The Sky Temple's gates loomed before Li Tian and his companions, their ancient bronze surfaces etched with serpentine glyphs that pulsed faintly in the dim light. The air hummed with latent qi, thick and oppressive, as if the temple itself were a living entity drawing breath. Above, the floating structure cast a shadow that seemed to swallow the horizon, its spires piercing the cloudless sky like jagged teeth.
"Charming," Yan Mei muttered, eyeing the carvings of skeletal figures adorning the gates. "The Magic Emperor really had a flair for decor."
Goran grunted, hefting his bone staff. "Save the commentary. Let's crack this thing open."
Li Tian pressed his corrupted palm to the glyphs, the Primal Core in his chest flaring. The gates shuddered, groaning as they parted to reveal a cavernous hall illuminated by ghostly blue flames. The air inside reeked of ozone and decay.
"Stay close," Li Tian ordered, his star-flecked eye scanning the shadows. "The floor's rigged."
---
**The Hall of Shifting Stones**
The hall's floor was a mosaic of hexagonal tiles, each inscribed with runes. Xia knelt, her healing qi brushing the surface. "Weight-sensitive. Misstep, and—"
A distant *click* cut her off. Yan Mei's dagger had already struck a tile, freezing it in place. "Move fast, step light."
They advanced in single file, Goran testing tiles with his staff. Halfway across, the temple's qi shifted. The tiles flipped, revealing spikes coated in blackened venom.
"Illusions!" Xia shouted as the walls blurred, the hall elongating into an endless corridor.
Li Tian's corruption flared, the Primal Core piercing the illusion. "Left, then right—*now!*"
The group lunged, dodging spikes as the tiles reset. The far door sealed behind them with a thunderous *boom*.
---
**The Chamber of Echoing Flames**
The next chamber blazed with spectral fire, its walls lined with braziers spewing emerald flames. At its center stood a pedestal holding a crystalline orb.
"A puzzle," Xia said, noting the orb's reflection in a series of mirrors. "Align the flames to open the path."
Goran snorted. "Or smash it."
"Try that, and we burn," Yan Mei snapped, already adjusting a mirror. The flames twisted, their heat intensifying.
Li Tian's hand hovered over the orb. The Hollow Star's whisper slithered through his mind: *"Break it. Let the fire purge your weakness."*
"No." He channeled the Core's energy, realigning the mirrors. The flames coalesced into a bridge, revealing a hidden stairwell.
The victory was short-lived. The orb shattered, unleashing a fire serpent. Xia's qi barrier deflected the blast, but the heat seared Goran's arm.
"Next time," he growled, "we smash."
---
**The Sentinel of Ash**
The stairwell opened into a vaulted armory, its walls lined with weapons fused to stone racks. At its center stood a towering golem, its body forged from smoldering ash and Primal Core fragments.
*"Intruders,"* it intoned, magma dripping from its joints. *"You will burn."*
Yan Mei's daggers glanced off its chest. "Physical strikes won't work!"
Li Tian's corruption surged, tendrils of shadow lashing at the golem. It absorbed the attack, growing larger.
"It feeds on qi!" Xia realized. "Use raw force!"
Goran's staff struck true, shattering its magma core. The golem collapsed, but not before igniting the armory. The group fled as the ceiling caved, sealing the chamber behind them.
---
**The Hollow Star's Whisper**
In the respite of a narrow corridor, Li Tian slumped against the wall, his corrupted veins pulsing. The Hollow Star's voice coiled around his thoughts: *"You weaken, Little King. Let me carry your burdens."*
Xia's hand gripped his shoulder, her qi a fragile tether. "Don't listen. We need you *here*."
Ahead, the corridor branched into three paths. The left glowed with ominous runes, the right echoed with distant screams, and the center radiated the Hollow Star's malevolence.
"We split up," Li Tian said, straightening. "Yan Mei, take the left. Goran, the right. Xia and I will face the center."
Goran scowled. "Suicide."
"Necessity," Li Tian countered. "The temple's heart lies ahead. We reconvene there—or die trying."
---
**The Threshold of Shadows**
The central path descended into darkness, the air thickening with the Hollow Star's aura. Spectral hands clawed at Li Tian and Xia, their whispers promising oblivion.
"Ignore them," Li Tian ordered, but the corruption in his veins writhed, amplifying the voices.
Xia's pendant glowed, her healing qi a beacon. "Focus on my voice. The Bastion needs you."
The corridor ended at a chasm spanned by a bridge of light. Below, a void churned with starless black.
*"Jump,"* the Hollow Star urged. *"Embrace your destiny."*
Li Tian stepped onto the bridge—and it dissolved.
---