The sky above Yunchuan was a somber gray, thick clouds obscuring the sun, as if the small village sensed the storm that was about to descend upon it. Ling Tianhao stood at the edge of the village, his now seventeen-year-old frame towering with a presence forged by the trials of the Forbidden Forest, his body marked with scars from his suffering. His dark eyes radiated a chilling aura, burning with unyielding vengeance, his hand gripping the Demon Book he had claimed—a tome that pulsed faintly, as if alive, its demonic energy merging with Tianhao's own, pushing him to the brink of Demonic Lianunionqi Layer 2. His tattered clothes were stained with dried blood, but his steps were firm, each movement exuding a terrifying power.
Tianhao gazed at Yunchuan, the village that had once been his home, the place where his father, Ling Zhantian, had been brutally murdered by Gu Shan and the disciples of the Gray Stone Sect, where his mother, Ling Xueyin, had taken her own life to escape Gu Shan's cruelty, where Mei Lian, his childhood friend, had been torn from him and sold into slavery. The village now felt foreign, but his thirst for vengeance had never waned—it had grown, a black flame ready to consume all who stood in his path. "You will feel the hell you created for me," he muttered, his voice low and laced with hatred, his eyes narrowing as he stepped toward the courtyard of the Gray Stone Sect, the place where all his suffering had begun.
The courtyard of the Gray Stone Sect was unusually quiet that morning, the disciples practicing basic techniques with wooden swords, their shouts and the clatter of wood filling the air. Suddenly, a small explosion rocked the courtyard, dust billowing into the air, and all the disciples froze, their eyes turning toward the figure emerging from the smoke—Tianhao, his aura dark and terrifying, the demonic energy radiating from him making the air feel heavy. "Where is Huo Gang?" he asked, his voice as cold as ice, his eyes sweeping over the crowd of disciples, who began to back away in fear.
Huo Gang, who had been sitting in a corner of the courtyard mocking a weaker disciple, stood up, his face a mix of confusion and derision as he recognized Tianhao. "Well, look who it is… the little rat we threw into the Forbidden Forest?" he said, his voice dripping with mockery, his hand gripping his blunt sword. "You're still alive? I thought you'd be wolf food by now." He laughed, but his laughter died in his throat as he felt Tianhao's aura—something dark, something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
Tianhao didn't respond with words. With a swift movement, he lunged forward, his hand glowing with the black energy of the Demon Book, and in an instant, he was in front of Huo Gang. "You're the first," he said, his voice low, filled with hatred, and his hand struck Huo Gang's chest with terrifying force. The impact let out a sickening crack, Huo Gang's bones shattering instantly, blood spurting from his mouth as his body was hurled backward, crashing into the courtyard wall with enough force to crack the stone. Huo Gang collapsed, his eyes wide with terror, his breath ragged, but Tianhao didn't stop—he stepped closer, his hand gripping Huo Gang's throat, and with a single squeeze, he ended the young man's life, blood trickling from Huo Gang's lifeless mouth.
The disciples of the Gray Stone Sect screamed, some fleeing in terror, while others raised their weapons with trembling hands, but none dared to approach. Tianhao released Huo Gang's throat, the body falling to the ground with a heavy thud, and he turned to the courtyard, his eyes blazing with the fire of vengeance. "Huo Wuchang… come out!" he roared, his voice echoing, filled with rage, his demonic energy erupting, causing the ground beneath his feet to crack.
Huo Wuchang, who had been meditating in the sect's main hall, felt the explosion of energy and rushed out, his face contorted with fury as he saw his son's lifeless body on the ground. "You… you demonic brat!" he shouted, his aura as a Late Lianqi Stage cultivator erupting, a blue energy flaring around his body. "You dare kill my son?! I'll destroy you!" He charged forward, his hands forming an energy seal, and a ball of blue light shot toward Tianhao, ready to obliterate anything in its path.
Tianhao didn't move, his eyes remaining cold, his hand raising the Demon Book, and a surge of black energy erupted from his body, forming a dark shield that blocked Huo Wuchang's attack. The blue ball of light exploded on impact with the shield, smoke and dust filling the courtyard, but Tianhao emerged unscathed—he stepped out of the smoke, his demonic energy growing stronger, his eyes glowing a faint red. "You're next," he said, his voice filled with hatred, and he lunged forward, his hand glowing with black energy, ready to end Huo Wuchang.
The battle was fierce, Tianhao's demonic energy clashing with Huo Wuchang's Lianqi energy, each strike shaking the courtyard, cracking walls, and toppling nearby trees. Huo Wuchang, despite his strength, began to falter—the demonic energy Tianhao wielded was too ferocious, too wild, and each of Tianhao's attacks carried a hatred that felt alive. With a final strike, Tianhao slammed his palm into Huo Wuchang's chest, the black energy erupting with a sickening crack as Huo Wuchang's bones shattered, blood spurting from his mouth, his body hurled backward, collapsing with ragged breaths.
Tianhao stood over Huo Wuchang's body, his breathing heavy, his body covered in wounds from the battle, blood dripping from his hands, but his eyes remained cold, filled with satisfaction. "This is just the beginning," he muttered, his voice low, his gaze turning toward Gu Shan's pavilion in the distance. But before he could take another step, a panicked voice rang out from the courtyard's entrance—a disciple ran in, his face pale, shouting, "Gu Shan fled! He ran to the Central Region, saying he'll seek help from the Sky Sword Sect!"
Tianhao turned, his eyes narrowing, his rage burning hotter than ever. "Fled, did he?" he said, his voice dripping with hatred. "You can't run forever, Gu Shan." He looked at the now-ruined courtyard, the bodies of Huo Gang and Huo Wuchang lying lifeless, the remaining disciples fleeing in terror. The Gray Stone Sect, once the source of his nightmares, now lay in ruins at his hands, but his vengeance was far from over—Gu Shan was still alive, and Tianhao knew he needed to grow stronger to face the Sky Sword Sect, the most powerful sect in Tianxu.
As Tianhao walked out of the courtyard, his steps paused for a moment, his gaze drifting north, toward the Central Region. He had heard rumors of the Sky Sword Tournament, a grand competition where young cultivators from across Tianxu would compete, including disciples from the major sects. "If Gu Shan fled there… I'll follow," he muttered, his voice filled with resolve. In his mind, he imagined the new faces he might encounter—including a beautiful girl from the Eternal Flame Sect, said to have hair as red as fire and eyes brimming with spirit, someone who might one day be drawn to Tianhao's dark, mysterious aura, but that was a story for another time.
Tianhao left Yunchuan behind, the village now a scene of destruction, the Demon Book in his hand trembling, as if sensing his unfinished vengeance. The sky above grew darker, lightning flashing in the distance, as if Tianxu itself knew that a new demon had been born—a demon who would shake the world with blood and fire.