A gentle drizzle fell upon the lush lands of the Jadefall Province, where mist-kissed mountains rose like emerald spires into a pale sky. Rivers glided like silver threads through blooming valleys, and ancient peach trees unfurled their blossoms in defiance of the coming storm.
It was a place of peace—on the surface.
Tianming stood at the edge of a cliff, the Spiritwind Ark hovering behind him, its engines quiet as a sign of respect. Before him stretched the sacred domain of the Jade Veil Clan, keepers of the Green Mystics and guardians of the Verdant Dreaming Path.
Zhao Yueyin stepped beside him, her brows knit.
"They were once the Empire's most loyal allies," she said. "Now they've sealed their borders. Rumors say they commune with the Dream beyond waking."
Lan Mei examined the terrain with narrowed eyes. "More like they've retreated into a realm of their own making. One untouched by war or death."
Tianming looked ahead, his gaze firm. "But even dreams aren't safe anymore. The Abyss seeps through the cracks of silence."
He held the Lightbinding Oath Sigil in his palm. "We'll awaken them."
---
Gate of Petal Silence – Jade Veil Territory
Unlike the fortresses of the Fang or the Thorn, the entrance to the Jade Veil's lands was marked not by steel or ice—but by silence.
Petals of glasslike flowers floated across the path. As Tianming and his party stepped forward, the world grew still. No wind, no bird, no breath.
A shimmer in the air coalesced into a figure—half-transparent, robed in flowing silk the color of moonlight, with a veil that masked all facial features.
"Travelers of blood and fire," the voice echoed, not aloud, but within their minds. "Why do you enter the dream of Jadefall?"
Tianming replied without hesitation. "Because dreams are not enough. The world burns, and your petals cannot hold back the ash."
A pause.
"Then walk the Verdant Path. If you reach the Blooming Spire, you may speak with the Dreaming Matron."
With that, the path unsealed.
---
The Verdant Path
Tianming, Lan Mei, Zhao Yueyin, and Elder Lian stepped into a shifting forest of living colors. Trees pulsed with inner light. Flowers whispered songs from forgotten tongues. Each step twisted space subtly, warping memory and time.
Tianming felt the pressure first—not from qi, but from emotion.
"Regret. Longing. Fear," he muttered. "This forest… it feeds on the heart."
Zhao Yueyin stumbled as images flared around her—visions of the Crimson Ridge burning, her bloodied hands trembling.
Lan Mei cried out as phantom blades pierced her again and again—ghosts of her past failures.
Tianming's knees buckled under the weight of memory. His father, dead. The Emperor's expectations. The Gate's whisper: You will fail them all.
But then he reached deep.
And Lightborn Will activated.
Like a star within, his soul blazed. The illusions shattered like fog under sun.
He rushed to Zhao and Mei, sharing his aura. Their pain lifted.
The forest recoiled.
They pressed on.
---
The Blooming Spire
At the heart of the Jadefall lands stood a structure unlike any other—a tower made entirely of translucent blossoms, each the size of a wagon wheel, stacked in impossible harmony.
There, surrounded by a circle of silent Dreamwalkers, sat the Dreaming Matron—ageless, serene, and veiled in vines that swayed like breath.
She did not rise. "You walked the Verdant Path. Few do without breaking."
Tianming stepped forward. "I came for unity. For survival."
The Matron tilted her head. "We have survived by retreating. Our dream is untouched."
"Not for long," he said. "The Abyss doesn't need walls to enter. It slips into thought. Into dreams. I saw it in the Scar. I heard its Song at the Gate."
He drew the Oath Sigil again.
"I offer not orders. Only choice."
The Matron remained quiet for a long time.
Then: "Then let us dream with you. If the Gate rises, let our blossoms bloom in defiance."
> System Notification:
Lightbinding Oath Expanded – Jade Veil Clan joined
New Passive Ability: Verdant Harmony – Your presence calms spiritual disturbances, reducing the effects of mental illusions and fear-based techniques.
Dreamwalking Meditation unlocked – Short rests recover energy and cleanse minor void taint.
---
Elsewhere: The Ember Lords Stir
Far to the south, where volcanoes scarred the land and molten rivers flowed like veins of fire, a figure cloaked in ash opened her burning eyes.
Lady Ruya of the Ember Lords had felt it—another bond sealed.
She stood atop the Pyre Throne, watching smoke curl around her fingers.
"They gather. Like moths to a dying flame."
A voice answered her—deep, male, and cruel.
"We will not bend. We burn."
---
On the Return to the Ark
Tianming sat quietly, the Jade Veil's emblem now etched into the side of the Spiritwind Ark alongside the Thorn and Fang.
Lan Mei poured tea. "Four down."
Zhao Yueyin folded a map. "Only the Ember Lords remain."
Tianming looked toward the southern horizon, where stormclouds glowed red.
"And they won't listen to words."
He closed his eyes.
"We'll bring fire to meet fire."
---
To Be Continued in Chapter 52: The Ember Trial of Molten Vows