The next morning, a low hum spread through the valley — deep and rhythmic, like the pulse of the earth awakening.
Jin Zhen stood before the sealed chamber at the heart of the ruins, hands behind his back. The ancient runes on the massive obsidian door glowed faintly red. It was time.
"We begin the descent today," he said.
Xue Yan, Lan Yuer, and Yun Mei stood behind him, each holding a lit spirit torch. Their eyes reflected fire and uncertainty.
"What lies below?" asked Yun Mei.
"A forgotten truth. Power sealed beneath shame."
[System Notification: Hellfire Chamber Activation Quest — Stage Two Initiated][Objective: Enter the Catacomb Vault | Survive the Trial of Flame][Estimated Threat Level: Moderate to High][Reward: Access to Hellfire Chamber | Unlock Flame Spirit Forge | +120 SP Bonus]
Jin Zhen placed his hand on the door.
The runes twisted.
The stone groaned.
And the door slowly opened, revealing a spiraling stairwell descending into abyssal crimson.
—
The path downward was long and suffocating. Heat clung to the skin like oil. Each torch flickered madly against walls etched with flame-script and ancient symbols of the Crimson Sect.
"This was once a holy path," Jin Zhen explained. "Only inner disciples could descend. Those who failed... never came back."
"Comforting," Lan Yuer muttered.
They reached a wide platform. At the center stood a cracked brazier, cold and black. As they stepped forward, the chamber shook.
[System Alert: Trial Initiated — Manifestation of Past Sins Engaged]
Three humanoid forms burst from the brazier — living flames shaped like cultivators, each wearing old Crimson Sect robes.
"Who dares walk the path of betrayal?" one of the flame specters howled.
"We are not your enemies," Jin Zhen said calmly.
"You wear the Overlord's Mark. That makes you guilty."
The flames attacked.
Yun Mei acted first, sending a surge of violet fire into one of the specters. It shrieked as her hell flame devoured its shape.
Xue Yan followed, summoning a vortex of frost-flame that clashed violently with the second spirit. Steam exploded.
Lan Yuer leapt into the air, her body sparking with lightning-enhanced qi. She speared the final specter through the chest.
But it didn't vanish.
Instead, it latched to her back and whispered: "You will betray him."
She screamed — and Jin Zhen moved.
[Skill Activated: Crimson Flame — Fifth Form: Soul Severing Cut]
A wave of pure crimson energy burst from his palm, slicing through the specter's essence and cleansing the room of all remnants.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Then:
[System Notification: Trial Passed — Flame Spirit Acknowledges Leadership][Hellfire Chamber Unlocked][New Function: Flame Spirit Forge | Allows crafting of spiritual weapons and armor with fire-aligned materials][+120 SP | Sect Status Upgraded to Mortal (Peak)]
A stone dais rose from the ground. Upon it burned a tiny violet flame — steady, pure.
"The heart of our forge," Jin Zhen murmured. "Soon, we'll craft weapons worthy of destruction."
Lan Yuer, still trembling, looked up. "Master... what did it mean? That I would betray you?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stepped forward, placed a hand on her shoulder, and smiled.
"Let the future worry for itself. Today, you fought with strength."
Yun Mei and Xue Yan exchanged glances, worry evident.
But Jin Zhen had already turned, cloak billowing behind him as he climbed the steps.
High above, far from the dark, a raven circled the valley.
And within its eyes shimmered a human intellect.
In a distant hall filled with shadowed candles, a young woman in silk robes leaned back on her throne of bone and crimson silk.
"So, you've begun," she whispered.
"The Crimson Overlord has returned. But he is not the only one who remembers."
Her eyes, golden and sharp, narrowed.
"Let the game begin."