The clang of metal echoed through the main hall of the Demon Fire Sect.
The blue torches flickered nervously, as if sensing a storm drawing near.
Yan Zhian stood tall in the center of the chamber. In his hand was a scroll from their spies in the west.
"The Alliance... coming here?" he muttered, disbelief in his voice.
An elder stood at his side.
"Not just that, sir. Cheon Ji is leading them personally. Mu Whon, Kim Jheon Mo... even Lu Zhou. They're all coming."
Yan Zhian turned swiftly, his black robe billowing behind him.
"Impossible. They shouldn't know our location. This… is a trap! Dark Blood's manipulation!"
"But their army is truly on the move. Fifty elite warriors. And... someone carries a split dragon pendant."
Yan Zhian stiffened.
"Lu Zhou..."
His fist clenched.
"Ready everything. Activate the defense formations. Send word to the southern shadow corps. I want this valley flooded with poison and traps before sunrise!"
He looked up at the ceiling, his voice low but resounding.
"And prepare the Black Flame Executioner. If they come... let them burn in a fire they cannot extinguish."
---
In the Danding Mountains, overcast skies loomed above the Alliance's forces.
At the front line, Cheon Ji rode his horse calmly. His white robe danced in the cold wind, but behind that calm, his eyes blazed with vengeance.
Behind him, Mu Whon and Kim Jheon Mo quietly examined the map of the Demon Fire Sect.
So Lin He, the only elder woman who survived the previous battle, stood beside Lu Zhou—still grim, but no longer hollow-eyed.
"They think we're broken," Mu Whon said.
"Let them believe that," replied Cheon Ji. "From this chaos... we rise."
So Lin He opened her cloak, revealing rows of hidden weapons and vials of poison.
"If you permit, I'll handle their shadow forces."
Cheon Ji nodded.
"Don't give them time to breathe. They killed our three brothers—now it's our turn."
Suddenly, Lu Zhou spoke.
"I want to fight on the front line."
All heads turned. His voice was calm, but laced with fierce determination.
"The Demon Fire Sect… needs to know who they've angered."
Cheon Ji stared at him for a long moment, then gave a faint smile—for the first time since the tragedy.
"Very well. Then you will lead the vanguard. Bring the pendant with you. Let them know... we come not only to kill, but to bring the truth."
---
In a remote mist-shrouded valley...
Mo Tian sat calmly atop a large rock. A messenger bird landed on his shoulder.
He unrolled the letter tied to its leg. The more he read, the narrower his eyes became.
> Da Zhong, Chen Tiamo, and Pen Aiyu are dead.
Lu Zhou, Kim Jheon Mo, and Mu Whon are part of Dark Blood.
Cheon Ji is being deceived. He now leads an assault on the Demon Fire Sect.
He crumpled the paper in his hand.
"They're accelerating everything. This is too soon..."
He vanished into a stone cave. Inside, a circular chamber was filled with black pillars and ancient carvings.
At its center stood Seong Whak—cloaked in deep black, eyes sharp and all-seeing.
Mo Tian knelt.
"Lord Seong. News from the valley. The Alliance is heading to the Demon Fire Sect. But it's all... just Dark Blood's game!"
Seong Whak opened his eyes slowly.
"It's time they light their own fire… on the pyre the enemy built for them."
He locked eyes with Mo Tian.
"If we don't act now... this world will fall before dawn."
Mo Tian nodded.
"Let's move," said Seong Whak.
"Before the fire consumes everything."