The night was unnaturally silent. Even the winds seemed to retreat from the Azure Mountains, as if fearing to touch the blood-soaked air that was about to descend.
Feng Xieyun stood beneath the ashen sky, his black robes fluttering against the gale stirred by his killing intent. His hair danced like the night itself, his eyes burning with a light that was no longer mortal. Behind him, the horizon itself seemed to tremble; in front of him, looming like a fortress of arrogance, stood the colossal gates of the Jia Clan.
Torches burned atop the walls. The clang of weapons echoed as disciples scrambled into formation, fear etched upon their faces. They had heard the rumors—that Feng Xieyun was coming, that he was no longer a boy, but a calamity wearing human flesh.
The oath he had sworn beneath the heavens still echoed through the realms:
"Lian Zhe, even if I must drown this world in blood, I will take you back."
---
The Gathering Storm
"Close the outer barrier!" roared an elder atop the wall. His face was pale, sweat dripping down his temples despite the cold night air. "Activate the formation stones! Do not let him step a single foot inside!"
Rows of disciples moved frantically, channeling qi into the engraved patterns carved into the ground. Blue light rippled outward as a barrier shimmered to life across the gates. Behind it, hundreds of Jia Clan guards brandished their weapons, their armor shining under the moonlight.
But despite their numbers, not a single one of them dared to take the first step forward.
Because across the plain, walking calmly toward them, was a single youth.
Feng Xieyun's every step carried weight, as though the heavens themselves bent slightly under his tread. He did not run, did not rush—he walked with terrifying composure, each pace steady, deliberate.
The closer he drew, the heavier the air became. Qi in the surroundings twisted unnaturally, vibrating like a string stretched to its limit. Disciples found their breathing shallow; some dropped to their knees, clutching their chests, as if suffocating beneath invisible mountains.
This was no longer the pressure of a youth. This was the step of someone who had begun to defy Heaven.
---
The First Clash
"Archers! Fire!"
At the elder's command, the sky darkened as hundreds of spiritual arrows soared, glowing like comets, descending upon Xieyun in a storm meant to pierce even stone.
Xieyun lifted his gaze, calm, unflinching. He raised his hand, and the air shivered. With a flick of his finger, the space around him warped, folding upon itself.
Boom—!
The first volley of arrows bent mid-air, colliding against each other, exploding harmlessly in showers of sparks.
Gasps rippled across the wall.
Before panic could spread, Xieyun moved.
His foot pressed into the earth. The ground cracked, veins of darkness spreading outward as qi recoiled violently. When he stepped forward again, the air twisted. His figure blurred, vanished, and reappeared before the barrier in a single breath.
"Formation, hold!" screamed the elder.
But Xieyun was already there. His palm slammed against the glowing blue wall, and space itself screamed. The barrier rippled violently, cracking under the unnatural weight of his strike.
Disciples behind it coughed blood, the rebound shredding their meridians.
Then he whispered, his voice cold, resounding like thunder:
"Heaven-Demon Annihilation Step—First Descent."
---
Heaven-Demon's First Step
He lifted his foot slowly, as if raising a mountain. The world froze. Qi in the area turned stagnant, locked in place, refusing to flow.
When his foot descended—
BOOM!
The earth caved, exploding outward in a shockwave of raw force. The barrier shattered instantly, shards of blue light scattering like broken glass. The shockwave ripped through the Jia disciples stationed closest to the gate—bodies torn apart, armor shattered, screams drowned in blood.
The colossal iron gates, proud and ancient, groaned once before being flung inward, their foundations uprooted.
Feng Xieyun walked through the carnage, his eyes never leaving the inner courtyard. Blood painted his robes, but none of it was his own.
On the walls, disciples stared in horror. Some dropped their weapons entirely.
"Impossible… he destroyed the barrier with a single step…"
"He isn't human… he's a demon…"
---
Blood on the Stones
The courtyard erupted into chaos. Elders and elite cultivators rushed forward, their qi blazing like suns as they unleashed martial techniques. Swords of fire, chains of ice, lances of lightning—all descended upon Xieyun in a storm of light.
He didn't dodge.
The Heaven-Demon Annihilation Step bent space itself. Blades twisted mid-air, trajectories bent, strikes meant for his heart shredded allies instead. Flames recoiled, lightning collapsed into the ground, leaving only shattered corpses and screams echoing against the night.
He raised his hand again, a claw of demonic qi unfurling from his palm. With a sweep, half a dozen cultivators were ripped apart, their bodies exploding into crimson mist.
The ground was slick with blood, rivers running across the jade tiles of the Jia courtyard.
And still, he advanced.
---
The Elders' Desperation
"Bring down the second formation!" bellowed a voice.
The courtyard erupted as massive stone pillars rose from the ground, covered in ancient carvings. Light blazed, forming a dome over the courtyard, sealing Xieyun within.
"Now!" cried the elder. "Pour all qi into the array! He cannot withstand the Heavenly Punishment Formation!"
Hundreds of disciples screamed, channeling their energy. Lightning surged down from the dome, converging on Xieyun's body.
The ground shook. Cracks split the jade tiles. Dust erupted as lightning drowned him completely.
For a moment, silence. Disciples panted, sweat pouring from their brows.
"Did we… did we succeed?"
The dust cleared.
And Feng Xieyun still stood.
His robes were torn, blood dripping from his lips. But his eyes—those abyssal eyes—burned brighter than ever. His presence, instead of weakening, grew heavier, darker, pressing upon every soul present.
He took another step forward.
The dome cracked. Lightning bent.
Another step—
The entire formation collapsed, pillars shattering, disciples vomiting blood as their qi was devoured by the backlash.
---
The Demon's Path
Elder after elder fell before him. Swords shattered against his skin, talismans crumbled in his hands, treasures lost their luster under his gaze. He was no longer fighting as a mortal cultivator—he was embodying something greater, something that bent the laws of the world with each step.
Behind him lay a path of corpses, blood soaking the stones, screams fading into silence.
And yet his face remained cold, detached, as if none of it mattered. Because only one thing did:
At the heart of the Jia Clan, beyond walls and chains, was Lian Zhe.
---
The Gates Breached
Finally, he stood before the inner sanctum gates—far larger, covered in ancient seals glowing faintly. Behind them pulsed the oppressive aura of the prison where Lian Zhe was bound.
Elders gathered in desperation, forming a final line of defense. Their faces were pale, but their eyes filled with grim resolve.
"You will not pass!" cried the Patriarch's voice from within, echoing like thunder. "Feng Xieyun, you dare defy Heaven itself—you will die tonight!"
Xieyun lifted his gaze. His lips curved into the faintest smile.
"I told you," he said softly, almost gently. "Even if I must tear Heaven down… I will take her back."
He raised his foot once more. Space folded, air screamed, qi trembled.
Heaven-Demon Annihilation Step—Second Descent.
The inner gates shuddered violently, cracks racing across their ancient seals.
The Jia Clan's sanctuary, for the first time in centuries, trembled on the edge of ruin.