The moon hung high above the Cloudpeak Sect, its silver light spilling across towering jade palaces and fields of spiritual herbs that swayed like a silent sea. Mist coiled around ancient stone paths, and the air thrummed faintly with spiritual energy. Under that serene night sky, a storm was quietly brewing.
Among the countless disciples walking the illuminated courtyards, Polyfalls Yen stood out—not for his cultivation, but for his striking appearance. His sharp brows framed clear, elegant eyes, and his features were finely sculpted, giving him the noble air of a young master. Many had once admired him, and even now, whispers about his looks followed him.
But admiration had long turned to scorn.
"Such a face… wasted on a useless heir," one disciple muttered.
"Seventeen years and still stuck at Qi Refining? Pathetic," another sneered.
Polyfalls clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened. He kept his head lowered, but their words pierced deeper than blades. Born into one of the most prestigious families within Cloudpeak Sect, he had been raised under endless expectations. Yet despite his handsome looks and noble bloodline, he lacked the one thing this world valued most—talent.
The sect worshipped strength. Beauty meant nothing without power.
That night, the sect was restless. Lanterns burned late into the darkness, and elders gathered in the main hall. Rumors slithered through corridors like venomous snakes.
> "The Celestial Spirit Core… it's gone."
"Someone dared to steal from the vault?"
"They say… it was Polyfalls Yen."
The whispers struck him like thunderbolts. Before he could react, the crowd parted, and a group of elders approached, their robes fluttering like storm clouds. At their head stood Elder Fang, a stern man whose approval Polyfalls had once desperately sought.
"Polyfalls Yen," Elder Fang's cold voice echoed across the courtyard. "Kneel."
Confused and alarmed, Polyfalls obeyed.
"The Celestial Spirit Core has been stolen," Elder Fang declared, holding up a cracked jade talisman that shimmered faintly with Polyfalls's family's spiritual signature. "This was found beneath your quarters."
A wave of gasps spread through the gathered disciples.
"That's impossible!" Polyfalls shouted, his voice raw with disbelief. "I didn't—"
"Silence!" Elder Fang's eyes burned with cold fury. "You have shamed this sect. For theft, deceit, and betrayal, the punishment is death."
Polyfalls's breath caught in his throat as he searched the crowd. His father stood among the elders, face carved from ice. His mother turned her gaze away, her lips trembling but silent. His siblings lowered their heads, unwilling to meet his eyes. Not one of them stepped forward.
"Father… Mother… I swear I didn't—"
"Enough," his father said flatly, as if cutting ties with a blade.
It was over.
Spiritual chains wrapped around his limbs, glowing with cold light as disciples dragged him to the Moon Execution Platform. The same people who had once trained beside him now jeered with cruel delight.
Kneeling on the cold stone, Polyfalls lifted his head to the night sky. The moonlight bathed his handsome face, highlighting the pain and fury burning beneath his calm expression.
"So this is how it ends…" he whispered bitterly.
Elder Fang raised his hand, and a blade of condensed spiritual energy formed—brilliant and merciless.
"Polyfalls Yen," the elder announced, "for your crimes, you are sentenced to death."
The crowd fell silent.
As the blade descended, a strange calm filled Polyfalls's chest. Fear faded. Hatred took its place—hot, sharp, and endless.
> If the heavens abandon me, then I shall walk the path of demons.
I will return.
I will make them all kneel.
His vision blurred. The last thing he saw was the moon reflected in his own blood.
Then—darkness.
But somewhere deep in the endless void, something ancient stirred. And it heard his vow.