87. Whispers Beyond Fate

The vast cosmic battlefield was silent.

The Sovereigns of Fate—once eternal, once invincible—were no more.

Ling Tian sheathed the Vanquished Edge, his azure-gold aura slowly receding. His breath was steady, yet his gaze remained sharp.

Even though he had shattered their desperate last gambit, he knew…

Something was still wrong.

The Myriad Worlds trembled.

It was not fear. It was anticipation.

Something… or someone… had been waiting for this outcome.

A cold wind swept through the ruins of the celestial domain.

And then—

A whisper.

Faint. Almost imperceptible.

Yet it carried the weight of something far greater than the Sovereigns.

"He has done it."

The words came from nowhere… and everywhere.

Ling Tian's gaze darkened.

He turned.

Beyond the remnants of the shattered Sovereign Throne, beyond the swirling void, a figure stood atop the remains of a celestial monument.

A man cloaked in deep gray robes.

Neither mortal nor divine.

An anomaly.

Ling Tian's fingers tightened over his sword.

"Who are you?"

The figure smiled—a subtle, knowing curve of his lips.

"You have broken the chains of fate," the man said. His voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it echoed through existence itself.

Ling Tian remained silent.

The man continued.

"But did you ever consider… what those chains were holding back?"

Ling Tian's pupils shrank.

A trap? A deception?

No.

Something worse.

Something deliberate.

The man gestured toward the heavens.

Beyond the void—

Something stirred.

Not an enemy. Not an army.

Something greater than even the Sovereigns themselves.

Ling Tian's grip tightened.

His journey had only just begun.

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