The sky was alive with the cries of the phoenixes. Twenty-four great beings of frost and flame wheeled across the heavens, their wings trailing icy arcs that shimmered like auroras. They circled wide, surveying the mountains and valleys below as though memorizing every stone, every stream of the Moon Lotus Sect.
The disciples below stood frozen, mouths parted, gazes locked upward. Even Yinxue and the elders were struck silent by the sight — guardians carved from yin chi itself, soaring under Haotian's command.
Then a sharp screech split the air.
Three familiar figures darted from the cliffs: the spirit falcons, Ling'er, Xue'er, and Baiyun. Their wings spread wide, gleaming silver-blue, their cries eager and piercing. They rose swiftly into the sky, flanking the phoenixes without hesitation.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"The falcons—!"
"They'll be torn apart!"
But the phoenixes did not attack.
Instead, their massive heads tilted as they recognized the smaller birds. They shifted formation slightly, wings rising and falling with perfect calm, allowing the falcons to dart between them. Ling'er banked close to a phoenix's wingtip, its frostfire scattering harmlessly around her feathers. Baiyun flapped hard, then playfully glided beneath another's tail plume.
Haotian watched from the peak, lips curling into a smile."…Those little fellows."
One of the larger phoenixes — its wingspan dwarfing the others — broke from the formation. Its eyes, glacial suns, locked on Haotian as it descended. With a gust of frozen wind, it came to hover beside him, massive wings stirring the snow into whirlwinds.
The falcons screeched in excitement, swooping back to him. Ling'er perched on his shoulder, Xue'er on his other, and Baiyun upon his arm, their sharp eyes gleaming with curiosity as they pecked lightly toward the phoenix.
The great phoenix lowered its head, its cry softer now. For a breath, it almost looked like a bow.
Then, with a powerful flap of its wings, it rose again, climbing back into the sky to rejoin its kin.
Haotian chuckled, stroking Baiyun's feathers. "Come on. Let's go see the others."
And then he stepped off the peak.
The world fell away.
The rush of wind slammed against him, roaring in his ears as he plummeted down the mountainside. His robes whipped violently, snapping like banners in a storm. The falcons leapt with him, their wings spread wide, diving alongside his descent with sharp cries.
Weightlessness surged through his body — that fleeting moment where gravity loosened its grip, leaving him suspended between earth and sky. His chest lifted, his heart thundered. For those few breaths, he was free of burdens, free of duties, simply a soul falling through boundless air.
The cold bit his skin, the icy mist tore past his face, but Haotian only grinned wider. He angled his body, turning the plunge into a controlled glide, his long hair streaming like fire against the snowy backdrop.
The sect below grew larger, the gathered disciples tiny specks looking up, their cries rising faintly through the wind.
As the ground neared, Haotian's chi erupted. Golden light surged outward, dazzling as the sun. His body blurred — and in the next instant, he vanished from the air.
He reappeared before the entire sect, steady as if he had never fallen at all.
A cheery smile crossed his face as the falcons settled proudly upon his shoulders and arm, their cries sharp with triumph.
The sect erupted. Disciples cried out, voices breaking between laughter and tears. The phoenixes above wheeled and cried once more, their voices echoing across the heavens, sealing the moment in brilliance.
Golden light faded as Haotian appeared before the gathered sect, falcons perched proudly upon him. His robes fluttered gently as he smiled at them all, voice carrying clearly across the courtyard.
"I am back."
The words struck like thunder. Cheers erupted, disciples crying out his name, some with tears glistening in their eyes. They had seen the phoenixes rise, felt the ground shake with their cries, yet it was this simple declaration that shattered the tension in their hearts.
Slowly, the noise quieted. All eyes lifted toward the sky, where the twenty-four phoenixes still soared, wings scattering snow into glittering storms of frostfire.
Murmurs broke out.
"What are they?"
"Guardians?"
"No… they must be part of the array…"
Sect Master Yinxue lifted her gaze, her voice calm yet reverent."Haotian… what is this grand formation you've laid for us? What is its purpose?"
The disciples leaned forward, hungry to understand. Even Elders Ziyue and Shuyue stood silently, their eyes never leaving him.
Haotian's golden gaze swept the crowd, then rose to the phoenixes circling above.
"This is the Cry of the Ice Phoenixes Array."
He gestured, and faint lines of glowing runes shimmered faintly across the ground, like veins of light beneath the stone.
"It is a grand formation designed to protect the Moon Lotus Sect against the storm that is coming. It begins with a seventy-two node chi-gathering array — drawing from the thin frost and yin qi of this land, condensing it into power. This fuels every other array that follows."
A murmur rolled through the disciples.
"Seventy-two nodes…? That's double the norm!"
"No wonder the land itself felt like it was trembling earlier!"
"Only Senior Brother Haotian could even think of this…"
Haotian's voice deepened as he continued.
"Beyond that are eight layers of defense. Each one is woven differently — together, they can withstand attacks from even a Peak Saint Realm expert for days without collapse."
Gasps broke out. Some disciples turned wide eyes to their elders, as if for confirmation. One elder's hand trembled as she whispered, "Eight layers… to hold against a Peak Saint…? This is beyond anything in the sect's history." Others pressed hands to their mouths, struggling to imagine such strength protecting their home.
Haotian did not pause.
"Then come the five layers of concealment. These arrays shroud our presence from outside eyes, and more importantly, mask the true strength of our sect. To those who pry, we will appear as nothing more than frozen mountains cloaked in mist."
Disciples gasped again, some clutching their robes.
"To be hidden, even from spiritual sense…!"
"Then no enemy will know our strength until it's too late!"
"Even spies would see nothing!"
Even Sect Master Yinxue's lips curved faintly, her normally composed gaze sparking with relief.
At last, Haotian lifted his arm toward the heavens. The phoenixes cried out in answer, their voices shaking the clouds.
"And finally — the killing array. The Cry of the Ice Phoenixes. It manifests twenty-four phoenixes born of yin chi. Each one can clash with an Initial Saint Realm opponent. And together…"
The phoenixes' voices rose in unison, a deafening chorus that rolled through the sky like thunder. Haotian's gaze gleamed with pride."…together, they can strike down even a Peak Saint Realm expert."
Silence fell. Then, all at once, disciples cried out, their awe unrestrained.
"Twenty-four phoenixes, each as strong as a Saint…!"
"With them… with them, even the demons will hesitate to face us!"
"This is… this is a miracle!"
Elders exchanged glances, their composure shattered. Ziyue exhaled softly, her hand rising to her lips, her gaze never leaving Haotian. Shuyue's eyes trembled, her heart pounding violently in her chest.
Haotian's smile softened.
"With this array, the Moon Lotus Sect will not fall. In three years, when the seal breaks, we will stand ready. The demons will find not prey — but a fortress, and a storm."
The silence that followed was absolute. Then, as though on cue, the disciples erupted again, their voices mingling with the phoenixes' cries. Some cheered, others wept openly, and all bowed deeply before him, their faith burning brighter than ever.
Even after the phoenixes vanished back into frost and mist, the sect remained alight with energy. The disciples' cultivation surged, their morale unshakable. But Haotian knew: defense alone was not enough. The wall could not hold forever if the strength behind it was hollow.
And so, the next day, he requested an audience with Sect Master Yinxue and the gathered elders.
They met in the jade pavilion overlooking the frozen valley, the air crisp with yin mist. Haotian stood before them, calm yet resolute, the falcons perched behind him like silent guardians.
"I have laid the Cry of the Ice Phoenixes Array," he began. "It will shield the sect against Saint Realm enemies. But a wall alone is not enough. If our disciples cannot grow, if their blades and techniques remain stagnant, then when the seal breaks… the wall will crumble from within."
The elders stirred, exchanging glances. Yinxue's eyes narrowed slightly, but not in doubt — in thought.
Haotian continued, his golden gaze steady.
"I request permission to enter the sect's library. I will study your cultivation manuals, your sword techniques, and your core methods. From them, I will design a new codex — one that improves your foundations, corrects flaws, and allows for swifter breakthroughs. I will also create a set of sword techniques tailored for the Yuehua Jian. Techniques that will allow your disciples to wield them to their fullest potential."
The elders fell into silence. Some frowned, others whispered. It was no small request — the sect's library was its heart, the accumulation of countless generations.
At last, Elder Ziyue spoke, her voice measured, though her eyes flickered with the warmth she rarely revealed.
"We already know of your ability. You corrected flaws even in the Azure Dragon Sky Sect's methods, and your pills alone have elevated us beyond what we dreamed. If anyone can rewrite and improve what we have preserved, it is you."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the pavilion. Elder Shuyue's hands tightened in her sleeves, her gaze lowering — her heart stirred again at his brilliance, though she remained silent.
Sect Master Yinxue finally spoke, her voice calm but resolute."Haotian. You ask for access to what no outsider has ever touched. But you are no longer just a guest. You are our Senior Brother, our shield, and the one raising this sect higher with every breath."
She inclined her head slightly — a gesture of immense weight from her.
"Permission granted. Enter the library of the Moon Lotus Sect. Whatever you forge within it, we will trust."
Haotian bowed lightly, though his smile held a quiet certainty.
"Good. Then I will begin at once. The Moon Lotus Sect will not only endure the storm — it will rise beyond it."
The library of the Moon Lotus Sect was vast, its shelves stretching into shadowed halls, filled with scrolls and jade slips preserved for generations. Yet it was quiet — almost abandoned. In these days, few disciples came. Most clung to their inherited methods, hesitant to risk straying, unwilling to test knowledge beyond what was given.
But now, a lone figure sat among the rows of scrolls.
Haotian.
His eyes gleamed faintly as he pulled book after book from the shelves, reading at a speed that would have been impossible for most. His gaze skimmed lines, his mind cutting through them with razor focus. To an onlooker, it would seem as if he merely glanced at a page before setting it aside — but within, every word, every rune, every flawed formula was burned into memory.
And more than memory.
Inside his dantian world, within the core of his consciousness, stood a vast golden library. Each manual he read was immediately copied into its shelves, luminous pages forming themselves from light, organized by cultivation method, sword technique, elemental alignment. There, he could study them all at once, compare, dismantle, and reconstruct with flawless clarity.
Hours passed, though to him it felt like minutes. The rustle of scrolls and the faint pulse of yin lamps were his only companions.
"Too rigid," he murmured, setting aside a jade slip. "This method limits yin flow after the third meridian cycle. Flawed."
He reached for another. A sword manual written by an elder long gone. His eyes flickered with faint amusement.
"Good form… but wasted potential. The body of the technique does not harmonize with its intent. Rebuild from the foundation."
The golden text library within him shifted, words rearranging, merging. From a thousand fragmented pieces, new designs began to take shape.
For the Moon Lotus Sect, he envisioned a new cultivation method: one that would merge yin with flexibility, allowing disciples to channel the frosty qi of their land without stagnation, accelerating breakthroughs without harming their bodies. The flaws in their current methods — bottlenecks at the nascent stages, inefficiencies in chi circulation — he erased and rewrote.
For their blades, he began weaving together techniques tailored to the Yuehua Jian he had forged. Swift, elegant, and cutting — each strike imbued with resonance, drawing on both yin and moonlight, like frost flowing along steel.
He worked without pause, hands moving across scrolls, eyes bright with purpose. Outside, days passed. Within, his golden library grew brighter, denser, its shelves heavy with the birth of something entirely new.
The Moon Lotus Codex was being born.
Days bled into nights, and nights into days. Scroll after scroll passed through Haotian's hands, each one absorbed into the golden library of his inner world. Flaws were erased, methods refined, techniques reborn.
At last, the fragments coalesced into a single whole.
A new scripture stood within him, luminous and vast. A cultivation path tailored for the Moon Lotus Sect, harmonizing yin qi and body tempering, guiding disciples past bottlenecks that once chained them. Alongside it bloomed a sword manual, every strike of the Yuehua Jian elevated to new heights — swift as moonlight, graceful as lotus petals, sharp enough to split frost and shadow.
Haotian closed the final book and exhaled slowly, his eyes reflecting the golden radiance of the scripture within.
"This," he whispered, "shall be the sect's new foundation. The Moon Lotus Codex — Yue Lian Jing."
The name resonated in the silence of the library. A sutra born of moonlight and lotus, elegant yet unyielding — the legacy he would leave to strengthen every disciple of the sect.
The scripture that took form in Haotian's golden library was unlike anything the sect had ever held. A system reborn from countless fragments, reshaped with precision and foresight, yet imbued with elegance fitting of the Moon Lotus Sect.
The Cultivation Method
Core Principle:The Moon Lotus Codex refined the sect's existing yin-based cultivation methods, removing their rigidity. Instead of suppressing yang entirely, it introduced a balanced circulation — yin as the primary flow, yang as the hidden support. This balance prevented stagnation in the meridians, a flaw that had long haunted the sect's disciples at higher stages.
Cycles:Cultivators would circulate their qi through nine lotus pathways, meridian routes refined into petal-like cycles. Each cycle harmonized yin qi with the body's natural rhythm, tempering flesh, bone, and spirit in unison. With every completed lotus cycle, the disciple's cultivation deepened with clarity, avoiding the bottlenecks of older methods.
Stages:
Foundation to Core Formation: Rapid breakthroughs due to smooth qi circulation and reduced backlash.
Nascent Soul to Dao Comprehension: Enhanced yin resonance allowed practitioners to draw ambient frost and moonlight qi naturally, accelerating growth without external aids.
Saint Realm: The lotus cycles amplified, nine becoming ninety-nine petals, each layer stabilizing the foundation of higher realms.
Limit:The codex was designed with foresight but also realism. It would carry disciples to the Peak Saint Realm with unmatched stability and efficiency. Beyond that… the path grew obscure, for the codex alone could not pierce the mysteries of Sovereign or Emperor realms. Haotian knew this, and so left its ceiling deliberately at Saint Peak, ensuring no disciple would collapse their cultivation by attempting a leap unprepared.
The Sword Techniques (tailored to the Yuehua Jian)
Each sword form reflected the sect's ideals — elegance, fluidity, and lethal sharpness cloaked in beauty.
Moonlight Veil Slash (Yuehua Bianguang)
A single strike that cloaks itself in a shimmering veil of moonlight.
Conceals true intent, making the blade appear slower than it is.
At the moment of contact, the veil shatters into frost, concealing the true arc.
Effective against agile opponents and concealment arts.
Lotus Bloom Dance (Lianhua Wu)
A flowing set of chained sword movements, each slash overlapping like blooming lotus petals.
Every movement draws in yin qi, creating layers of cutting force.
By the ninth strike, the lotus "blooms" fully — a release of condensed qi that can shatter enemy defenses.
Frozen Moon Mirror (Bingyue Jing)
A defensive technique: the sword draws arcs of frost in the air, forming translucent mirrors of moonlight.
Each mirror reflects and disperses incoming attacks, dispersing spiritual energy into harmless frost mist.
Strongest when executed in unison by multiple Yuehua Jian wielders.
Heavenly Radiant Petal (Tianhua Ye)
The ultimate sword technique within the codex.
The practitioner channels yin qi through the blade, unleashing a slash that fractures into countless glowing petals of light and frost.
Each petal is a cutting edge, falling upon the enemy like a rain of swords.
Against a Saint Realm opponent, this technique could overwhelm by sheer multiplicity.
Moon Lotus Codex – Movement Arts
Alongside the cultivation cycles and sword techniques, Haotian refined an elegant set of movement methods, ensuring disciples could close gaps, retreat, or traverse vast distances as needed.
1. Close-Combat Speed — Shadowed Lotus Step (An Lian Bu)
Purpose: To dominate in close quarters and evade sudden strikes.
Method: The disciple channels yin qi into the soles of their feet, creating a momentary frost layer that reduces friction, allowing for ghost-like sidesteps and sudden bursts of acceleration.
Effect:
Appears as if the disciple splits into afterimages, leaving faint lotus-shaped frost marks on the ground.
Enables swift repositioning to strike from unexpected angles.
Against weaker opponents, the movement is so fast it feels like teleportation.
2. Mid-Range Speed — Flowing Moonlight Step (Liuyue Bu)
Purpose: To traverse the battlefield, avoiding entrapments and striking across gaps.
Method: Qi is cycled in wave-like motions, synchronized with breath, creating flowing bursts of speed with each step.
Effect:
The body glides forward smoothly, as though carried by moonlight across water.
Each step leaves a faint trail of shimmering frost that lingers for a heartbeat before fading.
Effective for weaving through enemy lines or repositioning against ranged attackers.
3. Long-Distance Travel — Frost Lotus Glide (Shuang Lian Hua)
Purpose: To cover vast distances swiftly across land or frozen terrain.
Method: The practitioner condenses yin qi beneath their feet into blooming frost lotuses that form and vanish with each step.
Effect:
Each lotus acts as a stepping stone in mid-air, allowing cultivators to run above rivers, cliffs, and even treetops.
With mastery, the user can cross mountains in hours or glide across entire valleys.
Appears breathtaking — like a trail of glowing frost lotuses blooming and fading across the night sky.
Integration with Swordplay
The Moon Lotus Codex movement techniques were designed not as separate arts but as extensions of sword combat.
Shadowed Lotus Step merges seamlessly with Moonlight Veil Slash, enabling feints and sudden strikes.
Flowing Moonlight Step pairs with Lotus Bloom Dance, letting the disciple weave through enemies while layering petals of strikes.
Frost Lotus Glide allows long-distance charges or retreats, and when paired with Heavenly Radiant Petal, the cultivator appears as if descending from the heavens, unleashing a storm of sword-light from above.
Cultivation Limit with Movement Arts
The Moon Lotus Codex's foundation and techniques allow disciples to reach the Peak of the Saint Realm, but with these movement arts, even early-stage disciples gain mobility far beyond their peers. In formations, their coordinated steps create dazzling patterns of frost and light — enough to bewilder and overwhelm foes many realms higher.
Moon Lotus Codex – Advanced Sword Arts
1. Formation Technique – Thousand Petal Lotus Sword Array (Qianhua Lian Jian Zhen)
Core Concept: The Yuehua Jian swords resonate when wielded together under this formation. The more disciples join, the more their sword qi harmonizes, multiplying in strength.
Execution:
Each disciple channels yin qi into their Yuehua Jian, holding a precise stance that aligns their energy flow with the group.
Their sword qi forms "petals" of light that overlap with others, creating an immense blooming lotus in the air.
Effect:
With 12 disciples, the lotus is large enough to crush a mountain boulder.
With 100 disciples, it becomes a devastating lotus storm, overwhelming even a Saint Realm cultivator.
With the entire sect, the lotus becomes a domain of swords and frost, each petal like a Saint's strike — enough to annihilate armies.
Strength: Unlike other formations, it requires no formation flags or cores — only unity and Yuehua Jian resonance.
Weakness: If disciples lose synchronization, the lotus collapses into disarray. Discipline and harmony are paramount.
2. Chi-Piercing Sword Thrust – Moon Piercing Heaven (Yuejian Cangtian)
Core Concept: A thrust designed to bypass defenses and barriers, condensing chi into an ultra-focused point.
Execution:
The cultivator draws yin qi into their dantian, then compresses it through meridians into the tip of the sword.
At the moment of thrust, all force is released in a single piercing line.
Effect:
Even if the enemy has defensive qi barriers, the thrust drills through like a spear of moonlight.
Creates a shimmering beam of condensed chi that can pierce walls, formations, and even Saint-tier body defenses.
Against barriers, the thrust focuses energy into one needlepoint, shattering what brute force cannot.
Limit: It consumes immense qi. Even Saint Realm disciples can only unleash this technique a limited number of times in extended battle.
The Codex's Role
The Moon Lotus Codex was not just a cultivation method or a sword manual — it was the rebirth of the sect's identity.
Its cultivation path granted disciples a smooth rise, carrying them as far as Peak Saint Realm with stable foundations.
Its sword techniques harmonized perfectly with the Yuehua Jian, making every disciple's blade both beautiful and deadly.
More importantly, the codex created unity. Techniques like the Frozen Moon Mirror and Lotus Bloom Dance were designed to multiply in power when performed in formation, allowing even mid-level disciples to stand shoulder to shoulder and fight beyond their realm.
For the first time in centuries, the Moon Lotus Sect had not just a defense — but a path forward.