“Han Yue! Stop! Stop this instant! Do you truly intend to kill us?!”
Screams of terror and indignation echoed across Mount Danxue. Torn pages from sacred texts, their golden glow flickering like dying embers, danced in the wind. The melody of the zither, though still audible, was now a desperate, fragmented plea.
Four spectral swords, immense as pillars of heaven, materialized above the mountain peak, their spiritual energy radiating outwards, a terrifying display of power.
“Your swords?! This is… the Four Swords you comprehended?! Impossible! How can you be this strong?!” Miaoyin, the fifth-rank Great Vehicle Sage Ruler of the Zither, stared in disbelief, her fingers hovering above the strings of her Heavenly Demon Zither, blood dripping from her fingertips, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
She had been defeated. Along with Jin De, the two of them, against a single opponent. How was this possible? Miaoyin knew she had fought with her full strength. And Jin De wouldn't have held back. Her Confucian spirit treasure, Nü De, was severely damaged, requiring years to repair.
Han Yue’s strength was beyond comprehension. Miaoyin had witnessed the power of sword cultivators before, especially Han Yue, whose swordsmanship she knew intimately. But today, Han Yue hadn’t even drawn her Chasing Moon Sword.
“Why? Why aren’t you using your own sword? These four swords… they’re too powerful. You couldn’t possibly have comprehended them.” Miaoyin, known for her seductive voice, now shrieked, her tone shrill and desperate.
Han Yue glanced at the sword at her waist, then at the four spectral swords hovering above. “My sword has another purpose. The swords he gifted me will help me achieve my goal.”
Her goal? Miaoyin was bewildered. “Do you intend to betray Elder Sister Yao Guang?”
Han Yue shook her head. “I followed Elder Sister because I believed in the Pure Land’s ideals, because I believed she could create a true sanctuary. But now, my beliefs have changed. Elder Sister… what she desires… is not a Pure Land.”
Silence descended upon Mount Danxue. Were there truly any fools among the Sage Rulers? The establishment of the Great Ci Dynasty, with its rigid hierarchy, contradicted the Pure Land’s fundamental principles.
A sanctuary should not distinguish between high and low, noble and common. Miaoyin and Jin De understood this. But as high-ranking officials of the Great Ci Dynasty, they were beneficiaries of the current system. The Pure Land’s ideals no longer mattered. The prosperity of Great Ci served their interests.
“Traitor! You will die a dog’s death!” Miaoyin and Jin De’s faces twisted in rage. There would be no peaceful resolution today. Defeated and fearing for their lives, they saw the four spectral swords shift.
“Run!” Miaoyin screamed, turning to flee.
“Miaoyin! Wait for me!” Jin De cried, struggling to keep up.
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But Miaoyin, consumed by terror, ignored her pleas. They fled, glancing back occasionally, watching as the four swords advanced slowly, inexorably, towards the four cardinal directions. What was Han Yue doing? The swords, though immensely powerful, moved with a ponderous slowness, posing no immediate threat. Their fear subsided slightly.
“What is she planning?!” Jin De asked.
Miaoyin shook her head, her face pale with dread. She didn’t know. But the sheer power of the four swords was so overwhelming that she doubted she would ever have the courage to face Han Yue again.
Suddenly, the swords stopped. Miaoyin quickly assessed the situation. The four swords, positioned at the cardinal points, encompassed an area of roughly a hundred miles. What was Han Yue’s intention?
Then, Han Yue’s voice, amplified by spiritual energy, echoed across the land. “People of the Great Ci Dynasty, I am Han Yue. I have something to say.”
Jin De and Miaoyin’s faces darkened. Whatever Han Yue intended to announce, it would surely be detrimental to Great Ci. Powerless to stop her, they could only await Yao Guang’s return. They had failed in their duty.
“The world is in chaos, kingdoms clash, and war rages across the land. The Brahma Sound Pure Land was established as a sanctuary, a place of peace and serenity, far removed from worldly conflicts. But the Great Ci Dynasty of today is no longer the Pure Land of yesterday. Great Ci has entered the world, vying for power and dominance, abandoning the Pure Land’s true purpose. I, Han Yue, though my strength is limited, shall carve out a hundred miles of land and re-establish the Pure Land. All those who share my ideals are welcome to join me.”
Miaoyin was stunned. To re-establish the Pure Land within Great Ci’s territory? This was practically an act of rebellion!
“Han Yue! The Great Ci Dynasty is at its zenith! You dare attempt to secede? This is treason! Our people are loyal to Empress Yao Guang! They will not be swayed by your empty words! There is only Great Ci, there is no need for a Pure Land! Your childish actions will only lead to your destruction! People of Great Ci, listen! The Empress’s return will mark the end of this rebellion! Any who dare betray Great Ci will be punished!”
Though defeated, Miaoyin couldn’t allow Han Yue’s words to go unchallenged. She used a sound transmission technique, ensuring her voice reached every corner of Great Ci. She was confident that no one would betray Yao Guang.
Suddenly, four pillars of light erupted from the spectral swords, their brilliance illuminating the heavens. Then, as if descending from the sky itself, four shimmering curtains of light materialized, sealing off the hundred-mile territory, separating it from the rest of Great Ci.
Miaoyin and Jin De stared in disbelief. How could Han Yue, a fourth-rank Great Vehicle cultivator, achieve such a feat? The four curtains of light were clearly an extension of the four swords, a powerful formation.
“A formation?! You’re a sword cultivator! When did you comprehend such a powerful formation?!” They felt the formation’s immense power, sensing that any attempt to breach it would result in their annihilation. Had Han Yue truly carved out a hundred miles of Great Ci’s territory with this formation?
Han Yue’s voice, once more echoing across the land, answered their question. “During my confinement, I comprehended the Four Swords, and with them, this formation. It is not particularly complex. To break it, one simply requires four cultivators, each at least seventh-rank Great Vehicle, to attack simultaneously from the four cardinal points. To maintain the formation, I shall remain at its center, unable to leave. While the formation stands, I live. If the formation is broken, I die. There is no other outcome.”
Jin De and Miaoyin’s expressions shifted. Four seventh-rank Great Vehicle cultivators? Great Ci didn't possess such strength. Perhaps, upon her return, Yao Guang, with her Pangu’s Giant Body, could break the formation? But Han Yue’s willingness to die to maintain the formation reassured them. If she could create such a powerful formation without a significant cost, then their own Great Vehicle cultivation was truly a joke.
“Han Yue, does this formation have a name?” Jin De shouted.
“It does. It is called… the Zhu Xian Sword Formation.”