The northern borderlands of the Celestial Empire were a land forgotten by warmth. Here, in the frost-choked vale of Xuejing, winter reigned year-round, and even spirit beasts tread lightly. Snow-laced wind howled through the pine-covered peaks like the mourning of ancient ghosts, and the sun, when it dared to appear, seemed like a pale coin tossed into a white abyss.
It was here that Tianming and his companions arrived—summoned not by imperial edict but by something older, something woven into the threads of fate.
The journey north had taken a week, during which Tianming had barely slept. Visions plagued him: a sealed gate dripping with shadows, a frozen throne, and voices calling from beneath the ice.
Zhao Yueyin noticed his unrest as they made camp under the lee of a frostfall cliff. "You haven't spoken since we crossed the Obsidian Ridge," she said, handing him a steaming bowl of snow-elk broth.
"Dreams," he said simply. "They've grown louder."
Lan Mei knelt nearby, sharpening her twin blades. "Not dreams. Warnings. The Cult is moving again. The Void Gate... it wasn't just rhetoric."
Tianming nodded. His system pulsed faintly, the celestial core within his dantian vibrating in tandem with the land. It was as if the very snow whispered secrets only he could hear.
---
At the Heart of Frostveil Monastery
An ancient structure stood carved into the face of a sheer cliff—Frostveil Monastery. Once a sanctuary for ice-aspect cultivators, it now lay dormant, abandoned since the last Ice Lord vanished a hundred years ago.
"The spirits here are restless," Zhao Yueyin said as they ascended the crumbling stairs. "I sense a seal... something still holds."
The great hall was littered with ice statues—cultivators frozen mid-battle, eyes wide in fear. At the center was a dais, and upon it sat a woman encased in crystalline ice, still as death.
Lan Mei exhaled. "Who... is she?"
Tianming approached cautiously. As he drew near, the system flared.
> Quest Update: Awaken the Ice Sovereign Objective: Break the Cryo-Seal and speak with the Frozen Oracle Warning: Seal contains primordial frost essence. Use caution.
He raised his hand, summoning the Voidbane Flame. The spectral fire pulsed with a celestial rhythm, licking gently at the outer shell of the ice. It did not melt it—instead, the ice seemed to shiver and retract, folding away like petals.
The woman opened her eyes.
They were glacial blue, ancient and weary.
"You are not of the old blood," she said softly.
"No," Tianming replied. "But I carry the will of the stars."
She looked beyond him, perhaps into him. "Then you have come not a moment too soon. The Gate stirs. The frost was my prison, but also my watchtower. The Cult seeks to open what lies beneath this mountain."
Lan Mei stepped forward. "What lies beneath?"
"A fragment of the Abyss. Bound by the First Ice Lord. Guarded by an oath now nearly broken."
Zhao Yueyin frowned. "What do they want with it?"
The Frozen Oracle turned her gaze toward the sealed door behind the dais. "To unleash what cannot be killed. A shadow beast born of forgotten stars."
---
Beneath the Monastery
The path downwards was treacherous—stairs chipped away by time and ice. At the bottom, an ancient vault awaited. Glyphs glowed faintly on its surface, pulsing in response to Tianming's aura.
> System Notification: Abyssal Seal Recognized Option Unlocked: Partial Unbinding
He hesitated.
"Once opened," the Oracle warned, "the seal cannot be restored by mortal means. You must defeat what is within, or it will consume the north."
Tianming looked at Zhao and Lan Mei. Both nodded. The decision was his, but they would not abandon him.
He touched the seal.
Light burst forth, followed by a deep, hollow groan. The vault door slid open, revealing a chamber wreathed in black frost. A single creature stood within—a wolf-like beast with six eyes, wings made of shadow, and a coat that shimmered like the night sky.
It was chained, but the chains were cracking.
> Name: Umbral Fenrir (Abyssal-Class) Status: Imprisoned (87% Integrity)
The beast looked at Tianming.
"Starchild," it whispered, its voice like crumbling glaciers. "You bear the mark. Release me, and I shall serve."
Tianming raised his hand.
"You are a relic of a broken age. I will not release you. I will conquer you."
The chains shattered.
The battle was instant. Fenrir launched forward, jaws wide. Zhao Yueyin formed phoenix barriers, flames clashing with void frost. Lan Mei darted across the walls, blades slashing at exposed limbs.
Tianming activated the Sigil of Resonant Flame and the Stellar Dominion Array. Stars orbited him like shields and spears.
The clash was cataclysmic. Magic and steel, light and darkness.
At last, Tianming stood over the beast, bloodied but upright. The wolf bowed its head.
"You have bested the Abyss. I am yours."
> System Update: Companion Bond Formed – Umbral Fenrir Ability Unlocked: Lunar Eclipse Howl (AoE Fear & Dispel)
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Aftermath
Back in the monastery, the Frozen Oracle placed her hand on Tianming's chest. "You have awakened more than power. You have begun a cycle long prophesied."
He looked into her eyes. "What cycle?"
"The dance of stars and shadows. You are not the first lightborn, Tianming. But perhaps... you will be the last."
---
In the Cult's Hidden Sanctuary
Master Corvus crushed a crystal mirror. "He awakens ancient guardians. Very well. No more games. Bring the Dream-Eater."
A cloaked figure bowed. "And the Gate?"
"We force it open. If Tianming will not walk willingly into the Abyss, then we shall drag the world into it."
To Be Continued in Chapter 43: Dream-Eater's Whispers