The Eastern Ruins sprawled like the bones of a fallen giant, jagged jade spires thrusting from mist-choked valleys, remnants of the Celestial War etched into every cracked stone. The air hummed with unstable qi, celestial arrays flickering like dying stars, their traps waiting to snare the unwary. Wei Chen led the way through a narrow gorge, his Early Foundation Realm qi weaving a protective veil of jade light, the three fragments in his tunic pulsing in rhythm with the ruins' heartbeat. The vision from the garden celebration had guided them here—the third fragment lay in a sealed chamber, guarded by the ghosts of the war. But as they descended, the fragments burned hotter, stirring memories that clawed at Wei Chen's mind, demanding answers about Lian Xue.
Lin Xiyue walked beside him, her sword drawn, its blade reflecting the faint glow of spirit lanterns she had conjured with a flick of qi. Her crimson ribbon fluttered in the damp breeze, and her eyes scanned the shadows with a predator's focus. "These ruins give me the chills, scholar," she said, her voice low but laced with her usual spark. "One wrong step, and we're ghost food. You sure your magic rock knows what it's doing?" Her grin was defiant, but her free hand hovered near his, a silent anchor in the gloom.
Wei Chen chuckled, though the sound felt hollow against the ruins' oppressive silence. "The fragments haven't steered us wrong yet, sword maiden. Besides, if we die, at least it'll be together—romantic, right?" His sarcasm masked the unease gnawing at him, but her scoff, followed by a playful shove, eased the tension, her touch a spark of fire against the cold.
Su Meilin brought up the rear, her white robes whispering against the stone, her jade fan open and tracing protective runes in the air. Her celestial qi formed a subtle barrier, repelling the ruins' stray qi wisps—ethereal remnants of fallen cultivators. Her moonstone eyes were distant, as if listening to whispers only she could hear. "The arrays here were forged by the Jade Sovereign himself," she said softly, her voice carrying over the mist. "They test the heart as much as the body. Be wary, Wei Chen—your memories may manifest."
The fragments flared at her words, and Wei Chen's vision blurred. The gorge shifted, stone walls melting into a grand hall of floating jade palaces, stars wheeling overhead in a celestial court. He was the Jade Sovereign again, tall and unyielding, his robes woven from starlight, the nine fragments orbiting him like loyal moons. Lian Xue stood before him, her hair a cascade of midnight silk, her eyes like twin amethysts glowing with devotion. She was beautiful, a sword cultivator whose blade had carved paths through demonic hordes at his side, her qi a harmonious blend of shadow and light.
"My Sovereign," she said, her voice a melody that soothed the war's scars. "The fragments are secure. The sealed realm sleeps, its infinite qi safe from the heavens' greed." Her hand rested on his, warm and steady, and in that moment, Wei Chen—the Sovereign—felt a peace he had forgotten. They had fought together for eons, her loyalty the anchor in the Celestial War's storm. But shadows lurked in her gaze, a flicker of something unspoken.
The vision deepened, time folding like a scroll. The court darkened, demonic forces breaching the barriers, the Abyss Cult's sigils burning on the walls. Lian Xue knelt before him, her face pale, tears tracing silver paths. "The heavens demand the realm's power," she whispered, her voice breaking. "They promised me ascension—true immortality, beyond even your Jade Sovereign path. If I deliver the fragments, they will spare the Tianxu Realm... and grant me the strength to stand beside you forever."
The Sovereign's heart twisted, rage and love warring. "The heavens lie, Xue. Their 'ascension' is chains. We sealed the realm to protect all—from gods and demons alike." He reached for her, but she pulled away, her eyes hardening, the flicker becoming a storm.
"I did this for us," she said, her voice steel now. "You hoard power like a miser, blind to the cost. The war took my clan, my blood—everything. The heavens offer rebirth, not chains. If you won't yield, I'll take it myself." Her blade flashed, shadow qi coiling around it, a forbidden art she had hidden—the Demonic Eclipse Blade, infused with Abyss Cult whispers. Jealousy had festered in her, born of his unyielding ideals, twisted by the heavens' manipulations. They had played on her grief, promising a world where she could eclipse even him, where love became supremacy.
The blade struck, piercing his chest, the fragments scattering as pain exploded. "Forgive me," she whispered, tears falling on his bloodied robes. But her eyes held no remorse—only the cold fire of ambition unleashed. The vision shattered, the gorge snapping back, Wei Chen on his knees, gasping.
Lin Xiyue dropped beside him, her hand on his back, her qi a warm flame against his skin. "Wei Chen! What happened? Talk to me." Her voice was sharp with fear, her fingers digging into his shoulder, grounding him.
Su Meilin knelt on his other side, her fan closing as she pressed an elixir to his lips, celestial qi soothing the vision's echo. "The memories," she murmured, her touch gentle on his wrist, checking his meridians. "Lian Xue's motives—they surface now."
Wei Chen swallowed the elixir, the fragments' glow dimming to a steady pulse. "She... she loved me," he rasped, the words bitter. "But the heavens manipulated her grief. Her clan fell in the war, and they promised her power—immortality beyond mine. Jealousy twisted it. She thought I hoarded the realm's qi, blind to the cost. The Abyss Cult whispered to her, turning love to ambition. She betrayed me to 'save' us... but it was for her own ascension."
Lin Xiyue's grip tightened, her eyes flashing with anger. "That bitch. Grief's no excuse for stabbing your lover in the back." Her tone was fierce, but she pulled him closer, her head resting briefly on his shoulder, a silent vow. "You're not blind, scholar. And we're not her—we fight for each other, not some heavenly lie."
Su Meilin nodded, her voice soft but resolute. "The heavens often play such games in the Celestial War—promising power to the broken. Lian Xue's motives were a mix of love warped by loss, ambition fed by manipulation. But the fragments chose you again, Wei Chen. Her shadow doesn't define you."
The gorge's mist parted, revealing the chamber's entrance—a jade door etched with the Sovereign's runes. Wei Chen rose, steadying himself between them, their presences a bulwark against the past. "Then we end her shadow," he said, his qi surging, the Jade Sovereign Arts Mo Tian had begun teaching him—arcane strikes blending space and jade—flowing instinctively. He traced a rune on the door, and it parted, celestial light spilling out.
Inside, the chamber was a vault of stars, the third fragment on a pedestal, guarded by ethereal guardians—wraiths of the war, their forms shifting between celestial knights and demonic shades. "Intruders," one hissed, qi exploding in a barrage of light and shadow.
Wei Chen's Jade Sovereign's Step blurred him forward, his palm strike shattering a wraith's form. Lin Xiyue's Flame Blossom Strike ignited the chamber, her sword a comet tailing fire. Su Meilin's fan unleashed celestial storms, her elixirs exploding like supernovas. The battle was a symphony of chaos—wraiths reforming, arrays activating to warp space—but their unity prevailed, Wei Chen's fragments purifying the guardians' qi.
He claimed the third fragment, its merge pushing his cultivation toward Middle Foundation Realm, meridians expanding like blooming jade lotuses. A final vision whispered: Lian Xue, fleeing the war's end, her ascension incomplete, now a rogue force allying with the Abyss Cult to reclaim the fragments—for power, redemption, or revenge.
As they emerged from the ruins, the fragments whole in his grasp, Wei Chen felt the motives' weight lift slightly. Lian Xue's betrayal was no simple villainy—a tapestry of love, loss, and lies—but understanding it freed him. With Lin Xiyue's fire at his side and Su Meilin's light guiding him, the path ahead burned brighter.