HAPPY.
FORGET THE PAST—
AND FORGE THE FUTURE AHEAD…"
Lin reached out, and his body dissolved into light
To be continued.....