The sun dipped behind the mountains, casting a blood-red hue across the sky—a fitting color for what was about to unfold.
Inside the grand hall of the Celestial Cloud Sect, a storm was brewing. Elders, core disciples, and even the Sect Master himself had gathered. Tension clung to the air like a thick fog, suffocating and cold.
Then, the doors creaked open.
A figure in a tattered black cloak stepped through the entrance. His every step echoed like a war drum, steady and ominous. His face, half-hidden by shadows, was calm—too calm.
"It's him…"
"Vạn Thiên Phong… that traitor dares to show his face?"
"He killed three inner sect disciples. Is he insane or just courting death?"
Whispers buzzed like flies in the hall. Some stared in shock, others gripped their swords with white knuckles. No one moved. No one dared to.
Except her.
Standing at the edge of the hall, wearing an ice-blue robe that fluttered gently in the wind, was Bạch Tiêu Nhiên—the cold beauty of the Celestial Cloud Sect, and the one person whose eyes he searched for.
She was still perfect. Cold, poised, and untouchable. But beneath her usual aloofness, he caught it—a flicker of hesitation.
"You're here," she said softly, almost inaudibly.
His lips curved into a faint smirk. "Did you miss me?"
Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't answer.
Then came the shout.
"Vạn Thiên Phong!" A thunderous voice boomed from the front. Elder Xuanyuan, one of the Sect's three Grand Elders, stepped forward, his spiritual aura bursting out in waves. "You slaughtered your fellow disciples, betrayed your sect, and now you stand here like nothing happened? Today, I will deliver justice!"
"Justice?" Thiên Phong laughed, his voice low and chilling. "You mean the same justice that turned a blind eye when I was framed? When I was ambushed by your precious inner court lackeys?"
"You were given a chance!" the Elder roared. "Instead, you chose the devil's path!"
"I chose survival." Thiên Phong's eyes darkened. "And now, I choose vengeance."
The moment he said it, the pressure in the room skyrocketed. Elder Xuanyuan didn't hesitate—his hand slashed the air, releasing a golden blade of spiritual energy, sharp enough to split a mountain.
But Thiên Phong didn't move.
BOOM!
The attack struck, sending debris flying and dust clouding the hall. For a moment, everyone thought it was over.
Then, a voice came from within the smoke. Calm. Mocking.
"That's it?"
When the dust cleared, Thiên Phong stood there, completely unharmed. A shimmering black barrier surrounded him, crackling with demonic energy.
"That's… demonic qi!" someone gasped.
"Impossible! How could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator—"
"I'm no longer what I was," he interrupted, eyes glowing crimson. "You wanted a villain. Let me show you one."
With a snap of his fingers, the barrier shattered outward, sending shockwaves across the room. Disciples were flung back like ragdolls, and even the Elders had to raise their defenses.
Then came the slaughter.
He moved like a ghost—fast, silent, deadly. Every strike of his black blade severed life and limb. Screams echoed. Blood sprayed like mist.
"You—! Stop him!"
Elder Xuanyuan joined forces with another Elder, launching a barrage of spiritual techniques, from flame dragons to golden hammers.
But none of it worked.
Thiên Phong was dancing in the chaos. His cultivation base surged—Mid Core Formation Realm, but his strength? Far beyond that.
He grabbed a disciple by the neck and whispered, "Tell your master in the next life: betrayal has a price."
Crack.
He tossed the corpse aside like trash.
Bạch Tiêu Nhiên watched it all, frozen in place. She had always known he had potential. But this… this wasn't the boy she once looked down upon. This was a monster.
And it thrilled her.
Why? she wondered, heart pounding.
Then, her master stepped in. Sect Master Hàn Trường.
"You've gone too far," the old man said, voice grave. "Even the heavens will not forgive your actions today."
"I don't need the heavens," Thiên Phong said. "I am the storm they fear."
The clash began. Thunder roared as sword met spear. Their battle shook the hall, cracked the walls, and tore through enchantments. Elder after Elder fell trying to intervene.
In the final moment, Hàn Trường raised his Heaven Piercing Spear. "Die, sinner!"
But Thiên Phong laughed.
He unleashed his true trump card—the Soul Devourer Art. Dark runes spiraled around him as a giant demonic phantom appeared, roaring like a beast from the abyss.
"No—! That technique was forbidden!"
"You should've banned your hypocrisy instead."
The phantom devoured the Sect Master's spear in one bite.
And then… it devoured the Sect Master.
Silence fell.
Only one person stood between Thiên Phong and the exit now—Bạch Tiêu Nhiên.
He walked toward her, drenched in blood. His expression unreadable.
She didn't flinch.
"You… really did it," she whispered. "You killed them all."
"They started it."
"And what now?" she asked, her voice trembling for the first time. "You'll kill me too?"
He stopped in front of her. So close she could feel his warmth through the cold air.
"No," he said. "You're the only one I still remember."
Her eyes widened.
Then, unexpectedly, he leaned in and whispered, "But don't follow me. Not unless you're ready to become a sinner too."
With that, he vanished into the night, leaving behind a blood-soaked hall and a girl with shaking hands.
Outside, thunder cracked, and the heavens wept.
But Vạn Thiên Phong—he smiled.
The villain had risen.
---
[End of Chapter 5.]