Episode 1
Towering limestone cliffs rose above the sapphire waters, a landscape sculpted by nature as though in a dream.
At dusk, as the sun sank below the horizon, sky and sea turned blood-red. A deathly chill hung over the water, thick with an aura of death.
Several massive warships advanced in formation, closing in from all sides. Hundreds of tall, powerfully built soldiers in iron armor raised their bows, preparing to fire. Every eye fixed coldly on the arrowheads, every muscle drawn taut.
Inside Death Valley, on a mysterious island in the middle of the sea that had once been lush and green, the land was now drenched in the blood of countless people. Scarlet streams flowed along the tree roots.
A freezing wind twisted madly, like a storm pent up for years, carrying every bitter chill mingled with the stench of blood as it wrapped around the slender woman in crimson.
She was Ming Yue.
The owner of a silver mask as luminous as moonlight, she stood tall before all the bandit followers.
Amid countless corpses and scattered pieces of torn human flesh, overwhelmed by a maelstrom of emotions as she looked down at the remains of people who had once chatted and joked with her, laughed with her, and quarreled with her every day, the blazing sunlight struck her silver mask, making the beautiful eyes beneath it...
They gleamed brilliantly, yet sent an icy chill straight to the heart.
The woman dressed in black with a red sash resembled the night sky bearing a blood-red crescent moon. She stood firm above the group, as unyielding as a stone cliff. Raising her sword, she pointed it toward the sky and challenged the fierce rays of the sun.
“My brothers and sisters... listen!”
Ming Yue’s voice echoed through the valley, shaking the hearts of all who heard it. Her round eyes were harsher and more unyielding than any man’s as they swept over the surviving members of the Black Bandits.
“Go far away. Live ordinary lives as ordinary people. Forget everything you’ve ever done. From this day forward, if you see someone die, let them die. If you see someone in trouble, do not meddle. Whenever you witness injustice, let it go!”
“Big Sister!”
The young woman in the gleaming silver mask shouted her refusal, her voice ringing out above the others.
“If we’re going to die, then we’ll die together. I’ll never abandon you!”
The Big Sister turned and roared, “Xing Yue!” She lowered the sword in her hand and leveled it at the girl’s throat. “You’re the only one I trust to protect our brothers and sisters. Don’t disappoint me.”
“But—”
“No buts!”
“Big Sister Ming Yue...”
“Xing Yue... don’t make me die without peace because of you. Go!”
Ming Yue had no intention of arguing any longer. She swept one hand through the air, scattering a cloud of white powder.
In an instant, everything around them turned blindingly white. They couldn’t even see their own hands.
A moment later, the white powder dispersed. Nothing remained around them but emptiness, not even a trace of the Big Sister. Her beautiful yet awe-inspiring presence had vanished as well. Only the shadows of trees rippled through the pale haze, like wisps of smoke.
Xing Yue made as if to run after her, but an illusion barrier seemed to block her path. She couldn’t cross it by even half a step. She had no choice but to turn around and run in the opposite direction.
The young woman narrowed her eyes. Her hand trembled around her sword, and she bit her lip until it bled before issuing a sharp command to the surviving bandit followers.
“My brothers and sisters... Forget everything. Remove the masks. The Red Moon Bandit Camp never existed in the realm under heaven.”
Everyone held back their tears and silently clasped their fists.
To remove the mask was to destroy their identities as vile bandits completely, leaving behind nothing but ordinary people with no savage, despicable traces for anyone to notice—traces that could lead to their capture, interrogation about their pasts, and punishment.
Xing Yue clasped her fists in return before ordering, “Go!”
Several dark figures vanished without a trace.
Far from the stronghold, on open ground in the heart of Death Valley, the slender woman in black with a red sash finally revealed herself.
Amid swirling black dust that filled the air with the heavy stench of blood, a young general stood tall. He stood ramrod straight before the ranks of soldiers, radiating a murderous aura mingled with the bloodlust of a god of war.
Within the range of his keen sight beneath the sharp sunlight, he saw a woman standing quietly under the sun. She resembled the sovereign of the mountains, like a stone fortress formed to shield and protect everything across the wilderness.
The tall general in armor, commander of the soldiers of the Yan Kingdom, remained motionless. His narrow, piercing eyes slowly contracted as he scrutinized her.