Chapter 170: A New Mission
The void was absolute.
No light, no sound, no sensation – just the endless nothing that had become Li Yuan's prison between missions. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't even properly think. His consciousness floated in a liminal space between awareness and oblivion, like a dream that refused to fully form.
Time had no meaning here. What felt like moments could be days; what seemed like weeks might only be a few hours. The only certainty was that eventually, the Masked One would call, and Li Yuan would answer. Not that he had any choice in the matter.
When awareness finally returned, it came in stages.
First, sensation crept back into his limbs – the odd tingling that accompanied the transition from statue to flesh. Then came movement, his fingers twitching as animation returned to his body. Finally, his thoughts sharpened, crystallizing from the fog of suspended animation into proper consciousness.
A portal of swirling darkness appeared before him, identical to the one that had brought him here. Li Yuan's feet carried him forward without any input from his mind. As he stepped through, the familiar emptiness of the void gave way to the vast circular chamber where the Masked One held court.
The chamber looked exactly as it had the last time he'd seen it – walls lined with haphazardly placed treasures, ceiling lost in darkness, and that unsettling black crystal throne at the far end.
Li Yuan had learned early on not to try focus on the throne too closely – the headaches weren't worth it.
"Ah, my faithful servant returns to the waking world," the Masked One said, his voice still that unsettling chorus of perfectly synchronized speakers from different points in time. He waved his hand, and Li Yuan felt his body move forward and drop to one knee before the throne.