CHAPTER 26 — The Creator's Whisper
Night returned.
Or perhaps the pavilion simply decided it was night.
Zheng Wen Te lay on the cold floor, breathing shallowly.
The seal over his heart no longer burned…
But it pulsed.
Like a second heartbeat.
Like a lock.
He stared at the ceiling.
"…Karma."
"…Golden Thread."
"…Heaven-marked."
None of it felt like blessing.
Only weight.
Across the room, Lian stood silently, gaze fixed on the darkness beyond the doors.
Zheng whispered:
"Why did you do that?"
Lian did not answer.
The silence stretched.
Then Zheng's chest tightened.
The seal pulsed harder.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
His vision blurred.
He gasped, clutching his heart.
"No—!"
The lotus mark flared crimson-gold.
The orb in his hand reacted instantly.
A thin golden thread rose into the air.
The pavilion lights dimmed.
Reality seemed to fold inward.
Lian's head snapped toward him.
"Zheng."
Her voice sharpened.
"What are you holding?"
Zheng could not speak.
The thread touched his forehead—
And the world vanished.
He fell into a vast emptiness.
Stars.
Endless stars.
A river of time flowing beneath his feet.
Then—
A presence.
So ancient it made Lian feel like dust.
A sigh echoed through the cosmos.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Just… tired.
Zheng's soul trembled.
"…Shangdi?"
The voice entered him without sound.
"My last prophet."
Zheng's eyes filled with tears.
"Why…?"
"Why am I here?"
The Creator's whisper was heavy.
"Because the heart-debt has begun."
Zheng shook.
"I don't want this."
"I just wanted sleep."
The stars seemed to dim.
"Sleep comes after resolution."
Zheng clenched his fists.
"Lian…"
"She's not even alive."
"She's suffering because of me."
A pause.
Then Shangdi's voice softened, almost sorrowful.
"Then repay her."
Zheng swallowed hard.
"How?"
The river of time rippled.
A single image surfaced—
A mountain sect.
A vow.
A sword.
A choice.
Then—
A second image.
Not past.
Future.
Lian standing alone beneath falling ash…
Disappearing.
Zheng's breath hitched.
"…If I repay her…"
"…She ends."
Shangdi's sigh was like the death of worlds.
"Yes."
Zheng whispered:
"…And if I fail?"
The stars trembled.
"Then Earth remains abandoned."
Zheng froze.
"What?"
Shangdi's voice became absolute.
"Your karma is tied to more than this world."
"Your heart-debt is the final thread connecting the ruined plane you left behind."
Zheng's soul went cold.
"You mean…"
"…Earth?"
Silence.
Then—
"Cultivate, Zheng Wen Te."
"Not for power."
"For closure."
The emptiness cracked.
Zheng screamed—
And returned.
He bolted upright, gasping.
The orb was dim.
The seal faded back to a slow pulse.
Lian stood over him, eyes sharp.
"…You heard Him."
Zheng's voice trembled.
"Yes."
Lian's whisper was dangerous.
"Then you finally understand."
"This is bigger than us."
Zheng stared into the darkness.
And for the first time…
He was truly afraid of what came next.