Chapter 2: Vow of the Shattered Circle

The mountain peak was cloaked in an eerie silence, broken only by the faint howl of the wind and the distant cries of scattered clan members. The blood-drawn circle, once glowing with the promise of immortality, now lay cracked and lifeless, its runes faded by the awakening of the curse. At its center rested Zhang Tao's body, his stone-like form shattered where the shadow's claw had torn through his chest. Blood pooled beneath him, staining the sacred ground, a grim reminder of the betrayal that had unleashed chaos.Xiao Feng knelt beside his beloved, his trembling hands brushing against Zhang Tao's cold, lifeless face. Tears streamed down his cheeks, each drop a silent scream of anguish. "We were supposed to face everything together," he whispered, his voice cracking like fragile glass. "Why did you leave me?" His shadow qi flickered around him, a dark mist mirroring the storm in his heart. He gently lifted Zhang Tao's body, cradling him as if he could still feel the warmth of his life. "I won't let you lie here, defiled by this cursed place," he said, his voice firm despite the tears. "I'll take you to your clan's sacred grounds. You deserve to rest with honor."Feng Xiu stepped forward, the golden seal of immortality glowing faintly on her chest, her eyes blazing with fury. "Zhao Hu," she hissed, her voice sharp as a blade. "This is his doing. He broke the circle. He killed Zhang Tao." Her gaze swept over the others, Li Mei, Chen Jian, Wang Shu, Liu Wei, each leader avoiding her eyes, their guilt and fear palpable. "We trusted him, and he betrayed us all. He'll pay for this treachery."Li Mei clenched her fists, flames flickering at her fingertips. "The ritual was interrupted, but we don't know who received immortality," she said, trying to suppress her fiery qi. "The inscription chose you, Feng Xiu, but Zhao Hu broke the circle. Did Xiao Feng and his clan become immortal, or was it another clan?" Liu Wei, surrounded by his nature qi, shook his head calmly. "We can't know. The inscription didn't speak. But the curse, it's affecting us all." Chen Jian sheathed his sword, muttering, "Immortality aside, if we don't unite, the outer realms will destroy us. They're still coming."Wang Shu, clutching his jade talismans tightly, added, "The curse has already begun. Did you hear the whispers from the mountain? The Immortals are watching us." The debate continued, each clan leader offering their own theory. But at that moment, the sky turned crimson. The clouds took on the hue of blood, and the air filled with the heavy scent of iron. The mountain began to tremble, an ominous light rising from the cracked circle. "This, this is the curse!" Wang Shu shouted, his talismans slipping from his hands.A terrifying scream echoed from the sky. From the crimson clouds emerged the shadows of the Immortals, ethereal beings with tattered cloaks billowing in the wind, their eyes glowing like flames. Each wielded long, black claws that hissed with energy as they sliced through the air. "You are all cursed!" one of the shadows roared, its voice shaking the mountain's stones.Xiao Feng set Zhang Tao's body down and leapt to his feet, his shadow qi rising like a shield around him. "Get back!" he shouted, but the Immortals had already attacked. Li Mei unleashed her flame qi, creating a wall of fire, but the shadows passed through it, lunging toward her. Chen Jian drew his sword and struck at a shadow, but his blade passed through its ethereal form, doing no harm. Wang Shu threw his jade talismans into the air, forming a protective barrier, but the shadows shattered it, their claws slashing his arm.Feng Xiu summoned her wind qi, creating a tornado to push the shadows back. "We have to fight together!" she cried, but the clan leaders scattered in panic. Liu Wei called forth vines with his nature qi, trying to ensnare a shadow, but the shadow tore through them and knocked him to the ground. The battle descended into chaos; the Immortals' power overwhelmed the leaders' qi.Suddenly, a shadow lunged toward Zhang Tao's body. Xiao Feng roared, "No!" and threw himself in front of it, hurling his shadow qi like a spear. The shadow deflected the attack and struck Xiao Feng with a claw, sending him crashing to the ground. Other shadows seized Zhang Tao's body, and with a beam of crimson light, they ascended into the sky. "Give him back!" Xiao Feng screamed, but the shadows vanished into the clouds. Zhang Tao's body was now in the hands of the Immortals.Xiao Feng fell to his knees, his tears turning to rage. His shadow qi swirled around him like a storm, the energy shaking the mountain's stones. "Zhao Hu," he growled, his voice low and venomous. "You took everything from me. The Immortals stole Zhang Tao, but this is your fault. I may not be able to kill you, but I'll never let you live in peace." His eyes burned with dark resolve as he made his vow: "I'll hunt you to the ends of the realms. When I'm done, you'll beg for death."His vow echoed through the silence of the mountain. The other clan leaders, recovering from the battle, looked at Xiao Feng. Feng Xiu, calming her wind qi, stepped forward, a glimmer of respect in her eyes. "Xiao Feng," she said, her voice soft but firm. "Your anger, your pain, it can unite us. I see you as our leader." Li Mei, suppressing her flames, nodded. "I agree. We need a leader to find Zhao Hu. That leader is you." Chen Jian sheathed his sword and said, "We must unite. And we'll do it under your command."Wang Shu and Liu Wei nodded as well, offering their support despite their wounds. Xiao Feng paused at their words. The loss of Zhang Tao still burned in his heart, but now he felt the weight of responsibility to unite the clans. "Then," he said, his voice resolute, "we'll find Zhao Hu. And we'll end this curse."Under Xiao Feng's leadership, the clans hurriedly gathered in the heart of the eight clans' territory, in the courtyard of an ancient temple. The people of the outer realms had attacked this region in scattered groups before, only to be defeated due to their disorganization. Now, the ritual's failure and the curse's awakening had brought the clans together once more, though the air was thick with tension and uncertainty.In the temple courtyard, the clan leaders and their representatives formed a circle. Xiao Feng, still reeling from the loss of Zhang Tao's body, knew he had to speak as a leader. "The ritual was interrupted," he said, his voice hard. "We don't know who received immortality. The inscription chose Feng Xiu, but Zhao Hu broke the circle. Did the Xiao Clan become immortal, or was it another clan?"Li Mei spoke up. "The ritual was cut short. Maybe none of us are immortal. Or, could it be the sixth clan, Liu Wei's clan, that was chosen?" Liu Wei replied, "We can't know. But the curse is affecting us all." Chen Jian added, "Immortality aside, if we don't unite, the outer realms will destroy us. They're still coming."Wang Shu said, "The curse has already begun. The Immortals, they took Zhang Tao's body. They're watching us." The debate continued, each leader offering their own theory. Xiao Feng listened silently, his anger growing inside him. "Immortality doesn't matter," he said finally. "We'll find Zhao Hu. And we'll end the curse."Three days passed. The eight clans had set up a camp around the temple, establishing a temporary peace. No one spoke much; they all lived in the shadow of the curse, trying to find solace in quiet moments. A sense of camaraderie had developed among the clans, though it was born more from shared fear than genuine trust. Children played among the tents, clan members shared meals, but no one spoke of the ritual or Zhao Hu.The eighth clan, the Zhao Clan, made a significant decision during those three days. Zhao Hu was still missing, but the clan's elders stepped forward in the temple courtyard to make a declaration. Zhao Lin, an elderly woman and the clan's representative, spoke up. "We, the Zhao Clan, no longer recognize Zhao Hu as our leader," she said, her voice firm. "He betrayed us all. We pledge our loyalty to the unity of the eight clans. We will not follow Zhao Hu any longer." The other clan leaders listened in silence. Xiao Feng nodded slightly, but his eyes still burned with anger. "I'll find Zhao Hu," he muttered to himself. "I won't stop until this curse is over."The clans seemed to have united in a fragile peace, but the same questions lingered in everyone's minds: Was Xiao Feng and his clan truly immortal? With the ritual interrupted, how would they know who had been chosen? And most importantly, when would Zhao Hu pay for his betrayal?The camp around the temple was steeped in silence at midnight. Everyone was asleep, save for the sentinels patrolling the perimeter. But that night, the sentinels of the third clan, the Zhang Clan, noticed movement on the horizon. Their eyes widened in shock; a lone rider was approaching in the darkness. Zhang Wei, a young warrior and sentinel of the Zhang Clan, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Wake up! Wake up! An emissary is coming!"The sentinels' cries threw the camp into chaos. The clans awoke in a frenzy; mothers clutched their children, warriors grabbed their weapons, and leaders rushed out of their tents. Zhang Wei ran to Xiao Feng, breathless. "From the outer realms, an army is coming!" he shouted. "They're about five or six hours away. They've sent an emissary!"The clans gathered in the temple courtyard, their eyes fixed on the approaching emissary. The emissary, clad in black and red armor, rode up to the camp's entrance on horseback, a vile smirk on his face. "Zhao Hu told us all your weaknesses," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. "Dozens of armies are coming to seize the eight clans' territory and slaughter you all. If you don't surrender, hand over your lands, and submit to our rule, we will annihilate you. You have until sunrise to decide. I want to hear the words of surrender from the mouths of the eight clans' elders."The emissary's words cast a shadow over the clans. Feng Xiu's hands trembled, her wind qi swirling uncontrollably around her. Li Mei was ready to unleash her flames, but fear shone in her eyes; she whispered, "So many armies, we can't fight them." Chen Jian gripped his sword tightly, sweat dripping from his brow. Wang Shu dropped his jade talismans, muttering, "We're all going to die." Liu Wei tried to stay calm by summoning his nature qi, but his voice shook: "Surrender, it might be our only option." Whispers spread among the clan members; children began to cry, and mothers, trying to comfort them, couldn't hide their own fear. The same expression was on everyone's face: terror.But Xiao Feng set his fear aside. His shadow qi swirled around him like a storm, his eyes blazing with fury. "Surrender?" he said, his voice low but menacing. "Bow to Zhao Hu's betrayal?" As the emissary prepared to respond with a smirk, Xiao Feng moved in a flash. His shadow qi shot forward like a spear, knocking the emissary off his horse. Xiao Feng leapt onto him and, in front of everyone, tore him apart. The emissary's body collapsed in a pool of blood, his head rolling to the side.Xiao Feng stood, his bloodied hands steady, and turned to the clans. "This sun may be the last one we see rise," he shouted, his voice a battle cry. "But we will never surrender!" The members of the eight clans, despite their fear, looked at Xiao Feng. His resolve spread like a spark. Feng Xiu, gathering her wind qi, shouted, "We won't surrender!" Li Mei unleashed her flames, declaring, "We'll fight!" Chen Jian raised his sword, yelling, "Under Xiao Feng's leadership!" One by one, the clan members stood, grabbing their weapons, rejecting surrender.Preparations for war began. Warriors donned their armor, archers took their positions, and children and elders were moved inside the temple. Xiao Feng stepped in front of the clan leaders. "I'll be at the forefront of this battle!" he declared, his voice unwavering. His words inspired the others, filling them with courage. Feng Xiu said, "We'll fight with you." Li Mei added, "Until the end!" But deep down, everyone knew the truth: this battle was impossible to win.In the midst of the preparations, Xiao Feng paused. He lifted his head to the sky, gazing at the stars. "I hope I'm not immortal, so I can join you, Zhang Tao," he whispered, his eyes welling up as he spoke his beloved's name. The memory of Zhang Tao, killed by the Immortals, still burned in his heart.