The Starforge Nexus pulsed with celestial starfire, its crystalline spires trembling as a celestial alignment blazed above, casting streams of radiant light across the void-rift floor. Ye Tian faced the Court Ritualist's Trap, three Core Formation Stage 9 specters woven from corrupted Starshatter Qi, their 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 burns the soul's veil." The Void Scar in his dantian throbbed, its black Qi weakened but persistent, a jagged reminder of the Celestial Court's curse. The Starlit Relic's vision of Hua Qing's ritual—"The Oath's heart will make me divine"—burned in his mind, her ambition for divinity nearing its peak. The lead specter'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 lead specter'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 burn her veil 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 radiant light.
Xiao Lan's voice snapped, sharp with frustration. "Destroy these shadows!" Her gaze flicked to Su Mei, rivalry flaring. "You're too frail to fight," 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 spite."
Lian Yue's aura surged. "The specters are tied to the alignment's power. Use it!"
Chen Wei's hand twitched, his voice low. "The alignment's core is in the nexus's heart. 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 specter 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 veil." Ye Tian roared, channeling Starlight Resonance. The nexus's starfire surged into his blade, amplifying his Qi, his strikes glowing as he slashed the specter's arm, starlight mist spraying.
Su Mei's Starlit Melody, though weakened, summoned a faint Starlit Phoenix, its wings scattering the specters' dark Qi. The bird dove, talons grazing the lead specter's chest, but another specter'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 specter's legs.
Xiao Lan's slashes felled the third specter, mist spraying, but the lead specter's blade grazed her shoulder, her grunt sharp. Lian Yue's Crescent Moon Slash unleashed a blue arc, slicing the second specter's form, but the lead specter 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 specter 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 specter. Ye Tian lunged, Iron Vein Slash infused with Starlight Resonance, slashing its chest. Starlight erupted, the specter staggering, but the nexus's runes flared, a Celestial Core pulsing within, amplifying the trap's power.
Su Mei's voice, faint but urgent, broke through. "The alignment empowers the Moonlit Purification Art. Now's the time!" Her melody surged, her lore knowledge guiding him, her notes weaving a path to the core.
Ye Tian's eyes met her jade gaze, her resolve strengthening his own. "Guide me," he said, his voice low, her faith a spark against his pain. He clutched the Starshatter Fragments, their glow merging with the alignment's starfire. Su Mei's melody enveloped him, its warmth syncing with his Qi, amplifying his focus.
Xiao Lan's voice snapped, sharp with tension. "Hurry! We're exposed!" Her eyes lingered on Su Mei, tension raw, her rivalry a smoldering flame.
Lian Yue nodded, her aura probing. "The alignment's power is fleeting. Channel it."
Ye Tian knelt at the nexus's heart, the fragments in hand, channeling Moonlit Purification Art. The alignment's starfire surged through him, his Qi clashing with the Void Scar's black Qi. Pain erupted, a vision searing—Hua Qing, her cold eyes fixed on a Void Shard, sealing a pact with a Court elder. "The Oath's heart is my ascension," she vowed. Ye Tian gritted his teeth, Su Mei's melody anchoring him, her notes a lifeline.
The Void Scar writhed, black Qi seeping from his core, dissipating into the nexus's starfire. Ye Tian's aura flared, Body Refinement Stage 3 stabilizing, the Scar's grip loosening further. Su Mei's hand brushed his, steadying him, her touch lingering. "You're breaking free," she whispered, her jade eyes shimmering with awe and quiet resolve.
Ye Tian struck the Celestial Core, its light fading, the specters faltering. He lunged, the Lunar Fang piercing the lead specter's core. The trap dissolved into starlit mist, the specters vanishing, 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 burned her veil," 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 face her ritual together," she whispered, her hand tightening briefly, sealing their bond.
Xiao Lan's voice cut through, sharp. "We're not safe! They'll come for the fragment." Her eyes bored into Su Mei, tension raw. "You're too weak to keep up," 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 core's clue—'burns the soul's veil.' A relic tied to Hua Qing's ritual lies here."
Chen Wei's voice was urgent. "The tablet's runes mention a jade relic, linked to her ritual's heart. 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 jade relic, chanting in a Court ritual. The third betrayer's ambition burned clear.
They searched the nexus's heart, finding a hidden compartment with a Jade Relic, its star runes etched with Hua Qing's ritual: "The blade's heart burns the soul's veil 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 nearing its peak, requiring a soul's veil and the Starshatter Fragments. Pain spiked, but Su Mei's faint melody steadied him. "My mother was her veil," 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 sanctum, where the next fragment lay. A new clue read: "The blade's heart shatters the soul's truth." 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 claims 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 truth?