The moment the Bronze Sarcophagus rose from the Guixu Eye, a mournful wail of shattering dragon bones echoed from beyond the Nine Heavens. Lin Xuan stood atop the Star Palace Ruins, the ice mirror beneath his feet reflecting a horrific sight: the surfaces of ten thousand sarcophagi were erupting with totems of a weeping Celestial Fox, each blood-stained mark sharing the same origin as the dissipated Destiny Soul of Su Jiuli. Xuanming True Water seeped from the seams of the coffins, congealing into chains that shackled his ankles; the links were engraved with the Sacrificial Star Ritual, as rewritten by the First Generation Patriarch, the characters writhing like maggots: "When the Rebirth Candle ignites, the Star Remains are recast."
The plum blossom grove where The Girl's Benevolence had vanished suddenly withered, its roots crushing the broken bricks of the altar to reveal a Wu Clan blood cellar buried deep beneath. Within the cellar, three thousand bronze lamps ignited without a breeze, their oil composed of the tears of regret shed by Lin Xuan throughout his previous incarnations. A phantom of Su Jiuli emerged within the firelight; the Star Mark on her fingertips flaked away, coalescing into a Bronze Key that she hurled toward Lin Xuan: "Senior Brother... the Rebirth Candle lies within the core of the Dragon Coffin..."
Lin Xuan gripped the key and leaped into the Guixu Whirlpool, the Xuanming True Water biting at his body like living serpents. Beneath the water, the dra…
Chapter 51