The flames had long since died, but the stench of charred flesh lingered like a curse.
Feng Xieyun walked away from the ruins of the Azure Pavilion without looking back. His steps were slow at first, each one heavy with exhaustion, but his back was straight, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Behind him lay only ash, blood, and memories that clawed at his heart.
He had slaughtered them. Every elder who had raised their hands against him—dead by his flames.
He told himself it was justice. He told himself it was necessary. But deep within, a hollow ache gnawed at him, whispering questions he dared not answer.
The road stretched endlessly ahead, winding through the scarred cliffs and forests that bordered the Pavilion's lands. The night was cool, the sky clear, the crimson moon hanging like an eye watching his every move.
Silence reigned, broken only by the crunch of his boots against gravel.
The System stirred, its voice cold and precise:
> [Threats eliminated. Host survival secured.]
[Power gained: +3 cultivation stages.]
[Reminder: Weakness invites death. Power is the only law.]
The words slithered into his thoughts, feeding the hunger already swelling in his chest.
Yes. Power. That was what he lacked. That was why the elders dared to betray him, why the Pavilion saw him as a threat instead of kin. He had been weak, still growing, still learning. If he had been stronger, none would have dared raise their hands against him.
He clenched his fists, knuckles white.
"I will never be powerless again."
The vow echoed in his chest, burning hotter than fire.
---
The path wound into a dense forest. Moonlight filtered through the canopy, painting silver patterns across the ground. The air was heavy with the scent of pine and damp earth. Shadows shifted between the trees, but none dared approach—the beasts of the forest had already sensed the aura of death clinging to the youth.
Yet not all shadows fled.
A figure stirred within his mind, softer than the System's steel tone, warmer than the cold night.
"Yu…" The voice was faint, a whisper across eternity. "Do not lose yourself."
Xieyun froze mid-step, breath catching. The memory of her face flickered before his eyes—the woman in veils, the sorrow in her gaze. The one who had called him Yu.
He whispered into the night, his voice hoarse: "Who are you? Why do you call me that name?"
Silence answered him, broken only by the rustling of leaves. Yet the ache in his chest grew heavier, as though some part of him already knew the answer.
---
Days passed as he traveled. He crossed rivers swollen with spring rain, mountains jagged as broken teeth, villages where peasants bowed in fear at the aura he carried unknowingly. He ate little, slept less, and trained ceaselessly, forcing his battered body to endure.
Each night, when exhaustion dragged at his limbs, the System whispered promises.
> [Seek treasures. Devour enemies. Harvest hatred.]
[Through hatred, you will ascend.]
And each night, he remembered her voice—the Chaos Goddess's incarnation—warning him against that path.
The struggle tore at him, two chains pulling in opposite directions. Yet through it all, one truth grew clearer:
Power. He needed power. For without it, he was nothing but prey.
---
On the twelfth night of his journey, he came upon a ruin.
It lay hidden in a valley, cloaked in mist, its broken pillars jutting from the earth like bones. Carvings long eroded hinted at its past glory—sigils of flame and dragon motifs entwined. At the center of the ruin was a stone dais, cracked but still pulsing faintly with residual Qi.
The System chimed at once:
> [Detection: Ancient Remnant.]
[Classification: Forbidden Site of the Crimson Dragon Sect.]
[Warning: High risk. High reward.]
Xieyun's eyes narrowed. He stepped forward, the mist curling around him like a living thing.
As he reached the dais, a surge of heat washed over him. Images flickered at the edges of his vision—dragons soaring through endless skies, flames that devoured armies, a sect that once ruled an age.
At the heart of the dais lay a fragment of bone, crimson as blood, glowing faintly. It pulsed in rhythm with his own Dao Bone.
His breath quickened.
The System's voice purred:
> [Item detected: Crimson Dragon Relic.]
[Integration will increase host power.]
[Warning: High risk of soul destabilization.]
Xieyun's hand trembled as he reached for it. The craving for strength roared within him, drowning out doubt.
But then—her voice again, faint but urgent:
"Yu… beware. Not all power is yours to claim."
He froze. His heart pounded. The fire of hunger clashed against the echo of her plea.
For a moment, he stood at the edge of choice. To seize the relic and grow stronger—or to resist, to walk a harder, slower path.
His jaw tightened. His hand closed around the relic.
The world exploded in fire.
---
Flames surged into him like a tidal wave, scorching his veins, searing his soul. He screamed, the sound echoing through the valley. His knees buckled as the relic's power flooded him, threatening to tear him apart.
The System roared in triumph:
> [Integration begun.]
[Soul capacity expanding.]
[Host ascending.]
But beneath the fire, another presence stirred. A shadow vast and cold, laughing as it seeped into the cracks of his soul.
The Unknown God.
For an instant, Xieyun saw it—a figure of broken stars, eyes hollow, mouth curved in endless hunger. Its voice rumbled like thunder across eternity:
> "Yes… hate, hunger, devour. Feed me, fragment. Your soul is mine."
Xieyun's vision blurred. His flames faltered. The shadow closed in.
But then—her.
The Chaos Goddess, veiled and radiant, her sorrowful eyes cutting through the dark.
"Fight him, Yu. You are not his. You are mine."
Her hand reached for him, though chains of cosmic law bound her from touching him. Yet her presence was enough.
Xieyun roared, summoning every ounce of will. The lotus flames erupted from his body, burning the shadow, rejecting the intrusion.
The relic's fire merged with his Dao Bone, no longer foreign, no longer consuming—but his.
The valley shook. Mist burned away. The dais cracked apart.
When the flames finally died, Feng Xieyun stood tall. His eyes glowed with crimson-gold fire, his aura vast and terrible.
The System whispered in satisfaction. The shadow receded, but not destroyed.
And in the depths of his soul, the Goddess's voice lingered, soft and aching:
"You are mine, across ten lives. Remember."
---
Feng Xieyun opened his eyes to the night. His body trembled with exhaustion, but his soul blazed with newfound strength.
He whispered to himself, a vow etched in blood and fire:
"I will devour the heavens if I must. I will carve my name into every world. No elder, no sect, no god will ever chain me again."
His craving for power had become his path.
And the world would tremble.
---
✨ End of Chapter Thirty-Three ✨
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