DEMON SOVEREIGN'S REIGN

The skies above the Hollow Empire were no longer calm.

As Liu Shen and his companions emerged from the ruined sanctum of the Hollow Heart, the once dim, storm-laden clouds had given way to a heavenly aurora—ribbons of gold and silver weaving through the heavens.

Yu Meixing's expression tensed. "That's not natural qi…"

Lei Qing's spear hummed with agitation. "No. That's Heaven's Will."

Above them, golden runes briefly flickered across the sky. They weren't visible to mortals, but every cultivator above the Spirit Formation realm could sense it: Heaven had taken notice.

Wei Yan gulped. "They know."

Liu Shen stood tall, his long hair dancing with spiritual wind. "Good. Let them watch. Let them tremble."

---

Back within the capital of the Hollow Empire, the court buzzed with nervous anticipation. Reports flooded in: tremors across sacred mountains, spirit beasts going berserk, and ancient artifacts awakening from dormancy.

In the imperial palace, Empress Zhao Ying sat unmoved on her jade throne. Her eyes, once soft, now gleamed like steel.

A messenger knelt before her, trembling. "Your Majesty… the Hollow Heart has been breached. The inheritance—"

"I know," she interrupted. "Let the heavens scream if they must. It changes nothing."

"Shall we send envoys to intercept them?"

"No," she said. "Let the sovereign approach."

---

Liu Shen's group traveled under stealth, avoiding major cities and patrols. He'd cloaked their presence with a new technique from the Hollow Sovereign's inheritance—Shadow Vein Convergence—which allowed them to bend spiritual signatures around them.

Yu Meixing examined the inheritance scrolls. "If we use these correctly, we could rebuild not just a sect—but an entire rebellion."

Elder Qin nodded. "We'd need allies. Secret factions. Maybe those who still remember the Hollow Sovereign."

"There's one," Liu Shen said. "The Abyss Dwellers."

Wei Yan paled. "You want to go there?! The Abyss Gate is sealed for a reason!"

"It was sealed by the heavens," Liu Shen replied. "That's reason enough to open it."

---

That night, as the group camped in a forest surrounded by drifting soul-lantern fireflies, Liu Shen felt it—a presence watching them.

He turned, his eyes scanning the treeline.

Out stepped a woman clad in mourning robes, her face veiled by shadow, her cultivation hidden beneath countless seals. She moved like mist.

"I've waited three hundred years to see your soul burn again, Liu Shen."

Yu Meixing and Lei Qing instantly summoned their weapons.

But Liu Shen raised a hand. "Let her speak."

The woman removed her veil.

It was Hua Jilan—his former disciple. The one who betrayed him just before his death.

---

The forest went dead silent.

Hua Jilan's voice trembled with hatred. "I saw you die. I saw your ashes fall from the Sky-Forged Crucible. So how are you still breathing?"

Liu Shen's voice was calm. "Do you regret it?"

She laughed bitterly. "Regret? No. I mourned you. Then I hated you. Now… I want to kill you again. But this time, as an equal."

"I'm not here to trade grudges," Liu Shen said. "I'm here to reclaim what was stolen from me."

"And if I stand in your way?"

He stepped closer. "Then I'll remind you why they once called me Sovereign."

Their auras clashed for a brief instant, shaking the trees. But then… Jilan smiled.

"Good. Then let me walk beside you one last time, master."

Yu Meixing frowned but didn't object. "Can we trust her?"

"No," Liu Shen said. "But we can use her."

---

Later that night, as the group rested, Liu Shen meditated near a withered spirit tree. As he reached into his spiritual sea, he found it again—that foreign thread woven deep in his soul.

It pulsed with celestial rhythm.

A voice whispered in the void of his mind.

> "You carry the sin of defiance. But you are not alone."

He was shown glimpses—other resistances, other sovereigns—some sealed, others hunted, all connected by fate.

> "Open the Abyss Gate… and you open the path to rebellion. But beware, Sovereign. The Heavens do not sleep. They remember your fury."

He opened his eyes. The stars above blinked like watching eyes.

---

In the morning, Hua Jilan unfurled an ancient map inked on black beast leather.

"This was passed down through rogue sects loyal to the Hollow Sovereign. It marks the Pillars of Descent—locations where the barrier between realms weakens. We'll find the Abyss Gate at the last pillar."

Elder Qin scanned it. "But this one… it's beneath the Imperial Altar."

Liu Shen smiled faintly. "Of course. Where else would you hide the key to rebellion but under the throne of tyranny?"

Yu Meixing narrowed her eyes. "Getting inside the Imperial City will be suicide."

"Then we'll make them open the gate for us," Liu Shen replied.

"How?"

"By making them believe The Heaven itself commands it."