*Chapter 66: The Weight of Trust**

The village gates stood open at dawn, their reinforced timbers creaking in the icy wind. Li Tian adjusted the straps of his travel pack, his breath fogging in the air as he surveyed the six villagers assembled before him. They were an unlikely cadre—farmers, artisans, and former bandits turned protectors—but each bore the glint of awakened qi in their eyes. Behind them, the Spirit Gathering Array hummed faintly, its aurora-like barrier shimmering like a second sky.

Mei Ling stepped forward, her crystal hairpin catching the pale light. "You're sure about this rabble?" Her voice carried no malice, only the sharp pragmatism that had kept the village alive.

Li Tian nodded. "They've earned their place."

The chosen six straightened:

1. **Daiyu** – A wiry huntress with a lynx's grace, her bow strung with sinew from the Silverfang Beasts she'd helped tame.

2. **Renshu** – The blacksmith's apprentice, his massive frame belying a talent for earth qi manipulation that could shatter boulders.

3. **Xia** – A former Flame Emperor acolyte turned healer, her hands still bearing burn scars from her desertion.

4. **Bo** – A teenage scout whose knack for reading qi currents had saved the granary from three raids.

5. **Jin** – An ex-bandit with a silver tongue and twin daggers that moved like serpent fangs.

6. **Old Guo** – The village's oldest surviving elder, his milky eyes seeing more of the spirit world than the physical.

"We'll slow you down," Old Guo wheezed, leaning on his gnarled staff. "The Deadbone Wastes chew up the young. What hope have these bones?"

Li Tian placed a hand on the elder's shoulder. "You've walked the Wastes in your youth. That's more than any map."

A horn sounded—Kang's signal from the watchtower. The Ashbringer's main force would arrive by nightfall.

"Move out," Li Tian ordered.

As they crossed the barrier's threshold, Daiyu nocked an arrow, her gaze sweeping the skeletal trees. "Feels like being skinned alive."

The array's energy clung to them briefly, a mother's reluctant farewell, before the Deadbone Wastes' oppressive qi smothered it.

---

**The First Trial**

By midday, the lush foothills gave way to cracked earth veined with phosphorescent fungi. Bo crouched, tracing a finger over tracks. "Rock scorpions. Big ones."

Renshu hefted his hammer. "How big?"

The ground erupted.

A chitinous claw the size of a plow blade snapped at Bo's legs. Daiyu's arrow found the joint, but the bolt barely pierced the armor.

"Aim for the vents!" Xia shouted, her healer's knowledge of anatomy overriding fear.

Li Tian lunged, qi flaring around his stolen Flame Emperor blade. The scorpion's tail lashed, dripping venom that sizzled where it struck stone. Jin danced inside its guard, daggers probing for weak spots.

"Left leg—now!" Old Guo barked, his blind eyes rolled back.

Renshu's hammer struck true, shattering the leg. The scorpion reeled, and Li Tian's blade found the abdominal vent. Acidic blood sprayed, eaten by the Wastes' hungry soil.

Bo stared at the twitching corpse. "How'd you know?"

Old Guo tapped his temple. "The dead whisper. Listen louder."

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**The Unwelcome Shadow**

They camped that night in a hollowed mesa, its walls scarred with ancient carvings. Xia brewed a bitter tea to ward off the Wastes' creeping miasma. "Drink. It'll taste like regret, but it'll keep your organs from liquefying."

Jin sniffed his cup. "Smells like my ex-wife's perfume."

As laughter rippled, Daiyu stiffened. "We're being followed."

Li Tian nodded. He'd sensed it since midday—a presence skirting the edges of his perception. Not beast nor demon. *Human.*

They set a trap.

When the stalker crept into camp, Daiyu's arrow pinned his shadow to a rock. The man hissed—a Flame Emperor scout in ash-stained robes.

"Kill me and the Ashbringer burns your village faster," the scout spat.

Li Tian crouched, his blade glowing faintly. "You're not here for the village."

The scout's eyes flicked to Old Guo. "The Sect wants the elder. His sight pierces veils."

Before Li Tian could react, the scout bit down. His body convulsed, skin blackening as suicide poison took hold.

Old Guo sighed. "They fear what I might remember."

---

**The Ghost Road**

Dawn revealed the true Wastes—a labyrinth of canyons where the wind screamed with voices. Bo led them along a path only visible at certain angles, his qi-sight navigating the illusionary cliffs.

"Step where I step," he warned.

Renshu misjudged. The ground crumbled, and he plummeted. Xia's vines—infused with healing qi—snagged his wrist, but the effort drained her.

"Leave me," Renshu growled, dangling over the abyss.

"Shut up," Jin snapped, hauling him up with Daiyu's help. "We're not the Flame Emperor. We don't discard our own."

Li Tian watched, silent. The Codex's corruption throbbed in his veins, a reminder that *he* might soon become the liability.

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**The Hollow Star's Whisper**

That night, the mesa carvings glowed. Old Guo traced the symbols. "This isn't a Sanctum map. It's a warning."

The carvings depicted a star swallowing a city, its tendrils labeled *Hollow Star* in the Magic Emperor's cipher.

"The Codex mentioned binding it," Li Tian said.

Old Guo's milky eyes narrowed. "You can't bind what's already free. The Sanctum isn't a vault—it's a bridge."

Before Li Tian could question him, Xia screamed.

A tendril of shadow had pierced her chest. Not physically—her body lay untouched—but her spirit writhed as the Hollow Star's voice boomed:

*"You carry a dying torch, Keeper. Let me spare you the slow burn."*

Li Tian slashed with qi, severing the connection. Xia collapsed, her breath ragged.

"What was that?" Jin demanded.

"A preview," Li Tian said, staring into the Wastes' starless night.

---

**The Cost of Loyalty**

By the third day, the group moved like veterans—Bo scouting ahead, Daiyu and Jin flanking, Renshu guarding the rear. Only Xia's pallor betrayed their toll.

"The spirit attack damaged her core," Old Guo muttered to Li Tian. "She hides it, but she'll falter when it matters."

Li Tian's hand drifted to his own corrupted veins. "We all will."

That afternoon, they found the first Sanctum marker—a stone monolith carved with the Magic Emperor's serpent-and-tower sigil. As Li Tian pressed his amulet to the stone, the ground shook.

A rift opened, revealing a staircase to a buried temple.

"Sanctum outpost," Old Guo breathed. "Where he trained his disciples."

The ruins radiated menace. Daiyu nocked an arrow. "Something's watching."

From the shadows emerged figures robed in decayed silk, their faces porcelain masks. The Magic Emperor's last disciples—now undying guardians.

"Stand ready," Li Tian ordered, but his vision blurred. The Codex's corruption chose that moment to strike.

As the guardians attacked, the villagers closed ranks around their falling leader.

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