The Sword Sovereign Has Returned

The Fallen Moon stronghold quaked, its stone walls groaning under an unseen weight. The black glow outside pulsed like a venomous heart, its light seeping through cracks in the cavern. Ye Tian gripped the Lunar Fang, its moon-shaped hilt thrumming with ancient Qi, its blue steel glinting faintly in the spirit water's glow. Elder Lian Yue stood before him, her Core Formation Stage 1 aura a heavy tide, her weathered face etched with skepticism. Xiao Lan clutched her short blade, her shoulder bleeding, eyes darting to the chamber's edge where a shadow loomed, its Void Shard radiating malice. The mournful song twisted through the air, its notes sharp as a blade, stirring a buried memory in Ye Tian—a starlit night, a disciple's vow, a friend's laughter turning to venom.

The Void Scar in his dantian burned, black Qi spiking through his meridians like shards of ice. Body Refinement Stage 2 was pitiful against a Core Formation elder or the shadow's unnatural power. Yet he was the Sword Sovereign, whose blade once carved the Nine Heavens Continent's fate. He'd prove his name, shatter this trap, and reclaim his path.

"Prove you're the Sovereign," Lian Yue demanded, her voice cutting through the song like frost. Her blue robes shimmered with moon runes, her eyes sharp as daggers, searching for deception.

Ye Tian stepped into the chamber's center, the Lunar Fang raised. The Void Scar screamed, pain threatening to shatter his focus. He sank into fragments of his past—a mountain split by his Starshatter Sword, a disciple's smile hiding ambition, a brother's silence as chains closed. Sword Intent surged, the air humming with invisible force. The spirit water rippled, moon runes on the walls flaring like stars. His sword glowed, its pressure a tangible blade, forcing Xiao Lan to brace herself and Lian Yue to narrow her eyes.

The chamber trembled, dust falling from the ceiling. Ye Tian's aura, though weakened, carried the weight of a legend. "Ye Tian," he said, sheathing the Lunar Fang, his voice low but resolute. "Your Sovereign."

Lian Yue's breath caught, her aura flickering. "At Stage 2? That's… his will. The Sovereign's will."

Xiao Lan exhaled, her doubt erased. "Master, he's—"

The song sharpened, a piercing wail that drowned her words. The shadow at the chamber's edge moved, its form human but warped, cloaked in black mist that writhed like living ink. Its Void Shard pulsed, runes glowing with Celestial Court malice, their jagged patterns mirroring the pain in Ye Tian's dantian. The Void Scar roared, resonating with the shard, triggering a vision—a shadowed hall, robed figures chanting, a blade piercing his core. Lin Feng's voice? Or another's, deeper, colder?

"It wants the Lunar Fang," Lian Yue said, her palm gathering blue Qi, forming a crescent glow. "A Void Wraith, bound to the shard. The Celestial Court's work."

Ye Tian gripped his sword, the Void Scar's pain a fire in his chest. "Why the Fang?"

"It's a key," Lian Yue said, her voice grim. "To Fallen Moon's vault—sword techniques that could defy Heaven's Edge. The Court wants it gone."

Ye Tian's eyes narrowed, a memory flickering—a moonlit forge, his hands crafting the Lunar Fang with Fallen Moon elders, their oaths binding them. Was that why they betrayed him? The wraith attacked, its blade a streak of black light, cutting the air with a hiss. Ye Tian moved, Body Sword Stance flowing like a river. He parried, the Lunar Fang sparking against the wraith's blade, the impact jarring his wounded arm. The wraith's Stage 7 aura pressed him, its eyes glowing red through the mist.

The Void Scar flared, pain blinding him, his vision swimming with black tendrils. He gritted his teeth, countering with Iron Vein Slash. His blade slashed the wraith's arm, black mist spilling like blood, but it reformed instantly, its laughter a grating echo. Xiao Lan lunged, her blade weaving crescent arcs laced with faint Sword Intent. The wraith swatted her, its blade grazing her shoulder, tearing cloth and flesh. She hit the wall, blood dripping, gasping but defiant.

Lian Yue struck, her palm unleashing a Crescent Moon Slash, a blue arc that slammed the wraith. It staggered, its form flickering, but the Void Shard pulsed brighter, fueling its strength. Ye Tian roared, Sword Intent flaring. The air trembled, his blade glowing with a silver light that cut through the gloom. He struck, the Lunar Fang slicing the wraith's mist, its scream like shattering steel. It retreated to the chamber's edge, eyes blazing.

Four shadows peeled from the walls, Stage 6, their blades glowing with black Qi. The Void Shard's runes pulsed, commanding them. "Protect the Fang!" Lian Yue shouted, her Qi flaring into a crescent barrier. She slashed, dispersing a shadow, but it reformed, relentless.

Ye Tian dodged a shadow's blade, Iron Vein Slash cutting through its mist. The Void Scar surged, pain threatening to buckle him. He pressed forward, strikes precise, his mind a storm of mastery. Xiao Lan rose, her blade stabbing a shadow's side, her face pale but fierce. The wraith lunged again, its blade aimed at Ye Tian's heart. He parried, sparks flying, the Lunar Fang humming with his will.

"The shard!" Ye Tian shouted, eyes locked on the glowing jade. He lunged, the Void Scar erupting in agony. A shadow's blade slashed his chest, blood spraying onto the stone floor. He reached the shard, its runes burning his hand like ice and fire. Visions flooded him—Lin Feng's laughter, "You taught me too well, Master," a shadowed figure on a throne, not Zhao Wuji, chanting, "Bind the god." The Void Scar pulsed, black Qi threatening deviation.

Ye Tian roared, Sword Intent surging like a storm. The Lunar Fang struck, shattering the shard. Black light exploded, the wraith and shadows screaming, their forms dissolving into mist. The chamber stilled, the song silenced. Ye Tian collapsed, panting, blood soaking his robes. The Void Scar quieted, its pain dulled slightly, a faint hope stirring.

Xiao Lan rushed to him, her shoulder bleeding. "You're insane, Sovereign."

Lian Yue approached, her face pale but resolute. "That Void Wraith was sent for you. The Celestial Court knows you're awake."

Ye Tian stood, clutching the Lunar Fang, its Qi a comfort against the Void Scar's ache. "The vault. Where?"

"Deeper in Blackpine," Lian Yue said. "But Heaven's Edge surrounds us. We need strength."

Ye Tian nodded, glancing at the spirit water pool. Its shimmering surface pulsed with dense Qi, perfect for a Bone Tempering Ritual. He still had the Shadowclaw Panther's blood from Chapter 4, stored in his leather pouch. "Here," he said, stepping to the pool's edge. "Now."

Xiao Lan frowned. "You're wounded. The Void Scar—"

"Won't stop me," Ye Tian cut in, stripping to his waist. Blood dripped from his chest, the air stinging his wounds. He poured the panther's blood into the pool, its crimson mixing with the glowing water. Sitting cross-legged, he chanted an ancient sword mantra, voice low. "My body is a blade. My will is its edge."

The blood-water burned, seeping into his skin like molten iron. His bones creaked, muscles tightening, the ritual fusing demonic essence with his flesh. The Void Scar fought back, black Qi surging, triggering a vision—a battlefield, Ye Tian standing over a fallen sect, Zhao Wuji at his side, their blades dripping blood. "We swore to defy them," Zhao Wuji said, but his eyes were distant. The vision faded, pain exploding.

Ye Tian gritted his teeth, mantra steady. The pool glowed, Qi flooding his meridians. His bones hardened, cracking, reforming stronger. The Void Scar writhed, but his will was iron. Hours passed, the pain fading. He exhaled, blood-water dripping from his skin. Body Refinement Stage 3. His strength surged, muscles denser, but the Void Scar lingered, a chain unbroken.

Lian Yue watched, eyes wide. "Stage 3, with that curse… you are him."

Xiao Lan helped him stand, her face pale. "We can't stay. Heaven's Edge is coming."

They moved through the stronghold, its halls lined with fading sword carvings—Ye Tian's own, from a time when Fallen Moon thrived. A memory stirred: crafting the Lunar Fang with Lian Yue, her younger face alight with pride. "For the sect," she'd said. Had he failed her, too?

They reached a hidden chamber, its walls etched with star charts, a relic of Fallen Moon's glory. A stone tablet stood, inscribed with a prophecy: The Sovereign's return shall light the moon's path. Ye Tian's heart tightened. Was this why the seal broke?

Lian Yue touched the tablet. "This is why I sent Xiao Lan to the tomb. The prophecy spoke of you."

Before Ye Tian could reply, the stronghold shook. The air grew heavy, eyes watching from the dark. "They're here," Lian Yue said, her aura scanning. "Ten, maybe more. Stage 7 to 9. Heaven's Edge."

Ye Tian gripped the Lunar Fang, the Void Scar pulsing. A fight now would test his new strength, but the curse was a wildfire waiting to ignite. He stepped toward the exit, the stone gate still open. Blackpine Forest loomed, its shadows alive.

A voice echoed, cold and mocking. "Ye Tian. You've returned, but you're too late." A figure emerged from the trees, black-robed, Core Formation Stage 1. His aura was sharp, his face hidden, but his voice stirred a memory—a banquet, laughter, a disciple's vow of loyalty, now shattered.

Xiao Lan gasped. "Lin Feng's envoy."

Ye Tian's blood froze. Lin Feng, his traitor disciple, whose blade carved the Void Scar. Was he near, pulling the strings? Or was this the Celestial Court's deeper trap, baiting him into the abyss?