Chapter 10: Veil’s Eclipse

The clan's courtyard was a storm of fire and blood. Thunder Valley disciples scaled the walls like locusts, their swords gleaming with poisoned qi. Lin Wei fought in a daze, his cultivation weakened, the Moonlit Veil's faint pulse a fragile thread tethering him to clarity. Lin Mei carved through possessed fighters at his side, her ghostfire arm now a jagged spire of ice and cobalt flame.

"Left flank—now!" she barked, incinerating a cluster of attackers.

Lin Wei obeyed, channeling the last dregs of his qi into a tremor that collapsed the eastern wall, burying a wave of enemies. The system's alerts flickered weakly:

[Cultivation Base: Foundation Establishment (Late Stage).]

[Moonlit Veil Integrity: 12%.]

A scream cut through the chaos—Elder Qiang, pinned beneath rubble as Uncle Tao stood over him, sword raised.

"Traitor!" Lin Wei roared, but the distance was too great.

Lin Mei moved faster. Her corrupted arm lashed out, ghostfire engulfing Uncle Tao's blade. He staggered back, his face twisted with rage.

"Foolish girl! You'll doom us all to protect him?"

"No," she hissed. "I'm dooming you."

Her fist plunged into his chest, crystallizing his heart mid-beat. Uncle Tao crumpled, his final breath a whisper: "Xue… always… wins…"

The reprieve was brief. Lord Xue's laughter echoed as possessed disciples began merging, their bodies dissolving into a grotesque amalgam of flesh and void. The creature towered, its maw dripping with the faces of the dead.

[New Threat: Abyssal Amalgam (Nascent Soul Stage).]

[Recommended Action: Retreat.]

Lin Wei spat blood. "Like hell."

He tore the Moonlit Veil from his neck, its chain biting into his skin. "Mei! The scroll—the failsafe!"

She understood. Her ghostfire arm shattered, releasing a storm of cobalt flames that entwined with the Veil's dying light. The amalgam recoiled as their combined energy struck its core, tearing a fissure in its void-black heart.

[Sacrifice Detected: Moonlit Veil (Destroyed).]

[Penalty: Bloodline Exposure Imminent.]

Lin Wei's vision blurred. His Xue lineage surged unbidden, crimson qi erupting from his pores. The clan's survivors froze, staring at the heir they'd unknowingly sheltered—the blood of their greatest enemy.

"Monster!" a disciple screamed.

Lin Mei staggered to his side, her arm regrown as pure ghostfire. "You… you idiot."

The amalgam reformed, stronger. Lord Xue's voice boomed from its core: "Join me, nephew. Or watch them all die."

The ground split. From the spirit vein's ruins rose a shadow—a skeletal figure cloaked in starlight and decay. The Eclipse Sovereign's echo smiled.

[Cataclysm Protocol Activated.]

[Final Task: Seal the Abyss or Embrace Legacy.]

Lin Wei reached for Lin Mei's hand. Her ghostfire melded with his crimson qi, a unstable fusion of betrayal and trust.

"Together?" he asked.

She laughed bitterly. "Always."