The Withering Light
The glow of the Rootspire dimmed.
Li Shen stood before the ancient tree's heart, watching as Hua's form wavered like mist in the wind. Her power, once radiant and vast, now pulsed erratically, diminished after aiding in the battle.
Jinhai approached, a tight frown on his face. "She's fading, isn't she?"
"She gave too much," Li Shen replied. "She shielded us from the Sovereigns' wrath—but not without cost."
Suddenly, a low hum shivered through the chamber.
[System Alert: Sovereign Beacon Detected]
[New Threat Identified – "The Pale Star" Artifact: Capable of Severing Root Paths]
[Risk: Cultivation Regression or Erasure]
[Location: Celestial Rift, Eastern Sky Continent]
The Pale Star
Above the Eastern Sky Continent, a colossal artefact floated in the firmament—a sphere of pale metal engraved with screaming faces and root symbols warped into jagged chains. It pulsed with anti-life energy.
From it, thousands of golden threads descended, seeking cultivators across the world.
[Effect: All Cultivators within affected zones must pass a Root Will test or suffer forced severance from their Qi Path.]
[Root Path Severance = Death of Cultivation | Possible Loss of Memory or Identity]
All across the Eastern continent, sects fell silent.
Heavens cracked. Oceans stilled.
And yet, a single message echoed across the world from the Sky Lords:
"To challenge sovereignty is to challenge existence. Submit. Or be unravelled."
Threads Fraying
In the Rootspire refuge, tension ran high.
Two of the newer Threadborne cultivators—Yue Han and Master Zai—stood before Li Shen, torn by doubt.
"We didn't join to be hunted like dogs," Master Zai said. "This is madness. That artefact… It's heresy."
Yue Han frowned. "You mean it's power. And we might be on the losing side."
Li Shen met their gaze calmly.
"This was never about winning easily. It's about breaking the chains we've accepted for too long."
"You'd have us all die for ideals?" Zai hissed.
"No," Li Shen said. "I'd have you live for freedom."
[Leadership Check: Successful – Two rebels remain loyal, but morale is shaken.]
[Faction Morale: 74% → 62%]
[Faction Loyalty (Core Members): Stable]
The Memory Shard
That night, Hua summoned Li Shen alone.
Her body was nearly translucent now.
"There is one chance," she whispered. "Beneath the ruins of the Moonwoven Temple lies a shard of my former self—a Memory Core, sealed away before the fall."
Li Shen nodded. "What lies within it?"
"Not what who?" Hua said. "A part of me that remembers the First Sovereign War… and how we almost won."
[New Quest: Recover the Memory Shard from the Moonwoven Temple]
[Warning: Area under Sovereign Watch | Artifact Presence Confirmed – Minor Pale Star Fragment]
[Party Size Recommended: 3–5 | Stealth and Disruption Skills Suggested]
Li Shen placed a hand on her fading shoulder.
"You'll endure. We'll bring you back."
She smiled faintly. "Then hurry. The threads of fate are tightening."
Preparations for the Heist
Li Shen selected a small team for the mission: Jinhai, Yue Han, who volunteered to redeem her shaken loyalty, and an enigmatic blade-dancer named Korin, a recent ally whose Qi walked the line between shadow and spirit.
Each was outfitted with root-suppression cloaks woven by Jinhai, dampening their presence.
[Squad Formed: Temple Infiltration Unit]
• Li Shen – Threadborne Leader• Jinhai – Healer & Support Weaver• Yue Han – Spear Adept• Korin – Shadow Blade Cultivator
[Mission Goal: Retrieve Memory Core without alerting Pale Star Fragment Guardian]
[Time Until Core Disintegration: 6 Days]
The Road East
As they departed, Li Shen paused, gazing back at the Rootspire and the Threadborne encampment nestled around its roots.
Behind him, Hua's voice echoed once more:
"If the Pale Star is the Sovereign's blade… then you must become the world's flame."
He nodded.
And they vanished into the misty dawn.