The Great Ci Dynasty’s population had exceeded one million. They experienced a surge in new arrivals after Empress Yao Guang’s battle against Emperor Jiajing. Women from across the land flocked to Great Ci, drawn by the Empress’s newfound prestige.
Within the Chao Ge Palace, Yao Guang, fully recovered from her injuries, now turned her attention to a pressing domestic matter: Han Yue, and her newly established Pure Land.
“Elder Sister, Han Yue’s actions are treasonous!” Jin De seethed, her body still aching from the wounds inflicted by Han Yue’s Zhu Xian Sword Qi, despite consuming countless healing elixirs.
“She’s right,” Miaoyin added. “We assumed no one would support her foolish rebellion. But over a hundred sword cultivators have already joined her. This is a direct challenge to Great Ci’s authority!”
Yao Guang listened patiently, a serene smile on her face. But for a fleeting moment, her smile faltered. She had just achieved world renown, and now one of her own Sage Rulers dared to defy her?
“Re-establish the Pure Land? Perhaps… I should pay my dear sister a visit.”
Within the newly established Pure Land, a hundred-mile territory shielded by the ethereal curtains of light formed by the Four Swords of Zhu Xian, an aura of tranquility reigned.
The shimmering veil, though seemingly fragile as gossamer, concealed a deadly power. Any cultivator who dared to trespass would face annihilation. At the heart of this sanctuary, Han Yue sat in meditation atop a rocky outcrop, a hundred swordswomen seated below.
“Cultivating the sword is cultivating the heart. A steadfast heart yields an unyielding sword. The way of the sword is multifaceted. There is the sword of the raging river, the sword of merciless slaughter, the sword of supreme arrogance, the sword of detached emotion. Swords may differ in length, but not in their inherent worth…”
Han Yue was lecturing. Fan Li, had he been present, would have been astonished. The Han Yue he knew was sometimes aloof and arrogant, sometimes stubborn and obstinate, sometimes gentle and demure, sometimes consumed by a chilling killing intent.
But this Han Yue, lecturing on the Dao of the Sword, spoke with the eloquence and wisdom of a seasoned scholar, her teachings impartial and generous, a true mentor and guide.
Suddenly, she stopped, her silence met with puzzled glances from her disciples.
“Master, have we displeased you with our ignorance?” a Nascent Soul swordswoman asked, her face filled with remorse.
Since entering the new Pure Land, the hundred sword cultivators had addressed Han Yue as their master. She had neither accepted nor denied this title, but she had received their homage, offering her teachings freely and without reservation.
“No… you are all excellent students.” Han Yue looked at the women before her.
The strongest among them was at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, the weakest at the Golden Core stage. Though their cultivation levels varied, their dedication to the sword, their purity of purpose, was unwavering. Sword cultivators, their hearts held only the sword.
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“Master?” The disciples, sensing her unspoken concern, exchanged nervous glances.
They were not fools. They knew that establishing a new Pure Land within Great Ci’s territory was an act of rebellion. But their paths had diverged. Without Han Yue’s intervention, they would have left Great Ci eventually.
The Pure Land of their ideals, a place of secluded cultivation, no longer existed. The Great Ci Dynasty, now vying for power and dominance, was not the sanctuary they sought.
The strongest disciple, a Nascent Soul cultivator at the peak of her realm, drew her spirit sword. “Master, we stand with you!” Her declaration, though slightly delayed, was echoed by the remaining ninety-nine swordswomen, their swords drawn, their voices ringing with conviction.
“We are with you, Master!”
Han Yue, finally moved by their unwavering loyalty, felt a warmth spread through her, a sense of belonging she had never experienced before.
Sword cultivators were solitary figures, their path a lonely one. For countless years, she had traveled alone, her only companion was her sword. Even within the Brahma Sound Pure Land, though she acknowledged Yao Guang’s authority, she had never felt a true sense of community. Until now.
“Thank you. But there is no need.” She stood and gaze upon the distant horizon. “Empress Yao Guang, have you heard our words?”
Yao Guang stood just beyond the Zhu Xian Sword Formation, her brow furrowed. When Han Yue addressed her as “Empress,” not “Elder Sister,” she knew there was no turning back. Only one path remained. Those who obeyed would prosper. Those who defied…
“Elder Sister!” Bai Rong arrived, breathless, her spiritual energy depleted from her hasty journey.
“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in Great Chu with Xiang Chong?” Yao Guang asked, puzzled.
“Fan… Fan Li sent a letter. He requested I deliver it to you personally, Elder Sister,” Bai Rong explained, kneeling before Yao Guang.
“Fan Li sent you with a letter? I sent you to Great Chu to be with Xiang Chong. Why are you acting as Fan Li’s messenger?” Yao Guang’s expression hardened.
“Elder Sister, you misunderstand. My loyalty is to you, to Great Ci. But this matter… it is of great importance. I couldn't refuse his request. It could jeopardize our plans.” She bowed her head, concealing the complex emotions swirling within her – anxiety, fear, and a flicker of excitement.
Why would she willingly deliver a letter for Fan Li? He had promised her something she couldn't refuse: the position of Empress of Great Chu.
She hadn't offended Fan Li. And he was on good terms with Qing Qiu and Han Yue. Perhaps he was trying to recruit her?
An extra friend was always an asset, an extra enemy a liability. And the allure of becoming Empress… it was too tempting to resist. To be both a Sage Ruler of Great Ci and Empress of Great Chu, such power and prestige were beyond measure.
“Jeopardize our plans?” Yao Guang eyed Bai Rong suspiciously before opening the letter. Elegant calligraphy filled the page.
“Thanks to Your Majesty’s intervention, Han Yue and I have pledged our love to each other. We shall live together in harmony, our affection are as deep as the sea. However, Han Yue yearns for her homeland. We have agreed to a temporary separation, for as the ancient saying goes, ‘If love is true, then time and distance are meaningless.’ I entrust Han Yue to your care, just as you have entrusted me with the great task of opposing the Great Ming. I shall not disappoint you. When the Five Kingdoms attack, the Great Chu army will be your vanguard. And I trust you will not disappoint me and allow Han Yue to suffer in her homeland…”
Yao Guang finished reading, her face grim, her eyes cold and hard. “So, Fan Li dares to threaten me? Bai Rong! Do you know what Fan Li wrote in the letter?!"
“Elder Sister, the letter was sealed. I didn’t read it. And I am your loyal subject. You raised me. Surely you don’t believe I would betray you?”
Yao Guang’s expression softened slightly. She turned towards the shimmering veil of the Zhu Xian Sword Formation.
Four seventh-rank Great Vehicle cultivators to break the formation?
She was eighth-rank, and possessed Pangu’s Giant Body. Surely she could break it alone. But the backlash would kill Han Yue.
After a long moment of contemplation, she made her decision.
Her voice, amplified by spiritual energy, echoed within the hundred-mile territory of the new Pure Land. “Han Yue, my dear sister, I shall visit you again… after I have destroyed the Great Ming.”