Faith_George_4562

Xu Tianyin was never meant to exist. Branded a cosmic mistake from birth, his very bloodline rejects him, erasing his presence from the world. Denied the path of ordinary cultivation, he is forced to carve his own—a forbidden road of void and suffering, one that feeds on absence and thrives on wounds.

Hunted by those who fear what he might become, he walks the line between survival and oblivion. But in the shadows stands Bai Yeming, a mentor whose past is as shrouded as the void itself. Cold yet unwavering, she alone sees the potential in his cursed fate. Together, they defy the heavens, forging a path that should not exist—one that will either shatter the world’s understanding of power or consume them both.

As celestial forces close in, one question remains: Can a man who was never meant to be leave a scar upon the heavens themselves?

SCARRED BY THE HEAVENS

Silence stretched, vast and consuming.

Xu Tianyin felt the world unravel at the edges, reality bending in response to something unseen. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, his breath shallow.

This wasn't the usual stillness of the night.

The masked figure took another step back. "This… what did you do?"

Tianyin didn't answer. He wasn't sure himself.

But he could feel it—an unseen force threading through his veins, the vast emptiness that had always lurked at the edges of his existence. Only now, it wasn't distant.

His enemies hesitated. Even those who had been ready to strike wavered, uncertainty flickering in their eyes. The void's presence was not loud. It did not roar or crackle like fire.

One of the attackers made a choice—they lunged.

The shift was instinctual. His body turned, not through strength or speed, but through something else. Something that should not have been possible.

For a moment, it was as if he had never been there.

The attacker's blade sliced through empty space where he should have been.

The realization hit only when Tianyin drove his staff into their ribs, sending them crashing to the ground.

Fear flickered in their expressions.

The masked figure's fingers twitched, as if resisting the urge to step back again. "Interesting." Their voice was quieter now. Not amused. Not mocking.

Tianyin steadied his breath. His limbs felt both weightless and impossibly heavy, his pulse thrumming with an energy that wasn't quite his own.

Whatever had responded to him wasn't something meant to be controlled. It was like standing on the edge of an abyss, knowing one wrong step would send him plummeting into nothingness.

The masked figure's voice broke through the heavy silence.

The remaining attackers hesitated, waiting for a command.

The figure studied Tianyin for a long moment before chuckling softly. "You've piqued my interest." Their masked face tilted slightly. "I think I'll be watching you."

And just like that, they turned and vanished into the darkness.

The others followed without hesitation.

His body ached, his head spun, but he remained standing. He wasn't sure if he had won or simply survived.

Something had reached for him in the void.

Chapter 12 – The Edge of Nothingness