The Black Pine Forest swallowed the moonlight, its gnarled trees casting jagged shadows. Ye Tian led Xiao Lan and Elder Lian Yue through the undergrowth, the Lunar Fang heavy at his hip, its blue steel humming faintly. The air was thick with spiritual Qi, laced with the scent of pine and blood. The Void Scar in his dantian pulsed, a dull ache after the Void Shard's destruction, but its curse still chained his strength. Body Refinement Stage 3, freshly forged in the stronghold's spirit pool, thrummed in his bones, yet he felt Heaven's Edge closing in.
Lin Feng's envoy lingered in his mind—his voice, a mocking echo of betrayal, stirred a memory of a starlit training ground, a young disciple's eager eyes. Ye Tian pushed it down. Vengeance would come. For now, survival.
"They're near," Lian Yue whispered, her Core Formation aura scanning the dark. Her blue robes blended with the shadows, moon runes glowing faintly. "Ten cultivators, Stage 7 to 9. We can't fight them all."
Xiao Lan gripped her blade, her shoulder wound bandaged but seeping. "We need cover. The forest's too open."
Ye Tian nodded, scanning the terrain. A ravine lay ahead, its depths veiled by mist. Perfect for hiding, but a trap if cornered. The Void Scar throbbed, warning of unseen eyes. Was it the envoy? Or the Celestial Court's shadow, still watching?
"Ravine," he said, voice low. "Move."
They descended, roots snagging their steps. The air grew colder, the mist thick with spiritual Qi. Ye Tian's senses sharpened, catching a faint hum—not the mournful song, but something older, tied to Fallen Moon. He paused, spotting a glint in the dirt—a small, silver disc etched with a crescent moon. A Moonlit Compass, a relic of his old sect, used to navigate their hidden paths.
He knelt, brushing away soil. The compass pulsed, its needle spinning toward a distant point in the forest. "Fallen Moon's work," he said, pocketing it. A memory flickered—teaching young disciples to forge such relics, their laughter under starlight. Had one survived to leave this here?
Lian Yue's eyes widened. "That's a guide to the vault. Someone left it for us."
"Or a trap," Xiao Lan muttered, glancing back. The forest was too quiet, the air heavy with killing intent.
Ye Tian stood, gripping the Lunar Fang. "We'll find out. First, I need strength."
The ravine's floor held a small pool, its water glowing faintly with starlight. Perfect for a Bone Tempering Ritual to stabilize his Stage 3 breakthrough. He still carried Shadowclaw Panther blood from Chapter 4, its leather pouch warm against his belt. "Here," he said, kneeling by the pool. "Cover me."
Lian Yue nodded, her aura flaring to shield the area. Xiao Lan stood guard, blade drawn, her face pale but resolute. Ye Tian stripped to his waist, blood from his chest wound crusting in the cold. He poured the panther's blood into the pool, crimson swirling with starlit glow. Sitting cross-legged, he chanted a sword mantra, voice steady. "My body is a blade. My will is its edge."
The blood-water burned, seeping into his skin like molten steel. His bones creaked, muscles tightening, the ritual fusing demonic essence with his flesh. The Void Scar fought, black Qi surging, triggering a vision—Lin Feng, young, sparring under Ye Tian's guidance, his blade flashing with nascent Sword Intent. "I'll surpass you, Master," he'd said, his smile hiding ambition. The vision shifted—Lin Feng's blade piercing Ye Tian's dantian, his laugh cold. "The Court chose me."
Ye Tian gritted his teeth, mantra unwavering. The pool glowed brighter, starlight resonating with his Qi. A new technique stirred, born of his past—Starlight Resonance, a Fallen Moon art that amplified Qi under the night sky. His meridians pulsed, bones hardening, the ritual locking Stage 3 into his core. The Void Scar writhed, but his will was iron. Pain faded, strength surging, his aura sharper, denser.
He exhaled, blood-water dripping from his skin. The Void Scar ached, but its grip felt looser, the ritual's starlight countering its malice. "Done," he said, standing, the Lunar Fang humming as if sensing his growth.
Lian Yue's eyes gleamed. "Stage 3, stabilized. You're stronger, but the curse remains."
Xiao Lan pointed to the compass, its needle steady now. "It's pointing north. The vault?"
Before Ye Tian could answer, a twig snapped. His senses flared, the Void Scar pulsing. Shadows moved in the mist—Heaven's Edge cultivators, their grey robes marked with cloud emblems. Eight, Stage 7 to 8, led by a lean woman, Stage 9, her spear glowing with crude Qi. Her aura was sharp, her eyes cold.
"Ye Tian," she said, voice dripping with scorn. "The Sovereign, reduced to a rat."
Ye Tian raised the Lunar Fang, Starlight Resonance stirring under the faint moonlight. "You'll beg before I'm done."
The woman laughed, spear thrusting. Ye Tian moved, Body Sword Stance flowing. He dodged, the spear grazing his arm, blood welling. The Void Scar flared, pain spiking, but Starlight Resonance amplified his Qi, the night sky fueling his strikes. He countered with Iron Vein Slash, the Lunar Fang slashing her shoulder. Blood sprayed, her sneer faltering.
Xiao Lan lunged, her blade weaving crescent arcs, cutting a Stage 7 cultivator's thigh. He fell, cursing. Lian Yue struck, her Crescent Moon Slash unleashing a blue arc that felled two more, their screams echoing. The Stage 9 woman roared, her spear spinning, Qi rippling the air. Ye Tian parried, sparks flying, the impact shaking his bones. The Void Scar burned, black Qi clouding his vision.
"Together!" Ye Tian shouted. Xiao Lan flanked, her blade grazing the woman's side. Lian Yue's crescent barrier shielded them, deflecting a spear thrust. Ye Tian pressed forward, Sword Intent surging. The air hummed, his blade glowing silver. He struck, the Lunar Fang slicing the woman's arm, her spear clattering.
She retreated, blood dripping. "You'll die for this!" she spat, fleeing with her men, mist swallowing them.
Ye Tian panted, clutching his arm, blood soaking his robes. The Void Scar pulsed, but Starlight Resonance had tipped the fight, its starlit Qi countering the curse's drain. Xiao Lan slumped, her wound reopened. Lian Yue's face was grim. "They'll bring more. Core Formation, maybe."
Ye Tian nodded, checking the Moonlit Compass. Its needle pointed north, toward Blackpine's heart. "The vault's our only chance."
They moved, following the compass through the forest. The air grew heavier, the Void Scar warning of unseen eyes. Ye Tian's mind churned—a memory of Fallen Moon's elders, one whispering to a shadowed figure. A spy? The Celestial Court had infiltrated his sect before its fall. Was one among them now?
They reached a clearing, the compass glowing brighter. A stone arch stood, etched with moon runes, its base littered with bones—Fallen Moon disciples, their robes tattered. Xiao Lan's face paled. "They died protecting this."
Lian Yue touched the arch, her aura probing. "The vault's near, but sealed. We need the Lunar Fang."
Before Ye Tian could act, a figure emerged from the trees—not Heaven's Edge, but a man in tattered blue robes, moon crest faded. His aura was Stage 8, his face scarred, eyes haunted but familiar. A memory stirred—sparring with a young disciple, his blade clumsy but earnest. Another survivor?
"Who are you?" Ye Tian demanded, Lunar Fang raised.
The man knelt, voice trembling. "Chen Wei, last of Fallen Moon's outer sect. I've waited for you, Sovereign."
Xiao Lan's blade wavered. "He's one of us?"
Lian Yue's eyes narrowed. "Prove it."
Chen Wei pulled a jade token, its moon crest glowing faintly. "I guarded the compass's path. The vault holds our sect's hope."
Ye Tian's Void Scar pulsed, a warning. Chen Wei's aura was true, but something was off—his eyes darted, hiding something. Was he the spy Ye Tian feared? Or a true ally, guiding them to the vault—or their doom?