Night cloaked the southern mountains in a veil of ash.Somewhere beneath that burning sky stood the Crimson Sect Fortress — a citadel carved from black stone, wreathed in eternal fire. Its towers clawed at the heavens like blades, and its banners bled red against the moon.
Inside, the air was heavy with smoke and chanting.Disciples in scarlet robes knelt in circles, their palms pressed to the ground, channeling Qi into a sigil that pulsed like a beating heart. In the center, atop a dais of obsidian, an elder sat cross-legged — Master Huoyan, the Fire Demon Monk.
His eyes blazed with the red of molten iron. In his hands, he held a piece of parchment glowing with living flame — another fragment of the Void Codex.
"So it begins again," Huoyan murmured. "The Void awakens, and fools will chase its promise."
A young man stepped from the shadows behind him.He was tall, his face calm but cold, his aura sharp as unsheathed steel. His name was Yan Rui, the Crimson Sect's youngest champion — and the one they called the Ash Blade.
"Master," Yan Rui said, bowing. "The scouts confirmed it. Someone has already awakened another fragment — in the north."
Huoyan's lips curled. "And who holds it?"
"They speak of a wanderer and a woman from the Azure Petal Sect."
Huoyan's fingers tightened around the burning scroll. "Then the balance begins to tilt."
The firelight flared brighter, casting strange shadows across the stone walls. Within the flames, faint symbols danced — verses of the Codex itself.
'Through destruction, truth is reborn. Through pain, the vessel is purified.'
Yan Rui's gaze flickered toward the words. "What does it mean?"
Huoyan smiled grimly. "It means, my disciple, that we were chosen — not to guard the Codex, but to complete it. The Azure Petal girl holds what we need."
He extended his palm. The fire scroll rose, suspended in midair, unraveling like molten silk. Sparks rained down, forming a fiery lotus.
"Take the Flame Fragment," Huoyan commanded. "Seek them. Test them. If they are weak, burn them. If they are strong… bring them to me."
Yan Rui reached for the lotus. The flames crawled up his arm, searing his flesh — but he didn't flinch. The fire sank into his skin, leaving behind a crimson sigil pulsing over his heart.
When he opened his eyes again, they burned gold.
"Yes, Master."
Two Days Later — Border of the Southern Wastes
Li Shen and Mei Lian traveled through fields of black sand, where the wind howled like the cries of lost spirits.
They had left the Valley of Mirrors behind, but the memory of the Keeper's warning still lingered in their thoughts.
"Five fragments," Mei Lian whispered as they crossed a dry riverbed. "If one lies in the hands of the Crimson Sect…"
Li Shen nodded. "Then we're walking into their flames."
They reached a small village at dusk — or what remained of it. The houses were scorched to their frames, the ground still smoking. A dozen villagers lay unconscious, their Qi drained to dust.
Mei Lian knelt beside one of them. "Who did this?"
The old man stirred weakly. "A… a warrior in red… with eyes of fire. He said he was searching for the Breath of the Lotus."
Li Shen and Mei Lian exchanged a look.
"He's hunting us," she said.
"No," Li Shen murmured, scanning the horizon. "He's calling us."
That night, they camped beneath a half-moon. The fire crackled softly, throwing light across Mei Lian's face. Her eyes, once calm, now reflected worry.
"Li Shen," she said quietly. "You're changing. Ever since you touched the first fragment… your Qi feels deeper, darker."
He hesitated. "The Codex changes anyone who reads it. It shows what we truly are — not what we wish to be."
She frowned. "And what do you see?"
He stared into the fire. "A void. Waiting to be filled."
Before she could reply, a gust of hot wind blew through the camp — too sudden, too sharp. The fire twisted upward, forming a pillar of red flame.
From within it stepped Yan Rui.
He landed softly, his cloak rippling like smoke. His presence filled the clearing — still, deadly, absolute.
"Li Shen of the North," he said. "And Mei Lian of Azure Petal. You hold what belongs to the Crimson Sect."
Li Shen rose slowly, his hand drifting toward his sword. "And what would that be?"
Yan Rui's eyes burned brighter. "The second verse of the Void Codex."
He unsheathed his blade — a black weapon veined with red light. "Give it to me, or I'll burn the night itself to ash."
Mei Lian's Qi flared like petals scattering in the wind. "You'll have to take it from us."
Yan Rui smiled — and vanished.
The world erupted in flame.
Li Shen barely parried the first strike, sparks slicing through the darkness. Every clash of their blades sent shockwaves through the air. Yan Rui's movements were precise, merciless — his strikes felt less like attacks and more like executions.
"Your Qi burns clean," Yan Rui said between blows. "But the void in you hungers. You fight it, but one day, it will devour you."
Li Shen countered with a burst of inner energy, their swords locking. "Then I'll master it first."
The ground cracked beneath their feet. Flames curled upward, devouring the trees around them.
Mei Lian tried to join the fight, but Huoyan's voice echoed through the air, distant yet thunderous:
"Do not interfere, Azure Flower. This is a duel of destiny."
Yan Rui pushed Li Shen back, his golden eyes blazing. "Show me, Void-bearer. Show me why the Codex chose you."
Li Shen's mark glowed with dark light. The air trembled. For an instant, everything fell silent — and then his blade moved like a whisper through the void.
Their swords collided.The night split open.A shockwave flattened the forest, leaving a circle of glass where sand once lay.
When the dust cleared, both men stood at opposite ends of the clearing — their weapons trembling, their Qi fading.
Yan Rui smirked. "Interesting… The void breathes within you. I'll remember that."
Then, with a sweep of his cloak, he dissolved into crimson flame and vanished.
Mei Lian ran to Li Shen. "Are you hurt?"
He shook his head, though his hand trembled. "No. But I saw something — when our blades met. His fragment… it's not bound to him. It's consuming him."
Mei Lian's eyes widened. "Then he's not our enemy."
Li Shen looked toward the burning horizon. "Not yet. But soon, he will be."
The wind shifted — carrying the scent of ash and prophecy.
Somewhere beyond the flames, the remaining fragments waited.And in the dark, the Void itself began to stir.