The world faded the moment Liu Shen stepped into the blue fire.
Gone was the Ember Waste, gone was the Temple of the Ninth Flame. There was no sand, no wind, no heat—only a limitless gray void, heavy with the scent of burned memories.
The Ash Dream had begun.
---
The First Memory: Betrayal at Heaven's Court
He stood atop golden stairs, once again wearing the flowing black robes of the Demon Sovereign.
Below him, ten thousand cultivators knelt, awaiting his command. The sky was bleeding. The heavens cracked. This was the day the traitors revealed themselves.
And there, at the head of the Divine Army—
> Huang Ze, his old comrade, sword drawn.
> "By order of the Celestial Tribunal, Liu Shen, Demon Sovereign, is hereby condemned for crimes against the Heavens!"
Liu Shen's voice echoed with calm fury.
> "Crimes? Or truths you feared I would unveil?"
Huang Ze hesitated. For a moment, regret flickered in his eyes. But then the decree burned brighter in his hands, glowing with divine edict.
From behind Huang Ze, seven shadowed figures emerged—each cloaked in celestial light. Their eyes were blank. Puppets of the heavens.
One of them stepped forward.
A woman.
> "He who defies the natural order… must perish."
Liu Shen's breath caught.
That voice.
Even in dream, it was unmistakable.
> Yu Meixing?
But this wasn't the Meixing he knew. This one wore a crown of stars and bore a halo branded with runes.
> "The Ninth Witness…" Liu Shen whispered.
She was the one who passed Heaven's judgment. She delivered his sentence.
> "You burned my name," he said bitterly.
"But not my soul."
And with that, the memory shattered like broken glass.
---
The Second Memory: The Final Day of the Ninth Shadow
Smoke filled the sky.
Liu Shen stood at the ruins of the Obsidian Lotus Palace, where he had trained with his most trusted—and most beloved—general.
> The Ninth Shadow.
The battle was over. The world burned around them. Corpses of heavenly beasts littered the charred ground.
He turned and saw her—back against a pillar, her black blade shattered at her feet.
Her name was gone.
Not erased. Devoured.
> "I bought us time," she said softly. Blood leaked from her mouth.
> "I told you not to fight alone!" he shouted, catching her in his arms.
She smiled faintly.
> "And I told you to survive."
> "If I must live without you… then what's the point?"
> "Revenge. Justice. Truth. Pick one."
Her fingers brushed his cheek, smearing it with blood.
> "Live, Liu Shen. And remember me, even if Heaven tries to make you forget."
He wept, for the first time in centuries.
And as her body faded into ash, the world twisted again.
---
The Third Memory: The Firebound Pact
A warm breeze, not from the dream—but real.
Liu Shen opened his eyes and stood inside a memory-temple, a copy of the one Zhaoyu had guarded.
But unlike before, this one was whole. No ash. No ruin. Only living flame.
At the altar stood Nian Zhaoyu—young, vibrant, yet unchanged.
> "This memory… this was the day we made the pact," Liu Shen murmured.
She turned, holding a fragment of the Cinder Core, pulsing with inner fire.
> "Do you still remember the price of power?" she asked.
He stepped forward.
> "We gave up the right to forget."
> "Then prove to me that your path still burns with truth."
She held out the Cinder Core.
> "Take it. And face the final flame."
He reached out.
The moment his fingers brushed the crystal, pain unlike anything he'd known exploded in his chest. A roaring fire tore through his mind.
> "Remember what Heaven made you forget."
---
The Hidden Truth
One final memory surged forth—unbidden.
He stood in a celestial courtroom, stripped of title, name, and dignity.
Twelve figures in gold sat before him.
One of them spoke:
> "Erase the Ninth Shadow's identity. Burn it from all records. Let her die nameless."
Another added:
> "Seal the Cinder Core. If it falls into mortal hands, even the heavens may burn."
A third voice, soft and trembling:
> "Spare Liu Shen. Let him fall... and rise. Let him believe it was his fault."
The chamber gasped.
Liu Shen's eyes widened.
> "That voice…"
It was Yu Meixing's.
But not the Meixing of now.
This was the original Witness. The one who had judged him, erased her identity, and let the betrayal happen.
> "Why…?" he whispered.
> "Because," she said softly, turning toward him in the dream,
"If I hadn't… they would've killed us both."
And just like that—the flames of the memory collapsed.
---
Return from the Dream
Liu Shen gasped awake, clutching the Cinder Core.
He stood once again in the Ember Waste. The sky above him stormed with ash and lightning.
Zhaoyu knelt before him, her fiery corruption burned away.
> "You endured it all," she whispered. "You didn't forget."
He nodded.
> "Even if I wanted to… I couldn't."
She pressed the Cinder Core into his hand fully.
> "Then take it. Burn the false heavens. And should you ever need a flame to guide you—call my name."
From the distance, Lei Qing and Yu Meixing watched, concern in their eyes.
Liu Shen turned to them.
His voice was calm. Cold.
> "We march to the Phoenix Empire next. Let Heaven's shadows try to stop us now."