The rebellion had lasted all of three days before the Pantheon played their trump card.
Luo Feng knew something was wrong when the birds stopped singing. The forest around their makeshift camp fell dead silent—no wind, no rustling leaves, not even the Fox Spirit's usual chatter. Only the oppressive weight of something old and merciless pressing down on the world.
Li Qing's sword was already in her hand, frost creeping along the blade. "We're being hunted."
The Fox Spirit's tails puffed up, her fourth one still humming a nervous tune under its breath. "Ohhh, that's bad. That's really bad—"
A single footstep echoed through the trees.
"Luo Feng."
The voice was calm. Pleasant, even. And that made it worse.
Standing at the edge of the clearing was a man in unmarked white robes, his hands folded neatly behind his back. No aura. No divine presence. Just… nothing. Like the universe itself hesitated to acknowledge him.
The System's alert burned crimson in Luo Feng's vision:
[WARNING: DIVINE INQUISITOR DETECTED]
[MISSION: SURVIVE THE NEXT 10 MINUTES]
[REWARD: VOID EMPEROR'S SECRET (WHY YOU?)]
[FAILURE PENALTY: NON-EXISTENCE]
The Inquisitor smiled. "Let's skip the theatrics. You're coming with me."
[The Trap Within the Trap]
The War God and Thunder God were gone. Not dead—just removed from the battlefield, their divine signatures snipped away like loose threads.
The Fox Spirit's voice cracked. "That's impossible—"
"Possible," the Inquisitor corrected, "just not for you." He took another step forward. "The Pantheon wants you alive, Luo Feng. But they didn't specify how intact."
Li Qing moved first—a flash of ice and steel aimed straight for the Inquisitor's throat.
He caught the blade between two fingers.
"Cute."
A flick of his wrist, and Li Qing folded, crashing into a tree with a gasp of pain.
Luo Feng's blood turned to fire. "You—"
"Ah-ah." The Inquisitor wagged a finger. "No tantrums. You're special, little moth. The Void Emperor's pet project. The War God's favorite toy. But do you know why?"
The Fox Spirit's tails lashed. "Don't listen to him—"
The Inquisitor snapped his fingers.
The Fox Spirit screamed as her fourth tail unraveled, its essence dissolving into mist.
"Because," the Inquisitor continued, "you're not just a mortal. You're a patch. A scrap of fate sewn into the cosmos to cover up something… missing."
[The Revelation (First Cut)]
Luo Feng's head split—visions flashing:
A throne of shattered stars.
A hand reaching from the void.
A name—his name—being stitched into reality like an afterthought.
The System glitched, its voice distorting:
[ERROR: MEMORY LEAK DETECTED]
[USER WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO REMEMBER—]
The Inquisitor lunged, his fingers aimed at Luo Feng's eyes. "Let's see what you really are—"
Then—lightning.
Not the Thunder God's. Stronger.
A blade of pure void energy cleaved through the Inquisitor's arm, sending it tumbling to the ground.
Standing between them, wreathed in shadows, was the Void Emperor himself.
"Enough," the Emperor growled. "This one is mine."
The Inquisitor staggered back, his smile finally faltering. "You… you imbecile. Do you have any idea what you've done?"
The Void Emperor didn't answer. He just looked at Luo Feng—and for the first time, there was something like regret in those starless eyes.
Then the world ripped apart.
[Check-In Complete (Barely)]
[REWARD CLAIMED: VOID EMPEROR'S SECRET]
[TRUTH: YOU WERE INSERTED. BUT WHY?]
Luo Feng woke in a crater, the sky bleeding twilight. Li Qing was shaking him, her lips moving, but he couldn't hear anything over the ringing in his ears.
The Fox Spirit cradled her severed tail, her face pale. "He… he took part of me…"
And the Void Emperor?
Gone.
But his final words lingered like a curse:
"Find the other pieces."
END OF CHAPTER21