251: Chapter 251 The Spirit of Nothingness

Ash-gray light surged around Shen Zhao, flowing like countless rivers by his side.

Each river emitted a different aura—some were as warm as spring, some as cold as winter, some as violent as thunder, and some as calm as a mirror.

That was the power of time, the materialization of all timelines since the birth of the Universe.

Shen Zhao hovered within the light, feeling as though he had been thrown into a boundless ocean.

He could see no direction, no end, and could not even tell up from down, left from right. There was only endless ash-gray light and an elusive sound of breathing.

That breathing was very soft, as light as an infant's murmur.

But Shen Zhao could feel that with every breath, the entire space trembled slightly, and the ash-gray light undulated accordingly.

Like a giant sleeping beside him, every breath made heaven and earth tremble because of it.

Spirit of Nothingness.

The first consciousness before the birth of the Universe, older than the Beginning, older than the Spirit of Creation, older than the Spirit of the Universe Origin.

It was waiting, having waited for seven cycles, waiting for someone who could break the cycle.

Shen Zhao took a deep breath, the seven-colored light circulating within his body to steady his mind and prevent those rivers of time from affecting his judgment.

"Senior, this Disciple has arrived. This Disciple accepts your trial."

That sound of breathing paused for a moment.

Then, a voice rang out in Shen Zhao's mind.

It did not come from a certain direction, but simultaneously from all directions, like countless people speaking at the same time, yet with only the same voice.

"Latecomer, are you sure? The trial of the Power of Nothingness is harder than the fusion of the seven powers. The Chosen One of the previous six cycles have all come here, all tried, and all failed."

"After they failed, some went mad, some disappeared, and some were trapped in the cracks of time, never able to return."

"Are you sure you want to try?"

Shen Zhao did not hesitate.

"This Disciple is sure. This Disciple is not alone. This Disciple has uncle watching from the heavens, parents waiting within the points of light, and Director Su Yun staying up all night in the tower of the Investigation Department."

"There are Disciples of the Guardian Academy sweating profusely in the Martial Arts Arena, and tens of billions of commoners living and working in peace and contentment in every corner of the New Universe."

"They are all behind this Disciple. This Disciple cannot let them down."

The voice fell silent for a long time, so long that Shen Zhao thought it would not speak again.

Then, it laughed.

The laughter was very soft, as light as the wind blowing over withered branches, but Shen Zhao could feel that there was an indescribable emotion in the laughter.

It was not relief, not sadness, not release, but an inexplicable emptiness.

Like someone who had waited for too long, finally waiting for what he had been waiting for, yet no longer knowing what expression to use to face it.

"Good, very good. This seat has waited for this day for far too long, so long that this seat has forgotten what it was waiting for."

"Latecomer, there are three trials for the Power of Nothingness. The first is the Sea of Nothingness. The second is the Question of Nothingness. The third is the Heart of Nothingness."

"By passing the three trials, you can obtain the Power of Nothingness and become a true Guardian of the Universe."

"At that time, you can create a New Universe, or you can end the old Universe. Everything is decided by you."

Shen Zhao nodded solemnly.

"This Disciple is willing to accept the trial."

As his voice fell, the surrounding ash-gray light suddenly surged and swallowed him whole.

He only felt his vision go dark, and he lost consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Zhao opened his eyes.

He found himself standing in a Void Realm, with no up, no down, no left, no right, no sense of direction, only endless darkness and dead silence.

There was no light, no sound, no temperature, no existence of any kind.

Only himself, and this endless nothingness.

This was the Sea of Nothingness.

What the Universe looked like before its birth, what it looked like before everything began.

Shen Zhao hovered in the Void Realm, not knowing where to go. There was no direction, no reference point, nothing to distinguish his position.

He could only rely on his feeling, his intuition, and that faint belief in his heart.

He chose a direction and flew forward.

He flew for a long time, so long that he forgot the time, forgot the distance, and forgot how far he had flown.

The scenery around him did not change at all; it was still darkness, still dead silence.

Shen Zhao began to doubt whether he had taken the wrong direction, whether he was spinning in circles, and whether he would never fly out of this nothingness.

But he did not stop, because he knew that stopping meant failure.

He had promised his uncle that he could not fail.

He flew for a long time again, so long that his spiritual power began to deplete, and his consciousness began to blur.

Ahead, a faint light finally appeared.

That light was very dim, so dim that it was almost imperceptible, but it was particularly striking in the darkness, like a lonely star.

Shen Zhao sped up and flew toward that light.

The light grew brighter and closer.

When he flew in front of the light, he froze.

That was a door.

A very small door, only as tall as a person, carved entirely from transparent crystal, with four words engraved on the door—Gate of Nothingness.

Shen Zhao reached out and pushed open the door.

Behind the door was a very small room, only three zhang square.

In the center of the room floated a fist-sized spar. The spar was transparent, with nothing inside.

But Shen Zhao could feel that the spar contained a power he had never felt before—not Primordial, not Chaos, not Space-Time, not Karma, not Life, not Guardian, not End.

Instead, it was Nothingness, the power before everything begins, the power after everything ends.

"Latecomer, you have found the Gate of Nothingness. This is the end of the first trial and the starting point of the second trial."

The voice of the Spirit of Nothingness rang in his mind.

"Enter that spar, and you will be able to see this seat."

Shen Zhao walked up to the spar and gently touched it with his hand.

The spar was ice-cold, as if touching the Void Realm before the birth of the Universe. He could even feel that temperature—not cold, but Nothingness.

There was no temperature, no texture, no describable feeling at all.

The spar suddenly lit up, and a transparent light enveloped his entire body.

He only felt his vision blur, and the scenery suddenly changed.

He stood in a huge space.

In the center of the space floated a figure.

That was an old man with white hair and beard, a hunchbacked figure, wearing an ash-gray robe, holding an ash-gray wooden staff in his hand.

The old man's face was very blurry, and his facial features could not be seen clearly; only a pair of eyes were clearly visible.

Those eyes were ash-gray without pupils, yet they could see everything, see the past, see the future, and see the birth and end of this Universe.

Spirit of Nothingness.

Shen Zhao knelt in the Void Realm, kowtowing deeply toward that figure.

"This Disciple Shen Zhao greets Senior."

The Spirit of Nothingness looked at him, a trace of complex emotion flashing in its eyes.

"Latecomer, you have passed the first trial. You walked out of the Sea of Nothingness. You did not get lost, you did not collapse, and you did not stop. Very good."

Shen Zhao raised his head, looking at those ash-gray eyes.

"Senior, what is the second trial?"

The Spirit of Nothingness raised its hand, and an ash-gray light surged from its palm, condensing into a huge mirror in the Void Realm.

In the mirror, Shen Zhao's figure was reflected.

But that figure was older, thinner, and more exhausted than him.

His hair was completely white, the wrinkles on his face were like knife-carved marks, and his back was hunchbacked, just like his uncle in his later years.

"The second trial, the Question of Nothingness. You must answer this seat a question."

Shen Zhao's hand paused slightly.

"What question?"

The Spirit of Nothingness looked into his eyes and said word by word:

"You have guarded everyone, who will guard you?"

Shen Zhao froze.

Who would guard him?

He had never thought about this question.

Since the age of sixteen, he had always been guarding others—guarding the Star Sea, guarding the commoners, guarding his parents' Origin, guarding his uncle's dying wish, guarding everyone's hope.

He had never thought about who would guard him.

He fell silent.

In the mirror, that aged self was also silent.

The two looked at each other, as if looking into a mirror of time.

The Spirit of Nothingness did not rush him, just quietly waiting, waiting for his answer.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Zhao finally spoke.

"This Disciple does not need anyone to guard him. This Disciple has uncle watching from the heavens, parents waiting within the points of light, and Director Su Yun staying up all night in the tower of the Investigation Department."

"There are Disciples of the Guardian Academy sweating profusely in the Martial Arts Arena, and tens of billions of commoners living and working in peace and contentment in every corner of the New Universe."

"They are all behind this Disciple; they are this Disciple's guard. This Disciple is not alone."

The Spirit of Nothingness looked at him, a trace of surprise flashing in its eyes.

"Do you not feel lonely?"

Shen Zhao thought for a moment and answered honestly:

"Lonely. This Disciple is naturally lonely. This Disciple also wants someone to accompany him, someone to talk to, someone to share burdens. But this Disciple knows that this Disciple is not alone. This Disciple has them."

"They are this Disciple's power, this Disciple's hope, this Disciple's guard."

The Spirit of Nothingness fell silent.

In the mirror, that aged self began to change.

The wrinkles became shallower, the white hair turned black, and the back straightened up.

In the end, the figure in the mirror became Shen Zhao's current appearance—young, firm, with eyes full of light.

"Good, very good. You have passed the second trial."

The Spirit of Nothingness raised its hand, and the mirror dissipated.

"Next, the third trial, the Heart of Nothingness. This is the final trial and the hardest one."

"This seat will take you to see three scenes—past, present, and future. After watching, you tell this seat what you saw."

Shen Zhao nodded.

The Spirit of Nothingness raised its hand, and an ash-gray light surged from its palm, condensing into the first scene in the Void Realm.

In the scene was a young Cultivator wearing a cyan robe, with a long sword hanging from his waist, and a qinglian flower engraved on the sword body.

Path Guardian Ancestor Bai Yunzhou.

He stood at the edge of the World Behind the Door, facing that huge door. Behind him were the heroic souls of countless Guardians, Ling Shuang, Zhou Zhiting, Song Xinghe, Guardian Lin Jingyun, Path Guardian Ancestor Qin Hao, and Shen Yuan.

"This seat does not want to open the door. This seat wants to guard this door, not letting anyone in, and not letting anyone out."

The runes on the door flickered, as if asking— "Then what do you want to do?"

Bai Yunzhou smiled, smiling as lightly as clouds and breeze.

"This seat wants to stay here, accompany this door, accompany all of you, until forever."

The scene froze.

Shen Zhao's tears burst out of his eyes.

The Patriarch had actually been here too.

And had actually faced the same choice—opening the door, or guarding the door.

He chose to guard the door, using his whole Life to guard that door and guard the Star Sea behind him.

"What did you see?" The voice of the Spirit of Nothingness sounded.

Shen Zhao wiped away his tears, his voice hoarse.

"This Disciple saw guarding. It is not the guarding of one person, but the guarding of all heroic souls. The Patriarch is not alone; he has Ling Shuang, Zhou Zhiting, Song Xinghe, Guardian Lin Jingyun, Path Guardian Ancestor Qin Hao, and uncle. Everyone is behind him."

The Spirit of Nothingness did not speak, but simply raised its hand, and the second scene emerged.

In the scene was the present Shen Zhao.

He stood before the Monument of Heroes, kneeling before his uncle's spirit tablet, the qinglian sword placed horizontally across his knees, kowtowing deeply.

Behind him were Director Su Yun, representatives of various domains, Elders of the Guardian Academy, generals of the Realm Guardian Army, and countless ordinary commoners.

Everyone was behind him, looking at him, waiting for him, believing in him.

"What did you see?"

Shen Zhao's tears gushed out again.

"This Disciple saw the Legacy. The Patriarch passed the belief of guarding to Ling Shuang, Ling Shuang passed it to Guardian Lin Jingyun, Guardian Lin Jingyun passed it to Path Guardian Ancestor Qin Hao, Path Guardian Ancestor Qin Hao passed it to uncle, and uncle passed it to this Disciple."

"Generation after generation, never cut off."

The Spirit of Nothingness raised its hand for the third time.

The final scene emerged.

In the scene, before the Monument of Heroes of the New Universe, stood a young woman.

She wore the cyan robe of a Disciple of the Guardian Academy, with a long sword hanging from her waist, and a qinglian flower engraved on the sword body.

Her face was delicate and pretty, her gaze firm, just like Ling Shuang back then, just like Shen Zhao back then.

Behind her were countless young Disciples, some only in their teens, some having just entered the sect.

They all held long swords in their hands, sword tips pointing to the sky, sword lights like a rainbow, illuminating the entire New Universe.

"What did you see?"

Shen Zhao's tears slid down silently.

"This Disciple saw the future. This Disciple saw the latecomers. This Disciple saw that the road of guarding has no end. But this Disciple is not afraid, because this Disciple knows someone will take over this Disciple's sword and continue walking down."

The Spirit of Nothingness fell silent for a long time.

Then, it laughed, smiling with incomparable release.

"Good, very good. You have passed the third trial."

It raised its hand, and the transparent spar drifted from afar, floating in front of Shen Zhao.

"This is the Seed of Nothingness, the first seed before the birth of the Universe. Hold it, and you can obtain the Power of Nothingness, becoming a true Guardian of the Universe."

Shen Zhao reached out and grasped the spar.

The spar was ice-cold, as if touching the Void Realm before the birth of the Universe. That feeling of Nothingness surged over again, but this time, he did not resist, instead accepting it.

Allowing it to merge into his body, intertwining with the seven-colored power, and blending with the power of the Spirit of Creation.

Eight kinds of powers slowly rotated in his Dantian—Primordial, Chaos, Space-Time, Karma, Life, Guardian, End, Nothingness.

Like a miniature Universe, gestating, growing, waiting.

His cultivation broke through once again, from the Early Stage of Body Integration, to the Middle Stage of Body Integration, to the Late Stage of Body Integration.

The figure of the Spirit of Nothingness began to fade, starting from its feet, turning into ash-gray points of light inch by inch.

"Senior!"

Shen Zhao exclaimed.

The Spirit of Nothingness smiled, smiling incomparably calmly.

"There is no need to be sad. This seat has waited for seven cycles, waiting for someone who can inherit the Power of Nothingness. Having waited for it, that is enough. This seat does not regret it."

"Latecomer, the Star Sea is handed over to you. The New Universe is handed over to you. Everyone who needs to be guarded is handed over to you."

As its voice fell, its figure completely dissipated, turning into sky-full ash-gray points of light drifting in the Void Realm.

Shen Zhao knelt in the Void Realm, kowtowing deeply toward the dissipating light.

"Senior, rest assured, this Disciple will definitely not fail the trust."

He stood up, wiped away his tears, turned around, and flew toward the exit of the Gate of Nothingness.

Behind him, that void space began to collapse, and ash-gray points of light drifted down like snowflakes.

When he flew out of the Gate of Nothingness, the space behind the door completely disappeared, as if it had never existed.

But he knew it had existed.

The Spirit of Nothingness had existed, waited for him for seven cycles, and handed the Power of Nothingness to him.

He took a deep breath, the seven-colored light circulating within his body, and the eight-colored light intertwining in his Dantian.

He was no longer the Shen Zhao of the past; he was the inheritor of the Power of Nothingness, a true Guardian of the Universe.

But he was still Shen Zhao, Shen Yuan's nephew, Director Su Yun's Disciple, and a Guardian of the Guardian Academy.

This point would never change.

He turned around and flew toward the direction of the fissure exit.

Director Su Yun was still waiting for him outside, the Disciples of the Guardian Academy were still waiting for him, and tens of billions of commoners were still waiting for him.

He took a deep breath, sped up and flew toward the fissure, the Gate of Nothingness behind him completely disappearing like a dream that had never awakened.