The sky over the City was stained with dark red clouds as the Mother's army gathered under the tall, black towers. You could feel the tense, old, and evil power in the air.
In the center of the square, on a platform made of black jade, stood the Mother. She used to be Yu Meihua, but now she was something beyond human. Her purple eyes scanned the thousands of cultivators in front of her, all cloaked in shadow, their energy pulsing darkly.
They weren't just any fighters. They were her Chosen Ones, at Obsidian Rank and higher, elite cultivators who had long discarded the weak morals of regular people. They had strengthened their bodies with the energy of souls they had eaten, and their cores were darkened by countless fights.
The Mother's voice, boosted by old symbols carved into the stone under her feet, boomed like thunder.
My Children!
The army shouted back as one, punching their armored chests.
Today, you're not going out as men or women, but as reapers of fate! Her voice was as sharp as a knife. There are no friends, no enemies, only energy ready to be taken.
A wave of hunger went through the cultivators. Their eyes shone red, gold, silver the colors of powers they had stolen over the years.
Meihua raised her hand, her long nails glowing with dark light.
The planet Di Yu is defenseless. Its guardians, the Ten Grand Magicians, will be defeated. Their power will be given to me and my son.
A murmur of excitement spread through the ranks. They had heard rumors that her crippled prince, her heir, would rise again if he was fed enough stolen spirit energy.
That's what they thought. Mei hua had all the power to make her son permanently whole. But she wouldn't. She was heartless.
You will destroy every lesser cultivator. Eat them and make their weak sparks your own. Her smile was cold. But the ranked cultivators, the Grand Magicians, the chosen guardians, are to be brought back alive. Their energy is for me, for us.
Her eyes flashed dangerously.
Fail me, and you'll join them in the pits.
No one doubted her. They had seen what happened to those who displeased the Immortal Mother turned to ash, their souls trapped in her jade rings forever.
With a wave of her hand, black portals opened in the square, swirling with shadow and fire.
The commanders stepped forward from the ranks.
Leading them was Shen Xuan, an Obsidian Grandmaster whose blade had tasted the essence of a hundred sects. He knelt before the Mother, his voice a deep growl.
Your will be done, Holy Matron of Night.
Go, she said. Raid Di Yu. Let its screams be heard through space.
The cultivators moved like a black wave.
Thousands went through the portals, their bodies covered in armor made of bone and spirit steel. They wore charms to make them stronger, cursed items humming with trapped souls.
Above them, sky ships huge floating fortresses followed, their sides lined with cannons that could destroy mountains.
They traveled through space, crossing the boundaries between worlds.
When they appeared above Di Yu, the planet's two moons reflected against their dark fleet like pale, scared eyes.
***
Di Yu used to be a safe place for cultivation, its cities built around sacred springs and old ley lines. But that peace was shattered when the Mother's City forces arrived.
Flames exploded as the first attacks hit. Entire mountain ranges crumbled from the power of forbidden spells.
In the capital, Luo Tiancheng, leader of the Ten Grand Magicians, stood on top of the Azure Sky Tower, his face pale as he watched the sky darken with enemy cultivators.
Sound the alarms! Defend the city! he yelled.
But it was too late.
The black-cloaked invaders swooped down like locusts, their blades glowing with deadly spirit fire. They easily tore through the defenses. The sacred formations that had protected Di Yu for centuries flickered and died under the attack.
Chaos broke out in the streets.
Lower-ranked cultivators Iron, Bronze, even Silver fought hard, but they were quickly struck down and eaten. These ruthless Obsidian-ranked warriors used forbidden arts, draining their victims' life force directly into their cores.
Small sects that had lasted for generations were destroyed in hours.
Screams echoed through the valleys as families, disciples, and even kids were taken like ripe fruit. Their energy swirled into the black whirlpools summoned by the attackers, fueling the dark war machines.
At the heart of Di Yu, the Ten Grand Magicians made their last stand.
Luo Tiancheng, his silver beard now stained with blood, gathered his comrades in the Circle of Binding Light. They chanted desperate spells, their bodies straining from using too much power.
But the enemy came in endless waves.
Shen Xuan himself stepped onto the battlefield, his black blade humming.
Your time is over, old men, he sneered.
The fight that followed shook the heavens. Spells clashed with dark energy in a storm of light and shadow. Mountains collapsed, rivers dried up. But even the Ten Grand Magicians couldn't hold out against the endless tide.
One by one, they fell, bound in chains made of shadow and steel.
Elsewhere, in the outer city, Liang Feng's friends, people who had fought with him before, were captured.
Mei Lian, the fierce archer whose laughter used to fill the training fields, was dragged by her hair, her spirit bow broken.
Xue Ning, the kind healer, lay unconscious, her spirit energy sealed by dark charms burned into her skin.
They, along with other ranked cultivators, were tied up and thrown onto the Black City's transport ships prisoners facing a fate worse than death. Mother Meihua had named her city after the Black City in the Spirit Realm.
As the last defenses of Di Yu fell, the Mother's forces gathered what they had taken.
The great city was now just rubble. Sacred temples burned, ley lines bled corrupted energy, and the air smelled of death.
Above the smoking ruins, Shen Xuan raised his blade.
Di Yu is gone! Its strength belongs to the Black City!
The army roared in victory.
***
Back at the Mother's Conclave…
The prisoners were dragged into the grand hall, where black marble columns twisted like the spines of old beasts.
Liang Feng, still weak, was brought before the Mother.
He stood on shaky legs as he looked at the chained cultivators. The air was heavy with the sweet, sickening smell of spilled energy.
The two women who had once meant everything to him knelt with the other prisoners.
Mei Lian, bloody but defiant, her golden eyes shining even through the pain.
Xue Ning, her face tear-streaked, her body shaking but her spirit unbroken.
Liang's breath caught in his throat.
No... he whispered, stumbling backward.
The Mother's voice cut through the silence.
My son.
He turned, his eyes wide.
She stepped down from her throne, her robes whispering against the floor like dead leaves.
Your crippled state, your broken core, can all be fixed. She gestured toward the prisoners. Take their energy. Absorb their power. Become more than you are.
Liang's heart raced. His vision blurred.
Mei Lian lifted her head, her voice hoarse.
Feng, don't please we trusted you!
Xue Ning sobbed.
You saved us once, you can do it again!
The Mother gripped his shoulder, her nails digging into his skin.
Choose, my son. Take back your destiny, or stay crippled, weak, forgotten.
Liang's knees gave way. His hands shook. His powers, he felt nothing.
The cultivators watched, their faces cold, waiting for the heir's choice.
The Mother leaned in close, her whisper burning against his ear.
Take their energy, or die broken.
Liang's scream echoed through the hall as the scene faded to black.