The Starforge Nexus quaked with fading starfire, its crystalline spires casting jagged shadows across the void-rift floor. Ye Tian faced the Court Ritualist, a Core Formation Stage 10 figure cloaked in corrupted Starshatter Qi, its blade pulsing with malice from a jade slip etched with void runes. 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 burns where shadows lie." 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 ritual—"The Oath's heart will make me divine"—burned in his mind, her ambition for divinity clear. The Ritualist'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, 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 Ritualist's blade flared, its aura a tide of corrupted starlight. "The Oath's heart is hers. You'll burn."
Ye Tian's eyes narrowed, Sword Intent rippling the air. "My blade burns brighter." 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 trap 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 dimming light.
Xiao Lan's voice snapped, sharp with frustration. "End this pawn!" Her gaze flicked to Su Mei, rivalry flaring. "You're too weak to help," 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 scorn."
Lian Yue's aura surged. "The Ritualist's tied to a Void Shard trap. Find it!"
Chen Wei's hand twitched, his voice low. "The trap'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 Ritualist struck, its blade a storm of corrupted 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, forging a Void Shard with a Court elder, her voice cold. "The ritual demands a soul's shadow." Ye Tian roared, channeling Starlight Resonance. The nexus's starlight surged into his blade, amplifying his Qi, his strikes glowing as he slashed the Ritualist's arm, blood and starlight spraying.
Su Mei's Starlit Melody, though weakened, summoned a faint Starlit Phoenix, its wings scattering the Ritualist's dark Qi. The bird dove, talons grazing its chest, but the Ritualist'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 Ritualist's legs.
Xiao Lan's slashes carved the Ritualist's side, blood spraying, but its blade grazed her arm, her grunt sharp. Lian Yue's Crescent Moon Slash unleashed a blue arc, slicing its cloak, but the Ritualist pressed forward, relentless. Chen Wei struck, his blade precise, but his eyes darted to the altar, hesitation flickering. "The shard—destroy it!" he shouted.
Ye Tian's gaze snapped to him, doubt coiling. "Find it!" He ducked the Ritualist's strike, the corrupted blade nicking his shoulder, blood dripping. Pain surged, but Su Mei's faint melody wrapped around him, a Starlit Barrier shielding him. "Stay strong," she urged, her jade eyes fierce despite her weakness.
The Ritualist's blade flashed, aiming for Ye Tian's heart. He parried, Sword Intent quaking the air. Su Mei's melody tightened the vines, slowing the Ritualist. Ye Tian lunged, Iron Vein Slash infused with Starlight Resonance, slashing its chest. Blood arced, the Ritualist staggering, but its jade slip flared, triggering a Void Shard Trap. Void Specters, Stage 9, emerged, their red eyes glowing in the nexus's shadows, and the altar pulsed with a dark array, amplifying the Ritualist's power.
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 core. It cracked, black light erupting, the specters faltering and the array weakening. Ye Tian seized the moment, Starlight Resonance peaking, his blade a silver comet. He struck, the Lunar Fang piercing the Ritualist's core. The figure collapsed, its jade slip dimming, the trap dissolving.
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 her trap," 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 burn her shadows together," 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 shadows lie.' A relic tied to the Oath's heart lies here."
Chen Wei's voice was urgent. "The tablet's runes mention a starlit relic, linked to Hua Qing's ritual. I saw it in the vale."
Ye Tian's gaze hardened, the Void Scar pulsing. "Show us." He supported Su Mei, a vision flashing—Hua Qing, her cold eyes fixed on a starlit relic, chanting in a Court ritual under a blood moon. The third betrayer's ambition burned clear.
They searched the altar, finding a hidden compartment with a Starlit Relic, its star runes etched with the Oath's heart: "The blade's heart burns the soul's shadow in sacrifice." As Ye Tian touched it, a vision erupted: Hua Qing, betraying Ye Tian's master, offering a Void Shard to a Court elder under a dying star. "The Oath's heart will make me divine," she declared, her ritual requiring the Starshatter Sword's fragments and a soul's shadow. Pain spiked, but Su Mei's faint melody steadied him. "My mother was her shadow," she whispered, her voice breaking. "End her ritual."
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's core, where the next fragment lay. A new clue read: "The blade's heart shatters the soul's veil." But a shadow stirred—a Court Enforcer, Core Formation Stage 10, its blade radiating corrupted Starshatter Qi, a jade slip pulsing in its hand. "Hua Qing's ritual awakens the Oath's heart," 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 enforcer the key to Hua Qing's ritual, or a final barrier to the Oath's veil?