The morning after their passionate reunion was filled with a new, focused intensity. The lingering tenderness of the night gave way to the grim realities of the day. They were lovers, yes, but they were also two queens in the heart of enemy territory, with a conspiracy to unravel and a war to prevent.
In their suite, which had become a makeshift war room, they analyzed the scroll recovered from the dead demon leader. It was a treasure trove of intelligence a timeline of Elder Feng's planned provocations, a list of contacts, and shipping manifests for forbidden artifacts.
"This proves his guilt," Lan Yue said, tracing a line on the scroll with her finger. "But it is a demon's scroll. The other sects will dismiss it as a forgery, a demonic trick."
"Proof is not about truth," Xue Lian countered, her voice a low, cynical murmur from her past life's experience. "It's about a narrative they can't deny." She looked at Lan Yue, her eyes sharp. "We need more. We need to catch the serpent with its own venom in its fangs."
Their chance came sooner than they expected. Wei Chen, brimming with a renewed and deeply misguided sense of purpose, had sought Lan Yue out.
"Elder Feng has uncovered the demonic sect's primary ritual site," he'd announced, his eyes gleaming with righteous fervor. "It is in the Undercity, a place of great corruption. He believes it is the source of the Void creature's summoning. He has requested that I lead a team of our finest disciples to perform a Grand Purification ritual to cleanse the area completely."
Lan Yue had played her part, congratulating him on the "honorable mission" while her mind raced. After he left, she immediately relayed the news to Xue Lian.
"He's not cleansing anything," Xue Lian's thought came through the Whispering Stone, cold and sharp as ice. "He's erasing his evidence. And he is using Wei Chen and your disciples as the eraser."
They knew instantly what they had to do. This was their opportunity to get the irrefutable proof they needed.
That evening, they descended once more into the damp, oppressive darkness of the Undercity. Xue Lian handed Lan Yue a small, perfectly smooth obsidian sphere.
"A Memory Weaver," she explained. "An invention of my intelligence branch. It absorbs and records all ambient spiritual energy, sound, and light within a certain radius. A perfect, silent witness."
Their plan was audacious. They returned to the dead demon leader's headquarters. Ren, the master illusionist, wove her magic, creating a perfect, life like phantom of the four armed demon, making it appear as if he were waiting impatiently for a meeting. Lan Yue stood concealed within the illusion itself, ready to react. Xue Lian and Jax hid in the rafters above, the Memory Weaver silently activated.
They didn't have to wait long.
Elder Feng arrived alone, his face a mask of arrogant satisfaction. He looked at the illusory demon with contempt.
"You have served your purpose, beast," Feng said, his voice echoing in the silent cistern. "The Azure Cloud whelps, led by their foolishly honorable Elder Wei, are on their way to 'purify' this chamber. A pity they will not survive the experience."
From the rafters, Xue Lian felt a surge of cold fury, but remained perfectly still. The crystal was recording everything.
Feng continued, his voice dripping with condescending pride as he gloated to the demon he was about to eliminate. "Soon, this entire district will be consumed in a 'tragic accident,' a Void breach caused by their own incompetence. Their deaths, and yours, will be the final catalyst I need to unite the sects and launch a glorious, righteous war. You should be proud. Your death will serve a noble cause."
He raised a dark, pulsating artifact from his robes the Heart of the Void.
"Elder… Feng?"
The voice, choked with disbelief and horror, came from the tunnel entrance. Wei Chen stood there, alone, his face pale as death. He had clearly come ahead of his team, perhaps driven by his own lingering suspicions. He had heard everything.
Feng spun around, his expression of arrogant triumph crumbling into one of pure, venomous rage at being discovered. "You foolish, impatient boy," he snarled. "You should have simply followed your orders."
"Treason…" Wei Chen whispered, his sword appearing in his hand. "You are a traitor to the righteous path!"
"The righteous path is weak, decadent, and unwilling to do what is necessary!" Feng screamed, his madness now on full display. "I will forge a new path, through fire and annihilation!" He decided, in that split second, to eliminate all witnesses. He turned the full power of the Void artifact, not on the illusory demon, but on Wei Chen. "You will be the first martyr of my new age!"
He thrust the artifact forward. A terrifying, silent wave of pure, devouring darkness erupted from it, hurtling directly towards Wei Chen.
But before it could reach him, a grey streak of motion intercepted its path. Lan Yue, dropping the illusion, stood before Wei Chen, her back to him. Nightfall Crescent was in her hand, its brilliant celestial light flaring to life, meeting the wave of absolute nothingness.
The impact was immense. Lan Yue cried out as the Void energy slammed into her blade, the corrupting force of it sending a violent, painful shockwave up her arm. She was thrown back, crashing into Wei Chen, the two of them collapsing in a heap.
Above, the Memory Weaver glowed, having captured every damning word, every treacherous act. Xue Lian had her proof.
But Elder Feng was now raising the artifact again, a mad, triumphant look in his eyes, ready to consume them all.