Chapter 921: Chapter 921

The figure that appeared before Li Pin was none other than the Void Emperor, the one he had briefly encountered in the Void Divine Treasure World.

Li Pin had a strong feeling that the Void Emperor, this figure who trod the Transcendent Path, was his key to grasping his future true self.

After clashing with Supreme Great Heaven and earning the recognition of all the Supremes, Li Pin had entrusted them with the task of searching for the Void Emperor's whereabouts.

He never would've expected that the Void Emperor would be the one to find him, before Supreme Primordial and the others had even sent word. And it was by the lakeside of Hanyang University, a place that held profound significance to him.

In that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Li Pin's mind.

He had first heard of the concept of the Dao Realm from the Void Emperor himself.

With the Great Dao Radiance as his foundation, he had advanced step by step, evolving his Heavenly Fate Art, creating the Phantom Space Technique, and reaching where he was today. The traces of the Dao Realm seemed to be woven through every stage of his life. And now... the Void Emperor had appeared once more.

In that instant, Li Pin felt as if a circular chain of destiny had begun to turn. It moved forward constantly without pause, yet forever circling within the same unbroken loop.

"You've come," said the Void Emperor.

His voice was calm, devoid of emotion. Yet those three simple words seemed to carry countless layers of meaning.

Li Pin looked at him, and the Void Emperor looked back, as though something was being silently conveyed between them.

The time had come for everything to be revealed.

Li Pin said, "Yes, I've come."

"Have a seat," offered the Void Emperor.

Li Pin took the empty seat beside him and sat down.

The two of them sat together in silence, taking in the view of the carefully maintained artificial lake, which nevertheless lacked true beauty.

Students passed by from time to time, but few spared them a glance. Unless truly idle, no one would spend the time or effort to observe two complete unrelated strangers.

"This is nice, isn't it?" said Li Pin.

He was talking about the vibrant and lively scene around them—the scholarly atmosphere of the campus, the steady flow of students, the youthful men and women, energetic and full of curiosity about the future, and the professors carrying the mission of passing down knowledge and wisdom. Together, these elements wove a tapestry that symbolized the enduring legacy of human civilization. Life might fade, but the imprint of knowledge would remain.

"It is," the Void Emperor responded, his tone nonetheless calm and devoid of emotion.

It was almost as if he were simply responding out of habit.

"Then... why not come back?" Li Pin asked.

"Maybe," said the Void Emperor, "that's not the question you truly wish to ask."

Bringing him back to the side of Existence wasn't something he needed to do anymore. Everyone had their own path to walk. Since gaining insight into the true nature of Existence and Void, Li Pin had let go of the shared desire among Supremes to bring the Void Emperor back to their side. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by noⅴelfire.net

He had learned to respect the fate of others.

Li Pin looked at the ancient Void Emperor, a figure who had walked the Transcendent Path since the distant era of the Ancient Astral World. He finally asked the question that weighed most on his mind.

"Did I appear in this world... because of you?"

"I knew you would ask that," the Void Emperor said. "These past days, I've been thinking about how to answer in a way you could truly understand. And in the end, the only answer I can give you is this: it is because you appeared that I have come."

Li Pin froze. At that moment, a thought occurred to him, only for him to dismiss it just as quickly. He looked straight at the Void Emperor, as if trying to find even the faintest hint of hesitation or denial in his eyes, and asked, "It wasn't you?"

But the Void Emperor's expression remained calm and indifferent. It was as if nothing in this world could stir even the slightest ripple in him anymore. If there was any trace of emotion in his demeanor at all... it was the look of someone who had expected this moment long ago.

"Unbelievable, isn't it?" the Void Emperor said.

Li Pin lowered his head slightly and sighed. "Yes... unbelievable."

Then he added softly, "But what difference does it make?"

He looked at the Void Emperor. "What do you know? Is this connected to your path into the Transcendent Void?"

If anyone understood the Transcendent path the most, it would be the Void Emperor. He dated back farther than anyone could say.

"It doesn't matter... whether it is or not," replied the Void Emperor.

"No. It does," Li Pin insisted. "At the very least, it might help you face your heart... rediscover your true self... and reclaim your existence."

"Existence? What existence?" the Void Emperor countered.

"The past, the present..."

Li Pin paused, then added, "And the future."

The Void Emperor gazed ahead, his inner spirit and thoughts as still as a mirror. He was like a machine that had lost all sense of external perception, recounting the past in the tone of a detached observer.

"As the years go by, every moment you once found unforgettable becomes a sharp and cold blade, piercing into your heart again and again. And the more vivid and detailed those memories are, the more they feel like they happened just yesterday... so vivid, so real, that even when your voice has gone hoarse, even when your blood has run dry, the pain doesn't fade, but only deepens."

He looked ahead calmly. "One day, you'll grow numb. You'll grow tired. And eventually... you'll leave this world."

Li Pin remained silent. He understood that the Void Emperor's past had stripped him of all attachment to the world. That was why he chose the Transcendent Path and eventually fell into the Void.

Unfortunately, Li Pin hadn't lived through any of it himself. It was hard for him to truly understand what the Void Emperor was thinking deep down.

The Void Emperor turned to Li Pin. "You'll understand one day."

"Hm?" Li Pin instantly sensed there was more to those words. His expression slowly turned grave. "You know, don't you?"

"Knowing or not knowing... it makes no difference," the Void Emperor replied.

Li Pin's thoughts churned. All the fragments of memory he had about the Void Emperor began to surface and replay in his mind. Then, in a sudden moment of clarity, he seemed to grasp something crucial.

Back then, the Void Emperor had watched as Baili Zhu, the master of the Void Divine Treasure World, perished. In his heart, there was no hatred, but only a deep, soul-weary sigh.

"Destiny!" Li Pin suddenly looked at the Void Emperor. "The power of destiny!"

Throughout their exchange, the Void Emperor had been speaking like a detached observer, cold and indifferent to everything around him. But the moment Li Pin uttered the word destiny, his eyes finally stirred with faint emotion, and Li Pin didn't miss that.

He continued, "What you surrendered to wasn't your life, your past, or your experiences. It was destiny."

At those words, the Void Emperor finally looked at him again.

He still seemed like nothing more than an outsider, like a puppet, moving in silence, mechanically following some prewritten command. But at that moment, he gave Li Pin a faint sense of something... a feeling that resembled being alive.

"All things in this world have their destiny. Everything runs along its preordained course," his voice carried a trace of pity. "That was true of my life... and it's true of yours."

Li Pin quietly reflected on his words.

"So this is why you're here?"

"Yes," the Void Emperor replied. "You're favored by destiny. That's your fortune. It means your future will be brilliant. You'll shine, dazzle the world with unmatched glory. But at the same time... that is your tragedy."

He paused. "Because it means there's only one path left for you. Whether you want it or not, the only thing you can do... is burn yourself to the limit, and unleash a light bright enough to illuminate the world. If you don't move forward, destiny will force you to."

Li Pin smiled slightly. "Burn myself to the limit..."

He didn't think there was anything wrong with that, nor did he see any problem in it. However, he understood what the Void Emperor truly meant.

"You believe there's a power greater than all things, one that has already mapped out everything for us. A force beyond resistance, beyond reach, even beyond understanding. So you call it destiny."

Li Pin continued, "And you believe that you yourself... are a creation of destiny?"

Then, realization struck him. "You chose the path of Transcendence, abandoned everything, not just because your journey was important, but because, more than anything, you were trying to escape destiny. You believed that a life that isn't brilliant enough, dazzling enough to illuminate the world, is fated to be discarded. And that... was the outcome you wanted."

The Void Emperor gazed at Li Pin, his eyes pale and hollow. He offered no explanation, yet that silence was answer enough.

"Just now, it almost sounded like you pitied me," Li Pin said. "You think I'll end up like you, blessed by destiny, burning bright for a lifetime, only to reduce myself to ashes... until everything is consumed, and I'm erased from existence by some unspeakable, unknowable force. But I want you to know... I'm not like you. If I had to choose, then I would accept this kind of life."

With a calm smile, he added, "You are not a fish. So how could you understand a fish's joy?"

The Void Emperor gave a slight nod. He wasn't surprised by Li Pin's answer.

Everyone had the right to choose their own life.

"I'm curious," Li Pin said. "Since you chose to become a Transcendent, to merge with the void and escape destiny, why have you appeared here today? It doesn't make sense."

The Void Emperor said nothing. But in his eyes was a hollowness, a numbness, unlike anything Li Pin had ever seen.

He had waited for an answer. But the moment he saw that soul-deep emptiness in the Void Emperor's gaze, everything became clear to him. Even with his broad and accepting view of the world, a faint tremor still stirred within him.

The Void Emperor looked at him, his voice filled with suffocating emptiness. "You've figured it out."

"The void... is also part of destiny."