The cave stank of molten stone and charred ash. Feng Xieyun sat cross-legged in the center, crimson aura curling around him like serpents. His body trembled with new power, yet his heart was hollow. The talisman's ashes still clung to his palm, cold despite the fire in his veins.
Outside, night fell blood-red. The horizon glowed faintly, not with sunset, but with the remnants of Heaven's fury. The scar in the sky had not closed. It pulsed, watching, waiting.
Lian Zhi stood at the cave mouth, her violet eyes turned skyward. "They will not leave us be," she said softly. "The Will of Heaven does not forgive."
He opened his eyes. "Then let them come."
Her gaze flicked back to him, unreadable. "Bold words. But there is a price for every clash. Heaven doesn't take—"
The ground shook.
Both turned as the earth split open outside the cave. From the fissure, figures cloaked in black leapt forth, their qi sharp, murderous. Masks covered their faces, but the aura of their cultivation was unmistakable—late Nascent Soul, early Spirit King. Too strong for simple hunters.
Lian Zhi's expression hardened. "Assassins. Not Heaven. This is mortal greed."
The leader stepped forward, his mask etched with the sigil of a blood lotus. His voice was cold. "Feng Xieyun. By decree of the Lotus Hall, your existence ends tonight."
Xieyun rose slowly. His aura flared, crimson flames licking the walls. "Lotus Hall? I've never heard of you."
"You don't need to," the man hissed. "The clans bid well for your head. Your Demon Bone will fetch a fortune."
Behind him, a dozen assassins spread out, blades gleaming, talismans glowing.
Xieyun's lips curved faintly. "Then come and take it."
---
The cave exploded into battle.
Assassins surged forward, blades flashing. Lian Zhi moved like silver lightning, her chains of starlight weaving shields and whips. Xieyun's flames roared, consuming the first three who dared close.
Yet there were too many. Runes shattered the stone, talismans pierced the air. One assassin lunged past Xieyun, blade aiming for his heart—only to meet a crimson lotus of flame that devoured steel and flesh alike.
But even as Xieyun cut them down, a second group slipped deeper into the cave. Their target was not him.
It was the lone survivor who had stumbled here earlier that day.
---
Her name was Mei Lin, a junior disciple of the Pavilion. Barely sixteen, she had been half-burned, coughing blood, begging for shelter. Against instinct, Xieyun had let her stay. She had cleaned the wounds on his arm, brought water from the stream, whispered thanks through her tears.
Now, she screamed.
The assassins seized her by the hair, dragging her toward the fissure. One raised his blade. "We'll take the girl as proof of our hunt!"
Xieyun turned, fury erupting. "No!"
He surged forward, but talismans exploded at his feet, binding his legs with chains of lightning. The assassins laughed, their leader sneering.
"Demon child," he spat, "watch as mercy costs you everything."
The blade fell.
---
Time slowed.
Xieyun's vision burned crimson. The Demon Bone screamed, howled, demanded blood. His mother's ashes seemed to sear his palm again.
But he was too far. Too slow.
The blade pierced Mei Lin's chest. Her eyes widened, tears mingling with blood. She looked at him— not with hatred, not with fear— but with something far crueler.
Regret.
Then she fell, her blood staining the stone.
---
Something broke inside him.
The chains of lightning shattered. Flames erupted from his body, towering, monstrous, no longer crimson but black at the edges. His scream was not human.
The assassins recoiled, terror flashing in their eyes. "This aura—!"
The leader shouted, "Fall back! He's awakening further—"
Too late.
The Demon Flame devoured them, ripping through flesh, armor, and soul. Their screams echoed through the mountains, silenced one by one until only ash remained.
When the fire dimmed, the cave was a grave.
Mei Lin's body lay still, her eyes glassy, her blood pooling into the cracks.
---
Xieyun fell to his knees beside her, his chest heaving. He reached out, trembling, but his hand froze above her face.
He could not close her eyes. He had no right.
He had promised himself no one else would die for him. And yet— because of him— she had.
The System chimed, cruel in its timing.
> [New Passive Awakened: Demon Flame — Black Lotus.]
[Effect: Flames feed upon the death of allies and enemies alike.]
[Warning: Each death will deepen Host's corruption.]
Xieyun's breath shook. The flame flickered around him, dark, hungry, almost eager.
He clenched his fists. "If this is the path," he whispered, "then let Heaven, the Lin Clan, and the world drown in it."
Behind him, Lian Zhi watched in silence. Her violet eyes softened briefly—then hardened. She knew this death was no accident. The assassins had come too quickly, too precisely.
Someone had guided them. Someone who wanted Feng Xieyun broken.
And she knew who.
---
Outside, the crimson scar in the sky pulsed again, as though Heaven itself had marked this death in its ledger.
But for Feng Xieyun, the true wound lay not in Heaven's decree.
It lay in the lifeless eyes of a girl who had once whispered thanks in a broken voice.
And her blood would haunt him forever.
---
✨ End of Chapter Nineteen ✨
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