Night fell over the sect, casting long shadows across the mountain peaks.
Liu Shen moved silently through a narrow canyon on the outskirts of the Inner Court—his destination hidden behind layers of illusion formations that only a few even knew existed.
The place he sought wasn't on any official map.
It was known only by whispers:
The Sealed Pavilion—a relic from an era before the current sect's founding, closed off due to its chaotic, unstable spiritual field.
But Liu Shen remembered it well.
> In his past life, it was where he sealed one of his most dangerous legacies—
The Forbidden Tome of Abyssal Reflection.
---
Crossing the Illusion Veil
At the edge of the canyon wall, Liu Shen placed his hand on a faintly glowing stone slab. He traced a demonic rune over it—a seal that hadn't been used for centuries.
The illusion flickered… then fell.
A crumbling stone gate appeared before him, half-buried in time, black ivy coiled around it like veins.
From behind the gate, a low whisper echoed—
Welcome back, Sovereign…
Liu Shen stepped through.
The air grew heavy with soul pressure.
Even his Crimson Soul Flame dimmed slightly in resistance.
---
Inside the Pavilion
The Sealed Pavilion was vast and decaying. Stone walkways floated over a void of mist, and spectral figures flickered in and out of view—guardians left behind by the seal itself.
At the center was an altar of cracked obsidian, where a black scroll floated, wrapped in demonic chains.
The Tome of Abyssal Reflection.
> This scroll contains half of the original Demon Sovereign Codex… but incomplete. Too dangerous to use carelessly. Too powerful to abandon.
Liu Shen approached—but the spectral guardians began to stir.
One took full form: a phantom knight in black armor, with twin swords of shadow.
It spoke in an ancient tongue.
> "Only one whose soul matches the Sovereign's may claim the tome."
> "Then test me," Liu Shen answered coldly.
---
The Soul Trial
The guardian rushed forward—faster than lightning.
But Liu Shen had no need for brute strength.
Instead, he invoked the Demon Mirror Technique—a martial art that reflected the opponent's intent back at them.
Their blades clashed once… twice… ten times.
Each time, the guardian faltered. His own killing intent began to turn inward.
With a final palm strike, Liu Shen shattered the guardian's form—his Crimson Soul Flame burning through illusion and spirit alike.
The others knelt in silence.
The path was clear.
He stepped up to the scroll.
---
Legacy of Shadows
As his fingers touched the scroll, a surge of soul energy rushed into his core. Visions flooded his mind:
The Nine Abyssal Rites, capable of rewriting one's spiritual foundation.
The Reflection of the Demon Moon, an illusion technique that drove enemies mad through their own fears.
And… a glimpse of something incomplete—Heavenpiercer, his final technique before death, lost in the heavenly war.
His heart beat faster.
The scroll disintegrated into crimson light, seeping into his soul sea.
But just as the last of the power entered him—
A warning echoed in his mind.
> You have reclaimed the past… but to complete the Sovereign's path, you must face the one who shattered it.
And in his soul, a name flared—
Zhao Qingmei.
---
Outside the Pavilion
As he exited, someone was waiting.
A girl with ink-black eyes and fox-like features, dressed in hunter's leathers. She leaned casually on a tree.
> "You know, most people who enter that place never come back."
Liu Shen didn't slow. "Most people aren't me."
She grinned. "You're interesting. Name's Rin of the Thousand Eyes. I've been following you since you beat Feng Zhaoyun. Pavilion's curious about you."
Liu Shen narrowed his eyes.
"Which Pavilion?"
Her smile deepened.
"Both."
Then she vanished.