Swallowed Star: Heavenbreaker

The aftermath of the siege still hung heavy over the Deep Vein. The air carried the metallic tang of blood and the faint traces of dissolved void essence. Lin Xuan stood before the fractured chains of the imprisoned entity, his silver-lit gaze unflinching.

Three chains remained.

Each beat of the bound heart resonated with the weakening shackles, a promise of power straining for release. But Lin Xuan's focus was elsewhere — the Codex whispered of the fourth seal's location, deep within Shadow-controlled territory, a bastion of corruption known as the Obsidian Expanse.

To weaken the Shadows further, I must carry the war to them, Lin Xuan thought. And my disciples must face the crucible without my shadow looming over them.

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I. Dividing Paths

Lin Xuan summoned his disciples to the heart of the cavern. Zhang Wei, Mei Yan, and Luo Jin stood before him, silver auras steadier and brighter than before, the scars of war etched into their bodies and resolve.

"The fourth seal lies within the Obsidian Expanse," Lin Xuan said. "I will lead the assault. You three will not accompany me."

Zhang Wei stiffened. "Master—"

"This is your trial," Lin Xuan interrupted. "I am giving you your first independent mission. There is a Shadow outpost in the ruins of White Spire City, supplying the enemy with corrupted Qi. You will destroy it."

Mei Yan hesitated. "Without your guidance…?"

Lin Xuan's silver-lit gaze swept over them, cold and unyielding. "Either succeed, or perish. The Heavenbreaker Path leaves no room for hesitation."

Luo Jin exhaled slowly, resolve settling into his expression. "We'll succeed."

"See that you do," Lin Xuan said. "I will return when the fourth chain falls. Survive until then."

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II. Into the Obsidian Expanse

Lin Xuan traveled alone across the desolate surface, his silver aura a solitary star cutting through the violet haze of Shadow dominion. The Obsidian Expanse stretched before him — a wasteland of jagged black stone and rivers of molten void, patrolled by nightmare beasts and champions alike.

As he moved deeper, the resistance intensified. Shadowspawn fell in droves, their corrupted Qi devoured by the Heavenbreaker Path. Champion cadres converged, only to be erased in flashes of silver annihilation.

At the Expanse's heart rose the Seal Bastion, a fortress of living stone crowned by the fourth chain's nexus. Runes of binding pulsed across its surface, channeling power from the planet's ley-lines into the shackles below.

Lin Xuan's silver-lit eyes narrowed. Another chain to break.

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III. The Trial of White Spire

Meanwhile, Zhang Wei, Mei Yan, and Luo Jin advanced toward White Spire City, the ruined skyline wreathed in the violet glow of Shadow corruption. The outpost pulsed at the city's heart, a node of twisted Qi guarded by hunter-killer packs.

"We take it down fast," Zhang Wei said, silver veins blazing. "No drawn-out battle."

Mei Yan nodded. "Cut off the node, and the supply chain collapses."

Luo Jin gripped his weapon tightly. "We stick to the plan. No mistakes."

The assault was brutal. Shadowspawn poured from the ruins, but the disciples moved as one — Zhang Wei's silver-tinged blade cleaving through the first wave, Mei Yan weaving blurs of light between enemies, and Luo Jin anchoring their defense with unyielding ferocity.

At the outpost's core, a corrupted ley-engine pulsed. Mei Yan drove her blade through its heart, the resulting explosion erasing the outpost in a cascade of silver fire.

They stood amid the wreckage, battered but alive. "Mission accomplished," Zhang Wei said, silver aura flickering with exhaustion. "We did it — without him."

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IV. Sundering the Fourth Seal

At the Seal Bastion, Lin Xuan faced the guardians of the fourth chain — twin Harbingers, their forms wreathed in shadowfire.

Two at once, Lin Xuan thought, silver aura flaring. A worthy test.

The battle tore the Expanse apart. Silver and violet clashed in a storm of annihilation, Lin Xuan's Heavenbreaker Codex devouring their combined assaults before answering with overwhelming force.

Fifth Form – Celestial Sundering.

The technique erupted in a beam of annihilation, bisecting both Harbingers and shattering the chain's nexus in a detonation of light.

Far below, the fourth of the massive chains fractured, the imprisoned heartbeat thundering with renewed power.

"…Four chains undone… freedom draws near…"

Lin Xuan turned from the collapsing bastion, silver aura still blazing. Two remain.

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V. Convergence

The disciples returned to the Deep Vein to find Lin Xuan waiting, the glow of fresh victory still clinging to him.

"You destroyed the outpost," Lin Xuan said, silver-lit gaze sweeping over them. "Good. You did not fail."

Zhang Wei bowed, pride flickering in his eyes. "We are ready for more."

"You will need to be," Lin Xuan replied. "The Shadows feel the chains weakening. Their next blow will fall with the force of desperation."

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VI. The Gathering Storm

That night, the imprisoned entity's whispers filled the cavern, stronger and more insistent than ever.

"…Two chains remain… the Thrones stir… their strongest blades awaken… break them, and nothing will bind me… or you…"

Lin Xuan's silver-lit eyes reflected the cracks widening across the remaining chains.

Two chains, he thought. Two battles to unmake their dominion — and forge my own.

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End of Chapter 16.