The Dawn of the New World Chapter 1507

Hao Xuan closed his eyes and slowly opened himself to allow the cascading waves of countless thoughts, prayers and wishes to guide him as he began this brief but vital journey to the Umbral Planes.

He could hear the voices with stark clarity, just as he had many times before. The only difference now was that he understood the gravity of the situation- the weight of those words that were washing over him.

And expectantly, none of them were good...not in this place. It was mostly the muffled cries of slaves at the end of a hard day or the wishes for a better, less demeaning life for most others.

Some were louder than the rest but polluted with material desires to the point of being barely intelligible if one didn't pay close attention-

'Just two more gold pieces and I can have some fun again! Hahaha!'

'If I win the next bet I won't owe them anything- all of this will be mine, MINE! I'm so close I can taste it!'

'How dare they look down on me?! I will show them how it feels to lose what is most important to them!'

While others were much weaker but more sincere and pure in their intentions.

'Amma, I'll grow big and strong soon, you'll see! Then I fight all those bad guys and punch them away...amma...open your eyes...are you mad at me? Please don't...leave me here...'

'If I don't eat tonight and work half a day at the mines tomorrow, there will be enough to buy her medicine!'

'The overseer said he will have to start working when he turns 11 even if he doesn't get better, otherwise they will throw both of us out! What do I do??'

'Water...please...someone...just a few drops...why does...no one listen...'

It didn't matter how innocent or desperate they were, everything was going to the same place.

Hao Xuan hung onto them as if they were lifelines leading to a safe harbor, allowing his consciousness to rise up until something blocked his path. He found himself in a void, standing in front of a thin translucent barrier.

The barrier was both above him and in front of him, its orientation changing depending on his thoughts. It was off-white, undulating like the body of a jellyfish.

On the other side of the barrier Hao Xuan could see obscure shapes being belched into existence by a tumultuous storm. He looked down at his hands and saw the golden threads of spiritual sense leading to the other side.

Hao Xuan steeled his mind before gently reaching out. He softly poked a finger through the barrier to create a small hole not much bigger than his hand- and pulled. But the very next moment the barrier popped like a bubble, unleashing all that was contained on the other side right on top of him.

The enormous weight of all those thoughts and prayers crashed down on him all at once. The sensation was not much different from being waterboarded- if the water was replaced by a sea of molten lava.

Hao Xuan tried his best to hold it in for as long as he could but the pressure kept increasing until something broke inside of him. The sound was akin to a crack in the wall that affected even his physical form.

Blood spurted out of his eyes and ears as he finally retaliated with a single unrelinquishing roar.

'AAAH!'

'AAAAH!'

'AAAAAH!'

More than a hundred million voices echoed out in unison through the void, each one representing a soul that was a part of him. They were dying to tell their stories.

But his physical form had not moved an inch. This roar was unleashed on the other side throughout the void, past the veil, and into the Umbral Planes and yet it had an obvious, discernable effect on the material world around him, how could it not?

It began as a faint whisper on the wind that most would call a 'trick of the mind'.

Nae Shin became alert thinking the wraith had returned but the next second he felt a powerful energy shoot out of his heart and surround him.

"WHAT?!" he was surprised to see the ancestral blade revealing itself of its own accord but before he could ponder why, an invisible shockwave rocked the city and all its inhabitants to their core.

For an instant, the space began to bend and destabilize before returning to normal the very next second. All the devices and instruments that ran on spiritual energy stopped functioning altogether, creating a domino effect that rippled through the belly of the city.

This phenomenon was observed throughout the Wastes of Torment, although none could pinpoint its origin since...it was not on the material planes to begin with.

*Cough*Cough*Cough*

Liet fell on his back, coughing up several mouthfuls of rotten wood.

The ancestral blade's energy receded, freeing Nae Shin's movements. Flabbergasted, he looked around in confusion.

"W-What happened?!"