Yun Lintian staggered back as if struck. His knees nearly buckled under the weight of the revelation.
The last one.
All others... gone.
The young disciple version of himself looked down, fists clenched. The grieving son let out a shaky breath. Even the old ruler's hardened expression flickered with pain.
"How?" Yun Lintian forced the word out.
The old ruler exhaled slowly.
"Some fell in battle against Nian Shi's forces. Some were corrupted by the Chaos. Some..." His gaze grew distant. "...made the same choice I did. Sacrificed everything to buy time for the next version."
He met Yun Lintian's eyes.
"You've seen my ending. Now imagine hundreds—thousands—of similar tragedies. Different battles. Same result."
Yun Lintian's hands trembled. The implications were staggering.
Every breakthrough he'd made.
Every enemy he'd defeated.
Every life he'd saved.
Countless versions of himself had walked those paths before—and failed.
"Why am I different?" Yun Lintian whispered.
