Path of Infernal Dao

The following morning, golden sunlight pierced through the blackened lattice of the Eastern Pavilion. Most disciples were asleep after the nightly sparring matches, or cultivating in silence. But Shen Yao was already moving.

Not toward a duel. Not toward a meeting.

But deeper into the Flame Burial Forest.

His memories had begun sharpening like blades. In his past life, he'd missed the Silent Flame Seed by three days. A wandering elder had discovered it and passed it to a Heaven-Favored genius who later joined the Divine Envoys.

That same genius once called him "a mortal mistake."

This time, Shen Yao would be first.

The forest floor was quiet—too quiet.

Thick roots jutted like the twisted bones of giants, and the air was soaked with heavy spiritual residue. There were no beasts here. No sound of birds or wind.

Only flame… waiting.

The deeper he stepped, the more the trees began to blacken at their edges—not burnt, but marked. As though the entire region had once been doused in fire not meant for this world.

[Infernal Immortality System Active]

Warning: You are approaching a Forbidden Flame Zone.

Unique item detected: [Silent Flame Seed] (Soul-grade). Seed is dormant but reactive to karma.

Shen Yao smiled and said "Perfect."

His fingers touched the hilt of his newly-forged Ashbone Dagger, a blade crafted from the bones of a Fire Vulture Elder he had slain weeks prior. It shimmered faintly under his Qi.

The flame path here was unstable. Any wrong step would collapse the ground into a burst of consuming soulflame. And worst of all— There were traps.

Ancient flame seals from the era before the Divine System. He activated Void Ash Step, flickering between branches like a shadow made of coals. Every time his foot touched a surface, it left behind no mark—just heat.

He reached the center of the forest, where a collapsed temple ruin stood, scorched in concentric rings of melted stone. And in its heart, floating above a cracked altar— was it.

The Silent Flame Seed.

A flickering white ember the size of a child's fist, spinning slowly in air. No heat radiated from it. No light spilled. And yet… it burned the eyes if stared at too long.

[System Alert – Major Karmic Intersection]

Claiming this seed will alter future Divine Mandates. Proceed?

Shen Yao's voice was cold.

"Proceed."

He stepped forward.

Instantly, flames burst from the cracked altar—not outward, but inward, forming rings of soul-searing inscriptions. Dozens of glowing sigils activated, ancient and complex.

They weren't designed to kill.

They were designed to test.

[Trial Flame Activated – Silent Seed Guardian Protocol Engaged]

From the blackened earth rose a humanoid figure formed entirely of white ash and flickering cinders. Its face was blank. No eyes. No soul. But its body radiated the aura of a mid–Ember Core cultivator.

It raised a sword formed of crystallized flame essence and struck.

Shen Yao didn't dodge.

Instead, his own flame spiraled out of him like a blooming inferno. He parried with his Ashbone Dagger, and the impact cracked stone across the forest floor. His right arm trembled slightly—this wasn't just a puppet.

This was a memory of a cultivator who'd died protecting this seed. A will flame preserved by ancient ritual but Shen Yao wasn't here to honor the past.

He was here to burn it.

His body spun into Infernal Chain Breaker, every punch infused with the heat of his inner core. The flaming strikes clashed with the guardian's blade, scattering divine ash into the air.

Each hit burned his arms. But each time, his body repaired faster, harder. His Immortal Furnace Body lit up beneath his skin, drawing from the Qi still lingering in the forest.

"Now, break."

His dagger tore through the puppet's guard, slicing across the memory's shoulder. It let out no sound. No cry. Just kept moving.

But Shen Yao had already begun marking its soul.

[Soulmark Engaged – Echo Flame Sync Detected]

Initiate Flame Collapse?

Shen Yao raised his volume and said "Collapse."

The guardian froze and then it shattered into powder—each fragment rising into the air like glowing ash, sucked into the altar and vanishing.

Silence returned.

The sigils died out, leaving only the flame seed.

Shen Yao approached and held out both palms. The moment his skin neared the seed, it reacted—not violently, but deeply.

Flame surged around him in silence. Not roaring, not crackling—just heat so pure it had no sound. His bones ached. His core screamed. His soul… quieted.

[You have absorbed: Silent Flame Seed (Soul-grade)]

Fusion in progress…

Unique Flame Type Unlocked: "Silent Core"

Effect: Flame cultivation emits no heat signature. Conceals Qi fluctuations. Allows stealth ignition and hidden techniques.

Karmic Line Split Created. Future events will diverge.

Shen Yao exhaled.

No joy.

No smile.

Only cold, calculating affirmation.

This was one of the pieces he never had in his first life. One of the reasons his enemies always found him—tracked his tribulations, ambushed his breakthroughs.

But now?

He would move like a ghost through flame. His enemies would never know when their bodies started to burn… until they were ash.

On his return to the sect, Shen Yao didn't go straight to his quarters.

Instead, he entered the lower Flame Scripture Hall, where junior disciples gathered to practice chants and Qi circulation methods. Most ignored him.

All except one.

Lian Xue stood in the far corner, flame dancing along her palms, struggling to control the basic Ember Ring Flow. Her flame kept flickering out—too soft, too gentle.

But when Shen Yao entered, she straightened.

"Yao-ge—"

He knelt beside her.

"Let me see your palm."

She blinked. Hesitated. Then obeyed.

Shen Yao placed a single finger on her flame root and guided his own Qi through it—not forcing, not controlling. Just showing her how to steady the flow.

"Don't resist the surge," he said. "Crave it in your bones. Not your breath."

The flame surged again.

This time, it didn't flicker.

It curled around her wrist like a silken ribbon—light, but unbroken.

Her eyes widened. "I… did it."

Shen Yao stood. "You will do much more than that."

He turned and vanished.

That night, as the stars burned above the sect, the Infernal Immortality System pulsed quietly within his soul.

[Tribulation Tracker: Primed]

Heaven has noticed your divergence.

A Minor Trial approaches within 3 days.

Survive it to unlock Flame Resonance Node I.

Shen Yao opened his eyes in his courtyard.

His Qi flowed like a lake of molten silence and Heaven… had begun to stir.

The seed had awakened — and so had the flame beneath the world's skin.

By dawn the next day, a sealed scroll was nailed to the sect's central message pillar. Its edges were charred, and the script was etched in blood-bound ash:

"To the worms dressed as elders — I tested your loyalty. You failed.

Ten of you remain. Purify yourselves… or burn.

— S.Y."