Under a steep cliff, grass rustled as the gentle breeze brushed against it, the sound of a man's exhaustion ringing in the night.
"Hngh... Hngh..."
"Yi Cheng… you fucking bastard," Shu An spat through gritted teeth
"How can you turn your back on the sect that raised you, the people who have stood by you since you were born? Did it mean nothing?" He said staggering forward with every heavy breath.
"You were talented, we had believed in you… in the change you could have brought. But-"
With a dull thud Shu An's body collapsed against the ground, blood profusely soaking into the green grass, the air hanging heavy with the scent of iron
"So?" Yi Cheng asked, looking down at his fallen sect mate
"I never cared how much I could make the sect prosper in the first place; I only cared for my growth." In the next breath, he drove his sword straight into Shu An's heart. The next step crushing his skull underfoot
"I'm fine with the deaths of you all…" He paused before setting fire to the body in front of him, the flames licking at the grass and casting twisted shadows across his face.
"Death is just a new beginning somewhere else, sometime else. In your next life, be stronger. If you kill, it's natural you may die. Refuse to kill, and you still may die."
Yi Cheng crouched under the night sky, his hand hovered over Shu An's smoldering remains. He retrieved the storage ring from the debris and swiftly put it away, his eyes scanning the forest, calculating his next step.
Another one gone, just like that. Where to continue now? He could've sworn that the old lady was going to be here as well.
And with that he turned around calmly walking back in the forest as if nothing had ever transpired, each step leaving a footprint, the next vanishing as if it had never existed.
—--
Jade Yue Sect
A young boy ran along the pathway, draped in loose white robes, a sword on his hip. Panic twisted his face, tears streaming as his shallow breaths grew louder and louder."
"Senior sister… Hngh… Hngh… Hngh…, Where are you?" he called out bursting through the gates and into a vast courtyard.
"Hngh… I finally found yo-"
Then he saw her.
His senior sister – the one who had always been the talk of the sect – knelt on the bare concrete below her, tears overflowing from her dead eyes. Her face was blank, void of any thought.
A glance down showed what was in her hand: his senior brother's name plate, cracked and gray.
Plop. The sound of liquid hitting the floor.
That was all it took, he sprinted towards her, tears now falling frantically all over the ground. Heat welled up in his chest, an emotion he's never felt so strongly began to overwhelm him.
Hate.
His qi surged, resonating with the surroundings. Killing intent flared, but he was only a boy, his hands untainted by blood.
Shen Wen was only fourteen, but he felt hate swell in him like never before — all for one person: Yi Cheng. A senior brother he had once looked up to, a leading figure in his sect.
Though did it matter that he hated him? Yi Cheng had been untouchable, the number one disciple… and now, like Shu An, countless others were just shadows swept away by his hands.
Shen Wen clenched his fists, his teeth grinding, but the quiet fear beneath his rage whispered a truth he could not deny: he was still a child facing a storm of power far beyond his own. Yet he swore that day he would exact revenge on Yi Cheng. And he was not alone; whispers of hatred stirred in countless hearts across the Shenxi mainland.
-
Five Days Later
The news of betrayal spread like wildfire. Elders from sects far and wide gathered, united by rage and fear. All came seeking Yi Cheng's head.
He stood in a valley, sword in hand, blood dried into the fabric of his robes. He did not know how many would come. Only that he had been waiting.
Eight elders appeared, their qi shaking the air. Rocks levitated, trees bent, and the ground groaned under their pressure.
"Eight elders…" Yi Cheng murmured, lips curling into a faint smile. "Eight imminent deaths."
"Arrogant child!" thundered one elder, golden chains snapping through the sky.
Yi Cheng lifted his sword. A hum filled the valley as sword qi surged, sharp enough to shear grass and split stones. His sword intent pressed outward, invisible yet undeniable—cold, merciless, absolute.
He swung once.
The golden chains shattered like brittle threads, sparks scattering into the air. Before the elder could react, Yi Cheng stepped forward, his movement like flowing water. His sword pierced the man's chest, qi exploding out the back in a silver arc. The elder's eyes widened, then dulled. He fell.
Another elder descended, flames roaring around his palm. Yi Cheng's gaze sharpened, his sword trembling with intent. With a flick, a blade of condensed sword qi shot forward, piercing through the wall of fire. The elder's scream was drowned by the crack of searing flesh as Yi Cheng's sword punched cleanly through his body.
The valley erupted.
Swords of qi whistled through the battlefield, each one an extension of his will. Rocks split. Trees toppled. Spears and staves clashed against his blade, only to shatter under the pressure of sword intent.
Even surrounded, Yi Cheng fought like a storm. Every strike precise, every motion lethal. He did not waste strength—each cut severed a life, each thrust carried inevitability. The elders pressed harder, their combined qi shaking the valley floor, yet Yi Cheng moved like a lone wolf among hunters—bloodied, but never cornered.
His robes were torn, his breath ragged, but his sword remained steady. The hum of sword qi filled the air, cutting through their roars.
Three elders fell in rapid succession, their bodies broken, blood misting the valley air. The last remaining staggered, faces pale with disbelief.
"This… this is no mere sword qi…" one elder whispered. "This is sword intent…"
Yi Cheng said nothing. His gaze alone was a blade.
Then—the air shifted. The ground split with a deep crack.
One presence eclipsed all others. Even the elders trembled beneath it.
From the shadows, she emerged.
His master.
Her aura silenced the battlefield. Trees bent. Soil fractured. The very heavens seemed to hold their breath.
"Cheng'er," she said, voice calm yet absolute. "Your path ends here."
Yi Cheng spat blood, but his eyes still burned with defiance. His body ached, his limbs trembling, yet his spirit screamed refusal. His sword trembled, alive with violent intent.
"If you want me dead… you'll have to earn it."
He roared, sword qi surging once more. Arcs of silver light cut through the air, cleaving stone and sky alike. His sword intent battered the valley like a hurricane of blades. He struck with all his remaining strength, carving through three elders at once, their bodies splitting beneath his fury.
But against her… it was nothing.
Her presence pressed down like the heavens themselves. His chest seized. His qi faltered.
She flicked her sleeve. The world seemed to collapse.
The valley floor shattered. The remaining elders were hurled aside like leaves in a storm. Yi Cheng's sword cracked against stone, and his body slammed into the cliff wall. Blood sprayed from his lips, staining the ground.
Still, he clutched the broken hilt, trembling. His sword qi flickered weakly, like a candle before the wind.
"Not… yet…"
Her gaze was unyielding. "Enough."
The valley stilled. Sword intent faded. Yi Cheng's final attempt to lift his sword failed; it slipped from his bloodied grasp.
He collapsed, defeated—mortal at last. Yet even in ruin, his defiance lingered like a scar carved into the air.