The Legend of the Princess' Counterattack

Chapter 642: The Aftermath of Heaven’s Way

The world of cultivation, ever since Yun Yao and Chu Mochen rewrote the rules of heaven, was like a lake where a stone was thrown, causing ripples that did not subside for a long time.

At first, the subtle changes happened quietly like spring rain moistening things. In remote valleys, deep forests, and even in the hidden corners of the streets, one can often catch a faint but unique spiritual fluctuation. The owners of these fluctuations are all unknown independent cultivators who were overshadowed by the glory of the big sects in the past. They either live in seclusion and practice hard alone, or work together in groups of three or two to sharpen each other. In the past, under the shackles of the old rules of heaven, the spiritual veins were blocked, and the road to practice was difficult and dangerous. Every step forward seemed to exhaust all their strength to fight against the invisible natural chasm.

Now, the situation is completely different. These casual cultivators were pleasantly surprised to find that a faint golden light was slowly flowing through their spiritual veins, like the dawn light penetrating the clouds at dawn, illuminating the once dim and dark road ahead for them. This golden light is the symbol of the true Dao rhyme, and it is the gift given to everyone who desires freedom after Yun Yao and Chu Mochen broke the shackles of the Heavenly Dao. It not only warms the spiritual veins and makes them more resilient and unobstructed, but also is like a key, opening the doors to higher realms of cultivation, allowing those casual cultivators who could only look up to the towering pavilions of the great sects to see the hope of touching the clouds.

In a quiet valley, a young casual cultivator named Qingyan was sitting cross-legged on a rock by the stream, closing his eyes and concentrating on absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. In the past, he absorbed spiritual energy as slowly as a snail, and after the spiritual energy entered his body, most of it would be dispersed by the messy spiritual vein impurities, making it difficult to retain and transform. But at this moment, as he breathed in and out, the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be inspired, rushing towards him happily, and continuously merging into the spiritual veins. The traces of sincere Tao rhyme were like a smart elf, shuttling between the spiritual veins, clearing away the impurities that hindered the flow of spiritual energy one by one, causing the spiritual veins to gradually widen and emit a warm luster. Qingyan only felt that the spiritual power in his body was becoming more and more powerful, as if a vigorous force was breaking out of the cocoon. He suddenly opened his eyes, with surprise and determination flashing in his eyes: "This is the era of us casual cultivators, thank you, the Heart-Searching Pavilion!"

However, everything in the world has its shadows. While the casual cultivators were cheering for this hard-won opportunity, some old sects fell into deep panic. These sects have been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years. Under the old order of heaven, they have relied on their profound heritage, rich resources and "monopoly" on the path of cultivation to sit firmly in the high position of the cultivation world, enjoying respect and endless glory from all sides. They are used to controlling the fate of others, using strict sect rules and hierarchical systems to select disciples, and firmly controlling the cultivation resources in their hands, just like building high walls to keep outsiders out.

Now, the rules of the Heavenly Dao have changed, and the foundations of the wall have begun to loosen. Those independent cultivators who were once regarded as ants and disdained by them have also shown signs of rising. How can they not be afraid of this? Therefore, under the secret collusion of some people with ulterior motives, an organization called "Shou Dao League" was quietly established. They are under the guise of "maintaining the orthodoxy of the Heavenly Dao and protecting the peace of the cultivation world", but in fact they want to suppress the Heart-Searching Pavilion, trying to strangle the new Heavenly Dao rules in the cradle and restore the old order in the past when they could cover the sky with one hand.

Inside the Heart-Searching Pavilion, the atmosphere was as heavy as a storm. Yun Yao was dressed in a plain white robe, with long black hair cascading down her shoulders. She held a jade slip in her hand, and gently stroked the wanted order pattern on it with her jade fingers. A hint of helplessness and sarcasm flashed across her beautiful eyes: "It seems that our rebellious heart has touched the interests of too many people. This journey has been full of thorns, and there is still a long way to go." As she spoke, a breeze blew by, causing her clothes to flutter, but it could not hide the determination emanating from her body.

Chu Mochen stood quietly beside her, his figure as straight as a pine tree, and his dark suit made him look stern and extraordinary. He stared at the mountains in the distance, as if he could penetrate the thick fog and see the every move of the Dao Guardian Alliance. Hearing Yun Yao's words, he turned his head slightly, looked at her with deep eyes, his eyes were full of tenderness and determination, and then slowly drew out the sword of self-examination from his waist. The sword rang clear, like a dragon's roar, echoing in the Silent Pavilion, as if telling of their past passion and indomitable spirit: "Where there is a road, we will walk with it. Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, as long as you and I join hands, what is there to fear?"

At the same time, the conspiracy of the Guardian Alliance has quietly spread in the world of cultivation like a dark web. They first used their own spies and power in major sects and families to spread rumors and slander the Heart-Searching Pavilion. They claimed that the emergence of the Heart-Searching Pavilion was "an anomaly of heaven", and that Yun Yao and Chu Mochen were going against heaven and would bring disaster to the world of cultivation, causing panic among some cultivators who did not know the truth and were brainwashed by old ideas.

Then, they began to secretly attack the affiliated forces of the Heart-Seeking Pavilion. Some small sects that were on good terms with the Heart-Seeking Pavilion were attacked inexplicably overnight, their mountain gates were breached, disciples suffered heavy casualties, and precious cultivation resources were looted. The leaders of these sects used up their last bit of strength before dying to send a message for help to the Heart-Seeking Pavilion. The grief and despair contained in the spiritual power fluctuations made everyone in the Heart-Seeking Pavilion furious.

Worse still, the Dao Guardian League even colluded with some evil forces in an attempt to disintegrate the Heart-Seeking Pavilion from within. They sent spies to infiltrate the Heart-Seeking Pavilion's recruitment of new disciples, using all kinds of sweet words to deceive those young people who were new to cultivation and ignorant, trying to lead them astray and use them for their own purposes.

Facing the relentless pressure from the Dao Guardian Alliance, the Heart-Searching Pavilion would not sit still and wait for death. Yun Yao and Chu Mochen quickly summoned the core disciples of the Pavilion to discuss countermeasures in the meeting hall of the Heart-Searching Pavilion. In the hall, the atmosphere was solemn and everyone looked dignified.

Yun Yao walked up to the high platform with light lotus steps, looked around, swept her eyes over every disciple, and spoke softly, but every word was like a hammer, striking everyone's heart: "Everyone, the Guardian Alliance is now coming with great momentum, and they want to put our Heart-Searching Pavilion to death. Their purpose is to strangle the nascent free heavenly way. But when our Heart-Searching Pavilion was founded, we were determined to protect the right of every life to pursue freedom. How could we back down because of their threats?" Her voice was soft but powerful, like a warm current that dispelled some of the haze in everyone's hearts.

Offstage, Liu Yan'er no longer had the jealousy and narrow-mindedness of the past. Now, as the head of the "Jiehuo Hall" of the Wenxin Pavilion, her eyes were full of determination. She stood up, clasped her fists and saluted, and said loudly: "Pavilion Master, rest assured, I, the disciples of Jiehuo Hall, are willing to rush to the front and fight to the death with those who want to do evil! If they dare to attack, I will make them taste the power of Jiehuo!" The spiritual power surged around her body, as if there was a flame rising, showing her determination.

Upon seeing this, the other disciples also stood up and shouted in unison: "We are willing to go through fire and water for the Wenxin Pavilion and safeguard the justice of Heaven!" For a moment, the shouts in the hall shook the sky, and spiritual energy surged, gathering into a majestic momentum that soared into the sky.

With all the people working together, the Wenxin Pavilion launched a full-scale counterattack. On the one hand, Yun Yao sent disciples who were good at hiding and tracking to secretly investigate the bases and personnel distribution of the Shoudao League and collect intelligence in order to know both ourselves and the enemy. These disciples were like ghosts in the dark night, shuttling between mountains and rivers, relying on their superb hiding skills to avoid the eyes of the Shoudao League and gradually unveil their mysterious veil.

On the other hand, Chu Mochen personally led the elite disciples to strengthen the defense deployment of the Heart-Seeking Pavilion. They set up many restrictions on the mountains and rivers around the pavilion. These restrictions integrated the unique power of the Tao rhyme of the Heart-Seeking Pavilion, which can not only warn of foreign invasions, but also burst out with powerful attack power at critical moments to deal a fatal blow to the invading enemy. At the same time, they also arranged disciples to patrol day and night and closely monitor the surrounding movements to ensure that the Heart-Seeking Pavilion is foolproof.

In the battlefield of public opinion, the Heart-Searching Pavilion was not to be outdone. Yun Yao knew very well that the rumors of the Dao-Guarding Alliance could deceive people because many cultivators lacked understanding of the new Heavenly Dao rules. Therefore, she ordered the elders in the pavilion who were good at speaking and proficient in Heavenly Dao theory to go out of the Heart-Searching Pavilion and go to various towns and sects to give lectures and discuss the Dao. They used easy-to-understand words to explain the Heavenly Dao concept pursued by the Heart-Searching Pavilion, and told how the true Dao rhyme gave every life the possibility of rewriting its destiny, and made the truth known to the world.

At a discussion meeting held by a medium-sized sect, Qing Xuanzi, an elder of the Wenxin Pavilion, had a fierce debate with a guardian of the Dao Guarding League. Qing Xuanzi cited classics, from ancient legends to current events, and demonstrated the rationality and superiority of the new Heavenly Dao rules in a simple and easy-to-understand way: "Look, everyone, in the past, under the old Heavenly Dao, how many talented cultivators were buried because of their humble origins and lack of sects? Now, the emergence of the True Heart Daoyun has given everyone an equal opportunity to practice. Isn't this the progress of the Heavenly Dao? On the other hand, the Dao Guarding League claims to uphold the Heavenly Dao, but in fact they are upholding their own privileges. Such behavior runs counter to the Heavenly Dao!" His words were so powerful that the audience nodded one after another, and many cultivators who were originally wavering began to have a glimmer of thought in their eyes.

As the counterattack of the Heart-Seeking Pavilion gradually gained momentum, the Dao-Defending Alliance became more desperate. They realized that conventional means would not be able to shake the foundation of the Heart-Seeking Pavilion, so they decided to take a risk and launch a large-scale surprise attack.

On this day, the sky was covered with dark clouds and howling winds, and the world seemed to be shrouded in a layer of haze. The Guardian Alliance gathered the elite forces of the major sects under its jurisdiction and marched towards the Heart-Seeking Pavilion in a mighty manner. They divided their troops into many groups and surrounded the Pavilion from different directions, trying to break through the defense line of the Heart-Seeking Pavilion in one fell swoop.

However, how could the well-prepared Heart-Searching Pavilion be easily breached? When the vanguard of the Guardian Alliance entered the warning range of the Heart-Searching Pavilion, the mountain restrictions were instantly triggered. Brilliant rays of light shot up into the sky, like fireworks, but they concealed a deadly killing move. As the runes circulated, the spiritual power roared, instantly knocking many Guardian Alliance monks away, causing them to scream.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the Dao Guardian League immediately adjusted its tactics and ordered a strong attack. For a moment, various spiritual lights intertwined and flashed, magic weapons flew everywhere, and shouts of killing shook the valley. But the disciples of the Heart-seeking Pavilion were not afraid. Under the command of Chu Mochen, they relied on fortifications to resist tenaciously. They worked closely together, with the sword cultivators in the front, tearing through the enemy formation with sharp sword energy; the magic cultivators in the back, casting powerful spells for remote support, and for a moment, they were inseparable from the Dao Guardian League.

Yun Yao was overlooking the battle from the air, her beautiful eyes were cold as frost. She kept changing the spells in her hands, mobilizing the power of the Guardian Pavilion's great array to bless the disciples. At the same time, she kept an eye on the battlefield situation, looking for the flaws of the Guardian League. Suddenly, she focused her eyes and found that behind the Guardian League's central army, there were several masters with obscure but extremely powerful auras who were secretly accumulating strength, obviously preparing to perform a decisive killing skill.

Yun Yao raised her eyebrows and snorted coldly: "It's not that easy to sneak attack!" After that, she flashed and rushed towards the masters like a ghost. She swung the Jiehuo Sword in her hand, and in an instant, the Jiehuo Fire burned fiercely, like a roaring fire snake, sweeping towards the enemy. The masters sensed the danger and responded hastily, but Yun Yao's swordsmanship was sharp and her moves were unpredictable. She shuttled freely in the sea of fire, and for a while, she suppressed them and made them embarrassed.

While the two sides were fighting fiercely, an unexpected scene appeared at the foot of the Heart-Seeking Pavilion. Those casual cultivators who had been blessed by the Heart-Seeking Pavilion and had the opportunity to practice cultivation, heard that the Guardian Alliance was coming, and spontaneously organized themselves and rushed to the Heart-Seeking Pavilion to rescue. They came from different places, with different identities and cultivation levels, but at this moment, they had only one belief in their hearts: to protect the Heart-Seeking Pavilion and protect this hard-won free heavenly way.

They were seen flying with swords or performing escape techniques, rushing in like a tide. After joining the battle group, although their individual strength was limited, they were united and caused a lot of trouble to the Guardian Alliance. They guerrilla warfare everywhere, focusing on the weak links of the Guardian Alliance, and formed a pincer attack with the disciples of the Questioning Heart Pavilion.

Seeing this, the Guardian Alliance was thrown into disarray. They had not expected that the Heart-seeking Pavilion was so popular that even the independent cultivators were willing to fight for it. Under this double blow, their offensive gradually weakened and their morale dropped.

Finally, with a long horn sound, the Dao Guarding Alliance reluctantly ordered a retreat. Looking at their embarrassed and fleeing backs, the disciples of the Heart-Searching Pavilion cheered and celebrated this hard-won victory.

After this battle, the Heart-Searching Pavilion not only held its ground, but also became famous in the world of cultivation. Those sects and cultivators who had originally been on the sidelines of the Heart-Searching Pavilion changed their attitudes and showed goodwill to the Heart-Searching Pavilion. And the independent cultivators also united more closely around the Heart-Searching Pavilion, becoming a solid force to maintain the new rules of the Heavenly Dao.

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen stood on the top of the Heart-Searching Pavilion, looking at the mountains and rivers in front of them, with a lot of emotion in their hearts. They knew that this fight with the Dao-Suppressing Alliance was just an episode on the way to go against the Heavenly Dao. In the future, there will be more challenges waiting for them, but as long as they go hand in hand and stick to their original intentions, the light of freedom will surely illuminate every corner of the cultivation world.