The basin of borrowed faces lay shattered behind them—obsidian pillars cracked, illusions reduced to drifting ash that tasted of salt and regret on the tongue.
They climbed again.
The path narrowed to a razor's edge—stone shelf barely a foot wide, sheer drop on one side into black nothing, sheer cliff on the other. No handholds. No safety. Only forward.
Lin Feng led—throat still raw, voice a painful rasp even through the Refrain of Unbroken Voice. Every word cost blood; he spoke only when necessary.
Yue Li walked second—sword sheathed but hand never far from the hilt, eyes flicking between Lin Feng's back and the void below.
Xiao Qing came last—small feet finding purchase where none should exist, humming constantly now, the lullaby her only anchor against the growing silence of the mountain.
The air grew thinner with every step.
Not just altitude.
Something was **taking** it.
Lin Feng felt the first real theft on the next breath.
His lungs expanded—nothing filled them.
He staggered—hand slapping stone for balance.
Yue Li caught his elbow.
"Breathe," she rasped—her own voice already thinning.
He tried.
Another inhale—shallow, useless.
Qi in his dantian flickered—dimming with every attempted breath.
The Fourth Veil: Stolen Breaths.
The Council had turned the very air into a thief.
Xiao Qing whimpered—small chest heaving faster, shallower.
Her humming faltered—notes skipping, voice fading.
Lin Feng turned—slow, dizzy.
He saw it in their eyes first: pupils dilating, lips tinting blue.
The veil was stealing life one breath at a time.
The system panel materialized—cold, inevitable.
[Sovereign's Resentment – Mandatory Progression Quest Issued]
[Quest: "Breathe Through Theft"]
[Objective: Reach the far side of the Fourth Veil without external qi assistance. You must manually cycle your own qi to force oxygen into your blood while the veil actively drains it. Maintain consciousness and forward momentum for all three of you.]
[Reward: Permanent +40% resistance to qi/vitality drain effects | Unlock "Refrain of Stolen Breath" (Level 1) – You can now temporarily store stolen qi/breath in your dantian and redistribute it to allies or convert it into raw power bursts.]
[Failure Condition: Any member loses consciousness → veil claims permanent lung capacity reduction (all future stamina / qi regeneration -60%)]
[Time Limit: Veil saturation point approaching (estimated 12 minutes before irreversible damage)]
[Special Condition: You cannot share qi directly. Any transfer attempt amplifies drain ×5 on the giver.]
Lin Feng read it—vision swimming.
He looked at Yue Li.
She was already swaying—sword tip scraping stone for balance.
Xiao Qing's small face had gone gray—lips moving in silent song, no sound left.
Lin Feng made the decision in one heartbeat.
He reached inward—cycling what little qi remained in brutal, painful loops.
Each cycle forced a thin thread of oxygen into his blood—enough to stay conscious.
He staggered forward—one step.
Then another.
Behind him, Yue Li followed—matching his rhythm, forcing her own qi to circulate against the drain.
Xiao Qing—smallest, weakest—began to fall behind.
Lin Feng turned—reached back.
He couldn't transfer qi.
But he could **carry** her.
He scooped her up—small body light as a bird—pressed her against his chest.
Her head lolled against his shoulder.
Her breathing was shallow—terrifyingly shallow.
He whispered—voice shredded, barely audible:
"Stay… with… me…"
He kept walking.
One foot in front of the other.
Qi cycling harder—brutal—tearing meridians.
Blood leaked from his nose again.
From his ears.
From the corners of his eyes.
Yue Li walked beside him now—hand on his back—steadying him as much as herself.
Her own face was pale—lips blue—but her eyes burned.
They moved as one broken organism—three bodies, one stubborn heartbeat.
The veil pushed harder.
Air turned to lead.
Every inhale felt like swallowing knives.
Lin Feng's vision tunneled—black at the edges.
Xiao Qing's small hand clutched his robe—weak, fading.
He sang.
Not aloud—his throat was too ruined.
Through qi alone.
The lullaby—silent, desperate—projected straight into their minds.
*Little phoenix… fly beyond the storm…*
Xiao Qing's breathing hitched—then steadied—just a fraction.
Yue Li's steps grew firmer.
They reached the far edge of the basin.
One last step.
Lin Feng fell forward—over the lip—crashing onto soft earth on the other side.
The veil snapped behind them.
Air rushed back—cold, sweet, painful.
He rolled onto his back—gasping, choking, crying all at once.
Yue Li dropped beside him—chest heaving—tears streaming.
Xiao Qing lay between them—small chest rising and falling—alive.
The system chimed—soft, almost respectful.
[Ding! Quest "Breathe Through Theft" – Completed at extreme cost]
[Reward Granted:]
[Permanent +40% resistance to qi/vitality drain]
[Refrain of Stolen Breath – Level 1 Unlocked]
[Dominion Points +900 | Current total: 3138]
[Status Update: Severe qi depletion & minor lung scarring. Full recovery estimated 7 days with rest & healing.]
Lin Feng stared up at the narrowing sky.
His voice—when it came—was barely a whisper.
"We're… still… breathing."
Yue Li laughed—wet, broken, triumphant.
"Yes. We are."
Xiao Qing's small hand found his.
Her humming returned—weak, trembling, but present.
Three more veils waited.
But they had stolen breath back from the thief.
And the song—hoarse, bleeding, defiant—kept going.