Fallen Heaven: Rise of Faizi Tian
Episode 69 – The Trail of the Demonic Army
Recap
The battle at Blackstone Pass had ended, but victory had brought Faizi Tian no peace. Demon Lord Varkos had appeared before the human alliance, clashed with Faizi, and retreated after calling him the chosen human. Those strange words continued to trouble Faizi. He knew Varkos had not withdrawn because he was afraid of defeat alone. Something else had happened, something connected to Faizi himself.
Determined to discover the truth, Faizi began examining the battlefield and questioning those who had witnessed the Demon Lord's arrival. He refused to accept rumours or wild guesses. If Varkos had a reason for choosing him as his target, Faizi would uncover it himself.
End of Recap
Episode 69 – The Trail of the Demonic Army
The battlefield had grown quiet, but the silence did not feel peaceful.
Smoke drifted over the broken walls of Blackstone Pass. Cracked weapons lay scattered across the ground, and the earth was stained by the blood of soldiers who had fought to protect the Southern Alliance. Healers moved between the wounded while surviving warriors helped carry the dead away from the battlefield.
Faizi Tian stood near the shattered outer wall, his black robes moving gently in the cold wind.
He had barely rested since the battle.
His body was still recovering from the enormous energy he had released when he faced Varkos. The clash had forced him to circulate his power far beyond what was comfortable, and the strain had left a deep exhaustion inside him.
Yet his expression remained calm.
Varkos's final words continued to return to his mind.
The chosen human.
Faizi slowly closed his eyes.
"Chosen by whom?"
The question received no answer.
He opened his eyes and looked toward the northern wasteland, where the demon army had retreated. From the top of Blackstone Pass, he could see a dark trail stretching between the distant hills. The ground had been torn apart by countless demon beasts and heavy military formations.
Most people would have considered the trail nothing more than evidence of a defeated army.
Faizi saw an opportunity.
If Varkos had withdrawn according to a plan, the retreating army might leave behind clues about its real objective.
He turned toward a nearby alliance officer.
"Who is responsible for recording the enemy's movements during the battle?"
The officer immediately bowed.
"Several scouts survived, my lord. They are being treated inside the eastern camp. Some witnessed the demon army's arrival, while others followed its movements before the battle began."
"Bring me the scout who observed the army before it reached Blackstone Pass."
The officer hesitated.
"His injuries are serious. The healers say he should rest."
Faizi looked at him.
"Then I will speak to him briefly. I will not force a wounded soldier to stand before me."
The officer hurried away.
Faizi returned his attention to the battlefield. His gaze passed over the broken siege weapons and the enormous marks left by demon beasts.
Something about the attack had bothered him from the beginning.
The demon army had possessed enough strength to threaten the entire pass. Varkos himself had appeared with overwhelming power. Yet after the clash with Faizi, the Demon Lord had abruptly ended the battle.
He had not tried to destroy the remaining human forces.
He had not ordered his army to continue the assault.
Instead, he had declared that their objective had been achieved.
That statement troubled Faizi more than the threat against his soul.
A commander who abandoned a possible victory without reason was either a fool or someone who had already obtained what he wanted.
Varkos did not seem like a fool.
A few minutes later, the officer returned with a wounded scout. The man's left arm was wrapped in bandages, and exhaustion had drained the colour from his face. Two soldiers supported him as he approached.
Faizi stepped forward before they could kneel.
"Sit down. You do not need to bow."
The scout looked surprised, then lowered himself onto a nearby stone.
"My lord, I am ready to answer."
"Tell me what you saw before the attack began. Do not repeat rumours. Tell me only what you witnessed yourself."
The scout gathered his thoughts.
"Three days before the battle, I was watching the northern road from a ridge beyond the pass. I saw small groups of demon soldiers moving through the wasteland. At first, I believed they were gathering for an ordinary assault."
He paused to catch his breath.
"But their movements were strange. They did not spread out to surround the pass. Most of them travelled along the same route, and several groups carried sealed black containers."
"What was inside them?"
"I could not see. The containers were covered with strange markings, and the soldiers guarded them more carefully than their weapons."
Faizi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Where did they take them?"
"Toward the northern ravines. I lost sight of the group after sunset."
The scout continued, explaining that the demon army had moved with unusual discipline. Even the beasts that normally attacked anything in their path had followed the same direction.
Faizi listened without interrupting.
"Did you see those containers again during the battle?"
The scout shook his head.
"No, my lord. But I noticed something else after the fighting began."
"What?"
"When Varkos appeared, several demon commanders stopped fighting for a moment. They looked toward him, and then toward the battlefield. It seemed as if they were waiting for a signal."
Faizi remained silent.
"Are you certain?"
"I cannot tell you what they were waiting for. I only know that their behaviour changed after Varkos arrived."
Faizi thanked the scout and ordered the soldiers to take him back to the healers.
He did not yet know what the containers were, and he would not pretend that he did. But the report gave him a direction to investigate.
The northern ravines.
He turned toward the alliance officer.
"Prepare a map of the region beyond Blackstone Pass. Mark every ravine, abandoned fortress, and route the demon army could have used."
The officer looked uneasy.
"Are you planning to pursue them yourself?"
"I am planning to learn what they were doing."
"But the demon army may still have reinforcements in the area. After the battle, the alliance commanders will want you to remain here until your strength returns."
"They can want whatever they wish. I will not charge blindly into enemy territory, but I will not ignore a trail simply because following it is dangerous."
Faizi looked back at the pass.
"Send two experienced scouts to examine the route from a distance. They must not engage the enemy. If they discover signs of an active demon camp, they will return immediately."
The officer bowed and began issuing orders.
Faizi knew that his own condition made a direct pursuit unwise. His power had not fully recovered, and he had no intention of repeating the same mistake that had nearly exhausted him during his confrontation with Varkos.
Strength was not simply the ability to strike harder than an opponent.
Sometimes, strength meant knowing when not to fight.
He returned to his temporary quarters and sat down to regulate his breathing. The room was quiet, and the distant sounds of the camp gradually faded as he focused his mind.
He did not attempt to force a breakthrough.
His immediate need was recovery, not advancement.
He guided his energy through his body at a steady pace, allowing his exhausted channels to settle. The process was slow and uncomfortable, but he continued without impatience.
After some time, he opened his eyes and examined the Heaven-Breaking Sword resting beside him.
The battle with Varkos had revealed how dangerous the Demon Lord truly was. Faizi had managed to wound him, but that single exchange had not established who would win if they fought without interruption.
Varkos had retreated when he chose to retreat.
That fact could not be ignored.
Faizi rested his hand near the sword's hilt.
"I will not mistake an enemy's withdrawal for my victory."
His attention then turned inward, toward the Demon Seal whose power he had drawn upon during the battle.
He did not try to awaken it again or force it to reveal secrets it had not shown him. He simply examined the memory of the energy that had passed through him when he faced Varkos.
There had been a response during their clash.
But a response was not an explanation.
Faizi had no proof that the Demon Seal was the reason Varkos called him chosen. Until he found evidence, he would keep that possibility separate from the facts.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
One of the alliance scouts had returned.
Faizi rose and went outside.
The scout was dusty from the road, but he appeared unharmed.
"My lord, we followed the trail as far as the first northern ridge. We found tracks leading toward the ravines. There were signs of heavy containers being transported, just as the wounded scout described."
"Did you see any demons?"
"Not directly. But we found fresh tracks near an abandoned stone structure. Someone had been there recently."
"Did you enter it?"
"No. We followed your orders and returned."
Faizi nodded.
"You did the right thing."
He studied the map the scout had brought. The abandoned structure stood near a narrow passage between two ravines. Its location made it difficult to approach without being seen from the surrounding heights.
It could have been an ordinary ruin.
It could also have been a temporary storage site for the mysterious containers.
There was not enough evidence to decide.
Faizi traced the route with one finger.
"How far is it from the pass?"
"Half a day's journey on foot, my lord. Less if we travel quickly."
Faizi considered the distance.
He could leave immediately, but that would mean travelling while his strength was still recovering. If the structure was guarded, a careless approach could put him in a position where he would have to fight without sufficient energy.
He would not give the demons such an advantage.
"We leave at dawn," he said. "Until then, no one approaches the ruin. Keep the location confidential. We do not know who may be listening for news of our movements."
The scout bowed and departed.
For the first time since Varkos's retreat, Faizi had a concrete lead.
It was not the answer he wanted, but it was a beginning.
That night, he stood outside the camp and watched the stars above the distant mountains. The wind carried the faint smell of smoke from Blackstone Pass.
He remembered his parents.
He remembered the home he had lost and the enemies who had taken everything from him. Those memories had never disappeared, no matter how much his strength had grown.
The demons had caused suffering across the continent, and Faizi would not allow their schemes to continue unchecked.
But revenge alone could not guide every decision.
If he wanted to protect the people who depended on him, he had to understand the enemy before striking.
"Varkos," he murmured, "you called me chosen as if you knew something about my future."
His gaze hardened.
"Do not expect me to accept your words as destiny. If there is a truth behind them, I will uncover it myself."
Far beyond the Southern Continent, beneath the eternal skies of the Celestial Continent, a silver-haired young woman stood beside a window of crystal ice.
Afiya Xue had received no new message about the battle at Blackstone Pass. The image of the young man she had seen earlier remained only a mysterious fragment in her thoughts.
She did not know what he was investigating, nor did she know that his path was beginning to lead toward secrets buried beyond his homeland.
For a brief moment, the icy light surrounding her fingers flickered.
Afiya looked down at it, her expression thoughtful.
Then the light faded, leaving no answer behind.
Back at Blackstone Pass, Faizi returned to his quarters and prepared for the journey ahead.
At dawn, he would follow the demonic trail.
He did not know what waited inside the abandoned structure, who had transported the sealed containers, or why Varkos had ended the battle so suddenly.
But he knew one thing.
The next time he encountered the Demon Lord, he would not be satisfied with threats and unanswered questions.
He would demand the truth.
And if Varkos refused to give it to him, Faizi would find another way.
To Be Continued...
Next Episode: Episode 70 – The Secret Beneath the Ruins