Fragments of a Shattered Will

The pale white expanse stretched endlessly, yet Xu Yan could feel every heartbeat of existence. ‎ ‎ ‎Before him, the Great Dao manifested in shifting forms—sometimes a thousand-eyed giant, sometimes interlocking runes, sometimes a blinding sphere of pure law. ‎ ‎ ‎"You have reached the limits of existence, Defiant Sovereign," the Dao boomed, its voice resonating through every corner of reality. ‎ ‎ ‎Xu Yan's crimson cracks flared with defiance. Blood ran along his body, yet none fell. He laughed softly, a hollow sound against the weight of eternity. ‎ ‎ ‎"Limits? I have never recognized limits. And I have never bowed to you." ‎ ‎ ‎As chains of fate and law descended from the Dao, threatening to erase him completely, Xu Yan's mind flashed to her. ‎ ‎ ‎Lian Yue. ‎ ‎ ‎Her gentle smile. Her eyes like the moonlight. The soft voice that had whispered, "Live, Xu Yan, if you rise again, do not waste your will on revenge." ‎ ‎ ‎She had been taken, trapped, unseen, unreachable, yet her presence burned brighter than any power he had ever wielded. ‎ ‎ ‎His hands clenched. The chains cracked. ‎ ‎ ‎"I do not fight for longevity. I do not fight for dominion. I fight for her!" Xu Yan's voice carried through every law, every fold of reality. ‎ ‎ ‎The Dao faltered, not in weakness, but in something almost like curiosity. It had never encountered defiance tied to something beyond itself. ‎ ‎ ‎"Love is not a variable," Xu Yan whispered, his aura expanding. ‎ ‎ ‎He struck with his Will Dao, bending time and law around him. Golden chains shattered into fragments of light. Reality itself wavered. ‎ ‎ ‎For a brief moment, Xu Yan saw her. A vision in the Dao's light. Her eyes searching for him, reaching, as though calling him home. ‎ ‎ ‎It was enough to strengthen his last act. ‎ ‎ ‎The Dao's authority compressed reality, intent on deletion. Every particle, every law, every karmic chain aimed to erase him. ‎ ‎ ‎Xu Yan smiled, blood spilling from his lips, cracking his teeth. ‎ ‎ ‎"Then delete me. But my will… my will is not yours to take." ‎ ‎ ‎He concentrated everything into a single point of existence—a Will Anchor, a seed of defiance, hidden from even the Great Dao. ‎ ‎ ‎The Dao descended fully. Light swallowed everything. ‎ ‎ ‎Silence followed. ‎ ‎ ‎Yet even in that silence, Xu Yan's consciousness remained. Fragmented, erased in body, realm, cultivation—but unbroken in will. ‎ ‎ ‎The Defiant Sovereign had fallen, but the seed of defiance survived. ‎ ‎ ‎Somewhere far away, in a mortal world untouched by Immortals, a child was about to open his eyes. ‎ ‎ ‎And even though the Dao did not see him, even though it believed him gone, the child carried a spark of Xu Yan's soul. ‎ ‎ ‎Within that spark rested the memory of love. ‎ ‎ ‎A whisper: "For Lian Yue, I will rise again." ‎ ‎ ‎The world would not know it yet. ‎ ‎ ‎But Heaven, Earth, Dao, and Fate had all been warned.