Having my world turned upside down, I stood silently at the doorstep of the pavilions that I once proclaimed as my 'home.'
After losing my powers and strength, my only way of getting revenge was to beg for help from the elders of the clan, but it turned out even their hands were dyed crimson with my son's blood.
My feet began to subconsciously retreat, stumbling backwards while all kinds of thoughts swarmed my already shaken mind.
'How am I going to get revenge for my son?'
'Is this it?'
'Why did they betray me?'
'Was I really not caring for any of my people?'
I had fallen into a state of self-doubt, relentlessly doubting my own past actions, thinking it was my own fault to begin with.
At the same time, an old man who stood solemnly atop the pavilion—looking down at the world as though seeking someone's presence—smiled heretically.
He let go of a subtle but definite pressure that spread across the stage where all the different emissaries of sects gathered alongside the elders of the Mo Clan.
Suddenly, all of them widened their eyes, and a smirk formed over the corners of their lips.
'As expected... He's here... Everyone, come to Mt. Yunshen.'
A voice whispered into their minds. Everyone silently vanished from their seats at the same time alongside the old man.
I remained dozing in my thoughts when, all of a sudden, a shadowy silhouette appeared behind me and grabbed onto my face. His palm covered my mouth as he pulled me into the darkness along with him.
---
Mount Yunshen, one of the highest peaks known to the Tianlang continent and an ancestral sacred place to those of the Mo clan.
Situated deep within the jagged peaks of the Yunxiao mountain ranges that shrouded Xiouyue from the north, Mount Yunshen was said to have been the very place where the originator of the Mo clan, Mo Tianzhou, had spent centuries perfecting his techniques before coming out into the world.
Some said that the mountain contained his legacy, making many of the descendants and outsiders compete for it.
However, to this day, let alone the top, not a single living being has ever been able to tread its length halfway.
Submerged deeply into the embrace of clouds, its peak remained unseen.
However, that wasn't all to it either.
At the base of the mountain, countless ravines and hidden cliffs remained exposed, posing an immense threat to the climbers or even those who merely wanted to look at the mountain up close.
At one of such cliffs near the mountain's base, all 14 elders, 6 respective emissaries of major clans, and the elderly man who stood atop the pavilion gathered, all facing the cliff while standing side by side.
In front, I knelt trembling at the edge of the cliff, my mind shrouded in the sudden change of vision, trying to get used to it.
"Hahaha... Look at him!"
"I never thought I'd live long enough to see such an auspicious day!"
"The arrogant good-for-nothing has finally fallen to his true level!"
Devious cackles and painful sneers echoed through the entire range, all converging on but one person.
I, for a split second, thought this was unreal. But it all crumbled away as my empty eyes saw the grins on their faces.
'Demons...'
My vision hadn't blurred; rather, it was clearer than ever.
Looking at the people who were once my allies, rivals, and family, I could no longer feel the sense of companionship.
After losing everything I had—let it be my world, my powers, my family, my allies, my place in the world—I could finally see the true face of people.
Those who stood against me weren't humans whatsoever. Although they lacked the obscure horns and the nasty looks, those who stood against me were demons.
Demons masked under the skin of humans.
One after another, they kept on sneering at me, while I simply stayed silent.
Seeing that their taunts were doing nothing to me, they proceeded to the next stage—physical abuse.
The elder who stood atop the pavilion looked oddly familiar to me.
Although he did not have any distinguished feature, there remained a wisp-like cerulean imprint over his forehead, swirling around itself in a jagged, diamond-like shape.
---
'Take care of my daughter, Taixuan. I'm leaving my most precious in your hands.'
---
A distant memory emerged in my mind. I remembered who the man was; however, my expressions did not change.
It wasn't that I wasn't shocked to see the very father of my dead wife along with others, but they say, 'A droplet of water can not affect the earth, for it holds the mighty ocean all alone.'
"Let me do the honors." The old man said as he stepped forward and raised his hand, pointing it towards me before clenching it tightly.
A mysterious force suddenly slammed onto my body, surrounding it tightly from all directions.
Then, the old man extended his hand forward, pushing me away from the cliff.
"Do not blame us for this, Taixuan. You were a brilliant child; however, you were too righteous to survive in this accursed world. You lacked the ambition of a ruler. You merely wanted to live in a small city, while we wanted to take over the heavens. Our ideals did not match, and to make it worse, you unknowingly messed up our plans too many times." The old man said uncaringly.
"Money, power, a woman, and then, a son. We tried so many methods to lure you; however, you remained stubborn."
"You had become a nail in our path, and as of now, we had no choice but to take care of you ourselves." He suddenly clenched harder, making my body churn and crack in pain, blood leaking from all of my orifices.
"It would've been better if you had just stayed like the little bitch you are." One of the emissaries scoffed.
"From this day onwards, Mo Taixuan, the 13th Patriarch of the Mo clan, is renounced—dead!" He announced to the world as his voice reverberated throughout the mountain range before finally releasing his grasp, letting me slowly disappear into the depths of the abyss.
Even as I fell indefinitely, my eyes remained stuck on the wicked smiles that they bore on their faces.
A rage burned inside of me; however, my mind remained stuck on the old man's words. My expressions remained solemn, empty.
'If... for some reason... I survive... then you shall see the demon you'd have never wished the heavens for.' Crimson tears welled up in my eyes, flowing from the corners as I raised my arm towards the cliff from which he had fallen.
'I will... Make you bleed tears and beg for death... I swear on my name...'
"Until that fruitful day arrives... I, Mo Taixuan, refuse to die..." I mumbled in a trembling voice before disappearing into the darkness.