Outside Forgotten Dust Valley, dusk had fallen.
The night wind carried grains of sand, whipping through the trio's robes with a sharp rustle. The dying sun stained the horizon crimson, but its glow couldn't warm the desolate chill that hung over the ruined land.
Chu Yuan collapsed to the ground, panting heavily and covered in dust. "I'm just saying, Brother Chen... if you'd used that sword move a little earlier, the two of us wouldn't have had to fight for our lives out there."
Yan Yao said nothing. She knelt beside the corpses of the copper-masked attackers, meticulously inspecting them. Her fingers flipped over a pitch-black jade slip, cold and ominous to the touch, carved with dense, ancient runes that shimmered faintly with veins of blood-red light.
She frowned. "This is Demonic Sigil Jade. Only core disciples of the Palace of Eternal Night are allowed to carry one."
Xiao Chen approached, his gaze sharp. "Can you unlock it?"
"I can try." Yan Yao channeled a wisp of pure spiritual energy into the jade.
The jade trembled violently and suddenly erupted in black flames, attempting to destroy itself. Yan Yao's eyes turned cold. With a flick of her wrist, a burst of icy energy froze the flame solid.
A fracture split across the jade, and a crimson light flared. In midair, a fragmented map and several lines of text emerged.
"This... a remnant formation of the Demonic Palace?" Chu Yuan leaned in.
Xiao Chen stared at it, eyes glinting. "No... it's part of the Star Soul Lock."
"Star Soul Lock?" Yan Yao blinked.
Xiao Chen nodded, his voice deep and steady. "When I was young, my father once told me—the demonic sect once tried to refine star souls from beyond the heavens, using their power to defy fate and achieve immortal, corrupted bodies. That calamity was only stopped when the Tianling Sect and the major orthodox sects joined forces. The Star Soul Lock was the core formation used to seal that celestial power."
"You're saying... they're trying to reactivate it now?" Yan Yao's face darkened.
"Yes." Xiao Chen slowly clenched his fist. "If they succeed, it won't just be about revenge—the entire Three Realms will be thrown into chaos."
The three decided to set off at once toward the location marked on the map—Burning Bone Forest, deep in the Southern Frontier.
That forest was once one of the first forbidden grounds occupied by the demonic sect. It had been sealed by the righteous path three hundred years ago and was forbidden to all.
But before they could leave, Yan Yao received a secret letter from her clan.
"You're leaving?" Chu Yuan looked surprised.
Yan Yao's expression was calm, but a flicker of tension passed her eyes. "The Yan Clan is convening a Great Council. They've summoned me to return at once. I suspect they've caught wind of my investigations."
"You'll be in danger," Xiao Chen said quietly.
"If I don't go, the danger will only come sooner." Yan Yao stood up and handed over a thin jade token. "This is the Cold Crystal Talisman I crafted. If you enter Burning Bone Forest, use it to ward off poison. It will protect you from cold toxins for one full day."
Chu Yuan opened his mouth to protest, but Xiao Chen stopped him with a glance.
"Be careful," was all Xiao Chen said.
Yan Yao smiled faintly, a rare softness flickering in her gaze. "You too."
She turned and left, her figure proud and solitary.
A faint fragrance lingered in the wind.
After parting ways, Xiao Chen and Chu Yuan continued their journey along a trade route toward the Southern Frontier. For hundreds of miles, the landscape was filled with deserts and thickets, plagued by bandits and beasts.
Days later, the two sheltered in a small woodland outpost. At midnight, Chu Yuan awoke with a feeling of dread.
He stepped outside and saw Xiao Chen meditating alone beside the fire. Moonlight and starlight bathed his shoulders, and his aura blended seamlessly with heaven and earth.
"You… you're unsealing the second form?" Chu Yuan whispered.
Xiao Chen opened his eyes. They were deep as the night sea. "Yes. I noticed that whenever I approach the Demonic Sigil Jade, the star soul power within me stirs on its own."
Chu Yuan frowned. "You're really a natural Star Soul Vessel? One in ten thousand?"
Xiao Chen nodded slowly. But there was no pride in his expression—only heavy sorrow. "It's not a gift. It's a sacrifice. I was chosen."
Chu Yuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly grinned. "Well, lucky me—I've made friends with a future legend. If you ever ascend to emperor status, don't forget your old brother here."
Xiao Chen chuckled softly, his voice quiet but warm. "If that day ever comes, you'll sit beside me—never beneath me."
Chu Yuan froze, then gave him a hearty slap on the back. "Then I'll hold you to that!"
Three days later, they arrived at the edge of Burning Bone Forest.
The land was scorched and barren, spiritual energy chaotic. In the distance loomed a sealed ancient tower, half-shrouded in mist and bone. At its base was a mountain of corpses that had never decayed—the infamous Tower of Suppression, used to seal the remnants of the Demonic Palace three centuries ago.
Xiao Chen stared at the tower, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. "My father once said... the true Star Soul Lock lies beneath that tower."
But they didn't notice—far off, cloaked in black mist, a figure cloaked in pale golden light silently watched them.
In his hand was a broken bone flute. A cold smile curled on his lips.
"So you've finally come... Xiao Chen."