Chapter 40: The Journey to Whispering Gorge and a Guardian’s Premonition
The southern road stretched ahead like a ribbon of dirt, winding through forests and valleys as spring fully bloomed. Lin Yue’s team traveled light—packs filled with dried meat, healing herbs, and the map of the Southern Mountains—their pace steady but purposeful. Xiao Yu had joined them, her scout’s bow slung over her shoulder, while Elder Mu stayed behind to oversee the alliance and guard Azure Cloud. “Bring back the fifth fragment,” he’d said before they left, his voice firm. “And come back alive.”
Wen walked beside Lin Yue, his eyes scanning the trees for any sign of danger. The closer they got to Whispering Gorge, the more tense he became—his daughter Mei had been taken to a village near the gorge, he’d realized, after studying the map. “It’s just ahead,” he said one afternoon, pointing to a narrow gap between two mountains, where the wind whistled through the rocks like a whisper. “The gorge leads straight to the crystal caves. To the tomb.”
Lin Yue pulled the jade box from his coat, opening it slightly. The four fragments glowed brighter, their blue-red light pulsing in time with the distant tomb. He could feel it now—the crystal guardian’s presence, cold and ancient, waiting in the caves. “The scroll said it feeds on dark qi,” he said, closing the box. “My dragon qi is pure— it’ll be vulnerable to that. But I need to practice. To make sure I can hit it where it hurts.”
That night, they camped at the edge of the gorge, the wind’s whisper lulling them into a tense calm. Lin Yue sat by the fire, the jade box open in his lap, and let the fragments’ energy flow into his dragon qi. He wove the two together—slow, steady—until his palm glowed with a mix of blue and red light, bright enough to cast shadows on the rocks. When he closed his hand, the light condensed into a small, sharp blade—dragon qi wrapped in fragment energy, strong enough to cut through stone.
Xiao Yu sat beside him, watching. “You’ve come so far,” she said, her voice soft. “From the boy who could barely hold a sword to the one who can seal the Dark Dragon. I’m proud of you.”
Lin Yue smiled, letting the blade fade. “I couldn’t have done it alone. None of us could.” He glanced at Wen, who sat alone by the edge of the camp, staring at the gorge. “We’ll find Mei. Tomorrow, after we get the fragment, we’ll search the village. I promise.”
Wen looked up, his eyes glistening. “Thank you. For everything.”
Dawn broke with a pale light, and they entered the Whispering Gorge. The wind howled through the rocks, carrying the scent of crystal and damp earth, and the path grew steeper as they descended into the caves. The walls glowed with blue crystals, their light illuminating the way, and the sound of an underground river echoed through the darkness.
“The tomb is just ahead,” Lin Yue said, his hand tightening around his sword. The fragments pulsed—fast, urgent—warning him of the guardian.
They rounded a corner, and there it was: the crystal guardian. It stood as tall as a mountain, its body made of blue crystal that glowed with the same light as the cave walls, its eyes two pools of dark qi. In its clawed hand, it held the fifth fragment—red, bright, pulsing with the Dark Dragon’s energy.
“Leave now,” it roared, its voice like rocks crashing. “This tomb is sacred. The fragment is not for mortals.”
Lin Yue stepped forward, the jade box open in his hand. “We don’t want to fight you. We need the fragment to seal the Dark Dragon’s soul. To save the realm.”
The guardian laughed, a sound like crystal breaking. “You think you can stop the Dragon? Its soul is ancient—older than the mountains. The fragment will not be taken by a boy with a toy codex.”
It lunged, its crystal claw swinging toward Lin Yue. He dodged, summoning a shield of dragon qi and fragment energy. The claw hit the shield, and the cave shook— but the shield held. “Xiao Yu, Wen— distract it!” he shouted. “Father, Ling— hit its legs! It’s vulnerable there!”
Xiao Yu fired an arrow at the guardian’s eye, while Wen threw a rock at its chest. The guardian roared, swatting at them, and Lin Yue’s father and Ling attacked its legs—their swords slicing through the crystal, leaving deep gashes. The guardian stumbled, and Lin Yue saw his chance.
He sprinted forward, his sword glowing with dragon qi and fragment energy, and jumped. He swung, aiming for the fifth fragment in the guardian’s claw. The blade hit the fragment, and a scream echoed through the cave— the guardian’s crystal body began to crack, its dark qi oozing out.
“The fragment!” Lin Yue shouted, grabbing it as the guardian dissolved into crystal dust. He held it up, and the four fragments in the jade box glowed— pulling the fifth fragment toward them. It merged with the others, and a bright light filled the cave— blue and red, warm and pure.
The Dark Dragon’s soul, a swirling mass of black and red, erupted from the fragments— screaming, fighting to break free. But the five fragments held it, their light wrapping around the soul like a net. “Now,” Long Xuan’s voice echoed in Lin Yue’s mind. “Use the codex. Seal it.”
Lin Yue closed his eyes, focusing on the codex’s power. He let the fragments’ energy flow into him, then pushed it outward— wrapping the Dark Dragon’s soul in a cocoon of light. The soul screamed, dissolving into nothingness— sealed, forever, by the fragments and the codex.
The cave grew quiet. The crystals stopped glowing, and the underground river’s sound faded. Lin Yue opened his eyes, the jade box in his hand— the five fragments now a single, glowing orb of blue light.
“It’s over,” he whispered. “The Dark Dragon is sealed.”