Chapter 16: Echoes of the Forsaken

Lin Wei's breath fogged in the frigid air as he crouched behind a weather-worn boulder, his Qi Refinement senses straining to track the Thunder Valley scouts closing in. Lin Mei hovered beside him, her ghostfire form flickering like a dying lantern, veins of crimson Xue qi threading through her translucent body. Yuelin pressed against the stone, her bandaged stump—once fused with Sovereign energy—tucked tightly to her chest.

"They're circling," Lin Mei whispered, her voice echoing as if carried by the wind itself. "Thirty seconds."

Lin Wei's fingers tightened around a rusted dagger. "Distract them. I'll take the left flank."

"With what?" Yuelin hissed. "You're weaker than a novice."

"With this." Lin Mei's hand phased through his chest, igniting a temporary surge of ghostfire in his veins. [Temporary Boost: Qi Refinement → Foundation Establishment (Unstable).]

He moved before the heat faded.

The scouts died quickly, their throats slit by a blur of ghostfire-enhanced strikes. But the last one laughed as he fell, blood bubbling on his lips. "The Sovereign… awaits you…"

Lin Wei staggered back, the borrowed qi evaporating. The scout's corpse twitched, his eyes flooding with void-black energy. The Sovereign's voice spilled from his mouth: "You cannot outrun fate, nephew. Your soul is already mine."

Lin Mei's flames lashed out, reducing the corpse to ash. "Liar."

But the damage was done. Yuelin stared at the smoldering remains, her face pale. "It's in their blood now. The corruption… it's spreading."

[New Task: Locate Sovereign's Anchor (Remaining: 2).]

[Reward: Soul Retrieval Protocol (Draft Found).]

Lin Wei's eyes narrowed. "Where?"

Lin Mei's form rippled, her voice splintering. "The Silent Patriarch's temple… and the Veil's forge."

The temple was a carcass of splintered wood and shattered stone, its once-sacred halls defiled by crude Thunder Valley banners. Lin Wei traced a finger over the Patriarch's defaced statue, its stone eyes gouged out. "They're using it as a stronghold."

Yuelin peered through a crack in the wall. "Guards. Six. All… infected."

Lin Mei's ghostfire dimmed. "Their qi reeks of the Sovereign. It's not just corruption—they're vessels."

Lin Wei gripped his dagger. "Same plan."

"No." Yuelin stepped forward, her remaining hand trembling. "I'll draw them out. Mei, burn them when they're clear of the relics."

"You'll die," Lin Mei said flatly.

Yuelin met her gaze. "Make it count."

She ran, shouting obscenities, drawing the guards into the open. Lin Mei's flames engulfed them, but one lunged through the inferno, his void-black eyes locking onto Lin Wei.

"Your soul… belongs to the abyss…"

The guard's blade pierced Lin Wei's shoulder before Lin Mei severed his head. Blood soaked the snow as the system flashed:

[Sovereign's Claim: 12%.]

[Warning: Direct exposure accelerates corruption.]

Inside the temple, the anchor pulsed—a corrupted shrine stone oozing viscous shadow. Lin Mei's ghostfire recoiled. "It's a trap. Again."

"Always is." Lin Wei pressed his bloodied palm to the stone. The Sovereign's laughter echoed as the anchor dissolved, its energy slithering into his wound.

[Sovereign's Corruption: 18%.]

[Soul Retrieval Protocol Updated: 1/2 Anchors Destroyed.]

Yuelin stared at his blackened veins. "You're playing its game."

"Only way to win," he said, collapsing against the altar.

Lin Mei's form flickered, her voice softening. "The forge is next. But… it's guarded by someone you know."

A figure materialized in the temple's doorway—silhouetted by moonlight, his face scarred and eyes hollow.

Uncle Tao.

Or what remained of him.