Chapter 16 – The Ones Who Stand Above Fate (Part 1)
The world… did not move.
The wind was still.
The shattered earth—
Frozen mid-collapse.
Even the falling dust—
Hung silently in the air.
Time had stopped.
Completely.
Yao Chen stood at the center of it.
His body was still.
But his mind—
Was not.
Because he felt it.
That presence.
Not overwhelming.
Not violent.
But absolute.
His heart trembled.
Not in fear.
But in recognition.
Slowly—
Almost unconsciously—
His lips moved.
"…Father…"
The word fell into the frozen world.
And for a moment—
Even silence seemed to deepen.
The man stood there.
Tall.
Unmoving.
His figure was simple.
No radiance.
No visible aura.
And yet—
Everything around him—
Felt insignificant.
As if existence itself—
Was merely a background.
Beside him—
The woman stood quietly.
Her gaze rested on Yao Chen.
Soft.
Calm.
But carrying something—
That could not be described.
Not power.
Not emotion.
Something deeper.
Something… beyond both.
Yao Chen's breath became uneven.
"…It's really you…"
His voice trembled.
For the first time—
Not from battle.
But from something human.
The man finally spoke.
"…You have grown."
Simple words.
But heavy.
As if they carried years—
That had never been spoken.
Yao Chen clenched his fists slightly.
"…Why…?"
A pause.
"…Why now?"
"…Why here?"
The woman took a step forward.
Just one.
And yet—
The distance between them—
Seemed to disappear.
Her hand lifted slightly.
Reaching toward him.
But stopped midway.
Not touching.
As if she could not.
Or perhaps—
Would not.
"…Not yet."
Her voice was soft.
But firm.
Yao Chen's eyes shook.
"…Not yet… what?"
The man's gaze deepened.
"…Not yet the time for you to know everything."
Silence.
Xue Lian stood beside him.
Her mind—
Unable to process what she was witnessing.
"…These people…"
"…Who are they…?"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Behind them—
Xuner and Yan Shen remained silent.
But their eyes—
Had changed.
Because they understood something.
Something deeper than words.
The man slowly turned his gaze.
Toward the sky.
Toward the frozen attackers.
"…You crossed realms… for him?"
The leading attacker—
Who had been frozen—
Suddenly trembled.
Not physically.
But inwardly.
Because for the first time—
He felt fear.
"…W-who… are you…?"
His voice broke the stillness.
The man did not answer.
Because the question—
Did not matter.
Instead—
He raised his hand.
No energy gathered.
No aura surged.
Nothing changed—
And yet—
Everything ended.
The sky—
Collapsed.
Not shattered.
Not destroyed.
Erased.
The figures in the sky—
Vanished.
Not defeated.
Not killed.
Gone.
As if they had never existed.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Xue Lian's pupils trembled.
"…What… was that…"
Her voice barely existed.
No one answered.
Because no one—
Could.
Even Pangu—
Who stood like an unshakable pillar—
Lowered his gaze slightly.
Not in submission.
But in acknowledgment.
The man stepped forward.
His presence—
Now closer.
Clearer.
Yao Chen could feel it.
Not as pressure.
But as something familiar.
Something—
That had always been with him.
"…Listen carefully."
His voice became heavier.
"…Your path cannot be altered now."
Yao Chen frowned.
"…What does that mean?"
The woman spoke.
"…It means…"
"…You have already stepped beyond the point of return."
Silence.
Those words—
Were simple.
But they carried weight.
Xue Lian's heart tightened.
"…Beyond return…"
She repeated softly.
The man continued.
"…From this moment forward—"
"…everything will change."
A pause.
"…For you."
"…For her."
His gaze briefly shifted—
Toward Xue Lian.
She froze.
Because for a moment—
It felt like her entire existence—
Had been seen through.
Completely.
Without resistance.
Yao Chen stepped slightly forward.
"…Then tell me."
"…What am I supposed to do?"
The man looked at him.
For a long moment—
He said nothing.
Then—
"…Grow."
A single word.
Yao Chen's brows tightened.
"…That's it?"
The woman's lips curved slightly.
Not quite a smile.
"…It is the only thing that matters."
Silence.
Yao Chen's fists clenched.
"…And you?"
"…Will you just watch?"
A dangerous question.
The man did not deny it.
"…Yes."
No hesitation.
No apology.
Just truth.
The answer struck harder than any attack.
Xue Lian looked between them.
Her heart—
Unsteady.
"…Then why come at all…?"
Her voice was soft.
The woman's gaze shifted to her.
For the first time—
Directly.
"…Because some things…"
"…must be seen."
A pause.
"…Even if they cannot be changed."
Silence.
The frozen world—
Felt heavier.
Yao Chen lowered his gaze slightly.
His thoughts—
Unsettled.
Conflicted.
Before he could speak again—
The space around them trembled.
Very slightly.
Time—
Was beginning to move again.
The man looked at him one last time.
"…Remember this."
A pause.
"…No one will save you."
Those words—
Fell heavily.
"…Not even us."
Yao Chen's eyes narrowed.
But he did not look away.
The woman spoke softly.
"…But you are not alone."
A contradiction.
And yet—
It felt true.
The space around them began to distort.
Their figures—
Fading.
"…We will meet again."
The man's final words echoed.
And then—
They disappeared.
Without ripple.
Without trace.
Gone.
For a brief moment—
Nothing moved.
Then—
BOOM—
Time resumed.
The world roared back to life.
The shattered earth collapsed.
The wind surged.
The forest trembled.
But the sky—
Was empty.
Completely empty.
The attackers—
Were gone.
As if they had never existed.
Xue Lian staggered slightly.
"…What… just happened…?"
Her voice trembled.
Yao Chen did not answer.
Because even he—
Did not fully understand.
But one thing—
Was clear.
Everything—
Had changed.
Behind them—
Pangu remained.
Silent.
Watching.
As if confirming something.
"…So it has begun…"
He muttered quietly.
And this time—
No one questioned it.
End of Chapter 16 – Part 1
Silence remained.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
The forest—once filled with destruction—
Now stood unnaturally still.
As if everything that had just happened—
Refused to leave a trace.
Xue Lian slowly steadied her breathing.
"…They're gone…"
Her voice was soft.
But uncertain.
Because even now—
She could not tell if what she had seen—
Was real.
Yao Chen stood motionless.
His gaze fixed on the empty sky.
Not searching.
Not expecting.
Just… still.
Behind them—
Pangu remained.
The only presence left—
From that moment.
His tall figure stood quietly.
But something about him—
Had changed.
The golden cracks across his body—
Had spread further.
Like fractures in something that should never break.
Xue Lian noticed it immediately.
"…You're… getting worse…"
Her voice carried concern.
Pangu did not deny it.
"…This body… cannot hold much longer."
His voice was calm.
As if it did not matter.
But the truth was clear.
He had already reached his limit.
Yao Chen finally spoke.
"…Who were they?"
A pause.
"…My parents…"
Even saying it—
Still felt unreal.
Pangu's gaze rested on him.
"…Beings that stand above what you understand."
A simple answer.
But one that explained nothing.
Yao Chen's brows tightened slightly.
"…You knew."
Not a question.
A statement.
Pangu did not deny it.
"…I recognized their presence."
A pause.
"…Even in this state."
Silence.
Xue Lian's heart trembled slightly.
"…Even he… speaks like this…"
Her thoughts became heavier.
Because if even Pangu—
Acknowledged them like that—
Then what exactly—
Had they just witnessed?
Before anyone could speak further—
The space before them shifted.
Softly.
Not violently.
But gently.
Like something was being returned—
Rather than created.
Yao Chen's eyes narrowed.
"…Again…?"
Two small figures—
Appeared in the air.
Not falling.
Not emerging.
Simply… there.
A girl.
And a boy.
Their bodies weak.
Their breaths shallow.
Unconscious.
Xue Lian's expression changed.
"…Children…?"
Yao Chen stepped forward instantly.
His arms moved without hesitation.
He caught them.
One in each arm.
Their weight—
Light.
Too light.
As if life itself—
Had barely settled within them.
"…Their cultivation…"
Xue Lian's voice lowered.
"…Meridian Opening Realm…"
Stage 3.
So young.
So fragile.
Pangu watched quietly.
"…They have been entrusted to you."
Yao Chen looked up.
"…By them…?"
Pangu nodded once.
Silence followed.
Yao Chen looked down at the two children.
The girl's small hand trembled slightly.
The boy leaned weakly against his shoulder.
Something in his chest—
Shifted.
A feeling—
He had not expected.
"…Who are they…"
His voice was quieter now.
Pangu answered simply.
"…Your sister."
"…And your brother."
The words landed heavily.
Xue Lian froze.
"…Siblings…?"
Her mind struggled to process it.
Yao Chen's grip tightened slightly.
"…Names?"
"…Qing Lin."
"…Feng."
Silence.
Those names—
Echoed softly.
As if they carried meaning—
Beyond this moment.
Yao Chen exhaled slowly.
"…They left them with me…"
Not confusion.
Not rejection.
Just understanding.
Pangu's gaze deepened slightly.
"…It is not a coincidence."
A pause.
"…Nothing about you is."
Silence.
The weight of those words—
Did not fade.
Xue Lian stepped closer.
Her eyes rested on the children.
Softened.
"…They're… injured…"
Faint traces of damage—
Still lingered on their bodies.
Not severe.
But enough to show—
They had suffered.
Yao Chen nodded slightly.
"…They need rest."
A small voice—
Interrupted.
"…B-brother…?"
Yao Chen froze.
He looked down.
Qing Lin's eyes—
Had opened slightly.
Weak.
Unfocused.
"…Where… am I…?"
Her voice trembled.
Feng stirred as well.
"…Brother…"
His voice was even softer.
Instinctive.
Unconscious.
As if—
That word—
Was already rooted in him.
Yao Chen's expression softened.
"…You're safe."
Simple.
But steady.
Qing Lin's gaze shifted.
Toward Xue Lian.
Toward Xuner.
Toward Yan Shen.
Confusion filled her eyes.
"…Who… are they…?"
Her voice was fragile.
Almost afraid.
For a moment—
No one spoke.
Then—
Yao Chen answered.
"…They are…"
A pause.
He looked at Xue Lian.
At Xuner.
At Yan Shen.
Then back at the two children.
"…Our family."
Silence.
But this time—
It was different.
Xue Lian's eyes softened.
A faint smile appeared.
Because those words—
Felt natural.
Feng relaxed slightly.
Qing Lin's grip loosened.
As if—
They believed him.
Without question.
Pangu watched silently.
Then—
He spoke again.
"…Your path grows heavier."
Yao Chen did not respond.
Because he already knew.
Pangu's body—
Cracked further.
Golden light leaking from within.
"…I cannot remain."
His voice remained calm.
Unchanging.
Yao Chen looked at him.
"…Will we meet again?"
Pangu turned slightly.
"…If you survive."
A simple answer.
Then—
His form began to fade.
"…Do not fail."
And just like that—
He disappeared.
Gone.
Silence returned once more.
But this time—
It was real.
Grounded.
Yao Chen stood there.
Holding Qing Lin.
Holding Feng.
Xue Lian beside him.
Xuner and Yan Shen behind.
Six figures.
Bound together.
Not by choice.
But by something deeper.
Yao Chen finally spoke.
"…We cannot tell anyone the truth."
Xue Lian nodded immediately.
"…They wouldn't understand."
Yao Chen continued.
"…From now on—"
"…we say we found them in the forest."
A pause.
"…Their parents were injured…"
"…And died to a beast."
Silence.
Xue Lian exhaled slowly.
"…Understood."
Xuner remained quiet.
But she did not object.
Yan Shen's gaze lingered on the children.
"…Fate binds again…"
He murmured.
No one disagreed.
Because deep down—
They all felt it.
This meeting—
Was not accidental.
Yao Chen adjusted his hold on Qing Lin and Feng.
His expression steady.
"…Let's go."
This time—
No one hesitated.
And together—
They left the shattered forest behind.
End of Chapter 16 – Part 2