Jin Longwei stepped into the temple’s inner sanctum, fire curling around his shoulders like a cloak. The floor beneath his boots pulsed with soulstone light—crimson, gold, and black weaving in a shifting ritual array that smelled of charred offerings and forgotten prayers.> “Zhenmo,” he said, voice steady. “You took everything. The Court. My family. My future. And now you want the Flame.”Zhenmo stood across the array, poised at its center like a queen at her coronation. She was older now—her once-youthful beauty sharpened into something regal and cruel. But her gaze remained unchanged: deep, determined, haunted.> “I never wanted to destroy you, Longwei,” she said. “I wanted you to survive. To become worthy.”> “By burning my world to ash?” Jin’s voice crackled.She raised her hand, and the Brand of Shēnghuǒ flared.> “You misunderstand the nature of fire. It does not destroy. It reveals.”---Fei, Yan Rui, Mei, Tu Shen, Shuye, and Lu Yun stood just beyond the circle, weapons drawn,

The wind whipped through the northern cliffside as the Kirin Circle regrouped in a hidden shrine carved into the spine of Mount Yuelan. Cold incense smoke coiled from the altar. Stone guardians glared at the horizon like they could see war approaching.Jin Longwei stood with arms crossed, gaze fixed on the sealed scroll at the shrine’s center. Fei knelt beside it, lips moving in a quiet incantation of preservation. Mei stood guard at the entrance, ever-vigilant. Shuye paced restlessly.But something was off.Tu Shen finally broke the silence.> “Lu Yun’s not back.”Fei’s eyes snapped to his. “He said he’d meet us here. If he’s late—”> “He’s not late,” Tu said darkly. “He’s run.”Jin turned slowly. “Explain.”The monk held out a burned communication charm, its talismanic strings severed. “This was left in the ash bowl at the Azure Waypoint. And the locator spell he was carrying? Snuffed out an hour ago.”Shuye exhaled. “We all knew someone might crack. But Lu Yun?”> “He was the most

In the gilded hall of the Celestial Council, silence reigned as Elder Magistrate Xun finished reading the intelligence report. The heavy scroll rolled closed with a finality that echoed across the jade floors.The room was steeped in soft incense and stifled tension. Runes flickered in midair, depicting Jin Longwei’s face—his eyes marked by fire, his hands wreathed in light. Beneath his image were the latest reports: Zhennan Gorge. Scroll breach. Contact with Watchers.Elder Jian, a thin man with silver-threaded robes and sharper eyes, finally spoke.> “He is no longer hiding. He’s becoming a symbol.”Magistrate Xun nodded. “And symbols spark rebellion.”Another elder added, “Then we erase him. Like we did with the Ember Saints.”But Xun raised a hand. “This is no ordinary heretic. This is the Kirin Flame reborn. We need someone who understands him. Who’s walked his path.”There was only one name that met that criteria.The doors opened before the elders spoke it.A woman stepped into

The wind howled like a wounded beast as the flying skiff broke through the cloudbanks. Around it, massive stone islands drifted through the sky, suspended by ancient magic and the stubborn will of the world itself.The Shattered Skylands were both map and myth—remnants of the celestial war that fractured heaven and rained judgment upon the earth. Here, laws of gravity were mere suggestions, and reality twisted under the weight of forgotten sins.Jin Longwei stood at the helm of the skiff, his cloak snapping in the air behind him. Below, endless clouds roiled like smoke from a divine forge. His grip tightened on the bone scroll taken from the temple. It hummed faintly—almost like it knew where they were headed.Lu Yun adjusted the control runes on the skiff’s crystal core. “We’ll reach the largest island in five minutes. It's the only one stable enough to land on. Locals call it Godsbane Spire.”Mei, leaning on the rail, scanned the sky warily. “I still don’t like flying. Nothing solid

The moment Jin Longwei laid his hand upon the obsidian altar, the room ignited—not with physical flame, but with memory. Heat surged beneath his skin. Ancient echoes poured through his mind: screams of fallen gods, wars written in stars, names long turned to ash.Fei stumbled back, shielding her eyes. “It’s reacting… not just to you.”Lu Yun dropped the bone scroll, which burst into light, its final lines now glowing gold instead of red.> “Two must carry the Flame,” he read aloud, voice shaking. “For balance. For judgment. One to burn. One to remember.”Mei tightened her grip on her blades. “What does that mean? Another heir?”Shuye looked around the chamber. “No. Another vessel.”The Flame suddenly erupted from the altar, forming a spiral of golden fire. It danced in the air, searching—tasting the souls around it.And then it split.Half of it returned to Jin, slamming into his chest like a lightning strike. He staggered, knees buckling, but he remained upright, eyes glowing brighte