Li Tian's heart lurched mid-stride, the Primal Core in his chest flaring white-hot. He staggered, clutching at the artifact as visions tore through him—flames devouring the village square, Mei Ling's qi flickering like a guttering candle, the Ashbringer's blade poised above Yan Mei's throat.
*"Too late,"* the Hollow Star crooned. *"Let the fire purify your weakness."*
"No." Li Tian's roar split the air. Primal energy erupted from him, scorching the Deadbone Wastes' barren earth into glass. His companions recoiled as the energy coalesced into a shimmering portal, its edges frayed and unstable.
"What in the hells—" Jin began.
"The village burns," Li Tian snarled. "Follow or stay." He leapt through.
---
**The Return**
The portal spat them into the heart of the inferno. The Spirit Gathering Array lay in ruins, its fractured stones glowing like dying coals. Around them, the militia fought in scattered pockets—Renshu's cousin Guo pinned beneath a fire demon, children huddled in the smithy's ruins, Kang's body smoldering near the shattered north gate.
The Ashbringer turned, his molten blade dripping with Yan Mei's blood. "Ah. The prodigal chief arrives. Come to watch your people die?"
Li Tian did not speak. The Primal Core's light fused with the Codex's corruption, threading his veins with gold and obsidian. He moved.
The first strike atomized a fire demon mid-leap. The second shattered a siege tower. The third hit the Ashbringer with the force of a meteor.
---
**The Ashbringer's Fall**
The warlord skidded across the square, his armor cracking. "You dare—!"
Li Tian was already upon him. Their blades collided, primal energy against cursed flame. Each strike warped the air, melting stone and twisting metal.
"You're burning your soul to cinders!" the Ashbringer taunted, parrying a blow that cratered the ground. "How long until the Hollow Star claims you?"
Li Tian's blade found a seam in the molten armor. "Long enough."
The Ashbringer screamed as primal energy flooded his meridians, incinerating them from within. His body collapsed into ash, his final breath a curse.
---
**The Cost**
The remaining Flame Emperor forces faltered. Jin and Renshu carved through panicked soldiers while Xia and Old Guo rallied survivors. But Li Tian stood motionless, the Primal Core's glow dimming. The corruption had spread—his left arm was now fully blackened, his eye a void.
Mei Limp limped to him, her hands glowing with the last of her qi. "You need to stop. The core is killing you."
He pulled away. "Not yet."
In the smoldering relic chamber, the sealed door glowed brighter. The Hollow Star's whisper slithered out:
*"Finish it. Claim my power. Save them all."*
---