The Judgment Circle crackled with unstable fire.
Six elders had confirmed Liu Shen's claim.
Six voices had spoken truth—through memory, witness, and soul-sealed confessions.
Only one more elder was needed for Judgment Flame to ignite.
All eyes turned to the final elder who had yet to speak: Elder Huo Gantian, the oldest member of the council.
His robes shimmered with ancient fire arrays, his beard flowing like smoke.
He had lived through wars, watched sect masters rise and fall.
And now, he stared at Liu Shen not with hostility, but weariness.
> "Why… after all these years?" he asked. "Why return to this path of blood?"
Liu Shen raised his head, voice steady.
> "Because truth buried is rot.
Because peace built on lies is slavery.
And because I will not be a nameless ghost in another man's story."
A heavy silence followed.
The fire licked the edges of the arena.
Then… Elder Huo sighed.
He stood.
Raised his flame-sealed hand.
And said:
> "Confirmed."
---
Judgment Flame Awakens
The entire flame circle ignited.
A pillar of judgment fire rose skyward, visible from every mountain peak in the region.
The sect disciples watching from the cliffs fell to their knees.
> "Judgment Flame…"
> "The Sovereign's Trial… succeeded?"
Back in the chamber, the twelve elder flames pulsed in unison, forming a golden serpent of flame above the arena—Liu Shen's original sovereign symbol.
The sect's formation arrays recognized it.
His authority.
His claim.
His past.
Fei Liansheng screamed—his spirit cracking as the judgment flame branded his soul with the Mark of the Condemned.
His cultivation began to collapse.
> "No… I was loyal! Loyal to the Sect! I did what had to be done!"
Liu Shen stepped forward, his shadow stretching long behind him.
> "You sealed sovereigns to protect your power.
You betrayed comrades and twisted justice."
> "And now, justice answers."
With a single gesture, he summoned a serpent flame dagger, a remnant of his past life's divine weaponry.
He raised it.
> "By sovereign flame, I render sentence."
He struck.
The dagger pierced Fei's heart—not his flesh, but his spirit core.
Fei let out one final, soundless cry as his soul collapsed into ash.
---
Ashes and Reverence
As the dust settled, the council stood in silence.
The Flamekeeper approached, robes rustling in the embers.
> "The Sovereign's Trial is concluded," she announced.
> "Liu Shen… you stand now as the rightful inheritor of the Crimson Sovereign's legacy."
> "And as per ancient decree… the Council owes you a favor."
Liu Shen's eyes narrowed.
> "Then listen closely. I don't want a title. Not yet."
> "I want access to the Hollow Vaults, unrestricted."
Murmurs rose again.
> "Impossible—"
> "The Vaults contain forbidden knowledge!"
The Flamekeeper raised a hand.
> "He earned it. By law, we must honor it."
She turned to Liu Shen.
> "But beware… not everything in that place stayed dead."
He smirked.
> "Good. The dead are easier to kill the second time."