The entire space around me turned a muted, lifeless gray—a fusion of black and white where nothing had color except my eyes, which glowed a vivid green. It felt as if the world had died, everything frozen in time, as though all life had lost its essence, and all presence had lost meaning. It was as if I had been plunged into a delusion where not even life itself was truly alive.
The scene exuded a suffocating blandness that would bring nothing but despair, an overwhelming sense of sloth and exhaustion, a crushing weight that pressed down on the soul, threatening to snuff out the will to live.
In this world, this domain that was a chaotic blend of mine and the Enforcer's, only my will remained steadfast. For a moment, I thought I had gained the upper hand, but the Enforcer's reaction was immediate. He faltered, his once radiant clothes dimming to a dull gray, their glow snuffed out by the overwhelming dreariness of my domain. However, it didn't last long.
With a single step, the Enforcer began to reverse the tide. The colors around him gradually returned, his skin resuming its ember-red hue, and his golden cowl reigniting to its former brilliance.
The control I had over the domain began to falter, and with it, my strength waned. I could feel the Enforcer's presence growing stronger, his power overwhelming the fragile balance I had tried to maintain.
"You possess many secrets and many formidable abilities," the Enforcer's voice echoed, reverberating through the emptiness like a judgmental decree. "Yet, I cannot allow you to wield this one here. Not because I am unjust, but because if you continue to use it against me, you will perish."
As if to punctuate his words, the domain shattered like fragile glass, crumbling into nothingness. I fell to my knees, gasping for breath as I coughed up endless streams of blood, each drop vaporizing into thin air almost instantly. My body trembled with the effort of simply staying conscious.
The Enforcer, watching me with a mix of pity and admiration, spoke again, his tone softer yet still commanding. "You are strong, Shen Bao. Mightier than most who have stood where you are now. This ability of yours, if used wisely, could bring down foes far greater than yourself. Those bound by the laws of the heavens would be powerless against your domain. But against me, it is futile.
It would have only ended in your demise."
He paused, observing me as I struggled to regain my composure. The chair that had appeared from nowhere slid back under him as he sat down, his movements deliberate and unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world.
I managed to smile, a weak and shaky gesture, but a smile nonetheless. "I guess this is where my story ends, then."
"Far from it," the Enforcer responded, his voice carrying an air of finality. He looked at me with something akin to respect. "Here, in this place, our purpose is to judge and determine if you truly sought to defy the heavens. You have shown us your indomitable will, your refusal to bow, your relentless struggle.
The heavens allow this, for it is the very essence of cultivation—to forever defy, to strive for freedom. You harbor no malice against the heavens, no ill intentions. Your desire to explore and discover is pure. It was likely for this reason that the heavens revealed to you the source of the Origin. However, you shall remember nothing of this. Now, speak your final words."
Final words? The thought made me chuckle, despite the circumstances. "Final words, huh? I don't have much to say, really. It was a good fight."
"Oh, it has an artificial intelligence feature... I should have asked him how he worked that one."
"No, I mean, this is not AI..."
Her confusion deepened as I continued to speak directly to her. Your adventure continues at empire
"Oh, watch out, behind you! A Silver is sneaking up!" I called out. She didn't even glance back as she flicked her hand, her hammer smashing through the skull of the Silver Rakshasa with terrifying precision.
"Are you really Shen Bao?"
"Who else would it be? Anyway, as you can see," I gestured around me, "I literally just got out of the grave. Also, Eternal Dusk, you might want to let go of that old man. He'll calm down in a second," I added, noticing the Dusking Sun struggling to contain the vibrations emanating from the Lord of Lords.
Immediately, the Darkest Sun's face appeared on my bracelet, his voice booming, "You're alive? LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID! THESE FOOLS ARE RUNNING RAMPANT IN MY GODDAMN BATTLEGROUND! GET THEM TO CALM THE HELL DOWN!"
I winced at the volume, my ears ringing from his outburst. The situation was more chaotic than I had anticipated, but the fact that the Suns had all joined the fight wasn't a sign of things going south. It was a testament to their rage at my supposed death. They had used the Rakshasa as their personal punching bags—something that, oddly enough, warmed my heart.
I quickly composed myself, addressing the Darkest Sun. "I apologize for the trouble, truly. I had no intentions of causing this chaos. I am alive, and I believe I have a clue as to what happened. I'll share everything I know, so if any of the Suns can hear me, please calm down, and I'll explain."
It didn't take long for the Dusking Sun to chime in, his voice filled with relief. "Thank you, Shen Bao. I was really on the verge of dying here, man. This scary old man is going to be the end of me. But as you can see, he's still not in the right state of mind. He's calming down, but it'll take a while."
Gradually, the Red Sun's aura dimmed, and the wings of the Flamboyant Sun retracted. The Suns began to withdraw from the battle, allowing the Darkest Sun to regain control.
With the immediate crisis averted, I received a final call from the Blue Sun. "I'll head to your territory in a few hours, and some of the other Suns will join me. Coming back from the dead isn't unheard of, but not in the way you did. We need to
hear the details... all the details."
I sighed, realizing that the conversation ahead would be both awkward and challenging, especially with YuYu and Liang Yu still clinging to me. But I was alive, and that was all that mattered. For now, the rest could wait.