"Right. Then, we have a deal."

After sealing the agreement, the man remained silent for a few moments after saying those words.

The distant sound of movement from the underground dome vibrating in the depths of the cavern was the only thing that could be heard.

He took a deep breath and then began to speak.

"When I found this place, I was only looking for shelter to continue my experiments."

"The country of Linha was the most isolated and poorest in the entire Verdant Sword Domain. No one would care about what happened here."

Kyrian kept his eyes on him without interrupting the story.

"But despite that, for some unknown reason, there were underground tunnels connecting every region of Linha."

"Ancient tunnels, covered with formations and matrices that even I couldn't fully decipher."

"Inside, there were spirit stones, crystal fragments, old remains of inscriptions, runes… and enough wealth to sustain my studies for several years."

He said, letting out a brief laugh.

"This is where it all began."

Kyrian tilted his head slightly.

"And what's the reason for sacrificing so many lives for it?"

The man, hearing Kyrian's question, paused for a moment. His strange gaze traveled up and down. But seeing Kyrian's cold, unshakable expression, he only let out a quiet sigh.

"When I was young, I found an ancient scroll. It taught a technique of the fire path… one of the most malevolent I've ever seen. It described how to turn people into ashes and use that to strengthen one's cultivation." He said with a smile.

Then, he ran a hand across his face, staining his fingers with soot.

"But I used the technique differently. Instead of absorbing the ashes directly, I accumulated essences to mold a core. A heart."

"Each body turned to ash becomes part of it. A perfect artificial special physique. Bound to flames and ashes."

Kyrian looked at the ground, observing the glow of the formation pulsing red as the man's mood shifted.

"So, each Heart of Ashes is really a fusion of thousands of lives."

"Yes." The man answered with a smile and an insane gleam in his eyes.

"The experiment is almost complete. Only a vessel remains. A genius. Someone capable of enduring the energy and absorbing it without being consumed."

Kyrian slowly raised his eyes.

"And that's why you wanted a disciple of the Verdant Sword Sect."

The man nodded.

"I needed someone young, with a body purified by the sect's sword formation air, and strong enough to withstand the process. An inner disciple would be ideal."

Kyrian gave a half-smile.

"I see. May I see it?"

The man stared at him, surprised.

"You… aren't thinking of doing it, are you? You already possess a special physique… and yours is definitely terrifying, capable of following two different cultivation paths."

"I don't know what would happen if you tried to absorb the heart."

Kyrian simply replied.

"Don't think too much. I just want to see it."

The man was silent for a few seconds, studying him with an uncertain look.

Then, he took a deep breath and nodded.

"Very well. Follow me."

He stood up slowly, his body trembling, and took a few steps away from the center of the formation.

As soon as he stepped out of the circle of symbols, Kyrian felt the man's cultivation suddenly drop. The pressure that had once emanated from him plummeted, from the peak of the Qi Liberation Realm down to the initial stage, like Kyrian's.

Kyrian observed everything carefully.

'So, he's also using the formation to sustain himself,' he thought.

The fact that the man stepped out of it showed that he truly trusted him.

A small, almost imperceptible smile formed on Kyrian's lips.

The two walked through one of the narrow tunnels, far from the sight of any subordinates.

The walls were covered in cracks and dormant embers. The air grew hotter with every step.

The sound of something distant echoed like a heavy pulse, coming from the depths.

When they reached the end, the tunnel opened into a massive cavern.

Kyrian stopped.

The ground vibrated beneath his feet.

In front of them, something colossal pulsed.

A Heart of Ashes the size of a multi-story pavilion, beating slowly, each throb releasing waves of suffocating heat.

Ash drifted through the air like dark snow, and the red glow of incandescent veins reflected off the rocks.

Kyrian frowned.

If the previous heart he had seen was already monstrous, about the size of a small house, this one surpassed any limit he could imagine.

"How many lives were sacrificed for this?" Kyrian said suddenly.

The man glanced over his shoulder and smiled, as if answering a trivial question.

"Probably about a hundred villages."

Kyrian observed the heart for a few more seconds.

"I see."

The sound of the beats echoed deeply, and for a moment, Kyrian thought he could hear voices.

Thousands of them, whispering, pleading, crying.

Maybe it was only his imagination, or maybe not, perhaps old memories were surfacing.

"What are you seeking with all of this?" Kyrian asked suddenly, without looking away.

"Isn't it obvious? What everyone seeks. Power… and to live longer." The man answered without hesitation.

Greed vibrated in his voice.

Kyrian looked at him again.

The corner of his mouth lifted into a slow, calm smile.

"You're right." Kyrian said.

"What?" The man asked, frowning.

"To become stronger. Isn't that it?" Kyrian repeated, and his smile widened.

The man took a step back, confused, but instantly felt the change in Kyrian.

Before he could process and react, Kyrian's fist cut through the air.

The impact was sharp.

The man's jaw shattered instantly.

His body spun from the force of the blow, blood splattering across the ground.

Kyrian gave him no time to breathe.

His eyes gleamed, red emerged, and the Blood Qi surged in his gaze like an invisible storm.

The spilled blood rose into the air, fragmenting into hundreds of crimson needles.

With a simple movement of his hand, unnecessary but instinctive, Kyrian unleashed them.

The cutting sound filled the space, and the man's head burst into pieces, flesh, bone, and blood scattering in all directions, staining the walls.

Kyrian then stood still, watching the body collapse lifelessly.

Blood slowly dripped down until it mixed with the ashes on the floor.

He turned his gaze to the heart.

The sound of the voices had stopped.

Only silence remained.

For some reason, Kyrian felt no relief, only a strange weight. A doubt he couldn't ignore.

"Why did I do that?" he murmured quietly.

"For the mission? Or was it for vengeance? For the lives he took?"

He stayed silent for a while, reflecting on his own question.

But it didn't seem to be that.

"Kindness or justice? Neither." Kyrian said softly.

He knew. He had already killed many since he was a child.

His eyes then fixed on the heart that pulsed slowly, as if it were still breathing.

"If one day I'm cornered… if the limit of my eyes suddenly never fades again, and I reach the peak of my cultivation…"

"If I need more strength…"

He paused for a moment, the red of his eyes reflecting the living red and black of the heart.

"Would I be able to do the same? To trample countless lives…"

The words echoed faintly through the cavern.

And Kyrian had no answer.

At that moment, while he thought, the heart began to pulse even more violently.

An intense heat surged, and Kyrian reverted to his Ice Eyes, cooling himself instantly.

Suddenly, the man who had created the heart began to melt, turning into ashes, being absorbed by his own creation.

Perhaps it was the end he deserved.

But at that moment, something seemed to change in the heart.

The Heart of Ashes before him pulsed irregularly, its black and red veins expanding as if something within were struggling to escape.

The heat grew with each second, the air burning around him, and the rocks nearby began to crack with sharp pops.

Kyrian felt the vibration of the heart, the same pattern that preceded the explosion of the first one he had seen. He immediately narrowed his eyes.

"Damn. It's going to explode."

The ice around his body manifested even more, covering the floor with a thin, frosty layer, trying to contain the heat's advance. But this time, the power was far greater.

Kyrian turned, ready to leave the cavern, but then something changed again.

For an instant, his vision, blurred by his quick movement, caught something that made his actions slow.

In his peripheral sight, at the center of the heart, something different appeared. Something only he could see.

Amid the ashes and scorching heat, a gray flame emerged. At its center, something crystallized floated, pulsing, as if alive.

Kyrian recognized it immediately. He had seen something similar three times before.

Without thinking, he gave up on fleeing and advanced. The heat engulfed him, but his eyes shielded him with a barrier of ice. He then reached out toward the heart and grasped the gray flame.

The pain came immediately. Intense, burning. He didn't think twice before bringing the flame to his right eye and pressing it against it.

His scream then echoed. And Kyrian's body collapsed to the ground before the heart.

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