Zhu Yan's breaths came slow and jagged, like a blade dragged against a whetstone. Every inch of his skin still throbbed with the aftermath of Wrathfire's baptism. He knelt in the center of the scorched ritual circle, steam rising from his flesh. The scent of burnt blood clung to the air like an oath.
The chamber was silent—eerily so.
But he knew better.
The Demonic Ascension Manual never left one gate without offering the next.
The scroll before him, now dull and quiet, fluttered once more. Blood writhed again. A single symbol shimmered faintly—one he had not seen before.
「Price」
Zhu Yan narrowed his eyes. The word didn't belong to a technique. It wasn't a stage. It was… a demand.
A soft creak echoed behind him.
He spun, blood igniting in his veins again—reflex rather than intent. From the shadows emerged a figure cloaked in tattered robes, face hidden behind a veil of ash-gray cloth. Yet Zhu Yan felt no killing intent.
Only recognition.
"You followed the Wrathfire path," the figure said. Its voice was layered, as though several mouths spoke in unison. "You burned away what made you human. Now the Manual demands something more."
Zhu Yan stood, fists clenched. "What price?"
"Memory," the figure replied. "To ascend, you must sever the anchors that bind your soul to the past. The deeper your power… the less of yourself remains."
He flinched.
His mind drifted—visions of his mother's smile, his father's laughter, the betrayal at the sect gates… Souvenirs of pain and warmth alike. They were what made him Zhu Yan. If he gave them up—
"Is this the only way?" he asked, voice brittle.
The figure tilted its head. "No one forces you. But power has no patience for those who hesitate."
Silence again.
Zhu Yan looked at his hands, still glowing faintly with residual Wrathfire. He had already stepped onto this path. He couldn't go back. But to move forward meant letting go of even the *why* that drove him.
He sat down.
The scroll flared anew.
And this time, it showed not diagrams… but faces. Memories projected into the air like ghostly flames: his younger sister waving goodbye, his master handing him the first sword, his first love whispering secrets beneath the plum trees.
Tears welled, unbidden.
"Choose," the figure said.
The Manual presented three memories—each pulsing with his soul's essence.
Zhu Yan reached forward.
He placed his hand over the image of his sister.
A searing pain lashed through him—not in the flesh, but in thought. Her name unraveled. Her voice faded. The moment of farewell disappeared like ash on wind.
When he opened his eyes, the scroll had absorbed it. One memory… gone.
The figure nodded. "One sacrifice buys you passage to the Second Gate. The path continues."
Zhu Yan stood. His stance was firmer now, steadier—but colder.
"I understand," he whispered.
The chamber shifted, stone walls sliding apart as though alive. A staircase revealed itself, carved from bone and obsidian, spiraling downward into crimson mist.
He descended.
Each step echoed like a bell tolling for forgotten gods.
Down below, the air grew denser, heavier, thick with whispers. They slithered through his thoughts—not lies, not threats—but truths he didn't want to face.
"Your parents died cursing your name."
"You were never strong enough."
"She only loved the version of you that was weak."
Zhu Yan gritted his teeth.
He let the voices come. He let them scrape his soul raw.
Because power wasn't just about gaining strength.
It was about enduring everything that tried to break you.
At the base of the stair, a new gate stood—massive, forged of jagged metal and bone. An eye pulsed at its center, blood-red and watching.
「Second Gate: Soulbrand Hollow」
As he stepped forward, the eye blinked.
And the gate opened.
Behind him, the memory of a sister he no longer remembered stayed buried in silence.
But Zhu Yan didn't look back.
He couldn't afford to anymore.
He stepped into the abyss.
And the abyss welcomed its heir.
---
**🧠 Author's Note – yoymercon:**
This chapter dives deep into the psychological price of cultivation. Zhu Yan has started to lose parts of himself—literally. What memory would *you* give up for power?
📅 **Update every day with 2 chapters!**
💬 Leave your thoughts in the comments — what do you thi
nk lies beyond the Second Gate?
✍️ **Written by yoymercon. Support with likes, collections, and power stones!**