The sun was still rising when the Alliance arrived at the foot of Obsidian Peak.
Beneath the towering, mist-wreathed mountains, a narrow stone pass twisted between sheer cliffs and thorn-laced ravines. On this day, this pass shuddered under the march of the alliance's fury.
The Alliance of Twelve Righteous Sects approached Obsidian Peak like a storm. Dozens of cultivators marching forward unceasingly. Bright robes fluttered with sect insignias of flames, clouds, spears, lotus petals, contrasting starkly against the dark stone path that led into the heart of Obsidian Peak.
Though only "representatives" had been summoned, each sect brought their finest warriors. The air crackled with power and tension.
At the forefront marched Master Shen Zhenhai, his golden robes glowing with the aura of a protective technique. Elder Gan Mo looking impressive in his crimson battle armor marched beside Master Shen, his spear wrapped in coils of blood-hardened Qi. Elder Bo Jian strode across the gravel path, each step shaking dust loose from the mountainside.
The air was thick with tension. Qi energy crackled like dry branches ready to ignite.
They arrived at the Obsidian Peak Sect's guard post.
"Make way," Shen Zhenhai commanded, his voice echoing like thunder against the cliffs. "Summon your Sect Lord, Kai Feng. The Alliance has come to demand answers!"
A line of Obsidian Peak Sect disciples blocked the mountain pass, thirty in number, their dark robes trimmed in silver. They stood shoulder to shoulder, spears raised and eyes burning with resolve. Behind them, formations hummed with Qi.
The leader among the guards, a steely-eyed woman with short hair, stepped forward.
"Proceed no further," she said. "Turn back or face immediate action."
Shen Zhenhai's gaze hardened. "This is your final chance. Stand aside, or be swept aside."
The guards didn't move.
Then, someone made the first mistake.
A single stream of Qi energy ball, hurled from the Iron Bell Monastery's vanguard, shrieked through the air like a screaming hawk.
The explosion tore the front line apart.
The sound of combat erupted like the opening note of a war symphony.
From behind the ruined formation, Elder Bo Jian charged forward, his body encased in shimmering Qi. He struck the ground with a thunderous stomp, launching boulders and debris into the air. With a bellow, he brought both fists down upon the earth. Stone fists of Qi manifestations mirrored his motion and smashed into the remaining Obsidian guards.
"Stone Crushing Palms!"
Disciples were flung like dolls, bones splintering on impact.
Above, Elder Gan Mo rose to the sky with a powerful leap and descended amongst the Obsidian Peak Sect soldiers with a battle cry. His spear blazed with infused Qi as he shouted, "Crimson Sky Piercing Fang!"
The strike cleaved through the defending formation array, sundering glyph-etched stone and shattering defensive wards. The pass lit up with a brilliant red glow as his spear dug a trench ten paces long into the mountainside.
The Obsidian Peak disciples fought valiantly, invoking defensive seals, summoning chains of black Qi, and firing coordinated volley strikes but the difference in power was insurmountable.
From Sunheart Temple, three flame monks ignited their bodies and became human torches. With a chant, they hurled themselves into enemy lines, exploding in shockwaves of purifying fire.
From the sky, a dozen disciples from Mistveil Pavilion danced with silver blades, their footwork creating mirror images that confused and scattered the defenders.
From the rear, Master Lin Zhou observed calmly.
No blade. No technique. Just a faint smile.
The last Obsidian Peak Sect guard fell, his weapon shattering in two as Yun Haishen's fan flicked open and fired a crescent arc of compressed wind, slicing through his armor and will.
Silence settled in the pass, broken only by the groans of the dying and the crackling of residual flames.
Master Shen Zhenhai looked down at the fallen guards.
"I offered mercy," he said. "You chose resistance."
Without waiting, he raised his staff and began marching forward. The Alliance followed, their steps thunderous.
As they ascended the winding paths that coiled around the mountain like a serpent, resistance grew fiercer.
Obsidian Peak Sect's outer defenses awoke in full.
Arrows rained down from hidden turrets. Exploding talismans erupted from the rock itself. Floating sword arrays launched flurries of ghostly blades.
But the Alliance was not unprepared.
From Skyblessing Sect, Master Su Qing raised her hands, drawing a cyclone from the sky. Lightning danced between her fingers as she chanted, "Azure Tempest Sky!"
The bolts tore through the defence forces, leaving charred craters and falling rubble.
Sky Storm Sect disciples smashed through collapsing barriers with brute force, while Serene Jade Valley's archers picked off Obsidian sentries with precision, every arrow laced with disorienting Qi that stunned enemies mid-incantation.
Crimson Rain Sect's warriors surged like a red tide, cutting through summoned beasts and flesh-forged constructs. Their techniques were brutal but efficient—overwhelming and swift.
One peak after another fell, until they reached the final incline—a stone stair of blackened obsidian that led to the fortress gates, carved directly into the mountain's heart.
There it stood.
A pair of massive fortress doors, fifteen meters tall, crafted from a seamless alloy of star-iron and mountain heartstone.
The final gate.
Behind it waited Kai Feng and the inner sanctum of the Obsidian Peak Sect.
The Alliance spread out across the terrace before the doors, catching their breath, meditating briefly, preparing.
Master Shen Zhenhai stepped forward.
"We end the evildoers here," he said.
He raised his staff and drew upon the essence of the mountain itself. The air grew dense. Space warped subtly.
"Radiant Judgment of the Nine Stars!"
Golden sigils spun in the air, forming a wheel of energy symbols behind him. With a slow, resonant turn, the wheel completed a single rotation, then unleashed a searing beam of condensed Qi, lancing forward and slamming into the fortress gates with devastating force.
BOOM!
The mountain trembled. The doors held, but deep cracks began to form.
Then, Elder Bo Jian stepped forth, knuckles flexing.
"I'll loosen them."
He launched forward with a leaping punch, a roar bursting from his throat.
"Skybreaker Smash!"
His fists, glowing like molten metal, struck the same crack, deepening it. Dust and lightning exploded outward from the impact.
Mistveil Pavilion's Yun Haishen moved next, unfurling a dozen mirror talismans around him.
"Echo Blade Formation – Shattering Petal Style!"
The air rippled with slicing waves of wind, each strike hitting the door at impossible angles, weakening joints even magical eyes couldn't see.
Master Su Qing brought down a column of lightning like a hammer from the sky.
"Celestial Pulse Might!"
Each strike coordinated, layered, pressed against the door's weakening formation like waves crashing against a dam.
And then came the final blow.
Elder Gan Mo, standing at the edge of the platform, drew his spear and lifted it to the sky. He flung the weapon with both hands.
"Crimson Serpent Lunge!"
The spear became a beam of fire and light, piercing the center of the gate with a sound like the sky being torn apart.
The doors exploded inward in a blast of molten metal, dust, and Qi backlash.
When the smoke cleared, the path beyond lay open.
And at the far end, atop a stone dais, stood Kai Feng—calm, untouched, eyes closed.