Chapter 12: Ashes and Embers

The ghostfire ember pulsed faintly in Lin Wei's palm, its light a fragile echo of Lin Mei's voice. Around him, the ruins of the Lin Clan smoldered, survivors picking through debris with hollow eyes. A group of disciples clustered near the shattered gate, their whispers sharp as blades.

"Xue traitor… should've died with her…"

Lin Wei ignored them, focusing on the ember's flicker. The system's prompt hovered, taunting:

[Lin Mei's Essence: Recovery Probability - 23%.]

[Required Item: Eclipse Sovereign's Core (Location Unknown).]

He tucked the ember into a fractured spiritstone vial, its glow seeping through the cracks. "We move at dusk," he said to no one, though a handful of disciples—those too wounded or desperate to flee—flinched at his command.

A rock struck his back. A child, no older than ten, glared from the shadows. "Murderer!"

Before Lin Wei could react, Elder Qiang's granddaughter, Yuelin, stepped forward. Her arm was bandaged, her face streaked with ash. "Leave him. Without the Veil, he's just… broken."

The word hung in the air, heavier than the Sovereign's eclipse.

They trekked north at nightfall, avoiding scorched villages and roads littered with Thunder Valley's abandoned banners. The ghostfire ember tugged Lin Wei toward a derelict temple half-swallowed by vines, its walls etched with star maps older than the Lin Clan itself.

Inside, murals depicted the Eclipse Sovereign devouring constellations. Lin Wei traced a clawed hand in the fresco, his Xue blood humming. The system flickered:

[Clue 1/3: Sovereign's Core requires a "Heart of Fallen Stars."]

[Translation: Locate the Celestial Graveyard.]

Yuelin lingered at the entrance, her voice brittle. "You'll get us all killed chasing ghosts."

"She's not a ghost," Lin Wei said, too quietly.

A disciple hissed, "The Sovereign's core could take decades to find! We need shelter, food—"

The temple trembled. Dust rained from the ceiling as a low, resonant growl shook the foundations.

[New Threat: Starved Voidbeast (Core Formation Stage).]

The creature slithered from the shadows—a serpentine mass of scales and void, its maw lined with teeth like shattered comets. The disciples scattered, but Lin Wei stood firm, the ghostfire ember flaring in his grip.

"Mei. Guide me."

The ember's light sharpened, searing a path across the beast's hide. Lin Wei struck, channeling his waning qi into a single dagger thrust. The voidbeast recoiled, its blood hissing like molten lead.

Yuelin lunged, driving her blade into its eye. "For the Elder!"

The beast dissolved into smoke, leaving behind a shard of obsidian streaked with starlight.

[Voidbeast Core Acquired.]

[Use: Temporary Cultivation Boost (1 hour). Side Effects: Lethal.]

Lin Wei pocketed it. "We're close."

Dawn found them at the edge of a crater where the earth bled silver. The Celestial Graveyard—a valley of petrified starfall fragments, their light long dead. The ghostfire ember blazed, pulling Lin Wei toward a monolith at its center.

Yuelin grabbed his arm. "This place reeks of the Sovereign. Turn back."

He shook her off. "You're free to leave."

She spat. "And let you doom another clan?"

The ember's light fractured, revealing inscriptions on the monolith—Xue lineage script. Lin Wei pressed his bloodied palm to the stone. It awoke with a groan, revealing a staircase descending into abyssal black.

[Celestial Graveyard: Tier 1 Unlocked.]

[Warning: Mortal Cultivators Not Permitted.]

Lin Wei descended. The disciples hesitated, then followed, Yuelin cursing under her breath.

The chamber below was a tomb of frozen light. At its center floated a crystalline heart, its rhythm echoing the Eclipse Sovereign's laugh. Lin Wei reached for it, but the system screamed:

[Deception Detected: Core is a Trap.]

[Eclipse Sovereign's Presence: 89%.]

Too late.

The heart shattered. The Sovereign's voice boomed, "You walk the path of your ancestor, Xue Wei. How does it feel… to be my pawn?"

The walls collapsed. The disciples screamed as void tendrils dragged them into the dark. Lin Wei clutched the ghostfire ember, its light dying as the Sovereign whispered:

"Bring her back. I dare you."