The Storm Riders

Mud Buddha prophesies that Conqueror will gain fortune if he finds two children named Wind and Cloud. He provides their birth charts and gifts a puzzle box that only unlocks with the right destiny. The prophecy hints that Wind and Cloud are key to a larger fate, the box containing the other half of that destiny.

Conqueror issues an empire-wide order. Any boy whose birth chart matches Wind or Cloud must join the Conqueror's Clan as a disciple. This move ensures the prophecy's subjects are forced into his military and tested for future battles.

Whispering Prince, Conqueror's rival, is defeated in a brutal duel and his wife is taken. The wife commits suicide, and the furious Prince is slain by a fire beast in a nearby cave. This history foreshadows Conqueror’s ruthless reach and personal vendettas.

Striding Sky, Cloud's father, is killed as Conqueror's forces raze his village while Sky reveals that the Ultimate Sword can only be used by his bloodline. Cloud is taken by the invaders, setting the stage for future clashes between Wind and Cloud.

A full decade passes and Wind and Cloud become highly skilled martial artists under Conqueror's tutelage. Charity, Conqueror's daughter, and Frost are also within the inner circle. Wind forms a growing bond with Charity, while Cloud begins an illicit affair with her.

Conqueror cannot open the puzzle box and Mud Buddha disappears. He sends Frost and Wind to locate Mud Buddha while Cloud is dispatched to claim the Unchallenged Sword and strike down the clan leader. The twin missions pull the protagonists in divergent directions.

Frost and Wind locate Mud Buddha, who is disfigured by boils as punishment for revealing too much about the future. Mud Buddha is captured by a masked fighter, who then unlocks the puzzle box for Conqueror. The revelation ties Wind and Cloud into a larger destiny and hints at the dragon prophecy.

Conqueror decides to marry Charity to Wind to force Wind and Cloud into direct conflict. Cloud abducts Charity on the wedding day, provoking a fierce confrontation. Charity sacrifices herself to save Cloud, altering the balance of power within the clan.

During a battle in the desert temple, Cloud's Palm style falters without a liquid source. He loses his left arm to Conqueror's assault, then uses the blood from the severed limb to empower his palm technique to escape. Muse and Summit Yu later transplant the Fire Beast Arm to Cloud, granting him a formidable new weapon.

Conqueror poisons Wind, sending him on a mission to obtain the Blood Bodhi fruit. Wind consumes the fruit to heal the poison and magnify his strength. He uses its power to defeat the Fire Beast and claim the Blizzard Blade for himself.

Conqueror defeats Sword Saint, distracted by Muse. Frost arrives with the crucial revelation that Conqueror kidnapped Mud Buddha and framed Wind and Cloud. The truth destabilizes Conqueror's aura of invincibility and foreshadows the final reckoning.

Wind and Cloud unite on the steps to the main hall to face Conqueror. The battle spills into the Sword Graveyard, where a cut on Cloud's arm reveals the location of the Ultimate Sword. Wielding Blizzard Blade, they defeat Conqueror, who is left insane and haunted by the ghosts of those he killed, including Charity.