Ash still clung to the wind as Li Shen stood before the cracked base of the Rootspire. Where once the spiritual heart of the Threadborne pulsed with vibrant life, now there remained only fractured stone, shattered formations, and broken conduits of Root Qi.
Yet even amidst ruin, the system hummed softly in his mind.
[System Notification]
Main Quest Updated: Restore the Rootspire Pillar.
Objective 1: Investigate the Ruptured Foundation (0/1)
Objective 2: Cleanse Residual Sovereign Qi (0/10%)
Reward: +1 Root Trait, +35,000 XP, Threadborne Leadership Token.
Echoes Beneath the Stone
Yue Han and Korin moved through the wreckage alongside Li Shen, cautiously tracing collapsed hallways and dormant cultivation arrays.
Jinhai gestured to a glowing fissure at the center of the courtyard. "This crack wasn't here before. It runs deeper than the bedrock. The Sovereign's strike... it damaged more than we realized."
Li Shen knelt near the fault line and focused. He reached out with his root sense.
[Passive Skill Activated: Thread Perception—Tier 2]
Scanning subterranean spiritual ley lines...
Detecting anomalies...
Foreign Qi Signature: Confirmed. Status: Corrupted.
A pulse of sovereign Qi surged from below.
Li Shen staggered, his system flaring an emergency prompt:
[WARNING]—High-Intensity Corruption Field Detected
Spirit Resistance Check Passed.
-10 Spirit Energy.
"It's spreading underground," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "If we don't purify the source, the Rootspire will collapse completely."
Beneath the Root
They descended into the pillar's inner sanctum — a spiralling tunnel of crystal-veined stone. The walls, once etched with glowing cultivation runes, now flickered erratically, dimmed by Sovereign poison.
The core chamber pulsed weakly — the Heartroot Crystal darkened and cracked.
[System Objective: Cleanse Heartroot Crystal—Progress: 0%]
Available Skill Synergies: Rootweave Pulse, Moonwoven Harmony
Optional: Channel Essence Thread (50 Qi/min)
Li Shen didn't hesitate.
*[Skill Activated: Rootweave Pulse]
[Skill Activated: Moonwoven Harmony]
Qi Consumption: 35/sec
Effect: Cleansing rate accelerated by 250%.
Silver and gold threads spiralled from his palms, weaving into the core. The darkness resisted, lashing out in waves of corrupt spirit. Pain tore through Li Shen's chest.
[System Alert: HP-150 | Root Vitality Check Passed | Corruption Neutralized: 6%]
Korin stepped in, channelling her Fire-Thread Technique alongside him. Yue Han drew on Wind-Scented Essence to form a vortex of purification.
The corruption hissed and thrashed, but it couldn't match their combined harmony.
[System Update: Corruption Purified—100% Complete]
New Trait Unlocked: Bound to the Root (Passive)
+20 Spirit, +10 Qi Regeneration/sec when near root structures.
The Heartroot Crystal pulsed to life once more, casting radiant light throughout the chamber. Slowly, the cracked walls began to mend.
A Whisper from the Depths
But as the light stabilised, Li Shen heard it — a voice, faint and deep, echoing through the Heartroot.
"Child of Thread… Not all roots grow toward the sky. Some descend to the Abyss… where a Sovereign was born beneath your very feet."
The light faltered.
Jinhai froze. "There's something else... buried below."
The system blared red:
[Hidden Quest Discovered: Root of the Sovereign]
Objective: Descend into the Forgotten Abyss.
Warning: Threat Level — Catastrophic.
Recommendation: Minimum Cultivation Level — Rootweaver Realm (Advanced).
Li Shen looked to his companions. None flinched.
"We've come too far to stop at the surface," he said. "If the Sovereigns have a root in our soil, then we'll rip it out."