Chapter 17: Whispers of the Damned

Uncle Tao's hollow eyes glowed with void-black energy, his scarred face twisted into a mockery of a smile. Lin Wei tightened his grip on the rusted dagger, its edge trembling in his weakened hand. Lin Mei's ghostfire flickered erratically, casting jagged shadows over the temple ruins. Yuelin edged backward, her bandaged stump pressed to her chest like a shield.

"Hello, nephew," Uncle Tao rasped, the Sovereign's voice layered over his own. "Miss me?"

Lin Wei lunged first, driven by rage and desperation. The dagger clanged against Tao's void-hardened arm, sparks flying. Lin Mei's flames lashed out, but Tao sidestepped, his movements unnervingly precise—a blend of his old martial prowess and the Sovereign's corruption.

"You're slower," Tao taunted, seizing Lin Wei's wrist. "Weak. Just like your mother."

Lin Mei's ghostfire flared. "Let him go."

The flames engulfed Tao, but he laughed, the Sovereign's qi devouring the heat. "You think fire hurts me? I've burned in the abyss for months."

Yuelin lunged with a broken temple shard, plunging it into Tao's side. Black ichor oozed from the wound, and for a heartbeat, his void-lit eyes flickered—human, terrified.

"Wei… run," Tao choked, his voice his own.

Then the Sovereign reclaimed him.

The fight turned brutal. Tao's strikes blurred, fueled by the Sovereign's malice. Lin Wei dodged clumsily, his Qi Refinement body failing him. Lin Mei's flames grew dimmer, her form fraying at the edges. Yuelin, weaponless, resorted to hurling debris, her face streaked with tears and grit.

A backhanded blow sent Lin Wei crashing into the Patriarch's shattered statue. The system flickered weakly:

[Sovereign's Corruption: 24%.]

[Warning: Host's physical integrity critical.]

Tao loomed over him, a void-edged dagger materializing in his grip. "Your soul will make a fine offering."

Lin Mei screamed—a sound like shattering glass. Her ghostfire exploded, not at Tao, but into Lin Wei's chest. [Temporary Boost: Qi Refinement → Foundation Establishment (Peak Stage).]

Lin Wei moved. The dagger pierced Tao's heart—not the corrupted one, but the faintly beating remnant buried beneath the void.

Tao gasped, his eyes clearing. "The forge… it's a prison. Don't… let her…"

He disintegrated, his ashes scattering into the wind.

The temple fell silent. Lin Wei collapsed, the borrowed qi evaporating. Lin Mei's form wavered, her ghostfire now threaded with inky tendrils of Sovereign energy.

"He was trying to warn us," Yuelin whispered, clutching Tao's dagger. "The forge—it's not just a place. It's alive."

Lin Mei's voice fragmented. "My memories… the forge is where the Veil was born. And where it dies."

[New Task: Reach the Veil's Forge (Time Limit: 48 Hours).]

[Penalty: Sovereign's Ascension.]

As they fled the temple, Thunder Valley's war drums echoed. Ahead, the horizon shimmered—a mirage of molten metal and screaming souls. The forge.

Lin Wei's corrupted veins throbbed. "It's a trap."

"We're all traps now," Yuelin said, tightening her grip on the dagger. "But it's the only path left."

Behind them, the Sovereign's laughter rumbled, closer than ever.