Ascent into Danger
The journey to the Nine Peaks of Lingbao was swift and brutal. Aether activated a series of remote teleportation arrays, but the last leg had to be navigated on foot and by air, as the peaks rejected complex celestial magic.
Jade, clad in lightweight leather armor Aether had provided, rode on the back of Bao, the massive Pixiu/Lion Hybrid, who was surprisingly fast and sure-footed on the treacherous, icy slopes. Chiwen, the flood beast, flew ahead, its level 35 senses acting as the advance scout, controlled telepathically by Jade's Divine Eye.
"The Nine Peaks are called the 'Dragon's Graveyard'," Aether explained as they ascended, flying effortlessly beside them in his partially shifted form—his obsidian armor augmented by crystalline wings and enhanced speed. "The creatures here are ancient, powerful, and have never acknowledged Dragon authority. They will obey only the Divine Eye."
The air grew thin, cold, and heavy with hostile, untamed magic. Jade's Azure Eye was working overtime, tracking the dense energy signatures around them.
The Guardian of the Gate
They reached the first major obstacle: a narrow, mist-shrouded gorge known as the Gate of Whispering Winds.
"This area is guarded by the Jiu-Wei Hu," Aether warned, landing heavily beside them. "The Nine-Tailed Fox. An illusionist and sorceress of immense power. Do not look into its eyes, or your mind will be trapped in its illusions."
Before the warning was finished, the mist coalesced. Not one, but nine figures materialized around them—each a woman of breathtaking, illusory beauty, all with long, flowing white hair and nine silken tails swishing behind them.
"A Dragon Prince... and a tasty human morsel," one of the nine whispered, her voice like chimes. "And a tiny, pathetic collection of beasts. Turn back, Prince. You do not belong here."
Aether drew his sapphire sword, the elemental fire momentarily shattering the illusion. "We seek the Heartwood Bloom. Yield the path, Fox."
The illusions shrieked, reforming instantly. They began to spin, creating a disorienting, rapid whirlwind of beauty and malice designed to confuse and paralyze the mind.
Jade didn't fight the illusion with her own eyes. She focused the Divine Eye on the energy core of the creatures. The Eye pierced the glamour and revealed nine distinct, Level 60 energy signatures moving in perfect synchronization.
No, Jade realized. Nine bodies, but one core.
She saw the tiny, vibrating node of the true Fox hidden in the center of the nine illusions.
"Aether! Focus on the center! The smallest core! It's one creature, divided!" Jade yelled over the wind.
Aether, already feeling the mental drain of the illusion, trusted her instantly. He channeled his immense elemental power, not into an attack, but into a focused, sonic shockwave designed to destabilize the central point.
The Forbidden Touch of Desperation
The shockwave hit. The nine illusions screamed and shattered like glass. The true Jiu-Wei Hu, a dazzlingly beautiful creature with nine magnificent tails, was exposed, momentarily stunned.
Jade didn't hesitate. She threw her entire will into the command. The level disparity (60 vs. her nascent command rank) was massive, but she focused on the Fox's core motivation—survival and self-preservation.
"YIELD! OR THE DRAGON WILL DESTROY YOUR CORE!"
The sheer, terrifying authority of the Azure Sight coupled with the immediate threat of Aether's sapphire sword was too much. The Fox collapsed, its multiple tails drooping.
[Yaoguai Jiu-Wei Hu (Level 60) has succumbed to Host Authority. Loyalty Matrix: 55% (Reluctant).]
Jade staggered, completely drained. She had defeated a Level 60 sorceress, but the mental exertion was paralyzing. She swayed on Bao's back, dizzy and faint.
Before she could fall, Aether was there. He caught her, pulling her off Bao and holding her tightly against his cold, scaled armor.
"Jade, you are insane," he breathed, the words mixed with awe and frustration. "You cannot command a creature of that rank without draining your life force!"
"It was the only way," she whispered, leaning into the forbidden contact. The cold of his armor was a strangely comforting anchor against the burning exhaustion of her magic.
Aether held her for a long moment, ignoring the bewildered gaze of the now-submissive Jiu-Wei Hu. He knew the risk he was taking, both politically and emotionally, by letting the human lean on him, but her life force felt terribly fragile.
"Rest," Aether commanded, his tone softer than she had ever heard it. "We are halfway there. The Heartwood Bloom is just beyond the next three peaks."
He looked at the trio of powerful, now-loyal monsters—Bao, Chiwen, and the reluctant Jiu-Wei Hu. "We have the army. Now, we just need the flower." The tension was thick: the journey was brutal, the proximity was dangerous, and the romance was blooming on the sheer edge of survival.