Thick, choking clouds of dark grey ash hung over the fractured ruins of the Cloud Peak Sect. What had once been a majestic mountain sanctuary of white jade courtyards and soaring spirit pavilions was now a desolate graveyard of splintered timber, shattered pillars, and smoldering stone.
High above the wreckage, suspended effortlessly against the scorched sky, floated Liu Tong.
Fresh, dark crimson blood saturated his dark robes, matting his long hair and clinging to his jawline. Thick droplets fell rhythmically from the edge of his chin, splashing silently onto the cracked flagstones far below. His chest rose and fell in slow, measured beats, and across his gore-streaked face stretched a broad, manic grin that revealed teeth stained red with slaughter.
Down on the shattered plaza floor, two figures knelt amidst the carnage, their breaths coming in ragged, shallow gasps.
