Whispers of the Jade Saber

The Quiet Before the Storm

The battle at the Cradle of Origins had ended, but the world had not yet exhaled.

News of the Crimson Mirror's defeat spread fast. Sects that once stayed neutral now rallied behind Lin Feng, calling him the Flame Sovereign—a title last used five hundred years ago. But Lin Feng rejected it quietly. He had no desire for crowns or thrones.

All he wanted was this moment.

And her.

---

The Wedding at Starlight Terrace

It was Liang Yue's idea to hold the wedding at Starlight Terrace, a floating plateau above the Verdant Hollow. The very stars she once studied as a child would be her witness.

The day began with frost-laced dawn.

Cultivators from every allied sect attended, dressed in their ceremonial best. Even the silent monks of the Torrent Sect stood in silent rows.

Liang Yue wore white—a silk robe embroidered with silver lotus petals and the emblem of her fallen mother's line. Her twin crescent blades rested across her back, untouched for the day.

Lin Feng wore a deep crimson robe with no crest. Only the Ashen Saber rested at his side, sheathed in silence.

As they stood before the Lotus Flame Altar, a single white flame rose between them—a symbol of a bond that endured war, betrayal, and soul fracture.

The elder monk smiled. "Will you bind your fates?"

"I already did," Liang Yue said, grinning.

Lin Feng took her hand. "In fire and frost. In memory and truth."

And with the whisper of petals and quiet cheers—

They were wed.

---

The Council Gathers

The joy didn't last long.

That evening, in the newly restored chambers of Dragonroot Hall, the Allied Sects Council met. Seated around the great round table were sect leaders, generals, and spirit tacticians.

Yan Zhen stood behind Lin Feng, arms crossed. His presence alone was a quiet warning to any dissenters.

A frail man in lavender robes stood. Elder Su from the Eclipsing Heaven Sect.

"We have received disturbing news," he said. "The remnants of the Sky Mirror Sect have unearthed a forbidden weapon."

He unfurled a scroll.

On it: a sketch of a massive mirror embedded in a floating monolith above the eastern wastes. Its name etched in blood:

> The Obsidian Lens.

An artifact said to reflect not the world—but the will of the heavens themselves. A tool once meant to rewrite reality based on the user's conviction.

If the Red Hand or the Mirror Remnants activate it…

"All of history could be rewritten," Elder Su finished grimly.

---

A Warning from the Soul-Seer

The blind soul-seer—saved during the siege of Willowfang Keep—entered quietly.

She touched the map with her fingers and spoke:

> "It's not just memory they seek to alter. It is destiny. They wish to erase pain, yes—but in doing so, erase choice."

> "The Lens does not bend to fire or frost. It bends to certainty. If someone with a fractured soul wields it… all of reality may collapse into a false peace."

Yan Zhen spat. "Peace born of lies is not peace."

Liang Yue spoke next. "So what's the plan?"

---

Operation Eclipsefall

The sects agreed to a preemptive strike.

Operation Eclipsefall—a united march toward the eastern wastes where the Obsidian Lens was buried. Lin Feng would lead the vanguard. Liang Yue and Yan Zhen would co-command the strike wings.

Before they left, the soul-seer gave Lin Feng a pendant.

A smooth white crystal.

> "If the Lens captures your mind, this will remind you of who you are. Keep it close to your heart. Or you may forget why you ever fought."

He nodded solemnly.

He understood now.

This war wasn't just swords and fire.

It was a battle for truth itself.

---

The Road to the Lens

As the armies began to march, Lin Feng and Liang Yue camped beside a lake under a sky full of quiet stars.

They said nothing for a while.

Then she asked, "Are you scared?"

He looked at her, brushing a stray silver strand from her face.

"I'm terrified."

"But I'm more scared of what the world becomes without us standing in the way."

Liang Yue rested her head on his shoulder.

"Let's burn a hole so bright through fate," she whispered, "that even the heavens remember our names."

He smiled.

And in the reflection of the lake, two flames danced side by side—neither consuming the other.

But illuminating everything around them.

---

End of Chapter 17