Outside the Soulseal Tower, the mountains stood in silent vigil, the heavens pressed low, and all of heaven and earth seemed to be holding its breath, awaiting the revelation of fate.
Xiao Chen, Yan Yao, and Lei Hao had returned from the Soulseal Tower without pause and immediately set out for the ruins of Ember Mark Hall. That place was once one of the fiercest battlegrounds of the Soul Clan's civil war—and also the last known location of Xiao Chen's parents.
It was said that after the fall of Ember Mark Hall, all evidence and clues had been consumed in a sea of voidfire, leaving not even ashes behind. But guided by the mysterious insight granted by the Soulseal Tower, Xiao Chen had grasped a sliver of a clue: "Where the soul weeps, shadows lie hidden in flame."
This clue might be their only chance to uncover the true mastermind.
Scorched Remains, Fires Extinguished
The ruins of Ember Mark Hall lay on the edge of the Western Desolation of the Nine Provinces, in a place called the Flamebone Plain. A thousand years ago, this land had been lush and sacred. But following a soul path war, all living things were annihilated. Ember Mark Hall and the rival "Soul Extinguishing Sect" had clashed here in a final confrontation, reducing the plains to a scorched, fiery wasteland.
Now, not even a blade of grass grew. The ground was blackened and cracked, and the air still carried the oppressive pressure of lingering voidfire.
The trio stood at the edge of the plain, feeling the silent tremble beneath their feet.
"The soul pressure here... it's still active," Lei Hao said with a frown.
"Residual souls still linger. Their obsessions haven't faded," Yan Yao whispered. "Many of the powerful cultivators who died here likely never found peace."
"Why won't they let go?" Xiao Chen asked, gazing into the distance.
"Because they died unwillingly," Yan Yao replied. "They died without truth, without vengeance, without passing on their legacies. Too suddenly. Too unjustly."
"Then we must give them hope," Xiao Chen said. Soulforce surged within him as the Fate Mark gifted by the Soulseal Tower gathered in his palm.
Boom!
The earth trembled. A pillar of black flame erupted from the ground, piercing the sky.
"It's a Remnant Flame Soul Mark!" Lei Hao exclaimed.
They sped toward it. Beneath the flame, the earth had split open into a deep chasm, ringed by nine blazing fire talismans arranged in a nine-palace formation, sealing off the space below.
"This formation isn't sealing a relic," Yan Yao said grimly, "but a soul remnant."
"Whose soul?" Xiao Chen asked.
Lei Hao examined one of the fire talismans and suddenly stiffened. "This style... it's soul master-level sealing technique. According to Soul Clan records, only four people could cast this."
He turned to Xiao Chen. "Your parents were among them."
Xiao Chen fell silent, then slowly raised his hand, pressing the Fate Mark against the formation.
Boom!
The talismans shuddered, their light converging as a piercing soul-wail echoed across the sky. A vague figure slowly rose from the depths—a middle-aged man, with sharp brows and star-like eyes, his body wreathed in black-gold soulfire. Though his eyes held no light, an overwhelming sense of will lingered in them.
"Father?" Xiao Chen whispered.
Yan Yao shook her head. "No. This is only a battle-soul remnant."
"I have waited a long time," the remnant said, voice hollow and weary. "If you hold the Fate Mark, then the Soulseal Tower has acknowledged your will. I left this soul to reveal a truth to you."
As his words faded, the world around them blurred. The trio was drawn into a soul-forged memory.
A Vision of Battle, A Shocking Betrayal
They found themselves atop a grand palace engulfed in flame—Ember Mark Hall, once the core of the Soul Clan.
In this vision, Xiao Chen's father—Xiao Wuji—fought furiously against several soul master-level foes. Among them stood a black-robed figure whose features were obscured, yet whose power rivaled Xiao Wuji's.
"You've allied with the Soul Extinguishing Sect to strike at the Soul Clan?!" Xiao Wuji roared.
The black-robed man sneered. "The Soul Clan is rotten. It must be replaced. You know the truth—why not submit?"
"I fight for my people, not for power," Xiao Wuji shouted, his blade igniting the sky in flame.
But he was outnumbered. In the end, he and his wife ignited their souls, self-destructing to seal away their foes and all evidence in this forbidden land.
The vision shattered. The three emerged with grim expressions.
"There was a traitor within the Soul Clan," Yan Yao murmured.
"But he never said who," Lei Hao sighed.
"We're one step closer," Xiao Chen said, stepping toward the soul remnant. "Father… what you left behind wasn't just a warning—it was a mission."
The remnant nodded slowly and touched Xiao Chen's brow, imbuing a glimmer of light into his mind.
"Go to the bottom of the Ember Scar. The truth awaits you there."
With that, the soul remnant vanished. The nine fire talismans crumbled into ash.
Descent Into the Flame, First Glimpse of the Ghost Gate
With the flame pillar gone, the chasm grew quiet. Without hesitation, the trio leapt into the abyss, passing through layers of fire until they reached a crimson stone gate deep underground.
Upon its surface were carved three ancient characters: Soul Ghost Gate.
Yan Yao's face paled. "One of the Soul Clan's forbidden sites. Legends say it seals away the vilest soul beings."
"It seems we've entered the deepest place the enemy meant to hide," Lei Hao muttered, clenching his fist.
"The more they want to stop us," Xiao Chen said darkly, "the closer we are to the truth."
He climbed the stone steps and pressed the Fate Mark to the gate.
Hummm—
The Soul Ghost Gate rumbled open. A staircase leading into the abyss slowly appeared.
Under the flickering light of the flames, their shadows stretched long and deep, stepping into the unknown—onto a path that would change their destinies forever.