The Ashen Void pulsed with fading starfire, its gray mist coiling around the Starveil Shrine's obsidian spires, their tips dimming under the waning celestial alignment. Ye Tian faced the Void Shard's Challenge, 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 pierces the void's wrath." The Void Scar in his dantian throbbed, its black Qi weakened by Starlight Resonance but still persistent, a jagged reminder of the Celestial Court's curse. The Jade Relic's vision of Hua Qing's betrayal—"The Oath's heart will make me divine"—burned in his mind, her ambition for divinity a palpable threat.
The lead specter's voice hissed, "Hua Qing's ritual claims the Oath's heart." Behind Ye Tian, Xiao Lan gripped her crescent blade, her wounds bandaged but her eyes blazing with defiance. Elder Lian Yue's silver hair shimmered, her Core Formation aura a steady bulwark against the void's oppressive weight.
Su Mei, her strength nearly restored, stood close, her jade flute raised, its star runes glowing, her Starlit Melody a vibrant anchor against the Void Scar's chaos. Chen Wei lingered, his scarred face tense, clutching the stone tablet, his uncanny knowledge of Hua Qing's ritual deepening Ye Tian's suspicion.
The lead specter's blade flared, its aura a tide of corrupted starlight. "The void's wrath pierces you."
Ye Tian's eyes narrowed, Sword Intent slicing through the mist. "My blade pierces all wrath." 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 ritual pierces the void's wrath," she declared. Pain seared his core, but Su Mei's vibrant melody cut through, steadying him.
Her jade eyes met his, fierce and resolute. "We'll pierce her wrath together," she said, her flute's notes weaving a radiant barrier. The melody synced with his Qi, easing the Void Scar's burn, their bond a beacon in the void's gloom.
Xiao Lan's voice snapped, sharp with frustration. "Destroy these specters!" Her gaze flicked to Su Mei, rivalry flaring. "You're still too weak to lead," she hissed, her words cutting. She charged, her crescent slashes carving through the mist, her movements sharp but reckless.
Su Mei's eyes hardened, her voice clear and firm. "My strength serves the Oath, Xiao Lan, not your envy."
Lian Yue's aura surged. "The specters are tied to a Void Shard array. Find its source!"
Chen Wei's hand twitched, his voice low, eyes flickering with unease. "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 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 shook his core, the Void Scar flaring, a vision searing—Hua Qing, forging a Void Shard with a Court elder, her voice cold. "The ritual demands the void's wrath." Ye Tian roared, channeling Starlight Resonance. The alignment's fading 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, now radiant, summoned a vibrant Starlit Phoenix, its wings dispersing the specters' dark Qi. The bird dove, talons raking the lead specter's chest, but another specter's blade lashed, shattering the phoenix and forcing Su Mei to stagger. Ye Tian caught her, their hands clasping briefly, her touch a warm anchor against his pain. "I'm still here," she whispered, her melody rising again, vines binding the second specter's legs with fierce strength.
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, her strength blazing.
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 shrine's runes flared, a Void Shard pulsing within, amplifying the challenge's power.
Su Mei's voice, clear and urgent, broke through. "The shard empowers her ritual. Use the Resonance!" Her melody surged, her lore knowledge guiding him, her notes weaving a path to the shard.
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 fading 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 shard's power is tied to the ritual. Break it."
Ye Tian approached the shrine's core, the fragments in hand, channeling Starlight Resonance. The Void Shard pulsed, its dark light clashing with his Qi. A vision erupted—Hua Qing, her cold eyes fixed on a Void Shard, standing over Zhao Wuji's broken form under a dying star. "The Oath's heart will make me divine," she declared, her ambition raw. Pain spiked, but Su Mei's melody anchored him, her notes a lifeline.
The Void Scar writhed, black Qi seeping from his core, but Starlight Resonance surged, its silver light burning the darkness away. Ye Tian's aura flared, Body Refinement Stage 4 stabilizing, the Scar's grip loosening further. He struck the Void Shard, the fragments flaring, their light shattering its dark radiance. The specters faltered, their forms dissolving into mist. The challenge collapsed, the shrine's runes dimming.
The void stilled, the fragment's glow softening. Ye Tian panted, blood dripping from his shoulder, the Void Scar quieter but lingering. Su Mei steadied herself against him, her touch a warm anchor. "You pierced the wrath," she said, her voice clear and 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 void. "I won't let you fall."
Her eyes softened, a flicker of fear beneath her resolve. "Then we end 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 still too weak," she hissed, her rivalry a smoldering flame.
Su Mei's gaze held steady, her voice firm. "My place is here, Xiao Lan, for the Oath—and him."
Lian Yue frowned, her aura probing. "The shard's clue—'pierces the void's wrath.' A relic tied to Hua Qing's betrayal lies here."
Chen Wei's voice was urgent, his eyes flickering with unease. "The tablet's runes mention a starlit relic, linked to her betrayal. I saw it in the vale."
Ye Tian's gaze hardened, the Void Scar pulsing with doubt. "You know too much, Chen Wei." 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 Oath's heart nears completion," she declared, her voice laced with triumph. The vision burned clear, revealing her betrayal: sacrificing Zhao Wuji's trust to forge the ritual's power. Pain spiked, but Su Mei's melody steadied him. "My mother was her wrath," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Stop her."
Their shared betrayal bound them tighter, her resolve a quiet vow. Su Mei's voice, clear and urgent, broke through. "The relic's runes hold her betrayal's truth. My lore can unravel it." Her melody surged, her notes probing the relic's runes, revealing a pattern tied to the Starveil Shrine's sanctum.
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. The Starlit Map glowed, revealing a path to the shrine's core, where the next fragment lay. A new clue read: "The blade's heart binds the void's truth."
Before Ye Tian could advance, the void quaked, a massive aura surging. A Celestial Guardian, Core Formation Stage 10, emerged, its blade radiating pure starlight, its voice ancient and solemn. "The Oath's keeper must bind the void's truth," it intoned.
Ye Tian raised the Lunar Fang, Su Mei's melody rising beside him, their energies entwined. The Void Scar burned, but her presence steadied him. Was this guardian the key to Hua Qing's betrayal, or a final barrier to the Oath's truth?