The silence following the temple's rupture was no ordinary silence.
Han Feng walked along the shores of the ancient Ash Lake with slow, steady steps, as if trying to convince the world itself that nothing had changed. But deep down, he knew. Everything had changed. The wind carried a different weight, and the breeze that touched his skin didn't seem to belong entirely to that region. It was as if the air had been mixed with another reality, diluted with an invisible essence that didn't fit into the laws of the Gu World.
The ground beneath his feet was still warm in places, as if the earth had been marked by the presence of the dimensional tear. The ashes, once gray and inert, now shone with reddish reflections, as if small fragments of starlight had scattered there. Han Feng didn't need to turn around to sense what was happening behind him. Even with the temple gone, even with the sky seemingly restored, the instability hadn't disappeared. She merely hid, like a wounded predator retreating to lick its own wounds… before returning to the hunt.
His chest rose and fell in a restrained rhythm, but the inner pain was real. The red flame he had absorbed did not behave like an ordinary Gu. It lacked the docility of a domesticated creature, nor the predictable logic of a refinement method. It was more like a living entity, a fragment of law, a force that refused to be molded.
Within his body, that flame burned like a sun trapped in a cage of bones and meridians. The primordial essence circulating in his veins was forced to adapt, and at times it seemed as if his own spiritual energy was being "burned" and purified by something higher, more aggressive. It was a contradictory sensation: while it hurt, he perceived that he was becoming stronger.
More… strange.
Han Feng paused for a moment, gazing at the night sky. The stars were there, as they always had been, but there was a subtle difference that only someone like him could notice. The brightness seemed deeper. The firmament seemed closer. And among the usual constellations, there were points of light that hadn't existed before—tiny flashes that appeared and disappeared, as if the sky were blinking.
The merger was no longer a rumor.
It was a fact.
He clenched his fists and continued walking. Each step was accompanied by a faint spiritual vibration around him, as if the earth itself recognized that he carried something dangerous. It wasn't just the "seed of emptiness" within his ring. It was also that flame, which was now a part of him.
And, most importantly… it was the mark.
He felt the mark.
It wasn't a visible mark, not a seal that could be removed with a simple purification Gu. It was something deeper, like an imprint etched into his soul, as if a distant gaze had traversed time and left an eternal trace.
That red eye.
That voice.
"You will carry the key… until the end."
Han Feng didn't know if it was a threat, a prophecy, or just a cold comment from a higher being. But one thing was certain: he was being watched.
And being watched by something of that level was more dangerous than being hunted by an entire sect.
The night slowly advanced as he moved away from the Lake of Ashes. The surrounding mountains seemed darker than they should be, and at times the shadows seemed to move with a lag, as if reality were losing synchronicity. Han Feng noticed that the surrounding spiritual energy was beginning to create small, spontaneous eddies, appearing and disappearing without warning. It was a phenomenon he had never seen before: the primordial essence, instead of flowing naturally, seemed to be "pulled" by something invisible, as if otherworldly underground currents were running through the ground.
He finally found an isolated region, a narrow valley surrounded by high rocks, where the presence of spirit beasts was minimal. There, amidst ancient stones and dry trees, he opened a temporary cave with a simple burst of energy, sealing the entrance with a discreet formation. The interior became dark and silent, and only then did he allow himself to breathe more freely.
Han Feng sat on the ground, crossing his legs. His face was calm, but his eyes were as deep as an abyss. He closed his eyes and let his consciousness plunge inward, feeling his own sea of primordial essence, feeling every Gu within him, every spiritual pulse.
The purple-black crystal was still stable in the ring, but its presence was like a stone sunk in a lake: silent, yet inescapable.
As for the red flame…
It burned.
It didn't burn like ordinary fire.
It burned like a law.
Han Feng took a deep breath and channeled his primordial essence towards it, trying to envelop it, control it, mold it as he did with any Gu. The instant his energy touched that flame, a pain pierced his mind, as if a lightning bolt had exploded within his soul. His vision went dark for a moment, and when it returned, he saw.
He saw another sky.
A red sky, where clouds moved like living blood.
He saw mountains floating and slowly spinning in the void.
He saw a plain covered with the corpses of gigantic beasts, and in the center of it a man walked alone, carrying a broken sword. Each step of that man made the space tremble. His aura was so heavy that the world seemed to bend.
Han Feng felt his heart stop for a moment.
The vision was not a dream.
It was a memory.
A memory that wasn't his.
The flame was showing fragments of his world of origin.
And, in the midst of that vision, the voice returned, lower, more distant, as if coming from within the fire itself:
"The flame is the seal. The seal is the bridge."
Han Feng opened his eyes abruptly, gasping. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. He remained motionless for a few seconds, trying to stabilize his mind. The pressure of that vision was not something an ordinary Gu Master could withstand. If it were someone of Rank 3 or Rank 4, they probably would have gone insane.
Han Feng wiped the blood with the back of his hand, his expression turning cold.
— So that's it… this flame is a means of connection. A key to cross over.
He didn't know if this was good or bad. In fact, he knew it was terrible. But, at the same time, he also knew it was an opportunity. If he could master that flame, if he could comprehend its laws, then his future path could surpass everything the cultivators of this world imagined.
But before he could delve deeper into that thought, he sensed it.
A presence.
Outside the cave.
Han Feng didn't move immediately. He only slowly opened his eyes, and his perception expanded like an invisible net. There were footsteps, light and careful. They weren't beasts. They were humans. And more than one.
Five.
No… six.
Han Feng smiled coldly.
—So they really did follow me.
The Heavenly Corpse Sect.
That sect was like a cancer: slow, persistent, and impossible to ignore. They didn't just have ordinary disciples. They had methods to track blood, track essence, track even the shadow left by someone who killed one of their young masters.
Han Feng stood silently and walked to the sealed entrance. His fingers touched the stone, and he felt the vibrations outside. The enemies were approaching cautiously. They didn't attack immediately, which meant they had learned something. Perhaps they already knew he wasn't an ordinary target.
Han Feng took a deep breath.
And then, without warning, he opened the formation.
The cold night air entered the cave like a blade. The moonlight illuminated the valley, and there, outside, were six figures dressed in black robes. Their faces were pale, almost lifeless, and their eyes had that empty gleam typical of cultivators who refined corpses and fed on Yin energy.
In the center of them, an older man with long white hair carried a lantern made of bone. The lantern emitted a green light that made the surrounding space seem sickly.
When he saw Han Feng, he smiled.
"Finally. You can't run away forever."
Han Feng remained calm.
"You are an elder."
The man inclined his head slightly, as if in praise.
"I am Elder Yin Mo. And you killed someone who belonged to my bloodline."
Han Feng looked at him, his purple eyes gleaming under the moon.
"I killed a piece of trash who tried to kill me first."
Yin Mo's expression didn't change. His smile remained, but his aura slowly grew, like a tide of death spreading through the valley. The Yin energy was so heavy that even the stones began to freeze. The other five disciples instinctively recoiled, as if they didn't want to be too close to the elder himself.
"You are arrogant…" Yin Mo said softly. "But that's good. The arrogant die quickly."
Han Feng didn't reply. Instead, he felt the red flame within him vibrate, as if he had sensed the Yin energy and reacted with predatory instinct.
The air grew warmer for a moment.
Yin Mo narrowed his eyes.
"Hm… so it's true. You carry something strange."
Han Feng immediately realized: that old man wasn't there just for revenge.
He was there for the treasure.
And that meant that, somehow, the Heavenly Corpse Sect had already sensed the dimensional tear and understood that something different had emerged in the world.
Mo raised the bone lantern. The green light spread, and the ground trembled.
Corpses.
Dozens of corpses buried beneath the earth began to emerge, as if the valley were an ancient cemetery. Rotten arms broke through the soil. Broken bodies crawled out. Empty eyes stared at Han Feng.
The elder smiled.
"I will rip out your soul and refine your body. Then, I will take this 'strange something' and offer it to the Patriarch."
The disciples around began to recite death mantras, and the entire valley was covered in a gray mist.
Han Feng remained motionless.
He was in no hurry.
The truth was simple: if it were before, he would have avoided fighting an elder. He would have fled, he would have used tricks, he would have disappeared as he always did.
But now…
Now he had touched a power from another world.
And that red flame within him demanded blood. Han Feng took a step forward.
And the instant his feet touched the ground…
The air exploded.
A wave of red fire, thin as silk, erupted from his body and spread across the valley. It wasn't a direct attack. It was merely the aura of the flame escaping for a fraction of a second.
But it was enough.
The crawling corpses froze.
The Yin mist trembled.
And some of the sect's disciples recoiled with expressions of terror.
"This…this is celestial fire?!"
Yin Mo narrowed his eyes, and for the first time his smile faltered.
"No…this is not celestial fire from the Gu World."
Han Feng slowly raised his hand. In his palm, a small red flame appeared, swirling like a miniature sun.
It wasn't large.
But its presence was suffocating.
Han Feng looked at Yin Mo coldly.
"You wanted to kill me and refine my body."
He tilted his head.
"Then come."
For a brief moment, everything was silent.
And then Yin Mo roared, his aura exploding like a death storm.
"DIE!"
The corpses advanced en masse, and the elder launched the bone lantern into the sky. The green light became a gigantic formation, like a net of condemned souls.
Han Feng didn't retreat.
He simply opened his eyes.
And the red flame exploded.
The entire valley was engulfed in a silent fire, which made no noise, didn't burn wood or stone… it burned directly primordial essence and soul.
The corpses turned to ashes instantly.
Yin Mo's formation cracked.
The elder screamed and recoiled, his eyes filled with shock.
Han Feng advanced like a specter.
One step.
Two steps.
He appeared before the elder.
His hand pierced Yin Mo's defense as if it were paper.
And then he grasped Yin Mo's neck.
The old man's eyes widened.
—You… what kind of fire is this?!
Han Feng brought his lips close to his ear and whispered in a low, cold, controlled voice:
"A fire that doesn't belong to your world."
Then he squeezed.
The elder's neck cracked.
His body fell.
The valley fell silent again.
The remaining disciples were paralyzed. Some tried to flee, but Han Feng didn't even need to pursue them. The aura of the flame suffocated them, and their bodies collapsed like severed puppets.
Han Feng stood in the center of the valley, looking at his hands.
The red flame slowly retreated into him.
His chest rose and fell.
He felt it.
He felt that flame growing.
And that was dangerous.
He knew that if he didn't control it, it could consume him.
But he also knew…
That he had taken an irreversible step.
The Heavenly Corpse Sect would no longer send ordinary disciples. They would send monsters.
And worse…
others from the universe beyond the veil could sense this flame.
Han Feng raised his head.
The sky was clear.
But, for a moment, he saw again…
a crack.
Small.
And behind it, a red eye, watching.
He smiled coldly.
—Then keep watching.
He turned and walked into the night, disappearing into the shadows like an omen.
Behind him, the burnt valley remained in absolute silence.
And high above, the red and purple stars shone brighter than ever.
As if the entire sky were drawing closer.