The steps were steep, winding into the dark like the throat of some slumbering beast.
Su Chen descended in silence, the only sound his breath and the faint hum of violet runes carved into the walls. Each step pulsed—like a heartbeat.
Not his.
But the ruin's.
The air thickened, growing colder with every step. It was drenched in ancient power, dense enough to press against his skin.
This was no ordinary ruin.
This was a tomb of the Void.
And it was his.
He reached the bottom after what felt like hours, stepping into a vast, circular chamber lit by a soft, shifting light that bled from the very walls. Pillars of black stone rose to a domed ceiling covered in faded murals—scenes of war, of realms in ruin, of gods kneeling before a figure cloaked in stars and shadow.
Him.
The murals were of him.
Su Chen stepped closer, heart pounding in his chest like a war drum.
In one mural, he stood atop a shattered realm, twin forces—flameandvoid—wrapped around his arm like serpents.
In another, he struck down a golden figure wreathed in chains—a Celestial Judge of the Immortal Tribunal.
They had erased this history.
But it remained, buried beneath the world, waiting for his return.
> [System Alert: Legacy Recognition Sequence Initiated]
Analyzing host resonance…
Void Signature: Confirmed.
Access Granted to Inheritance Vault.
The floor shuddered.
From the chamber's center, a pedestal emerged—smooth obsidian, glowing with restrained power. Atop it sat a single object: a black crystal, its surface fractured like glass, glowing faintly from within.
Su Chen stepped forward, drawn by instinct.
The moment his fingers touched it, the world collapsed.
His vision blurred.
The chamber vanished.
He stood in a void of floating stars, a cosmos without floor or ceiling. Infinite darkness. Eternal stillness.
And seated across from him, upon a throne of levitating obsidian, was…
Himself.
Or rather, a projection. The Void Sovereign in full regalia. Older. Clad in robes of black flame. Eyes like dying stars, and a presence so vast it warped space around him.
The projection smiled faintly.
"You've returned, at last."
Su Chen tensed. "What is this?"
"A memory," the projection said. "A warning. And a gift."
The throne began to fracture, fragments falling into the abyss like sand through an hourglass.
"I left this here in case of the worst," the projection continued. "And the worst has come."
Su Chen's jaw tightened. "The Tribunal?"
"The Tribunal. The Reset System. Even you. They're all threads in the same tapestry."
He stepped off the throne, voice echoing like thunder through stars.
"I broke the cycle once. But not fully. Something deeper remains… hidden."
The projection raised a hand.
"I'm fading. This echo won't last. But before I disappear, take this…"
From his palm, a glowing sigil spun into existence—concentric spirals of violet light.
It launched forward, striking Su Chen in the chest.
> [You have inherited: Void Pulse – Sovereign Class Technique]
Effect: Converts spiritual energy into pure void. Can erase formations, techniques, and unstable constructs.
Warning: Technique not suited for Qi Condensation stage. Risk of backlash is high.
Su Chen gasped, falling to one knee.
The Void Pulse surged through him—raw, volatile, alive. The mark pulsed on his chest, then vanished beneath his robes.
"Train it carefully," the projection said. "It is more than a weapon… it is a key."
"Key to what?" Su Chen asked, breath uneven.
The projection flickered.
"To the truth behind the resets."
And then, like ash scattered in cosmic wind, it dissolved.
Su Chen awoke on the chamber floor, gasping.
The pedestal was gone. The murals, faded.
The inheritance was complete.
And yet…
Something lingered.
A presence.
Watching.
He turned.
At the ruin's entrance stood Ji Liang.
Clad in outer sect robes. Sword sheathed. Eyes narrow and calculating.
"I followed the beasts' trail," Ji Liang said. "Didn't expect to find you at the end of it."
Su Chen rose to his feet, expression flat. "Then leave. You've seen enough."
But Ji Liang stepped forward, smiling thinly.
"No. I think I've seen just the beginning."
He drew his blade.
"The elders say we should eliminate you before you become a threat. But looking at you now... you already are one."
Su Chen's hand twitched. Flame gathered at his fingertips. The ruin responded, its dormant power crackling like a storm waiting to be unleashed.
Ji Liang raised his blade.
"I won't kill you," he said. "But I'll cripple you. So the next time you reset, you'll remember the name Ji Liang."
Su Chen's violet eyes gleamed like voidfire.
He smiled.
"Then come."