46. Sovereign’s Key

Ling Tian studied the seal.

It was incomplete—a fragment of something far greater.

Xu Qing'er examined it. "This… is not just a relic. It's a key."

Ling Tian nodded. "A key to the truth."

He placed his hand upon it—

And the moment his Qi touched the surface—

The world shifted again.

---

The Will of the Forgotten

Ling Tian found himself standing within a vast void.

Above him, three celestial thrones hovered in silence.

One was shattered.

One was empty.

And the last—

Held a figure.

A presence beyond mortality, its form obscured by ever-shifting light.

It spoke.

"Fate has led you here, yet fate does not decide what comes next."

Ling Tian stared up at it.

He would not be bound by fate.

He had long since chosen his own path.

"Then I will take what is mine."

The figure chuckled softly. "Then prove yourself."

And with those words—

The final trial began.

---

The Trial of Sovereignty

The celestial void rippled.

A force descended upon Ling Tian, seeking to suppress him, to bind him within the will of the Myriad Worlds.

But Ling Tian stood firm.

His golden-azure aura clashed against the celestial force, the third color within him—a deep crimson—pulsating wildly.

Xu Qing'er, outside the vision, saw his body shining with terrifying power.

The temple shook, cracks spreading across reality itself.

And then—

Ling Tian took the throne.

For a brief moment—

He sat upon the empty seat of sovereignty.

The void trembled.

The three celestial thrones shifted.

And from the shattered throne—

A whisper echoed.

"Find the Vanquished Throne… before it finds you."

The vision ended.

Ling Tian opened his eyes.

And before him—

The Sovereign's Key pulsed in his grasp.

The path forward had been revealed.

The Forsaken Realm… was merely the beginning.

---