The battlefield stilled as Xuan Ji descended, his footsteps igniting the earth. Flames coiled around him like serpents, their heat warping the air into liquid mirages. Above, the Veil's lattice flickered, its light dimmed by Li Tian's waning strength. Villagers and cultivators alike froze, caught between hope and dread, as the Flame Emperor Sect's leader raised a hand—and the northern barracks exploded.
"Face me, Primal Insect," Xuan Ji hissed, molten qi forming a blade of living fire. "Or watch your hive burn."
Li Tian emerged from the relic chamber, his body a patchwork of glowing cracks. The Primal Core pulsed weakly in his chest, its light threaded with black veins. Beside him, Xia and Elder Ming moved to intervene, but he halted them with a glance.
"This is mine."
---
**The Dance of Fire and Shadow**
Xuan Ji struck first. His fire blade carved a molten trench through the earth, forcing Li Tian to leap aside. The Flame Emperor's laughter echoed as he summoned phoenix-shaped flames that dive-bombed the Veil, their talons raking the lattice.
Li Tian retaliated with a surge of primal energy, blackened vines erupting to ensnare Xuan Ji. The flames consumed them instantly.
"Is this the might of the Primal Core?" Xuan Ji sneered. "A dying light?"
Li Tian's corrupted arm ignited, absorbing the inferno's heat. "A light enough to scorch *you*."
The collision of their energies birthed a storm. Fire met shadow, each strike shaking the earth. Villagers fled as the ground split, marsh waters boiling into toxic steam.
---
**The Cost of Power**
Li Tian's vision blurred. The Core's energy gnawed at his soul, the corruption now clawing at his heart. Xuan Ji pressed his advantage, landing a kick that shattered Li Tian's ribs.
"Pathetic," the Flame Emperor spat. "You wield a god's weapon with mortal hands."
Li Tian spat blood, his star-flecked eye locking onto Xuan Ji's sneer. "And you… fear becoming mortal again."
A flicker of rage—then Xuan Ji's blade plunged.
Li Tian caught it barehanded.
---
**The Hollow Star's Whisper**
*"Let me in,"* the void crooned. *"I will make you unstoppable."*
Memories surged: Li Tian's parents shielding him from Flame Emperor soldiers, Mei Ling's laughter as they rebuilt the village, Xia's healing touch.
*No.*
He channeled the Core's last vestiges, not into destruction—*into the Veil*.
---
**The Veil's Sacrifice**
The lattice detonated.
Primal energy ripped through the battlefield, a shockwave of gold and obsidian that disintegrated Xuan Ji's flames. The Flame Emperor screamed as the backlash consumed his armor, melting it into his flesh.
"You *madman*!" he roared, retreating. "You've doomed yourself!"
Li Tian stood at the epicenter, the Veil's remnants swirling around him. Blood streamed from his eyes, his body a hairline fracture from shattering.
"But not… my people."
---
**The Phoenix's Fall**
Xuan Ji lunged for the killing strike—and froze.
The Veil's energy, woven into Li Tian's veins, had seeped into the Flame Emperor's wounds. Primal roots erupted from his skin, devouring his qi.
"What have you done?!" Xuan Ji clawed at his chest, flames guttering.
Li Tian staggered forward, his voice a raw whisper. "Planted… a seed."
The roots consumed the Flame Emperor, reducing him to ash.
---
**The Aftermath**
Silence.
Then, a roar of triumph—cut short as Li Tian collapsed. Xia and Ming reached him first, their qi frantically stabilizing his corpse-like body. The Veil was gone, the Primal Core dark.
Yan Mei stared at the smoldering battlefield. "We won?"
Renshu hefted his hammer. "We survived."
---