The Inner Temple of the Blood Lotus Sect stood veiled behind a curtain of blood mist, surrounded by thorned cliffs and trees that wept crimson sap. The deeper they went, the heavier the air became — not in pressure, but in memory. It felt like walking through someone else's nightmare.
Lu Xuan walked ahead, silent, the tips of his fingers faintly blackened, his aura curling like smoke from an unseen fire. Behind him, Su Xue followed at a careful distance, her steps cold and deliberate. The crystal teardrop pendant at her throat pulsed erratically — reacting to something inside the temple.
Or to him.
"This place reeks of you," she muttered.
He didn't turn. "Because I've bled here before. Just not in this life."
Su Xue's lips twisted. "You speak like a madman more each day."
"And you speak like someone afraid I'll remember too much," Lu Xuan replied flatly. His voice carried something darker than sarcasm — certainty.
Su Xue drew Frostbane and held it low, not as a threat, but as insurance. "Tell me, Lu Xuan... when the time comes, will you spare anyone?"
He finally stopped and turned. His demon eye glowed faintly. "If I become what you fear... you won't be able to stop me."
She stepped forward, sword gleaming. "I'll try anyway."
They stared at each other in silence. It wasn't the stare of lovers, or even comrades — it was of two forces fated to collide, again and again, across lifetimes.
The Inner Temple Awakens
The walls of the temple were carved from obsidian streaked with veins of old blood. At its center stood a monolithic altar, enshrined with ancient runes that flickered with crimson lightning.
Lu Xuan's breath caught. Not because of what he saw — but because of what he remembered.
Flash.
A thousand corpses kneeling in worship.
Flash.
A younger him — robed in black and gold — plunging his unnamed sword into the heart of a sky god.
Flash.
The Crimson Demoness, kneeling before him, offering her soul in return for power.
It wasn't just memory. It was inheritance.
The ground beneath his feet cracked as his qi surged — no longer Core Formation qi alone, but something denser, heavier, almost divine. His veins turned black for a breath before returning to normal.
Su Xue gasped. "You're... absorbing this place."
Lu Xuan smiled faintly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I am this place."
The altar pulsed. The blood mist recoiled. From its depths, something stirred — a beast.
The Bloodspawn Beast
It emerged from the shadows behind the altar, its form shifting and unstable — a serpent-like body with dragon horns, scales etched with screaming faces. Its eyes were orbs of solid crimson.
"The Bloodspawn Beast," Su Xue whispered. "Born from the remnants of the first Demon God's breath... your breath."
The creature coiled slowly, then lowered its head toward Lu Xuan. Not in hunger.
In reverence.
Su Xue's sword whipped up instantly. "Don't you dare accept it!"
Lu Xuan glanced at her. "Why not?"
"Because you're not him. You're Lu Xuan. You—"
"I am him," he cut in. "Or rather, he is me. This is not possession. This is awakening."
The beast hissed, then slithered to wrap around the altar, forming a throne.
Lu Xuan stepped forward. Su Xue blocked his path with Frostbane.
"You sit on that throne, Lu Xuan, and everything you've been—everything you've chosen—burns."
Lu Xuan stared at her. The sorrow in his eyes warred with the shadow in his veins.
"I never had a choice."
She trembled — not with fear, but fury. "Then I'll carve one into you!"
The Rift Deepens
They clashed.
Frostbane met Lu Xuan's bare hand — no sword, no artifact, just the Devouring Skill blazing in his palm.
Their auras exploded, sending ripples through the temple.
"You never trusted me!" Su Xue shouted mid-clash, blade vibrating with frost qi.
"You never believed in me!" Lu Xuan roared, throwing her back.
She slid across the temple floor but flipped midair, slicing a blood rune from the wall.
Lu Xuan winced as the seal shattered — not from damage, but from resonance. He could feel parts of himself being unsealed too.
"You say I'm changing?" he said, breathing hard. "You haven't even told me who you really are."
Su Xue froze.
"You think I haven't noticed the pendant? The way you look at me when I speak names from an age long buried?"
Silence.
Then:
"I came back for one reason," Su Xue whispered. "To kill the Demon God. No matter what face he wears."
The words hit him harder than any blade.
His gaze turned to ice. "Then you should strike now. Before I remember why I loved destroying things."
She didn't move.
Neither did he.
Cracks in the Heaven
Far above, clouds swirled unnaturally. A hole opened in the sky — a celestial eye watching, ancient and impartial.
From its gaze, judgment would soon descend.
The Bloodspawn Beast raised its head and hissed at the heavens.
Lu Xuan didn't look up. He only stared at Su Xue and said, "You think I'm a monster now? Just wait. I haven't even remembered her yet."
Su Xue blinked. "Who?"
He turned toward the throne. "The Crimson Demoness."
As he stepped forward, Su Xue lowered Frostbane.
"You walk that path," she said, voice hollow, "and next time, I won't hesitate."
Lu Xuan paused. "I hope you do."
And with that, he sat upon the throne.
End of Chapter 30