"Aaghh!!" Jian Wushen suddenly collapsed to his knees, his sword clattering from his grip onto the cold stone. His face contorted in sudden, intense agony, his body stiffening as the black pulsing veins appeared on his body and immediately began to corrode his meridians.
***
Around one year ago, Elder Cang Yun of Sword Peak vanished during a routine patrol across the stormy Western Seas. The Heavenly Cloud Sect sent investigation squads, searched the dark, turbulent waters for months, and eventually concluded he had perished in a demonic ambush.
But three months later, a miracle occurred. He walked back through the mountain gates, his cultivation stable at the Nascent Soul realm and his expression calm. The Sword Peak welcomed him back with open arms, holding banquets to celebrate his survival.
No one suspected the truth. The man who sat at the high tables and toasted the elders was not Cang Yun.
