The training ground was silent that morning. Mist coiled low, banners of frost snapping in the crisp wind as over seven hundred dao comprehension cultivators and elders assembled. Their breaths came steady, but their eyes shone with anticipation — for today, Haotian had promised to unveil the method to carry their bodies forward, not only their spirits.
At the center, Haotian stood with calm presence, his spear grounded, and a jade case glowing faintly in his hand.
"The Undying Dragon Body Sutra," his voice carried evenly, "is divided into fifteen stages. Each is a rebirth. Not of death — I corrected that flaw — but of deep resonance, tempering your marrow, your blood, your bones, and your flesh. With each stage, your endurance, strength, and resilience increase beyond mortal limits. At the peak… even a single drop of blood can regrow the body."
Murmurs rippled through the gathered disciples, their eyes wide.
Haotian lifted the jade case, opening it with a flash of golden light. Inside lay rows of crystalline pills, each glowing with faint runic etchings.
"These are the Fifteen Dragon Body Pills — one for each stage. They are not mandatory. The Sutra can be cultivated without them. But with these, you will not stumble. They will guide your breakthroughs, stabilize your bodies, and prevent hidden injuries."
He held up one pill, shimmering faintly blue. "This is the second-stage pill. You will take this today."
Gasps echoed across the hall. Elders leaned forward, awestruck. Even Yinxue and Ziyue exchanged glances — they had known Haotian was preparing something, but not this.
Haotian's golden eyes swept the crowd. "Refine your bodies with it. Break through. Today, you will feel what it means to wield not just chi, but an immortal body."
The disciples each received their pill and sat cross-legged across the training field. Haotian placed one upon his own tongue — a sixth-stage pill. As it dissolved, a surge of resonance shook the air.
The moment the pills entered their systems, the reaction was staggering. Bodies shone with inner light, bones cracked faintly only to regrow stronger, meridians pulsed as if molten rivers surged through them. Cries of strain filled the air, but no pain remained — only the harmony of dragon qi remolding their flesh.
One by one, breakthroughs rang out like bells in the distance.
"Second stage!""Another!""Dozens—hundreds—"
By the hour's end, the training ground was filled with new power. Every disciple sat taller, their skin glowing faintly with tempered light, their breaths deeper, their marrow stronger.
And above them, Haotian sat still, golden qi spiraling around him as his body thundered with power. The sixth stage of the Undying Dragon Body Sutra bloomed within him, the sound of a dragon's roar echoing faintly across the sky.
His eyes opened slowly, glinting with calm satisfaction. "Good. You all stand at the second stage now. And with every mass dual cultivation, your bodies will climb faster still. The body and spirit shall rise together. Only then will you be ready to face demons without fear."
The disciples bowed low, their voices rising as one:
"Haotian!"
The cry echoed across the mountains, fierce and unified, as the Moon Lotus Sect stepped onto a new path of strength.
A year passed like a dream, though to the Moon Lotus Sect, it was nothing short of a revolution.
By day, Haotian guided hundreds of disciples, drilling them in sword, dao, and the Undying Dragon Body Sutra. By night, he poured his teachings into Yinxue, Ziyue, and Shuyue — lessons in dao comprehension, but also the subtle concepts of time and space that he alone could unlock. Slowly, they reached where no other cultivators dared: shaping their daos not merely with elements, but with eternity and distance themselves.
The results were staggering.
Dozens reached their second dao, building layered combinations that gave their combat versatility undreamt of a year before. Hundreds stabilized their bodies, the sect's strength multiplying tenfold. The Moon Lotus Sect no longer stood as just a northern power — it was becoming a legend.
And among them, three shone brightest.
🌸 Shuyue
Once uncertain, once shackled by her heart-seal, Shuyue now stood proud at the forefront. Her Dao of the Seven Virtues bloomed, interwoven with her Sword Dao, making her strokes cut not just flesh, but hearts. She stood just behind Yinxue and Ziyue, her presence no longer the timid youngest, but the rising phoenix.
❄️ Yinxue
The Sect Master's dao had transformed into a seven-fold path. Frost and ice were her base, but now love completed her cycle, binding her dao into wholeness. It was on the very day she touched the Dao of Love that she lost her restraint.
Haotian had been overseeing the assembly, his words calm, when Yinxue strode forward without hesitation. She seized him by the collar, pulled him down, and kissed him before the eyes of the entire sect.
Her voice rang out, clear and commanding as always: "This man — Haotian — is mine. He will marry me!"
The courtyard fell into stunned silence. Disciples who once whispered rumors now stared wide-eyed, the truth striking harder than thunder.
🌬️ Ziyue
But the storm was not done. Ziyue, never one to step aside, followed Yinxue's declaration with her own. She stepped forward, blade at her side, her voice like cold steel.
"And mine," she declared flatly. "Haotian is mine as well. I love him — and I will marry him too."
Gasps rippled through the disciples, shock and awe crackling in the air like lightning. The sect had suspected. They had whispered. But to hear the Icewind Sword herself say it — no one had imagined such boldness.
🌹 Shuyue
The final stroke came weeks later. Shuyue, trembling with the power of her first completed dao — the Dao of Love — stood upon one of the moonstone towers that overlooked the sect. Her hair streamed in the wind, her aura blooming like a lotus in spring.
She raised her voice so all could hear:
"Haotian! I love you! From today, I will no longer hide it! I am yours, and you are mine!"
The sect fell into uproar, disciples clutching their robes, whispering furiously. Some gasped, some laughed in disbelief, others simply stared with wide eyes. The youngest of the three sisters, the one once bound by her own heart, had declared it openly before heaven and earth.
At the center of it all stood Haotian, his golden eyes steady, his expression unreadable.
Three women he had guided, taught, and loved in different ways had declared themselves before the sect. Their words had shaken the disciples, silenced the elders, and shattered the last veil of rumor.
And Haotian… could only smile wryly, shaking his head.
So this is what it comes to, he thought, warmth flickering in his gaze despite his exasperation. Even in war, even with demons on the horizon, the heart cannot be hidden forever.
Above the mountains, the bells of the Moon Lotus Sect rang — not in alarm, but in resonance. A year had changed everything. And now, the world knew the truth.
The moonlight spilled through the carved frost windows of the Moon Lotus Sect's inner chamber, bathing the room in silver. Within the concealment and soundless formation, only four figures remained: Haotian, Yinxue, Ziyue, and Shuyue.
The day's revelations still lingered in the air. Their confessions, their declarations before the entire sect — spoken so boldly, so publicly — could not be undone. Tonight, there would be no pretense, no walls left standing.
Haotian stood before them, golden eyes steady. For a long moment he said nothing, only letting the silence stretch. Then, at last, he exhaled softly and spoke.
"I accept."
Their eyes widened.
"I accept your confessions. I accept your love. And I accept the consequences that will come — whether from disciples, from enemies, or even from heaven itself." His voice carried no hesitation, no falter. "I will not hide from it any longer."
Shuyue's lips parted, her eyes glistening. Ziyue looked down briefly, then back up, her gaze sharper than ever. Yinxue, ever composed, only let a faint tremor pass through her shoulders.
They reached for him together.
—
Their dual cultivation session that night was unlike any other. It was not only qi circulating between them, not only bodies entwining under the resonance of the Moon Lotus Codex. It was heart meeting heart, dao meeting dao, love confessed now embraced. The barrier quivered with the force of their resonance, the mist glowing faintly with silver light.
Afterwards, when their breathing calmed and the air thickened with warmth, Haotian sat up, his golden eyes glowing faintly as he looked upon the three sisters lying beside him.
"Now," he said quietly, "you must understand how far your daos can reach."
He turned first to Shuyue, brushing her cheek. "You have stepped onto the Dao of the Seven Virtues. Lianhua also walks this path. Aligned with the sword, each virtue becomes more than philosophy — it becomes a blade. Together, she and I shaped their extreme forms: the Fatal Virtue Blades."
Her breath caught as he explained them in turn:
Mercy Severance — Compassion's fatal strike.
Judgment's Finality — Justice that executes.
Unyielding Break — Courage that shatters impossibility.
Vow's End — Loyalty that severs betrayal.
Shuyue shivered, eyes wide, as the weight of it sank in.
Haotian's gaze shifted to Yinxue. "You as well, once you have refined your Dao Sword, I will help you shape techniques that align with your path. Your dao of frost, ice, piercing, and now love — each can be carved into a technique that transcends realms."
Yinxue blushed faintly, uncharacteristic heat blooming on her face. "Haotian…"
Then to Ziyue. "And you. Your Icewind Sword already surpasses what most dream. But with time and space added, I will help you create blades that break even heaven's chains."
Ziyue's breath sharpened, her face flushed despite her steel composure.
The three sisters exchanged glances, hearts racing. Gratitude, love, and desire welled up all at once.
"Thank you, Haotian," they said almost in unison, voices trembling.
Yinxue moved first. She leaned forward, cupped his cheek, and kissed him deeply, pouring her feelings into that single act.
But Ziyue was not one to stand behind. She pressed forward, seizing his lips with her own, her kiss fierce and unyielding.
Haotian barely had time to react before Shuyue — bold, untamed — straddled his lap, her body trembling as she pressed against him. "Haotian…" Her moan spilled into the room, her movements shameless, her eyes shimmering with love and raw need.
Haotian's golden eyes widened — even he, who had faced demons and saints, was taken aback by her sudden boldness.
For a moment, all he could do was laugh under his breath, half shocked, half helpless. Even as I wield space and time, these three wield my heart.
And the night burned on, silver light fading into dawn, as dao and love intertwined in ways the heavens themselves could scarcely fathom.
The Moon Lotus Sect was unrecognizable from a year ago.
Under Haotian's relentless guidance, disciples who once struggled with single daos now wielded combinations seamlessly. He had not merely taught techniques — he had theorized, categorized, and tailored dao skills for every path, refining each cultivator's strength until the sect itself became a roaring tide of power.
The results were staggering. Disciples surged, elders broke through barriers long thought immovable, and the sect's reputation spread across the continent like wildfire.
At the forefront stood three figures that none could deny.
Shuyue, her Dao of the Seven Virtues interwoven with the sword, blossomed into brilliance. Once shy and uncertain, she now stood boldly as the rising phoenix, surpassed only by her elder sisters.
Ziyue, the Icewind Sword, her dao sharpened by Haotian's nightly teachings of space and time, wielded speed that seemed to cut through heaven itself.
Yinxue, the Sect Master, her seven-fold dao complete with the Dao of Love, had begun manifesting techniques that stunned even the elders. Her strength now eclipsed nearly all, her presence unshakable.
Together, the three women became pillars beside Haotian, and the Moon Lotus Sect's rise became a legend in the making.
Then the sky tore.
A roar — no, four — shook the mountains. The heavens darkened, winds howled, and every disciple froze in place as vast dragon forms descended from the clouds. Their scales gleamed with timeless might, their cries reverberating through bone and marrow.
Yangshen. Yuying. Junhai. Meiyun.
The Four Saint Dragons. Haotian's ancestors.
Their forms shrank into human guise, but their presence remained suffocating. The courtyard filled with whispers, cries, and the shuffling of disciples who could not decide whether to kneel or flee. Elders stiffened, sweat beading on their brows under the crushing aura.
At the center, Haotian's face darkened. His jaw clenched.
Did they not listen…?
He had told them to remain. To prepare for the demon invasion. To hold the western continent steady. Yet here they were, descending into the Moon Lotus Sect as if the heavens themselves had sent them.
Junhai's booming laugh cracked across the sect. "So this is the fortress you've built, boy! A legion of dao comprehension women — no wonder you wanted us to stay away!"
Meiyun's eyes glimmered with sly amusement. "Stronger than I expected. Stronger than half the continent's powers."
Yangshen's voice rumbled low and heavy, like mountains grinding. "You have not forged a sect. You have forged an army."
And Yuying's serene but piercing tone cut through the silence: "The question, Haotian… is whether this army belongs to you — or to us."
The disciples erupted in gasps, elders whispered in alarm, and the order Haotian had forged trembled on the edge of breaking.
Above, the skies still echoed with the roars of dragons.Below, hearts surged with awe, fear, pride, and suspicion.
At the center of it all — Haotian stood, his golden eyes narrowing.
And in that moment, chaos was brewing.
The courtyard was in chaos. Disciples whispered in panic, elders stiffened in unease, and the weight of four Saint Dragons pressed like the sky itself upon the Moon Lotus Sect.
Haotian stepped forward, the Fenlong Spear steady in his hand, his golden eyes cold.
Yuying's lips curved in a sly smile. "Oh, don't look so grim, Haotian. We didn't come to take anything. We only wanted to observe your little hare—" Her eyes flickered, her smirk widening, "—I mean, your sect of females."
The words struck like thunder.
The courtyard erupted — gasps, laughter, shouts, outrage. The disciples flushed red, elders scowled, Shuyue covered her face in mortification while Yinxue's aura flared dangerously cold. Even Ziyue's fingers twitched toward her sword.
Haotian's eyes narrowed, voice like steel. "Enough."
He planted the butt of his spear against the ground. The sound echoed like a dragon's roar. "If you have doubts, then test me. Test my dao, test my strength. All four of you, together."
The air froze. The disciples stared in shock.
Junhai's booming laugh split the silence. "Hah! The boy dares challenge us all at once!"Meiyun smirked faintly. "Arrogant… but amusing."Yuying's eyes gleamed with interest.But Yangshen's lips curled into a feral grin. "It's been too long since I've fought one of my own blood. Very well. Show me, Haotian. Show me this power you claim."
With a boundless leap, Yangshen soared into the air. Haotian followed instantly, spear flashing with light, the Eyes of the Universe whirling in his gaze.
"Bring it!"
Their clash shook the heavens.
Spear met fist, dao met dao, explosions rippled through the sky. Shockwaves rolled across the mountains, rattling towers and scattering clouds. The disciples below shielded their faces as lightning and frost tore the heavens apart.
Yangshen laughed, his voice booming over the chaos. "Hah! Your dao is profound, boy — but is this all? Are you showing me scraps? Where is the strength that dares defy heaven?"
Haotian's teeth clenched, his spear blurring with strikes of time, folds of space, and arcs of sword-light. But Yangshen tore through them, slipping through locked space, breaking time binds as if they were threads of silk.
Below, the disciples' eyes widened in disbelief.
"Is this… Senior Brother Haotian going all out?""Even space and time… they don't work on that ancestor…""Can he win?!"
Yangshen laughed louder, each strike a mockery. "You fight like a child, Haotian! All dao and no teeth!"
Haotian's aura trembled. His hands tightened on the spear until his knuckles whitened. His golden eyes blazed.
"Enough."
A low thrum shook the air as his heart core resonated.
BOOM.
The world itself seemed to shudder. His aura erupted, flooding the skies with overwhelming force. The Fenlong Spear gleamed like a sun forged of gold. The Eyes of the Universe swirled, pulling light, time, and space into his gaze.
His cultivation surged violently, leaping like fire through oil — soaring into the peak of Saint Realm.
The disciples screamed in awe. Elders gasped. Even Yinxue, Ziyue, and Shuyue stared wide-eyed, unable to believe the surge of power emanating from him.
In the sky, Haotian raised his spear and leveled it at Yangshen, his voice thundering.
"This… is the strength of my heart!"
The heavens quaked, the earth trembled — and the battle had only just begun.
The instant Haotian's aura exploded, the courtyard below was thrown into chaos.
Gasps tore from disciples, their bodies trembling under the suffocating weight of his cultivation. "Peak… Saint Realm?! Senior Brother Haotian—he's at peak Saint Realm!"
Elders exchanged frantic looks, half awe, half disbelief. "Impossible… he was already profound… but to surge like that—"
Shuyue clutched her chest, her wide eyes shimmering. "Haotian… you've been hiding this much power?"
Ziyue's lips parted, her hand unconsciously tightening on her sword. To think even time and space weren't his limit…
Yinxue's aura rippled faintly, her usually calm composure wavering. She whispered under her breath, voice trembling with pride, "So this is you… Haotian."
The sect quaked with voices, awe and fear and pride swirling as every disciple's faith in their Senior Brother reached new heights.
Above them, in the fractured sky, Haotian stood tall with the Fenlong Spear blazing like a sun.
Yangshen faltered. For the first time, his mocking grin slipped, his brows furrowing as he felt the resonance of Haotian's heart core. "You… boy, you actually lit your core?!"
Haotian's gaze was steady, his golden eyes whirling with the Eyes of the Universe. His aura pressed down, locking Yangshen in place, spear leveled at his chest.
Yangshen chuckled lowly, his voice sharp. "…Hey, boy. Are you going to be okay?"
Haotian grunted, his voice calm despite the storm raging within him. "I have been cultivating the Heaven Sundering Trinity Scripture all this time. I developed a method in secret to cultivate it every second of the day without needing to sit. My three cores are stable. But…"
His grip on the spear tightened, his breath a hiss. "…extended battles over an hour push me to my limit when all three cores resonate. If I fight with one core, I can last six hours. After that…" He smirked wryly. "…the backlash will hit me like a truck."
Yangshen's eyes widened, then narrowed, a flicker of respect flashing beneath his stern gaze. He suddenly broke free of the spatial lock, his laughter booming across the skies once more.
"Then show me, Haotian!"
The two clashed again.
Spear against fist, light against shadow, dao against dao. Explosions tore across the heavens, shockwaves rattled the earth, and streaks of golden and azure light carved scars through the clouds.
The disciples below shielded their faces, hair whipping in the violent winds. Elders braced against the pressure, their eyes wide.
And at the heart of it, Haotian and Yangshen moved faster than sight — two generations of dragons colliding, one testing, the other proving.
Each strike screamed one truth into the air:
This was no spar. This was a battle that would decide whose dao would shake the heavens.