The rain never stopped that night.
It fell like tears from a wounded sky, drumming against broken rooftops and shattered walls. Lightning cracked across the heavens, illuminating the blood-soaked banners of Dao Xuanzhen Academy — once a proud demonic sect, now a battlefield drowned in fire.
Screams echoed through the mountain valley. Disciples in black robes fought desperately against an endless tide of sword-bearing cultivators clad in gold and white — the Righteous Path Coalition, led by the Heavenly Virtue Sect.
Everywhere, spiritual essence clashed — crimson demonic qi against radiant celestial light. The mountains themselves trembled from the chaos of battle.
Inside the shattered Hall of Balance, Polyfalls Yen stood beside his father, Master Yen Wuji, his face pale beneath the flickering glow of the formation circle. His mother, Lady Su Feiyan, knelt nearby, blood staining her robes as she stabilized the barrier.
"Polyfalls!" his father shouted over the roar of thunder. "The Righteous Path has broken through the southern gate. You must flee!"
"I can fight!" the boy yelled back, clutching the black talisman at his chest. Though only fifteen, his spirit burned fiercer than most grown cultivators.
His father's eyes softened — pride and sorrow warring within them. "You have your mother's heart and my stubbornness. But this is not your battle yet."
Lady Su Feiyan coughed, blood trailing down her lips. "He will survive. The Demon Whale Seal must not fall into their hands."
The ground trembled. Through the collapsing roof, Polyfalls saw the shadow of a massive sword descending from the heavens — a strike filled with righteous fury.
Elder Jiang's voice echoed through the sect's formation:
"All disciples, retreat! Protect the young master!"
Before Polyfalls could react, his mother pressed her palm against his chest. Her qi surged into him — warm and blinding. The Infernal Rebirth Mark seared onto his skin, wrapping him in blue fire.
"Mother—!"
"Live," she whispered, smiling faintly through her tears. "Live and remember this night. One day, you will understand what true cultivation means."
Then, the world exploded in white light.
When Polyfalls awoke, he was lying beneath the ruins of the western cliffs. The rain had stopped, replaced by the stench of smoke and iron. Bodies of disciples and righteous cultivators alike littered the ground.
The Academy was gone.
He stumbled forward, half-mad with grief, calling out:
"Father! Mother! Master Qian!"
Only silence answered him.
Then he heard it — a low, resonant hum rising from the depths of the lake nearby. The surface rippled, glowing faintly blue.
Drawn by instinct, he waded into the water. As his blood dripped into the lake, the glow intensified, and a deep voice echoed in his mind — ancient, monstrous, patient.
"Child of the Demon Lineage… you have awakened my seal."
The lake erupted. A colossal shadow emerged beneath the surface — the Demon Whale, Chi You's ancient servant. Its eyes burned like stars drowned in darkness.
"Your parents are gone. Your sect has fallen. What remains is your will… and mine."
"Do you wish to live?"
Polyfalls' fists clenched. The memories burned behind his eyes — his father's roar, his mother's smile, the righteous flames devouring everything they had built.
"I don't want to live," he said quietly. "I want power."
"Then you shall have it. But power comes at a price."
"Name it."
The lake began to boil. A torrent of blue essence spiraled into his body, searing his meridians, tearing through his veins. He screamed, half drowning, half reborn.
The Infernal Rebirth Scripture branded itself into his soul.
"To create life, one must first embrace destruction," the Demon Whale intoned. "Remember this, child. You are the heir of Chi You — the first Demon God of War."
When dawn came, the lake was silent again. Polyfalls Yen knelt upon its surface, his black hair soaked and his eyes glowing faint blue.
Behind him, the ruins of Dao Xuanzhen Academy smoldered in silence. Ahead of him lay the path no one dared to walk — the Forbidden Dao.
He rose slowly, his voice low and cold:
"Righteous Path… I will return every drop of blood you spilled."
And so began the journey of a boy who lost everything — the first heir of the Demon Gods.