The night before Wuya's departure faded slowly into pale morning.
Dew-covered plum blossoms glittered softly as the first shaft of sunlight pierced the horizon. A light breeze swept through Elder Yun Feixue's courtyard, stirring the scent of wet earth and faint spiritual energy.
The world felt quieter than usual.
As though it, too, sensed the decision he had made.
Wuya stood beneath the plum tree, fastening the sash around his waist.
He looked calm.
Focused.
Unshaken.
But his eyes held something new—
Resolve deeper than stone.
Resolve carved by fate.
Footsteps hurried across the courtyard.
Xueyi burst out of the house, hair in disarray, eyes wide, robe half-tied.
"YOU'RE LEAVING—?! RIGHT NOW—?! RIGHT THIS MOMENT—?!"
Wuya blinked.
"…Yes."
"You were going to leave WITHOUT waking me—?!"
"…Yes."
"YOU MONSTER!!"
Xueyi jumped onto his back, clinging to him like a panicked koala.
"You're not going ANYWHERE without saying goodbye!"
Wuya sighed softly.
"…I am saying goodbye right now."
"That's not enough!"
She tightened her grip, trembling.
"Don't leave me alone…"
He gently touched her hands.
"…I'm not leaving you. I'm coming back."
Xueyi sniffed loudly.
"You'd better."
---
ELDER YUN FEIXUE ARRIVES
Elder Yun approached them, robe flowing like morning mist.
Her gaze softened when she saw Xueyi clinging to Wuya.
"Xueyi. Let him breathe."
"No!"
"…Let him breathe."
"NO!"
Elder Yun sighed.
She placed a warm hand on Xueyi's head.
"Child."
Xueyi froze.
"…Yes, Master?"
"You must trust Wuya."
"I DO trust him—! I don't trust the world!!"
Wuya nodded slightly.
"…She has a point."
"STOP AGREEING WITH ME WHEN IT'S INCONVENIENT—!!"
Elder Yun hid a smile behind her sleeve.
---
A GIFT FROM ELDER YUN
Elder Yun stepped closer to Wuya.
"Wuya. Before you go, take this."
She extended a small wooden pendant.
Circular.
Carefully carved.
Smooth with age.
Wuya took it gently.
"…What is it?"
"A Clear Sky Token," Elder Yun explained softly.
"Inside it is a fragment of my protective Qi. If you crush it once, just once, I will sense your location instantly."
Xueyi blinked.
"That's… a MASTER'S BOND TREASURE!"
Elder Yun nodded.
"Yes."
Wuya ran his thumb over the pendant.
"…Master, I can't accept such a gift."
"You can."
"I shouldn't."
"You must."
Her voice softened into something rarely heard—
something almost like fear.
"Wuya. You will be alone.
You will face something meant to kill you.
I cannot follow you into Moonfall Cliff…
but I refuse to let you walk unprotected."
Wuya looked at the pendant again.
Then nodded.
"…Thank you, Master."
Elder Yun closed her eyes.
"Come back alive."
Xueyi smacked his arm.
"LISTEN TO HER!!"
"…I will."
---
XUEYI'S THIRD MOONVEIL SENSITIVITY AWAKENS
As Wuya slipped the pendant into his robe, Xueyi suddenly gasped.
"Wuya—!"
Her Moonveil Seal burned through her robe again.
Silver light pulsed through her chest—
then through her eyes—
giving them a faint silver glow.
Elder Yun stiffened.
"That resonance…!"
Xueyi clutched her heart, trembling.
"It's… it's sensing something!"
"What?" Wuya asked gently.
Xueyi's voice shook.
"Moonveil sensitivity… it awakened again."
She pointed shakily toward the east—
toward the direction of Moonfall Cliff.
"Wuya… something is waiting there.
Something cold.
Something hungry."
Her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
"It wants you, Wuya."
Wuya placed his hand on hers.
"…I know."
"NO YOU DON'T!!" Xueyi shouted.
"If you go… something BAD will happen!"
Wuya pulled her into a gentle hug.
"I'll return."
"You always say that—!"
"And I always keep my promise."
Xueyi's voice broke.
"…Just come back."
He nodded into her hair.
"I will."
---
Lady Linghai Confronts Wuya
A soft wind swept across the courtyard.
Golden light shimmered.
Lady Linghai appeared at the gate, standing calmly with her hands clasped.
Xueyi hissed instantly.
"WHY IS SHE HERE—?!"
Wuya blinked.
"…Lady Linghai."
She stepped forward, eyes emotionless but sharp.
"You intend to go to Moonfall Cliff."
Wuya nodded.
"…Yes."
Her voice lowered.
"Then listen carefully, Hao Wuya."
Xueyi mimicked her dramatically behind Wuya.
"'Listen carefully'—wow, she thinks she's so important—"
Wuya gently pulled Xueyi behind him before she provoked a divine lightning strike.
Lady Linghai continued:
"Moonfall Cliff is layered with void currents.
It collapses Qi.
Devours breath.
Eats souls."
Xueyi screamed.
"WHY ARE YOU TELLING HIM THAT—?!"
"Hao Wuya," Linghai continued, ignoring Xueyi entirely,
"the cliff is not merely a location.
It is a trial shaped by the heavens themselves."
Wuya nodded calmly.
"…I understand."
"No," she said bluntly.
"You don't."
She stepped closer.
Close enough that the golden glow from her divine lineage brushed against Wuya's skin.
"You must not hesitate even for a heartbeat.
Hesitation at Moonfall Cliff means death."
Xueyi physically shoved herself between them.
"BACK AWAY!! THAT'S MY WUYA!!"
Linghai blinked.
"…He is not 'yours.'"
"He absolutely IS!!"
"On what authority?"
"THE AUTHORITY OF XUEYI!!"
Linghai turned to Wuya.
"…Does that authority exist?"
Wuya thought for a moment.
"…Yes."
Xueyi beamed.
"SEE?!"
Linghai's expression did not change.
"…Ridiculous."
---
Elder Qiong Luo Sets a Trap
Far across the sect, Elder Qiong Luo paced in his hall.
A disciple knelt before him.
"Elder… the suppression charm is still active, but the boy seems unaffected…"
Qiong Luo's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Then we escalate."
He opened a jade box.
Inside was a black crystal that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"This is a Demon Vein Resonator.
Place it near Moonfall Cliff's entrance.
When the boy arrives…
it will devour the rest of his meridian flow."
The disciple trembled violently.
"Elder… that could kill him."
Qiong Luo smiled thinly.
"That is the point."
---
The Heavenly Observer Makes His Move
Above the sky—
The observer sensed Wuya's approach to destiny.
"Moonfall Cliff…
A good place to kill a forbidden child."
He raised his staff.
A divine beast formed from clouds—
a pale white tiger with wings of thunder.
"Go," he commanded.
"Intercept the boy.
Break his legs if you must—
but he must not reach the cliff."
The beast roared silently.
And descended toward the mortal world.
---
Wuya Prepares to Leave
In the courtyard, Wuya finished tying his pack.
A set of basic pills Elder Yun gave him.
Dried food.
A water flask.
And the Clear Sky Token.
Nothing else.
He did not need anything else.
Elder Yun approached him with a calm expression that did not match her heart.
"Wuya."
He turned.
"Yes, Master?"
"Promise me something."
"…What is it?"
"Do not be brave."
Wuya blinked.
"…What does that mean?"
"It means do not act strong when you are weak.
Do not fight when you should run.
Do not face death unless you have no choice."
Wuya nodded.
"I understand."
Xueyi crossed her arms.
"I don't! Because he ALWAYS acts strong!!"
Elder Yun cleared her throat.
"Ahem. Wuya."
"Yes."
"Don't be stupid."
"…I will try."
"That is not reassuring!"
---
The Last Moment Before Departure
Wuya walked toward the courtyard gate.
Xueyi ran after him.
She grabbed his hand tight—
so tight her knuckles turned white.
"Wuya… don't go."
He didn't speak.
So she stepped in front of him, blocking the path.
Her voice cracked.
"I don't care about cultivation.
I don't care about sect politics.
I don't care about Heaven or fate or anything."
She took his hands.
"I only care that you're alive."
Wuya looked into her trembling eyes.
"…Xueyi."
She swallowed.
"You're not allowed to die.
You're not allowed to vanish.
You're not allowed to disappear."
Wuya gently placed his forehead against hers.
"…I won't."
She closed her eyes, tears falling.
"You better not."
Elder Yun approached and placed a hand on Xueyi's shoulder.
"Let him walk his path."
Xueyi nodded weakly.
"…Fine."
She stepped aside.
Wuya bowed slightly.
"Master.
Xueyi.
I will return."
Xueyi shouted:
"You better come back in one piece!!"
He nodded.
Then—
He walked through the courtyard gate.
Onto the stone path.
Under the morning sun.
Toward the far horizon.
Toward Moonfall Cliff.
---
As Wuya Leaves — Everyone Moves
Lady Linghai
From the bamboo grove, she watched him walk away.
"…I will observe your fate, Hao Wuya."
She vanished.
---
Elder Qiong Luo
In his hall, he whispered:
"Walk into my trap, boy."
---
The Heavenly Observer
From the clouds, he murmured:
"Your death begins today."
---
Xueyi
She ran onto the porch railing, shouting through tears:
"WUYA—!!!
IF YOU DIE I'LL KILL YOU—!!!"
---
Elder Yun Feixue
Her voice trembled silently:
"…Come back to us."
---
Wuya's Departure
Wuya continued walking down the stone path.
The wind blew softly.
Leaves rustled.
The world felt sharper than before.
He whispered:
"I'm coming, Moonfall Cliff."
The Codex pulsed faintly in his chest.
[Sixth Sign-In — On the Path]
[Completion Approaches]
Wuya's eyes hardened.
"…I will survive."
He stepped into the forest.
And vanished from the sect.