The night air on the Argent Moon Sect's fifth peak was sharp, scented with spirit grass and the hum of distant waterfalls. Jian Feng moved through the shadows, the Nine Serenities Jade strapped to his back, its spirit a silent weight. The celestial crane's message burned in his mind: Seek the Veiled Star Marquis in the Court of Dust and Ashes. Your first debt awaits.
The Ministry of Karmic Ledgers had summoned him, and Jian Feng felt the Debt-Bonds tighten around his Golden Core—a new chain, cold and unyielding, for daring to answer. He was Heaven's Chosen Debtor, bound by blessings he hadn't sought. Each step toward the Court added to Heaven's tally, a debt he couldn't escape.
The sect's celestial gate stood at the peak's edge, a jade arch carved with constellations that pulsed in the moonlight. Two Inner Disciples guarded it, their spears glinting with spirit enchantments. Jian Feng paused, his breath steady. The elders watched him too closely; he couldn't afford their scrutiny.
The Nine Serenities Jade hummed, its spirit stirring. "Heaven provides," she whispered, her jade-eyed form flickering.
A warmth bloomed in Jian Feng's chest, his vision sharpening as the guards' movements slowed. A blessing revealed a gap in their patrol—a moment when the moonlight hid his shadow. Another chain snapped into place, its links heavy with Heaven's price.
He slipped past, pressing his hand to the gate. The constellations flared, and the world dissolved into starlight.
Jian Feng emerged in a realm that defied mortal senses. The Court of Dust and Ashes sprawled before him, a bazaar floating in a void of swirling gray mist. Pavilions of black jade and bone-white marble hovered, linked by bridges of shimmering starlight. Voices echoed—human, beastly, otherworldly—bartering secrets and fates. Immortals in golden robes brushed past spirits with burning eyes, while cloaked figures flickered like broken reflections.
His Golden Core trembled, a new Debt-Bond coiling around it—the price of crossing realms. Its links glowed with starlit cold, a mark in Heaven's tally.
A figure approached, cloaked in tattered gray, its face hidden. "Newcomer," it rasped, voice like grinding stones. "State your purpose, or the Court claims you."
Jian Feng's hand twitched toward his sword but stilled. "I seek the Veiled Star Marquis," he said, his voice calm despite the weight in his soul.
Whispers rippled through the stalls, eyes turning—curious, predatory. "The Marquis sees no one uninvited," the figure said. "Show your token."
The Nine Serenities Jade pulsed, and a jade sigil bloomed in Jian Feng's palm, etched with a single star. Another blessing, another chain—thicker, colder, binding him to Heaven's will.
The figure nodded. "Follow. Break the Court's rules, and Heaven's debt will crush you."
The Court's heart was a maze of floating platforms, each bridge a thread of starlight humming with celestial chimes. Jian Feng's guide weaved through crowds—a six-armed merchant, a nine-tailed fox spirit, a figure with a void for a face. The air buzzed with power, but the Court felt alive, its rules a binding contract: Speak no falsehood, draw no weapon, trade no favor without a witnessed oath.
They stopped before a pavilion draped in black silk, guarded by a dragon statue with nebula eyes. "The Marquis waits within," the guide said, vanishing into mist.
Jian Feng's heart pounded, the chains in his soul tightening. Heaven's tally was open, and whatever lay beyond would add to his debt.
He stepped inside, the starlight fading behind him.
To be continued…
What awaits in the Marquis's pavilion? Can Jian Feng navigate the Court's rules and Heaven's debt? Drop a comment and join Jian Feng's cosmic struggle!
Author's Note: Readers, what do you think the Court hides? Is the Marquis an ally or a trap? Share your guesses, and vote with Power Stones to defy Heaven!