The pure, golden power of the Kirin seized the air, momentarily paralyzing every Dragon in the Great Hall. The creature, the embodiment of heavenly justice, stood before them, its majestic horn glowing with the absolute authority of the Celestial Throne.
General Vorlag and the Council, who had been so dismissive of Jade moments ago, now dropped to their knees, their arrogance utterly shattered by the presence of true godly power.
The Kirin's emerald eyes, older than the mountains, focused solely on Aether and Jade.
"The Divine Eye is a tool of the Heavens, not a resource for elemental warfare," the Kirin boomed, its voice devoid of emotion, merely echoing Divine Law. "Its activation and subsequent annihilation caused a rupture in the Divine Veil a breach that has allowed the exiled entity, the Night Weaver, to deepen its foothold."
Aether immediately stepped in front of Jade, shielding her, even though he knew he was powerless against a Celestial being.
"Messenger," Aether said, bowing his head respectfully but keeping his spine straight. "The Host's actions were necessary to save the Western Lineage from annihilation by the Weaver's corruption. She did not act for glory, but for survival."
"Survival is irrelevant to the Celestial Mandate," the Kirin countered. "Order is all. The rupture must be repaired. The Throne demands that the individual responsible for the breach the Human Consort be placed under Celestial Custody until the Weaver is vanquished and the Veil is resealed."
To surrender Jade meant certain confinement, perhaps eternity, in the frigid, unforgiving Celestial Realm. Aether felt a cold dread that surpassed even the fear of confronting the Shadow General.
The Western Dragon King, now fully energized, rose slowly from his throne. His colossal sapphire body filled the hall, radiating intense elemental pressure, not in defiance, but in sovereign declaration.
"Messenger," the King stated, his voice a deep, resonant challenge that acknowledged the Kirin's authority while maintaining his own. "The Western Lineage does not dispute the Mandate. However, the Human Consort is now bound by my blood and decree. Her purpose is not ended; it has merely changed. She saved my core, and in doing so, she bound the Weaver's corruption to a specific energy signature her own Ascendant Eye."
Jade realized the depth of the King's political maneuver. He wasn't just defending her life; he was assigning her a critical, strategic value that the Heavens couldn't ignore.
"The Night Weaver's ultimate goal is not just conquest, but the assimilation of the Divine Eye's power," Jade stated clearly, stepping slightly out from behind Aether. She looked directly at the Kirin with her seeing eye. "I am no longer a Celestial Host, but the trace of my power the energy I forced into Aether makes me the Weaver's primary target. If the Throne takes me, the Weaver will merely follow, breaching the Celestial Realm itself."
The Kirin was silent for a long, agonizing moment, its eyes analyzing Jade's claim. It was an appeal to logic and strategy, not emotion the only thing that would sway a servant of the Celestial Throne.
"Your logic is sound, Human Consort," the Kirin finally conceded. "The Throne cannot risk a direct invasion. Therefore, the Mandate is altered. You will not be taken into custody."
A ripple of relief, quickly stifled, passed through the Dragons.
"Instead, you are given a period of nine days. Within that time, you and Prince Aether must capture Seraphina and locate the primary dimensional gate used by the Night Weaver. If you fail, the Throne will intervene with the full might of the Celestial Army. And when the Gods intervene, they do not distinguish between foe and mortal collateral."
The ultimatum was terrifying. They had nine days to succeed where the entire combined power of Xianzhou had failed for centuries.
The Kirin turned, its golden aura flaring. "The Throne is watching, Prince Aether. Failure will be the end of your lineage, and the judgment upon your Human Consort will be absolute."
The Kirin vanished in a silent flash of golden light, leaving the Citadel in a charged, anxious silence.
Aether immediately pulled Jade into a private counsel with the King and Grand Elder Lin.
"Nine days," Aether said, gripping his sapphire-hilted sword. "That is impossible."
"It is only impossible if you fight the wrong war," the King stated, his voice calm. "The Kirin gave us a critical piece of information: The Weaver uses a dimensional gate. It is not residing here, only projecting its power through that gate."
Jade, rubbing her pale, scarred eye, began to piece together the clues. "The Weaver feeds on fear. When I used the Eye to stabilize your core, Aether, I forced all that residual corruption all that harvested fear into the Ascendant Eye. Now that the Eye is gone, that fear energy, that trace of the Weaver, must have latched onto the nearest significant magic source."
She looked at Aether. "It latched onto you. You have the Weaver's trace corruption, mixed with the Divine Eye's essence."
Aether felt a surge of cold dread mixed with the sheer, raw power in his core. "It's a psychic link, a beacon."
"Exactly," Jade confirmed. "We don't need magic to find the gate. We need the Night Weaver to find us."
The King nodded slowly, understanding the sheer audacity of the plan. "We use Aether as the bait. Draw the Weaver's direct attention, forcing it to open its gate. But to do that, you must first find the puppet."
"Seraphina," Aether finished grimly. "She knows where the gate is, or at least how to reach it. And I know precisely where she will be hiding in the only place she can feel safe from my father's returned power."
"The most corrupted region of the Eastern Territory," Jade realized. "We need to go deep into her court."