2. An Empty Soul

Cultivation Methods…Theories… History…Identity…Schemes, and everything else flowed in the mind of one person.

He who learned everything assimilated every knowledge for eons to no end. He had no physical body, and he slept while thinking. How many years it had been? He did not know. But what he did know was that his pursuit of the Truth was already over.

'As I regain my mind, I gained the truth, and if it regaining the persona that you were discovering everything, then, what was the purpose of living through everything when you already are already yourself?'

The Truth he knew was not the knowledge he craved, for when he learned everything, he learned nothing.

What he gained was a mere comprehension, it was a mere thought and realization. It was so simple that he chuckled into a guffaw, it was right in front of him that it was so easy to miss…

A Soul, a Mind, a Personality, all these were the Truth.

Uncovering the inner workings of a mind meant learning of oneself, and as one finds self, one would be able to find everything else.

'A Master Alchemist who can create Heaven Defying Pills is a master of his own. He is outstanding and deserves respect, but that same cannot be a master of everything else, for his Life was by the Pill. A Jack of All Trades, who is a Master of None, can also mean something that his Truth was that he could never be a Master. A Hero King can be the Greatest Emperor, but he would still fail to know what it feels to live as some Race he is not.'

Ye Feng, was a genius, a prodigy in many things. He learned the spear, the war hammer, the zither, and many things he could. However, there were still things he could not comprehend, like how it was to live, appreciation of others, or even emotions like happiness, satisfaction, and love.

"I who had learned about everything still know nothing about myself. In pursuit of knowledge, I cultivated, gained strength, and became invincible under the vast world. My words can influence the very fabric of reality, my breath can upheave a Continent, and yet I failed to truly Live and find about the Truth about myself."

Even after learning about the Truth, he was still left with nothing. He learned about all, but nothing about him remained. He regained his memory, but he found nothing other than the incessant pursuit of a goal.

As such, after gaining everything else, he could not find anything at all.

He sacrificed one, to get everything; only to realize he got one and sacrificed everything else.

This is the Truth—the absolute Truth of the man name Ye Feng.

And as he became the culmination of everything, he became nothing.

'How funny fate is.' He promptly made a deprecating laugh for the first time in eons. He closed his eyes and recalled his past. Everything was clear and found that despite his long Life, not once did he laughed because of happiness.

Ye Feng, this name was the envy of all. Eons before he became untouchable by Time and Death, he walked to paths and gained two monikers.

On the Righteous Path, he was called the Drifting Leaf among Reeds. He was the most extraordinary talent without question and saved countless. He was praised for his Righteousness and then… he felt empty.

This emptiness boiled to his core and one fateful night; he left the world of Righteousness.

He walked the opposite path and rerouted his very core of living. He became an Evil Cultivator and took The Darkest Path. His moniker was Fleeting Death.

Ending others to get what he wanted, he had neither remorse nor mercy. Soon, he was feared by all. He was shunned away by the people and cultivators alike. He was feared, and no one wanted him.

It was a new life with a new him, yet he still felt empty. He once again found nothing in that path and left it without a second thought. He abandoned the Path of Darkness.

His name disappeared for the next ten thousand years.

The name Ye Feng was forgotten and what remained was a Moniker.

He became a legend of both sides, and despite everything else, he was a figure of respect.

The Legend of the Drifting Leaf among Reeds became the object of admiration amidst the Righteous Path. He was called a Hero and became the object of awe and admiration.

A scholar once said, "He was a Scholar who used a pen to fight. But as he witnessed evil, he picked up a spear and set out to face it. He protected the world and the weak with a soft expression and fought Evil with a Rigid glare, that was how he lived. Once Evil was no more, he left and disappeared to become the Guiding Post of Righteousness instead of vying for power and be tainted by greed. He is a Drifting Leaf among Reeds for he is different from every man."

His statue was erected by a hundred Sect.

Then, there was the legend of the Fleeting Death.

Many evil people admired him, and while some managed to surpass his diabolical deeds, none managed to become as invincible as he.

"The Fleeting Death appeared like smoke. He walked into the Valley of Death where the Magna Cult and slaughtered them and looted their halls for he had nothing with him. He destroyed a Kingdom and reaped their souls to complete an array. No wanted him, everyone feared him, but he was also respected. He gave everyone a swift death, he never tortured anyone, neither did he raped or made anyone suffer, thus his moniker. But despite everything else, he was never called soft. He was diabolic as he was bloodthirsty, and he was the most idyllic person in The Darkest Path — a figure of absolute respect."

Those who strived to walk the path of the Dark Path revered him. No statue was erected, but his moniker and legend were etched in everyone's heart.

Some tried to impersonate Ye Feng's persona, but those who did, drowned in the spittle of disdain of others.

'I had everything on both paths, yet I remained empty still.'

Ye Feng once questioned why this was the case; only to find nothing for, he had nothing to base what is within the hearts of a person.

So, after a thousand years of being detached from the world, he once again appeared. But, this time, he was a mere no one.

No one knew who he was, but thanks to this, he managed to return to his origin that was being a scholar. He went through different places in search of an answer and was directed to a single place… an area known as Sage Mountain where he spoke to the Venerable Sage, who told him that no path could fill his voided Life.

"I have the knowledge to fill a life, but this is only applicable to myself as this Life is mine to live. I have no right to tell you how to feel the emptiness in your soul for the only one who can know you, is you. That Life is yours to live."

Ye Feng travelled every corner of the world, and despite reading all the books, he found nothing and felt like the void became bigger.

His emotions slowly withered, and only the passion of learning remained. Everyone he once knew had all died; thus, his connections were no more, and in a moment where he has nothing, he found everything and connected to it.

He who was so detached to everything bypassed the Spirit World and reached the very edge of the Universe. It was an unrecorded place where Aether resided… it was a place where he only saw an eye and managed to get a glimpse of the Truth.

And as he did, that was when he truly became void.