The first light of dawn bathed Blackstone Keep in a golden glow, but the city was far from peaceful. The air hummed with tension as armored figures moved with practiced efficiency, preparing for the inevitable clash. Shao Xian stood at the edge of the great balcony overlooking the training grounds, his golden eyes scanning the formations below.
Thousands of soldiers stood at attention, their armor polished to a perfect sheen. The Black Sun Legion, his personal force, stood at the forefront—each warrior handpicked for their loyalty and brutality. Clad in dark armor adorned with sigils of dominance, they exuded an aura of unstoppable might.
Zhou Fan approached with a scroll in hand. "Reports from our spies, my Lord."
Shao Xian took the scroll but did not open it immediately. His mind was already several steps ahead.
"The Jade Celestial Pavilion has begun their campaign," Zhou Fan continued. "They've burned three of our outer settlements. Entire villages have been reduced to ashes."
The words carried no weight of emotion, but Shao Xian's gaze sharpened. "And the people?"
Zhou Fan hesitated. "…Slaughtered. Every man, woman, and child."
A low murmur spread through the soldiers below as the news traveled like wildfire. The tension in the air grew denser, charged with an unspoken fury. The Jade Celestial Pavilion had made their move, but in doing so, they had sealed their fate.
Shao Xian crushed the scroll in his hand, letting the ashes scatter into the wind.
"They think destruction will weaken me," he said, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority. "They do not realize… they have only ensured their own extinction."
Zhou Fan bowed. "Your orders, my Lord?"
Shao Xian turned to the gathered commanders. "We march at sunset. Blackstone Keep will remain fortified, but we will take the battle to them. No more waiting."
A wave of dark energy pulsed from him, making the very air tremble. The warriors below felt it—a surge of power, of inevitability. Their lord was not merely a ruler; he was a force of nature.
Zhou Fan smirked. "The Pavilion will not know what hit them."
Shao Xian's lips curled slightly, though it was not a smile of amusement—it was a promise of annihilation.
Meanwhile, deep within the Jade Celestial Pavilion's hidden fortress, the Pavilion Master stood before an enormous scrying mirror, his jade mask reflecting the dim candlelight. Around him, the gathered elders watched with solemn expressions.
The mirror rippled, revealing an image of the destruction they had wrought upon Shao Xian's lands. Smoke still curled from the ruins of villages, bodies scattered like discarded dolls. The Pavilion Master studied the scene, his fingers tracing the air as if calculating something unseen.
"Has he reacted?" one of the elders asked.
A shadowed figure stepped forward. "Our spies report that he is mobilizing his forces. He intends to march on us directly."
The Pavilion Master chuckled, the sound dry and humorless. "Predictable."
Another elder frowned. "Should we not prepare defenses?"
The Pavilion Master turned, his masked face unreadable. "We will not meet him in open battle."
The elders exchanged wary glances.
"Then what is our strategy?" one finally asked.
The Pavilion Master's fingers traced a rune in the air, and the mirror's image shifted—revealing a complex formation inscribed into the earth, stretching across an entire valley. The lines pulsed with eerie energy, forming a massive net of arcane sigils.
"We shall let him march straight into our hands," the Pavilion Master said. "When the time is right, the trap will spring… and even Shao Xian will not escape."
A slow smile spread beneath the jade mask.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the Black Sun Legion set forth.
The march was silent, efficient. No war cries, no unnecessary movement. The disciplined steps of warriors trained in the art of destruction echoed across the barren plains.
Shao Xian rode at the front, his black robes flowing behind him. His golden eyes reflected the stars above, but his mind was fixed on the battle ahead.
Zhou Fan rode beside him. "We are nearing the valley, my Lord."
Shao Xian nodded, his senses stretching outward. There was something… off. The land ahead was too quiet, too still.
The Jade Celestial Pavilion was planning something. That much was certain.
"Form defensive formations," Shao Xian commanded.
The army obeyed instantly. Lines of warriors shifted, shields raised, weapons ready.
Then, the valley floor trembled.
A low hum filled the air, growing into a deafening roar as the ground split apart. Ancient sigils ignited, forming a colossal array that pulsed with malevolent energy.
Zhou Fan cursed. "A formation trap!"
Shao Xian's expression did not change. Instead, he exhaled slowly, his golden eyes gleaming.
"So, this is their plan," he murmured.
From the valley's edge, dozens of figures appeared—elders of the Jade Celestial Pavilion, their robes billowing with power. The Pavilion Master stood at the center, his jade mask reflecting the light of the array.
"Shao Xian," the Pavilion Master called. "You have walked into your own demise."
Shao Xian tilted his head. "Oh?"
The sigils flared, and chains of pure energy shot toward him.
The Black Sun Legion moved to intercept, but Shao Xian raised a hand.
"Stand down."
The chains reached him, wrapping around his form, binding him in layers of energy designed to suppress even the strongest cultivators. The valley shook as the full force of the formation activated, sealing space itself.
A triumphant gleam shone in the Pavilion Master's eyes. "Even you cannot escape this, Shao Xian. This formation was designed to imprison gods themselves."
Shao Xian remained silent for a moment. Then, a chuckle escaped his lips.
"You believe this can hold me?"
The Pavilion Master stiffened. The chains tightened, drawing upon the power of the array—yet…
The ground cracked. The air distorted.
Shao Xian's golden eyes burned brighter.
"This… is nothing."
The chains trembled. Then, with a single flex of his power, they shattered.
A wave of pure devastation erupted from him, obliterating the sigils, disrupting the array. The valley itself groaned as the very laws of the world bent beneath his will.
The Pavilion Master staggered back. "Impossible—!"
Shao Xian raised a hand, and golden flames coalesced around his fingers. "You wished to test me. Now, let me test you."
He flicked his wrist.
The sky ignited.
A pillar of golden fire descended, swallowing the valley in an inferno that turned earth and stone into molten ruin. Screams filled the air as the Pavilion's forces were consumed.
The Pavilion Master barely managed to summon a defensive barrier, but cracks spread across it instantly. His mind raced. This power… it was beyond anything they had predicted.
Shao Xian stepped forward, unscathed. "You sought to make me bleed," he said, his voice carrying across the battlefield. "Instead, you shall be erased."
The Pavilion Master's mind screamed one word.
Run.
But there was nowhere to escape.
Shao Xian raised his hand once more.
The night turned to day.
And the Jade Celestial Pavilion burned.