Beneath the surface of the Inner Sect, hidden under centuries of debris, lay an ancient cavern shrouded in spiritual decay.
Kai Lin stood at the edge of a cracked stone platform, gazing into the darkness below. The narrow tunnel behind him had long collapsed—no footsteps echoed in this place, no disciples ventured this deep. The air was choked with dust, yet still charged with the remnants of a powerful formation.
He placed his palm against the jagged wall. A faint heat pulsed beneath the stone. Not warmth—but memory.
[Sign-In Location Detected: Abandoned Vein of Blackfire Spirit Ore]
[Daily Sign-In Available. Proceed?]
"Proceed," he whispered.
[Sign-In Successful.]
[Reward Acquired: Vein-Echo Sigil (One-Time Use)]
[Note: Item allows temporary access to spirit echoes embedded in terrain. Duration: 30 seconds.]
As the sigil shimmered into his palm—burning hot and etched like glowing veins—a low hum rippled through the cavern. Kai took one step forward.
And the past awakened.
---
Thirty years ago.
The mine was alive—disciples filled the space, wielding tools powered by spiritual essence. Overseers shouted commands. Crates overflowed with glowing black ore, rich with chaotic yin-fire energy.
Then, a scream.
The vision twisted as a monstrous Soulroot Beast—all bone and black mist—emerged from the depths. Blood sprayed. Spiritual energy collapsed. The formation broke. In moments, the mine was a tomb.
Someone—an Elder with a crimson robe and a black fan—stood in the chaos, smiling.
> "Perfect test site. Let the experiment begin."
The image fractured. The sigil burned out.
Kai blinked.
That man was wearing the insignia of the Crimson Hall—a faction long destroyed in his past life.
> So they were here… even then.
---
Kai advanced. Around him, ore veins pulsed with tainted energy. A single crack in the wall glowed brighter than the rest—deep crimson and gold.
He touched it.
And pain lanced through him.
[Infernal Sovereign Physique – Resonance Triggered.]
[Awakening Progress: 3% → 5%]
[Warning: Dormant entity detected nearby. Contained.]
From beneath the ore veins, a deep growl echoed. Kai stepped back.
A sigil on the floor flared, and a circular seal unraveled. From the pit emerged… nothing at first. Then—chains dragged against stone. A head rose.
Not a beast. Not quite. But not human either.
Half its body was scorched black, the other half was raw bone. A single eye glowed red, locked on Kai.
> "You're not one of them," it rasped. "Yet your soul smells… familiar."
Kai's face remained unreadable. "Who sealed you here?"
> "The Crimson Hall's first Whisperer. He called me Experiment Twelve. But I remember you. Your soul has been here before."
---
The thing lunged.
Kai moved faster. Shadows wrapped around his form—Sovereign's Will surged. He raised his palm.
"Abyssal Sovereign Palm."
The impact shattered the creature's body against the cavern wall—but it didn't die. It reformed midair, tendrils regenerating.
This wasn't a normal beast. It was something twisted by unnatural means.
He narrowed his eyes.
> Can't kill what's already broken. Then seal it again.
He focused, summoning spiritual qi through his fingertips.
[System Override: Custom Formation Accessed – Sovereign's Brand of Silence]
A new formation exploded beneath his feet. Runes spiraled into the air, binding the creature mid-roar. The cavern roared. The being shrieked.
Then—silence.
Kai exhaled. The system chimed.
[Suppression Successful.]
[Soul Lock Severance Progress: 21% → 23%]
But he wasn't alone anymore.
---
A distant echo of footsteps.
Kai vanished behind a jagged pillar.
Down the tunnel came two figures—one cloaked in black sect robes, the other wearing a silver inner disciple badge. A girl with violet eyes stopped at the edge of the broken floor.
> "Are you sure the resonance came from here, Senior Brother?"
> "Yes. It was a sovereign-class pulse. Stronger than anything I've felt here."
Kai recognized the girl—Lianhua Jin, the Smiling Blade.
He watched them inspect the chamber. When the elder disciple approached the seal Kai had just conjured, his expression changed.
> "This... this wasn't made by anyone from the sect."
Lianhua crouched. "Then someone new is here. Someone strong. Should we report this?"
> "No. We investigate first. Quietly."
Kai remained motionless. His aura was perfectly sealed. When they left, he waited fifteen full minutes before stepping out.
> They'll dig. And they'll find what I want them to.
---
At the chamber's core, Kai found a sliver of obsidian stone tucked beneath a cracked crate. On it, the Crimson Hall's sigil pulsed faintly.
He picked it up—and the mark burned into his palm before vanishing.
[System Alert: Memory Anchor Acquired – Crimson Hall Trace I]
[Note: Unlock 2 more anchors to reveal hidden timeline fragment.]
Kai clenched his fist.
> "So it begins again."
As he turned to leave, the voice from the sealed beast echoed one last time.
> "You're not done with your past, Sovereign. You just forgot where it began."
---