Path of Infernal Dao

The moon hung high, but its light gave no shadows—only smoke lingered over the scorched pine grove. Wisps of it weaved through the broken trees like the fading spirits of the night before, the aftermath of Shen Yao's trial.

At the heart of the blackened clearing, Shen Yao sat cross-legged. His upper body was bare, marked by blood and burns. Around him, delicate threads of orange flame floated in midair, as if trying to stitch his torn body back together.

"In the Kindling Soul Realm, the core flame isn't merely a reserve. It's a judge." That had been the first thing the Infernal Immortality System told him when it stirred to life.

"Judge everything—yourself, your fate, your enemies—with flame. If it burns, then it never deserved to remain."

Though his body stayed still, Shen Yao's soul roared like bellows in a forge. In his dantian, his Silent Flame Seed pulsed—a pale green-white ember compressed tighter than ordinary fire should allow. Around it, strands of red karmic ash twisted—remnants of the one who had betrayed him, the boy who'd once called him brother.

That ash was more than residue.

It was a symbol.

A scar turned into strength.

[Sinflame Ledger Updated.]

[Karmic Residue Absorbed: Yuan Jinhai – Betrayal of Blood Brotherhood]

[Resonance Node 1: "Ash Memory" activated.]

The system's voice whispered like heated silk sliding across raw nerves. Shen Yao opened his eyes.

They didn't blaze—they judged.

An hour later, Shen Yao walked into the sect's outer disciple grounds, still dressed in yesterday's tattered robes—collar singed, sleeves burnt. None dared step near. Not since he'd broken three disciples' arms for tampering with Lian Xue's training scrolls two days before.

Lian Xue stood outside the courtyard gate, holding a tray with steaming medicinal porridge. Her eyes widened at the sight of him but made no mention of his injuries.

She never did. Instead, she offered a soft smile and bowed. "I reheated it again. You missed breakfast."

He nodded. "Thanks."

As he stepped past her, he paused. "Have you been practicing?"

"I have," she replied quickly. "I ran the fire cycle you taught me thirty-seven times. Only messed up six. I added the cooling twist at the end like you said. It helps."

He glanced back at her. Her spiritual veins were still fragile, but the modified Ash-Touched Flame Vein technique he'd tailored for her was taking root. In time, she would command fire without paying a price.

"Good," he said. "Begin phase two tomorrow."

Her eyes lifted, just a little brighter. "Yes, Yao-ge."

He didn't linger—not because he was cold-hearted, but because warmth could be lethal. Letting in even a sliver of it might dull the pain that drove him forward.

That night, cloaked in silence, the sect's elders gathered in the shadows behind Mountain Hall. From the top of a forgotten bell tower, Shen Yao crouched low, flame vision piercing through old timbers and whispered plots.

He heard names spoken—some expected, others confirming dark suspicions.

"…Grand Elder Ming has already sent word. We must reapply the Mortal Lock before his Awakening Day."

"And if he's already crossed the threshold?"

"Then we end him before the divine seal dissolves."

Another voice hissed. "Yuan Jinhai's body—charred to the bone. This boy… he's not just a disciple anymore."

A grunt followed. "All the more reason to act. If he regains that cursed system…"

Shen Yao didn't wait to hear more.

He understood what came next.

By midnight, blood stained his hands.

The fourth elder had never imagined betrayal would greet him in his own flame chamber. Least of all from a disciple.

His final words weren't screams, just broken whispers—"You were only a boy…"—before Shen Yao's Cremation Palm devoured his flame core. What remained was scorched fabric and the reek of scorched flesh.

He didn't hide the corpse.

Let them find it.

Let them tremble.

By dawn, a sealed scroll was nailed to the sect's central message pillar. Its edges were charred, and its script was formed from 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.">

For the first time in generations, fear gripped the sect—without a single bell sounding. Later, in his courtyard, Shen Yao slipped into meditation. The Infernal Immortality System stirred again.

[Tribulation Core: Partial Activation Complete]

[Minor Flame of Heaven's Notice has been kindled.]

[Caution: Further Karmic Interference may trigger Divine Surveillance.]

[Recommendation: Accelerate growth. Burn more traitors.]

He breathed out, slow and calm.

So be it.

He looked up. Somewhere beyond the clouds, the divine laws watched. They judged but this time, he had returned to pass judgment too.

Next Target: Inner Sect Disciple — Lin Beifeng

Crime: Aiding in Lian Xue's death.

Judgment: Fire.

As night deepened, stars shimmered faintly, as though wary of the rising flame below. Shen Yao stood beneath the scorched fire elm outside his home, its bark blackened from countless nights of sleepless cultivation. The wind stirred the branches, carrying with it the scent of ash and dried blood.

From a distance, the sect remained serene. Orderly. Lamps flickered along stone paths. Prayers echoed softly in dormitories. Incense drifted from high altars like nothing had changed.

But something had.

They just hadn't seen it yet.

"In my last life," Shen Yao whispered to the dark, "I hesitated. I believed too much."

In his soul sea, the Silent Flame burned low and steady. Not wild. Not reckless.

But enduring.

A flame that outlasted betrayal, frost, and despair. A fire that didn't roar.

It judged.

Behind him, the door creaked open. Soft footsteps approached. Lian Xue.

She didn't speak at first—just placed a tray behind him.

"Yao-ge," she said gently. "You've been standing here for hours. It's cold."

He remained silent.

"I don't know what burdens you," she murmured, "but every time you leave, the wind smells like fire. Like something is missing."

Still, he didn't respond. Only asked, "Do you have the herb list I gave you?"

She blinked. "I do."

"Good. Memorize it. Starting tomorrow, your training time doubles."

A pause.

"…Understood."

She turned to leave. Before she could, he spoke again.

"I won't let them touch you. Not this time."

The words were short. Hard.

But to Lian Xue, they meant everything. A promise carved in flame.

She didn't answer.

The door clicked shut behind her. Shen Yao stayed where he was, staring into the sky's black void. Somewhere beyond, the Divine System lingered, preparing trials, curses, and chains.

But he wasn't the same boy anymore.

He wasn't the one who knelt.

He was the one who returned and this time, it wasn't him that would break.

It was Heaven.