Chapter 117: Heart of the Tribunal

The sun had barely crested the jagged horizon when Lin Feng stood atop the blackened cliffs of the Crimson Hollow, gazing down at the smoldering expanse below. His Divine Judgment Halo pulsed with new radiance—its golden arcs now inscribed with deeper hues of violet and crimson, signs of the karmic equilibrium he had begun to master. The wind, tainted with the scent of ash and old flame, whispered strange secrets through the peaks.

Jiang Tian stood beside him, arms crossed, armor still dented from their encounter with the elemental judges. "Boss... the Tribunal won't wait long. That last message from the system mentioned 'Heart of the Tribunal.' You know what that means?"

Lin Feng didn't respond immediately. His gaze lingered on a slowly rotating constellation high in the sky—five stars burning in a circular pattern, glowing in rhythm with the Halo. Only after a long silence did he murmur, "It means we've entered the Tribunal's game board. And the Heart... it's the core rule-maker. We find it—we change the rules."

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A New Mission Interface

Ding!

> Access Granted: Heart of the Tribunal

Location: Deep beneath the Ashen Vaults, guarded by Judge Varnak's Ascendant Will.

Reward: Tribunal Override Key + Divine Decree Customization Module.

Warning: Tampering may incur Divine Collapse Protocol.

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Lin Feng turned to the Ember Veil's leader, who stood shrouded in steam rising from the rocks. "What do you know of the Ashen Vaults?"

The masked figure inclined his head. "A tomb and a heart. A prison and a throne. It is where divine logic sleeps, and where Varnak's soul was once broken and bound. If you intend to alter the Tribunal, you must survive not only his wrath—but his regrets."

Xian Mei stepped forward, her long coat fluttering in the wind. "So we enter a memory echo? A constructed past?"

"Yes," the Ember Veil leader said. "But beware—the Heart adapts. It may trap you in a reality you cannot alter."

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Ashen Vault Descent

Their party of six—Lin Feng, Jiang Tian, Li Mei, Xian Mei, and two elite Ember Veil scholars—entered the vault through a spiral obsidian gate buried beneath scorched ruins. As they descended, runes along the walls shimmered, not with light, but with sound—soft echoes of judgment, whispered regrets, broken prayers.

At the core, a vast chamber awaited them. A suspended heart-shaped construct floated at its center, rotating with fractal light. Around it, frozen echoes of past judgments formed a ghostly gallery—visions of realms burned, kings shattered, sects erased by divine law.

And in the center, his presence heavier than flame—Judge Varnak. Not in his physical form, but as a memory-wrought guardian of the Tribunal's intent.

"You come to rewrite what was forged in stars and ashes," he said, voice layered in a thousand tones. "You come to unmake judgment."

"I come to evolve it," Lin Feng replied. "This Tribunal burns all, good or evil. Balance without wisdom is tyranny."

The chamber rumbled. Varnak raised one arm, and the memory-constructs of previous Judges awakened—each radiating principles: Law, Fire, Ice, Death, Fate.

"Then face all judgment," Varnak boomed. "Prove that change is worthy of permanence!"

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Tribunal Trial: The Five Doctrines

In a surreal, reality-bending duel, Lin Feng and his allies faced five trials:

Law: Bound in ethereal chains, Lin Feng must argue his actions before a mirror version of himself.

Fire: Jiang Tian relives the destruction of a hometown he once fled from.

Ice: Li Mei duels her past mentor, now frozen by her betrayal.

Death: Xian Mei walks among corpses of her future self in endless loops.

Fate: The Ember Veil twins see a future where they betray the realm.

Each trial forces not strength, but resolve, truth, forgiveness, and leadership.

Lin Feng's inner voice echoed:

> "I do not seek to destroy judgment. I seek to give it sight."

And the Halo agreed.

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Override Key Acquired

As each member triumphed, the Tribunal constructs crumbled into sand, spiraling upward into the Heart. Lin Feng extended his palm, and the Heart pulsed, accepting his command.

> Divine Override: Accepted.

New Decree Module Installed. Customize Karmic Filters, Severity Levels, and Bias Resistors.

The chamber calmed. Judge Varnak's echo stepped forward, eyes no longer blazing but clear.

"Then I pass the flame to you... Flame-Touched Successor. Judge not from above, but among."

And with that, Varnak dissolved into light.

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The Final Judgment Awaits

Outside, the world trembled.

The Tribunal's sky-altar ignited across realms, and all great sects, kings, and chosen ones looked up.

> "Lin Feng has seized the Heart. A mortal now holds divine pen."

Some kneeled. Others screamed.

But all would converge soon.

For the Final Judgment had begun.

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To be continued in Chapter 118: