Chapter Sixty-Seven: What Has Been Inherited? Consumed by the Sea of Fire

It was impossible to tell how long he had slept when Su Fan was roused by the sound of dripping water beside his ear—a faint sound, yet it penetrated deeply. He struggled to open his eyes. All around him was darkness: no red, no flames, just a chilling dampness that seeped into his body.

After a long while, his vision slowly adjusted, allowing him to barely make out his surroundings, though everything remained shrouded in gloom. What kind of world was this? No matter how far Su Fan extended his spiritual sense, he could not find its limits.

He knew only that he stood upon a vast stone platform, surrounded by utter nothingness. Confusion churned within him; he could not fathom why he had come to this place.

Suddenly, a droplet of liquid fell into his palm. Su Fan lifted his hand to look, but could not see it clearly—he could only feel an extraordinary force and a wild surge of spiritual energy emanating from it.

At once, he remembered the sound of dripping water in his dream. He slowly sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and sought the source of that sound.

Gradually, the dripping began again. Su Fan snapped his eyes open, staring toward where it came from.

A tiny hole had been worn into the stone by the falling water. The opening was small, but the depth was unfathomable.

Su Fan sent his spiritual sense probing into the hole, and after an unknown length of time, as he was about to give up, a sudden wave of searing heat surged forth. He focused intently—before him lay a sea of fire. The wild aura of the flames immediately suppressed his spiritual sense.

His eyes grew bloodshot. If he could not discover the truth, he might be trapped in this void for all eternity. Gritting his teeth, he forced his spiritual sense deeper into the inferno.

Abruptly, a mysterious force erupted, swiftly tearing at his consciousness. With a fierce resolve, Su Fan instantly severed the connection, then resumed his meditation.

The power had been brutally violent and domineering. Had he not cut off his spiritual sense in time, he would already be a corpse.

A profound shock trembled through Su Fan’s heart. He cursed silently at the peril hidden within this Immortal-Demon body, yet also felt a haze of uncertainty. Before, he had a clue from Liu Shaoyu, and hope of escape; now, all seemed lost.

“Where does this lowly slave come from, to act so arrogantly within the royal Immortal-Demon body?”

The voice thundered like a bolt from the heavens, stabbing straight into Su Fan’s ears.

Startled, Su Fan quickly replied, “I meant no offense, senior. Please, I beg you, let me leave this place.”

Yet the voice grew even more imperious: “Those of the slave race must pay for their transgressions. Will you accept your punishment or not?”

“Slave race?” Su Fan asked, bewildered.

A long silence passed before the voice sounded again: “You bear no slave mark.”

Su Fan smiled helplessly. “Senior, I implore you, let me depart this place.”

The voice became clearly displeased. “If you are not of the slave race, then you must die.” The tone was so resolute that even Su Fan felt his fate was sealed.

But he could not die—not yet. He had not avenged himself. The people of the Three Sovereigns Stronghold, the mysterious imperial city, the old man in red and Hong Yuan who had tried, time and again, to kill him—none of them could be spared. Su Fan knew that a moment’s weakness could spell eternal damnation. Ling Yuan was proof enough: had he struck ruthlessly back then, the later tragedy would never have occurred.

He pressed on, “Senior, are you not the Immortal-Demon, Destroyer of Immortals? Who are you?”

The voice paused, then answered with a note of age and sorrow, “I am the guardian of the Immortal-Demon. My name is Dust and Chaos.”

Su Fan continued, “May I ask, the catastrophe I saw in that vision—what caused it?”

Dust and Chaos answered slowly, lost in memory, “The Immortal-Demon Prince was once of the royal blood of my clan. I was charged with his protection, but then disaster struck without warning. The prince was sealed here, his lifespan cut short. When an Immortal-Demon dies, they leave behind their life’s memories and bloodline. I have watched over this place of memory for countless ages, awaiting a descendant to inherit the legacy.”

Su Fan recalled the vision: a mighty Immortal-Demon letting a drop of blood fall upon the infant Destroyer of Immortals. Now, it seemed that must have been Dust and Chaos. He pressed on, “May I ask, does the Immortal-Demon clan still exist?”

Dust and Chaos nearly roared, “Hold your tongue! My clan endures forever! Say another word and I will kill you at once.”

Su Fan’s eyes flickered. “You will not kill me, senior.”

Dust and Chaos questioned, “Why not?”

“Because you have guarded this place for countless eons without a successor appearing. Surely, you must already suspect the truth.”

Su Fan offered these words, knowing his life hung upon them. If he was right, he might live. If not, he would die.

For a long time, Dust and Chaos was silent. Then, a furious shout resounded.

A sheet of flame, trailing a long tail, shot out of the void and landed beside Su Fan. The pressure it radiated was like the wrath of heaven. Su Fan mustered all his strength to resist, raising his head calmly to meet the fire’s gaze.

Gradually, the flames subsided, the aura diminishing enough that a figure could be seen within the fire.

He closely resembled the Destroyer of Immortals from the vision: crimson skin, blood-red eyes, an air of dominance and pride. Was this Dust and Chaos? Or the ancient king of legend, the Immortal-Demon Destroyer?

Su Fan quickly discerned the truth: the figure within the flames lacked the golden horns that marked royal status.

At last, Dust and Chaos spoke. “You are clever.”

Relief flickered in Su Fan’s heart. Dust and Chaos had not struck him down, but answered, with a grudging note of admiration.

Su Fan remained silent, calmly watching. He knew that now, silence was his best ally—too many words would spell disaster. Now that Dust and Chaos had appeared, there was no more need to speak.

Dust and Chaos’s lips trembled as he continued, “From the moment the Immortal-Demon Prince suffered the Boundless Cataclysm, I suspected it. The Immortal-Demon clan has fallen.”

Su Fan had meant only to listen, careful not to provoke this strange guardian, but curiosity overcame him. “What is the Boundless Cataclysm?”

Dust and Chaos sneered. “My clan is blessed with extraordinary gifts. We shun immortality, cultivate only the demonic arts, and wage war against the heavens. The sky itself grew wrathful. Every time a prince is born, the Boundless Cataclysm descends as punishment.”

Su Fan nodded thoughtfully.

Dust and Chaos continued, “After the prince suffered the Cataclysm, he fell into a deep sleep and was later sealed by the slave race. Countless ages have passed. Though our lifespans are long, even we cannot resist the erosion of time. The prince’s lifespan has ended. Only I remain, a soul imperishable through the ages. And now, after all these eons, you are the first to survive the World-Destroying Flames and enter this place of inheritance.”

Su Fan raised his eyes to Dust and Chaos once more. Perhaps time had barely changed him outwardly, but the torment had been cruel indeed.

“I am the first?” Su Fan asked.

Dust and Chaos nodded. “I do not wish to wait any longer.”

Su Fan watched him, expression unchanged.

Dust and Chaos said again, “You are clever.” This time, the praise was sincere, even his face radiating honesty.

Dust and Chaos asked, “Are you willing to accept the Immortal-Demon legacy, and carry on our lineage forever?”

Su Fan smiled faintly. “I am not.”

Dust and Chaos had not expected this reply. He hesitated, then said, “Do you not wish to leave this place? If you inherit the Immortal-Demon power, you can come and go as you please, and you could even save your friend.”

Su Fan was startled. “My friend? Liu Shaoyu?”

Dust and Chaos nodded. “Perhaps it is he. I sense that he has been here a long time, and his physical body has been destroyed.”

Su Fan stood slowly, replying, “I would rather live here than die out there.”

A glimmer finally appeared in Dust and Chaos’s lifeless eyes—a mixture of anger and admiration.

“To inherit the Immortal-Demon power comes at a terrible price. You are not of our blood; there would be conflict, and it might even cost your life. Yet if you do not try, you have no hope at all. Do you not have any attachments in the outside world?”

Attachments. Su Fan silently mouthed the word, the flash of red in his mind unceasing.

“Su Fan, you must survive.”

“Su Fan, I’m sorry.”

He was stunned for a moment, then came to himself, coughed dryly, and regained his composure.

Dust and Chaos pressed on, “You are still young. Surely you have family. Do you not care for them?”

Family. The word was a patchwork of wounds—his mother dragged down by him, his father dead for his sake. Su Fan did not wish to remember.

Dust and Chaos continued, “Your clothing marks you as a disciple of a sect. You must have a master. Can you bear to disappoint him?”

Master, the old man in purple—who gave a thousand years of life for him, who risked the wrath of the sect leader for him.

Su Fan cried out, “I am willing to accept the inheritance!”

Dust and Chaos smiled at last. “Good. Once you accept the legacy, you will become one of us and be granted power that shakes the heavens.”

Su Fan turned away, quietly wiping his tears. In a low voice, he asked, “What must I do?”

Dust and Chaos laughed heartily. “To receive the Immortal-Demon inheritance, you must be tempered by the sea of fire. Do you dare?”

“What is there to fear?” Su Fan replied.

With a great roar, Dust and Chaos sent the stone platform trembling beneath Su Fan’s feet. With a crash, it shattered.

Su Fan plunged rapidly downward.