Choices and Consequences

Ashes and Exile

Kunlun Mountain

The sacred halls of Kunlun Mountain had long been a place of balance—untouched by the strife of the mortal realm, existing beyond the reach of time. The air was thick with the scent of ancient incense, and the great pillars bore the weight of wisdom passed down through countless generations. It had been centuries since its disciples had last interfered in mortal affairs.

But today, the silence of Kunlun was broken.

Mo Yuan sat upon the high dais, his golden robes pristine, his expression as unreadable as the heavens themselves. Beside him, Ye Hua stood, his posture rigid, his arms folded within the dark folds of his imperial attire. His eyes, sharp and golden, held an unspoken tension.

A figure burst into the hall, robes billowing as he dropped to one knee before them.

"Shifu!"

It was Die Feng, Mo Yuan's first disciple—one of the most revered immortals in the celestial realms. He had long been steady, composed, a pillar of discipline among the Kunlun disciples. Yet now, his breathing was labored, and his usually calm expression was laced with urgency.

Mo Yuan's gaze darkened. "Speak."

Die Feng pressed his hands together in salute before rising, his voice tight with suppressed anger.

"I have returned from the mortal realm. The city is lost, engulfed in flames. But it is not an ordinary war. I witnessed it myself—soldiers impervious to steel, to arrows, to mortal weapons. Even General Tang's own blade could not cut them down."

Ye Hua's expression turned to stone. "What are they?"

Die Feng exhaled, shaking his head. "They are not of this world. I do not know what dark force has awakened, but they move like shadows given form, like creatures of the abyss that refuse to be felled. They slaughter mortals as if they were nothing more than ants beneath their feet."

A terrible silence filled the hall.

Then, Mo Yuan slowly rose from his seat, the weight of his decision pressing against the very walls of Kunlun. His eyes, deep as the cosmos, were unreadable.

"This has gone too far." His voice, though calm, carried the power of mountains.

Die Feng hesitated, knowing what this meant. "Shifu... we have not interfered in mortal affairs for millennia."

"That time is over," Mo Yuan declared.

Ye Hua's eyes burned like the embers of a dying sun. He had remained silent, but now, he stepped forward. "We must act swiftly. If these demons are allowed to spread unchecked, the balance of the realms will be thrown into chaos."

Mo Yuan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the gathering disciples that had entered upon hearing the commotion.

"We descend upon the mortal realm," he commanded. "Gather the Kunlun disciples. Prepare for battle."
The hall erupted into motion.  For the first time in millennia, Kunlun Mountain would interfere.

And the repercussions would be dire.

The City of Ruin

The city burned below them, but it was not fire that lit the heavens—it was the fury of gods.

Mo Yuan and Ye Hua descended upon the battlefield, their arrival splitting the air with the force of a celestial storm. The enemy soldiers—those shadowy figures impervious to mortal steel—turned their empty gazes toward the sky as divine energy crashed over the city like a tidal wave.

For the first time, they hesitated.

Mo Yuan's sword left its sheath in a single, fluid motion. The blade pulsed with golden energy, humming with the fury of an ancient force long restrained.