The chamber's air shifted before the newcomers arrived—thick with primal scents of fur and blood, mixed with the sharp tang of demonic incense. Wei Chen straightened, fan half-open, golden eyes scanning the tunnels. Lin Xue's frost qi sharpened into alert spirals. Su Mei's crimson chains coiled tighter, ready.
First came the beast tribes—towering figures bursting from a side passage. Tiger-kin warriors with striped armor, wolf-kin scouts with keen noses flared, and a massive bear-kin leading, claws scraping stone. Their eyes glowed in the dim light, wild and curious.
Behind them, from the opposite tunnel, slinked demonic cultivators—robes of black and violet, horns curling, auras swirling with temptation and corrosion. A lithe woman with succubus features led them, her smile sharp as she eyed Su Mei.
Both groups stopped at the chamber's edge, staring at the obsidian coffin and its seeping mist. Tension crackled—no love lost between demons and beasts, but the awakening had drawn them together.
The succubus-like leader spoke first, voice silky. "The black altar stirs. Power like this… belongs to the strong." Her gaze slid to Wei Chen. "And you three stand in its heart. Care to share?"
The bear-kin growled, deep as thunder. "No sharing. The ancient door calls to blood and strength. We claim it for the tribes."
Lin Xue stepped forward. "It's no treasure. It's a prison. Break it, and everything freezes forever."
Su Mei laughed low. "Listen to the ice queen. Or don't. Makes no difference when we burn you all."
The groups bristled, weapons rising—claws unsheathing, demonic seals glowing.
Wei Chen felt the coffin pulse behind them. Mist thickened, reaching toward the newcomers like seeking tendrils.
Then it happened.
One demonic cultivator—a young man with minor horns—staggered. His eyes flashed gold-black. Mist poured into his open mouth as he gasped. When he straightened, his voice layered with the Frost-Eater's cold echo.
At last… a vessel…
The succubus leader recoiled. "What treachery is this?"
The possessed man smiled unnaturally wide. No treachery… truth… Wei Chen… come closer… say your name… join me…
Wei Chen's brand burned. The pull was stronger with a body to speak through.
The beast tribes growled, sensing wrongness. The bear-kin roared, "Evil spirit! It tries to steal voices!"
Chaos erupted. Demons turned on the possessed one, seals blasting. Beasts charged the coffin itself, claws raking obsidian.
But the Frost-Eater used the confusion. Mist split, tendrils lashing out—whispers bombarding everyone.
To the demons: Power unlimited… open the door…
To the beasts: Strength eternal… claim the name…
Factions faltered, some eyes glazing as influence took hold.
Wei Chen grabbed Lin Xue and Su Mei's hands. "Link now. We push it back before it spreads."
They formed the triangle amid the growing melee. Shared flame ignited—gold, frost, crimson—spreading outward in a protective ring. Where it touched mist, the cold vapor hissed and retreated.
The possessed demonic cultivator lunged at them, hands outstretched. Wei Chen… your fire… give it to me…
Wei Chen met him with a fan strike, Nine-Suns fire blasting the man back. Lin Xue's ice chains bound his limbs. Su Mei's corrosion ate the mist pouring from his mouth.
The vessel screamed—layered voices cracking—as the influence fled his body. He collapsed, free but unconscious.
The mist recoiled fully into the coffin, cracks narrowing slightly under the shared flame's pressure.
But the damage lingered. Some demons and beasts still fought with glazed eyes, turning on allies. The succubus leader blasted her own possessed kin, shouting orders. The bear-kin crushed influenced tribesmen with heavy paws.
The chamber became a battlefield—factions purging their own while eyeing the trio warily.
Wei Chen's group held the center, bond ring glowing bright.
The succubus approached cautiously, hands raised. "Your flame… it repels the cold voice?"
The bear-kin nodded grudgingly. "Strong bond. Strong fire."
Lin Xue spoke calmly. "Help us seal it fully. Or leave. But don't feed it."
The leaders exchanged glances. Uneasy alliance formed in silence—demons and beasts circling the coffin, adding their own seals and wards.
The obsidian surface quieted, mist thinning.
For now.
But deep inside, the Frost-Eater waited—patient, learning voices, names, desires.
And far above, new qi stirred. Righteous sects rallying again. Empires sensing disturbance.
The ruin was becoming a convergence point.
Wei Chen squeezed his women's hands. "We bought time. But the real storm's coming."
Su Mei grinned fiercely. "Good. More to burn."
Lin Xue's eyes hardened. "Together."
The coffin pulsed once—soft, almost amused.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2026
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