Not the kind that comes from night—
But something deeper.
Heavier.
Endless.
Lin Ye floated in it.
No ground beneath his feet.
No sky above his head.
Only a vast, silent void stretching in every direction.
"…Well," he muttered.
"This is new."
His voice echoed strangely, as if swallowed by the emptiness itself.
Then—
A pulse.
Thump.
Lin Ye froze.
Another pulse.
Thump.
It sounded like a heartbeat.
Slow.
Ancient.
Powerful.
The darkness around him began to shift.
Shapes formed.
Faint at first—
Then clearer.
Mountains of corpses.
Rivers of blood.
A battlefield that stretched to the horizon.
Lin Ye frowned.
"…Okay."
"That's not normal."
A figure stood at the center of that battlefield.
Tall.
Unmoving.
Wrapped in swirling crimson energy.
Its presence alone made the entire world feel small.
Insignificant.
Lin Ye narrowed his eyes.
"…You're the one who brought me here."
The figure didn't respond immediately.
Then—
Its eyes opened.
Glowing red.
The same color as Lin Ye's.
"Blood of my lineage…"
The voice echoed directly inside Lin Ye's mind.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Lin Ye scratched his cheek.
"…You talk dramatically."
Silence.
Then—
The figure stepped forward.
Each step shook the battlefield.
"You carry my blood."
"But you are not yet worthy."
Lin Ye smirked.
"…Yeah?"
"Then what do I have to do?"
The crimson energy around the figure surged.
"Survive."
The battlefield exploded.
Trial Begins
The ground beneath Lin Ye shattered.
Countless shadows rose from the battlefield.
Warriors.
Demons.
Beasts.
All made of blood and darkness.
Their eyes locked onto him.
Then they attacked.
Lin Ye didn't hesitate.
Blood Shadow Step.
He vanished instantly, reappearing behind the nearest enemy.
THUD.
One strike.
It shattered.
But ten more replaced it.
Lin Ye moved again.
Faster.
Stronger.
But the enemies kept coming.
Endless.
Relentless.
He laughed.
"…Alright."
"You want a fight?"
His demonic bloodline surged.
Crimson energy wrapped around his fists.
"Let's go."
The battle turned chaotic.
Lin Ye tore through the shadows, each strike destroying multiple enemies at once.
But no matter how many he killed—
More appeared.
Faster.
Stronger.
The battlefield shifted again.
Now the enemies were larger.
More defined.
More real.
Lin Ye's breathing grew heavier.
"…This is cheating."
The voice echoed again.
"You rely on power."
Lin Ye blocked a strike and countered.
BOOM.
"…Because it works!"
"It is not enough."
The battlefield changed again.
The enemies stopped.
Then—
They merged.
Forming a single massive figure.
A giant demon.
Towering above Lin Ye.
Its eyes burned with the same crimson light.
Lin Ye looked up.
"…Okay."
"That's new."
The demon attacked.
Its fist descended like a falling mountain.
Lin Ye dodged—
But barely.
The impact shattered the ground beneath him.
Lin Ye exhaled.
"…Alright."
"No more holding back."
His aura surged.
Demon Transformation — Blood Sovereign Form.
Crimson patterns spread across his body again.
His strength multiplied.
His speed exploded.
He launched forward.
BOOOOM.
His punch collided with the demon's arm.
The impact cracked it.
The demon roared.
Lin Ye grinned.
"…Now we're talking."
The battle intensified.
Blow after blow.
Shockwaves tearing across the battlefield.
But slowly—
Lin Ye realized something.
He wasn't winning.
The demon wasn't weakening.
It was adapting.
Learning.
Just like him.
Lin Ye jumped back, breathing heavily.
"…That's not good."
The voice returned.
"You fight like a beast."
Lin Ye wiped blood from his lip.
"…That's kinda the point."
"A Sovereign does not rely on rage."
Lin Ye frowned.
"…Then what?"
Silence.
The battlefield froze.
Everything stopped.
Even the demon.
Then the voice spoke again.
"Control."
Lin Ye blinked.
"…Control?"
He looked at his own hands.
At the swirling demonic energy.
At the unstable power.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"…Fine."
He closed his eyes.
The demon charged.
But Lin Ye didn't move.
Instead—
He focused.
The chaotic demonic energy began to slow.
To condense.
To obey.
Lin Ye opened his eyes.
Calm.
Focused.
Clear.
The demon's fist descended—
And Lin Ye moved.
Effortlessly.
He stepped aside.
Then struck.
Once.
CRACK.
The demon froze.
Then shattered completely.
The battlefield went silent.
The figure at the center watched him.
Then nodded slightly.
"Now you begin to understand."
Outside the Ruins
Back in the real world—
Lin Ye's body floated mid-air, surrounded by crimson light.
Su Qingyue stood beneath him, her expression tense.
"…He's still inside."
Wu Shan stood nearby, watching with narrowed eyes.
"…An inheritance trial."
Su Qingyue's voice was cold.
"Don't interfere."
Wu Shan smirked.
"I wasn't planning to."
But his eyes said otherwise.
The energy surrounding Lin Ye surged again.
Stronger.
Darker.
The ruins trembled.
Cracks spread across the ground.
Su Qingyue stepped closer.
"…Hurry."
Because she could feel it.
If Lin Ye failed—
He wouldn't come back.
Return
Inside the void—
The figure stepped closer.
It stood directly in front of Lin Ye now.
Towering.
Ancient.
Its presence overwhelming.
"You have passed the first trial."
Lin Ye raised an eyebrow.
"…First?"
The figure ignored him.
It raised its hand.
A drop of blood floated in the air between them.
"Take it."
Lin Ye hesitated.
"…This feels like a bad idea."
"It is your inheritance."
Lin Ye sighed.
"…Of course it is."
Then he reached out—
And touched the blood.
Instantly—
BOOOOOOM.
Power exploded inside him.
Memories flooded his mind.
Battles.
Wars.
A demon standing above countless enemies.
A sovereign.
Unmatched.
Unchallenged.
Lin Ye screamed as the energy surged through his body.
Awakening Continues
Outside—
Lin Ye's aura erupted violently.
Crimson energy filled the entire hall.
Su Qingyue stepped forward instantly.
"Lin Ye!"
Wu Shan's eyes gleamed.
"…It's beginning."
The ruins trembled harder.
The ancient power inside Lin Ye—
Was evolving.
And this time—
There would be no stopping it.