The Starfall Abyss hummed with residual starlight, its cliffs shrouded in thinning void mist that swirled with celestial echoes. Ye Tian stood before the shrine, the Lunar Fang in one hand, its blue steel humming, and the Starshatter Fragment in the other, its black steel resonating with the Starlit Map's clue: "The blade's heart burns where stars die." The Void Scar in his dantian throbbed, its black Qi weakened but persistent, a jagged reminder of the Celestial Court's curse. The Starlit Map pointed to the Starshatter Vault, a hidden sanctum where the next fragment lay, but the Core Formation Stage 12 Court Ritual Guardian, its form woven from starlight and void, blocked their path, its blade pulsing with corrupted Starshatter Qi. Its voice echoed: "Hua Qing's ritual nears completion."
Behind Ye Tian, Xiao Lan gripped her crescent blade, blood seeping from her wounds, her eyes fierce with defiance. Elder Lian Yue's silver hair gleamed, her Core Formation aura a steady shield. Su Mei stood close, her jade flute trembling, blood staining her robe from her sacrifice, her weakened Starlit Melody a faint but resolute anchor against the Void Scar's chaos. Chen Wei lingered, his scarred face tense, clutching the stone tablet, his knowledge of Hua Qing's ritual deepening Ye Tian's suspicion.
The Guardian's red eyes glowed, its voice cold and resonant. "The Oath's heart belongs to Hua Qing's divinity. You'll fall, Sovereign."
Ye Tian's eyes narrowed, Sword Intent rippling the air. "Her divinity breaks before my blade." The Void Scar pulsed, a memory flashing—Zhao Wuji, his sworn brother, forging a Void Shard under Hua Qing's command, his voice broken. "The Court's chains bound me, brother." Pain blurred the vision, but Su Mei's faint melody cut through, steadying him.
Her jade eyes met his, fierce despite her pallor. "We'll shatter her ritual," she said, her flute's notes weaving a fragile barrier. The melody, though weak, synced with his Qi, easing the Void Scar's burn, their bond a spark in the abyss.
Xiao Lan's voice snapped, sharp with frustration. "Cut this shadow down!" Her gaze flicked to Su Mei, rivalry crackling, but she charged, her crescent slashes slicing the air.
Lian Yue's aura surged. "The Guardian's tied to a Void Shard array. Find the shards!"
Chen Wei's hand twitched, his voice low. "The array's in the shrine's core. I saw its runes in the vale."
Ye Tian's gaze hardened, the Void Scar whispering doubt. "You're too precise, Chen Wei." He stepped forward, the Lunar Fang ready, Su Mei at his side.
The Guardian struck, its blade a storm of void and starlight. Ye Tian flowed into Body Sword Stance, parrying with a burst of silver sparks. The impact rattled his bones, the Void Scar flaring, a vision searing—Hua Qing, her cold eyes fixed on a Court altar, chanting to bind the Starshatter Oath. "The Oath's heart will make me divine," she vowed. Ye Tian roared, channeling Starlight Resonance. The abyss's starlight surged into his blade, amplifying his Qi, his strikes glowing as he slashed the Guardian's arm, void mist spraying.
Su Mei's weakened Starlit Melody summoned a faint Starlit Phoenix, its wings scattering the Guardian's dark Qi. The bird dove, talons grazing its chest, but the Guardian's blade lashed, shattering the phoenix and forcing Su Mei to her knees. Ye Tian caught her, their hands clasping briefly, her touch a warmth despite her pain. "I'm still here," she whispered, her melody struggling to rise, vines weakly binding the Guardian's legs.
Xiao Lan's slashes carved the Guardian's side, mist spraying, but its blade grazed her shoulder, her grunt sharp. Lian Yue's Crescent Moon Slash unleashed a blue arc, slicing its form, but the Guardian reformed, its aura intensifying. Chen Wei struck, his blade precise, but his eyes darted to the shrine, hesitation flickering. "The shards—destroy them!" he shouted.
Ye Tian's gaze snapped to him, doubt coiling. "Find them!" He ducked the Guardian's strike, the void blade nicking his arm, blood dripping. Pain surged, but Su Mei's faint melody wrapped around him, a Starlit Barrier shielding him despite her weakening state. "Stay with me," she urged, her jade eyes fierce with resolve, her voice trembling from pain.
The Guardian's blade flashed, aiming for Ye Tian's heart. He parried, Sword Intent quaking the air. Su Mei's melody shifted, vines tightening, slowing the Guardian. Ye Tian lunged, Iron Vein Slash infused with Starlight Resonance, slashing its chest. Void mist erupted, the Guardian staggering, but the shrine's runes flared, a Void Shard Array summoning Void Wraiths, Stage 10, their red eyes glowing in the abyss.
Xiao Lan and Lian Yue fought back-to-back, their blades felling wraiths, but more emerged. Chen Wei dashed to the shrine, his blade striking a Void Shard at its core. It cracked, black light erupting, the wraiths faltering. Ye Tian seized the moment, Starlight Resonance peaking, his blade a silver comet. He struck, the Lunar Fang piercing the Guardian's core. The specter roared, dissolving into starlit mist, the array dimming.
The abyss stilled, the shrine's glow softening. Ye Tian rushed to Su Mei, supporting her as blood dripped from her wound. Her hand clung to his, her touch a warmth despite her pain. "You broke their guardian," she said, a faint smile breaking through her pallor. "My mother's lore spoke of your strength."
Ye Tian's heart clenched, her sacrifice mirroring his guilt over Zhao Wuji's coercion. "Her wisdom guides us," he said, their gazes holding, a spark of unspoken connection flaring under the starlight. Her weakened state deepened their bond, her resolve a mirror to his own.
Xiao Lan's voice cut through, sharp. "We're not safe! They'll come for the fragment." Her eyes lingered on Su Mei, tension raw, her rivalry flaring at their moment.
Lian Yue frowned, her aura probing. "The shrine holds a relic tied to the Oath's heart."
Chen Wei's voice was urgent. "The tablet's runes mention a relic—the Oath's origin, linked to Hua Qing's ritual. I saw it in the vale."
Ye Tian's gaze hardened, the Void Scar pulsing. "Show us." He helped Su Mei to the shrine, a vision flashing—Zhao Wuji, forging a Void Shard under Hua Qing's command, his voice broken. "The Court's chains bound me." The betrayal's weight was clear.
They searched the shrine, finding a hidden compartment with a Starshatter Relic, a jade orb etched with star runes, pulsing with pure celestial Qi. As Ye Tian touched it, a vision erupted: the Starshatter Oath's creation, a celestial forge under a dying star, Fallen Moon's founder binding the blade's heart to the sect's soul. Hua Qing's voice intruded, cold. "The Oath's heart will make me divine." Pain spiked, but Su Mei's hand steadied him, her jade eyes shimmering despite her wound. "My mother died for that Oath," she whispered, her voice breaking. "We'll protect it."
Their shared loss bound them tighter, her touch a quiet vow despite her pain. Before Ye Tian could study the relic, the abyss trembled, a massive aura surging. A Court Shadow Enforcer—Core Formation Stage 12—emerged from the shadows, its blade radiating corrupted Starshatter Qi, a jade slip pulsing in its hand. "Hua Qing's ritual binds the Vault," it hissed. "You'll fall, Sovereign."
Ye Tian raised the Lunar Fang, Su Mei's weakened melody rising beside him, their energies entwined despite her fading strength. The Void Scar burned, but her presence steadied him. Was this enforcer the key to the Starshatter Vault, or a herald of Hua Qing's awakening ritual?