Chapter 52: The Trial of Shadows
Yan Shun ran a hand over one of the inscriptions lining the cavern walls. "This is no mere tomb. The Abyssal Vault was never meant to be found," he murmured. "It is a prison."
"A prison for what?" Zheng Wei asked, his grip tightening on his staff.
Yan Shun hesitated. "I don't know. But whatever it is, even the Jade Empress feared it."
A heavy silence settled over the group as they continued forward, reaching the edge of an ancient bridge suspended over a seemingly bottomless chasm. The bridge's stonework was cracked and worn with time, its surface slick with condensation. Beyond it, the cavern narrowed into a tunnel, the only path forward.
Li Feng exhaled, stepping onto the bridge first. "Stay close."
They advanced cautiously, the silence thickening. Then, without warning, the air shifted. A low whisper echoed from below, rising from the abyss like a cold wind.
"They come," Mei Lian whispered, her eyes darting around.
A deep, guttural wail erupted from the chasm. Shadowy wraiths ascended from the darkness, their twisted forms clawing at the air. They had no eyes, only hollow sockets where anguish pulsed like embers. As the first of them emerged, a freezing presence gripped the air.
"They are the spirits of warriors who failed this trial," Yan Shun muttered. "We must not let them take us."
The wraiths did not attack immediately. Instead, they hovered, their forms distorting like rippling water. Then, the apparitions twisted—molding into shapes familiar to each of them.
Li Feng froze. Before him stood a figure clad in flowing robes, eyes burning with disappointment. His father.
"Weak," the specter of his father spat. "You were never strong enough. That is why you lost everything."
Li Feng's stomach twisted. "You are not real."
"Neither are you," his father's voice whispered. "Not yet. But you will be. You will break, and when you do, the Coiled Dragon Ring will consume you."
A sharp intake of breath pulled Li Feng's gaze to Mei Lian. Across from her stood Lady Yuexiang, her lips curled in amusement.
"Poor child," the phantom cooed. "Still running from fate? Or are you beginning to realize there is no escape?"
Mei Lian's hands clenched into fists. "You're not real."
"And yet, I have never been more true than in this moment," Lady Yuexiang's phantom whispered. "You will betray them, just as I have foreseen."
Zheng Wei staggered backward, his face pale as he beheld the burning remnants of his sect, the screams of his fallen brothers ringing in his ears. "No... it wasn't my fault!"
Yan Shun's face darkened. His own phantom had no features, no face—just a towering figure cloaked in shadows. A voice, ancient and cold, echoed through him. "You are still unworthy."
The bridge trembled beneath them. The wraiths moved closer, the air thick with their accusations. Li Feng's heart pounded, his mind screaming for him to move, to fight, to resist.
"It's a trick!" Mei Lian shouted. "They are illusions! They feed on our doubts. We must push forward!"
Li Feng gritted his teeth. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. The flames of the Phoenix Sigil within him flickered. Doubt was an ember waiting to be fanned into an inferno. If he let it consume him, the wraiths would win.
He exhaled. "No more."
His father's specter lunged, but Li Feng stepped forward—through it. The wraith screeched and dissipated into the void.
Mei Lian followed suit, eyes burning with resolve. "I make my own fate."
Yan Shun's fingers twitched, but with a sharp exhale, he strode forward. "I walk my own path."
Zheng Wei trembled, tears staining his face. "I... I did my best." He took a staggering step forward, then another, breaking free from his phantom's grip.
The bridge rumbled, the wraiths shrieking as they recoiled. Then, as quickly as they had appeared, they vanished, drawn back into the abyss.
A tense silence followed.
Yan Shun let out a breath. "We keep moving."
The trial was not over, but they had won this battle. The path ahead, however, was only growing darker.