Night had fallen like a velvet curtain over the Celestial Capital. Lanterns swayed in the breeze, their golden light flickering across cobblestone streets, but within the walls of the Imperial Archives, a different glow burned—cold, silvery, and unnatural. Tianming stood in its center, his palm resting on an ancient stone slab engraved with sigils few had dared to read in centuries.
Zhao Yueyin, ever vigilant, flanked him. Lan Mei stood behind, arms crossed, eyes scanning the shadows.
"This is the oldest fragment of the Void Tongue," Tianming said. His voice carried a reverence that silenced even the flutter of paper nearby. "I need quiet. And time."
"You'll have both," Zhao Yueyin said, moving to seal the room with a protective barrier.
Lan Mei drew her sword and stood watch at the entrance.
Tianming focused his inner sight and activated his Celestial Core. Blue starlight glimmered in the veins of his hand. The Void Tongue responded—letters lifted from the surface, coiling like smoke.
A series of ancient images assaulted his mind.
A gate splitting the heavens. Shadows pouring through like a flood of death. A man with eyes of light and blood, holding a broken sword.
Then, the whisper.
> "The key to the Abyss is not to seal it... but to understand why it opens."
Tianming gasped and stepped back.
"What did you see?" Zhao Yueyin asked immediately.
"The Void Gate is older than the Empire. It opens not by force but by intent. By emotion. Hatred, fear, despair… these feed it."
Lan Mei's expression darkened. "Then Master Corvus isn't trying to destroy the Empire. He's trying to make it feed the Gate."
Tianming nodded. "He's cultivating suffering."
---
Elsewhere — The Forsaken Temple
Master Corvus stood in a circle of his disciples, all cloaked in shadow-dyed robes. The air crackled with dark Qi. The black altar before them pulsed like a heart.
"Begin the Chant of Release," he ordered.
The disciples began a low, guttural chant, their voices scraping reality. The seals etched into the floor—hundreds of them—began to smolder. One by one, they cracked.
The Void Gate, a spiraling oval of nothingness, quivered in the center of the altar.
"Three more nights," Corvus murmured, eyes wide with unholy anticipation. "And the Abyss shall open within the walls of the Empire."
---
Imperial Palace – War Council Room
Tianming stood before the Emperor once more. Xi Wenlong's expression was harder now, his robes heavier, embroidered with starlit threads.
"You were right about General Feng. The court believes in you. But faith is fragile," the Emperor said.
Tianming bowed. "Then I must act before faith is tested. We need to strike the cult's root."
A map unfurled on the table.
"We believe Corvus operates from the southern wastelands, near the Forsaken Temple," Zhao Yueyin said.
"Too far to march quietly," Lan Mei added.
"Not if we use the Skyglass Falcons," Tianming suggested. "They can fly a vanguard of us within a day. We strike fast, and we strike first."
Xi Wenlong tapped the map. "Go. Take the title I gave you seriously, Tianming. Heaven's Vanguard must be more than a name."
---
The Journey South – Skyglass Falcons in Flight
They flew under cover of clouds. Ten elite cultivators accompanied Tianming—each one handpicked from the Emperor's own Crimson Guard. Zhao Yueyin flew beside him, her crimson wings glittering with light Qi. Lan Mei trailed below, silent but vigilant.
As the temple came into view, the air changed. Dark clouds loomed not just above, but within. The earth was blackened, twisted, scarred by years of void corruption.
Tianming spoke into the wind. "We go in before the chant finishes. We scatter them, destroy the altar, and seal the Gate."
The falcons cried—a battle cry.
---
The Battle at the Forsaken Temple
They struck like lightning. Skyglass Falcons dove from the heavens, wings folded, claws out. Cultists screamed as light pierced their wards. Tianming landed first, Starpiercer drawn, a halo of constellations forming around him.
"Guard the altar!" Corvus roared.
Too late.
Lan Mei's blade cleaved through the outer cultists. Zhao Yueyin unleashed her Crimson Phoenix Art again, searing shadow into ash. Tianming leapt forward, unleashing his newest technique:
> "Stellar Cascade!"
A river of light erupted from his blade, carving through three of the black-robed disciples. Their bodies disintegrated mid-scream.
Corvus snarled and raised both hands.
The Void Gate behind him pulsed. A shadow creature slithered out—twenty feet long, with the head of a serpent and the limbs of a spider.
"Guard Tianming!" Zhao Yueyin yelled.
Lan Mei rushed forward, clashing with the beast. But it was strong—unnaturally strong.
Tianming closed his eyes, diving into the system.
> Quest Unlocked: Sever the Chant Objective: Destroy the Void Altar Timer: 14 minutes
He sprang toward the altar, dodging black flame and void spikes. His core burned.
> "Sigil of Resonant Flame! Sigil of Starbind!"
Twin auras exploded from him. With a cry, he brought Starpiercer down on the altar.
The Void Gate shrieked.
But it wasn't enough.
The altar cracked, but not fully. Corvus, bleeding from the mouth, reached for him.
"You don't know what you've done! This is only the beginning!"
"Then let it begin in ruin," Tianming said. He drove his blade in once more—
> "Heaven's Descent!"
The sky opened. A meteor of fire and starlight crashed into the altar. The explosion threw everyone back.
The Void Gate howled… and then collapsed in on itself. The seal held.
For now.
---
Aftermath
Smoke curled from the ruins. The cultists lay dead or unconscious. Only Corvus had escaped, slithering away in shadow before the final strike.
Tianming stood panting, his clothes torn, his arms bloodied.
Zhao Yueyin approached and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did it."
"No," he said. "We delayed it again. But the true Gate… it's elsewhere. This was just a ritual site."
Lan Mei looked around. "Then we need to find the true source."
Tianming opened his hand. Inside, a single shard of the Void Altar remained, pulsing faintly.
> System Notification: Main Quest Completed: Sever the Chant Reward: Stellar Core Upgrade – Radiant Phase Unlocked New Ability: Starveil Ward – Creates a shield from constellation energy Side Quest Unlocked: Track the Shadow That Escaped
---
Imperial Palace – Night
The Emperor listened to their report in silence.
"Corvus will strike again," Tianming said. "But I have a shard of the altar. I can use it to track him."
Xi Wenlong nodded. "Then that is your next mission. The Empire thanks you, Tianming. As does all beneath the stars."
Tianming bowed. "Heaven's Vanguard will not rest."
---
In the Depths – A New Cult Rises
Corvus stood before a darker gate, buried deep beneath the mountains.
A new voice greeted him. Deep. Cold. Ancient.
> "The child shines brightly. Bring him here… or be devoured."
Corvus bowed. "As the Abyss commands."
The Gate pulsed.
And the true war began.
---
To Be Continued in Chapter 45: Echoes from the Abyss