57. Trial of the Forgotten Sovereign

The world around Ling Tian and Xu Qing'er twisted into an abyssal realm of chaotic energies. The sky bled with an eerie silver hue, and distorted echoes of lost voices whispered from the darkness. This was no ordinary battlefield—this was a realm where forgotten history clashed against reality itself.

Ling Tian narrowed his eyes. The Shade of Oblivion had just declared this trial as the price for knowledge, but what kind of trial required warping the very laws of existence?

Xu Qing'er stood beside him, her silver-white hair billowing in the chaotic winds. "Ling Tian… this space feels—wrong. It's like it doesn't belong to any world."

The Shade of Oblivion floated above them, its form constantly shifting, like a being caught between realities. "This is the Fate-Null Realm, a place where those who have been erased from existence still struggle to be remembered. You seek the truth of your lineage? Then face those who have been cast into oblivion before you."

With a single gesture from the Shade, the ground beneath them trembled. Tens… no, hundreds of figures emerged from the shadows.

Their faces were blurred, their forms twisted, but their aura was undeniable—each one had once been a peak cultivator, a sovereign who had defied fate itself.

And now, they were nothing but phantoms, seeking vengeance against the heavens that had forgotten them.

The Battle Against the Forgotten

Ling Tian's golden-azure aura exploded around him as he summoned his sword, Heaven's Edge. The blade hummed with power, resonating with his fury.

Xu Qing'er didn't hesitate, unsheathing her own weapon—a slender, ice-blue sword that pulsed with divine energy. "We fight together," she said firmly.

The first wave of forgotten sovereigns attacked.

A monstrous figure cloaked in burning chains lunged at Ling Tian, its hand wreathed in spectral flames. Ling Tian met the strike head-on, his sword clashing against the phantom's hand. The sheer force shattered the ground beneath them.

The phantom let out a screech, but Ling Tian's expression remained cold. With a flick of his wrist, Heaven's Edge carved through the entity, dispersing it into nothingness.

Xu Qing'er was equally relentless. As two forgotten specters charged at her, she moved like a shadow, her ice-blue sword dancing through the air. With a single graceful movement, she froze them in place before shattering them into a million fragments.

But for every phantom they destroyed, more emerged from the darkness.

The Shade of Oblivion chuckled. "Foolish. Do you not understand? These souls are bound to this realm. So long as they are forgotten, they will never cease to exist."

Ling Tian's brows furrowed. This wasn't a battle of endurance—it was a trial of will.

If they continued fighting, they would be overwhelmed. The only way to win was to change the nature of the battle itself.

Ling Tian exhaled and closed his eyes.

Xu Qing'er blinked. "Ling Tian?"

Instead of responding, Ling Tian let his aura surge. Golden-azure light exploded from his body, flooding the entire realm.

The phantoms recoiled, their forms flickering. For the first time, they hesitated.

Ling Tian spoke, his voice carrying the weight of a sovereign.

"You were forgotten. But I remember you now."

The phantoms froze.

Ling Tian continued, his aura wrapping around them like a binding law. "Your names may have been erased, your stories lost to time, but I acknowledge your existence."

A shudder ran through the entire realm.

One by one, the phantoms began to dissolve—not in pain, but in peace. Their distorted forms regained clarity, their eyes no longer filled with hatred, but relief.

The Shade of Oblivion's expression finally changed. "You…!"

Ling Tian opened his eyes, his gaze like divine judgment. "You thought this was a trial of survival. But it was a trial of remembrance."

The last of the phantoms vanished, and with them, the chaotic realm began to unravel.

A New Path Forward

The moment they returned to reality, the Shade of Oblivion's form flickered. "You… truly are different from the others."

Ling Tian sheathed his sword. "Now, keep your end of the bargain. Tell me the truth about the Ling Clan."

The Shade was silent for a long moment. Then, in a voice that held an ancient sorrow, it said:

"The Ling Clan's erasure was not the work of mortals."

Ling Tian's hands clenched. "Then who?"

The Shade's hollow eyes locked onto his.

"The Vanquished Throne."

Ling Tian's heartbeat thundered in his chest. He had suspected it, but to hear it confirmed…

The Shade's voice lowered. "But you are not the first Ling to seek the truth. And you will not be the last."

Ling Tian's gaze darkened. "Then I will be the one to end this cycle."

Xu Qing'er stepped closer to him, her eyes filled with both worry and determination.

The Shade let out a final, distorted chuckle. "Then go forth, Sovereign of Two Fates. But beware… not all forgotten things wish to be found."

With those words, the Shade vanished into the void, leaving Ling Tian standing at the precipice of a war far greater than he had imagined.

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