Power of Void

On the third day after the night fog dissipated, the morning light on the Floating Island possessed an unusual clarity. The light was not the intense heat of the ordinary sunrise, but rather like shards of Glazed Ice filtered a hundred times through Kunlun Jade Marrow, flowing down the folds of the sea of clouds—folds that held the lingering coolness of the previous night. As the light flowed, it stirred up tiny Ice Crystals, Ice Crystals refracted seven illusory images in the morning light, like rainbows falling from the clouds. The shards of light eventually rolled into delicate silver arcs on the Crystal Moss of the cliff face, each arc carrying the weight of the morning light. When they landed on the moss, one could hear the soft rustling of the moss cells unfurling, like countless translucent insects gently fluttering their wings, their wingtips brushing against the downy hairs of the grass, even the air itself tingling with a tingling, itchy sensation.

Ren Xiaoyao stood on the edge of the cliff, his dark robes fluttering in the morning breeze. The interplay of light and shadow on the fabric undulated with the air currents, like a flowing Star Map —Star Map in which the handle of the Big Dipper was slowly turning east, and a few tiny, newly formed stars floated beside the constellations of the Southern Dipper, twinkling with a faint light like the cries of an infant. He lightly touched the halo of the Tai Chi Ring with his fingertips, and within that flowing circle of light Light and Darkness Qi, a wisp of "emptiness" seemed to rise and fall, like a fish swishing its tail in a clear stream, neither sinking to the bottom nor floating on the surface. The ripples created by the movement of its tail fin caused subtle tremors in Light and Darkness Qi.

That "emptiness" was the faint aura that escaped from the crack in "Void" when the Heavenly Emperor of Extreme Evil was suppressed. At this moment, with his breath, it was weaving a hazy gray-white in the depths of his consciousness—like light ink that hadn't quite dried on rice paper, mixed with a touch of morning dew. The texture of the fibers could be seen slowly unfolding within the ink, neither so thick as to obscure the paper's texture, nor so faint as to disappear without a trace, but rather slowly spreading in that Chaos Land. Even the way he perceived the world underwent a subtle change: the Rhythm of Life and Death that was once clearly discernible now had a layer of translucent gauze, behind which lay a more distant silence, in which one could hear the soft sound of Time Stream, like the whispers of sand grains in an hourglass brushing against the glass.

He closed his eyes, trying to capture the essence of that breath. In the past, when he perceived the world, everything had its "form": the vitality of plants was like emerald fireflies, dancing around the roots, even the arc of the veins on the leaves was clearly discernible, and he could even count the number of hairs on each leaf—the tips of the hairs still clung to the dewdrops of last night, refracting light more delicate than stars; the heaviness of mountains and rocks was like gray-brown solidified blocks, each fold of the rock layer concealing millions of years of silence, and touching them would allow him to hear the whispers deep within the earth's crust, whispers containing the lingering warmth of Ancient Volcano eruptions (with a slightly bitter sulfurous taste), and the chill of glaciers brushing against rocks (the crisp sound of Ice Crystals); the movement of stars was like silvery trails, taut like strings in the void, the rise and fall of stars being the rhythm played by heaven and earth, and when plucked, one could hear the crisp sound of stardust colliding, like shattered jade falling into Glazed Ice cup, the lingering sound still carrying the warmth of Star Core Burning.

But this "Void" is different. It has no color; if you try to dye it blue, it melts into blue, transforming into a backdrop more vast than the sky. It has no weight; if you try to weigh it, it takes on weights, light enough to support the tip of a butterfly's wing. It even lacks the outline of "existence," like an ever-fillable chasm, hidden in the gaps between all things—the spaces between flowers (enough to accommodate the fluttering of bee wings), the crevices between leaves (enough to hide the rolling of dewdrops), the distance between stars (enough to hold the flow of light-years), all bear its shadow. You say it is emptiness, yet it can contain the shadows of all things, even the finest dust motes can be seen within it. A fleeting shape is reflected in the void, a shape still carrying the scent of passing dust and wind; you say it exists, you reach out to grasp it, but only touch a void lighter than the wind, unable to retain even the warmth of your fingertips, as if that warmth has been broken down into finer particles and scattered into the boundless expanse. Ren Xiaoyao's fingertips trace across the void, creating a faint ripple—a ripple without light or shadow, only a brief "blank space," where even the sounds of the surrounding pines and flowing clouds vanish for a moment, as if heaven and earth held their breath, even the lingering echo of the distant tides crashing on the shore was paused, even the hands of time paused.

"This is 'nothingness'..." he murmured to himself. No sooner had he spoken than a deafening dragon's roar echoed across the sky. The sound lacked the usual majesty of a dragon's cry; instead, it carried a frenzied fury that tore through the clouds, like a thousand-pound thunderbolt crashing onto the Floating Island's protective shield. Within the ripples spreading across the shield, countless tiny particles of light trembled, each emitting a mournful cry before shattering glass. The entire island swayed slightly with this force, and fine cracks even seeped from the bluestone slabs along the cliff edge, from which the deepest ley lines of the earth emerged. A chill ran through the air. The ancient pines on the cliff edge swayed violently, their gnarled branches almost touching the cliff face. The Cang their bark were stretched and distorted, like the wrinkles suddenly tightening on an old man's face. Dewdrops fell from the pine needles, their "clinking" sounds on the bluestone slabs were out of rhythm, like jade beads crying with broken strings, their tears reflecting the chaotic light of the sky. Even the rhythm of the distant tides was disrupted, its rise and fall punctuated by a more irritable panting. The force of the waves crashing against the rocks varied, like the staggering steps of a drunkard.

Ren Xiaoyao looked up and saw a colossal azure dragon breaking through the churning sea of clouds in the east. The dragon's body was a thousand feet long, its scales gleaming with a cold, hard luster in the morning light. Each scale resembled bronze armor tempered with the icy chill of the Northern Abyss, with fine ice crystals clinging to the edges, reflecting a blinding azure light—a light with a sharpness that seemed to Sky-Rending Strike. When it struck the cliff face, it eroded tiny spots of Light Spots, instantly Light Spots the surrounding Crystal Moss, as if its soul had been ripped away. Even more eerie, black lightning crackled between the scales, like... Like a venomous snake, it darted and crackled, each bolt leaving a charred trail in the air, numbing even the air itself. Inhaling it left a metallic, acrid taste, like swallowing red-hot iron filings. The dragon's whiskers lashed the air like steel whips, the resulting gusts of wind churning even the lingering starlight in the distance into a chaotic mess. Those fragments swirled in the gale like crumpled brocade, their edges still hissing and Mars. These Mars fell into the sea of clouds, igniting several clouds and burning them to black ash, within which floated the remnants of starlight.

"Azure Sky Dragon Demon?" Ren Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow. This dragon demon was originally a branch of the East Sea Dragon Clan. A hundred years ago, it fell into Demonic Dao demonic path due to its greed for the Thunder Force, and shattered the Xuanbing of the Dragon Locking Abyss into dust—that Xuanbing was originally an essence that had never melted for ten thousand years, frozen with High Antiquity wind and snow. When it shattered, it emitted a mournful cry of Jade and Stone Shattered, and in the cry, one could hear the sigh of the wind and snow dissipating. In the end, it was locked at the Bottom of the Abyss by the First Island Master with the "Dragon Suppressing Nail." The Soul Suppressing Mantra engraved on the nails still flow with golden light at the Bottom of the Abyss. Each word is like a small mountain peak, suppressing the surging malevolent energy. Now, the nail marks have not disappeared, yet it has been able to break free of the seal. It seems that in the past hundred years, its control over lightning has deepened. It can even gnaw cracks in the restriction of the Locked Dragon Nails. What seeps out of the cracks is no longer dragon blood, but black plasma.

The Azure Sky Dragon Demon's gigantic eyes swept across the Floating Island. Its amber pupils were filled with crimson blood vessels, like red-hot copper beads, their surfaces still steaming. When its gaze fell upon the Heavenly Emperor of Extreme Evil within the Tai Chi Ring, a flicker of greed flashed across its face—the instinctive craving of a fellow being for evil, as if it wanted to devour that lingering malevolent energy, even wanting to chew up and swallow the Life and Death Fragments remaining in the Heavenly Emperor of Extreme Evil's sea of consciousness. Those fragments contained the fragrance of blooming flowers and the coolness of falling leaves, all of which became delicacies in its eyes. Then it turned to Ren Xiaoyao, opened its dragon mouth, and spewed out a pillar of azure lightning.

That bolt of lightning was no ordinary lightning; it was formed from countless tiny Space Fragments. Wherever it passed, the air was twisted into spiraling Rift. Within these Rift, one could vaguely see shattered stars and collapsed mountains, along with countless blurry phantoms struggling within—these were fragments of space torn apart by the lightning, carrying a resolute determination to destroy everything. Even the flow of time was distorted at the edges of the Rift; in some places, one could see grass wither and flourish instantly, while in others, even the falling dew seemed to move in slow motion. This was Demon Power that had incorporated "annihilation" into the lightning, even more violent than the "Void" of the Heavenly Emperor of Extreme Evil. Like a blunt knife, it forcefully cleaved the order of heaven and earth in two, and from the knife's edge flowed a venomous liquid that corroded the Dao. When the venom fell on the clouds, the clouds turned into black smoke.

Ren Xiaoyao tapped his toes, and a Light Wheel, formed from the Tai Chi Pill, spun before him. The Tai Chi Patterns on the Light Wheel's edge flowed rapidly, layers upon layers of fleeting, ever-changing images: flowers bloomed and withered, petals falling with the morning dew and the muffled sound of them hitting the earth, a sound that held the flower's longing for its roots; people were born and died, the cries of infants and the sighs of the elderly intertwined within the Light Wheel, each ring etched with the fingerprints of a person; stars shone and dimmed, the brilliance of Supernova Explosion and the Silence of Annihilation White Dwarf Star's demise playing out in turn, the flames of the explosions... Illuminating a thousand galaxies, its lingering warmth upon extinguishing could warm a thousand years of cold. This was originally an indestructible defense, yet it trembled slightly the moment it touched the lightning pillar. The illusory images of birth and death on the Light Wheel were blurred by the shock, like an ink painting dampened by rain. Those Space Fragments could penetrate the barrier of light and darkness, etching tiny holes in the Light Wheel. What flowed from the holes was that wisp of "Void" that he could not fathom, like living water gushing from a spring, carrying a clear, cool chill, so cool that it could see the dust in the depths of one's heart.

"Interesting." Ren Xiaoyao advanced instead of retreating, his purple-gold aura suddenly contracting, like a thin cocoon, enveloping the "Void" escaping from the hole. This time, he did not try to fight it with the Power of Life and Death, but let the "blank" flow through his body. When it flowed through his meridians, there was no obstruction at all, but rather it was like a stream flowing into a river, and even the Purple-Gold Airflow in his body became soothed, as if it had found some kind of wonderful balance—like a raging wild horse meeting a rider who understands it, finally slowing down its hooves and pacing along with the reins, and where the horse's hooves trod, tiny flowers bloomed.

The lightning bolt struck the cliff edge, blasting up a shower of rubble. Amidst the flying debris, one could see the torn Rock Spirit writhing in agony. These spirits, still retaining the texture of the rock, twisted and dissipated in mid-air. Even the hardest granite turned to dust, the dust containing the memories of billions of years of rock life, flashing back before dissipating to images of being lit by ancient fires (the temperature of the flames still lingering in the memory) and being washed by rain (the shape of the water flow still imprinted in the texture). The Azure Sky Dragon Demon seized the opportunity to swoop down, its claws tearing through the void with a powerful force. Within the black lightning at the tips of its claws, the aura of "Void" was even denser than the lightning bolt. That aura was no longer a faint, almost invisible gray-white, but had condensed into inky mist, coiling around the tips of its claws. Wherever it passed, even light was forcibly severed, the cuts as smooth as if sliced by an invisible knife, revealing the underlying color of the void within.

Ren Xiaoyao dodged to the side, his fingertips deliberately brushing against the edge of the dragon's claw—in that instant of contact, he clearly "saw" it: beneath the raging thunder lay countless tiny "nothingnesses." They didn't actively devour everything, but rather, like the holes in a sponge, passively absorbed the collapse of all things. When thunder Sky-Rending Strike, "Void" filled the Rift, like scabs forming on wounds, beneath which new growths were hidden; when all things returned to Annihilation, "Void" absorbed the lingering echoes, like reverberations in an empty valley, carrying the warmth of the past. It was not the cause of destruction, but the effect of destruction, the lungs of heaven and earth naturally opening after a violent breath, the lobes still clinging to the Breath of Life.

"So that's how it is..." Ren Xiaoyao suddenly understood. The "Void" of the Heavenly Emperor of Extreme Evil was a deliberately created "devouring," like a hungry wolf pouncing on a lamb, with a strong possessive desire, wanting to chew up even the bone fragments and swallow them, with bloody greed still lingering in its teeth; while this "Void" that the world originally existed was just a natural gap between the Life and Death of All Things, like the opening and closing of the lungs when breathing, a part of the balance - when inhaling, it is full, full enough to contain the whole spring; when exhaling, it is empty, empty enough to hold the whole autumn night. Fullness and emptiness are one, neither can be missing, like two sides of a coin, and the cycle is completed in the flip.

Seeing its attack miss, the Azure Sky Dragon Demon, enraged, laughed. Its laughter shook the clouds and sea, and the waves whipped up the panicked cries of deep-sea Merfolk, Merfolk pearly tears turning to foam in the spray. The dragon coiled up, its body engulfed in a surge of azure lightning, transforming into a lightning net covering half the sky. Black light flickered at the meshes of the net— Space Gaps forcibly torn apart by lightning. Countless "Void" spilled from these rifts, surging towards Ren Xiaoyao like a tide, as if to drag him and the entire Floating Island into Primordial Chaos where nothing existed—a Primordial Chaos devoid of time, space, and even the concept of "non-existence" could not take root, only a "nothingness" that could devour even darkness itself.

Ren Xiaoyao stopped dodging. He took a deep breath, and the gray-white expanse deep within his consciousness instantly expanded, resonating with the "Void" of heaven and earth. He could "hear" the whispers of that "Void," saying, "We are not here to destroy, but to receive." Like the earth saying to the fallen leaves, "Come, I will catch you, and let you turn into next year's spring mud," like the starry sky saying to the shooting star, "Go, I will remember you, and let your light remain forever in legend." He raised his hand, no longer urging the Light and Darkness Qi, but gently "guiding"—the "Void" surging towards him split off like water encountering a reef, flowing to both sides along his fingertips, weaving a transparent barrier around him. The barrier was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet one could see the flowing Heaven and Earth Rhythm within it, like the microcosm of the entire universe hidden in the most transparent crystal, with the birth of galaxies, the aggregation of dust, the cries of life, and the serenity of death.

The lightning net descended, only to crumble the instant it touched the barrier. The raging lightning and Space Fragments, upon colliding with the pure "Void" barrier, vanished without a trace, like mud sinking into the sea. It was as if the blazing sun were shining into an abyss; no matter how bright the light, it would ultimately be silently absorbed, becoming an inextinguishable lamp within the abyss. Or like a stubborn rock thrown into a great lake; though it might create a splash for a moment, it would eventually return to calm, sinking to the bottom and becoming a home for fish and shrimp. The barrier even reflected the final moment before the lightning net dissipated; those ferocious bolts of lightning, against the transparent barrier, seemed pitifully futile, like a child punching the air—the greater the force, the more bewildered they appeared.

The Azure Sky Dragon Demon's pupils constricted sharply, and for the first time, terror was reflected in its amber eyes. It could sense that its opponent wasn't resisting, but rather "accommodating"—accommodating this Power of Destruction that even it couldn't control. Just as a river can never destroy the ocean, because the ocean inherently encompasses all flows—salty, fresh, clear, and turbid—all can find their home within it; just as flames can never burn away the void, because the void inherently contains all light—the dim glow of a candle, the blazing intensity of the sun—all can burn freely within it. Its prized lightning had become as soft as silk in its opponent's hands; the power that could tear stars apart couldn't even touch the hem of its opponent's clothes, only flickering futilely outside the barrier, like fireflies trapped in a cage.

"You..." For the first time, the Azure Sky Dragon Demon's roar carried a hint of surprise and doubt, its voice trembling at the end, like a trapped beast with its throat gripped. What came out of its throat was no longer a roar, but a sob with a choked tone. It couldn't understand why its century-old path of destruction had become a docile stream in the other's hands, not even having the power to stir up a ripple. The stream had even blossomed with flowers on its banks.

Ren Xiaoyao opened his eyes, his gaze devoid of any light or darkness, only a clear and empty expanse. Like the sky after a rainstorm, there were no clouds, no wind, only pure vastness, leaving no trace even for the birds that flew by, yet it could accommodate all flight, the migration of birds, the circling of eagles, and the frolicking of sparrows. He took a step forward, and wherever he passed, the lightning and fire laid down by the Azure Sky Dragon Demon automatically extinguished, the flames turning into specks of golden light, gently lifted by "Void" and dissipating in the morning light, carrying a trace of relieved warmth before disappearing, like the final smile on the face of a dying person; the Space Rift melted away like ice and snow, the black mist at the edges gradually becoming transparent, until finally not a trace was left, as if it had never been torn apart, only the newly born air at the Rift, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees.

He reached out his hand, his fingertips tinged with a faint grayish-white, and gently touched the Dragon Head the Azure Sky Dragon Demon.

There was no earth-shattering collision, only an utter stillness. The black lightning on the Azure Sky Dragon Demon receded at a visible speed, like the tide returning to the sea, revealing the azure-gold dragon scales beneath. The scales still bore the shallow marks of the lightning's burns, but they gradually healed under the caress of "Void." The Space Fragments torn apart by the lightning were soothed by the power of "Void" and pieced back together into a complete void. Even the rough edges of the fragments were smoothed out, like jade polished by a skilled craftsman, warm and smooth enough to reflect one's image. The dragon demon's massive body froze in mid-air, the madness in its eyes gradually dissipating, revealing the inherent majesty and bewilderment of the Dragon Clan. Like a child who had done something wrong, it finally lowered its head under its mother's gaze. The ferocity on its horns transformed into a soft azure light, within which one could see the waves of the East Sea and the coral reefs of the Dragon Palace.

"Thunder is the rhythm of the energy of heaven and earth. Spring thunder awakens all things, and we can hear the crisp sound of seeds breaking through the soil, a sound that yearns for sunlight; autumn thunder washes away the dust, and we can hear the soft murmur of withered leaves returning to the earth, a murmur that longs for their roots." Ren Xiaoyao's voice carried the unique emptiness of "Void," as if coming from a distant place, or as if whispering in one's ear. "This gap is not for destruction, but to give all things room to breathe. Just as a string needs gaps to play music, too tight and it breaks, the mournful sound of which can bring tears to the listener; too loose and it becomes muted, the sluggishness of which can cause the player to feel anxious; heaven and earth need Void to bear birth and death, too full and it overflows, the overflowing noise will disrupt the trajectory of the stars; the vast space is silent, the eternal silence of which will freeze the river of time."

The gray-white light from his fingertips spread along the Dragon Head, and wherever it passed, the taut scales of the Azure Sky Dragon Demon gradually relaxed, like leaves curled up in winter finally awaiting the spring breeze. The black lightning that had been entwined between the scales completely dissipated, turning into tiny specks of light that merged into the morning light. Floating within these specks of light was the original form of lightning—not a weapon that tore the heavens and earth apart, but a messenger illuminating the night sky, carrying the clouds' greetings to the earth.

The dragon demon's massive body began to tremble slightly, not from fear, but because something long dormant was awakening. The crimson blood vessels in its amber pupils gradually faded, revealing a clarity as deep as the East Sea abyss, reflecting the morning light and sea of clouds of the Floating Island. One could even see the newly grown Green Moss on its dragon horns—marks left by algae in the East Sea Dragon Palace a hundred years ago, before it fell into the Demonic Dao, carrying the salty and gentle taste of the sea.

"Awooo--" It let out a long dragon roar, no longer a frenzied howl, but a low groan filled with repentance. The roar resounded through the sky, causing the distant tides to slow down, and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore became gentle, as if responding to this belated awakening.

When Ren Xiaoyao withdrew his hand, the Azure Sky Dragon Demon's body had completely shed its violent aura. It slowly lowered its head, its Dragon Head almost touching the meadow at the edge of the cliff. Dewdrops on the grass rolled onto the dragon's scales, but instead of evaporating instantly as usual, they flowed slowly along the patterns of the scales, leaving Dao Crystal watermark, like tears running down a cheek.

"Go back." Ren Xiaoyao's voice carried the gentle warmth of the Beginning of Heaven and Earth. "The Xuanbing of Dragon Locking Abyss is not a prison, but a mirror platform for you to rediscover the true nature of thunder."

The Azure Sky Dragon Demon seemed to understand, but obediently turned around. Its massive body circled once in the air, its tail fin gently sweeping across the sea of clouds, creating ripples that revealed the scene of the East Sea —a dragon Dragon Palace overgrown with corals, and ocean currents teeming with fish.