The first rays of sunrise painted Azure Sky Pavilion in shades of gold and crimson, creating an almost ethereal beauty that belied the supernatural corruption eating away at the sect's spiritual foundation. Li Wuchen stood in the center of the main courtyard, no longer making any attempt to conceal the profound changes that had transformed him from powerless servant to wielder of legendary power.
The black jade dagger lay unsheathed in his hands, its surface reflecting the dawn light in ways that seemed to bend physics itself. Around him, the pavilion's remaining defenders had gathered in response to urgent summons from the Elder Council—disciples and servants alike drawn by reports of impossible phenomena emanating from the meditation garden.
Grand Elder Tianqi approached with careful steps, his aged features displaying a mixture of awe, concern, and careful calculation. Behind him came the other elders, their expressions ranging from wonder to barely concealed alarm as they attempted to process the evidence before their eyes.
"Li Wuchen," the Grand Elder said formally, his voice carrying across the courtyard with the authority of decades of leadership. "It appears that certain... assumptions... about your nature may have been incorrect."
"An understatement of considerable magnitude," Wuji observed with dry amusement. "Though I appreciate his diplomatic approach to acknowledging the impossible."
"Honored Grand Elder," Wuchen replied, offering a respectful bow that somehow managed to convey both humility and quiet confidence. "I apologize for the deception, but circumstances required discretion until the true nature of our crisis became clear."
"And what exactly is the true nature of our crisis?" Elder Zhang stepped forward, his formation specialist's training allowing him to perceive at least fragments of the corruption that threaded through the pavilion's spiritual infrastructure. "Our arrays are compromised, but the method of contamination defies every analytical technique at our disposal."
Wuchen raised the dagger, allowing its spiritual radiance to become visible to conventional perception. The weapon blazed with silver fire that cast no shadows, its light revealing the dark veins of demonic influence that had been invisible to normal sight.
"Demonic sabotage," he announced, his voice carrying new harmonics that seemed to resonate from multiple dimensions. "Months of careful infiltration designed to corrupt your foundations from within. By tonight, the contamination would have reached critical mass, turning your own defensive formations into conduits for possession and spiritual consumption."
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the assembled crowd as disciples and servants alike processed the implications. Several of the younger cultivators instinctively began checking their own spiritual condition, searching for signs of the corruption Wuchen had revealed.
"And you possess the means to address this threat?" Grand Elder Tianqi asked, though his tone suggested he already suspected the answer.
"I possess the means to do far more than address it," Wuchen replied, feeling power building within the blade as it responded to his determination. "With your permission, I can purify not just the contamination, but strengthen your entire formation network beyond its original capabilities."
"Careful with your promises," Wuji cautioned. "What we're proposing has never been attempted on this scale. Success is likely, but not guaranteed."
"What are the risks?" Elder Wu inquired, his practical nature asserting itself despite the extraordinary circumstances.
"To you? Minimal. The purification process operates outside conventional spiritual paradigms, so it won't interfere with your cultivation or existing formations." Wuchen paused, considering how much to reveal about the personal costs of such extensive power use. "To me... significant. This level of manifestation will irrevocably establish my nature and capabilities. There will be no return to anonymity or simple life."
The admission created a moment of profound silence as everyone present grappled with the magnitude of what was being offered. A servant—someone they had dismissed as powerless and irrelevant—was proposing to single-handedly save their sect at the cost of his own peaceful existence.
"Why?" Grand Elder Tianqi asked simply. "Why risk so much for people who have shown you little kindness over the years?"
The question struck to the heart of motivations that Wuchen was still discovering within himself. "Because," he said slowly, working through thoughts that felt too large for simple words, "power without responsibility is just another form of corruption. And because..." He looked around at the faces surrounding him—some fearful, some hopeful, all dependent on decisions he was about to make. "Because you're my family, even if you've never realized it."
"Well said. And accurate—bonds forged through shared hardship often prove stronger than those created through blood or formal alliance."
Senior Sister Zhao stepped forward from among the inner disciples, her expression thoughtful rather than alarmed. "The energy patterns you're displaying... they don't match any classification system I've studied. What exactly are you?"
"I am Li Wuchen, servant of Azure Sky Pavilion," he replied with a slight smile. "I am also the current wielder of an artifact that your histories probably describe as myth rather than reality."
"Which artifact?" Elder Zhang pressed, his formation expertise allowing him to recognize power signatures that others could only sense vaguely.
Wuchen raised the dagger higher, allowing its full radiance to illuminate the courtyard. "The Supreme Demon Blade. The Heaven Above Heaven I Alone Am Supreme Sword. The weapon that once brought the entire martial world to its knees, and the power that will ensure such corruption never again threatens Azure Sky Pavilion."
The revelation sent shockwaves through the assembled crowd. Even those with limited historical knowledge recognized the name from legends and cautionary tales passed down through generations. The Supreme Demon Blade was synonymous with destruction on an almost incomprehensible scale—and now it rested in the hands of someone they had known as a powerless servant.
"The legends claim that weapon was destroyed," Grand Elder Tianqi said carefully, though his expression suggested he was already accepting the evidence of his own senses.
"The legends, like most historical accounts of inconvenient truths, were deliberately inaccurate," Wuchen replied. "The blade was sealed, not destroyed. And now it has awakened to face threats that conventional power cannot address."
"Threats like the demonic contamination?"
"Among others. The forces behind this attack represent only the beginning of challenges that will reshape the martial world. Azure Sky Pavilion can either be among the first to fall, or among the first to adapt to new realities."
Grand Elder Tianqi studied Wuchen's face with the penetrating gaze of someone accustomed to making decisions that affected thousands of lives. Whatever he saw there seemed to satisfy some internal requirement, because his expression gradually shifted from wariness to acceptance.
"What do you need from us?" he asked.
"Simply permission to act, and trust that my intentions remain aligned with the pavilion's welfare." Wuchen felt the blade pulse with anticipation as power built toward critical thresholds. "The purification process will be... dramatic. But when it's complete, Azure Sky Pavilion will be better protected than any sect in the realm."
"Then you have both permission and trust," Grand Elder Tianqi declared formally. "May the heavens witness that Azure Sky Pavilion stands with Li Wuchen in this endeavor."
A cheer rose from the assembled crowd—not the polite acknowledgment due a superior, but the genuine enthusiasm of people who had found unexpected salvation in their darkest hour. Servants who had shared his hardships, disciples who had witnessed his character, and elders who recognized wisdom beyond his apparent years all united in support that transcended the boundaries of rank and status.
"It is time," Wuji announced as the sun cleared the eastern peaks and flooded the courtyard with golden light. "Let us show them what true power looks like when wielded with pure intentions."
Wuchen raised the Supreme Demon Blade toward the morning sky, feeling its power expand beyond the confines of physical form to encompass the entire pavilion and surrounding mountains. The moment of hiding was over. The moment of legend had begun.
"Stand back," he commanded gently, his voice carrying new authority that brooked no argument. "And prepare to witness the birth of a new age."