Chapter 2: The Void

'Argh!' screamed Lei Wang in pain as the deity's attack hit him head on.

The spectators were frozen speechless and couldn't do anything to help the Lightning Emperor even if they wanted to.

Blood started gushing out of his body and he plummeted straight to the ground. This lasted for a couple seconds at most but those few moments were enough for Lei to see his entire life flash before his eyes.

Lei remembered all those times when he spared the life of a foe, or he took time out of his busy schedule to help out a junior. He reminisced about all the battles he fought for his friends and brethren while risking his own life in the process. He had virtually no enemies and had always been a just and upright person, yet, he was going to have such a bitter end.

Thoughts like 'Was it even worth it?' 'Is there any point in doing good?' started popping up in Lei Wang's mind as he felt an emotion he hadn't encountered in quite a while: rage. His expression was similar to that of the deity who attacked him, however the expressions weren't as clearly visible on Lei's bloodied face.

He felt enraged and frustrated, but didn't know who to direct these raw, unbridled emotions towards. He felt a sense of emptiness in his heart, knowing that even though he had done so many good deeds and helped so many people, he would have to face such a tragic death. All the accomplishments he had achieved in his life had started to lose meaning to him.

Along with that, Lei was also enraged; enraged at the Heavens, the deity, everyone but nobody in general and even himself. It was basically common knowledge long before Lei was born that helping others and doing good deeds for people will repay you one day and that the Heavens reward those who are just and kind in their ways. Today he had found out that such a fundamental unwritten law of the world that everyone in his world believed since their early childhood was a lie. Lei was enraged at the Heavens, along with the deity, for betraying him but was unable to do anything about it as he was soon about to die.

As Lei seemed to question the ideals he lived by for his entire life within these few moments, he hit the ground below him on his back and spurted out a little bit of blood from his mouth.

His eyes were starting to have a hard time focusing and his breathing had also become significantly weaker. This was it. Lei Wang, the Lightning Emperor was on the brink of death and didn't have much time left in this world.

With the little strength that he still had in him, Lei gazed upon the deity, who looked smaller and not as clear from afar but was still visible to him. The middle aged man's face now wore an evil grimace while his face was rather neutral, but had a hint of relief.

At this very moment, it had also started raining. The scene was perfectly set for the death of a great cultivator.

Lei knew that his time was up, but he wasn't able to accept it. He wasn't able to achieve the peaceful state of mind one has before their death; his mind was still full of rage and anger, which increased the more he looked at the face of the deity floating in the sky above him.

Lei felt his heartbeat getting fainter and fainter by the second, but before going out, with all the strength he had left in his dying body, he made a declaration and shouted at the deity.

"I WILL TAKE MY REVENGE!"

These last words of his were as loud and clear as a clap of thunder and echoed throughout the land for a couple seconds after he had finished.

It was surprising to witness that even while dying, Lei Wang could project such a powerful aura from only a single sentence of his.

He was truly deserving of the title: The Lightning Emperor.

***

Lei awakened in a place completely unknown to him. He couldn't see a thing even though he could feel his eyes, which were still present. Everything around him was pitch-black and he had no perception of either time or space in the realm where he currently found himself in. Lei could feel that all of his limbs were intact but if he tried to move, nothing would happen; and even if it did, he wouldn't know.

Neither his eyes, nor his limbs functioned normally, which led Lei to believe that this was some sort of trap for him where he was sealed. He decided to keep his guard up, but just like everything else, that didn't have any effect on anything whatsoever.

Lei remained calm and tried to evaluate his situation for a while, but all that he knew was that this place was very different from anywhere he had ever lived. One of his guesses was that this was the underworld, which is where he would go; and according to what Lei remembered, he had died.

Thinking about his death had started to make Lei a bit angry, but before he could even think of doing anything with this anger, a voice spoke to him, grabbing his attention instantly.

"Welcome, Lightning Emperor Lei Wang."

The voice sounded like that of an adult male and was pretty much expressionless. Even though it had said only one basic sentence, the voice was still very powerful, similar to that of the deity's from before. The voice also sounded a bit diabolical, but since Lei wasn't able to find any ill intent in it, he decided to continue listening to it.

After a short pause, the voice continued.

"This is the Void. The reason why you are present in the Realm of Nothingness right now is because you died in your original world."

Lei's suspicions were right. He had indeed died and was now in some sort of underworld like realm for the dead. Hearing this made him a bit disappointed but after a few seconds his mood was back to normal. Since he couldn't do anything about it, there was no point in getting irritated over it.

Suddenly, the voice interrupted Lei's train of thoughts and started speaking once again.

"However, death is not the end; it is merely an indication that it is time for a new beginning."