The portal's light faded, leaving Li Tian and his companions in a silence so profound it felt like a physical weight. They stood in a vast, domed chamber that defied logic—a space too large to exist within the temple's confines. Above them, the ceiling shimmered with a mosaic of swirling galaxies, their stars pulsing in time to a slow, rhythmic hum. The floor, polished to a mirror sheen, reflected the cosmos above, creating the illusion that they floated in the void itself. Pillars of translucent crystal ringed the chamber, each containing a flickering flame the color of dying embers. The air tasted metallic, charged with celestial energy that prickled Li Tian's skin like static.
Su Lin tightened her grip on his arm, her healing qi still flowing into his poisoned leg. The wound, a jagged puncture oozing blackened blood, throbbed with a heat that seeped into his bones. "We need to move," she said, voice low. "This place… it doesn't want us here."
Zhang Wei snorted, though his usual bravado was tempered by the cavernous space. "Too bad. We're already invited." He nodded to the center of the chamber, where a stone pedestal rose from the floor. Atop it floated a sphere of obsidian, its surface etched with silver runes that drifted like smoke.
Elder Qiang stepped forward, his shadow stretching unnaturally long in the starlight. "The Celestial Core's sanctum. But the temple will not relinquish its treasure easily."
Li Tian limped toward the pedestal, each step sending jolts of pain up his leg. The poison was spreading; he could feel it in the tremor of his hands, the blurring edges of his vision. "Then we'll take it," he said. "Before the temple decides to bury us."
As if in response, the chamber shuddered. The galaxies above twisted, their stars rearranging into a new constellation—a serpent coiled around a key. The crystal pillars flared, and the flames within them roared to life, casting crimson light across the room. From the shadows between the pillars, figures emerged.
They were echoes—translucent, shimmering forms of past challengers. Warriors in rusted armor, robed cultivators with hollow eyes, even a child clutching a dagger. Their voices overlapped in a discordant whisper.
*"Turn back."*
*"The Core consumes."*
*"You are not worthy."*
Zhang Wei drew his broadsword, its edge glinting. "Ghosts? Seriously?"
"Not ghosts," Elder Qiang murmured. "Memories. The temple's failures."
One of the echoes lunged—a skeletal figure in tattered imperial garb. Zhang Wei cleaved it in half, but the halves reformed instantly. Another echo, a woman with a melted face, grabbed Su Lin's wrist. "The price is your soul," she hissed.
Li Tian stabbed his dagger through the woman's chest. The blade passed through her like mist, but she recoiled, dissolving into smoke. "They're illusions! Don't let them touch you!"
The group retreated into a defensive circle as the echoes swarmed. Cold hands clawed at them, whispering regrets and warnings. Li Tian's poisoned leg buckled, and he fell to one knee. Su Lin hauled him up, her qi flaring to repel an echo. "We can't fight these! There's no end!"
Elder Qiang's eyes narrowed. "The pillars. They're the source."
Li Tian followed his gaze. The crimson flames within the crystal pillars burned brighter with each echo summoned. *Of course. The temple feeds on fear.* He gritted his teeth. "Zhang Wei! Smash the pillars!"
The big man grinned. "Finally, something I can hit."
He charged, broadsword slamming into the nearest pillar. The crystal cracked, and the flame inside sputtered. Dozens of echoes wailed, vanishing like snuffed candles. Encouraged, Zhang Wei moved to the next pillar.
Su Lin and Li Tian covered him, fending off the remaining echoes. An armored specter swung a phantom axe at Li Tian; he ducked, driving his dagger upward in a qi-inflected arc. The echo dissipated, but the effort left him gasping. Black veins now crept up his neck.
"Tian!" Su Lin's voice was frayed. "You're fading—we need to hurry!"
The last pillar shattered, and the chamber plunged into darkness. When the starlight returned, the echoes were gone. The obsidian sphere on the pedestal glowed now, its runes swirling faster.
Elder Qiang approached it cautiously. "A final test. The Core's guardian."
The sphere split open.
A creature unfolded itself—a being of light and shadow, humanoid but grotesquely elongated, with six arms ending in blade-like fingers. Its face was a featureless void save for a single eye burning with blue fire. The guardian's voice boomed, shaking the chamber.
**"To claim the Core, surrender your ambition."**
Li Tian laughed, a raw, broken sound. "Not a chance."
The guardian struck. Its blades moved faster than sight, slicing the air where Li Tian had stood. He rolled, but his leg gave out, and a blade grazed his shoulder. Blood welled, black and viscous.
Su Lin leapt into the fray, her sword clashing against the guardian's limbs. "Distract it! I'll find a weakness!"
Zhang Wei roared, broadsword meeting blade-arms in a shower of sparks. The guardian pivoted, slamming him into a wall. Cracks spiderwebbed across the crystal, but Zhang Wei surged back, blood trickling from his temple.
Li Tian forced himself upright. His vision swam, the poison fogging his mind. *Surrender your ambition.* The words echoed. The temple didn't want to kill them—it wanted to *break* them.
He limped toward the pedestal. The obsidian sphere's halves still hovered, the space between them a vortex of swirling energy. *The Core's seal.*
"Elder!" Li Tian shouted. "The sphere—it's a lock!"
The old man nodded. From his sleeve, he produced a jade talisman—the twin to the one Li Tian had used against the serpent. "Strike the vortex!"
Li Tian hurled his dagger. The blade pierced the vortex, and Elder Qiang's talisman followed. Light erupted, blinding and searing. The guardian screamed, its form unraveling.
When the light faded, the guardian was gone. The sphere's halves clattered to the floor, revealing a hollow filled with liquid starlight. Floating within it was the Celestial Core—a gem the size of a fist, its facets shifting through every color of the cosmos.
Li Tian reached for it.
A blade pierced his chest from behind.
He looked down, stunned, at the tip protruding from his heart. Behind him, Elder Qiang whispered, "Forgive me."
Su Lin screamed. Zhang Wei bellowed, charging, but the elder flicked a hand, and a barrier of celestial energy threw him back.
"The Core cannot be wielded by one consumed by ambition," Elder Qiang said, twisting the blade. "The temple showed me the truth. You would become a tyrant, Li Tian. A destroyer."
Li Tian coughed blood, his legs buckling. The Core's light dimmed, as though mourning.
But then Su Lin was there, her sword at the elder's throat. "Let. Him. Go."
Elder Qiang sighed. "You misunderstand. This is mercy."
With the last of his strength, Li Tian gripped the Core.
The chamber exploded into light.
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