The Ashen Void shimmered with resurgent starfire, its gray mist swirling around the Starveil Shrine's obsidian spires, their tips blazing under the celestial alignment's radiant surge. Ye Tian faced the Celestial Guardian, a Core Formation Stage 10 entity woven from pure starlight, its blade radiating uncorrupted Starshatter Qi.
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 void's truth." 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 Starlit 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 Guardian's voice echoed, ancient and solemn: "Bind the void's truth, or the Oath rejects you." 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 Guardian's blade flared, its aura a tide of pure starlight. "Your soul hides the truth. Prove its bind."
Ye Tian's eyes narrowed, Sword Intent slicing through the mist. "My blade binds all truths." 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 binds the void's truth," 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 bind her truth 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. "Prove it with steel!" 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 Guardian's tied to the Oath's truth. Find its source!"
Chen Wei's hand twitched, his voice low, eyes flickering with unease. "The source is 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 Guardian struck, its blade a flash of pure 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 truth." Ye Tian roared, channeling Starlight Resonance. The alignment's starfire surged into his blade, amplifying his Qi, his strikes glowing as he slashed the Guardian's arm, starlight mist spraying.
Su Mei's Starlit Melody, now radiant, summoned a vibrant Starlit Phoenix, its wings dispersing the Guardian's radiant Qi. The bird dove, talons raking its chest, but the Guardian'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 Guardian's legs with fierce strength.
Xiao Lan's slashes carved the Guardian's side, mist spraying, but its blade grazed her shoulder, her grunt sharp. Lian Yue's Crescent Moon Slash unleashed a blue arc, slicing its form, but the Guardian reformed, its aura intensifying. Chen Wei struck, his blade precise, but his eyes darted to the shrine's core, hesitation flickering. "The source—destroy it!" he shouted.
Ye Tian's gaze snapped to him, doubt coiling. "Find it!" He dodged the Guardian's strike, the starlight blade nicking his arm, 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, her strength blazing.
The Guardian's blade flashed, aiming for Ye Tian's heart. He parried, Sword Intent quaking the air. Su Mei's vines tightened, slowing the Guardian. Ye Tian lunged, Iron Vein Slash infused with Starlight Resonance, slashing its chest. Starlight erupted, the Guardian staggering, but the shrine's runes flared, a Celestial Core pulsing within, amplifying its power.
Su Mei's voice, clear and urgent, broke through. "The core holds the Oath's truth. Use the fragments!" 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 core's power is tied to the Oath. Break it."
Ye Tian approached the shrine's core, the fragments in hand, channeling Starlight Resonance. The Celestial Core pulsed, its light clashing with his Qi. A vision erupted—Hua Qing, betraying Zhao Wuji under a dying star, her voice cold. "The Oath's truth will make me divine," she declared, offering a Void Shard to a Court elder. 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 Celestial Core, the fragments flaring, their light shattering its radiance. The Guardian faltered, its form flickering. He lunged, the Lunar Fang piercing its core. The Guardian dissolved into starlit mist, its voice echoing, "The Oath's truth lies where the void is bound."
The void stilled, the fragment's glow softening. Ye Tian panted, blood dripping from his arm, the Void Scar quieter but lingering. Su Mei steadied herself against him, her touch a warm anchor. "You bound the truth," 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 core's clue—'where the void is bound.' A relic tied to Hua Qing's ritual's final stage lies here."
Chen Wei's voice was urgent, his eyes flickering with unease. "The tablet's runes mention a starlit relic, linked to the ritual's end. 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 ritual's final stage: a sacrifice of the Starshatter Fragments and a soul's truth. Pain spiked, but Su Mei's melody steadied him. "My mother was her truth," 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 the ritual's final stage. 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 shatters the void's heart."
Before Ye Tian could advance, the void quaked, a massive aura surging. A Court Enforcer's Trap erupted—three Core Formation Stage 9 specters, their forms woven from corrupted Starshatter Qi, jade slips pulsing in their hands. Their leader hissed, "Hua Qing's ritual claims the Oath's heart."
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 trap the key to Hua Qing's ritual, or a final barrier to the Oath's heart?