Li Wei, with his dark and disheveled hair cascading around his weary face, stood alone atop the mist-covered peak of a mountain within the Celestial Realm. His once-imposing figure was now marked by bruises and cuts, evidence of the battles he had endured. Despite his worn appearance, there was a quiet intensity in his obsidian eyes, as if they held the weight of countless lifetimes.
Within the folds of his dark robes, Li Wei concealed the artifact known as the Scales of Time, a relic of immense power that would allow him to manipulate the very fabric of time. The artifact, hidden from the prying eyes of his adversaries, pulsated with a faint, ethereal glow, resonating with the echoes of forgotten ages.
Surrounding him were the so called righteous heroes, a mixture of old and young, united by their unwavering conviction. Their eyes, filled with a potent mix of anger and righteousness, bore into Li Wei's weakened form. The air crackled with tension as they closed in, their weapons glinting in the fading sunlight.
One of the elder cultivators, his voice resonating with an air of authority, stepped forward. "Li Wei you scoundrel, your evil deeds have stained the world. Today, we shall cleanse it of your darkness and restore balance!"
Li Wei's voice, raspy and laced with exhaustion yet very much relaxed, carried a profound melancholy. "Balance... the elusive dream. You speak of righteousness, yet you are blind to the shadows that lurk within your own hearts."
A younger cultivator, fueled by youthful fervor, sneered in disdain. "Do not spout your twisted philosophy, villain! We are the defenders of justice, and you shall pay for your crimes!"
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Li Wei's eyes shimmered with the wisdom of one who had witnessed the ebb and flow of ages. "Justice, righteousness... mere illusions that blind us from the truth. In our pursuit of light, we cast aside the darkness within ourselves, denying its existence. But darkness and light are inseparable, entwined within the tapestry of life."
As Li Wei's words hung in the air, his hand instinctively found its way to the hidden Scales of Time, concealed within the folds of his robe. His touch traced the ancient markings etched upon its surface, invoking the powers that lay dormant within.
His voice, a mere whisper now, carried through the silence. "I bear witness to the consequences of our fragmented existence. The cycle of righteousness and evil perpetuates an endless conflict. And so, I shall sever this cycle!"
With those final words, Li Wei's Celestial Core, a swirling nexus of energy, ignited beneath his navel. Brilliant light erupted, engulfing his form and illuminating the mountaintop. The righteous heroes shielded their eyes, as their pupils had shrunk to the size of a needle, their expressions a mix of awe and fear.
Li Wei, within the blinding radiance, uttered his last words to the world. "May my sacrifice be a reminder... that darkness and light are intertwined. Seek harmony within, for the greatest battles lie not in the world, but within ourselves."
And then, with a cataclysmic explosion, Li Wei vanished, consumed by the celestial inferno. The shockwave radiated across the mountaintop, scattering the righteous heroes like leaves in a storm.
As the smoke cleared, and the echoes of the detonation faded, the heroes stood in stunned silence. Their gazes fell upon the charred remnants of the mountaintop, where Li Wei had stood moments before. He was gone, his physical form extinguished, but the weight of his words lingered, etching themselves into the depths of their souls.
And so, Li Wei's sacrifice propelled him back in time, regressing 660 years to a mortal realm untouched by his presence. Within the folds of his robe, the artifact of the Scales of Time disintegrated, a testament to the power he wielded and the depths of his journey yet to come.