The Starfall Abyss churned with void mist, its cliffs flickering with dying celestial embers as the shrine's starlit runes pulsed faintly. Ye Tian faced the Void Sovereign, a Stage 10 entity woven from void and malice, its blade radiating corrupted Starshatter Qi. The Lunar Fang in his hand hummed, its blue steel resonating with the Starshatter Fragment, its black steel glowing with the Starlit Scroll's clue: "The blade's heart judges the soul's truth." The Void Scar in his dantian throbbed, its black Qi weakened but persistent, a jagged reminder of the Celestial Court's curse. The Jade Relic's vision of Hua Qing's ambition—"The Oath's heart will crown me divine"—and the Oath's sacrificial origin burned in his mind. The Sovereign's voice hissed, "Hua Qing's ritual claims the Oath's heart." 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 raised, its star runes glowing, her Starlit Melody a quiet 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 fueling Ye Tian's suspicion.
The Sovereign's blade gleamed, its aura a tide of malice. "Your soul cannot withstand the Oath's price."
Ye Tian's eyes narrowed, Sword Intent rippling the air. "My blade pays that price." The Void Scar pulsed, a memory flashing—Hua Qing, her cold eyes fixed on a Void Shard, chanting in a Court ritual. "The Oath will make me eternal," she had vowed. Pain blurred the vision, but Su Mei's melody cut through, steadying him.
Her jade eyes met his, fierce yet warm. "We'll bear the price together," she said, her flute's notes weaving a shimmering barrier. The melody 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. "End this thing!" Her gaze flicked to Su Mei, rivalry flaring. "You're not his savior," she hissed, her words sharp. She charged, her crescent slashes slicing the air.
Su Mei's eyes hardened, but she held her ground. "We fight for the Oath, Xiao Lan, not for glory."
Lian Yue's aura surged. "The Sovereign's tied to a Void Shard trap. Find it!"
Chen Wei's hand twitched, his voice low. "The shard'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 certain, Chen Wei." He stepped forward, the Lunar Fang ready, Su Mei at his side.
The Sovereign struck, its blade a storm of void and malice. 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—Zhao Wuji, his sworn brother, coerced by a Court elder, forging a Void Shard under duress. "I had no choice, brother," he whispered. Ye Tian roared, channeling Starlight Resonance. The abyss's embers surged into his blade, amplifying his Qi, his strikes glowing as he slashed the Sovereign's arm, void mist spraying.
Su Mei's Starlit Melody swelled, summoning a Starlit Phoenix, its wings scattering the Sovereign's dark Qi. The bird dove, talons grazing its flank, but the Sovereign's blade lashed, shattering the phoenix and sending Su Mei staggering. Ye Tian caught her, their hands clasping briefly, her touch a warmth against his pain. "I'm with you," she whispered, her melody rising again, vines binding the Sovereign's form.
Xiao Lan's slashes carved the Sovereign's side, mist spraying, but its blade grazed her arm, her grunt sharp. Lian Yue's Crescent Moon Slash unleashed a blue arc, slicing its form, but the Sovereign reformed, its aura intensifying. Chen Wei struck, his blade precise, but his eyes darted to the shrine, hesitation flickering. "The shard—destroy it!" he shouted.
Ye Tian's gaze snapped to him, doubt coiling. "Find it!" He ducked the Sovereign's strike, the void blade nicking his shoulder, blood dripping. Pain surged, but Su Mei's melody wrapped around him, a Starlit Barrier shielding him. "Stay strong," she urged, her jade eyes fierce with resolve.
The Sovereign'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 Sovereign. Ye Tian lunged, Iron Vein Slash infused with Starlight Resonance, slashing its chest. Void mist erupted, the Sovereign staggering, but the shrine's runes flared, a Void Shard Trap activating, black runes pulsing.
Su Mei's eyes widened, sensing the trap's danger. "It's a soul-bind array!" she cried, her melody surging to counter it. She stepped forward, her flute glowing, channeling a Starlit Requiem. The notes clashed with the array's black Qi, vines erupting to bind the runes. The trap's energy lashed out, striking her, blood seeping from her lips as she stumbled. Ye Tian caught her, his heart clenching. "Su Mei, no!"
"I won't let it take you," she gasped, her melody faltering but holding, her sacrifice anchoring the array's collapse. The trap dimmed, the Sovereign weakening. Ye Tian roared, Starlight Resonance peaking, his blade a silver comet. He struck, the Lunar Fang piercing the Sovereign's core. The entity dissolved into void mist, the trap fading.
The abyss stilled, the fragment's glow softening. Ye Tian held Su Mei, her breath shallow, blood staining her robes. "You didn't have to," he whispered, his voice thick, the Void Scar quiet but his heart heavy.
Her jade eyes flickered, weak but resolute. "My mother gave her life for you. I'd do the same." Her hand brushed his, a faint smile breaking through. "You're worth it."
Ye Tian's heart stirred, her sacrifice mirroring his master's, binding them closer. "I won't let your light fade," he vowed, their gazes holding, a spark of unspoken connection flaring in the abyss.
Xiao Lan's voice cut through, sharp. "We're exposed! They'll come for us." Her eyes bored into Su Mei, tension raw. "You risked too much," she hissed, her rivalry a smoldering flame.
Su Mei's gaze held steady, her voice faint but firm. "For the Oath—and him."
Lian Yue frowned, her aura probing. "The relic's vision mentioned the Oath's creation. We need to find it."
Chen Wei's voice was urgent. "The tablet's runes point to a relic in the shrine, tied to Zhao Wuji's coercion. I saw it in the vale."
Ye Tian's gaze hardened, the Void Scar pulsing. "Show us." He carried Su Mei to the shrine, a vision flashing—Zhao Wuji, his sworn brother, forging a Void Shard under a Court elder's threat, his eyes filled with guilt. Hua Qing watched, her ambition clear.
They searched the shrine, finding a hidden compartment with a Starshatter Relic, its star runes etched with the Oath's creation: "Forged in sacrifice, the blade's heart binds the sect's soul." As Ye Tian touched it, a vision erupted: Ye Tian's master, forging the Starshatter Sword, Zhao Wuji at his side, coerced by the Court. "The Oath demands a soul," his master warned. Pain spiked, but Su Mei's faint melody steadied him. "My mother paid that price," she whispered, her voice weak. "Stop Hua Qing."
Their shared loss bound them tighter, her sacrifice a quiet vow. Before Ye Tian could study the relic, the abyss trembled, a massive aura surging. A Starlit Map glowed, revealing a path to the Soulforge Sanctum's heart, where the next fragment lay. A new clue read: "The blade's heart tests the soul's fire." But a shadow stirred—a Court Enforcer, Core Formation Stage 10, its blade radiating corrupted Qi. "Hua Qing's ritual nears its end," it hissed.
Ye Tian raised the Lunar Fang, Su Mei's faint melody rising beside him, their energies entwined despite her wounds. The Void Scar burned, but her sacrifice steadied him. Was this enforcer the key to Hua Qing's ritual, or a final test of the Oath's fire?