The name Yan Wudi echoed in Shen Liun's mind long after the words left Ning'er's lips.
He remembered it from whispers in forbidden scrolls, from half-burnt murals hidden beneath the Emberfall Shrine.
The stories had always sounded impossible.
> "He challenged the Heavens directly."
"He survived Judgment Lightning — twice."
"His flame burned so bright it made even gods retreat."
But he'd also read how Yan Wudi was killed.
Buried beneath the weight of the Empire and Heaven's wrath. His ashes scattered across the Nine Provinces.
And now…
He was alive?
---
That night, Liun stood alone beneath the crescent moon, his blade planted in the ground.
The quiet forest around him seemed to listen.
Aoshen stirred within his spirit sea, its voice low and cautious.
> "Yan Wudi was my previous host," it said. "Before you."
Liun froze.
"You never told me."
"Because I thought he was dead. He should have been. His soul was torn apart… even I was nearly extinguished."
Liun turned toward the flickering flame in his palm.
"What was he like?"
Aoshen hesitated. Then:
> "He was magnificent. Unforgiving. Brilliant. But… not whole."
Liun frowned. "What do you mean?"
"He wielded the Ashen Flame, yes—but he forged a path beyond it. One not meant for mortals. One that consumed more than it gave. He called it the Path of Sovereign Embers."
Liun had never heard of it.
Because no one was allowed to know it existed.
---
Back in the Jade Pavilion, Ranyi and Ning'er met with the Verdant Alliance scouts who had brought the news.
A nervous girl with ink-stained sleeves pulled out a scroll, hands trembling.
"I swear it's true," she said. "A sect near the Blackfog Wastes reported strange activity. Earthquakes. Spirit beasts fleeing. And… a crimson cocoon of flame rising from a sealed burial crypt."
Ranyi narrowed her eyes. "Do they know who's behind it?"
"No name, but…" The girl unrolled the scroll.
A charcoal sketch depicted a withered tomb cracking open. From it, a figure emerged—surrounded by flame shaped like wings.
On his chest was a sigil—
> The same seal as Liun's Ashen Verdict.
---
When Liun returned, they showed him the sketch.
His heart pounded as he stared at it.
"It's not possible," he murmured. "If he lived, why did he never return? Why let the flame die for fifty years?"
Ning'er crossed her arms. "Maybe he didn't have a choice. Or maybe… he chose exile."
Ranyi studied him. "You're thinking of going there."
Liun didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
---
At dawn, Liun stood before the Hollow Wind elders once more.
"The world thinks we're myth," he said. "The Empire thinks we're children playing with fire."
He held up the scroll.
"Then let's show them fire they can't control."
Elder Tsang stepped forward. "You plan to seek him out?"
Liun nodded. "If Yan Wudi lives, then I need to know what he saw. What he learned. I can't lead a rebellion without understanding the path I've chosen."
The room fell silent.
Then Tsang raised his hand.
A golden token—old, cracked, and heavy with ancient Qi—floated toward Liun.
"The Blackfog Wastes are cursed," the elder said. "But this will grant you entry into the Tomb of Withered Fire."
Liun caught the token.
And the moment it touched his palm, the Verdict Seal pulsed.
Faintly.
Like it recognized the road ahead.
---
Two nights later, Shen Liun and his group stood at the edge of a rotting forest where the air shimmered with black mist and ghost fire.
In the distance, stone towers leaned like forgotten sentinels.
The earth trembled beneath their feet.
A pulse.
And another.
Ranyi drew her blade. "We're being watched."
"Not by the living," Ning'er added. "But something old."
Liun stepped forward.
The token glowed faintly, pointing like a compass toward a crumbling stairwell descending into the dark earth.
And beneath it…
The faint, rhythmic sound of breathing.
Like something beneath the world had just begun to wake up.
---