The aftermath of the Tribunal's partial awakening sent ripples across the realm. The skies over the Crimson Hollow dimmed as ash clouds thickened, casting the sun in a blood-orange hue. Even the most seasoned cultivators shivered under the oppressive pressure blanketing the land.
Lin Feng stood at the epicenter, his robes singed, his aura fluctuating wildly. The tribunal's ethereal pillars pulsed behind him, glowing with a divine flame that no mortal should be able to bear.
But Lin Feng—well, he had never been normal.
The moment the tribunal had acknowledged him, the Supreme Sect System chimed.
Ding!
> System Reward: Divine Judgment Halo acquired! Grants authority over localized karmic laws for a limited duration. Your decrees, if just, will manifest reality-altering effects.
> System Reward: Ashen Tribunal Reputation +500. You are now regarded as a "Flame-Touched Successor."
> System Reward: New Mission Unlocked! Mission: Convince or defeat the Three Remaining Judges before the Tribunal fully awakens. Time remaining: 7 days.
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. "Well, that's not ominous at all. System, any cheat codes or 'skip boss' options?"
System: [Processing sarcasm... Ignoring request. May the heavens have mercy on your Dao.]
He sighed, brushing soot from his sleeves. Around him, the ground cracked, and remnants of old temples long buried began surfacing—summoned from eras before memory. Flaming specters of failed sect leaders danced in agony, whispering forgotten names and sins.
Jiang Tian stumbled forward, face pale. "Boss! Half the mountain is gone! The Ashen Field is tearing itself open! What kind of mission was this?!"
Li Mei slid down next to Lin Feng, her blade still smoldering. "Forget the field. We've got company. Real old-school monsters."
Just then, the sky split.
A thunderous voice echoed across realms.
> "THE JUDGMENT IS NOT YET COMPLETE."
Descending from the ashen heavens came Judge Varnak, the Third Arbiter of Flame—a skeletal figure shrouded in molten armor, his eyes burning like twin suns.
Behind him marched a faction long believed extinct—The Crimson Inheritors. Cloaked in robes woven from fire itself, their expressions were unreadable, their presence suffocating.
"You, who are flame-touched," Varnak intoned, pointing a molten glaive toward Lin Feng, "must prove your worth. Or burn like those before you."
Lin Feng rolled his shoulders. "Oh great. Another overcooked ghost with daddy issues."
Jiang Tian whispered, "Can you not antagonize the ten-foot lava ghost right away for once?"
System Notice: Host has received +1,000 infamy with the Crimson Inheritors.
> Lin Feng: "...Totally worth it."
---
As battle erupted, the Ashen Tribunal remained silent—watching, judging. Flames danced with Dao. Every movement Lin Feng made left trails of radiant karma. He wasn't just fighting for survival anymore—he was etching his legend into the bones of reality.
To be continued in Chapter 115: