The Border Sect Alliance was a confederation of mid-tier sects, once considered neutral in the wars of influence between larger powers.
But now…
> "Too quiet," Yu Meixing whispered.
She and Liu Shen stood cloaked atop a ridge overlooking the Jade Wreath Pavilion—the outer stronghold of the Alliance. It was once home to hundreds of cultivators.
Now? Empty halls. No spiritual activity. No guards.
Just silence.
And a faint hum beneath the earth.
> "There's something under this place," Liu Shen muttered. "Old. Sealed. Hidden even from the sect elders."
He stepped forward.
The Abyssal Mark on his back pulsed once.
The ground beneath them responded.
---
Beneath the Pavilion
The hidden vault wasn't accessed through doors.
Liu Shen raised his palm, infused it with his serpent flame and sovereign qi, and burned a path through the jade floor.
A spiral staircase of obsidian appeared.
The air that rushed out was ancient—laden with blood, regret, and celestial ink.
Yu Meixing coughed.
> "It smells like divine bindings."
Liu Shen's eyes narrowed.
> "They kept something down here the heavens didn't want the mortal world to see."
They descended.
---
The Living Archive
At the base of the stairs lay a massive, circular chamber lined with stone tablets—each inscribed with names and fates.
Cultivators. Elders. Sovereigns.
Some crossed out.
Others marked "Redeemed."
And one section labeled:
"Those Who Knew Too Much."
But what froze Liu Shen's steps was what lay at the very center:
A coffin of light, suspended in midair by six divine chains.
Within it…
A girl.
---
The Sleeper
She looked no older than sixteen.
Her robes were torn, but bore the sigil of an extinct sect from Liu Shen's past life—the Star-Echo Monastery, annihilated by the Heavenly Pact three centuries ago.
But Liu Shen recognized her face.
> "Lei Qing…"
Yu Meixing blinked.
> "Who?"
> "She was one of my shadow couriers. A memory keeper."
> "She… she died. I was told she died during the siege on my throne."
The girl's eyes fluttered open.
> "You're late…" she whispered, voice cracked and barely audible.
> "They said you'd never come."
> "They said you were erased."
---
A Memory Bound in Flesh
Suddenly, the chains tightened around her coffin. Runes blazed along the divine metal.
A defense trigger.
Liu Shen stepped forward, hand outstretched.
> "Lei Qing, who bound you here?"
> "Jian Xu," she said through clenched teeth.
"He found me after the fall. Took my memories. Tried to rewrite them."
Her eyes filled with tears—half joy, half horror.
> "But he failed. I locked them away. Waiting for you."
Yu Meixing raised her blade.
> "We need to break the seal."
But Liu Shen raised a hand.
> "No. Not yet. The moment we do, the entire Alliance will know. We need the full memory first."
He placed his palm over the light coffin.
A surge of qi connected their minds—
—and memory flooded in.
---
What She Saw
Liu Ye, the Demon Sovereign, bleeding at the steps of his shattered throne.
Jian Xu speaking to celestial envoys in secret.
A meeting of Heaven's Heirs, plotting Liu Ye's fall in a hidden star chamber.
And a name whispered by Jian Xu: "Linya."
> "The Flamekeeper was there," Liu Shen growled.
"She lied. She knew."