The void, empty of any life and light, showed a reaction. As the battle between the two godly beings raged on, it was being filled up with their energy. Even though this energy quickly dissipated and could not exist without the gods, the void was calling out to them. One of these gods realized this fact, as he had long studied the Dao of all Life while creating his own inner universe. To him, this space wasn’t truly dead; it wanted to live anew.

Zhang Dong's eyes widened as he realized the potential of the dead space around them. In the midst of his struggle, a new opportunity arose, but it was only a desperate attempt at grasping for victory. This battle had turned into a one-sided slog, with him being bounced around the emptiness of space. His opponent was the superior of the two, and even if their martial arts were at the same level, the power difference was just too great.

“I commend you for lasting this long but this will be the end… Just accept your fate, this was your role.”

“I don’t believe in fate and if you truly had power over me, then you wouldn’t be struggling this much. You have been using the system for so long that you forgot how to think for yourself. If you could do that, then maybe you’d have realized how to ascend without all of this nonsense!”

“Empty words from a clone.”

His opponent had created imitations of the system that he was using himself. His entire universe revolved around using guidance provided by them. It was normal that when faced with an obstacle that the system couldn’t solve, he wouldn’t be able to find an answer. He could only hope to brute force it by amassing an enormous amount of energy from others. It resembled some cultivation techniques that usually left the practitioner weaker than when they grasped the essence of the new realm beforehand.

Zhang Dong, on the other hand, attempted to free himself from the system's influence. After ascending to the higher realm, he had decided to limit Bob’s usage, making him a separate entity. Only thanks to this decision was he able to amass enough power to stand against a being that had created him. To do so, a person needed to go beyond what their creator knew; otherwise, they would never be able to break the shackles that constricted them.

He had long deliberated about this option and the prevalence of systems in the world. It wasn’t difficult to figure out that if he relied on it too much, then it would be the end for him and his people. The opponent he was going up against was someone who created these systems and probably had the power to bend them to their will. This was showcased by the devouring seed protocol that disabled all the other system holders. Even with his altered system, he could not put his fate into it anymore; it was better not to use it in this fight. But Bob wasn’t without merits, as his old AI was utilized in another way, and now it was time for his last trump card.

“Huh? What is that?”

As his opponent was going for the killing blow, a strange phenomenon took place. Zhang Dong’s body didn’t seem to change, but the being that created the imitation systems could tell that his shard had just severed the connection to it, something that shouldn’t be possible. The moment this occurred, his power surged to a greater state, something that shouldn’t be possible.

“I see… it was causing a bottleneck… things look a lot clearer now…”

“You think severing the system will help you? Even if you’ve gotten a bit stronger, it won’t be enough.”

“That’s true but this isn’t everything!”

Just as Zhang Dong proclaimed, the godly being felt a sharp jab in his chest. Within his universe, the beast that emerged from the core had been shot through by a blast from a strange-looking ship. It looked draconic in nature and had the simple, yet strange, name of Bob. The moment the connection to the system was severed, the ship fused with a gigantic dragon to form a peculiar mechanical amalgamation that was able to injure the god-being's core creation.

A massive ray of light shot from its main cannon to give Zhang Dong an opportunity. With his opponent flinching in pain, he was able to land a devastating hit. This blow propelled his opponent into the distance and gave him some time to reorganize himself. His mind had become clear after the system was now gone, and the feeling of the empty void intensified. He could feel the world around him even more; this place wanted to be reborn and he would allow it, with a bang.

With newfound determination, Zhang Dong focused on the dead space around them. The void, hungry for life and energy, responded to his call. He channeled his own essence into the void, awakening the latent potential within it. The once-lifeless space began to pulse with energy, responding to the will of the beings trapped within.

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For almost an eternity, he had studied the Dao of Life when he was creating his own inner universe. He pondered why it was so fleeting and why only a select few beings could actually wield it. Eventually, he saw himself succumbing to death, as even stars burned out, and everything would turn into an icy graveyard. If everything would eventually vanish, was there even a point to living?

However, during times of such struggles, he watched the beings that he created. They struggled, they were miserable, but they were also happy. Even when life was harsh, they gathered together to seek a solution; it was simple and beautiful. He decided that he wanted to protect such beings and let life fill the emptiness. Even if it was extinguished, even when it was fleeting, and nothing but memories would be left behind, it had meaning as long as he decided that it had meaning to him.

In the end, life was what a person made of it; all the meaning that it could have came from within. His body was close to crumbling, and the people within his universe were feeling the aftereffects of their god battling another. Some of them cowered in fear as the skies trembled and the stars burst into flames. They huddled with each other, trying to find a way to survive longer so that new generations could see the beauty of life, just like they did.

Life was a mysterious thing; it wanted to exist, and living creatures had an intrinsic instinct to survive. It was a part of them all, and even this dead universe wanted to exist again, with Zhang Dong around, he could help jumpstart this process. The Void was responding to his life-giving energies that he had fostered since he started being a god-being. He channeled his energies with newfound clarity and determination into the very fabric of space. The Emptiness around him reacted, giving him permission to start it all over again, to restore life to this vast emptiness.

“You bastard, what are you doing? Are you trying to destroy yourself?”

His opponent was enraged; from his perspective, Zhang Dong was gathering all of his power to generate a huge explosion. It seemed like he had given up on life, attempting to thwart his plans by sacrificing himself. The god-being would suffer a great setback if he wasn’t able to absorb his shard before ascending. It appeared as a desperate move from a desperate man, and soon everything turned white as a massive explosion of light filled the once-dead universe, illuminating everything and destroying all the remnants of the old order.

“No!”

The God launched himself into the blast in a desperate attempt to stop it, but even with his might, he felt himself getting pushed away. He was assured that nothing his shard could do would be enough to give him long-lasting injuries, but for some reason, he felt something that he hadn’t for an eternity - it was fear. He found himself recoiling from the ordeal and moving back to protect himself from this explosion. Even if this shard aimed to destroy itself, it was possible to recreate it with little to no effort. He could just retrace Zhang Dong’s steps and create another version, as many of the same versions as required to eventually ascend further.

As the explosion reached its peak, the godly being felt a force that transcended mere destruction. It was as if the very essence of creation was at play, and he couldn't fully comprehend it. The shockwave rippled through the once-lifeless void, awakening dormant energies and stirring the potential for a new beginning.

Zhang Dong, at the epicenter of the explosion, felt a profound connection with the reborn void. He became one with the energy he had unleashed, transcending his physical form. The boundaries between him and the universe blurred as he merged with the very fabric of this space, becoming a catalyst for the birth of something entirely new. He had created a new beginning, a big bang, and most importantly a new beginning.

The godly being, still reeling from the shock, witnessed the transformation. Instead of witnessing a destructive end, he saw a genesis, a cosmic rebirth. The once-empty space started to shimmer with vibrant colors, and the void began to teem with life that hadn't existed before. Stars ignited, planets formed, and the celestial dance of creation unfolded before his astonished eyes.

It was a moment of awe and terror for the godly being, as he realized that Zhang Dong’s sacrifice wasn't an act of desperation but a deliberate choice to catalyze the rejuvenation of the dead universe. It was something that he wasn’t capable of himself and what he mostly feared was the unknown. How was his shard able to achieve something that he wasn’t capable of?

“You… you are still just a shard, an imitation of the original, something like you could never…”

The god raged and gathered all of his energies together; in his eyes, he was still the superior being, the god that ruled over everything. His powers surged, and he hurled them all at the man surrounded by radiant light. Even as the universe and galaxies were forming, he would not allow it. Before his enemy could finish whatever they were planning, he would destroy them. At this point, the whole situation had gotten out of hand. He had been limiting his power to avoid destroying the being he wanted to absorb, but now his life was at stake. He could feel that his opponent was becoming something more, something that perhaps even he wouldn’t be able to stand against if he didn’t do something about it.

As the godly being unleashed his final assault, Zhang Dong, now transformed, calmly raised his hand. The radiant energy surrounding him responded, forming a protective barrier that effortlessly absorbed the god's onslaught. It seemed as though the very fabric of the new reality acknowledged him as its creator.

“I guess, it’s time for round two!”

His face once devoid of emotion was now radiant and full of vigor. His opponent on the other hand showed a scowl.

“This changes nothing!”

The two beings collided again and the very fabric of the new universe shook with tremors, however, this time the tables had been turned…