The Vein's Lament**
The Dragon's Vein coiled around Lin Tian like a serpent of light, its golden currents whispering secrets older than empires. Princess Longhua floated at its heart, her amber qi bleeding into the torrent. Xia Qingyue hesitated at the edge, frostfire flickering as memories clawed at her resolve.
"You shouldn't be here, Phoenix," the princess said, her voice echoing with the weight of millennia. "You abandoned me once. Will you abandon him too?"
Lin Tian stepped forward, the Imperial Seal glowing in his palm. "Your vengeance is devouring Huaxia. Stand down, and we'll free you."
Longhua laughed, the sound cracking the Vein's walls. "Free me? I *am* the Vein. Every drop of rage, every scream of betrayal—it's all that's left of my dynasty." Her gaze sharpened. "But you… you carry the Patriarch's blood. Why should I spare you?"
Xia Qingyue's wings flared. "Because he's not the Patriarch. And I'm not the guardian who failed you."
A pulse of qi tore through the chamber.
---
### **Coastal Inferno**
Luo Mei stood on Shanghai's shattered docks as the coalition fleet darkened the horizon. The Bai Clan's flame scribes etched barriers into the sky, while Jiang mechas waded into the surf, plasma blades clashing with hypersonic missiles.
"They're targeting civilians!" Lin Xue's voice crackled through comms. "Hacking their guidance systems… now!"
A salvo of rockets veered wildly, detonating harmlessly over the ocean. But the victory was fleeting—a second wave of drones emerged, their hulls shimmering with reverse-engineered qi shields.
"Adaptive tech," Luo Mei growled. "Xue, find their source!"
"Working on it! But there's something else—submerged signals. They're not just attacking from above."
Beneath the waves, shadows stirred.
---
### **The Princess's Choice**
In the Vein, Longhua's amber qi lashed out, binding Lin Tian in chains of crystallized memory. Visions engulfed him:
- **Xia Qingyue**, clad in Phoenix armor, shielding a younger Longhua from Morgath's horde.
- **The Patriarch**, then a trusted general, plunging a dagger into the princess's back.
- **The Vein itself**, screaming as the Lin Family siphoned its essence.
"You see?" Longhua whispered. "Your bloodline is a rot. Even your Phoenix betrayed me."
Xia Qingyue fell to her knees, frostfire guttering. "I tried to save you. But the Patriarch… he twisted my oath. Made me his weapon."
Lin Tian strained against the chains. "And now you're *mine*. Break the cycle, Longhua. Help us rebuild."
The princess's amber eyes wavered.
---
### **Beneath the Waves**
The Zhen geomancers' chant shook the seabed as crystalline mountains erupted around the coalition fleet. But the walking land itself turned traitor—a colossal eel-like machine, its hull grafted with stolen qi tech, surged from the depths.
"American design… but that power core—" Lin Xue's drones disintegrated as the machine's maw opened. "It's using Vein energy! They've harnessed corruption!"
Luo Mei's silver qi bullets ricocheted uselessly. "Fall back! Redirect to—"
The machine's spine split, releasing a swarm of qi-scorched drones. The Bai flames sputtered, overwhelmed.
---
### **A Pact of Ashes**
Back in the Vein, Longhua's chains dissolved. "I will not spare you, Lin Tian. But I will spare *them*." She pressed a hand to his chest, her amber qi merging with the Imperial Seal. "The Vein's heart beats in you now. Use it to end Morgath… and yourself, when the time comes."
The system blared:
*Dragon's Vengeance Countdown: Terminated.
New Calamity: Sovereign's Burden (Stability -20%).*
Xia Qingyue lunged as Longhua's form faded. "Wait! Don't leave me again—"
"You have your redemption, Phoenix," the princess murmured. "Don't waste it."
---
### **Epilogue: The Cost**
On the battlefield, the coalition faltered as the qi-corrupted machine suddenly seized, its core overloading. Lin Tian's voice booded across frequencies, the Vein's power crackling through every speaker:
"Retreat. Or witness the era your greed unearthed."
The machine detonated, purging the corruption in a wave of gold. The coalition ships fled, but not before Lin Xue intercepted their command: "Project Lazarus initiated. Subject: Morgath."
In the Vein's depths, Xia Qingyue cradled Lin Tian—now bearing jagged amber scars across his golden meridians. "The Seal's power is killing you," she whispered.
He grasped her hand, his eyes half-dragon, half-human. "Then we race the clock. Rebuild faster. Fight smarter."
Above them, the system updated:
*Huaxia's Luck Points: 100/100 (Era Reborn).
New Blessing: Dragon's Legacy (Allies +30% Resilience).*
But in the shadows, Khan Morgath's laughter echoed, his form reforged in American labs. "Run, little Sovereign. The forgotten era has *teeth*."