Snow fell upon the mountain of Qianlong Summit, where the air itself was sacred. Here, beneath banners of every great sect, the Council of Heavens had gathered — thirty masters, seven grand elders, and the unseen blades of half the martial world.
The sky above burned orange with sunset as Archmaster Yun Tianshu, the oldest among them, rose.His voice, cracked but strong, carried through the wind.
"The Void Swordsman has defied Heaven. He holds fragments of the Codex forbidden since the First Dynasty. If we allow him to live, the boundary between man and god will shatter."
Murmurs rippled through the hall. The Iron Monks of Longxu, heads shaved and eyes glowing with inner fire, bowed in grim silence. The Mist Valley Sect, famed for their assassins, whispered to one another behind silver masks.
At the far end, Lady Yu Qian, matriarch of the Azure Petal Sect, stood gracefully. Her robes shimmered like moonlight.
"And yet," she said, "Li Shen once saved the Eastern Plains from the Shadow Horde. Is this justice we speak of—or fear?"
The hall trembled with tension.
Yun Tianshu's gaze hardened. "You would defend the man who shattered mountains and tore heaven's mirror?"
"I defend balance," she replied. "If the Codex awakens, perhaps it is not his doing—but destiny's call."
Before Tianshu could answer, the torches flickered. The shadows along the carved walls began to twist.
A monk frowned. "The Qi… is wrong."
The air grew colder. The snow outside stopped falling mid-air, each flake frozen in place. Then the main doors burst open.
A figure stumbled in — a courier, blood soaking his chest. He dropped to his knees, gasping, "The northern watchtowers… are burning! They come—"
His words cut off as a blade of darkness erupted through his back.
From the threshold stepped five warriors dressed in black armor engraved with flame sigils — the Infernal Lotus Sect, thought long extinct. Their leader's voice was deep, mocking:
"Forgive our intrusion. We only wished to attend the funeral of hypocrisy."
The council erupted into chaos. Masters leapt from their seats, weapons drawn, Qi flaring like suns colliding.
The intruders moved with impossible speed. Each strike left behind trails of black fire that devoured stone and steel alike.
"Guards!" someone shouted. "Seal the chamber!"
But the doors had already sealed — from outside.
Yun Tianshu slammed his staff to the ground. "Who sent you?"
The lead intruder laughed, removing his mask. His face was pale, eyes glowing crimson. "We serve the same master as you once did—Heaven's forgotten son."
At that name, the hall fell silent.
"Li Shen," whispered Lady Yu.
The intruder's grin widened. "Not anymore. The Void doesn't serve. It commands."
He raised his sword — a black flame coiling around it. But before he could strike again, the shadows themselves exploded. A wave of invisible energy tore through the room, sending bodies flying.
And from the dust and falling banners, a lone figure appeared — Li Shen himself.
He stood in the doorway, cloak torn, eyes like burning galaxies.Every master in the hall froze. The very air bowed around him.
"I didn't come to fight," Li Shen said quietly. "But you left me no peace."
"Traitor!" Yun Tianshu bellowed, raising his staff. "You dare appear here after—"
His words ended as Li Shen's gaze fell on him. The elder's staff splintered, and the torches went out, leaving only the glow of Li Shen's aura to light the hall.
"You call me traitor," Li Shen said, voice low and cold, "yet it was you who sealed the Codex, knowing it would break the world."
"Enough!" cried another master. "The council decides—"
"Then let the council see."
Li Shen thrust his palm forward. The black ember from Yan Rui's soul flared, projecting visions into the air — cities burning, rivers turned to flame, the sky cracking open. And in the center of it all stood not Li Shen, but a shadowy form wearing Yun Tianshu's face, wielding the Codex itself.
Gasps echoed. "Impossible!"
Li Shen lowered his hand. "The Thirteenth Verse was never meant to destroy. It was meant to remember. But Heaven fears memory."
Tianshu snarled. "Lies of a heretic!"
He gathered his Qi into a storm of golden light and hurled it forward. Li Shen raised no blade; the Void absorbed the strike like water swallowing stone.
The backlash shattered the summit's dome. Snow and fire poured in as chaos erupted. Sects turned on one another; some fought Li Shen, others defended him. The mountain split beneath the clash.
In the center of it all, Lady Yu Qian reached for Li Shen's arm."Go," she said. "If you stay, none will survive."
He hesitated. "The Codex—"
"I'll hold them off. Find the Valley of Echoes. Finish what you began."
Li Shen looked at her one last time, then vanished into the storm.
When the smoke cleared hours later, Qianlong Summit was gone — half buried in snow and fire. The surviving sects crawled from the ruins, shaken and bloodied.
And from that night onward, a new name spread through the martial world — whispered in fear and awe alike:
The Void Emperor.