The cave slowly fell into silence.
Morning light had fully entered.
Soft golden rays slipped through the cracks above, illuminating the stone floor in quiet patterns. Dust floated gently in the air, drifting without purpose. The world seemed calm.
Still.
Peaceful.
---
But that calm—
Did not last.
---
Yao Chen stepped forward, his gaze shifting toward the cave entrance.
"…We should move."
---
Xue Lian nodded gently.
"…Yes."
---
Her voice was soft, but steady.
There was no hesitation.
No fear.
---
Only quiet acceptance.
---
Behind them, Xuner and Yan Shen remained silent.
Watching.
Their presence was calm—
Yet far deeper than anything within the Mortal Realm.
---
The four figures moved toward the exit.
Each step echoed faintly within the cave.
---
The moment they stepped outside—
---
The world changed.
---
BOOM—
---
A violent pressure descended from above.
---
The ground beneath their feet cracked instantly, splitting apart like fragile glass. Deep fractures spread outward in all directions.
The surrounding forest trembled violently.
Trees bent.
Leaves shook.
Birds scattered in panic.
---
Even the air—
Became heavy.
---
Xue Lian's expression changed instantly.
"…What is—?!"
---
Her voice cut off.
---
Because she saw it.
---
Above them—
---
Various figures appeared in the sky.
---
Dark robes.
Cold auras.
Eyes filled with killing intent.
---
They did not speak.
They did not move.
---
Yet their mere presence—
Distorted the surrounding space.
---
The sky dimmed.
The sunlight weakened.
---
As if the world itself could not bear their existence.
---
Xue Lian's breathing slowed.
---
Not from fear.
---
But from pressure.
---
"…They're…"
---
She could not finish the sentence.
---
Because she did not understand what they were.
---
Only one thing was clear—
---
They were not from this world.
---
Among them—
One figure stepped forward.
---
His movement was slow.
Controlled.
---
But the moment he moved—
Everything else became irrelevant.
---
His gaze locked onto one person.
---
Yao Chen.
---
"…So I finally found you."
---
His voice was quiet.
---
But it echoed across the entire forest like a blade cutting through silence.
---
Yao Chen's pupils narrowed.
---
"…Who are you?"
---
His voice remained calm.
---
Even now—
There was no fear.
---
The man did not answer.
---
Instead—
His aura surged.
---
A terrifying force descended toward Yao Chen.
---
Not like an attack.
---
But like judgment.
---
"…DIE."
---
Everything happened in an instant.
---
Xue Lian's heart tightened.
---
Her body froze.
---
Too fast.
Too overwhelming.
---
She could not move.
---
Yao Chen stepped forward instinctively—
---
But before the attack could reach—
---
CRACK—
---
Space shattered.
---
Not cracked.
---
Shattered.
---
A massive figure appeared before them.
---
A single step—
---
And the attack collapsed.
---
Not blocked.
---
Not deflected.
---
Erased.
---
Shock filled the air.
---
Xue Lian's eyes widened.
"…What…?!"
---
Yao Chen froze.
---
Because the figure standing before them—
---
Was someone he had never expected to see.
---
Tall.
Ancient.
---
His body seemed carved from time itself.
---
Every movement carried the weight of countless eras.
---
His presence—
Was not just powerful.
---
It was absolute.
---
"…Pangu…"
---
The name escaped Yao Chen's lips unconsciously.
---
The figure did not turn.
---
But his voice echoed.
---
"…You should not be here."
---
Calm.
---
Yet filled with authority that could not be questioned.
---
The leading attacker's expression shifted slightly.
---
"…So you came…"
---
A faint smile formed.
---
"…even in this state?"
---
His gaze sharpened.
---
"…You're already injured."
---
Silence.
---
Only then—
Yao Chen noticed.
---
Pangu's aura—
Was unstable.
---
Faint golden cracks spread across his body.
---
Like fractures in something that should never break.
---
As if—
He had already fought a battle before arriving here.
---
Xue Lian whispered.
"…He's… injured…?"
---
But even injured—
---
His presence alone suppressed the entire battlefield.
---
Pangu spoke again.
---
"…Leave."
---
One word.
---
Heavy.
---
Absolute.
---
The figures in the sky did not move.
---
None of them stepped back.
---
None of them hesitated.
---
The leading attacker's eyes turned colder.
---
"…I did not cross realms to return empty-handed."
---
His gaze shifted once more—
Toward Yao Chen.
---
"…The Primordial Flame…"
---
"…does not belong to a mortal."
---
The moment those words fell—
---
The atmosphere exploded.
---
Golden flames surged.
---
Xuner stepped forward.
---
Her figure radiant—
Surrounded by ancient fire.
---
At the same time—
---
A chilling aura spread outward.
---
Yan Shen moved.
---
Frost and flame.
Yin and Yang.
---
They stood side by side.
---
In front of Yao Chen and Xue Lian.
---
"…Then you will not take it."
---
Xuner's voice was calm.
---
But absolute.
---
Yan Shen's eyes glowed faintly.
---
"…Not today."
---
Golden and icy energy intertwined.
---
Spinning.
---
Balancing.
---
A formation began to form.
---
The space around them distorted.
---
A protective barrier—
Took shape.
---
The attackers' expressions darkened.
---
"…Primordial Souls…"
---
"…So it's true."
---
The pressure increased.
---
The sky trembled.
---
The ground sank further.
---
Xue Lian clenched her fists tightly.
---
"…This… is beyond us…"
---
Yao Chen did not respond.
---
His eyes remained fixed forward.
---
Watching.
---
Understanding.
---
This battle—
Was no longer within their world.
---
Pangu stepped forward.
---
One step.
---
And the world seemed to stabilize.
---
"…You should have stayed hidden."
---
His voice carried no anger.
---
Only certainty.
---
The attacker smiled coldly.
---
"…And let him grow?"
---
"…You know that is impossible."
---
Silence.
---
The air grew heavier.
---
The moment stretched.
---
Like something was about to break.
---
And then—
---
Pangu moved.
---
There was no warning.
No buildup.
---
One moment—
He stood still.
---
The next—
---
The sky shattered.
---
BOOM—
---
His fist collided with the descending force of the attacker.
---
The impact did not create a simple explosion.
---
It distorted reality itself.
---
The air twisted.
Space bent.
The sky above fractured like glass.
---
Shockwaves erupted outward—
Flattening trees.
Splitting the earth.
Shaking distant mountains.
---
Xue Lian's breath caught in her throat.
---
"…This… isn't a battle…"
---
Her voice trembled.
---
"…This is destruction…"
---
Yao Chen remained silent.
---
His gaze fixed forward.
---
Watching.
---
Because he understood.
---
This level of power—
Was far beyond anything he had ever imagined.
---
The attacker's expression shifted.
---
"…You still have strength left?"
---
His voice carried a trace of surprise.
---
But also—
Interest.
---
Pangu did not respond.
---
He stepped forward again.
---
And struck.
---
Another collision.
---
BOOM—
---
The sky cracked further.
---
The forest below was torn apart by the aftermath alone.
---
But this time—
---
Something changed.
---
Pangu's arm—
Shuddered.
---
A faint crack spread across his skin.
---
Golden light leaked from within.
---
Not energy.
---
Not aura.
---
But something deeper.
---
His very existence—
Was breaking.
---
Xue Lian's eyes widened in shock.
---
"…He's getting worse…"
---
Even without understanding—
She could see it.
---
Pangu was not at full strength.
---
And yet—
He was still standing.
---
Still fighting.
---
Still protecting them.
---
The attacker smiled faintly.
---
"…So this is the great Pangu…"
---
A pause.
---
"…Reduced to this state."
---
His aura surged again.
---
Far stronger than before.
---
Dark energy gathered in his hand—
Compressing.
Condensing.
---
Until even the surrounding space began to collapse.
---
"…Let me end this."
---
He raised his hand.
---
And brought it down.
---
A force descended—
---
Not like an attack.
---
But like the end of everything.
---
Xue Lian froze.
---
Her mind went blank.
---
This was not something she could resist.
---
Not something she could survive.
---
Yao Chen stepped forward.
---
Not to fight.
---
But instinctively.
---
As if—
He refused to stand still.
---
Even if it meant nothing.
---
But before the attack could fall—
---
Pangu moved again.
---
One final step.
---
And he stood before them.
---
Alone.
---
His body cracked further.
---
Golden fractures spread across his chest.
His arms.
His shoulders.
---
Blood—
Faint.
But real—
Dripped down his fingers.
---
Yet his back—
Remained straight.
---
"…Enough."
---
His voice echoed.
---
And then—
---
He raised his hand.
---
And met the descending force.
---
BOOM—
---
This time—
The explosion was absolute.
---
Light swallowed everything.
---
Sound disappeared.
---
For a moment—
---
Nothing existed.
---
Then—
---
The light faded.
---
And Pangu—
---
Staggered.
---
Just one step.
---
But it was enough.
---
The attacker's eyes gleamed.
---
"…It's over."
---
He raised his hand again.
---
Power gathered—
---
Stronger.
Heavier.
Final.
---
And then—
---
Everything stopped.
---
The wind froze.
The energy stilled.
---
Even the cracks in the earth—
Stopped spreading.
---
Time—
Had been halted.
---
Completely.
---
Xue Lian's eyes widened.
---
"…What… is happening…?"
---
Her voice echoed—
Yet did not move.
---
Yao Chen felt it too.
---
Not pressure.
---
Not danger.
---
But something else.
---
Something deeper.
---
Something beyond even this battle—
---
Had intervened.
---
The world—
Had been paused.
---
Only a few remained unaffected.
---
Pangu.
The attackers.
Xuner.
Yan Shen.
Yao Chen.
Xue Lian.
---
And then—
---
They appeared.
---
Two figures.
---
Silently.
---
Without ripple.
---
Without disturbance.
---
As if—
They had always been there.
---
Their presence—
Did not dominate.
---
It transcended.
---
Everything.
---
The attackers' expressions changed instantly.
---
For the first time—
---
Fear appeared.
---
"…Who… are they…?"
---
No one answered.
---
Because no one—
Understood.
---
Yao Chen's body trembled.
---
Not from fear.
---
Not from pressure.
---
But from something deeper.
---
Something—
Familiar.
---
His heart pounded violently.
---
"…This… feeling…"
---
His voice shook.
---
"…No…"
---
A pause.
---
"…It can't be…"
---
His eyes widened.
---
Because he felt it.
---
Not power.
---
Not aura.
---
But connection.
---
Something—
From his very soul.
---
And then—
---
Without thinking—
---
"…Father…?"
---
Silence.
---
Xue Lian froze instantly.
---
Her eyes widened.
---
"…Father…?"
---
Her gaze snapped toward Yao Chen.
---
Shock filled her expression.
---
"…Mother…?"
---
The words escaped her lips unconsciously.
---
The entire frozen world—
Seemed to deepen in silence.
---
The two figures did not respond.
---
But they did not deny it.
---
A faint warmth—
Spread through the stillness.
---
Yao Chen's chest tightened.
---
"…Why…"
---
"…Why are you here…?"
---
No answer.
---
Only presence.
---
Watching him.
---
Not as prey.
---
Not as a target.
---
But as something—
Important.
---
Something—
Precious.
---
The first figure stepped forward slightly.
---
"…So this is the stage he has reached."
---
His voice was calm.
---
Yet carried a depth that could not be measured.
---
The second figure remained silent.
---
But her gaze—
Never left Yao Chen.
---
There was something within it.
---
Something—
Soft.
---
Hidden.
---
Unspoken.
---
Then—
---
The first figure spoke again.
---
"…Not yet."
---
A pause.
---
"…He is not ready."
---
The attacker clenched his fists.
---
"…Who are you people?!"
---
But no answer came.
---
Because their existence—
Did not need to explain itself.
---
The first figure turned slightly.
---
"…Let it continue."
---
And just like that—
---
Nothing changed.
---
Time remained frozen.
---
The battle—
Unfinished.
---
The truth—
Unrevealed.
---
Yao Chen stood still.
---
At the center of everything.
---
Caught between worlds.
---
Between past and future.
---
Between mortal and something far beyond.
---
And for the first time—
---
He realized.
---
His life—
---
Was no longer his own.
---
The frozen world remained.
---
Waiting.
---
For the moment—
Everything would begin again.
---
End of Chapter 15