343 Outside Hollowed World

At first, I thought we were in the gap between the False Earth and the Hollowed World. But I was wrong. To my left, stretching into forever, was the Hollowed World itself. Its enormity made me feel like a mere speck drifting in the tide of infinity. Its darkness was absolute, so deep that not even my Divine Sense could perceive its heart. Around it, countless celestial bodies circled like mourners at a funeral: asteroids, fractured moons, gas planets glinting faintly, and distant ice giants reflecting cold light. Beyond all that, the cosmos shimmered with stars and veils of nebulous light, radiant and solemn. Yet even that brilliance seemed fragile near the Hollowed World. The shadows it cast swallowed the light, twisting space into something dreadful and immense.

Under those distant, flickering stars, a battle between two immortals unfolded. I leaped from one asteroid to another, my Zealot's Stride leaving trails of golden flame behind me. A freezing beam sliced past, cutting through several floating rocks as if they were mist. I spun in the air, raising my hand to deflect the shards of frost scattering toward me. Jia Sen hovered several leagues away, his white hair drifting freely in the vacuum, his nine tails faintly visible as pale streaks of light.

"Is this all you've become, Da Wei?" his voice thundered through the void, laced with Qi Speech that echoed directly in my mind. "The so-called Slayer of False Earth, reduced to running from my frost? You disappoint me."

I clenched my teeth, feeling the weight of his mockery press against my spirit. "Says the coward who hides in the distance," I shot back, launching myself off a tumbling asteroid. "Come closer and see if you still have the breath to talk!"

He laughed, the sound sharp and hollow. "Coward? You're not worth my full strength. Why waste my true form on someone who's already spent?"

"Transform, Jia Sen!" I roared, channeling heat through my meridians and mana road, the golden flame of my essence erupting around me. "Or are you afraid your monstrous fox form will die too quickly?"

"Afraid?" His eyes narrowed, glinting with icy contempt. "You don't deserve to witness it."

I scoffed, landing on a drifting fragment of metal debris. My mind raced, trying to decipher what the old fox was scheming. He was never one to fight straightforwardly. Every encounter we'd had before, he'd eagerly assumed his monstrous form, eager to end me. Yet now, he was keeping his distance, staying human, careful, and calculating. Something wasn't right.

Within my shadow, I felt a faint stir. Alice's whisper came through the link we shared, soft and sharp as a needle. "He's stalling, David. Either to draw you away from something… or to trap you here."

Before I could answer, a small voice, sly and confident, echoed from my armor. Da Ji, in her miniature fox form, had poked her head out just enough for her beady eyes to meet mine. "It's possible he's trying to leave you stranded, brother. If he's realized your Egress Spell can't function in this region, he might be buying time until you exhaust yourself. Once your powers run dry, you'll be stuck here, forever."

"That's unlikely," I muttered, half to myself. "If that was his plan, he'd already have fled. Why risk staying this close to me?"

Alice hummed in thought. "Perhaps he doesn't want to flee. Perhaps he wants to end it here, once and for all. A personal victory."

I grunted. "Then he's welcome to try."

I blurred forward, activating Divine Speed. The stars became streaks of light around me, the distance between us collapsing in an instant. Jia Sen barely had time to widen his eyes before my hand shot out and clamped around his throat. I felt the crunch of bone, the resistance of flesh, and then, nothing but cold mist. His body disintegrated into frost, exploding around me like a winter storm. I cursed, realizing too late that it was a trick. The frost spread across my limbs, binding me for the briefest moment.

A shadow fell over me.

I looked up and there he was, the real Jia Sen, floating above me with a triumphant smile. His laughter echoed through the emptiness, wild and unrestrained. His tails flared like comets, and from his outstretched palms, a devouring void began to form. Space twisted inward, light bent, and a vast black maw tore open, lined with glimmering edges that consumed everything in sight.

"Witness it, Da Wei!" Jia Sen's voice boomed, filled with manic glee. "Immortal Art—World Devouring Maw!"

The frost clung to me like chains of ice, creeping along my limbs and numbing the flow of qi inside my body. I gritted my teeth, forcing Divine Might to erupt from my core. Golden light burst outward, shattering the frost with a thunderous crack. Yet even as it splintered, I could feel traces of foul energy lingering within the shards, a web of curses, woven into the frost itself. It wasn't just cold; it was spite given form. For a heartbeat, my vision dimmed as the curses tried to gnaw at my soul. But then I raised Silver Steel, the longsword's faint radiance flaring into argent brilliance.

"Silver Soul… awaken."

A silver wave swept across my body, cleansing the curses in a breath. The frost and debuffs that clung to me vanished as though they had never existed. Silver Steel hummed softly, resonating with my spirit, and I could feel its ancient calm steadying my mind. Still, my reprieve was brief. Space itself shuddered.

Before me, the monstrous maw of Jia Sen's Immortal Art unfurled. It was a cosmic wound that stretched wider and wider until it swallowed half the horizon. The very fabric of the universe bent inward, its edges twisting into spirals of darkness and light. The World Devouring Maw was no mere illusion; it was hunger given shape, a beast carved from the void.

I steadied my breath, gripping Silver Steel tighter. "If that hits me head-on, I'll be gone before I even know it." I could probably counter it with an Ultimate Skill bolstered by my Immortal Art. But my Immortal Art drew its power from the faith of my people, the prayers of mortals, and the light of my Paladins. Out here, cut off from the Hollowed World, that connection was faint and almost severed. My strength was incomplete.

"Was that your plan all along, Jia Sen?" I murmured, eyes narrowing. "To lure me here and cut me from the faith that sustains me?"

I saw no point in waiting to confirm it. I activated Castling, my form flickering as I swapped places with a drifting asteroid. The beastly maw clamped down where I had been, devouring the asteroid I'd replaced. The sheer force of it tore chunks of space apart, leaving black scars that refused to close.

While darting between the debris, I abused Divine Possession, channeling my Manasoul into several inanimate objects. Unlike my heavier Ultimate Skills, this one was nearly effortless, cost-efficient, flexible, and adaptable. My consciousness split for a moment as I spread my essence among the scattered asteroids, each fragment of myself humming with divine intent.

Far from Jia Sen's direct sight, I stretched out my palm. "Judgment Severance."

The Manasoul I'd left behind in the devoured asteroid detonated in light. A golden rift split open, forming a massive cross that cleaved through the void. The radiance expanded outward, swallowing every trace of supernatural energy within its reach. Jia Sen was caught inside the cross's range, and even from this distance, I felt the disruption it caused in his qi flow. His nine tails flickered erratically, his aura faltering for the first time since the battle began.

I smiled faintly. "Perfect range. You're inside; I'm not."

Raising Silver Steel, I pointed the blade directly at him. "Designate Holy Enemy."

A reversed crimson cross appeared above Jia Sen's head, glowing with divine light that pulsed in rhythm with my heartbeat. The mark of condemnation linked his fate to my will. I channeled Qi Speech next, letting my words carry the full weight of mockery and faith combined.

"Heavenly Punishment."

Above Jia Sen, the void split apart once more. From the asteroids imbued with my Manasouls, divine power bloomed like miniature suns. From each, a colossal sword of radiant energy descended, shaped from pure divine essence and wreathed in quintessence flame. They rained upon him in unison, dozens of Heavenly Punishments, each one burning brighter than the last, their trails carving lines of gold across the abyss.

The explosions illuminated everything from the stars, the Hollowed World, and even the dark veins of the cosmos trembled under their brilliance. For a moment, Jia Sen disappeared within the storm of divine retribution.

But then, the light dimmed.

Through the fading radiance, I saw a massive, terrible, and awe-inspiring shape. A fox of colossal size emerged, its fur made of starlight and frost, each tail whipping like a comet. The divine blades embedded in his body shattered one after another, unable to pierce his new form completely. His eyes glowed with pale fire, his maw dripping with mist.

Jia Sen had transformed partially, yet enough to shake the stars.

The monstrous fox's voice echoed across the void, deep and resonant. "You wanted to see it, Da Wei... my true form."

He laughed, the sound half-mad, half-triumphant. "Now face it."

"Gladly," I said, my voice steady as my will surged outward. The Manasouls I'd scattered across the surrounding field of asteroids shimmered, each one igniting with divine gold. "You asked for it, old man."

I pointed Silver Steel toward Jia Sen, the blade humming with anticipation. From every direction, a hundred beams of light flared open across the void, forming the sigils of divine execution. Then, with a single thought, they descended… a Hundred Heavenly Punishments unleashed in unison. The swords fell like meteors, each one a burning lance of gold that split the cosmos itself.

If there was ever a place I preferred to fight without restraint, it was here. The vastness of space suited me far more than the suffocating confines of the Hollowed World. There were no cities to crumble, no innocents to shield, and no fragile worlds to shatter beneath my power. For so long, I had fought with restraint, holding back every time I swung, afraid of what I might destroy. But out here, I could finally test what my strength truly meant.

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I remembered the time I reached the peak of my Demi-God potential, the battle against Aixin, when I'd stood alone against the tides of angels and her immense divine power. Even then, I knew I was capable of leveling mountains, of carving valleys with a single strike. Yet, I had never done it. Admittedly, that was the closest thing I'd come to unleashing my full power. But still, I've unconsciously held myself back, and it killed me. But here, in this unending emptiness, there was no such burden. The thought stirred something fierce within me.

The golden swords rained down relentlessly. Jia Sen, despite his monstrous transformation, struggled beneath their fury. Each impact rippled through the void, tearing fragments of frost and spiritual mist from his form. The initial salvos he weathered well, his [Level 26] Ascended Soul shielding him from true destruction. I could sense the layers of his immortality through my Divine Sense, bright like stacked barriers of spiritual flame. But with every strike that landed, I saw them dim and fracture, one after another.

[Level 25] [Level 24] [Level 23] [Level 22]

The sequence continued, each drop accompanied by a thunderous pulse of divine energy that echoed through the empty cosmos. He was resisting, yes, but he was bleeding power all the same.

When his aura finally stabilized, the count in my mind stopped.

[Level 17]

Da Ji's voice chimed softly from my armor, a glimmer of sly eagerness in her tone. "Brother, should we?"

Before I could respond, Alice's voice followed, calm and sharp as crystal. "No. We stay where we are. David's got this handled. We're his trump cards, not his distractions. When the time comes, we'll move… but not before."

I gave a faint nod. "Understood." Their reasoning was sound. If Jia Sen had trump cards waiting, it was better they stayed hidden for now.

Across the stars, Jia Sen's monstrous form writhed in fury, his tails lashing and scattering trails of silver frost. His roar shook the fragments of asteroids around us, turning them to powder. He leveled his burning eyes on me, his voice both proud and resentful.

"You did splendid, Da Wei…" he rumbled, each word crackling with restrained rage. "You've grown so much stronger since our last bout. Such a dramatic improvement that it defies reason, defies heaven itself. It almost feels unfair."

His mouth curved into a smirk, sharp and cold. "But I suppose that's expected, isn't it? Considering your history… and your destiny."

I held Silver Steel at my side, its light flickering faintly against the darkness. "You sound like you know my destiny."

Jia Sen laughed, heavy with mockery. "I don't. But someone does. And from what I've gleaned through his whispers…" He paused, the laughter fading into something more grave. "It isn't pretty, Da Wei. Not at all."

Nebulous clouds drifted into view from the far reaches of the void, immense and alive, their colors shifting in hues of violet, azure, and black. They moved like beasts. They were vast, fluid, and hungry. I could feel their auras even from here, each one carrying the weight of an Ascended Soul realm. My Divine Sense trembled against their sheer presence.

Jia Sen's grin returned, his eyes glinting with dark amusement. "Do you feel that? These are no mere storms of the void. This, Da Wei, is my scheme. These creatures… these Void Beasts… are but one of many that dwell in the Greater Universe. You've fought demons, gods, and abominations born of creation itself. But this…?! This is different!"

"Yeah, great…"

What had once been the serene emptiness of space was now crawling with abominations. The Void Beasts filled the dark horizon like an endless tide of decay. They were massive, pulsing clouds of gray flesh that stretched and contracted as though they were alive. Their bodies were neither gas nor solid matter, but something disturbingly in between, like clouds made of living meat. Out of every surface, countless limbs protruded from arms, tendrils, claws, and wings, none of which seemed to belong to a single creature. Worst of all were the mouths: tens of thousands of them, layered across every inch of their forms, each filled with jagged, glasslike teeth that reflected the faint starlight.

The space between us began to quake as those mouths opened and closed in unison, releasing no sound, only waves of distortion that made my Divine Sense shiver.

Da Ji's voice came from beneath my armor, soft but edged with panic. "Brother… those things… There are too many of them."

Alice added. "We will be fine, but what worries me more is what's next for Jia Sen's scheme…"

Across from me, Jia Sen's monstrous fox form loomed, tails drifting lazily as his laughter rumbled through the void. "Three methods, Da Wei. That's how much I prepared to deal with you. The first… exile. I planned to trap you here, beyond the pull of your faith, severed from your people's devotion. The perfect grave for a false god."

His tails flared, stirring the cosmic dust like storm winds. "The second… the Void Beasts. I lured them from the edges of the Greater Universe, creatures that devour essence and thought alike. Once they awaken in full, they'll tear through this space until not even your bones remain. And perhaps, if fate is cruel, they'll follow the scent of your power and descend upon the Hollowed World next, if they must."

I hissed, "You wouldn't—"

"Oh, I would," Jia Sen interrupted, his tone almost delighted. "And the third method, Da Wei…" He leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "While you remain trapped here, fighting these wretched things, I will return to the Hollowed World. I'll burn your temples, break your cities, and extinguish that precious faith you draw strength from. I will cut your power from its roots."

"You won't touch them," I said through clenched teeth. "Not while I draw breath."

Jia Sen's laughter echoed through the void. "Oh? Then stop me, Da Wei. If you can."

I didn't bother answering. My fury was beyond words. I drew my left hand across the air, and the void split open. From the rift, a blade of deep obsidian blue emerged, Soulsunderer. The moment it touched my hand, the two swords resonated, their combined energy turning the space around me into a shimmering maelstrom of gold and black light.

"Zealot's Stride." My body blurred into motion, golden trails splitting the darkness. "Divine Speed." The stars themselves stretched into lines. "Flash Step." My image fractured into a dozen phantoms.

Both swords glowed as I poured my will into them, channeling everything I had left. "Holy Sword!"

Two Manasouls ignited inside me, burning away their existence to empower my blades. The radiance that burst forth was blinding, cutting through the shadows of the Void Beasts and illuminating the cosmos like a second sun. For a fleeting moment, I saw Jia Sen's face clearly through the light, his grin wide and mocking.

"Beautiful," he murmured, his form beginning to dissolve into silver mist. "But you're too late."

He raised his claws and uttered an incantation in the ancient Qi Speech. The sound of it bent space itself, the syllables reverberating through my bones. Light flared around him, forming a spiral gateway filled with frost and shadow.

"Return Path—Hollowed World."

"No!" I lunged forward, but his form was already fading, his laughter echoing as his outline grew faint. I tried to cast a skill to force him to fight me, but he merely dispelled my skill. "Righteous Challenge!"

"Good luck surviving the Greater Universe, Da Wei," he called, his voice distant yet cruelly clear. "May your faith keep you company in the dark."

Then he was gone.

I guessed it had been too much wishful thinking that Jia Sen would actually fight me head-on. Not that I cared about fairness, since immortals never fought fair, but considering how close our strength had been, I had expected at least a decent duel. My plan had been simple: hold back enough to draw out his pride, and make him crave a personal victory. Instead, unleashing a hundred Heavenly Punishments had probably pushed him past that point. The old fox never liked losing face; he'd rather twist the rules of battle itself than lose standing in his own mind.

I hovered among the drifting asteroids, Silver Steel still faintly glowing in my hand, its edge reflecting the cold starlight. My Divine Sense traced the last echoes of Jia Sen's qi as it faded completely from this empty space. He was gone, back to the Hollowed World. I felt the fury stirring inside me, sharp and smoldering, but I forced it down. Anger was useless here.

From my shadow, Alice emerged in a ripple of black mist. Her eyes glowed faintly beneath the void's dim glow. "Don't think too much about it," she said, her voice composed, calm as always. "The battlefield is an ever-changing scene. You can't anticipate the enemy's every move, no matter how much you plan."

Da Ji's presence followed right after, her small fox form bursting into shimmering light before she took her humanoid shape beside me. Her nine tails flickered with ethereal flame as she brushed dust from her sleeves. "We just need to get back to the Hollowed World before he does what he promised, right?" she said, glancing toward me with her usual sharp grin.

"Except," I muttered, brandishing Silver Steel and Soulsunderer, "I destroyed the Arch Gate. And as far as I know, there's no way back forward."

Da Ji frowned, her vulpine ears twitching. "Then how did he do it?" she asked, referring to how Jia Sen had dragged us here in the first place.

I shrugged, staring into the abyss where the fox immortal had vanished. "Beats me. If I knew, I'd already be chasing him."

Alice crossed her arms, her shadow flickering faintly against the cosmic light. "At least there's one good thing. The Heavenly Demon is with Gu Jie. He's… arrogant, but capable. If nothing else, he'll hold Jia Sen back or at least slow him down."

I let out a dry laugh. "I take no comfort in having to rely on that doofus."

Alice tilted her head slightly, giving me a long look. Then, without a word, she shed her dark robe. Beneath it gleamed a set of black and gold armor, intricate and smooth, the golden etchings pulsing faintly with demonic sigils. The armor looked as if it was alive, breathing with her every movement.

"No helm?" I asked, summoning my own from my pocket dimension and locking it into place with a metallic click. "And where did the armor come from? I don't remember you owning something like that."

Alice smiled faintly, her eyes glinting under the faint light of the stars. "No need for a helm," she said softly. "I'll need to bleed a little to take full advantage of my power. As for the armor… It's a gift from Gu Jie."

Her floral pink hair began to darken, slowly bleeding into crimson as though ink were being poured through each strand. The red flowed like fire, untamed and wild, floating around her head in the weightless void. Her aura surged, heavy and ancient, carrying both sanctity and corruption at once.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Now I'm feeling envious."

"Cool," Da Ji said with a smirk, her tails flicking proudly. "As for me, I don't need any fancy toys like that."

Light flared from her body as she shifted again, bones reshaping, fur expanding until she towered beside us in her true monstrous form. Her silver fur glistened under the starlight, each of her nine tails trailing flames of frost energy. Even in the endless dark, she radiated power that made the void tremble.

The three of us stood surrounded by silence for a moment, until the silence broke.

A low vibration rippled through the void. The Void Beasts had begun to move again, slithering closer in vast, writhing formations. Their countless mouths opened in silent hunger, teeth glinting like crystal blades. The grotesque clouds of flesh surrounded us on all sides, their limbs stretching toward the faint light that we radiated.

"Great," I muttered, tightening my grip on both swords. "Just what we needed. It reminds me of False Earth all over again…"

Before I could plan our next move, light flared behind them, a fiery red sphere streaking across the stars. At first, I thought it was just a distant planet or perhaps a comet burning through a nebula. But as it grew larger, closer, and brighter, I felt my stomach sink.

The "planet" wasn't drifting. It was rushing and hurtling toward the Hollowed World like a divine spear cast from the heavens. The flames surrounding it weren't natural either; they were the burning Qi of countless living beings.

I sighed heavily, watching it grow in size until it filled half the horizon. "What are the chances," I muttered aloud, "that this thing just happens to be one of those realms that descend into the Hollowed World every hundred years?"

Alice looked at me sharply. "You think it's one of the Falling Realms?"

"Oh, I don't think," I said dryly. "I know. And what are the chances it's heading straight for the Empire?"

Da Ji snorted, shaking her massive head. "With your luck, Brother? One hundred percent."

A faint, acrid scent reached my nose even across the vacuum of space. I recognized it instantly. It was sulfur, thick and unmistakable. My lips curved into a grin.

"Fantastic," I said, eyes narrowing at the fiery world barreling toward the Hollowed World. "A realm full of demons. Just what we needed."

The Void Beasts closed in from all sides, the demon planet burned ever closer, and for the first time in what felt like ages, I couldn't help but grin wide and feral.

"Alright then," I muttered, thinking this situation wasn't really that bad. "Let's see how bad my luck really is. Chances are, we just found our way home…"

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