“Is this a common occurrence?" Qin Yun said, and the tranquillity of his voice seemed to prompt Yao Ruolan to calm down. She took a deep breath, regulating her heart rate as she gazed into the distance.
“It is and isn’t,” she replied. “While they’ve been more active in recent times, I haven’t seen this scale of deployment on our side before—at least ever since we've been transferred here.”
There was still a slight hint of worry in her eyes, a tension she couldn't help but show externally, as this was the first real conflict she was poised to take part in. Death was now but a step away. Whether she could survive the tide remained unknown.
While the girl was about to drown in her own anxiety, a group of young cultivators—some slightly older than her—passed right next to them, heading toward the nearby wall. They wore clothes resembling hers while also sporting the emblem of the Moonlight Sword Palace. A young woman stopped next to Yao Ruolan while the rest of the group didn't falter in their pace, only offering her a quick look.
"Ruolan!" the woman said, looking over her. She was young and beautiful, yet there was a fierceness in her eyes. She glanced at Qin Yun but completely ignored him as if she was above addressing him. However, Qin Yun saw the truth of the matter. Her hand rested on the pommel of her sheathed sword, holding it tightly as if trying to crush it. Her bravado seemed only for appearance's sake. Even Yao Ruolan seemed to notice it.
“Sister," Yao Ruolan replied, yet there was a quiver in her tone, which she desperately tried to hide. "Where's Master? What are our orders?"
“The elder's already on top of the wall, accessing the situation," the woman replied. "We are to rendezvous with him and await further instructions. Let's go!"
Without waiting for Yao Ruolan's acknowledgement, the woman sprinted in the group's direction, quickly catching up to them. Yao Ruolan turned to Qin Yun, a question in her eyes which seemed much too obvious.
"I'm not going," he said flatly and could see the disappointment on her face. "Securing this city is no responsibility of mine. Besides, what do you think I could even accomplish against such numbers?"
Qin Yun could clearly feel the murderous intent spewing from beyond the wall. It was thick and ever-present, akin to a storm forming in the distance—a storm none could face alone. Not even the Soul Formation ancestors would prove enough to brave the raging winds of destruction. There was such a thing as strength in numbers once their intents aligned.
Knowing she couldn't convince him otherwise, she nodded. Her eyes were now firm, her fate clear. Even if she were to die on this day, she would do so for the honour of her sect and her master. Only a single thing was plaguing her mind—something she couldn't erase no matter how hard she tried.
“If anything should happen to me... please take care of him.”
As those words left her mouth, she turned and sped away in the distance, never looking back until she disappeared near the wall’s edge. Qin Yun closed his eyes, feeling much older than his body’s age. Somehow, seeing the young ones rush to their deaths always left him feeling melancholic.
As he was absorbed in his thoughts, Nalia stepped next to him, breaking away the spell as her sweet scent wafted through the air. He turned toward her; there was a glint in his eyes.
"Aren't you going to follow them?" he said, his eyes pointing toward the east. She glanced back, yet her expression didn't change much, barely showing the conflict within. She remained silent, her tiny mouth closed, yet Qin Yun noticed the strain.
"It must be hard, being stuck in the middle, unable to choose," he said, which prompted her eyes to glare at him. There was a spark of fury in them as if he had touched on a thorny subject but soon relented, turning to sadness, which made her even more beautiful.
“My choice wouldn’t change anything. So, why bother when the result would be painful either way?” she replied softly.
She didn't say much, but it was enough for Qin Yun to infer the meaning. Still, there was something more. Qin Yun examined her every word and action closely until he noticed her glancing toward the city centre, slightly toward the ground.
He did the same, only to find a large fountain in the distance, which seemed to be part of the city's central water system. However, upon closer look, Qin Yun could feel something more than water flow, originating from the earth's bowels. It only took him a moment to realize what it was and why she would be so preoccupied with it. He could only smile at the thought blooming in his mind.
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On the top of the massive stone wall, facing the sand dunes beyond, Xu Weizhe prominently stood, braving the horde of outsiders seeking to ransack this city and the world beyond. The conflict had yet to begin, yet he almost felt overwhelmed by the outsiders' fighting spirit. They seemed nearly crazed in their fanaticism. In contrast, the troops' morale on top of the wall seemed underwhelming.
This isn’t good, he thought. We may have the advantage regarding terrain, but not even this city can withstand a relentless assault. Sooner or later, the barrier will fall, and we'll have no choice but to confront them on the dunes. If only we weren't so fractured, we could contend against them...
Unlike Xu Weizhe's pessimistic point of view, the other sects' commanders seemed almost too sure of their victory. There wasn't even a single doubt in their minds that they could swiftly dispatch these bunches of barbarians. To them, their victory seemed assured. No matter how often Xu Weizhe warned them about their overconfidence, they all refused to listen. Soon enough, it would spread to the lower ranks.
While it might bolster morale, simply relying on the city is reckless. How can they not see this? The outsiders aren't dumb; they wouldn't simply throw away a force of this size without any hope of victory. They should have something up their sleeves, but what?
As he was deep in thought, looking over the countless dark dots neatly arranged in broad lines on the dunes, a massive number of footsteps echoed behind him, prompting him to turn around, only to see something that left him conflicted. If possible, he wished it wouldn't have come to that, but he knew he couldn't help it. Being overprotective would be counterproductive to her growth.
"Master!" Yao Ruolan said as she stepped next to him, while all the others respectfully stopped a short distance away, bowing slightly. Xu Weizhe gave them a slight nod. They rose but stayed silent, awaiting instructions. Yao Ruolan had no such reservation.
“What’s happening? Why would they attack now?”
Xu Weizhe sighed before turning to the soon-to-be bloody battlefield, a slight feeling of apprehension in his heart. It pained him to think that some of the young talents next to him—who possess bright futures ahead of them—would undoubtedly be robbed of them in the coming conflict. However, such sacrifices were inevitable. Even he wouldn't hesitate if it meant that the sect could rise from it.
In this aspect, I'm not so different from all the other sects. We all have our own reasons for being here. Whether righteous or not is irrelevant. All that matters is not allowing those outsiders to trample what we cherish.
He couldn't help but look at his only disciple, fervently wishing that she take no part in this. He even contemplated sending her back to He Zihao, if only to escape this momentarily. Yet, he shook his head and relented. As an elder of the Moonlight Sword Palace, how could he be willing to send these young talents to their deaths while not being willing to do the same to his own disciple? His duty to the sect superseded everything.
"Master?" Yao Ruolan asked again, slightly tugging on the man's sleeve as if she could feel the conflict brewing within. Somehow, it filled her with an unease even greater than the hordes before them.
"They fight for the same reasons we do," Xu Weizhe finally said after a sigh. His voice may have seemed soft, but it cut through the nervous chatter on top of the wall, resonating in all men's and women's minds. "We may see them as beasts trying to pry away what we hold dear, as invaders seeking to plunder our homes, but they are humans just like us. They, too, have something they wish to protect, loved ones they cherish. Their world is barren, hardly hospitable for life. Of course, they would seek our land, full of lush greenery and abundant life. It's only natural to seek a better life for oneself. Wouldn't you do the same in their places?"
He offered his disciple a slight smile, which left her puzzled. Even the others who witnessed his words couldn't help but question if this was the right time to say such words. After all, morale was flaky at best, and trying to sympathize with one's enemies would only dull their edge. However, Xu Weizhe wasn't done.
"Have you ever asked yourself how the Great Barrier came to be? Why it exists?" he added, planting a seed of doubt into all their minds. "I once did. I even asked myself, if we are all humans, why couldn't we live in harmony? After all, this land is big enough to accommodate all of them. There's no reason why it shouldn't be possible."
He looked down at his disciple, seeing her conflicted expression filled with doubts. He couldn’t help but pat her small head, feeling her heat on his palm.
“I once fought for this ideal, trying to convince the sect’s elders to see reason. After all, nobody wants this war to continue. Nobody wants to see their loved ones die an ugly death, especially in a war that could be prevented. But, do you know what they answered in response?”
Yao Ruolan could only shake her head. Even her fellow disciples could only keep silent, awaiting the reason they craved. After all, even if they had readied themselves for their oncoming deaths, everyone wished to at least find meaning in it.
"They said, 'What about heaven? If the world wished for peace, why confine them to the world's edge using the Great Barrier? How dare we question the way of heaven with our limited knowledge! What if going against it would lead to damnation? Are you ready to shoulder the responsibility?' Such words left me stunned, unable to repudiate them. After all, I am but a small man under heaven's embrace. How could I dare question its wisdom? Those who do are either fools or madmen. I'm just a coward. I would rather die than bear that responsibility, so I will fight. How about you all?”
His words stunned them into silence. They were all young, and their experiences were much too shallow. Trying to claim themselves as righteous would be nothing but arrogance. After all, if the world had deemed it as such, how could they even question it? They were all ants before Heaven's Might. All they could do was relent and accept it.
“They may be our enemies brought merely by fate, but I will show no mercy. They come to us with the intent to kill, and it is only right to respond in kind. There are no grievances, only survival. Either they die, or we do. Remember well," he said as he turned toward all his sect's disciples around him. "You all chose to join the Moonlight Sword Palace of your own free will. The sect has nurtured you and helped you grow until you became what you now are. Therefore, your lives belong to the sect. It is time to return what you owe. However, fear not; I will be with you until the very end!"
Xu Weizhe unsheathed his sword, lifting it high above his head. He watched it gleam under the harsh light of the sun, prompting a fire to rise in the disciples' hearts. They, too, raised their own swords, their fear slowly fading away as they knew they were among friends. Whether they lived or died, at least they would do so in good company.
“Brace yourselves!” Xu Weizhe shouted, his voice drowning the world, even prompting the other sects’ disciples to respond in kind. “Here they come!”