Atop the jagged spire of Obsidian Fang, a figure cloaked in shadow stood resolute, his silhouette cutting against the roiling sky.
Above the churning mists, twin celestial orbs—a radiant sun and a frost-pale moon—cast their opposing glows over the shattered valleys below. The man, draped in a flowing robe of midnight silk, inhaled deeply, arms outstretched as if to seize the heavens. Streams of golden and silver light spiraled into his palms, dimming the world in their wake.
A sinister gale howled, carrying the anguished wails of forgotten spirits, their cries weaving through the air like threads of despair. The wind tugged at the man's raven hair, unveiling a face both regal and ruthless, its sharp features etched with defiance.
As the sun and moon faded, a pulse of dark energy—Void Essence—surged from his core, cloaking him in a shroud of writhing shadows. His breath hissed out, and a wicked grin curled his lips, as if the heavens themselves bowed to his will.
Rumble!
The ground quaked as Obsidian Fang shuddered, its sister peaks—four crags of blackened stone—erupting in plumes of ash and fire. The man, now saturated with celestial essence, snapped open his eyes, their irises gleaming like twin voids.
A piercing hum split the air. Seven streaks of light blazed across the sky, coalescing into seven towering figures, each radiating a merciless aura that pressed against the world like a blade. The man's brow twitched, but his voice slithered out, cold and venomous. "How do the seven of you dare trespass here? Did you not swear to eradicate all who wield the Umbral Weave?"
A grizzled elder, his silver beard flowing like a river, sneered. "Eclipse Sovereign, Lian Veyre, spare us your theatrics. You know why we've come."
Lian Veyre's heart stuttered, but his face remained a mask of stone. "Old Crane Sovereign, I have no patience for your riddles."
A woman in jade robes stepped forward, her chin tilted with arrogance. "Cease your lies, Lian. Surrender the Codex of Eternal Dusk."
Lian's blood ran cold. Only a month ago, he had braved the labyrinthine depths of the Forgotten Monarch's crypt, dancing with death to claim the fabled Codex—a tome said to unlock the secrets of eternity. How had they learned of it so swiftly?
A flicker of suspicion ignited in his mind, and his voice thundered. "Wei Shen, show yourself!"
A silken laugh echoed through the desolate pines encircling Obsidian Fang. A lithe figure in alabaster robes emerged from the shadows, his youthful face alight with a mocking smile. With a theatrical bow, he said, "Master, you called?"
Lian's eyes blazed with betrayal. "This is your doing, isn't it?"
Wei Shen's grin widened. "Indeed."
"And the Veil of Starless Night—did you dismantle it?"
"Of course."
"Why?" Lian's fists clenched, his Umbral Weave flaring like a storm of shadows. "I raised you from nothing, Wei Shen. I gave you everything."
Though a disciple of the Umbral Weave, Lian killed only when his nature demanded it—a restraint that had kept the righteous sects at bay. Wei Shen, an orphan of rare talent, had been his chosen heir. Yet now, that same heir stood against him.
Wei Shen's facade faltered under Lian's murderous glare, his feet shuffling back toward the seven figures. "Master, your kindness was a chain. You claimed the title of Eclipse Sovereign, leaving me to languish in your shadow. And the Codex? You hoarded it, fearing I'd glimpse its power."
Lian's chest tightened. Wei Shen could never understand—he had shielded him from the Codex's perils. Its secrets could unravel a fledgling cultivator's soul. Lian had planned to master it first, then guide his disciple. But in a mere month, his trust had been shattered.
A bitter laugh tore from Lian's throat, shaking the heavens. "Well played, Wei Shen. Let me show you the Codex's might!"
"Bold words, Lian Veyre, but you stand before the Seven Sovereigns," the Crane Sovereign barked, stepping protectively before Wei Shen.
Lian's eyes burned with defiance. "The Celestial Dominion calls me the Eighth Sovereign. Even if all seven of you strike as one, I fear nothing!"
With a roar, Lian thrust a palm toward Wei Shen. A claw of writhing shadows tore through the sky, its edges shimmering with celestial light.
Boom!
The clash unleashed a cataclysm, flattening Obsidian Fang into rubble. Shockwaves rippled outward, splintering stone and uprooting ancient pines.
As the dust settled, a figure emerged—High Saint Korran, his robes tattered but his body unscathed. "To withstand such a blast without a mark," the Crane Sovereign murmured, bowing in awe.
Korran snorted, turning to leave.
Wei Shen darted forward, his voice urgent. "High Saint, wait! Lian Veyre is cunning. If he's mastered the Codex, he could possess another, biding his time for vengeance."
Korran scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "His soul was obliterated in that explosion. Possession? Impossible." With a flicker, he vanished.
The remaining Sovereigns exchanged glances, their tension easing. With a High Saint's verdict, even an Eighth Sovereign's soul could not have survived. Yet the loss of the Codex of Eternal Dusk—a relic of an ancient monarch—stung deeply.
As the seven gazed upon the ruins of Obsidian Fang, some smirked in triumph, others sighed in regret, and most felt a hollow pity for the fallen Eclipse Sovereign.