Beneath the Searing Cloud Sect, deeper than the inner sanctums, past layers of flame-forged stone and runic gates…
lay the Hollow Vault.
A place few had seen.
Fewer survived.
It was said to be the graveyard of flames—where forbidden techniques, sealed spirits, and shattered legacies were entombed.
And now, for the first time in a century, its doors opened.
---
Beneath the Sect
Liu Shen walked alone.
Behind him, even the Flamekeeper did not follow.
The Sect's oath dictated that only the Sovereign who invoked a valid trial may enter.
No one else.
No interruptions.
No excuses.
He descended spiral steps carved from spirit-tempered obsidian, his boots echoing faintly against the ancient silence.
Crimson torches lit themselves as he passed, reacting to the residual essence of his former life.
His mark—the Serpent Flame Sigil—burned faintly on the back of his hand.
He smiled grimly.
> "So this place remembers me, even if the Sect tried to forget."
---
The First Gate: Memory Tomb
The first chamber bore no weapons.
No artifacts.
Only tablets.
Dozens—perhaps hundreds—each bearing a name etched in flame script.
Names of those purged.
> "Elder Su Yanli – Soul Sealed, Memory Stripped"
"Sovereign Yinfang – Banished, Records Burned"
"Liu Shen – Status: Erased"
He paused before his own name.
Beneath it, etched in shaky hand:
> "The Crimson Serpent will rise again. —J.Q."
He closed his eyes.
> "Jian Qiaoling. You risked everything…"
He placed his hand against the slab.
The flame reacted, swirling around him—pulling him inward.
---
The Second Gate: Vault of Seals
The flame guided him deeper.
There, in a chamber encased by twelve containment arrays, floated what seemed like a heart made of black crystal.
It pulsed slowly… menacingly.
Beneath it, a plaque:
> "Essence Core: Void Sovereign. Sealed under Order of the Sect Council. Crime: Defiance of Heaven."
Liu Shen's eyes narrowed.
> "Void Sovereign… I remember you."
> "You tried to warn us of the Heavenly Cults' infiltration. We silenced you."
He turned.
Array runes danced along his fingers. With one touch, the sealing barrier shimmered—weak from age, but still potent.
He did not destroy it.
Not yet.
> "I'll return for you… when I know what game the Heavens were playing."
---
The Third Gate: Mirror of Truth
The final chamber loomed.
In its center stood a massive obsidian mirror, covered in crimson chains.
It pulsed with anti-spiritual essence—the kind used only to trap memories even time could not erode.
Liu Shen approached.
Etched on the mirror's border:
> "Only those betrayed may see their betrayer's truth."
He pressed his hand to it.
The chains recoiled.
The mirror shimmered.
And then… the scene unfolded:
> A secret council chamber.
Elders whispering.
A cloaked figure standing before them—not Fei Liansheng.
The voice spoke, distorted but clear.
> "The Crimson Serpent is too close. If he uncovers the Celestial Pact, we're all undone."
One elder asked, "And if the Heavens retaliate?"
> "Then we bury him before they do."
Liu Shen's pupils shrank.
> "So it wasn't just jealousy… it wasn't ambition."
> "You were protecting a pact… with the Heavens themselves."
> "Traitors. Every last one of you."
---
Shadows in the Flame
As the vision faded, Liu Shen fell to one knee, flame aura unstable.
He gritted his teeth.
> "The Celestial Pact…"
> "That's what killed me."
And perhaps… that's what would end the world.