Chapter 27: The Eastern Wastes’ Rescue and a Hidden Warning
Dawn broke over the Eastern Wastes— a desolate landscape of dry, cracked earth and twisted dead trees. The alliance’s force marched in formation: Golden Mountain warriors at the front, Clear Water healers at the rear, Azure Cloud scouts leading the way. Lin Yue walked beside Elder Mu, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his dragon qi humming softly—alert, sensing the dark qi in the air.
“There,” a scout whispered, pointing to a cluster of stone buildings in the distance. “The stronghold. The hostages are in the largest one—we can see their faces in the windows.”
Lin Yue closed his eyes, focusing his dragon qi. He could feel it—the dark qi, thick and acrid, swirling around the stronghold. And beneath it—something else. A faint, familiar pulse. Like the qilin’s, but weaker. Like… a fragment of the Dark Dragon’s soul.
“Long Xuan,” he thought, “can you sense it? The dark qi—it’s not just from beasts. It’s from the pearl. From the Dragon’s soul.”
Long Xuan’s voice was grave. “A fragment. Lord Xiao must have left it behind. The remnants are using it to power the beasts. Destroy the fragment, and the beasts will fall.”
Lin Yue opened his eyes, his resolve firm. “Elder Mu, send the Golden Mountain warriors to the front gate—draw the beasts’ attention. Elder Shui, have your healers ready. I’ll take a team of scouts to free the hostages and find the fragment.”
Elder Mu nodded. “Be careful. The remnants won’t go down easy.”
Lin Yue led a team of five scouts—including Xiao Yu—toward the stronghold’s back entrance, their steps quiet, their weapons drawn. The dark qi grew thicker as they approached, making Lin Yue’s chest ache, but his dragon qi held— a faint blue shield around his body, blocking the worst of it.
They slipped through a broken window into the largest stone building. Inside, dozens of villagers huddled in the corner, their faces pale, their hands bound. A Shadow Sect remnant— a man in a tattered black robe— stood guard, his hand glowing with dark qi.
Xiao Yu moved first, her dagger flying through the air, hitting the man’s hand. He screamed, dropping his weapon, and Lin Yue was on him, his sword pressed to the man’s throat. “Where is the fragment? The Dark Dragon’s fragment?”
The man laughed, blood dripping from his hand. “You’ll never find it. It’s in the core of the stronghold—guarded by the strongest beast. You’ll die before you reach it.”
Lin Yue knocked the man unconscious, then turned to the villagers. “We’re here to help. We’ll get you out.”
The scouts cut the villagers’ bonds, and Xiao Yu led them toward the back exit. “Go to the healers,” she said. “They’ll take care of you.”
Lin Yue turned to the remaining scouts. “Come on. We need to find the fragment.”
They moved through the stronghold’s corridors, their swords drawn. The dark qi grew thicker, until Lin Yue could barely breathe. Then they heard it—a low, guttural growl. From the end of the corridor, a beast emerged: a wolf, twice the size of a normal wolf, its fur black as tar, its eyes glowing red with dark qi. And in its chest— a small, pulsing fragment of the Dark Dragon’s soul.
“The fragment,” Lin Yue whispered. “We need to get it from the beast.”
The wolf charged, its claws slashing. Lin Yue dodged, his dragon qi flaring— a faint blue blade forming in his hand. He swung, hitting the wolf’s shoulder, but the dark qi protected it— the blade bounced off, leaving no mark.
“The fragment is its power source,” Long Xuan said. “Aim for the chest. Use the pendant’s light to weaken it.”
Lin Yue pulled the jade pendant from his neck, holding it high. The pendant glowed, its blue light cutting through the dark qi. The wolf screamed, rearing back, its chest fragment flickering. Lin Yue seized the chance, jumping onto the wolf’s back, his sword raised. He drove the blade into the wolf’s chest, grabbing the fragment as it fell.
The wolf collapsed, dissolving into dark qi. Lin Yue held the fragment in his hand— a tiny, swirling mass of black and red. It burned, like holding a piece of fire, but the pendant’s light wrapped around it, containing the darkness.
“We did it,” a scout said, his voice breathless.
Lin Yue nodded, but his chest felt heavy. The fragment was small, but it was still a part of the Dark Dragon’s soul. And if there was one fragment… there could be more.
He tucked the fragment into his robe, beside the pendant. “Let’s go. The alliance needs to know. We’re not done with the Shadow Sect. Not yet.”
As they walked back to the alliance’s force, the sun climbed higher in the sky. The Golden Mountain warriors had cleared the remaining beasts, the villagers were safe with the healers, and the stronghold was in ruins. But Lin Yue knew— this was just the first of many battles. The Dark Dragon’s soul was still out there, in fragments, waiting to be reunited. And the alliance— fragile, new— would need to stand together to stop it.
He looked at Xiao Yu, who walked beside him, her hand in his. He looked at his father, who stood with Elder Mu, their heads together, planning the next step. And he felt his dragon qi— faint, but steady— hum in his dantian.
Slow. Steady. Strong.
That’s how they’d won so far. That’s how they’d keep winning.
The journey ahead was long. But they were ready.