After leaving the Lost Trace Nebula, a sense of tranquility settled over the cabins of the " New Journey." Qing He spent her days meditating cross-legged in a corner, her longsword clasped in her arms. Occasionally, she would unleash a sword strike, its light as gentle as flowing water, clearly having grasped the true essence of the " Wuwang Sword." Xiao Yan, on the other hand, focused more on deciphering the " True Explanation of Chaos." The landscape of the Chaos Source Star served as a key, giving him a deeper understanding of "inclusive evolution"—order was not an immutable framework, but rather a compass that guided direction within chaos.
That morning, as Xiao Yan was deducing the balance between chaos and order, the starship's alarm suddenly sounded, its sharp siren shattering the tranquility inside the cabin.
"What's going on?" He strode towards the bridge.
The Mechanical Clan cultivator pointed at the screen, his expression grave. "We've detected a large amount of spatial fluctuation, like... the aura of a teleportation array being forcibly torn apart."
On the screen, in a desolate asteroid belt, the spatial barrier is twisting and breaking at a visible speed. Countless black cracks spread like a spider web, and the aura seeping from them is cold and eerie, different from the devouring of the Shadow Clan and the decay of the Rotten Realm Spider, carrying a purer sense of "nothingness".
"This is..." Xiao Yan frowned, the Seed of Creation throbbing violently within the Heart of the Flame Realm, issuing a warning.
Just then, a disheveled figure tumbled out of the largest crack and crashed heavily onto a meteorite. It was a cultivator wearing tattered armor, the runes on which had long since faded, and his exposed skin was covered with deep, bone-revealing wounds. No blood flowed from the wounds, only black, ethereal energy continued to erode them.
"It's... the standard battle armor of the All-Heavens Guard!" The deputy left behind by the Blazing Sun Realm Lord on the starship exclaimed in shock, "He's a member of the scout team sent to explore the ' Abyss of Nothingness ' three months ago!"
The Abyss of Nothingness, located beyond the edge of All Heavens and Myriad Realms, is even more mysterious than the Sea of Deathly Silence. Legend has it that it is the source of "nothingness," where even laws cannot exist. The Alliance has sent people to investigate several times, but all have come to nothing.
Without hesitation, Xiao Yan steered the starship toward the cultivator. Upon approaching, he discovered that the cultivator was already exhausted, with only a faint trace of his divine soul remaining. The moment he saw the starship, a final glint of light flashed in his eyes, and with all his remaining strength, he hurled a blood-stained jade slip toward the starship.
"The... gate of nothingness... opens..."
Before he could finish speaking, his body completely dissipated under the erosion of the void aura, turning into specks of black light that merged into the surrounding cracks.
Xiao Yan caught the jade slip; it was icy cold to the touch, the bloodstains on it still wet, emitting a pungent, ethereal aura. He carefully infused it with a wisp of Power of Order, and immediately, fragmented characters appeared on the jade slip—
"... Deep within the Abyss of Nothingness, a colossal portal was discovered, neither made of Jin Shi nor stone, nor governed by laws, but constructed entirely of 'nothingness'..."
"... Behind the door was a shadow, neither human nor god; it vanished upon touch, yet it could devour the laws of nature..."
"... The scout team had only three members left, being hunted down by ' Nothingness Shadow.' The captain covered their retreat and ordered me to bring this jade slip back..."
"... They are searching for the ' Seed of Creation,' saying they want to... fill the void of 'nothingness'..."
The last few words were crooked and distorted, clearly carved in extreme pain.
The information on the jade slip exploded like thunder on the bridge. The Gate of Nothingness, the Nothingness Shadow, the search for the Seed of Creation... every word exuded a chilling unknown.
"What do they want with the Seed of Creation?" Qing He gripped her longsword tightly, her voice trembling.
Xiao Yan's fingertips traced the words "Fill the Gap in Nothingness" on the jade slip, a strong sense of unease rising within him. The Seed of Creation was the origin of order, while Nothingness was the ultimate form of "nothingness." What would happen when the two met?
He looked at the ever-expanding crack on the screen, where a void was slowly seeping in. Wherever it passed, meteorites silently melted away, and even the space itself was becoming thinner.
"We can't let the rift continue to expand." Xiao Yan made a decisive move, injecting the power of the "Balance" and "Order" seeds into the starship's weapon system. Silver and gray light intertwined, forming a huge Web of Laws that enveloped the rift.
Web of Laws descended, the expansion of the void rift indeed slowed down, but the void aura, like a persistent carbuncle, continued to corrode the net's surface, emitting a sizzling sound.
"This can't go on," the Mechanical Clan cultivator said urgently. "Our energy won't last much longer."
Xiao Yan stared into the depths of the rift, where the aura of nothingness was most concentrated. He could vaguely make out the outline of a gray portal— the Gate of Nothingness mentioned in the jade slip. He suddenly recalled the scene of the Chaos Source Star —chaos could evolve all things, perhaps it could also encompass nothingness?
He attempted to infuse a sliver of his understanding of the Law of Chaos into the web of order. A wondrous thing happened: the originally hard web surface became soft, absorbing the void energy like a sponge. Although the process was slow, it was no longer corroded.
"It worked!" Qing He exclaimed in delight.
Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief, but dared not let his guard down. He carefully put away the jade slip and said to everyone, "Return immediately and report this matter to the Alliance Council."
As the starship turned around, Xiao Yan glanced back at the asteroid belt. The Gate of Nothingness still stood silently deep within the rift, like a lurking beast waiting to awaken.
He clenched his fist, and the three Seed of Creation within the Heart of the Flame Realm trembled slightly, conveying an uneasy tremor.
Having just quelled the threat of decay, we now face the challenge of nothingness. It seems the path of protection truly has no end.
But this time, he was not confused. Having experienced the devouring by the Shadow Clan, the decay of the Rotten Realm Spider, and now the erosion by the Void, he gradually understood that the existence of the heavens was to continue in balance with various extreme forces.
The starship accelerated away, its stern leaving a long trail of light in the sea of stars, like a steadfast mark.
The journey back seemed even more arduous than the journey there. But Xiao Yan knew he had to take this message back so the alliance could prepare.
Because behind that Gate of Nothingness lies an unknown more profound than any threat before. And he, and all those who protect the heavens, must confront this unknown.