Three days after the Council's formation, a message arrived.
Not through jade slip or bird, but carved into the ceiling of the Unseen Flame's underground chamber—burned by soul fire into the very stone.
> "He who walks the Ash Trail has vanished. The beast awakens once more."
The message was unsigned.
But Jin Mu recognized the reference immediately.
"The Ash Trail refers to the old cavern ruins beneath the sect's eastern cliffs," he said. "They used to be part of the Outer Court centuries ago—abandoned after something down there… started eating disciples."
Yun Rou nodded slowly. "And 'the beast'… may not be a metaphor."
Liu Shen's eyes narrowed.
> "If the thing below has begun to stir again, it must have a connection to the ancient sealed zones. Something hungry… and tied to blood."
He stood.
> "We're going down."
---
The Ash Trail
The path was cloaked in illusion and ruin. The sect had long since sealed it, but Rin bypassed the array by embedding one of her Thousand Eyes into the formation, twisting the detection core.
As they stepped deeper, the air changed.
The spiritual pressure turned thick, almost chewy—like walking through liquefied killing intent.
Bones lined the cavern floor—some human, others… unknown.
The team moved in a diamond formation, Liu Shen at the front, Rin and Yun Rou flanking, Jin Mu behind casting protective seals.
Suddenly—
> A scream echoed through the passage.
Not a human one.
It was deeper. Hungrier.
Then they saw it.
---
The Bone Eater
A creature—part serpent, part spider, its body made from melted skeletal remains—crawled out of a glowing pit.
Its eyes were empty sockets that dripped green light. Its aura was twisted, demonic—yet not quite.
> "It's a Hollow Beast," Liu Shen said coldly.
"Formed from the remains of ancient demonic cultivators. Once awakened, they feed on soul essence."
Yun Rou unsheathed her Severed Sight Blade.
Jin Mu activated a Blood Sigil of Burning Frost, freezing the ground around the beast's legs.
Rin unleashed one of her illusions—but the creature ate it.
> "It consumes spiritual techniques like candy!" Rin cursed.
Liu Shen closed his eyes for a heartbeat.
> "Then we feed it something it can't chew."
---
Sovereign Flame – Devourer's Grasp
Crimson fire roared from Liu Shen's palm—not outward, but inward, forming a spiral that collapsed on itself.
> "Demon Sovereign Art: Devourer's Grasp."
He leapt forward, thrusting his palm straight into the beast's maw.
Instead of being consumed, the flame imploded inside the Hollow Beast, creating a vacuum of soul force.
The creature screamed as its very essence was torn apart.
With a final hiss, it shattered into dust.
Silence returned.
---
At the Pit's Bottom
They descended into the glowing pit where the beast had emerged.
There, they found something stranger than the creature itself:
A coffin made of transparent crystal.
Inside floated a body—unchanged, serene, surrounded by chains marked with divine script and demonic runes.
Jin Mu stepped back. "That… that's not just a disciple."
Rin leaned closer.
> "It's a child. Sealed here… maybe centuries ago."
Liu Shen felt the aura. It pulsed with both heavenly and demonic resonance.
His brow furrowed.
> "This child… is a vessel."
> "A human sacrifice meant to bind something greater."
Yun Rou looked disturbed. "The sect sealed it away. But didn't destroy it."
"Of course not," Liu Shen said. "They were saving it."
Then the child opened its eyes.
Pale. Hollow. Endless.