The Shrine of Echoing Souls was quiet today. A chamber carved from echo-crystals, its walls pulsed gently with residual vibrations from ages past—lingering fragments of chants, awakening cries, and ancestral hymns. The low hum was never loud, yet always present. It made the air feel ancient, as though it remembered.
Su Mengtian stood alone within the sanctum's amber light, staring up at the mosaic dome where thousands of bloodline sigils spiraled in concentric rings. The Sovereign's gaze was calm, but a depth of introspection stirred behind his eyes.
Footsteps echoed lightly behind him. Director Miren Vos, a tall woman draped in layered white-blue robes, approached. Her eyes were calm pools of wisdom, marked with thin silver lines of cultivation along her temples—an indication of long years spent navigating the border between soul and blood.
"Director Vos," Su Mengtian began, his tone composed but searching, "may I ask about the abilities awakened through one's bloodline?"
Miren bowed her head gently. "Of course, Sovereign. But be aware—bloodline abilities are gifts born not of strength alone, but of readiness."
She gestured for him to follow as they walked the inner sanctum's arc.
"Many cultivators awaken affinities—fire, wind, spirit manipulation. Some awaken physical traits: regeneration, strength, hardiness. Others manifest soul-linked weapons, aura projection, or ancestral echoes that fight alongside them. But the nature and scope of these abilities depend heavily on how complete their bloodline is… and how aligned their spirit is."
Mengtian nodded thoughtfully. "Is it something that appears suddenly during awakening, or must one cultivate it over time?"
Miren smiled faintly. "Both. Some awaken during critical battles—near-death states. Others cultivate for decades before even sensing the flicker. But in your case..."
She paused.
"Your bloodline—the Thunder Guardian Dragon—is divine-grade. Ancient. I've never encountered it in any scroll or relic. I'm afraid I know very little. And even if someone once did, those truths would now be told as myths, or buried under the rubble of empires."
Su Mengtian absorbed that. "Then there's nowhere within the The Shrine of Echoing Souls that holds this knowledge?"
"Not directly," Miren admitted. "But there may be one who remembers beyond the records. One who lived through ages that only ruins remember."
Su Mengtian raised a brow.
"The First Guardian of Kun Island," she said, almost reverently. "Xu Tian."
At Heavenly Soul Palace,
The Soul Reflection Hall, within the Heavenly Soul Palace, shimmered like still water. Moonlight streamed through polished soul-glass windows, illuminating Su Mengtian's form as he stood in quiet anticipation. With a mental summons, he called forth Xu Tian—his guardian and the ageless spirit who had once sworn loyalty through a master-servant contract.
A shadow parted the light. Xu Tian, clad in dark celestial robes laced with faded constellations, materialized like mist shaped by wisdom.
"So," the guardian said with a smirk, "you finally wish to unlock the dragon within."
Su Mengtian chuckled lightly. "Something like that. I need to understand the abilities lying dormant in my bloodlines. What I can awaken."
Xu Tian's smirk faded, replaced by solemn understanding.
"Then listen well, Sovereign. You possess not just one bloodline—but three. Each is mighty beyond comprehension. And each carries divine abilities, not mere skills. These aren't techniques one trains to perfection. They are truths buried in your soul, waiting to be spoken."
He raised his hand, conjuring astral diagrams behind him. "We'll begin with the oldest, The Ancestral Void Ape God Bloodline. It has about 4 Divine Abilities in its possession. First: Throne of the Gilded Shackles. "
Xu Tian's voice deepened. "This ability represents dominion broken and reforged. A shattered throne of supreme authority, now bound by radiant golden chains."
A phantom throne appeared behind him—fractured, suspended in the air, encircled by glowing shackles.
"These chains don't just bind enemies. They bind fate. The throne exudes oppressive majesty. Even gods must kneel. And the more you suffer, the stronger your command becomes. Second: Duskhollow Fenrir: Oath of the Crimson Hunt'
Xu Tian flicked his wrist. Silver mist filled the hall.
"The second calls the will of a twilight beast—the Duskhollow Fenrir. Your hair turns silver and crimson, spectral wolf-fangs lash your enemies."
Su Mengtian watched as shadowy fangs emerged from the mist.
"Within the Veil of Silent Dusk, light bends. Enemies falter. And every crimson-tipped strand of hair becomes a hunter's mark.Third: Solar Serpent Incantation. "
A massive serpent of flame coiled above.
"The Solar Serpent speaks endings. Its tongues of fire unravel reality. Every tongue is a divine word, declaring 'you are no more.'"
"This ability is not heat. It is judgment in the form of celestial fire. Fourth: Crown of the Faceless Seraph. "
Now Xu Tian grew silent. The hall dimmed. Even the echoes faded. Above him, a faceless crown materialized—black-gold, hovering.
"This is not merely an ability," he said solemnly. "It is an identity—or the rejection of one."
Six colossal wings unfolded. Each bore a rune: Time, Will, Memory, Soul, Fate, and Identity.
"When you activate the Crown, you become a law unto yourself. No one can name you. No one can remember you. No karma may bind you."
"Attacks against you are stored—and returned threefold once the Crown vanishes."
Su Mengtian's breath slowed.
"Faceless. Untouched by destiny. This... this is oblivion in sovereign form."
Xu Tian nodded. "You cease to exist as you. You become the Seraph of Silence."
The Thunder Guardian Dragon Bloodline
It has 3 divine abilities that can be mastered.
Xu Tian moved on. Thunder rolled softly around them.
First: Aegis of the Stormbound Warden
A massive dragon-scale barrier formed. Lightning crawled across its surface.
"This shield grows stronger with your desire to protect. It absorbs elemental attacks and rebounds force. During storms, it becomes near-invulnerable."
Second: Heaven's Judgement Pulse
A thunderbrand sigil formed in the air.
"With a chant, you mark your enemy. A divine bolt sears down, paralyzing spirit veins and disrupting cultivation. Hidden enemies cannot escape it."
Third: Draconic Tempest Resurgence
Su Mengtian's image merged with a draconic silhouette. Lightning armor clamped around him.
"When used, your strength surges. Speed multiplies. You heal. And your attacks become divine thunder given form."
The Kun-Peng Bloodline
"Your third bloodline also has some interesting divine abilities."
Xu Tian's eyes narrowed.
First: Heaven-Treading Voidshift
A Kun-Peng silhouette tore across the hall in an instant.
"This grants you the Kun-Peng's infinite wingspan. Travel thousands of miles in a thought. Ignore formations. Cross realms when the stars align."
Second: Abyssal Swallowing Domain
A gravity well formed. Everything was pulled inward.
"You become a devourer. Techniques, attacks, even energy—they become yours. Feed, grow, and turn the enemy's power into your own."
It is quite an ability, but very tough to master. But if mastered it can change your way of seeing things itself.
Third: Roc Ascends the Eternal Firmament
Stars swept through the chamber.
"You ascend as a cosmic avatar of the Kun-Peng. Fast beyond perception. Untouchable. Each feather you shed cuts space itself."
Xu Tian said, "Sovereign, you are completely loaded with powerful abilities. They will make you stronger, but to truly master them you have to balance them first."
Su Mengtian stood in silence. All around him floated the echoes of divinity.
"You are a storm of bloodlines, Sovereign," Xu Tian said. "A singularity of paths."
Su Mengtian bowed with gratefulness.
"Thank you, Xu Tian. For everything."
That night, Su Mengtian informed his family and inner circle. The days ahead would require strength not yet realized. And for that, he would disappear for a time.
Inside the core sanctum of the Heavenly Soul Palace, he sealed the chamber doors. A golden thunder barrier closed around him. His breath steadied.
One by one, he called upon the names of his divine abilities.
The Sovereign entered seclusion.
And deep within his soul, the inner sea stirred.