The golden halls of the Phoenix Empire's inner palace were eerily silent. No servants bustled about, no courtiers whispered in the shadows. Only the distant rumble of fire—deep and guttural—echoed through the marble corridors, as if the palace itself was breathing.
Liu Shen stepped into the Hall of Eternal Plumes, his steps deliberate. Yu Meixing and Lei Qing followed close behind, their senses sharp. The air was thick with a heat that was more than just temperature—it was spiritual, oppressive, like the breath of a slumbering beast.
At the far end, the Phoenix Throne stood empty. The Emperor was absent, yet the hall felt far from unguarded.
"Do you feel it?" Yu Meixing's voice was low, her gaze fixed on the jade tiles beneath their feet. "The qi here is twisted… like it's not from this realm."
"I feel it," Liu Shen replied, his eyes narrowing. His demonic sense pierced through the layers of glamour woven into the air, revealing threads of scarlet flame seeping up from the ground. The fire wasn't ordinary—it pulsed like veins carrying lifeblood.
Without warning, a voice resonated through the hall—feminine, regal, and filled with restrained fury.
"You walk boldly into the heart of the Phoenix Empire, Demon Sovereign. Do you think my absence means you are free to trespass?"
From the space above the throne, fire coiled into existence, taking the shape of a tall woman in crimson armor. Her hair burned like molten gold, and her eyes were the sharp, predatory amber of a bird of prey.
"Empress Feng Yuhuan," Liu Shen greeted, his tone calm, but his gaze unyielding. "Your palace reeks of something older than you. Something that should not be here."
The Empress descended, her boots striking the jade with a sound like cracking stone. "You speak of matters beyond your reach. This is not your empire to question."
"And yet," Liu Shen replied, "its corruption is spreading beyond your borders. It's already touching the Abyss."
Her expression flickered—just for a moment—but the steel returned quickly. "The Phoenix Flame is eternal. It will burn away all corruption, including yours."
Lei Qing stepped forward, his spear humming with suppressed lightning. "Then explain why the Phoenix Flame smells of the Abyssal Void."
That was when the ground trembled. The jade tiles beneath their feet split, and a torrent of black-and-gold fire erupted upward. It wasn't just heat—it was a devouring force, stripping the air of oxygen and making even spiritual energy unstable.
Yu Meixing's eyes widened. "That's not Phoenix Flame… that's Soulfire."
Liu Shen's mind sharpened instantly. Soulfire was forbidden even in the darkest sects—it burned not only the body, but the soul itself, reducing it to ash from which nothing could return.
The Empress raised a hand, and the black-gold fire coiled around her like a living serpent. "You know much, Ninth Shadow. Too much. Leave now, and perhaps I will forget your trespass."
Liu Shen's voice was like cold iron. "The last time I ignored a flame like this, an entire continent fell into ruin. I won't make that mistake again."
The Empress's aura flared, and the temperature spiked so suddenly that the air warped. Fire licked the edges of her armor, but it wasn't consuming her—it was feeding on something deeper, hidden within her soul.
Liu Shen caught it then—the faint echo of another will, buried beneath hers. Not human. Not phoenix. Something… abyssal.
So that's it, he thought. She's not entirely in control anymore.
Before he could speak, the Empress struck. A phoenix of black-gold flame erupted from her palm, its cry sharp enough to make the hall tremble. It flew at Liu Shen with speed that split the air into molten ribbons.
Liu Shen's right hand rose, demonic qi swirling into a pitch-black claw. He caught the flaming bird mid-flight, and the clash shook the hall like a thunderclap.
For a heartbeat, it was a contest of pure will—the Soulfire trying to devour his essence, his demonic power crushing it back.
Then, with a twist, Liu Shen forced the flame apart, shattering the construct into harmless embers.
The Empress staggered back a step, shock flashing in her eyes. "Impossible… Soulfire cannot be extinguished by mortal means."
"I am no mortal," Liu Shen said simply, stepping forward. His presence filled the hall, suffocating in its intensity. "And you… you are no longer entirely yourself."
Her lips curled, but there was hesitation now. The flames around her flickered, as if another presence within her was whispering.
Yu Meixing's voice cut in, sharp as a blade. "Who is it? Who are you bound to?"
For a moment, the Empress's eyes shifted—one burning gold, the other an inky black. Her voice changed, layered with something deep and inhuman.
"The Throne… must burn… the seal… must break…"
Liu Shen's pupils contracted. "Abyssal seal…"
The floor cracked wider, and from the gap, a glow surged—black and gold, spiraling upward. It wasn't fire this time. It was a gate, and from beyond it came a whisper that made the soul ache to listen and recoil all at once.
Lei Qing's grip tightened on his spear. "That's a portal."
"To the lowest flames," Liu Shen confirmed grimly.
Before they could act, the Empress's body convulsed, and the black eye within her glowed brighter. The abyssal presence was fighting for dominance, using her as a vessel to open the seal beneath the Phoenix Throne.
Liu Shen's decision was instant.
"Meixing, bind her soul. Lei Qing, keep the flames back."
The hall erupted into chaos—chains of shadow weaving from Yu Meixing's hands, Lei Qing's lightning carving through torrents of fire. Liu Shen moved like a phantom, reaching the base of the throne. His demonic qi sank into the cracks of the jade, meeting the gate's abyssal pulse head-on.
The seal resisted, lashing out with fire that could reduce even immortal souls to nothing. But Liu Shen's power was colder than void and darker than night—it devoured the flames, layer by layer.
At last, with a resounding crack, the seal beneath the throne fractured—but instead of breaking open completely, it froze, locked between destruction and suppression.
The Empress collapsed to her knees, the black in her eyes fading—though not entirely gone.
Breathing heavily, she looked at Liu Shen with a mix of resentment and something almost like gratitude. "You… have no idea… what you've meddled with."
Liu Shen straightened, his gaze unyielding. "No. I know exactly what I've meddled with. And I'm not done yet."
The gate still pulsed beneath the floor, a promise of fire and ruin yet to come.