The molten wind bit at Liu Shen's skin, carrying with it the scent of charred stone and the faint tang of blood. Beneath his feet, the earth pulsed faintly—like the slow heartbeat of a slumbering beast—its heat rising through cracks that glowed with threads of liquid fire. This was the Ember Veins, the lifeblood of the Phoenix Empire's sacred lands.
"Once, the emperors of old claimed they could hear the voice of the Vermilion Spirit here," Yu Meixing murmured beside him, her eyes reflecting the molten light. "Now, it's said only the Emperor himself can withstand the full pulse of the Ember Veins without being burned to ash."
Liu Shen's lips curved faintly. "If the flames burn me… I will burn them back."
They were deep within a restricted zone—the kind where trespassers didn't just risk death, but soul eradication. Guard formations shimmered faintly in the heat-haze ahead, overlapping like a spider's web woven of crimson light. Every thread of that web pulsed with the Phoenix Clan's ancient will.
Lei Qing crouched, pressing his palm to the rock. "This formation… it's not meant to keep people out—it's meant to keep something in."
That earned him a sharp glance from Liu Shen. He had suspected as much from the start, but hearing Lei Qing confirm it shifted his plans.
Yu Meixing turned to him, her voice low. "Could it be the Vermilion Spirit itself? I've read records that say it was once bound here after going mad during the War of the Seven Thrones."
"No," Liu Shen replied softly, eyes narrowing. "If it were the spirit, the heavens themselves would have sealed this place. This… is something the Phoenix clan is hiding from the heavens."
The idea seemed absurd to most cultivators. But to Liu Shen—who had defied the heavens in his past life—it made perfect sense.
---
They approached the barrier. The crimson threads shimmered, distorting the air. To most, it was an impenetrable wall. To Liu Shen, it was a challenge.
He placed a hand on the barrier. A hiss erupted instantly, heat searing his skin. The formation responded like a living thing, trying to devour his spiritual essence.
A dangerous smile spread across his face. "Ah… so it eats qi."
Rather than withdraw, he pushed more qi into it—only not pure spiritual essence. Dark, corrosive demonic energy, laced with the Abyssal flame he had reclaimed in the Trial of the Abyss.
The formation reacted violently. Crimson threads writhed and screamed in soundless agony, twisting as if in an attempt to flee. The heat flared, then dipped, as if the entire array was suddenly unsure whether to attack or retreat.
Lei Qing hissed. "You're destabilizing the entire seal—"
"That's the point," Liu Shen interrupted, his voice calm. "The moment a seal doubts its purpose, it becomes vulnerable."
With a sudden motion, he clenched his fist, dragging the Abyssal flame deeper into the crimson web. The air around them twisted with a sharp crack, and a hole tore open in the formation, wide enough for a single person to pass through.
"Go," he ordered.
Yu Meixing entered first, her steps light and controlled. Lei Qing followed reluctantly, muttering about suicidal tactics. Liu Shen stepped through last, letting the barrier knit back together behind him, concealing their entry.
---
Inside, the Ember Veins were no longer just molten cracks in stone—they were rivers of living fire. Each stream glowed with layered hues of scarlet, gold, and deep vermilion, and their flow resonated like the slow pulse of a colossal heart.
The heat was so intense that even Yu Meixing's phoenix-aligned constitution began to waver. She drew in her qi defensively, a faint sheen of sweat on her brow.
Then they saw it.
Suspended above the largest river of fire was a massive chain, glowing as though forged from the sun's own core. And bound within those chains… was a figure.
At first glance, it appeared human—tall, regal, with hair like streaming embers. But the longer Liu Shen looked, the more he realized this was no human. This was a phoenix in human form, its eyes closed, its breathing slow. Its feathers—half-visible beneath the guise—were scorched and cracked, but still shimmered faintly with divine power.
"The Vermilion Heir…" Yu Meixing whispered, awe and disbelief in her voice. "But he vanished centuries ago—"
Liu Shen cut her off. "Not vanished. Imprisoned."
The bound phoenix stirred as if sensing them. Its eyes opened—golden and ancient—and for a heartbeat, Liu Shen felt the weight of an age-old will pressing down on him.
"You…" The voice was soft, but it resonated through the molten air like a divine decree. "Not of the Phoenix… yet you carry the scent of war. Who are you?"
Liu Shen stepped forward, meeting that gaze without flinching. "The one who will burn the heavens themselves."
The phoenix's gaze sharpened, and for a moment the molten rivers surged higher. "Then perhaps… you are the one my father foresaw."
Before Liu Shen could question the meaning, a deep tremor shook the ground. From the far end of the chamber, the molten river split, and shapes began to rise—humanoid figures wrought entirely of molten flame, their eyes like pits of gold.
Lei Qing swore under his breath. "Lava sentinels. And a lot of them."
The phoenix's gaze never left Liu Shen. "Free me… and I will give you the Ember Veins' true flame. But fail…" Its chains rattled violently, and a burst of heat washed over them, "and you will burn with this place."
Liu Shen's grin was slow, deliberate, and dangerous. "I don't fail."
As the first wave of sentinels charged, molten weapons raised, he stepped forward, Abyssal flames already coiling around his hand. The Ember Veins roared in answer.