The wind howled across the barren plateau, sending waves of black sand dancing across the ruined land.
Here, beneath the jagged cliffs where the sun never reached, lay the entrance to the Well of Shadows.
Liu Shen stood before the ancient seal, its runes flickering faintly with timeworn energy.
Yin Huali—formerly Yu Meixing—stepped forward, raising her hand.
The seal pulsed, reacting to her presence.
> "It recognizes me," she said softly. "This was our final retreat during the fall of the Sect."
Lei Qing narrowed her eyes.
> "So the legends were true. Your sect did attempt to hide something down here."
> "Not something," Liu Shen replied. "Someone."
---
A Door Left Unclosed
The runes flared as Yin Huali infused them with soul essence.
The massive gate groaned, parting to reveal a spiraling staircase of black stone descending into darkness.
Each step was lined with soulfire lanterns—long extinguished, now flickering to life in their presence.
Yue Lian placed a hand on her blade.
> "I feel… restless spirits."
> "You should," Liu Shen murmured. "The disciples who fell in betrayal were buried here."
They descended deeper, the air growing colder with each step.
Eventually, they reached a circular chamber—its walls etched with murals of the Nine Shadows, Liu Shen at the center.
One figure, however, was scratched out entirely.
Lei Qing pointed at it.
> "Why deface this one?"
Yin Huali's voice turned bitter.
> "That was the Tenth Shadow. Our greatest traitor."
---
The Chamber of Severance
As they explored the chamber, they came upon a sealed sarcophagus at its heart.
Inscriptions carved around it read:
> "Here lies Yao Shen, the Silent Disciple.
He who betrayed the Sect for Heaven's Peace."
Liu Shen's brows furrowed.
> "He wasn't just a traitor. He was my shadow. My hidden blade."
Yue Lian stepped back.
> "You trained him yourself?"
> "More than that," Yin Huali said quietly. "He was supposed to take Liu Shen's place if he fell."
Lei Qing's expression hardened.
> "Then why betray you?"
Liu Shen stepped toward the sarcophagus.
> "There's only one way to find out."
---
Awakening the Dead
He pressed his palm against the stone lid, channeling demonic essence into the seal.
The runes crackled and snapped.
A hiss of cold air escaped, followed by a flicker of shadow that coiled upward like smoke.
The sarcophagus split open.
Inside lay a man in gray robes, perfectly preserved. His eyes opened slowly—pitch black, without whites.
He sat up, unfazed.
> "Master… I've been waiting."
His voice was hollow, but reverent.
Liu Shen narrowed his gaze.
> "Yao Shen. You should be dead."
> "I am dead," the man replied, rising to his feet. "But I remain… because they demanded I repent for my betrayal. I refused."
---
Confrontation of Shadows
Yin Huali summoned a blade of shadowlight, pointing it at him.
> "You gave us up. You gave him up."
Yao Shen turned to her slowly.
> "Do you think I wanted to? I believed Heaven would spare us if I gave them knowledge of the Blood Contracts."
Lei Qing hissed.
> "You gave them everything they needed to erase the Demon Sovereign!"
> "And they did," Yao said bitterly. "But they lied. They never intended mercy. Only erasure."
> "So you regret it?" Liu Shen asked.
> "Every moment since."
Yao lowered himself to one knee.
"If you would punish me, now is the time."
---
Redemption or Retribution
The group stood silent.
Yin Huali clenched her weapon.
> "He betrayed us once. He could do it again."
Lei Qing nodded.
> "I say we end him before Heaven uses him again."
Liu Shen raised a hand.
> "We don't kill the past. We learn from it."
He turned to Yao Shen.
> "You said Heaven demanded your repentance. Are you still bound to them?"
Yao nodded.
> "They marked my soul. But not completely. I refused to take their Oath of Obedience."
> "Then you're not a puppet," Liu Shen said. "You're a witness."
> "And I need witnesses."
---
Truth Buried in Stone
Yao led them deeper into the hidden archive chamber beneath the Well.
There, sealed in crystalline walls, were memory shards—soul fragments from elders of the Sect of Shadows.
Each shard contained scenes from the past:
Liu Shen teaching the Nine Shadows.
The moment of betrayal.
The ritual that fractured Yin Huali's soul.
And a name spoken in hushed tones:
> The Celestial Architect.
Yue Lian frowned.
> "Isn't that just a myth?"
Yao shook his head.
> "No. He exists. And he was the one who rewrote your fate, Sovereign."
---
Unveiling the Architect
Liu Shen placed a hand on the largest memory shard.
A vision surged through him—a pale man standing atop a golden staircase, surrounded by gears, scrolls, and strings of light weaving through the heavens.
The Celestial Architect wore a serene expression as he turned.
> "Even demons serve a purpose," he said in a timeless voice.
"But you… Liu Shen… your thread was never meant to reach the end."
Liu Shen staggered back.
> "That was him. The one who planned it all."
Yao Shen nodded solemnly.
> "And he still watches from the Loom of Fates."
---
A New Shadow Joins
Liu Shen turned to Yao one final time.
> "If you walk with us now, you walk against the Heavens."
Yao bowed again.
> "I died once as a traitor. Let me live again as your shadow."
Yin Huali gave a wary nod.
> "I'll be watching you."
> "As you should," Yao replied, eyes glowing faintly. "You were always sharper than me."
Liu Shen extended a hand.
> "Then rise, Tenth Shadow."
Yao Shen grasped it, rising to his feet.
The Well of Shadows dimmed—but their path forward lit with burning clarity.