The wind howled through the desolate expanse of the Frozen Abyss, a cold that seemed to seep deep into the marrow of Mo Wuyuan's bones. His body was bruised, bloodied, and battered, but it was the ache in his chest that truly hurt. It was not the pain of his injuries, nor the bitter chill that tore at his skin—it was the gnawing emptiness, the betrayal, the crushing realization that his entire life, everything he had believed in, had been a lie.
He staggered through the snow, his once-black hair now stark white, shimmering faintly under the pale moonlight. The transformation was more than just physical—it was a reflection of the soul-deep bitterness that had taken root within him. His mind swirled with questions that had no answers, questions that tormented him with every step he took through the frozen wasteland.
Were the sects truly what they claimed to be? Were they truly the righteous, benevolent organizations that protected the weak and upheld justice?
The questions echoed in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more his anger boiled to the surface. The world he had believed in, the very foundation of his existence, had crumbled away like dust in the wind.
Mo Wuyuan had been raised in the Azure Cloud Sect, a sect that prided itself on its honor, its virtue, and its commitment to safeguarding the innocent. They had taken him in when he was just a child, orphaned and broken, and had raised him to believe that the world could be changed. They had shown him the path of righteousness, teaching him that power should be wielded to protect the weak, that a true martial artist was one who stood as a beacon of hope for those in need.
But now? Now, everything he had been taught seemed like a cruel joke. A lie.
They said they were the saviors of the people. The ones who would protect the innocent from the darkness that threatened to swallow the world. But in the end, what did they do?
They turned on him.
His thoughts returned to the day of his betrayal, the moment when the Sect Master, Liang, had looked him in the eyes and sentenced him to death. The elders, those whom he had once called mentors, had stood beside him, their faces hard and unyielding, as they declared that he was guilty of treason. They had accused him of murdering his own master, Lu Tian, the one man who had ever truly believed in him. The one man who had raised him as his own son.
The pain of that moment still lingered in his chest. How had they, the so-called paragons of justice, turned their backs on him so easily? How could they have believed such an outrageous lie? How could they have thrown him to the wolves without a shred of evidence, without even a hint of hesitation?
The truth never mattered to them, he thought bitterly. All they cared about was their own power.
Mo Wuyuan's fists clenched. The more he thought about it, the more his hatred grew. The Azure Cloud Sect, the Ethereal Light Sect, and all the others who had hidden behind their masks of righteousness—they were no different from the very enemies they claimed to fight. They were all the same. Hypocrites. Liars. Thieves.
The sects had always preached about loyalty, honor, and protecting the innocent. But when the time came to protect him, to stand by him, they had thrown him away like an unwanted tool. They had used him, molded him into their weapon, and when he had outlived his usefulness, they had discarded him without a second thought. They had framed him for crimes he didn't commit, murdered his family, and betrayed him in the most brutal way possible.
And Li Xue.
He could still hear her voice in his head, cold and detached. "I had no choice, Wuyuan. The sect's future, the safety of my family... I had to choose them."
His heart twisted in agony as the memory replayed in his mind. She had been the one constant in his life, the one person he had trusted with his heart. And yet, in the end, she had chosen the sect over him. She had betrayed him without a second thought, joining the very people who sought his destruction. The love they had shared was nothing more than a lie, a fleeting illusion that had crumbled in the face of power and fear.
She betrayed me for power. They all betrayed me for power.
Mo Wuyuan's breath quickened, his pulse pounding in his ears. His vision blurred with the weight of his emotions. Anger, bitterness, pain—it all fused together into a storm that threatened to tear him apart. The more he thought about it, the more his hatred grew. He had been blind, a fool, believing in their righteousness. He had thought that the Azure Cloud Sect was a sanctuary, a place where the weak could be protected and the strong could rise to defend them. But it was all a farce. A masquerade.
They were all just vultures, preying on the weak, using their so-called ideals as a facade to hide their greed and lust for power. They were no different from the criminals they swore to fight against. The sects had built their empires on the backs of those they had betrayed, using their righteous facade to manipulate the world into believing that they were the ones who stood for justice. But in the end, they were just like everyone else—hungry for control, willing to sacrifice anyone who stood in their way.
They were never the saviors they claimed to be. They were monsters in disguise.
His fingers dug into his palms, the sharp pain grounding him as the world around him seemed to close in. His chest tightened, as if the very air he breathed had turned to lead. Every breath felt like it was dragging him deeper into the abyss, deeper into the realization that everything he had known was a lie.
Wuyuan stopped, staring out over the frozen wasteland before him. The snow drifted lazily through the air, each flake a silent witness to his torment. He had nothing left. No family. No friends. No sect. No love.
Only hatred.
Hatred for the Azure Cloud Sect. Hatred for the Ethereal Light Sect. Hatred for all the sects that had hidden behind their false masks, pretending to be the heroes of the world while crushing the very people they were sworn to protect.
But most of all, he hated himself.
Why did I ever believe in them? he thought bitterly. Why did I ever trust them?
His breath came in shallow gasps as his emotions swirled, threatening to consume him. But even as the fury inside him reached its peak, something else began to stir. Something darker. Something far more dangerous than the rage he had once felt.
A voice whispered in the depths of his mind, a voice that was both unfamiliar and oddly comforting.
They must pay.
And as those words echoed in his mind, something within him snapped. The storm that had raged in his chest finally found its release. His hair, already stark white, shimmered in the moonlight, glowing like an otherworldly fire. His eyes—once soft and filled with hope—now burned with the intensity of a thousand suns.
The world had cast him aside. The sects had used him and betrayed him. But Mo Wuyuan was done being a pawn.
Done being a fool.
He was a weapon now. And the world would learn to fear his vengeance.
Far above, in the heart of the Ethereal Light Sect, Sect Master Yuan Zhi smiled coldly, unaware that the storm they had set in motion was only beginning.