[Depths of the Ruins · Awakening of Wood Yao]
Sang Qi's Yao-mark shimmered in his palm, its pale emerald glow resonating with the ancient scripts throughout the hall. At the center, the Memory Chakra spun slowly, sending ripples of light across the floor to the tips of the twelve carved pillars.
RUMBLE—
A deep echo resounded from the innermost sanctum. The wooden structures behind the walls split open, revealing a spiral staircase hidden by vines rising from the earth. Falling leaves drifted down like an ancient will finally loosening its seal.
Gu Xingyu looked up at the stairs, her eyes trembling with Yao-light as her pocket watch manifested an unprecedented aura of resonance. "It's... guiding us."
Without a word, the group followed her down the spiral path. The stairs were narrow and damp, feeling like the inner veins of a giant tree. Faint whispers of wind echoed in their ears like an ancient consciousness murmuring. As they descended, the Yao-energy grew denser, until they could almost feel the breath of the Wood Yao in the air.
At the end of the path stood a wooden archway. No lock held it, only a familiar ancient script:
"Only those who remember may unlock the key to the future."
Sang Qi stepped forward and pressed his palm against the center of the door.
HUM—
Yao-energy surged, and the door split open like a living thing, revealing a chamber resembling a hollowed root. At its center hovered a slender object woven from emerald crystalline vines—the Wood Yao Key. It was not metal, but a crystal woven from pure energy and memory.
Gu Xingyu's pocket watch suddenly floated into the air. All three Yao-marks glowed in unison, their gears spinning as a beam of light connected the watch to the key.
"This is it... the Wood Yao Key," Lin Lie whispered.
Cang Yuan looked solemn. "Each key is more than a tool; it is the inheritance of a tribe's will. With three gathered... the truth behind the watch is finally drawing near."
Luo Ye smirked. "So, life's about to get even more exciting, then?"
"No," Gu Xingyu said softly. "We are just getting closer to the truth."
Sang Qi walked forward and took the key. Emerald light wound up his arm like roots planting themselves within him. He closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, he seemed to have reached a deep attunement with the ruins.
"The memories of the Wood Yao... I have received them. And I am ready to carry them forward."
He turned and handed the Wood Yao Key to Gu Xingyu. "Xingyu, you keep this. I'm afraid I'll lose it."
She smiled, taking the key. It pulsed in her hand like a tiny heartbeat.
Lin Lie and Cang Yuan looked at each other and simultaneously pulled out their respective keys.
"Mine too," Lin Lie said, handing it over.
"And mine," Cang Yuan smiled. "Keep them safe for us."
As all three keys gathered in her palm, the pocket watch accelerated its rotation, emitting a low, powerful vibration. The three marks erupted in light, illuminating the entire ruins. Gu Xingyu looked toward the light, sensing a calling from afar. Somewhere out there, something else was waiting for them.
[The Forest Path · Ambush]
The atmosphere was originally solemn as they stepped out of the ruins, but the sky had turned grey. Fog swallowed the sun, and the air grew cold.
Luo Ye clutched his ladle, muttering, "This woods feels creepier than when we arrived... not another maze, I hope?"
"It doesn't feel like natural mist," Cang Yuan frowned.
Lin Lie's detector suddenly flashed red. "Energy pulses approaching... unknown numbers... Direction is—"
"Above!" Li Yan barked.
Shadows darted through the canopy, agile as apes, clad in tattered cloaks with distorted Yao-energy flowing in their eyes. They moved like ghosts.
"Bandits? No... the aura is wrong," Lin Lie said, firing Yao-light bolts into the trees.
The shadows flipped down. Their hands glowed with an unnatural light—energy that seemed forcibly implanted.
"They aren't normal enemies," Li Yan unsheathed his blade. "Be careful—they have Cracked Yao reactions!"
Luo Ye swung his ladle, ready for battle, while Sang Qi and Cang Yuan moved to shield Gu Xingyu.
"Cracked Yao?" Gu Xingyu repeated, her heart tightening.
"It's a backlash from unstable crystal implantation," Lin Lie explained, switching his device to long-range mode. "It destabilizes the Yao-meridians—but it grants a temporary, violent surge of power."
"Basically, a bunch of walking bombs," Sang Qi said coldly, conjuring binding vines.
One of the shadows lunged with superhuman speed. Cang Yuan summoned a veil of water, trapping the enemy in a shifting mirror-space. "I can't hold them for long! It's an interference, not a prison!"
"Enough," Sang Qi cried, his Wood-vines dragging another enemy to the ground.
Gu Xingyu refused to be just a bystander. Her watch emitted a defensive pulse, parrying a Yao-blade from above. "I'll distract them!" she shouted, running to draw the fire of two attackers.
"Xingyu! Are you crazy?" Sang Qi roared in panic.
"I'm not crazy! I trust you guys to protect me!" she yelled back.
Lin Lie's bolts hit the pursuers, while Luo Ye slammed into them with a fiery explosion from his ladle. "Being late for dinner makes me grumpy!" he growled.
Li Yan was locked in a fierce duel with two others. He fought with pure skill, his left arm bleeding from a graze. "Back off!" Lin Lie shouted, throwing a Yao-concussion grenade to separate them.
But then, the strongest shadow roared. Its Yao-mark went berserk, its internal crystal flashing with unstable light. Gu Xingyu's watch shrieked in warning.
"He's going to detonate his crystal—GET BACK!" Lin Lie screamed.
The shadow lunged at Gu Xingyu. In that split second, an emerald shield erupted—it was Sang Qi! He threw himself forward, deploying a vine barrier to envelop her.
BOOM—
The explosion leveled the surrounding trees. The shield cracked, and Sang Qi fell to his knees, coughing up blood.
"SANG QI!"
As the smoke cleared, Gu Xingyu was unharmed, her eyes filled with tears and rage.
"They are after the keys," Cang Yuan whispered.
[The Hideout · A Divided Path]
They retreated to a hidden cave. Inside, Sang Qi, despite his own injuries, began to treat Li Yan's shoulder. "It's deep," he muttered, "but you're lucky it missed the vitals."
Gu Xingyu sat against the wall, her watch still flickering. "Why did my watch resonate with their crystals?"
"It wasn't resonance," Lin Lie said grimly. "It was a warning. Those 'Cracked Yao' soldiers aren't human anymore—they've been turned into weapons. If this continues, it could turn entire regions into 'Dead Yao Zones.'"
Silence fell over the cave.
"Is it time to decide our next move?" Cang Yuan asked, looking at the map.
Lin Lie pointed to two locations: "Flame-Scar Valley" and "Wind-Stone Plain."
"We have to split up," Lin Lie said sharply. "Carrying all three keys in one group is too risky now."
Cang Yuan nodded. "Luo Ye and I will head to Flame-Scar Valley. It's volatile, likely related to the Fire Yao. The rest of you head southwest to Wind-Stone Plain to look for the Earth Yao."
Gu Xingyu's face went pale. "Split up? No, it's too dangerous... I brought you all into this. If anything happens..." Her voice trailed off. "I won't forgive myself."
"You don't have that much power, and you don't carry that much guilt," Sang Qi broke the silence, his tone unusually soft.
"Xingyu, we aren't here because you're responsible for us," Cang Yuan smiled. "We chose to walk with you."
Luo Ye grinned. "Nobody owes anyone anything here. You gave us a direction. Trust us—I'm not giving up my life that easily."
Li Yan added, "If you trust us as a team, then trust that we will meet again."
Lin Lie looked at her firmly. "You aren't the one leading us alone. You are the reason we are together."
Gu Xingyu gripped her watch and finally nodded. "Fine... but we promise: if we don't reunite within a week, we activate the watch's signal. We will find each other."
As the two groups prepared their gear, the journey felt heavier. This was no longer just a quest for keys—it was a trial of their bond.