The dawn came gray and silent.Li Shen and Mei Lian stood at the edge of the southern wastes, the charred forest behind them still smoldering from the duel. The battle's echoes lingered in the air — faint whispers, like the ghost of fire remembering the wind.
They had survived, but neither felt victorious.
Mei Lian's gaze drifted toward the horizon, where faint mountains rose through mist. "Beyond those peaks lies the Temple of Silent Breath," she said. "Elder Xu Wen once trained there before the Azure Petal Sect was founded."
Li Shen nodded. "If anyone knows the Codex's truth, it's him."
Their journey took three days through stone valleys and broken bridges. Each night, Li Shen's dreams were restless. He saw the Codex — not as words, but as living light, shifting into faces, blades, and flames. One night, the voice of the Keeper returned:
"To seek the Void is to unmake yourself. Are you ready to vanish, Li Shen?"
He woke gasping, hand over his heart, the mark on his palm glowing faintly through the darkness.
On the fourth morning, the temple appeared.
It was carved into a cliffside of pale stone, its gates overgrown with moss. Bells hung from the eaves, swaying in a wind that made no sound. Statues of faceless monks lined the path — their palms pressed together, their eyes forever closed.
Mei Lian whispered, "No one has entered this place in a hundred years."
Li Shen stepped forward. "Then it's time someone did."
The gates opened on their own.
Inside, the air was cold and heavy. Incense hung like fog. Candles burned with blue flames, casting shadows that bent in unnatural directions.
At the temple's heart sat an old man — bald, robed in white, his back straight as a spear. His eyes were closed, yet when he spoke, his voice filled every corner of the hall.
"Li Shen. Mei Lian. You've both walked far to disturb silence."
Mei Lian bowed deeply. "Elder Xu Wen, we come seeking truth — about the Void Codex."
The old man's lids lifted. His eyes were silver — neither blind nor seeing, but reflecting everything.
"Truth?" he murmured. "The Codex is not a book of knowledge. It is a mirror of existence. Each fragment reveals not a technique, but a truth of being."
Li Shen stepped forward. "Then what is its purpose?"
Xu Wen's gaze fixed on him. "To end the war between Yin and Yang — by merging them."
Mei Lian frowned. "Merging them would destroy balance."
"Yes," the elder said softly. "That is why the Codex was sealed. It was created by one who sought to transcend balance itself — The Nameless Master. He believed that peace could only exist when all opposites were consumed into nothing."
Li Shen's blood chilled. "The Nameless Master…"He saw flashes — the face of a man shrouded in shadow, teaching him the first movement of his blade when he was still a boy.
"You knew him," Xu Wen said, reading his silence. "He wrote the Codex using his life force — each verse drawn from his fading Qi. And you, Li Shen, carry his mark."
Li Shen stared at the glowing sigil on his palm. "Then I'm his heir."
"No," the elder said, voice sharp as thunder. "You are his undoing — or his continuation. That choice remains."
The temple trembled slightly, dust falling from the ceiling. Outside, thunder rolled though no storm brewed.
Mei Lian turned. "What was that?"
Xu Wen's eyes narrowed. "The Crimson Sect moves. Huoyan has unleashed the second flame. The balance is cracking."
Li Shen's voice hardened. "Then tell me how to stop it."
The elder rose slowly, his robes whispering across the stone floor. "To master the Codex, you must not chase the fragments — you must let them find you. The Void calls only to those ready to surrender all things."
He walked toward a statue of a monk and pressed his palm to its chest. The stone shifted, revealing a hidden chamber glowing with golden light.
Inside floated an orb of pure energy — swirling, luminous, whispering with faint voices.
"This," Xu Wen said, "is the Echo of Origin. The first seed of the Codex, drawn from the breath of the Nameless Master himself. It can reveal the next path — if you have the will to face it."
Li Shen approached, feeling its pull. The orb's light flickered, responding to his presence like a heartbeat.
"Will it show us where the next fragment lies?" he asked.
Xu Wen's voice was grave. "It will show you what you must sacrifice to reach it."
Mei Lian placed a hand on his arm. "Li Shen, wait—"
But he stepped forward.
The moment his palm touched the orb, the world fell away.
He was standing in darkness — vast, infinite. Stars burned around him like floating embers. In their midst stood a single figure: Yan Rui, his rival, cloaked in crimson fire.
"You cannot fight destiny," Yan Rui's voice echoed. "We are both fragments of the same will."
The stars pulsed. Another image appeared — Mei Lian, bleeding, her Qi fading as flames surrounded her. Li Shen reached for her, but the vision shattered.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the temple, trembling. Mei Lian's face hovered near his, pale with concern.
"What did you see?" she whispered.
Li Shen's voice cracked. "A choice I don't want to make."
Xu Wen regarded him silently. "Then you've seen the truth of the next verse. The Echo never lies."
Outside, the temple bells began to toll — slow, mournful.
A gust of wind swept through the hall, extinguishing the candles. The blue flames vanished, leaving only shadows.
Xu Wen's eyes turned toward the east. "It begins," he murmured. "The Crimson Sect marches for the mountain. They seek to ignite the third fragment — The Pulse of Heaven."
Li Shen clenched his fists. "Then we go east."
The elder nodded slowly. "Go. But remember this — every step toward the Codex draws you closer to the Void. The final fragment does not grant power, Li Shen. It demands a soul."
The gates of the temple opened once more, revealing a blood-red sky.Mei Lian adjusted her sword and met Li Shen's gaze.
"No more running," she said.
He nodded. "Only answers."
Together, they stepped into the storm.
And as they vanished into the wind, Xu Wen whispered to the empty temple:
"Nameless Master… your heir walks the edge of nothing. Let him choose light, this time."
The wind carried his words away, lost among the silent bells — as far below, the flames of the Crimson Sect began to rise once more.