---
The Tomb of Forgotten Thieves
The burning embers of the Crimson Eyes Outpost crackled behind him, casting shadows like ghosts dancing in war's aftermath. The stench of scorched bodies and melted stone lingered in the wind. Lin Fan's banner, torn but upright, flapped defiantly in the breeze. He stood beneath it for hours, unmoving—like a tombstone carved in flesh, daring the heavens to strike.
He had made his move. Now, the world would move in response.
And it did.
> [System Alert: Divine Detection Imminent.]
[Response Class: Heaven Envoy]
[Time Remaining Until Arrival: 8 hours, 43 minutes.]
Lin Fan's eyes narrowed as he read the notification.
A Heaven Envoy.
The very mention of those words was enough to make small sects surrender entire legacies. These were not ordinary cultivators—they were born of divine blood, trained since childhood in ancient techniques, and wielded ancestral weapons passed down for millennia.
He couldn't face that. Not now. Not yet.
He turned his eyes southward.
"I need to vanish," he murmured, "and grow."
---
The Map of Shadows
Back in the ruined Beast Wastes, Yan Yue waited in silence, bandaging her shoulder. The pain had dulled, but her heart beat fast when she saw Lin Fan return—soaked in blood and smoke, his wings barely intact.
"You did it," she said, breathless. "You really burned it down."
Lin Fan didn't reply. He dropped a piece of charred parchment in front of her.
It was taken from the outpost commander's spatial ring.
An old map.
One marked in ink made from ground beast bone.
And at the bottom, in faded golden calligraphy, was a name:
> "Tomb of the Eternal Thief – Forbidden Grave of the 1st Era."
Yan Yue blinked. "That's just a legend."
"No," Lin Fan said. "It's real. The system confirmed it. And it's the only place where I can hide from Heaven's detection."
---
Journey Through the Veil Forest
The Tomb of the Eternal Thief lay buried beneath the Veil Forest, a cursed land no cultivator dared to enter. It was said to be haunted by the souls of those who died without legacy—rogues, betrayers, outcasts. A forest of forgotten names.
For Lin Fan, it felt like going home.
They traveled by night, resting only when necessary. The journey took six hours of sprinting through steep ridges, spirit beast nests, and ruin-strewn ravines. Twice they were nearly spotted by patrols of flying Divine Clan eagles.
And once, they saw a vision in the sky—a Heaven Envoy's golden spirit beacon, descending somewhere behind them.
> "They're coming fast," Yan Yue whispered. "You won't be able to keep running."
"I won't," Lin Fan said. "That's why I'm going underground."
---
The Gate of Stealing Dust
The entrance to the tomb wasn't marked by a cave or a ruin. It was hidden beneath the roots of a weeping jade tree, its vines glistening with silver tears. As they approached, the system activated without Lin Fan commanding it.
> [Hidden Legacy Detected: Ancient Inheritance of the Forgotten Path.]
[Activating Key: Crimson Sky Dragon Bloodline — Verification Passed.]
[Opening Thief's Gate…]
A pulse of ancient light erupted from the ground. The vines slithered aside. A hidden stairway opened beneath the soil, spiraling downward into utter darkness.
Yan Yue shivered. "You sure about this?"
"No," Lin Fan admitted, "but every thief must walk into the vault if he wants to steal its treasure."
He stepped down.
The darkness swallowed him whole.
---
Inside the Tomb
The air inside was thick—not with rot, but with intent. It felt like the entire space was watching. Like the tomb had eyes.
The stone walls were engraved with murals: thieves breaking into divine temples, stealing ancestral weapons, assassinating kings. Each was stylized in black ink, as if they had been painted with shadows themselves.
> "These people weren't ordinary criminals," Lin Fan muttered.
"They were rebels."
As they reached the bottom floor, they entered a circular chamber filled with statues. Each statue knelt, hands clasped in front of them, faces covered with masks.
At the center stood an altar, and on that altar was a book—bound in leather from an unknown beast, the cover engraved with nine streaks of crimson lightning.
> [Inheritance Detected: Thief's Ancestral Scripture – Fragment I]
[Do you wish to accept the Legacy of the Crimson Vault?]
"Yes," Lin Fan said, without hesitation.
The moment he touched the book, the world around him shattered.
---
A Trial of Shadows
He awoke in a realm of endless night.
No sky. No ground. Only floating shards of glass, and voices that echoed from every direction.
> "You steal the dragon's blood..."
"You spit on heaven's laws..."
"You are not a cultivator. You are a criminal of fate."
Lin Fan floated naked in that void, unarmed and unguarded.
Suddenly, from the shadows, a thousand faceless figures emerged. Each held a weapon. Each surged toward him without mercy.
And the system was silent.
There would be no help this time.
He fought. With fists. With screams. With memory.
He remembered every technique he'd stolen: the Void Split Saber, the Flame Roc Wing Slash, the White Tiger Pulse.
He used every drop of spiritual power.
And still they came.
Until he realized...
They were not his enemies.
They were him.
Reflections of all the bloodlines he had taken. The karma of every theft. His stolen strength rebelling against him.
He had to steal it again. Properly.
Lin Fan closed his eyes, focused his soul, and spoke:
> "I do not regret what I stole."
"I do not regret who I killed."
"I am not bound by bloodline, nor sect, nor destiny."
"I am the thief of heaven's throne."
With that, his eyes burst open—crimson lightning surged from his body, and the void bent.
The figures screamed and were absorbed into him.
---
New Power – Forbidden Scripture Awakened
Lin Fan stood alone, the void around him shattering like glass.
He returned to the tomb, book now glowing with light. A voice echoed—an ancient, dry whisper.
> "Well stolen, little thief. Let me teach you how to steal the Dao itself."
> [You have learned: Crimson Vault Scripture – Forbidden Path I]
– Skill: Dao Steal – Allows user to hijack an enemy's enlightenment or cultivation technique in combat.
– Passive: Karma Resistance – Reduces backlash from bloodline thefts by 60%.
– New Ability: Shadow Veins – Allows user to fake aura and vanish from divine detection temporarily.
---
Time Left: 12 Minutes
Lin Fan rushed back to the tomb's exit. The system pulsed:
> "Heaven Envoy has arrived at former outpost."
Yan Yue stood ready, saber drawn, but Lin Fan shook his head. "No. I don't need to run."
She stared at him. "You're going to fight?"
"No," he said, eyes gleaming with crimson light.
"I'm going to steal the Heaven Envoy's Dao."
---
---
Shall I now begin the long and detailed where Lin Fan faces the Heaven Envoy in a dark forest and tries to steal his celestial technique in mid-battle? This will be the first true clash between mortal defiance and divine will.