The northern cliffs of the Thousand Blade Sect were silent.
They were known as the Bladefall Ruins—a stretch of shattered terrain where the sect had once tested spirit weapons hundreds of years ago. Most disciples avoided the area. It was considered barren, haunted by remnant soul winds that could tear through unprotected minds.
But Rui Yan knew the truth.
"In my past life, this place held a secret. One I buried myself."
He stood on the edge of a cracked ridge, the wind howling like a chorus of the dead. His eyes scanned the ruins—jagged stone, rusted blades, and a faint trace of spiritual decay. But to Rui, the hidden structure beneath the rubble burned like a memory in flame.
"The Forgotten Soul Chamber."
It was here, over 400 years ago, that Rui had created his first experimental soul array—a forbidden furnace meant to refine soul fragments into pure cultivation energy. He had sealed it when he rose to Immortal status, long before his betrayal.
Now, he needed it again.
He knelt and pressed his palm against the ground.
🔥 [Soul Grasp – Resonance Pulse]
A black ripple spread outward. The wind grew still. Stone shifted.
Beneath his feet, a section of the ruin shimmered, revealing a staircase descending into darkness.
"Still intact. Heaven didn't find it last time."
He descended, torchless. His Black Ember flickered in his palm, lighting the ancient symbols carved into the walls—rotating soul circles, balance runes, karmic insulation glyphs. Crude by today's standards, but effective.
At the bottom, the chamber waited.
A circular room greeted him, layered with dust and spiritual residue. At its center, a black obsidian cauldron floated above a faded soul formation. Chains of light hung from the ceiling, unmoving.
Rui stepped closer and extended his hand.
"React to me… your creator."
The cauldron trembled. A deep hum echoed through the chamber.
Suddenly—a soul wail pierced the silence.
From the walls, four flickering spirits emerged—fragments of past failed experiments. Twisted shades of what once were cultivators.
"Of course. I never fully purified the chamber."
The spirits screamed and lunged.
Rui stepped into the formation's edge. The old runes flared to life.
🔥 [Black Ember – Soul Bind: Ring of Silence]
A circular barrier of black flame surrounded him. The spirits slammed against it, howling.
Rui moved fast.
One hand drew a soul-sealing talisman from his sleeve. He channeled his ember through it and hurled it at the nearest wraith.
The talisman struck. The spirit shrieked, then imploded into a puff of soul dust.
Another lunged. Rui countered with a piercing soul claw to the face—ripping out its core fragment.
🜂 [Soul Fragment absorbed: 22 units]
➤ Black Ember stabilization increased.
Within minutes, the chamber returned to silence.
Rui exhaled, his body trembling slightly. Not from exhaustion—but awe.
"Even damaged, the soul furnace still functions. And now I have it again."
He stepped to the cauldron and placed both palms on its surface. The formation pulsed. A wave of old spiritual energy flooded into his core.
🜂 [Black Ember Upgrade: 39% → 55%]
➤ Secondary technique unlocked: "Soul Embryo Initiation"
Rui's heart slowed. His mind sharpened. For a moment, he felt weightless—closer to the power he once wielded.
But as he turned to leave, a faint laughter echoed behind him.
He froze.
A soft voice—ancient, cracked.
"So the fallen Sovereign crawls once more."
Rui spun around.
From the shadows emerged a cloaked figure, hunched and twisted, a soul lantern hanging from one hand. Its flame was green—a mark of one who had long severed life and lived only as spirit.
He knew this voice.
"...Grand Seer Murin."
In his previous life, Murin had been a wandering ghost cultivator. A prophet. Mad, yet terrifyingly accurate. Rui had once spared him in exchange for a vision—one that foretold Rui's betrayal.
"You should be dead," Rui said.
Murin chuckled. "I was. But your fall opened doors that were once shut."
The ghost tilted its head.
"You seek to defy fate. Again. But remember, Rui Yan—fate is not kind to repeat offenders."
The old seer vanished into mist, leaving only a single stone behind—marked with a sigil Rui hadn't seen in centuries:
☯️ "Heavenless Dao—Initiation Stone."
Rui stared at it.
"Heavenless... the path forbidden even among soul cultivators."
He picked up the stone.
And smiled.