Shadows of the Past

The night unfurled over Black Pine Forest like a shroud, pierced by a rare celestial veil—a Veil of Starlit Whispers, where the stars bled faint, shimmering threads into the air, humming with ancient Qi.

Ye Tian knelt beneath this phenomenon, his breath misting in the chill, the Void Scar in his dantian pulsing in rhythm with the whispers.

It was said such veils awakened forgotten memories in cultivators, a gift or a curse from the heavens. Tonight, it felt like both.

Beside him, Xiao Lan clutched her blade, her eyes wide with unease, while Elder Lian Yue traced the threads with her fingers, her Core Formation aura humming. Chen Wei lingered at the edge, his scarred face unreadable, shadows dancing across it as if the veil knew his secrets.

Below them sprawled the bandit camp, a chaotic sprawl of tents and fires nestled in a crater—an old scar from a celestial battle, its edges jagged with blackened stone. The air thrummed with crude laughter and the clash of steel, but beneath it, Ye Tian sensed something deeper, a resonance tied to the veil and his past.

The Void Scar flared, whispering Lin Feng's betrayal in a voice like rustling leaves: "You'll never reclaim it." He shook it off, gripping the Lunar Fang. Body Refinement Stage 3 was his foundation now, fragile but growing. Tonight, it would be tested.

Elder Lian Yue lowered her hands, blue Qi swirling into a constellation of stars. "Starlight Projection," she murmured, her voice blending with the veil's hum. Her eyes glowed as she linked her Qi to a night owl soaring above, its vision painting the camp in her mind. "Eastern gate, two sentries. Central tent, the leader—Stage 9. Three Stage 8 guards. The rest are weaker."

Ye Tian nodded, a flicker of pride for Fallen Moon's arts stirring. But his gaze shifted to Chen Wei. "The hidden path you mentioned—where is it?"

Chen Wei pointed to a jagged crevice in the crater's rim, half-hidden by vines. "A tunnel beneath the stone. I found it escaping their raids." His voice was steady, but his aura flickered, a ripple the veil amplified.

Xiao Lan's grip tightened on her blade. "How do you know their camp so well? An outer disciple shouldn't—"

"I scouted for the Sovereign," Chen Wei cut in, eyes darting. "To serve him."

The Void Scar pulsed, a warning Ye Tian couldn't ignore. Chen Wei's words rang hollow, but the path was their best chance. "Show us," he said, voice edged with steel.

Xiao Lan hesitated, her gaze flickering to the camp. "This place… it's like where Heaven's Edge burned my village. I hear their screams in the wind." Her confession hung heavy, the veil's whispers curling around it.

Ye Tian met her eyes, a rare softness breaking his mask. "Then we'll silence those screams tonight."

They descended, the veil's threads guiding them like ghostly lanterns. Elder Lian Yue's Starlight Projection whispered directions, while Ye Tian's Starlight Resonance merged with the celestial light, his Qi weaving into the shadows.

Xiao Lan's steps faltered as they neared the crevice. A bandit emerged, his cheek scarred like her lost brother's, firelight glinting off the mark. She froze, breath catching, memories crashing through her resolve.

"Xiao Lan!" Ye Tian hissed, yanking her into the crevice as the bandit turned. The guard squinted, then shrugged, resuming his patrol. She trembled, shame flooding her. "I—I thought—"

"Focus," Ye Tian said, firm but not cruel. "He's not your ghost."

The tunnel swallowed them, damp stone pressing close. They emerged into the camp, the stench of blood and smoke thick. Ye Tian's senses sharpened—the Void Scar tingling, not just with danger, but with recognition. In the crater's center stood an Ancient Sword Monument, its obsidian surface etched with runes glowing faintly under the veil.

Ye Tian's heart stilled. It was his—a relic from his duel with the Blood Sword Demon, a foe whose corrupted blade once rivaled the Starshatter Sword. The runes pulsed, whispering of that battle's cost.

A roar shattered the silence. "Intruders!" The bandit leader, a towering Stage 9 brute, emerged, his blade radiating a sickly green aura—a corrupted Moon Shadow Strike, a perversion of Fallen Moon's grace. His guards flanked him, Stage 8 auras flaring.

Ye Tian stepped forward, Lunar Fang gleaming. "That monument is mine. You've defiled my sect's honor."

The leader laughed, blade slashing. "The Sovereign's trash? It's ours now!" His strike twisted the air, green Qi clawing toward Ye Tian.

Fury ignited in Ye Tian's chest. "Blasphemy!" He flowed into Body Sword Stance, Lunar Fang parrying with a screech of sparks. The Void Scar erupted, a shadowy figure—Lin Feng—taunting in his mind: "You're weak, Master." His vision blurred, arms leaden, but Starlight Resonance flared, the veil's threads amplifying his Qi. His blade glowed silver, clashing against the corruption.

Xiao Lan darted in, her crescent slashes felling a guard. Elder Lian Yue's Crescent Moon Slash carved a blue arc, dropping another. But the leader pressed Ye Tian, his twisted technique relentless.

Chen Wei lunged, disarming a guard poised to gut Xiao Lan—she gasped her thanks—but he froze when Ye Tian barked, "Help me!" His eyes flicked to the monument, hesitation stark.

Ye Tian roared, Sword Intent surging. The air thrummed, his blade a silver comet. He struck, Lunar Fang grazing the leader's arm. Blood sprayed, the man snarling. "A cripple dares?!" He countered, blade nicking Ye Tian's ribs. Pain flared, blood soaking his robes.

The Void Scar's shadow laughed: "Bound forever." Ye Tian faltered, but Xiao Lan's thrust pierced the leader's leg. He stumbled, and Elder Lian Yue's barrier deflected his wild swing. "Now!" she shouted.

Ye Tian's will blazed. He was the Sword Sovereign—curse be damned. Starlight Resonance peaked, the veil's light flooding his blade. Iron Vein Slash unleashed, Sword Intent carving the air. The Lunar Fang sliced through the leader's chest, blood erupting as he fell, eyes dimming in shock.

The bandits broke, fleeing into the night. Ye Tian swayed, clutching his wound, the Void Scar's taunts fading. Chen Wei approached, voice low. "The monument—it hides a map to the vault. I saw it."

Ye Tian's gaze sharpened. "Too convenient." The runes pulsed, reacting to his Qi. A compartment clicked open, revealing a scroll: "Where the moon's tear falls, the vault awaits." The Moon's Tear waterfall—a sacred site of Fallen Moon. But Chen Wei's knowledge gnawed at him.

A horn blared—Heaven's Edge closing in. They fled, the veil fading above. Chen Wei's voice cut through: "A shadowed figure watched us, holding a jade slip." Ye Tian's blood chilled.

The tomb's phantom? Or the Celestial Court's hand? Doubt and danger chased them into the dark, the vault their only hope.