The climb out of the Abyss Rift took hours. Lin Feng's newly repaired meridians burned with every pull, but the pain felt like proof—he was alive, and changing.
Xiao Huo remained coiled around his forearm, scales warm as a hearth. The viper's flames had dimmed to a soft glow, conserving strength after the battle.
By the time Lin Feng hauled himself over the rift's edge, the sun hung low in the west, painting the surrounding forest in blood-red light.
He collapsed against a ancient spirit tree, breathing hard.
The three enforcers' storage rings lay in his lap, modest spoils: a hundred low-grade spirit stones, a few healing pills, and basic cultivation manuals he no longer needed.
[Host has absorbed ambient Qi during exertion. Cultivation advanced: Qi Gathering Stage 4.]
Lin Feng ignored the system prompt for now.
He popped a healing pill into his mouth, letting it dissolve and spread warmth through his bruised body.
Only then did he turn his attention to the serpent on his arm.
"Xiao Huo."
The viper raised his head lazily, amber eyes half-lidded in feigned boredom.
What is it, human? This king is resting after carrying your pathetic battle performance.
Lin Feng snorted. "Carrying? Pretty sure I broke Wang Hu's spine while you played with his saber."
Xiao Huo hissed softly, almost a laugh. Details. This king allowed you the honor of the final strike.
Silence settled for a moment, broken only by wind through the leaves.
Lin Feng studied the viper more closely. Even in juvenile form, Xiao Huo was unusual. Most Emberhorn Vipers had dull red scales and stubby horns. This one's scales shimmered like molten ruby, and his crystal horns caught the light like polished gems.
More than that—the system's analysis lingered in Lin Feng's mind:
[Bloodline: Crimson Inferno Sovereign (Dormant) – Ancient Royal Lineage. Status: Last Survivor.]
Last survivor.
Lin Feng's voice softened. "You called yourself the last heir of the Crimson Inferno Lineage. And you've been dropping that 'this king' line since we bonded."
Xiao Huo stiffened, coils tightening slightly.
And? A king remains a king, even in exile.
"Who were your people?" Lin Feng pressed gently. "What happened to them?"
The viper turned his head away, staring into the forest.
...Irrelevant. They are gone. This king lives. That is enough.
Lin Feng didn't push harder—not yet. Instead, he reached out mentally, testing the bond's depth.
Through their connection, he felt... echoes. Pride like a blazing furnace. Loneliness cold as ash. And beneath both, a wound far deeper than the poison gashes he'd healed.
"I know what it's like," Lin Feng said quietly, "to be the last of something. My mother died the day I was born. The clan never let me forget I was the reason."
Xiao Huo was silent for a long beat.
Then, so softly Lin Feng almost missed it:
...This king was still in the egg when the massacre happened.
Lin Feng stilled.
They came for the Sovereign Cores, Xiao Huo continued, voice stripped of its usual arrogance. My bloodline's hearts—capable of forging artifacts that could burn through heavenly tribulations. The great sects coveted them. United against us.
A flicker of memory passed through the bond—not images, but sensations: volcanic palaces of black glass and living flame. Thousands of massive crimson serpents soaring through ash clouds. Then screaming. Fire turned against fire. Betrayal.
My royal parents fought to the last breath.
They sealed me in a hidden chamber deep beneath the volcano, wrapped in preservation arrays. The egg was smuggled out by a loyal retainer just before the mountain itself was shattered.
Xiao Huo's mental voice grew bitter.
Centuries passed. The arrays failed. I hatched alone in the Abyss Rift,.. weak, confused, with only fragmented ancestral memories. Hunters eventually found traces of my bloodline aura. Their poison nearly ended this king's story before it began.
He turned back to Lin Feng, eyes glowing faintly.
Then you came. A broken human with crippled meridians... yet your soul burned brighter than any cultivator I've sensed. You shared your life force without hesitation.
Xiao Huo lowered his head until his horns touched Lin Feng's wrist—almost a bow.
This king owes you a life debt beyond mere words. Ask what you will of me.
Lin Feng felt something shift in the bond. The system's notification confirmed it:
[Bond Depth Increased: Deep Resonance Unlocked.]
[Beast Loyalty: Eternal (Unbreakable)]
[New Skill: Bloodline Echo - Host may glimpse fragments of beast ancestral memories during meditation.]
Lin Feng exhaled slowly. "I don't want a servant, Xiao Huo. I want a partner. We'll rebuild what was taken from both of us."
The viper's arrogance returned, but softer now.
Hmph. Partners, then. Though this king naturally leads.
Lin Feng smiled faintly. "Naturally."
He stood, testing his healed body. The forest stretched endlessly around them—wild territory between the Lin Clan lands and the nearest city.
Night was falling.
"Where to now?" he mused aloud.
Xiao Huo lifted his head, tongue tasting the air.
East. This king senses a minor spirit vein three days' travel. Good for your pathetic human cultivation... and perhaps resources to accelerate my growth.
Lin Feng shouldered the stolen supplies. "East it is."
As they set off into the darkening woods, Xiao Huo spoke once more quietly, almost shyly for a self-proclaimed king.
Human... Lin Feng.
"Yeah?"
The name Xiao Huo... it is not displeasing.
Lin Feng chuckled. "Good. Because I'm not changing it."
The viper huffed but coiled more comfortably around his arm, flames warming the chill night air.
Behind them, the Abyss Rift lay silent.
Ahead, the Nine Realms waited—unaware that a fallen human waste and an exiled serpent king had just forged the first link in a chain that would one day bind them all.