The storm over the central plains showed no sign of dispersing. Clouds churned like an angry sea overhead, streaked with lightning that never reached the ground. The skies themselves trembled with the residual tension from the clash beneath the Abyssal Gate. Though the seal had held—for now—the tremors of that battle echoed across every leyline of the empire.
At the heart of the Capital, Tianming stood before the great celestial map suspended above the Azure Pavilion's dome. Constellations once fixed were now slightly skewed, as if something had nudged the stars off their ancient course.
"Fate itself is unraveling," Zhao Yueyin said as she entered. Her injuries were mostly healed, but her gaze had hardened, no longer simply resolute but burdened. "The Raven Herald's self-sacrifice wasn't just to open the Gate. He passed something through."
Tianming nodded, his mind still tangled with the memory of that shapeless voice from the other side.
> "Even light needs shadow to grow…"
He pushed the whisper away.
"What are we dealing with now?" he asked.
Zhao Yueyin unfurled a scroll. Ink pulsed across the surface, moving of its own accord. "This was retrieved by Dreamseers posted along the Eastern Ridge. Every known bloodline among the Five Clans is being summoned—subtly. It's a mass activation of ancient pacts. Blood contracts signed thousands of years ago."
Tianming narrowed his eyes. "A Blood Pact?"
Zhao Yueyin gave a sharp nod. "The Cult of Corvus is awakening the ancestral bindings of the Five Clans. If they succeed, they can conscript entire lineages into the Abyss's service—turning them into thralls without needing conversion or corruption. Their blood itself will obey."
Tianming's grip on the map table tightened. "Then we break the pacts."
---
Bloodlines and Betrayals
The Five Clans—Verdant Fang, Crimson Spear, Iron Veil, Dawnshade, and the Moonwolf Kin—had once been the pillars of unity during the First Cataclysm. Bound by sacred contracts to defend the empire, their loyalty had been unquestioned… until the rise of the void cult twisted their ancient legacies.
To sever the Blood Pacts, Tianming would have to travel to each Clan's ancestral grounds and retrieve the original Blood Sigils. These were arcane glyphs forged from the life essence of the original patriarchs—etched into obelisks deep beneath clan temples.
But the mission was not simple. The clans had splintered across the generations, their politics tangled and riddled with mistrust. Some had even started to waver toward neutrality… or worse.
"Start with the Verdant Fang," Xi Wenlong had ordered in a private audience. "They are the oldest and most fractured. If they fall, the rest may follow."
---
The Verdant Shrine – Jadefall Forest
It was dusk when Tianming's party arrived at the edges of Jadefall Forest. The air shimmered with vitality—trees bloomed out of season, rivers hummed with healing qi. But there was tension, like something sacred was holding its breath.
Lan Mei stepped carefully among the roots. "The Verdant Fang once healed the world with their gardens. Now their silence grows louder."
"Let's hope they remember their roots," Tianming said.
They entered the inner sanctum through a grove guarded by sentient vines. The plants parted wordlessly, recognizing the imperial seals they bore. At the center stood the Verdant Shrine—an emerald spire half-swallowed by the forest.
A group of guardians in bark-woven armor emerged from the trees. Their leader was a tall woman with moss-green eyes and braided silver hair.
"Vanguard of Light," she said coldly. "The Fang does not forget, but neither do we forgive abandonment."
Tianming met her gaze. "We didn't come to beg for aid. We came to sever the Pact."
That silenced her. Whispers among the guardians surged like wind through leaves.
"Impossible," she finally said. "The Blood Obelisk is sealed by oath and song. Not even our High Matron can touch it."
"Then show me where it sleeps," Tianming replied.
---
Test of the Grove
They were led beneath the Shrine into the heart of the forest, where the roots of the World Tree coiled in impossible directions. The air here was thick with ancestral will. Spirits flickered among the vines, whispering forgotten dialects.
The Blood Obelisk rose like a jagged fang of jade in the middle of a reflecting pool. Symbols pulsed along its sides, dormant but pulsing faintly in the presence of Tianming's aura.
As he approached, the ground trembled.
From the reflection stepped a creature of vines and bone—formed from the twisted memory of every pactbreaker who had tried to sever the bloodline.
"Another fool seeks to break chains forged in sacrifice," the specter hissed.
Lan Mei drew her blades. Zhao Yueyin readied a talisman.
"No," Tianming said. "Let me."
He stepped into the pool, and the spirit surged toward him—blades of vine slashing, fangs dripping green ichor.
Tianming closed his eyes.
He activated Abyssal Resonance, allowing him to hear the spirit's voice beneath the rage.
> "We served until forgotten. We bled until replaced. Why should the pact be undone?"
"You were bound to protect," Tianming said aloud, walking forward through the assault. The lashes tore at his robes but never struck flesh. "But your protectors betrayed you. You guard an oath to a world that no longer exists."
The specter paused.
Tianming raised a hand glowing with Celestial Sight and Lightborn Will. "Let me set you free."
The vines unraveled.
The spirit bowed.
The Blood Obelisk cracked, revealing a seed of jade light.
> System Notification: Blood Sigil of the Verdant Fang Acquired
Progress toward Severing the Five Pacts: 1 of 5
---
Shadows in Pursuit
That night, as they rested in a hidden glade, Zhao Yueyin sensed movement.
A blade of darkness sliced past Tianming's neck—only narrowly deflected by Lan Mei's quick intervention.
From the trees emerged three assassins in robes marked with inverted constellations—the Cult's Shadowbinders.
"They're tracking the sigils," Zhao Yueyin cursed, engaging immediately.
The battle was silent and swift—Zhao Yueyin's talismans clashing with nullifying glyphs, Lan Mei weaving between shadows, and Tianming anchoring their formation with his core's starfields.
One assassin escaped, but not before whispering: "He gathers the hearts of clans… but the Abyss gathers their souls."
---
At Dawnshade Bastion
Before returning to the Capital, Tianming sent word to the next clan—the Dawnshade.
To his surprise, their leader sent back a message of welcome… and an invitation.
But Zhao Yueyin frowned as she read the scroll.
"This was written in crimson ink. Dawnshade uses only silver."
"It's a trap," Lan Mei said.
Tianming nodded. "Then we'll spring it carefully."
As they mounted their beasts and rode toward the next ancestral site, the sky above the empire turned a deeper shade of red. Far to the west, where the Iron Veil once stood strong, smoke began to rise.
The war of oaths had begun.
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To Be Continued in Chapter 53: Crimson Thrones and Broken Blood