45. The End That Was Erased

The sky wept fire.

The city, once magnificent, collapsed into ruin within moments.

Screams of warriors, the cries of kings, the whispers of scholars—all were silenced.

Xu Qing'er clutched Ling Tian's arm, her breathing uneven. "This is…"

Ling Tian's fists clenched.

He could feel it.

This was not just a memory of destruction.

It was the moment when the Vanquished Throne ceased to exist.

The phantom turned to face him. "Do you understand now?"

Ling Tian's voice was calm, but his eyes burned. "Who did this?"

The phantom's form flickered. "A power that should not exist."

And then—

The darkness turned toward Ling Tian.

A presence beyond mortal understanding noticed him.

And for the first time—

It moved.

---

The Unseen Foe

A force lashed out from the void, an overwhelming presence that sought to erase even Ling Tian's existence.

Xu Qing'er reacted instantly, silver energy surging forward—

But it was useless.

This was not an attack.

It was a concept.

A force meant to erase fate itself.

Ling Tian's golden-azure aura blazed violently, instinctively pushing back.

For a single moment—

Time itself seemed to shatter.

He saw visions.

Fragments of the Myriad Worlds.

The faces of beings beyond mortality.

And then—

A whisper echoed.

"You were never meant to exist."

---

Breaking the Chains of Fate

Ling Tian refused to yield.

His Qi surged, his body burning as he rejected the erasure.

His aura shifted—

And the unseen force flinched.

For the first time—it hesitated.

Ling Tian took a step forward.

And with that single step—

The illusion shattered.

The city was gone.

The phantom was gone.

They were back in the ruined temple—

But now, an ancient seal lay before Ling Tian.

Carved in divine script, it pulsed with a power older than the heavens.

And Ling Tian knew—

This was what he came for.

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