I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Lin Qing'er closed her eyes. She saw the life of the Azure Emperor—not as she had imagined. The Azure Emperor did not sacrifice herself for a mission, but for protection. She sacrificed herself to protect countless lives behind her. She owed no one. She was a hero.

Lin Qing'er shed tears. But she smiled.

The figure of the Lord of All Realms began to fade. His body was becoming transparent, like ice melting in the sunlight.

"My mission is complete," he said.

Qin Yuan asked, "Where are you going?"

"Go where I belong," said the Lord of All Realms. "Continue your ascent. At the end of the path, there is someone waiting for you."

He transformed into specks of light and vanished into the starry sky. The white stars shattered, and the fragments formed a portal of light. There were no inscriptions on the portal, but Qin Yuan knew what they were.

The end of the Tao.

Qin Yuan took Lin Qing'er's hand and walked towards the light gate.

Beyond the portal lay a pure white void.

It wasn't nothingness, nor emptiness, but a state of "nothingness" itself—a place where even the concept of "nothingness" didn't exist. Qin Yuan and Lin Qing'er stood there, feeling like they were the only "existence." There was no up or down, no left or right, no near or far, no time, no space. Only them, and that pure white expanse.

A voice echoed in the void. It had no source, no direction, emanating simultaneously from every corner, yet it seemed as if it had never been uttered at all.

"For billions of years, someone has finally made it here."

A figure coalesced in the pure white. It wasn't human, but a ball of pure light. The light's color constantly shifted—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, violet, then turned white, and then back to red. Every second was different, yet every second was the same.

Qin Yuan asked, "Who are you?"

The voice said, "I am the God of Nothingness. I am the end of the Tao, and the source of all worlds. I am the answer you have been searching for."

Qin Yuan gripped the Xingtian Sword tightly. "You're going to stop me?"

"No," said the God of Nothingness, "I want to fight you. Not to stop you, but to test you."

It didn't make a move. It simply existed. But Qin Yuan felt an unprecedented pressure. It wasn't power, nor laws, but the weight of "existence itself." It was as if the entire universe was pressing down on his shoulders, as if every star was asking him: What right do you have to stand here?

His guardian spirit trembled within him, like a wild beast facing its natural enemy.

"Your path is protection," said the God of Nothingness, "but protection requires an object. If the object no longer exists, does your path still exist?"

Qin Yuan did not answer. He raised his sword.

The God of Nothingness raised his hand. A colorless light shot out from his palm, without sound or trajectory, only a sense of "inevitability"—as if this strike was bound to hit, as if Qin Yuan was bound to fall.

Qin Yuan raised his sword to parry. The sword energy collided with the light.

There was no explosion, no roar. Cracks appeared on the Xingtian Sword, stretching from the tip to the hilt, like a dense spiderweb. Qin Yuan was blasted away, crashing into the pure white void, spitting out blood. His chest was dented, and three of his ribs were broken.

Lin Qing'er exclaimed and rushed over to help him.

The God of Nothingness said, "You are too weak. You are no match for me."

Qin Yuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stood up. He looked at the cracks on the Xingtian Sword, then at the God of Nothingness.

"You're wrong," he said.

The God of Nothingness: "Where did we go wrong?"

"The one I'm protecting won't disappear," Qin Yuan said. "Because I'm here, she's here."

He grasped Lin Qing'er's hand. Golden light surged from his palm, intertwining with the azure light within Lin Qing'er's body. The gold and azure intertwined and merged, slowly transforming into pure white.

That white light was the same as the light of the God of Nothingness, yet different. The light of the God of Nothingness was "nothingness," emptiness, and the end. But their light was "existence," warmth, and the beginning.

The cracks on the Xingtian Sword were filled with pure white light, and the sword was restored to its original state, even brighter than before.

Qin Yuan raised his sword. Pure white sword energy surged from the tip of the sword, like a pillar of light, piercing straight towards the God of Nothingness.

"This sword is called 'us'."

He swung his sword. Pure white sword energy slashed towards the God of Nothingness.

The sword energy collided with the light of the God of Nothingness. There was no explosion, no roar. The two lights intertwined, entwined, and merged in the void. The light of the God of Nothingness slowly faded, while Qin Yuan's light grew brighter and brighter.

The God of Nothingness said, "You have won. Your way is purer than mine."

Its light slowly dissipated, turning into countless specks of light. The specks of light fell like snowflakes, landing on Qin Yuan's shoulders and in Lin Qing'er's hair.

"The end of the Tao is not the end, but the beginning." The final voice of the God of Nothingness echoed in the void. "You can go anywhere and do anything. You are free."

The points of light coalesced into a door. There were no words or patterns on the door; it was just an ordinary door.

Qin Yuan looked at the door, then at Lin Qing'er.

Lin Qing'er looked at him.

"Let's go," Qin Yuan said.

"Where to?" Lin Qing'er asked.

"Whatever," Qin Yuan said. "Wherever you are, I'll be there."

He didn't push open the door. He took Lin Qing'er's hand and turned to look back at the way they had come.

"Not going?" Lin Qing'er asked.

"I'm not going," Qin Yuan said. "There's nothing up there. There's something down below."

He carried Lin Qing'er and flew towards the depths of the myriad realms. They traversed the nine heavens, the myriad realms, the myriad worlds, the sea of ​​chaos, and the land of origin.

They returned to the stream behind the Xuan Yuan Sect.

The old plum tree is still there. Its trunk has thickened, and a few more cracks have appeared in its bark, but the blossoms on its branches are still so white and so fragrant. The stream is still there. The water is still so clear and so cool, and a few fallen leaves still float on its surface. Even the blue stone is still there. A layer of moss has grown on the stone, but its shape hasn't changed; it's still the same size, big enough for two people to sit on.

Qin Yuan squatted down and scooped up some stream water to wash his face. The water was cool and clear. He looked at his reflection on the water—his hair was disheveled, his clothes were torn, and his face was injured. But his eyes were still bright.

Lin Qing'er squatted down beside him and washed her face as well. She looked at her reflection in the water—it was still the same face, still the same eyes. But the look in her eyes was different. Before, her eyes held confusion, unease, and fear of the past. Now, nothing was there. Only peace.

"We're back," she said.

"Okay," Qin Yuan said, "I'm home."

In the distance, the sun was setting. Golden sunlight spilled onto the stream, onto the old plum tree, and onto the two of them.

Qin Yuan looked at Lin Qing'er, and Lin Qing'er looked at Qin Yuan.

They laughed.

[Ding! The guardian of the end of the path—the God of Nothingness—has been defeated. Reward: Unlimited Energy Points.]

[Cultivation Breakthrough: Void Sovereign Level 1 → Void Sovereign Level 9 → Void Supreme.]

[Lin Qing'er's advancement: Origin Saint Emperor Level 5 → Void Sovereign Level 1.]

Qin Yuan closed the system panel. He didn't need to look at it anymore.

He leaned against the bluestone, and Lin Qing'er leaned on his shoulder. Petals from the old plum tree drifted down, landing on their hair and their clothes.