Lian Yu stood up slowly, his body no longer trembling under the weight of Heaven's rejection. Though his cultivation was gone, though his connection to the world was severed, he was still here.
The flickering power within him had stabilized—barely. It was like a beast that had just been awakened, raw and untamed. He had to refine it, control it.
His gaze swept across the desolate land. Where was he?
The sky above was vast and boundless, yet strangely distant—as if it no longer acknowledged his presence. The air was still, suffocating in its silence. This place felt… abandoned.
He took a step forward. The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly, reacting to his existence in a way it shouldn't have. It was as if this world did not recognize him.
Was this part of his punishment? Had Heaven thrown him into some forgotten realm?
A sudden gust of wind howled through the emptiness, carrying with it a strange whisper—a voice, distant yet familiar.
"You should not be here."
Lian Yu's eyes sharpened. He turned, scanning his surroundings. The land was barren, yet he felt… watched.
"You should not exist."
His grip tightened. "Who's there?"
Silence.
Then, a shadow shifted at the edge of his vision. Not a person. Something else.
Lian Yu narrowed his eyes and focused. The flickering power within him stirred, responding to his intent.
The shadow trembled. And then—it fled.
Lian Yu exhaled slowly. Whatever that thing was, it had reacted to his power.
A realization settled in his mind.
He had survived Heaven's erasure. His existence defied the world's natural order. And now, the world itself did not know what to do with him.
"Then I'll force it to acknowledge me."