The air in Black Hollow grew heavy.
For days, the villagers whispered in terror, unable to sleep beneath the looming shadow that hung over their cursed home. Then, on the seventh night, the heavens themselves seemed to split apart.
Streaks of azure light tore through the sky as cultivators descended from the mountains, their robes blazing with the insignia of the Azure Cloud Sect.
There were ten of them. Each one stronger than Liu Feng had ever been. At their head was a man with silver hair tied in a warrior's knot, his sword humming with killing intent. His aura alone pressed upon the village like an iron mountain.
"Azure Enforcers…" the elder of Black Hollow whispered, knees buckling in dread.
The villagers scattered into their homes, doors slamming shut, though they knew wooden planks would not save them.
The silver-haired leader's voice rang out, cold as frost.
"In the name of the Azure Cloud Sect, we, the Enforcers, have come to purge the filth of demonic corruption. Bring forth the boy known as Shen Zong, or your village shall burn with him."
Silence.
Then, steady footsteps echoed.
Shen Zong emerged from the shadows, his ragged clothes fluttering in the night breeze. His eyes were calm, his face expressionless, as though he were stepping out to greet guests instead of executioners.
The silver-haired leader's gaze locked onto him. "So, you are the one who murdered Elder Liu Feng."
Shen Zong's voice was steady, cutting through the tension like still water.
"He sought to kill me. I returned the favor."
The enforcers sneered, their swords half-drawn. To them, his words were arrogance. To Shen Zong, they were truth.
The leader's aura flared, shaking the ground. "Boy, your talent is wasted on the demonic path. Were you to kneel now and submit, the sect might spare your life. Defy us…" His voice turned to ice. "And I will scatter your ashes to the wind."
Shen Zong's lips curved faintly, almost mockingly.
"Kneel?" His eyes gleamed, calm and merciless. "If the heavens themselves demanded it, I would refuse. Do you think I would bow to dogs dressed in azure?"
The villagers, listening from behind their doors, gasped in terror. To insult the sect was suicide.
The silver-haired leader's face twisted in rage. His sword blazed with azure qi, illuminating the night sky. "Very well, wretch. I will personally sever your head."
The enforcers surged forward as one, ten blades of azure light descending like judgment from heaven.
---
Shen Zong did not flinch.
The phantom lotus bloomed behind him, vast and writhing, its petals unfurling in hungry black mist. The clash shook the ground, azure light and demonic shadows colliding with deafening force.
Sparks flew. Houses cracked. The earth split.
The villagers trembled as the night was swallowed in chaos.
Shen Zong's body strained under the weight of their combined assault, but his expression remained calm. Each strike only fed the lotus, its petals devouring qi, twisting it into strength.
One enforcer screamed as his blade shattered, the lotus tendrils wrapping around his arm and tearing it apart in a spray of blood. Another fell when Shen Zong's palm, wrapped in demonic qi, pierced through his chest.
But the others pressed harder, their coordination flawless, their strength overwhelming.
Blood ran down Shen Zong's lips. His bones creaked. His body screamed with pain. Yet his eyes never wavered.
This is the difference between a lone cultivator and a sect… numbers, discipline, power stacked upon power.
And yet… his calm voice whispered through the storm of steel and light:
"Good. The more you bring… the more my lotus blooms."
The mark on his chest pulsed violently, the seven petals glowing brighter than ever.
The true battle had begun.