The days passed, and Zhen Wu's presence loomed like an unshakable shadow over Jian's every step. The young man, once filled with determination, now crumbled under the weight of his escalating fears. Zhen Wu watched from afar, his cold gaze catching every nervous glance, every subtle tremor of Jian's unraveling composure.

Desperation eventually drove Jian back to Liya. Perhaps he sought solace in her company, but her patience had long since evaporated. What little respect she might have held for him had turned into open disdain.

"look at you shaking like a little girl!". Liya's voice was icy as she leaned lazily against a stone pillar, her piercing gaze dismissive. "You're still the same weak fool. All this talk about preparing for some catastrophe… You're delusional."

Jian stiffened as though struck. His hands curled into trembling fists, his voice shaking with desperation. "You don't understand! I'm not just guessing, I'm preparing. The simulator… it shows me the future. I know what's coming! I'm not going to die like this!"

Liya's expression twisted in irritation, though confusion briefly flickered across her face. "Simulator? What are you even talking about? Stop spouting nonsense and acting like you've got everything figured out. You think some mystical tool, or whatever excuse you're using will make you strong?" Her tone sharpened, her disdain cutting deep. "You're weak because you're too scared to stand on your own. It doesn't matter what tricks you have up your sleeve. Weakness is weakness."

Jian flinched as though her words were physical blows. His lips parted as if to retort, but he could only manage a weak, "No… I'm not weak. I can do this. I will." His voice barely held conviction as he turned and walked away, shoulders hunched under the weight of her scorn. Behind him, Liya's laughter rang out, cold and merciless, echoing in his ears

From his vantage point, Zhen Wu watched it all unfold, his expression unreadable. This boy... his emotions are his own worst enemy, he thought, narrowing his eyes.

Over the past day, Zhen Wu had observed Jian's spiraling paranoia. Once focused and disciplined, Jian now muttered to himself incessantly, second guessing every decision. His every action betrayed his fear, his desperation, and his growing awareness that the future he sought to escape seemed as inevitable as ever.

Zhen Wu's gaze lingered on Jian's retreating form." Such a fragile mind is unworthy of such power."

Zhen Wu stood in the shadows, his figure blending seamlessly with the void, his eyes trained on Jian. The boy was trembling, Zhen Wu had already made his decision and the boy seem to know it through the so-called simulator.

Jian's face was pale as if he had seen death itself. His lips moved rapidly, mumbling incoherent words to himself. The simulator had shown him something he could not comprehend, and Zhen Wu felt the weight of inevitability settle over the moment.

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Jian suddenly froze, his entire body stiffening like a marionette with its strings pulled taut. His eyes widened in abject terror, tears welling up as his lips quivered. "No... no... not like this! I die in less than a minute! What did I do wrong. " he whimpered. He fell to his knees, clutching his chest, and sobbed uncontrollably.

Zhen Wu's expression remained cold, his aura completely hidden as he watched the boy collapse. 'Three seconds? All I need.' he thought,

The decision had already been made. Zhen Wu's fingers flexed, and he stepped out of the shadows with deliberate calm, the weight of his presence bending the air. He stared down at Jian, who seemed utterly oblivious to the towering force of his predator.

" This is where your story ends."muttered Zhen Wu under his breath, his voice devoid of emotion.

He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his focus. When he opened them again, his right eye burned with an ethereal, crimson glow. (The Eye of Reality), a forbidden technique that defied the boundaries of existence activated.

The world around Zhen Wu shifted instantly. Colors bled into one another, the air felt thick, and time slowed to a near-standstill. The truth of all things was laid bare before him, the universe peeling back its layers like a reluctant servant revealing its secrets.

He saw it then, the Void Treasure embedded deep within Jian's soul. A radiant blue orb pulsating with an energy that was unlike anything he have seen before . It was a thing of pure potential, endlessly rewriting reality itself to suit its master.

Yet it was bound tightly, entwined with the boy's very essence. Separating them without the Eye of Reality would have been impossible.

Zhen Wu extended his hand, the glow of his right eye intensifying. The air around Jian warped as invisible threads of connection began to unravel.

The boy's body convulsed violently, his cries becoming gurgles as his life force ebbed away. The Void Treasure resisted fiercely, but Zhen Wu's will was absolute.

With a final, decisive pull, the blue orb ripped free from Jian's body. A shockwave of energy exploded outward, cracking the ground beneath them. Jian's lifeless body slumped forward, his once vibrant eyes now dull.

The Void Treasure hovered above Zhen Wu's palm, its glow mesmerizing and infinite. It pulsed like a beating heart, radiating an almost sentient awareness.

Zhen Wu stared at it with his one remaining eye, his breath steady but his mind racing. "So this is it... the tool that bends time itself. The Universal Will's gambit."

But there was no time to linger. As Jian's body began to fall to the ground, Zhen Wu's second and final charge of the Eye of Reality ignited.

The world froze.

Everything the wind, the animals, the humans, even the faint hum of life within the planet came to an abrupt halt. Zhen Wu stood alone in a dead world, his crimson-glowing eye blazing with unrestrained power.

Then it began.

One by one, every living creature on the planet :humans, beasts, spirits, and even the world's innate will, wilted and perished. Their bodies crumpled silently, lifeless and still. The world became a graveyard, a silent monument to Zhen Wu's absolute dominion.

But it was not the end. From the corpses rose puppets, almost identical to their original forms. Their movements were jerky at first, but soon they became eerily lifelike. They walked, breathed, and spoke, their actions perfectly choreographed by Zhen Wu's design.

Among them was Jian. His puppet stood tall, its eyes glinting with artificial determination. Zhen Wu's programming began to unfold. The Jian puppet would walk the path of a hero, gaining strength, defeating villains, and charming beauties. It would be the perfect facade, a lie so meticulously constructed that even the Universal Will would believe it.

These puppets would persist for over a hundred years, maintaining the illusion of a thriving world. The entire process took exactly 3 seconds.

Zhen Wu closed his now-blind right eye, the crimson glow fading into nothingness. Pain wracked his body, but his expression remained calm. He glanced at the Void Treasure once more, its glow reflecting in his remaining eye.

"Let the Universal Will play its games," he murmured. "I have what I need."

Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving behind a dead world animated by his will. The Void Treasure pulsed in his grasp, its infinite possibilities now his to command.