The Starforge Nexus shimmered with fading starlight, its crystalline spires casting fractured reflections across the void-rift floor. Ye Tian faced a Court Ambush, three Core Formation Stage 9 agents, their blades radiating corrupted Starshatter Qi, jade slips pulsing with malice. The Lunar Fang in his hand hummed, its blue steel resonating with the Starshatter Fragment, its black steel glowing with the Starlit Map's clue: "The blade's heart binds 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 betrayal—"The Oath's heart forges trust in sacrifice"—burned in his mind, her ambition for divinity clear. The lead agent sneered, "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, recovering but still pale, stood close, her jade flute raised, its star runes flickering, her Starlit Melody a faint 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 lead agent's blade flared, its aura a tide of corruption. "Hua Qing's ritual binds the Oath. You'll fall."
Ye Tian's eyes narrowed, Sword Intent rippling the air. "My blade severs her chains." The Void Scar pulsed, a memory flashing—Hua Qing, her cold eyes fixed on a Void Shard, chanting in a Court ritual under a blood moon. "The Oath's heart will make me eternal," she vowed. Pain blurred the vision, but Su Mei's faint melody cut through, steadying him.
Her jade eyes met his, resolute despite her weakness. "We'll break her ritual together," she said, her flute's notes weaving a fragile barrier. The melody synced with his Qi, easing the Void Scar's burn, their bond a spark in the nexus's fading light.
Xiao Lan's voice snapped, sharp with frustration. "Cut them down!" Her gaze flicked to Su Mei, rivalry flaring. "You're too frail to help him," she hissed, her words sharp. She charged, her crescent slashes slicing the air.
Su Mei's eyes hardened, her voice faint but firm. "My strength serves the Oath, Xiao Lan, not your jealousy."
Lian Yue's aura surged. "The agents are tied to a Void Shard. Find it!"
Chen Wei's hand twitched, his voice low. "The shard's in the nexus's altar. 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 lead agent struck, its blade a storm of corrupted Qi. 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, forging a Void Shard with a Court elder, her voice cold. "The ritual demands a soul's truth." Ye Tian roared, channeling Starlight Resonance. The nexus's starlight surged into his blade, amplifying his Qi, his strikes glowing as he slashed the agent's arm, blood and sparks flying.
Su Mei's Starlit Melody, though weakened, summoned a faint Starlit Phoenix, its wings scattering the agents' dark Qi. The bird dove, talons grazing the lead agent's chest, but another agent's blade lashed, shattering the phoenix and sending Su Mei stumbling. Ye Tian caught her, their hands clasping briefly, her touch a faint warmth against his pain. "I'm still here," she whispered, her melody rising again, vines weakly binding the second agent's legs.
Xiao Lan's slashes felled the third agent, blood spraying, but the lead agent's blade grazed her shoulder, her grunt sharp. Lian Yue's Crescent Moon Slash unleashed a blue arc, slicing the second agent's arm, but the lead agent pressed Ye Tian, its blade aiming for his heart. Su Mei's melody shifted, a Starlit Barrier shielding him. "Stay strong," she urged, her jade eyes fierce despite her weakness.
The lead agent laughed, its jade slip flaring. "Hua Qing's ritual owns you." Ye Tian parried, Sword Intent quaking the air. Su Mei's vines tightened, slowing the agent. Ye Tian lunged, Iron Vein Slash infused with Starlight Resonance, slashing its chest. Blood arced, the agent staggering, but its jade slip summoned Void Specters, Stage 9, their red eyes glowing in the nexus's shadows.
Xiao Lan and Lian Yue fought back-to-back, their blades felling specters, but more emerged. Chen Wei dashed to the altar, his blade striking a Void Shard at its base. It cracked, black light erupting, the specters faltering. Ye Tian seized the moment, Starlight Resonance peaking, his blade a silver comet. He struck, the Lunar Fang piercing the lead agent's core. The agents collapsed, their jade slips dimming.
The nexus stilled, the fragment's glow softening. Ye Tian panted, blood dripping from his shoulder, the Void Scar quiet but lingering. Su Mei, barely standing, steadied herself against him, her touch a faint warmth. "You broke their chains," she said, her voice weak but resolute. "My mother's faith in you shines true."
Ye Tian's heart stirred, her resolve a mirror to his own. "Your strength carries her will," he said, their gazes holding, a spark of unspoken connection flaring in the nexus. "I won't let you fall."
Her eyes softened, a flicker of fear beneath her resolve. "Then we forge on," she whispered, her hand tightening briefly, sealing their bond.
Xiao Lan's voice cut through, sharp. "We're exposed! They'll come for the fragment." Her eyes bored into Su Mei, tension raw. "You're slowing us down," she hissed, her rivalry a smoldering flame.
Su Mei's gaze held steady, her voice faint but firm. "My place is here, Xiao Lan, for the Oath—and him."
Lian Yue frowned, her aura probing. "The relic's clue—'where trust is forged.' A relic tied to the Oath's origin lies here."
Chen Wei's voice was urgent. "The tablet's runes mention a starlit relic, linked to Zhao Wuji's coercion. I saw it in the vale."
Ye Tian's gaze hardened, the Void Scar pulsing. "Show us." He supported Su Mei, 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 altar, finding a hidden compartment with a Starlit Relic, its star runes etched with the Oath's origin: "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 under a dying star, Zhao Wuji at his side, coerced by the Court. "The Oath demands a soul's price," his master warned. Hua Qing stood nearby, her eyes cold, plotting betrayal. Pain spiked, but Su Mei's faint melody steadied him. "My mother paid that price," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Stop Hua Qing."
Their shared betrayal bound them tighter, her resolve a quiet vow. Before Ye Tian could study the relic, the nexus trembled, a massive aura surging. A Starlit Map glowed, revealing a path to the Starveil Shrine, where the next fragment lay. A new clue read: "The blade's heart unveils the soul's shadow." But a shadow stirred—a Court Ritualist, 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 presence steadied him. Was this ritualist the key to Hua Qing's ritual, or a final barrier to the Oath's shadow?