The day after Liu Shen's public display, the outer court was no longer the same.
Where once he was met with scorn and whispers, now disciples bowed low or stepped aside as he walked. Even some inner court disciples gave him cautious glances.
He ignored them all.
Power never required permission—it only demanded recognition.
---
Feng Clan Archives – Forbidden Chamber
Liu Shen stood before a sealed black door within the inner archives.
Two guards blocked his path.
"This section is restricted," one barked. "Only inner court elders—"
Liu Shen raised a hand, and a faint wave of pressure rippled from his body. The ground beneath his feet cracked ever so slightly.
The guards froze.
"You may either return to your duties," Liu Shen said calmly, "or join those beasts from Red Ember Ridge in the afterlife."
The two guards exchanged terrified glances—and silently stepped aside.
With a flick of his sleeve, Liu Shen touched the seal. It pulsed red, resisting him.
But the Demon King's Blood Vein activated within his body, feeding his Qi with chaotic energy. He infused the seal with a reverse pulse—corrupting the spiritual formation from within.
Click.
The door creaked open.
---
Inside, the chamber was filled with old scrolls, tomes bound in beast hide, and fragments of soul crystal. Dust blanketed everything.
> This isn't just an archive… it's a burial ground for forbidden knowledge.
His eyes scanned the shelves.
One book pulsed faintly in his senses—"Doctrine of the Hollow Flame: The Lost Demon Paths."
He picked it up and opened it. The pages bled with ink drawn from demonic essence.
Inside were diagrams—detailed records of old formations, sacrificial runes, and a cultivation method once used by the Hollow Flame Cult, exterminated over two centuries ago.
> This… this technique devours flame-based spirit roots… and converts them into fuel for the demonic core.
He closed the book, eyes gleaming.
> Feng Clan uses fire-elemental arts. This… will be useful.
Just then—
Thud.
The door slammed shut.
A soft clap echoed behind him.
From the shadows emerged a tall figure in crimson robes. Feng Yulan.
"I expected you'd find your way here," Yulan said with a faint smile. "The moment I saw your eyes, I knew you weren't one of us."
Liu Shen didn't move.
"You know," Yulan continued, "the Hollow Flame Cult once allied with the Abyssal Monarch. They were purged—but not forgotten."
"Do you speak from memory?" Liu Shen asked coldly.
Yulan chuckled. "No. I speak from inheritance."
He rolled back his sleeve—revealing a symbol carved into his forearm. A phoenix… with hollow eyes and flame made of shadow.
Liu Shen narrowed his gaze.
"Are you saying you're a descendant of the Hollow Flame Cult?"
"No," Yulan said. "I am the heir."
---
The Pact Beneath
For a long moment, silence hung between them—oppressive, tense.
Then Yulan extended his hand.
"I have no interest in fighting you, Liu Shen. On the contrary… I want to form a pact."
Liu Shen raised an eyebrow. "You want to ally with me?"
Yulan nodded. "You're not from this world, are you? Or at least… not bound by it. Your soul is too heavy. Too ancient."
> So he can sense my past… interesting.
"I won't ask what you are," Yulan said. "But I know this clan is small. Petty. It cannot contain either of us. But if we work together during the Spirit Ascension Trial…"
He smiled thinly.
"We could reshape the entire Feng Clan. From within."
Liu Shen was quiet for a long moment.
Then he extended his hand as well—but instead of a handshake, he placed two fingers to Yulan's palm and marked it with a faint trace of blood Qi.
"A temporary alliance," Liu Shen said. "Betray me, and your soul won't find a second death."
Yulan's smile widened.
> Then let the trial begin, Liu Shen thought. And let the blood of the weak pave my rise.