The Moonlight Empire.
A land veiled in mist and moonfire, where jade towers rose into the clouds and rivers shimmered with silver Qi. Every corner of the Empire seemed to breathe elegance and danger, for behind its beauty lay power struggles older than its marble palaces.
Xiao Wang stood at the edge of the imperial capital's gates, his black robe fluttering under the whispering breeze. His once calm eyes were now twin abysses of light and darkness — remnants of his evolving split soul. The faint scarlet hue in his pupils pulsed every few seconds, resonating with the Celestial Devourer System that now thrummed quietly in his dantian.
"The scent of deceit fills this place… even the moon hides behind its veil."
The Sword's voice murmured in his mind — calm, ancient, yet with a faint edge of amusement.
"Boy, tread carefully. This empire is drenched in silent blood."
Xiao Wang's fingers brushed the hilt of the Celestial Devouring Sword, now dormant in appearance but quivering faintly — as if eager for another feast.
After his war with the Azure Sky Sect, where he crushed elders, ancestors, and disciples alike in a storm of blades and devouring Qi, Xiao Wang's name had already spread across the Eastern Territories. To some, he was a demon reborn; to others, the rising god of slaughter.
But here in the Moonlight Empire, he was just another traveler — cloaked, unrecognized, and searching for someone.
"Lian Yue…" he whispered, his gaze softening. "You told me this place was your home. I've come… as promised."
He had not forgotten the girl who once stood beside him against Elder Mo Tian — the one whose voice trembled yet never wavered as she drew her sword to defend a man the world called a monster.
He still remembered her smile that night, beneath the silver moon — "When the moon is at its fullest, come to my empire. I will show you what true moonlight looks like."
That promise had brought him here.
But destiny was waiting — sharpened like a blade.
Within the Imperial Palace
Golden banners waved in the wind, embroidered with the insignia of the Moonlight Phoenix — symbol of the Empire's divine bloodline.At the heart of the palace, within a hall lined by spirit jade columns, stood Princess Lian Yue, her long silver hair cascading like a river of starlight.
She wore battle armor beneath her silken robes — hidden, yet ready.
Before her, the imperial ministers knelt, while the court generals whispered in unease.
"The Celestial Devourer has entered our borders," one of the ministers said, his voice shaking. "Your Highness, this is the same man who obliterated the Azure Sky Sect overnight!"
Lian Yue's expression didn't falter. Her tone was calm — almost too calm."I know who he is. He will not harm the Moonlight Empire."
Her father, Emperor Lian Zhen, seated upon the moon jade throne, watched her silently. His face was carved with age and wisdom, but his eyes flickered with something else — fear, perhaps… or guilt.
"Yue'er," he said softly, "you do not understand. The trap was not for him… but now, he walks straight into it."
Lian Yue froze. "Trap? What do you mean?"
Before the Emperor could speak, the great doors of the hall opened with a thunderous boom.
A figure stepped in — tall, cloaked in black armor etched with crimson runes.
The air around him twisted with demonic Qi.
"Ah, so the Moonlight Empire still remembers its debt,
"The man said with a grin that could curdle blood.
"Your ancestor's promise — to offer ten thousand royal souls when the Devourer returns."
A hush fell over the court.
"Who are you!?" Lian Yue shouted, drawing her sword.
The man's laughter echoed like the tolling of a death bell.
"I am merely the collector — the Blood Shade Envoy of the Abyssal Heaven Temple. And your offering begins… tonight."
Outside the Palace
Xiao Wang's body froze mid-step as the Celestial Devourer System suddenly flared to life within him.
[System Reawakening Complete.]
[Divine Function: Soul Devouring Array — unlocked.]
[Warning: High-level Abyssal energy detected nearby.]
A cold breeze tore through the streets as the moon turned blood-red.
The Sword within his mind whispered sharply — now sounding almost… alert.
"That aura… impossible. The Abyssal Heaven Temple? They should not exist in this realm."
"Then why do I sense them here?" Xiao Wang muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Are they after me?"
"No. The trap… wasn't for you."
At that instant, an explosion ripped through the capital.
Flames rose into the sky, painting the moon in crimson.
Xiao Wang's instincts screamed.
He dashed forward, his movement technique — Void Step — blurring his body into a streak of light.
Inside the Moonlight Palace
The court was chaos. Demonic creatures poured from cracks in the air — horned beasts of shadow and fire, each wreathed in the scent of blood and despair.
"Protect the Emperor!"
"Form the Moonlight Array!"
The generals and cultivators of the empire formed formation circles, but their attacks barely scratched the invading horde.
Lian Yue's sword danced like moonlight, severing shadow beasts one after another — but for every creature she struck down, two more emerged.
And then —The Blood Shade Envoy moved.
He raised a single hand, and black tendrils surged outward, binding her sword in midair.
"You have her bloodline," he hissed. "Perfect offering."
"Let her go."The voice was cold — calm, yet it carried the weight of thunder.
The entire hall trembled.
Xiao Wang stood at the shattered doorway, his cloak torn, his aura burning like a star about to collapse.
The Envoy turned, sneering. "So the Devourer arrives… uninvited."
"Uninvited?" Xiao Wang's lips curved slightly. "No. I was called."
The Devourer Awakens
In that instant, Xiao Wang's presence erupted.
His body ignited with devouring Qi so dense the air screamed.
he Celestial Devouring Sword floated to his side, glowing like a piece of heaven forged from despair and divinity.
"Feed me… mortal."
The Sword's whisper came again — but this time, its voice was different.
Deeper. Hungrier. Almost alive.
[System Synchronization — 100% Complete.]
Celestial Domain: Devourer's Eclipse — activated.]
The floor cracked open as a black-and-silver vortex spread across the hall.
Everything it touched — shadow beasts, pillars, broken jade — disintegrated into streams of Qi that poured into Xiao Wang's body.
The Envoy's smirk vanished. "Impossible… the Devourer's Domain was sealed millennia ago—"
"Then consider it unsealed."
Xiao Wang's eyes turned pure silver as he vanished. In the next breath, his sword pierced the Envoy's chest.
Blood sprayed like falling petals. But instead of dying, the Envoy laughed, his eyes glowing with abyssal fire.
"You fool. You've devoured my shell… but not my curse."
Before Xiao Wang could react, the Envoy's body exploded — black mist engulfing the entire palace.
"NO!" Lian Yue shouted as the mist surged toward the Emperor's throne.
The last thing Xiao Wang saw before darkness swallowed him was Lian Yue's tear-streaked face and her reaching hand.
"Don't you dare disappear again…"
When Light Returned
Xiao Wang awoke in a barren field outside the capital. The moon hung low, dim, and broken. His body ached, his Qi unstable — the System flickering.
[System Damage: 43%. Temporary functions offline.]
[Warning: Abyssal Corruption detected in host's left arm.]
He clenched his fist. The skin of his left arm shimmered faintly with black markings — pulsing like veins of darkness.
The Sword's voice returned, faint and ancient.
"The curse he left… it will consume you if not tamed. But perhaps…"
"It may also become your greatest weapon."
Xiao Wang looked up toward the capital, now burning beneath the fractured moon.
The scent of blood and betrayal filled the wind.
He took one step forward.
"I'm not done yet."