On the thirty-seventh day of its return journey from the Shattered Galaxy, the New Journey probe detected an unusual signal for the first time.
At first, it was just a negligible fluctuation, like the occasional interference of cosmic rays. But as the starship entered a nebula called the " Rift of Oblivion," the Mechanical Clan cultivator suddenly cried out in alarm, "The coordinates... the coordinates have disappeared!"
When Xiao Yan arrived at the bridge, the dots representing the starship's location on the screen were flickering strangely. The surrounding star map was fading away as if erased, revealing large areas of pure black blank space centered on the dots. Even more strangely, all the data about the " Rift of Oblivion " in the star map recorder on the bridge had turned into gibberish, as if this nebula had never existed in the database in the first place.
"What's going on?" Qing He gripped her longsword tightly, the fluctuations of the laws governing the blade becoming extremely unstable. "I seem to... not remember why we came here."
The bridge fell into a deathly silence upon hearing this. The Blazing Sun Realm Lord frowned, pressing his temples. "Now that you mention it... I'm a little confused too. It seems like it was to avoid a supernova? No... where's the supernova?" He pointed to a blank area on the screen, a flicker of panic in his eyes. "There should have been a supernova there, right?"
Xiao Yan's heart sank, and a chill crept up his spine to the back of his neck. He circulated the power of the Seed of Creation, trying to sense the laws around him, but found that the Heart of the Flame Realm was sluggish like never before—as if an invisible barrier was blocking his connection with this Star Domain.
"Everyone, concentrate and uphold your own laws!" he shouted, channeling the Power of Order into the bridge. Silver light flowed across the screen, and the faded star map briefly regained its original appearance, but only for a moment before being swallowed by a deeper void.
Just then, A Yao rushed into the bridge carrying a pot of Samsara Flower, her face pale. " Brother Xiao Yan, look at this!"
The Samsara Flower in the flowerpot should have been in full bloom, but now half of its petals have become transparent, as if it had never existed. The transparent edge is slowly expanding, and wherever it passes, the petals' patterns, colors, and even their essence disappear, leaving only absolute "nothingness."
"This isn't withering." Xiao Yan touched the transparent area with his fingertips, sensing no energy fluctuations, nor any aura of annihilation or decay, only a... utter "non-existence," "the 'traces' are disappearing."
He recalled the "lost extragalactic galaxy" mentioned by the Star Patrollers, and the terrifying conjecture in his mind became clearer—what they had encountered might be an even more bizarre being than the Lord of Nothingness.
As the starship forced its way out of the Rift of Oblivion, the blank space on the bridge finally stopped expanding, but an irregular black area remained forever on the screen, and all the records in the loggers about the " Rift of Oblivion " became unreadable gibberish. Even more chilling was that when they took a headcount, they discovered that one of the monks responsible for observation was missing.
"Where's Xiao Yu?" the Blazing Sun Realm Lord asked, his tone uncertain. "That young cultivator who always likes to tinker with star charts, he was just..."
No one could answer. The cultivators on the bridge looked at each other, vaguely remembering a figure, but they couldn't recall his face, cultivation level, or even the name " Xiao Yu," which seemed to be made up out of thin air. Only the half-eaten spiritual fruit on his seat proved that someone had once been here.
"He was 'erased'," Xiao Yan said hoarsely. "Not dead, but even the traces of his existence were wiped away."
This conclusion sends chills down everyone's spine. Death itself isn't frightening; at least it leaves behind bones, legacies, or memories. But this "complete non-existence" can directly destroy a living being's perception of its own existence—if a person can be so easily erased of all traces, then what is the meaning of life?
Upon returning to the All-Heavens Hub, Xiao Yan immediately reported the matter to the council. After listening to the report, the Grand Elder remained silent for a full hour before finally taking out a long-sealed jade slip. Inscribed on the jade slip was the final prophecy left by the Creator:
"When 'being' begins to forget itself, and when 'non-being' no longer needs to devour, the corrective hand of the universe will reach out from the void."
"The Hand of Correction..." Buddha murmured these four words, his body radiating intense light. "Could it be that the Creator foresaw this existence long ago?"
"Whatever it is, we must be prepared," Xiao Yan said in a deep voice. "This ability to 'erasure traces' is more dangerous than the Power of Destruction. It can directly undermine the foundation we are protecting—if even the memories of 'protecting' can be erased, then all sacrifices will become meaningless."
The council ultimately decided that Xiao Yan would lead a team, in conjunction with the Star Patrollers, to conduct an in-depth investigation into the vanished extragalactic star system. At the same time, they would strengthen the defenses of the Balance Tower, bind the power of the Seed of Creation to the "Memory Law" of the Core of the All-Heavens, and preserve as much trace of the existence of all living beings as possible.
On the eve of his departure, Xiao Yan returned to the herb garden. A Yao was carefully nourishing the Samsara Flower with her spiritual power. The transparent area had stopped expanding, but the half-petaled "non-existent" flower, like a glaring scar, was branded into the flower bush.
" Brother Xiao Yan, can it recover?" A Yao asked softly, her voice filled with worry.
Xiao Yan shook his head. "Perhaps not. But we can remember the traces it left behind." He plucked the transparent petal and sealed it in the jade box with the Power of Order. "At least we know that there was once a flower here, a cultivator named Xiao Yu, and a forgotten nebula."
These memories are the first line of defense against "non-existence".
The following morning, the " New Journey " and the main fleet of the Star Patrollers formed a fleet and set sail again. This time, their destination was the original coordinates of the completely vanished extragalactic system, thirty million light-years away.
On the bridge, Xiao Yan gazed at the dazzling starry sky outside the window, clutching the jade box containing the transparent flower petals tightly in his hand. He knew that they were about to face what might be the most bizarre and terrifying enemy since the birth of all things—a power that could render even "existence" itself meaningless.
But he will not back down.
Because the ultimate meaning of protection is not only to continue life, but also to ensure that every trace that has ever existed is eternally preserved in memory.
The fleet sailed into the depths of space, leaving behind a trail of light like torches lit in the darkness—small, yet resolute.