Deep beneath the Skyrect Sect, in the ancient Flame Caverns where disciples rarely dared to tread, Lin Xun stood before a stone altar, the scroll from Lian Yue clenched in his hand. The phrase still burned into his mind—"Your father walks in the Shadowflame Abyss."
He could no longer sleep. Not after reading those words. Not after remembering the fragmented dreams of fire and shadows that had haunted his childhood.
His mother's voice echoed in memory.
> "Xun'er, your father wasn't a traitor. He was a warrior, a storm, a flame that never bowed."
The air grew hot around him.
Flames curled across the cavern walls, flickering like spirits trying to speak.
> "What secrets did you take with you, Father…?"
Lin Xun activated the seal on the scroll once more. It glowed blood-red and melted into sparks that spiraled downward into the altar. A low rumble shook the chamber. Then, with a crack, the altar split, revealing a staircase descending into pure black.
Without hesitation, he walked into the abyss.
---
The descent felt endless.
The deeper he went, the heavier the air grew. Flames pulsed faintly along the walls—blue, not red. Cold fire. Fire of forgotten bloodlines.
Then, at last, he stepped into a hall carved entirely from obsidian and scorched bone. Dozens of statues lined its sides—figures of ancient cultivators, some with eyes that burned, others with mouths frozen in screams.
And there, at the center, lay a massive mural.
It showed a man with crimson-black eyes, cloaked in swirling flame and frost, standing atop a broken realm. Around him, sects crumbled, empires knelt.
Lin Xun's heart raced.
> "That… that's him."
A voice rang out, ancient and weary.
> "So, you've found your way here, Flameborn."
Lin Xun spun around.
An apparition hovered in the air—translucent, regal, terrifying.
> "Who are you?" Lin Xun demanded.
> "I am Emberlord Tian Xun—your grandfather."
The name struck Lin Xun like a thunderclap. His mother had never spoken of her father. Only whispered warnings about legacies cursed and powers sealed.
Tian Xun's gaze bore into him.
> "You carry what I once failed to master. The true dual-core—the Frozen Inferno. It is not a gift. It is a curse wrapped in destiny."
Lin Xun stepped closer. "Why was my father taken? Where is he?"
> "Your father ventured into the Shadowflame Abyss willingly. He sought the Ember Reign Flame—the heart of the abyss, the last true flame of our bloodline."
The air shook with Tian Xun's voice.
> "But something found him first. Something ancient. And now he's caged in darkness, sealed beyond realms. But his essence… still burns."
> "Can I reach him?" Lin Xun asked, fists clenched.
> "Not yet. But when the moons align and the frost eclipse rises, the path will open for you—if you survive what's to come."
The ghost's form began to flicker.
> "Prepare, Lin Xun. Skyrect will not protect you forever. Others have heard the call of your blood. The Flame-Eating Sect has begun to move. And there are traitors… even within your sect."
> "Who?!"
But the apparition vanished, leaving only fire and silence.
---
Lin Xun returned to the surface, breath heavy, sweat cold.
The sky above was still, too still.
He looked toward the inner sect, where a new commotion was unfolding.
A golden bell rang.
A new arrival.
A flying sword streaked through the sky, its rider cloaked in white silk, hair glowing like a waterfall of silver flames.
The disciples gathered gasped in awe.
> "She's from the Thousand Phoenix Palace…"
> "What's someone of her level doing here?"
The sword stopped midair.
And from it stepped a girl.
Eyes cold. Bearing the symbol of a nine-petaled lotus wrapped in divine fire.
She landed lightly on the sect steps, her gaze sweeping the crowd—until it locked onto Lin Xun.
A strange pause.
Then, a smile that felt like winter wind brushing over hot coals.
> "Lin Xun. The dual flame boy. I've come for you."
Gasps rippled through the disciples.
Lin Xun raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"
> "Yu Wushuang of the Flameborne Phoenix Bloodline. Direct heir of the Thousand Phoenix Matriarch."
Even the sect elders stepped back at that name.
She took another step toward him, tone playful yet sharp.
> "Our fates… they've been intertwined since before you were born. And now, you owe me a duel."
> "A duel?" Lin Xun asked, surprised. "We've never met."
> "Not in this life."
The wind carried her words like prophecy.
And Lin Xun—for the first time—felt something else ignite in his chest.
Not rage.
Not vengeance.
But intrigue.
---
In the elder chambers, Sect Master Yan sat watching through a spiritual mirror, eyes narrowed.
> "So, the girl has arrived. Just as the flames begin to stir."
His ai
de frowned. "Should we separate them?"
Yan shook his head.
> "No. Let them clash. Fire does not fear fire. And when the blaze rises high enough… even the heavens must take notice."