Chapter 19: The First Void Incarnate
The blank scroll hovered at Lin Xuan's side, pulsing faintly.
The world was quiet—not in peace, but in hesitation.
Even the winds seemed unsure whether they were allowed to blow.
He stood on a crumbling sky-bridge overlooking the remnants of the Tribunal Hall, surrounded by lawless silence.
"This is the price of freedom," he whispered.
"A world without story."
But freedom never comes without consequence.
And from the ashes of narrative…
Something else had begun to awaken.
Birth of the Incarnate
In the hollow space where the Overseer once sat, something moved.
Not a beast.
Not a man.
Not a spirit.
But a concept made flesh.
A silhouette stepped from the broken scroll.
It was faceless, robed in layers of torn scripture and dripping with unanchored karma.
Its presence was wrong.
Not because it was hostile.
But because it was authorless.
The Null Codex pulsed inside Lin Xuan's mind.
"Warning: Anomaly detected.""Classification: VOID INCARNATE.""Nature: Emergent entity formed from abandoned narrative fragments.""Threat Level: Undefined."
Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes.
"A being born from the stories I destroyed…"
"A child of my defiance."
The Incarnate Speaks
The being's voice was many voices—some weeping, some laughing, some praying.
"You are freedom," it said. "So we are what comes after."
"You erased the world's script."
"Now we will write our own."
It raised one hand, and the ground rewrote itself beneath them.
A battlefield formed, forged of half-finished tales and corrupted oaths. Floating weapons, broken names, and fragments of history hovered around them like dying stars.
"We are the first," it said.
"And we are not yours to command."
Battle: Lin Xuan vs. Void Incarnate – Originless Rebirth
The sky warped.
The battlefield became a living paradox.
Each time Lin Xuan struck, the Incarnate rewrote its origin, becoming something else:
A blade master.
A blood priest.
A Dao-saint of the Woven Flame.
A child with no name, wielding borrowed will.
"We are everything that could have been," it said."And you—are what erased them."
Lin Xuan's Counter: Scriptless Technique – Unbound Convergence
Lin Xuan's aura darkened.
He took a deep breath—and began unforming himself.
No posture.
No technique.
No qi channeling.
Just awareness.
And then he moved—not as a cultivator, but as a blank slate.
The Null Flame flared. The battlefield screamed.
He struck the Incarnate—not with power, but with absence.
The Incarnate collapsed.
It screamed—not in pain, but in dissonance.
"You… you are no longer readable," it said, voice trembling.
"You are no longer… relatable."
It began to fracture.
And then—
Smiled.
Revelation: The Void Breeds the Void
"You thought we were a mistake," it said.
"But you were wrong."
"You shattered the script... and the fragments awoke."
"We are not your enemy. We are your reflection."
And then it split.
Not into pieces.
Into others.
Twelve streaks of dark light shot across the sky—vanishing into the realms below.
Each one bore part of the Incarnate's essence.
Each one would become something new.
"You wanted freedom," the voice echoed."Now everyone will have it. Ready or not."
Emergent Threat: Twelve Void Incarnates Released
These beings have no karma, no cause, and no loyalty. Each one embodies a potential future unshackled from law. Their presence destabilizes cultivation methods, sect rules, and oaths. Some may follow Lin Xuan. Some may try to replace him.
Meanwhile — At the Ashen Root Sect
Nie Qing stared at the sky.
"Did… something just divide?"
Elder Yun Rou grimaced.
"Something was born. I can feel its pressure echoing through the Void Paths."
"Twelve somethings. Unwritten… but loud."
"And all of them bear the scent of our founder."
Nie Qing whispered, voice tight:
"Lin Xuan… what have you done?"
Lin Xuan Stands Alone
Above the ruins of Heaven's courtroom, he stood silent.
The battlefield around him collapsed into dust.
But the damage was done.
The script was not only burned.
Now, the ashes had learned to speak.