The night of the festival arrived.
The moon hung full and bright in the sky, unaware that it was about to be swallowed by the earth's shadow.
The Azure Cloud Sect was lit by thousands of floating lanterns. Music played. Wine flowed. It was a desperate attempt to boost morale, to pretend that the rot wasn't spreading.
In the VIP box of the main plaza, the Iron Fist Sect Master and the Violet Sword Sect Master sat uneasily. They drank wine, eyeing the empty seat of the Azure Cloud Sect Master.
"Where is he?" The Iron Fist Master grumbled. "He invites us for a truce, but sends the Saintess to entertain us?"
Yan Luo sat on the central throne. She looked imperious, but her hands were clenched under her heavy ceremonial robes.
"The Sect Master is... preparing the ritual," Yan Luo lied. "He will join us shortly."
The Ancestral Vault
Deep beneath the main peak, in a chamber sealed by heavy stone doors.
Elder Zhang stood before the massive gate. Seven indentations were carved into the stone.
"I have the tokens," Elder Zhang whispered to the shadows.
He placed the tokens one by one.
Click. Click. Click.
The runes on the door flared blue. The heavy stone groaned.
"Who is there?" A Guardian Spirit—a stone golem—materialized from the wall. "Only the Sect Master may enter!"
"The Sect Master is indisposed," a voice said.
Mo Tian stepped out of the shadows.
"Horizon Sword Art: Void Cut."
Slash.
He didn't fight the golem. He cut the space behind the golem, severing its connection to the ley line. The golem crumbled into gravel.
"Open it," Mo Tian commanded.
Elder Zhang pushed the doors.
The Vault opened.
Inside, mountains of spirit stones, high-grade artifacts, and ancient scrolls glittered. But Mo Tian ignored the wealth.
He walked to the center pedestal. Floating there was a blue crystal orb.
The Heart of the Array.
"Beautiful," Mo Tian whispered.
He reached out.
[System Warning: High Energy Object. Touching will alert all Elders.]
"Let them be alerted," Mo Tian grinned. "It's too late."
He grabbed the orb.
HUMMMMM.
A shockwave rippled out from the Vault. It passed through the mountain, through the buildings, through the bodies of every disciple.
In the sky, the blue barrier that had protected the sect for a thousand years flickered... and died.
The wind howled. The protective pressure vanished.
In the Grand Hall, the Iron Fist Sect Master stood up, spilling his wine. "The array... it's gone!"
Yan Luo closed her eyes. It begins.
North Gate
On the perimeter of the sect, the darkness stirred.
"The shell is broken," Gu Sha hissed, raising a bone whistle to his lips.
SCREEEE.
Thousands of red eyes opened in the forest.
"CHARGE!"
The Blood Devil Army—bolstered by the Shadow Court mercenaries and the surviving beasts of the Trial Grounds—surged forward like a tsunami of gore.
The outer disciples didn't stand a chance.
"Enemy attack! Enemy—GAAH!"
The first wave of defenders was washed away in seconds. Xue Yao led the vanguard, her Zanbato cutting through walls and people alike.
"Where is the Spirit Vein?!" she roared, laughing as blood sprayed across her armor.
The Grand Hall
"Treason!" The Violet Sword Sect Master roared, drawing his weapon. "This is a trap! The Azure Cloud Sect lured us here to kill us without the barrier!"
"No!" Elder Liu screamed. "We are being attacked too! Can't you hear the alarms?"
"Lies!" The Iron Fist Master punched Elder Liu in the face. "Kill them all! Break out!"
Chaos erupted in the VIP box. The guest sects attacked the hosts. The hosts, confused and leaderless, fought back desperately.
Yan Luo sat on the throne, watching the carnage.
"Stop!" she cried weakly, knowing no one would listen. "Stop fighting!"
Then, a shadow fell over the plaza.
Mo Tian floated above the Grand Hall. He held the Heart of the Array in one hand and the Horizon Sword in the other. He was no longer hiding his aura. The purple-black pressure of the Perfect Chaos Core crushed down on the battlefield.
"Silence."
The word carried the weight of a mountain.
The fighting stopped. Everyone looked up.
"Young Master Nether?" Elder Liu gasped. "No... Han Fei? No... WHO ARE YOU?"
Mo Tian crushed the blue orb in his hand.
Blue dust rained down on the plaza.
"I am the Landlord," Mo Tian smiled behind his mask. "And your lease has expired."
He pointed his sword at the Grand Hall.
"Burn."
He unleashed the Purple Nether Flame. A sea of purple fire descended from the sky, engulfing the main building.
The Fall of Azure Cloud had begun.