The silence of the Abyss weighed like a shroud, pressing against Liu Shen's skin as he stepped onto the fractured dais of the Third Beacon's chamber. Around him, spectral chains danced in the air—residue of long-forsaken oaths and blood-bound vows. The stone beneath his feet pulsed faintly, bearing ancient inscriptions now worn by time. But one remained intact—a crimson seal etched in flowing script, thrumming with a resonance that mirrored his heartbeat.
Yu Meixing and Lei Qing approached behind him, their auras held tight, suppressed in reverence of the sanctum. The atmosphere was far heavier than either the Well of Withered Souls or the Heart Loom. This was not merely a place of trials—this was where forgotten commanders of the Abyss had once knelt to him in a different lifetime.
"A Sovereign's Mark," Meixing murmured, eyes narrowing at the glowing seal. "But why does it still resonate with you?"
Liu Shen's gaze remained locked on the symbol. "Because it was made with my blood."
A flicker of memory surged—his former self standing atop this very altar, the thirteen Abyssal Generals kneeling before him. This place wasn't merely a test—it was a throne of loyalty, guarded by one who had not broken their oath even after centuries of silence.
Suddenly, a tremor echoed through the chamber. From the darkness beyond the dais, a figure stepped forth. Clad in rusted armor and wrapped in chains of bone, the wraith's face bore half a mask—cracked obsidian with the image of a howling beast.
The chains slithered with life, coiling and hissing.
"You return, and yet you bear the scent of mortality," the figure rasped. "I am Serak, Warden of the Third Seal. If you are truly he who bore the Crimson Brand… show me the might of the Sovereign!"
With a roar, Serak hurled his chains forward. They split into dozens, all streaking toward Liu Shen like serpents. He didn't flinch. Instead, he stepped forward, raising his palm. Black fire coalesced into a demonic sigil—the Mark of Sovereign Authority—and collided with the incoming chains.
The chamber exploded in force. Rubble scattered. Meixing and Lei Qing retreated a dozen steps back, shielding themselves as Liu Shen and Serak clashed in the center.
Every strike Serak launched was imbued with cursed loyalty—echoes of past commands transformed into bindings. But Liu Shen, now rekindled with the memories of his past and wielding both the Soul-Thread Restoration and two Abyssal Beacons, retaliated not with brute strength, but precision.
Serak's eyes widened. "You remember… the sequence of the Tenfold Abyssal Hand!"
Liu Shen didn't answer. His silence was the affirmation.
Dodging under a sweeping arc of bone-chain, Liu Shen released the fourth form of the Tenfold Hand—Void Rend. His palm struck Serak's chest. Instead of merely dealing damage, it shattered the bindings within the wraith's spirit.
Serak stumbled back, gasping. The chains crumbled from his form, falling like ash. "It truly is you…"
He knelt.
Meixing's breath caught. "He submitted?"
Serak lowered his head fully, pressing it to the floor. "The Third Beacon is yours to claim, Sovereign. I have guarded it for centuries. I failed to hold you back. My loyalty remains unbroken."
Liu Shen approached and placed his hand upon Serak's shoulder—not as a superior, but as a commander reuniting with his vassal.
"I honor your vigil," he said quietly. "Now rise, General Serak of the Crimson Chains."
Serak rose, spectral energy gathering around him anew, reforged into a more complete form. The crimson seal on the dais blazed upward, spiraling into the air before slamming into Liu Shen's chest.
The Third Abyssal Beacon awakened.
His demonic core pulsed violently as the beacon's energy fused into him. Visions returned—his war banners over the Sky Abyss, the betrayal that led to their fall, and the roaring legions he once led. With three beacons now reclaimed, his command over the Abyss was more than symbolic.
It was real.
A voice echoed within the chamber, older than Serak's, layered with divine mockery.
"Three have returned to you… but seven remain buried beneath forgotten realms. Will you reclaim them all, Demon Sovereign? Will you awaken the Abyss again, and dare raise your blade against the Heavens?"
Liu Shen narrowed his eyes.
"Yes."
The chamber rumbled, chains breaking, and spectral echoes faded. The path deeper into the Abyss unfolded—a corridor of obsidian marked with glowing red veins pulsing in rhythm with his heart.
This was no longer just a descent.
It was a march toward resurrection.