The moon hung high, pale and silent, as Feng Mo followed the silver-eyed girl through a hidden passage beneath the sect's rear cliffs. She moved like a shadow between vines and stone, her steps echoing through hollow tunnels rarely trodden.
They descended deep into the Catacombs of the Nameless, the ancient burial site of discarded disciples—those who failed, defected, or died without a name worth engraving on stone.
But deeper still… beneath the known catacombs… lay something else.
"You're telling me my name is carved here?"
"Before you were born," she replied. "Before even your mother vanished."
Feng Mo's blood thrummed. He could feel the Blood Requiem Space inside responding—like it had been waiting to return.
Finally, they reached a great obsidian door. Cracked, ancient, but sealed by seven talismans. Each glowed faintly with Bloodline Runes.
But it was what lay in the center that made Feng Mo stop cold.
There, engraved with precision and age-worn edges, was a name written in ancient glyphs.
"Feng Mo – Vessel of the Third Vein"
He stepped forward, heart racing. "How could they know my name before I was even born?"
The girl didn't answer.
Suddenly, the blood jade rings in Feng Mo's hand ignited.
FLASH.
Seven runes lifted into the air, dissolved, and the seal broke.
The door groaned open.
Inside was not a tomb.
It was a chamber of living memory.
Flames burned in suspended braziers, their light caught in crystalline walls that shimmered with embedded soul fragments—like echoes frozen in glass.
As they walked, one wall lit up.
A vision played.
A woman stood—fierce, bloodied, but radiant. Yun Lian.
"The child must carry both blood and void. Only then will the Requiem awaken."
"They must believe he's a mistake."
"They must never know… he was forged."
Feng Mo's knees nearly buckled.
"I was… created?"
Another wall flickered.
A man this time—shrouded in black flame.
His face was concealed, but his voice was thunder.
"The Third Vein will open when three graves recognize him. One of blood. One of spirit. One of name."
The vision faded. The air turned heavy.
Suddenly, a deep growl echoed from the chamber's depths.
The girl stepped back. "Something's still guarding this place."
From the far end, a beast emerged—not wholly alive, not wholly dead.
It had eight legs, crimson bone armor, and a human face screaming through its chest.
"INTRUDER… THE NAME IS NOT YET FULFILLED!"
Feng Mo gripped Soul-Eater Fang, blood qi surging into the weapon.
The black blade pulsed, craving essence.
"I've seen my mother's grave. I've heard my name whispered by the dead."
"I AM THE VESSEL."
The beast lunged.
Feng Mo ducked, slashed upward. The blade bit through one of its limbs, but the creature regenerated instantly, shrieking as more blood poured from its chest-face.
Then, the second bud on the black tree inside the Requiem Space bloomed fully.
A new ability awakened—
Requiem Pulse: Blood Memory Severance
Time slowed.
Feng Mo's vision burned red.
He saw the beast's core memory—a monk once used as a vessel in ancient times, twisted into this form as punishment.
"I free you," Feng Mo whispered.
He stabbed the core—not the body, but the memory.
The beast collapsed without a scream.
Blood Memory Absorbed.
Third Grave Recognized: Name.
As silence returned, the chamber pulsed.
A third altar rose inside Feng Mo's internal realm. This one was different—smaller, elegant, and etched with his own name.
The Third Vein ignited.
Third Vein of Requiem: Soul Branding unlocked.
Ability: Bind one memory fragment to life. Speak with the Dead once every seven days.
He fell to one knee. Blood leaked from his nose, ears, and fingertips.
The cost was high—but the path forward was now illuminated.
As they climbed back toward the surface, the girl finally spoke:
"You've awakened all three Veins. They'll come for you now."
Feng Mo nodded.
"Let them."
High in the inner sect chambers, the Silent Executor opened a scroll sealed with blood.
"Third Vein awakened. Prepare the culling blade. The Burial Bloodline has returned."
Beside him, a figure in black robes—face hidden behind a porcelain mask—nodded.
"Let the old sins die again."
To be continued…
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🩸 New in Chapter 8:
Feng Mo's Name Was Pre-Inscribed: His birth was orchestrated.
Mother's Plan Revealed: Yun Lian forged Feng Mo with purpose.
Beast of Memory: Guardian of the third grave, defeated through Requiem's memory severance.
Third Vein Unlocked: Soul Branding – communication with the dead enabled.
Assassins Preparing: The sect's shadow organization begins to move.