In a vast land, there stood a lone mountain surrounded by hills and valleys. The clouds overhead were thick and dark as rain poured from them like water through a sieve causing the atmosphere to be gloomy and cold. Like all mountains, thick Qi would naturally be drawn to it like a moth to a burning torch but this one was different.Spiritual Qi was entirely absent from the mountain as if it were forcefully dispersed by an unknown power. That wasn"t all that was wrong with it though as it was littered with signs of heavy battle, the tip had been cleanly cut off leaving a shiny surface and craters and cracks littered the base.
At the center of the mountain was the remains of a temple that was burning furiously with strange fire that seemed to use the rain itself as nourishment. The lifeless bodies of men, women and children were strewn about the temple grounds, their faces filled with fear.
Just beyond the temple in a more secluded area, there was a steep rock face in which the mouth of a large cave was formed. Several people wearing black robes and tiger masks stood hesitantly at it"s entrance. The auras coming from their bodies were immense and powerful.
"Empress Rong! Give up now and meet your end, you cannot escape!" One of the men in black robes shouted with impatience, his voice was rough and weathered from age.
Deep within the cave came an elegant but pained voice full of rage and resentment. "Come in if you dare! This empress will slaughter you all!!"
The man laughed scornfully and said. "We don"t have a deathwish," He continued. "Empress Rong, your sect is in ruins, you"ve been betrayed by that precious disciple of yours and you yourself are fatally injured. Why do you continue to drag this on? Come out and we"ll put you out of your misery quickly."
"Know this sect master of the blood tiger sect, this Empress my be injured but even with my currently impaired strength; I will take you down with me if you keep pushing it!" The woman from within the cave said venomously through gritted teeth.
The man in the black robe was clearly hesitant, after giving a few glances towards the others surrounding him he sighed and shook his head. "Collapse the entrance and set up a barrier formation."
The men nodded before setting about their task, the cave entrance was quickly destroyed and a large formation was placed over the immediate vicinity.
As the group was about to leave, the man looked back towards the collapsed cave entrance with disappointment. "I was hoping to get her treasures, alas, she took refuge in that death trap of a cave."
One of the other black robed men sighed. "The treasures from someone of her cultivation would have been boundless and increased the strength of our sect several folds, it"s too bad that disciple of hers didn"t know about the hidden teleportation formation.. Our luck today was not good."
Another one of them remarked. "It doesn"t matter, with her sect taken care of; the surrounding lands are ours now. It might not be as good as the heavenly treasures in her possession but it will be good mortar for the foundation and growth of our sect!"
The others seemed to agree as they flew off into the rainy sky.
Deep inside the cave, down a long corridor filled with thousands of intricate traps, there was a large stone room.
The room was dimly lit by beautiful crystals embedded into the ceiling, to the side was a garden filled with vibrant herbs which gave off an intoxicating fragrance. In the center of the room was a beautiful woman who laid weakly on one of the surrounding meditation mats.
She clutched a gaping wound on her side which drenched her gown in vibrant red blood. Even with her precarious condition, her temperament remained calm, cold and elegant.
Empress Rong had heard the commotion at the caves entrance but it didn"t bother her, she knew that her end was inevitable as not even her powerful soul could survive the damage that had been done to her.
The glittering ring on her finger flashed with a white light, a jade tablet around a foot long and half a foot wide appeared in her hand.
Dipping her finger in the powerful blood that flowed from her body, she began writing on the tablet. The moment her finger touched the jade, it sank into it as if it were putty.
"My origins were humble, a mere village girl I was till circ.u.mstances set me on the path of cultivation. I met with countless obstacles as I traversed the heavens and gradually as my strength grew I arrived here and with my own hands alone I built my foundation upon this land, countless people, sects and clans fell under my benevolent rule but all of that has tumbled down like a straw house in a violent storm... "
"I Rong Xiaoman, Empress of the clear Jade Kingdom and master of the plum blossom sect have been plotted against by my own disciple! At the moment of my ascension, when I was at my weakest; a treacherous but fatal blow was dealt to me....I am unresigned..."
Rong Xiaoman coughed violently as blood flowed from her lips, she continued to hastily write on the jade tablet.
"I was naive and perhaps...neglegant, this demise of mine was so easily avoidable..," Rong Xiaoman sighed weakly. "Enough about my own matters, you, reader of this divine jade; I will now inscribe my star blossom technique as I do not wish for it to be lost to the sands of time."
Her eyes blazed with a blinding light, a wisp of something transparent floated out from the center of her brows and landed on the tablet causing mysterious symbols to appear on it.
After that happened, Rong Xiaoman seemed to grow noticeably weaker.
She dipped her finger in her blood and wrote above the symbols. "Be warned, anyone related to the people who I deemed responsible for my death will be annihilated upon touching this tablet! My consciousness which is half a step into the realm of celestials! It is not so easily dealt with..."
After Rong Xiaoman finished writing on the tablet, her body slumped to the side as her eyes closed; the beat of her heart had stopped in silence.
Death had finally come for this Empress and she had been embraced by it, albeit, unwillingly on her part.