At dawn, the villagers of Black Hollow awoke to the sound of hooves and steel.
Four robed disciples bearing the azure cloud insignia entered the village square, their swords gleaming in the morning sun. At their head stood a tall man in his late twenties, his gaze sharp as a blade. His name was Liu Feng, an outer elder of the Azure Cloud Sect, tasked with rooting out corruption.
The villagers gathered, trembling. For them, sect disciples were gods—aloof, powerful, untouchable.
Liu Feng raised his voice, cold and authoritative.
"We are of the Azure Cloud Sect. Reports of demonic activity reached our ears. Speak! Who among you has consorted with darkness?"
No one answered. The villagers kept their heads bowed, too fearful to even glance toward the hut at the edge of the village.
Liu Feng's eyes narrowed. He could smell fear like blood in the air. "If you protect a demon, then you share in its sins."
One of his junior disciples whispered, "Elder, look—over there."
At the edge of the square, Shen Zong walked calmly toward them, his ragged clothes swaying in the breeze, his expression unreadable. He looked like a mere orphan boy, yet the crowd shrank back as if he were a beast wearing human skin.
Liu Feng studied him. "You." His hand rested on the hilt of his sword. "The stench of death clings to you. Did you slay the five cultivators who died here?"
Shen Zong stopped a few paces away, his eyes calm, voice steady.
"They sought prey. They found a hunter."
Murmurs rippled through the villagers. Liu Feng's face hardened. "You admit it. And from your aura, I can feel it—demonic qi. A path of slaughter, forbidden by heaven and earth."
His hand drew his sword in a flash of cold steel. "In the name of the Azure Cloud Sect, I, Liu Feng, shall end your corruption here and now."
The disciples behind him cheered, their righteousness burning like fire. The villagers dared not breathe.
But Shen Zong… did not move. His lips curved faintly, almost mocking.
"Righteousness?" he said softly. "Your sect preys upon villages with taxes. Those five outlaws preyed upon villagers with blades. Tell me—what is the difference between them and you?"
The words struck like knives. Even the villagers dared glance up, their eyes flickering with hidden resentment.
Liu Feng's face twisted in anger. "You dare compare us to criminals? Blasphemous wretch!"
With a roar, he leapt forward, sword gleaming with azure qi. The strike was swift, merciless, meant to cut Shen Zong in two.
But as the blade descended—
Boom.
Black mist erupted from Shen Zong's body, blooming into a phantom lotus that absorbed the strike head-on. The ground cracked beneath them, dust exploding into the air.
Gasps echoed.
Shen Zong stood unmoved, his ragged clothes fluttering in the demonic aura. His calm eyes locked on Liu Feng.
"You mistake calm for weakness." His voice was low, cold, and heavy as thunder. "But I am not calm because I lack rage. I am calm because I have already chosen your fate."
Before Liu Feng could recover, Shen Zong's hand shot forward, black qi coiling like serpents. The phantom lotus flared, its tendrils wrapping around the azure sword. Sparks flew as demonic qi clashed against righteous steel.
The disciples shouted in shock. "Impossible—he's only a boy!"
But Shen Zong pressed forward, step by step, his strength unnatural, fueled by the scripture's hunger. Liu Feng gritted his teeth, straining against the crushing force. For the first time, doubt flickered in his eyes.
Shen Zong whispered, voice like a curse carried by the wind.
"Your sword feeds the heavens. Mine feeds the abyss. Let us see which hungers more."
With a final surge, the black lotus pulsed, shattering Liu Feng's sword into fragments.
Gasps turned into screams.
Shen Zong raised his hand. The phantom lotus loomed above, its petals writhing, thirsting for blood.
The villagers stared in silence. The Azure Cloud Sect had come to kill a demon—yet it was the "demon" who now stood over them, calm and unbroken, ready to strike.