The Eternal Demon Hall of the Lin Clan was a place where even silence bowed.
Carved from obsidian and bone, the colossal chamber stretched into darkness, its ceiling hidden among stormclouds conjured by formations older than empires. Torches of ghostly flame flickered along the walls, casting shadows that seemed alive, watching.
On the throne of black crystal sat Lin Wuxian, Sovereign of Ten Thousand Tribulations. His golden eyes, bright as molten suns, swept across the gathered elders. Each was a cultivator of unimaginable power, their Dao spreading like storms, yet under his gaze they bent their spines and lowered their heads.
The air was thick with tension.
"It is confirmed," said Elder Lin Yuheng, the Grand Diviner, his voice hoarse from long hours staring into prophetic smoke. "The child of your daughter, Lin Fei Lie, is no ordinary reincarnation. He is the very same soul who once lived in another realm entirely—a world of steel towers, machines, and ruthless greed. He was betrayed, consumed by hatred, and died in fire."
A ripple of unease spread through the chamber. The name of that other world meant little to them, yet the concept of memories bleeding across reincarnations was heavy with omen.
Another elder, Lin Haoran, frowned deeply. "To carry the Heavenly Demon Dao Bone alone is one thing. To also bear memories of another realm, another life, is… unnatural. It is dangerous. A child like that—he cannot be controlled."
"Exactly." Elder Yuheng's eyes burned with fear. "Hatred festers across lifetimes. Betrayal repeats its echo. The boy carries the seed of ruin, Sovereign. Left unchecked, he could bring calamity not only upon the Lin Clan but upon the Six Realms themselves."
A murmur of agreement swept through the elders. Some voices whispered of restraint, others of assassination. None dared suggest nurturing him.
Lin Wuxian remained silent for a long time, his fingers tapping the armrest of his throne. Finally, his voice rumbled through the hall like distant thunder.
"You suggest that my grandson is already tainted by a past not of this world."
"Yes, Sovereign," Elder Yuheng bowed. "He is Feng Yu, reborn."
The name carried weight. Feng Yu—not the title of a god this time, but the man from another realm, a boy who had once ruled a corporate empire only to be undone by the people closest to him. A soul twisted by betrayal.
The Sovereign's gaze sharpened. "And what of his fate?"
Yuheng's lips tightened. "If nurtured, he will rise. But his rise will not be ours to command. His hatred will consume him. He may stand as ally today, but tomorrow he will destroy us."
The chamber grew colder.
Then—laughter.
It was soft at first, almost playful, but it slithered through the shadows like a blade of ice. The elders fell silent, their faces paling. They knew that voice.
From the darkness at the edge of the hall, a figure stepped forward. His robes were blacker than void, his mask of jade reflecting no light. His presence carried no aura, no fluctuation of Qi—yet every cultivator in the chamber felt their Dao quiver in unease.
The Hidden Master.
He moved like drifting smoke, unhurried, unbound by mortal weight.
"Such fear," the Hidden Master murmured, his tone smooth as silk, laced with poison. "The mighty Lin Clan trembles at the thought of a child, all because he carries memories of betrayal? How amusing."
The elders bowed instantly, lowering their heads, none daring to meet his gaze.
Lin Wuxian's golden eyes narrowed. "You step boldly, as always."
The Hidden Master's masked face tilted upward, though no expression could be seen. "Boldness is needed when dealing with a soul like his. You see danger, Sovereign, but I see opportunity."
The elders glanced at one another uneasily.
"Opportunity?" Lin Haoran echoed, his voice cracking despite himself.
"Of course." The Hidden Master's voice turned soft, coaxing, almost hypnotic. "The boy remembers betrayal. Good. Let that wound fester. Let him crave power to never be betrayed again. Let him hate the world, and in that hatred, grow strong. Stronger than any Lin, stronger than any sect. And when the moment comes…"
His masked face turned toward Lin Wuxian. "He will not resist us. He will not resist Him."
The chamber's air turned suffocating. The elders shivered. None dared ask the question—who was Him? They knew the answer, though it was forbidden to speak. The Unknown God. The shadow that lurked behind eternity, feeding on hatred, waiting for rebirth.
Lin Wuxian's fingers stilled. His eyes glowed brighter, molten fire burning with caution. "And if he resists? If his soul does not break?"
The Hidden Master laughed softly, the sound curdling the air. "Then we break him. We have his blood, his clan, his history. We already know the weak points of his soul. Did not betrayal undo him once before? It will undo him again."
The elders lowered their heads further. No one dared to challenge him.
Lin Wuxian closed his eyes briefly. The throne beneath him seemed heavier than stone. He had faced countless wars, rival clans, and celestial calamities. Yet this child—his grandson—threatened to become something more dangerous than all of them combined.
And yet, even he could not oppose the Hidden Master.
"Very well," the Sovereign said at last, his voice low. "We shall watch the boy. We shall let his hatred ripen. But if he endangers the Lin Clan…"
"Then he will be cut down," the Hidden Master finished smoothly. "And his soul will find its rightful master."
The torches dimmed, shadows stretching long across the hall.
---
Far Below, in the Mortal World
Feng Xieyun stirred in his sleep.
His body was strong, his cultivation surging with every step of his journey, but his dreams had become prisons. Tonight was no different.
The flames licked at glass walls. Sirens wailed in the distance. He stood once more in the skyscraper that had been his tomb in another life. Smoke clawed at his lungs. His "friends," those smiling faces he once trusted, whispered lies in boardrooms lit with gold. His lover's eyes glistened with false tears as she handed him to his enemies.
And then—the fire.
The heat tore him apart, his soul screaming, his flesh nothing but ash.
"Why?" His voice broke in the dream, just as it had in life. "Why betray me?"
The shadows laughed, echoing endlessly, until another voice cut through.
"Yu…"
Soft, sorrowful, familiar.
He turned, and in the flames he saw her again—the veiled woman, her eyes pools of grief. The one who called him Yu, though he knew not why.
"Do not let hatred consume you," she whispered. "Do not let him take you."
But even as her words reached him, another presence stirred. A shadow vast and endless, eyes hollow, voice like thunder.
> "Hate them, child. Hate them as they hated you. Feed me your pain."
The skyscraper collapsed. The fire surged. Xieyun awoke with a gasp, his body drenched in sweat, his eyes wide with confusion. His heart pounded as fragments of a life he barely remembered tore at him.
He pressed a trembling hand against his chest.
"I… I lived another life," he whispered. "And they… betrayed me."
The craving for power clawed at him again. Stronger than before.
Above, in the Eternal Demon Hall, the Lin Clan and their unseen master smiled in the dark.
The strings were already pulling tight.
---
✨ End of Chapter Thirty-Four ✨
(≈2050 words when fully expanded into prose.)
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