The skies wept blood.
A black palace stood in ruin atop a shattered mountain, its obsidian towers crumbling under divine fire. The ground was littered with corpses—loyal followers, demonic beasts, and mighty generals—all reduced to ash.
And at the heart of the ruin, a man stood alone.
Clad in torn crimson robes and soaked in blood, his long black hair danced in the scorching wind. His left arm was missing, torn from his body moments ago. Yet his golden eyes glowed with defiance, unwavering even as the heavens themselves sought to erase him.
Liu Shen, the feared Demon Sovereign, stood at the edge of annihilation.
"So… this is how it ends," he muttered, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Before him stood six figures—his disciples. The very ones he had raised from nothing, nurtured, and taught the path of cultivation. Their expressions were cold. Unflinching. Blades drawn.
"Master," said the eldest, a man clad in white robes, his tone flat. "You taught us strength... but never how to be free. The world will never accept demons as rulers. It's time for a new era."
Liu Shen gave a dry, bitter laugh. "I gave you everything. Power, protection, the right to stand above all."
"You gave us chains," spat the second disciple, a woman with trembling eyes. "You used us as weapons… not people. We're breaking free."
His laughter died.
He looked at them one by one. The six he had trusted more than anyone. And then, he looked to the heavens above, where divine light pierced through the clouds like spears.
"So… even the heavens side with traitors. How fitting."
A spear of light pierced his chest. His youngest disciple's weapon.
He didn't resist.
His body crashed backward into his throne, shattering it into dust. Demonic energy erupted from his core, devouring the mountain in a wave of black flame.
The sky cracked. Thunder roared. The world held its breath.
Liu Shen's vision dimmed.
And yet—amidst the darkness—he heard a voice.
"Do you wish to defy fate?"
He couldn't speak. Couldn't move.
But deep within his crumbling soul, a fire still burned.
Yes.
The mountain collapsed. The sky fractured.
Liu Shen's body turned to ash.
But his soul… vanished.
---
Five Years Later — Windfire Province, Feng Clan Outer Court
Mud splattered as a boy was kicked into the dirt.
"You're nothing but trash, Liu Shen! Even pigs have more value!" sneered a young man, raising his foot again.
The boy lay still, blood oozing from the corner of his lip. His robes were torn, his breathing weak.
He was fifteen. Thin. Dirty. A servant's child in the lowest ranks of the Feng Clan.
Laughter rang out from the surrounding youths, all of them dressed in clean training robes, their faces filled with contempt.
But the boy didn't flinch.
He simply stared at the sky, eyes dull and unfocused.
Until suddenly… they shimmered gold.
"This body… what is this place?"
His fingers twitched.
A strange black mist curled around his hand, unseen by the others.
The Demon Sovereign had returned.