The smile of the moon was hidden behind a curtain of rain. The storm poured its sorrow from Heaven's wineglass; thunder of anger crashed as the sky met the mortal earth; lightning flashed like a whip, striking the farm fields and plate-shingled roofs. Wind howled throughout the uneasy night, causing the pellets of raindrops to strike like arrows.

The roosters and hens were unable to sleep and squawked anxiously and cooed like a dying spinster. The hounds and mutts responded to the howling wind with cries. The horses and cows stampeded in their stalls and bellowed discontent.

It was an uneasy night.

Mere mortals who tended to the animals could not understand their lunacy. It was only thunder. The pigs and bulls and chickens and dogs and horses have all experienced thunder before. And they were never as startled as this. Soon the tenders grew impatient and began to strike the beasts. Still, they kept on moaning their displeasure and fear.

Though mere mortals could not sense what was going on, the keen spiritual instincts of the beast could.

If one of the night guards or drunkards looked up, high above the mortal earth they would see a man traversing the skies! This man could be discerned to be of of an extraordinary background from just his clothings. He had on a robe the deepest shade of lilac embroidered with dragons. Yet, the man did not fit the clothes. The man looked to be middle-aged and possessed a slenderness which made people want to shelter him. And this desire to protect him was only helped by his still puerile face like white jade. The man certainly did not fit the extravagant clothing which radiated tyranny and overwhelming strength.

Yet the fact that he flew through the sky with no assistance but the support of his own two feet was a testament of his strength and ability. The man bounded and leapt through the air in that manner under the cover of the storm. In his arms, he carried a young girl in a princess hold.

The girl looked perhaps five years old. She was doll-like. Petite and beautiful like flowers growing off the side of a cliff. Long black hair ran down her slender back like ocean waves. She possessed light brown eyes which glimmered with strength. This strength was contrasted by her pale skin which made her seem impossibly fragile and made one desire to protect her.

"Papa, where are we going," the girl asked softly as she moved closer into the embrace of her father. The night wind was becoming stronger. "Mama will follow us, right?"

"Ah, Xiao Qing, go sleep. We will be there soon."

"What about Mama?"

"You understand Mama is always busy. She will come meet us later," he said with conviction. Even a child could see that conviction was constructed with mud instead of baked bricks.

Xiao Qing became anxious at this point. "Papa, tell me the truth. Where is Mama?"

Fear flashed through the man's eyes. He quickly covered his daughter's mouth. "Xiao Qing, please calm yourself! Damn, he must have sensed us now."

Covering the girl's mouth would be of no use now, so he removed his hand. Instead, he doubled his speed. Everytime he stepped off, a soft ripple in the air followed. He did not care about being quiet now; the man he was running from would certainly have sensed the disturbance in Xiao Qing's qi.

"Papa, Papa, why won't you tell me what is going on?" The girl asked with tears in her eyes. She struggled to move.

"Xiao Qing, please stop moving. I beg of you! You will catch a cold if you get wet. We are almost there."

"Halt!" A voice boomed through the night sky. At his proclamation, the world below halted. The thunder stopped; the rain slowed; the roosters and hens all tucked their heads behind their wings. None of the hounds howled. The cows and horses all backed deep into their stalls. The wind which has been blowing fiercely seemed to have been silenced by that one man's command.

The mortals below dared to look up at the night sky. Gasp! All of them immediately slammed their heads back down to admire the wetness of the earth. In life, one must know when to bow, when to talk, and when to make conversation with the dirt. This was one of those times to become friends with the manure, to foster a relationship in preparation for the planting come tomorrow morning when they all would forget the events which transpired tonight.

All of them hoped they could forget, lest they get involved. It would be absolute death if they got involved. For up in the skies — though hidden by the rain and clouds — were two immortal cultivators! Cultivators, those trained in the Way. Cultivators, those who stood shoulder with the gods themselves; cultivators were those who had the qualifications to defy the Great Heavens! Cultivators, madmen and demons who could slaughter one's clan if one even looked them in the eye without the status to do so.

The lowly mortals were satisfied that their animals have stopped making noise and most quickly ran back into their houses and blew the candles out. Some, the stupid ones, the reckless ones, and the bold, stayed and began to gaze at the night sky. Soon, two monsters shall collide.

Bang! The storm resumed with newfound resolve. Yet, neither man moved. The two studied each other: their posture, their facial expressions, and their breathing.

The other man’s attire was no less tyrannical than the purple-robed man. His face was hidden behind an opera mask. Only his eyes showed. The mask was dark blue with the contour of the eyes shadowed a pitch black making him appear particularly fierce. The forehead region was decorated with twin peach petals extending to the tip. The man dressed in drab burnt auburn rags, much like a turban for the torso. The rags did not make him seem cheap, rather a sense of deadliness and precision emanated from him.

In a battle between experts, a single mistake would spell death.

"Papa—"

"Not now, Xiao Qing."

"Cute daughter you have there, Senior Sun. Would be best if you simply came with me. Your wife, the elegant General Yin Hong, is waiting for all of you back in General Bo Ling's mansion."

"What have you done with my wife," Senior Sun growled.

Xiao Qing grew cold from the rain and still from the other man's gaze. He had a pair of brown eyes just like hers, yet rather than the color of the tilled-earth, it was the tone of muddy flow of the Yellow River. Just like how the river carried the uncleanness from all the empire, his eyes held an unclearness such that it was as if he did not exist.

"My, my," he chided, "should Senior Sun really use such a tone? Afterall, if your wife, the great General Yin Hong, has been subdued, what can a third, no, perhaps fourth, no, no, no — what can a hack cultivator like you do against me?"

Senior Sun swallowed his anger. "Good. Good words. Befitting of a young hero. However, I have no time to educate you of the young generation tonight."

With that, Senior Sun, hugged Xiao Qing close to him, and he pushed off against the sky. Immediately, he covered the distance of the width of half a city.

The other man's eyes took on a glint. "Those words are not for you to say, nor is there a choice!"

One man leapt through the sky; the other slithered through it like a serpent. He was a true cultivator. He has mastered the profound movement skill to let him dash through the sky unimpeded by wind or rain. He has mastered the Soaring Dragon, Sifting Leaves technique; he was a dragon, yet also blessed with the properties of the leaf — resolute, yet flexible. The sky was his domain. Despite Senior Sun's head start, already the other man has caught up.

"Hoh," he shouted as he dived in at Senior Sun with his hands like the claws of a hawk.

Senior Sun quickly spun around and blocked it with his feet. With a grunt, he used the force to launch himself off the other man's claws and gain more distance. The other man sneered in amusement.

"Run! Let me see how far you can run. The world is only so big," the other man laughed.

"Xiao Qing, listen to me," Senior Sun spoke rapidly. His vision was already beginning to blur. He never did have the best stamina. In fact, he has been supplementing his qi with soul vitality since the chase began. "Listen to Papa, don't cry. Didn't Mama always tell you that if you cried, you would end up that way forever? Good. Good. Don't cry. Listen to me closely. The place I am taking you to well take care of you."

"Papa," the girl whimpered. "What is going on?"

"Xiao Qing, there is no time to explain it." Senior Sun sensed the hunter closing in. He smiled. He also sensed his destination closing in.

Up ahead was a mountain. A series of great mountains which pierced the skies. The stars was its crown and the mist was its garment. And its venerableness was its shield and sword. Senior Sun has reached it. The home of the Yue Yun Sect!

Author's Note: It's certainly more fast pace than my other story, The Drop Sinister. It also have easier places to break into smaller chunks. I guess this would be me learning how to pace my stories and implement cliffhangers. Maybe I'll upload another chapter later tonight. Depends on personal life.