Chapter 3: Inheritance of Maliketh
In Spirit Hall, after Yu Feng awakened his spirit, Jian Ping and the others were left speechless. Once Jian Ping regained his senses, he tried to test Yu Feng's soul power, but was stopped—no, suppressed—by Yu Lei's eight soul rings.
Jian Ping's face turned pale, panic setting in. He hadn't expected a Soul Douluo to exist in such a small village.
"Se... senior... I..."
"You didn't see anything, did you?" Yu Lei's cold, indifferent voice cut through him like a blade.
Jian Ping knew—if he said the wrong thing, death awaited.
"I... I didn't see anything, senior..."
Yu Lei gave a faint, dismissive smile and turned to the village chief.
"Sorry for the trouble, Village Chief. Please continue the ceremony. My son and I have matters to attend to. We'll be taking our leave."
With that, Yu Lei picked up Yu Feng and disappeared into thin air.
---
Yu Family Residence
Back home, Yu Feng's mother, Chen Meilin, arrived. She had helped suppress the pressure of Yu Feng's spirit in the Spirit Hall, but she'd arrived late and had missed the full event. Naturally, she was full of questions.
"I'm not entirely sure," Yu Lei said. "It was Yu Feng's awakened martial spirit that released that pressure."
He recounted the events to Meilin, and silence fell upon the house.
After a long pause, Yu Lei looked at his son.
"Feng'er, can you release your martial soul again? Let us examine it properly."
"Yes, Father."
Yu Feng nodded and raised his hand. Once again, a dragon emerged—dark scales cracked with decay, wrapped in black storm clouds with red lightning dancing across its body. Its golden bolts flickered like living thunder, and though it had shrunk in size, about the size of a hand, it radiated the same terrifying power.
The small dragon raised its head, looked around curiously, and gave a soft, cute roar. It was alive. It had thoughts. Emotions.
Yu Lei and Meilin were stunned.
"It's... a living martial soul," Yu Lei whispered. "And judging from the pressure, it surpasses even top-grade martial souls. It might even be a legendary god-level martial soul."
"Yes, Father. It's a living martial soul. Its name is lichdragon Fortissax. But..." Yu Feng hesitated. "Father, Mother—I seem to have... another soul as well."
"W–What...?!"
Yu Lei and Meilin were dumbfounded. One top-tier martial soul was already beyond rare. But two?
"Quick, summon your second martial soul," Yu Lei ordered.
"Yes, Father." Yu Feng lifted his right hand, focusing—but no matter how hard he tried, nothing happened.
"I don't know why, Father. I can't summon it."
Yu Lei's expression changed as he considered something.
"It might be that your soul power isn't sufficient to trigger it. Let me help."
He transferred some of his soul power into Yu Feng's hand.
"Try now."
Yu Feng closed his eyes and focused.
Whoooosh... Whrrrrrr... Hooooowl... Ssshhhhhh...
Where is my second martial soul? Why can't I feel it?
BOOM!
CRACK!
RUMBLE...
KRA-KA-BOOM!
Thunder echoed in his ears. The wind howled madly.
What is this place...?
Yu Feng opened his eyes.
"Where the hell am I...?"
The air reeked of ash and ruin. The cliffs below screamed of war and time. Above him floated a colossal sanctuary—Crumbling Farum Azula. Suspended amidst endless storms, defying all logic, locked in a tempest where even time broke apart.
The sky was dark, torn by golden lightning. No sun. No warmth. Only chaos.
Dragons soared above. Broken archways whispered long-lost truths. Thunder roared, and the air itself carried the scent of scorched stone and dried blood.
Then it hit him—this was Elden Ring... Crumbling Farum Azula... Maliketh's domain.
History bled into the wind here. Power seeped from the stones beneath his feet. And in the heart of this ruined sky-temple stood a great, ancient arena.
And there, in its center—
Maliketh, the Black Blade.
He stood amidst fractured ground and obsidian blades, his presence suffocating, his aura thick with divine rage. Behind him, a faintly glowing altar—the sealed Rune of Death.
Death slept here.
And now, it stirred.
Yu Feng trembled. "Damn... what the hell am I doing here...?"
Then Maliketh turned to him.
"My successor. I have been waiting for you so long, I've forgotten how long it's been."
"My divine power fades with time. But before I vanish, I will follow the laws of this world."
"I grant you two inheritances. First—four god-given soul rings. Your innate soul power has reached level 20, and these rings will assist your growth."
He raised his hand. A brilliant golden light burst forth, and four soul rings emerged, floating before Yu Feng.
Before Yu Feng could even speak, Maliketh continued.
"The second gift is a cultivation method I tailored to this world—the Death Sutra. It will serve as both your internal and physical technique."
Dim light shone again. When it faded, a black book appeared, marked with two glowing characters:
Death Sutra.
"These are my gifts to you."
"You will have eight more inheritances. Every time you reach the next soul realm—in increments of ten—you may return to Crumbling Farum Azula to receive another."
"I am already dead. What stands before you is but a sliver of my will. My divine essence fades... I cannot help you more than this."
"Grow strong in this world. Inherit the power of Destined Death. Become the new God of Death."
With those final words, Maliketh vanished.
Yu Feng stood alone.
In his left hand—four god-given soul rings.
In his right—the Death Sutra.
And in his heart, a thousand questions left unasked.