chapter 14: the trial of power - the pillar of void

After the immense surge of energy from claiming the Pillar of Eternity, Zhen Wu felt a calm unlike anything he had ever experienced. He had unlocked a new layer of his power, a connection to time itself that granted him dominion over his own destiny. However, the journey was far from over. The challenges awaiting him were just beginning, and the next trial would push him beyond the limits of what even he thought was possible.

It wasn't long before Zhen Wu found himself before the next of the Pillars—the Pillar of Void. Unlike the radiant pillar of time, the Pillar of Void was dark and oppressive, its surface swirling with endless shadows and glimpses of nothingness. The air around it hummed with an energy that resonated with the deepest parts of existence, where even the concept of being seemed to lose its meaning.

Zhen Wu stood before it, contemplating its nature. This was not a trial of wisdom or understanding as the Pillar of Eternity had been. No, this was a trial of power—a test of whether he had the strength not only to face the void, but to become it.

"The void is not absence," Zhen Wu murmured to himself. "It is potential. The place where everything and nothing exist simultaneously. I must find my place within it."

Without another thought, Zhen Wu stepped forward, placing his hand upon the dark surface of the Pillar of Void. The moment his fingers made contact, a flood of energy rushed into him, sending a jolt of raw power through his body. His mind began to spin with the endless possibilities the void contained—an infinite expanse where the laws of nature did not apply, where creation and destruction existed as one.

Zhen Wu's vision blurred as his very being was torn from its mortal coil. His physical form began to disintegrate, as if the very concept of him was being erased by the void itself. Yet, even as his existence seemed to unravel, Zhen Wu remained resolute. This was the trial—he was being torn apart, but only so that he could be reforged.

"You are nothing," a voice echoed in his mind. It was not external, but internal—his own voice, distorted by the abyss. "You are but a fleeting speck in the endless expanse of the void. You are nothing more than a memory in a universe that has long since forgotten you."

Zhen Wu's mind faltered for a moment. Could it be true? Was he truly insignificant, a mere blip in the grand scheme of things?

"No," he whispered, shaking off the uncertainty. "I am not nothing. I am everything. I am the embodiment of all things that could be, all things that are, and all things that will be."

As if responding to his declaration, the void around him began to shift. Shadows and whispers danced in the corners of his mind, showing him countless paths—possibilities that reached out like tendrils, each offering power, each offering destruction. They were temptations, the essence of the void itself, urging him to abandon his path.

But Zhen Wu remained unmoved. He did not need to take what the void offered him. He did not need to succumb to its call. He would become the void itself, not as a tool, but as its master. He was the supreme Dao, and the void would bend to his will.

His mind focused, and with a burst of inner strength, he seized the void, pulling its energies into his own being. The swirling darkness around him began to collapse into a singularity, coalescing into a tangible force within Zhen Wu's core. He embraced it—its emptiness, its infinite potential, its boundless power.

The Pillar of Void pulsed with energy, reacting to Zhen Wu's acceptance of its nature. Slowly, the darkness began to recede, and in its place, a form began to take shape—a being forged from nothingness, as if it were an extension of Zhen Wu's own will. This entity, a reflection of the Pillar of Void, bowed before him, acknowledging his mastery.

"You have passed the trial," the being said, its voice resonating with an echo of infinite silence. "You have embraced the essence of the void, and in doing so, you have become it. You now possess the power of the eternal emptiness."

Zhen Wu nodded solemnly. "The void is not to be feared. It is to be understood and wielded. I now know its true power."

With the trial of the Pillar of Void complete, Zhen Wu felt his strength surge once again. His control over time had already expanded beyond the limits of comprehension, and now, with the void at his command, he felt an even deeper understanding of the Dao. He had mastered the two foundational pillars of existence—time and emptiness—and with them, his path forward was clearer than ever before.

But even as he stood there, basking in the calm that followed the trial, Zhen Wu knew that the path ahead was far from simple. There were still more pillars to claim, more trials to face, and more aspects of the Dao to understand.

However, in this moment, Zhen Wu was more than confident. He had become something greater than he had ever imagined. He had transcended mortal limitations and embraced the essence of the universe itself. He was the embodiment of time, the ruler of the void, and he knew that nothing could stand in his way.

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End of Chapter 14