No one truly knew how powerful Tuoba Tao, King of the Skyhawk, really was. What was known, however, was that anyone who had ever dared to challenge him was now dead—completely and utterly, without a corpse left to bury. No one knew what cultivation method he practiced. But it was said that during one battle against a powerful beast, he had unleashed a domain—one that spawned countless savage beasts and fierce birds, overwhelming the creature in a frenzy and tearing it apart.
Wherever he walked, it was as if he were the sovereign of all beasts.
And that beast he destroyed? It had been a Tier Four ferocious beast.
Without immense power, how could he possibly suppress the unruly, untamable nature of the nomadic Hu tribes?
At that moment, on Skyhawk Island, in front of a concealed cave, a rough-clothed woman wearing a veil carried a long sword on her back. In one hand, she dragged a massive demonic wolf. The wolf was already dead, leaving behind a long blood trail as she pulled it along. But soon, the blood soaked into the ground and vanished. The stench of blood meant nothing in this world steeped in slaughter, where death lingered everywhere. A bit of gore was hardly worth mentioning.
The girl dragged her kill into the cave. As she entered, the cave's entrance flashed with light and vanished, becoming indistinguishable from the surrounding stone wall. No one could tell a passage lay hidden there. Inside, powerful array formations concealed all aura and presence.
Inside the cave stood a teleportation array.
Stepping onto it, she vanished in a flash of light, reappearing moments later in a strange underground space. The area was surrounded by rock walls, with glowing luminous pearls embedded throughout, casting a soft light over the space.
This underground domain spanned roughly ten li in diameter. Though not luxurious, it was clearly inhabited. Several simple buildings dotted the area. In the open space, a group of women practiced sword techniques. Each of them wielded the blade with sharp, fierce intent—their sword light could seemingly cut through the void. Every move contained killing intent, and yet, there was an artistry to their dance-like swordplay, making it beautiful yet deadly.
Sword qi shimmered in the air as they moved.
Atop a nearby pavilion stood a woman.
It was Lady Gongsun, the same mysterious veiled woman who had once appeared in the Hanhai Dragon Palace. Her aura remained unmatched—elegant, ethereal, impossible to ignore.
"Big Sister," a woman approached her from behind, "According to our intel, the Skyhawk Royal Court plans to continue expanding. It seems the Skyhawk King is eager to unify the entire Skyhawk Island."
"That's hardly surprising," Lady Gongsun replied calmly. "After obtaining the Hanhai Sea Map from the Dragon Palace, the Skyhawk King realized there are vast worlds beyond Skyhawk Island. With his towering ambition, there's no way he would be content with just one corner of the map. Expansion—and the unification of Skyhawk Island—is inevitable. But… I didn't expect it to come so soon."
She had long foreseen this outcome. The only surprise was the speed.
Once the Skyhawk Court launched its campaign, it would bring a wave of bloodshed. Countless human civilians would die in the coming war, and even those who survived would be left broken—living like the walking dead.
"Hmph! If the Skyhawk Court wants to conquer this land, they'll have to get through us—the Sword Pavilion," the woman replied firmly. "For the sake of those innocent people, we will not sit idly by."
This place was the Sword Pavilion, a force personally created by Lady Gongsun. Using herself as the foundation, she had rescued many women who had suffered in this chaotic world, teaching them the way of the sword so they could protect themselves.
Over time, more and more women gathered, and the Sword Pavilion's influence grew.
Once trained, its members would venture out. Whenever they saw humans in danger—especially when attacked by Hu tribes—they would intervene ruthlessly, often leaving no complete corpses behind. They struck back against the invaders, rescuing human civilians from the Skyhawk Court's tyranny.
The Sword Pavilion gained prestige among the human populace. Many looked up to them as saviors. Sadly, only women were accepted as disciples. Men were not allowed to join.
To the Skyhawk Court, the Sword Pavilion was the greatest threat to stability on Skyhawk Island—a wild card that had to be destroyed. Yet despite pouring tremendous effort into the search, they had never even located the Pavilion's base.
Its mystery was legendary.
Now that the Skyhawk Court was set on expanding, the Sword Pavilion would never stand aside.
But no one knew the cost of resistance. The price could be unimaginable. Many of their sisters might fall.
"The Skyhawk King is a wolf in human skin. His cruelty makes him unfit to rule this island," said Lady Gongsun. "I've decided—I will personally infiltrate the Skyhawk Court and assassinate the Skyhawk King. If I succeed, even if the kingdom doesn't collapse outright, it will fall into disarray. That will give us the breathing room we need."
She inhaled deeply, her eyes filled with resolve.
She was prepared to kill the Skyhawk King—even at the cost of her own life.
Assassinating a ruler of a Fortune Dynasty (运朝之主) was no simple task. The obstacles were unimaginable. It was like attempting to kill an emperor in ancient China—how many had ever succeeded?
Jing Ke had tried to assassinate the First Emperor of Qin—and failed.
Loyalists of the Ming had tried to kill Qing emperors—none succeeded.
Killing a ruler of a Fortune Dynasty was like waging war against the destiny of an entire nation. The invisible pressure of Fortune Suppression (气运压制) would weigh down any assassin, rendering them unable to bring out their full strength. In such a state, even top-tier cultivators were nearly helpless.
Lady Gongsun knew this. And yet, she still chose to go. Even if it meant death—she would go, to buy time for humanity.
She was waiting—for the appearance of hope.
"No, Big Sister! Assassinating a Fortune Dynasty's ruler is said to trigger the suppression of dynastic destiny. You might not even be able to use half your strength. It's far too dangerous. You are the heart of the Sword Pavilion. If you fall, the Pavilion falls. We can't afford to lose you!" the woman cried, horrified.
Indeed, if emperors were that easy to kill, the world would be ruled by sects, not dynasties. Such actions touched on taboos—taboos not to be lightly broken.
Lady Gongsun was the Sword Pavilion's spiritual pillar. Her fall could shatter the entire sect.
"But Big Sister, didn't you say once that we just needed to wait? That our Xuanyuan (炎黄) warriors would one day arrive and free us? Can't we reach out to them? If the Great Yi Dynasty came to Skyhawk Island, surely they could defeat the Skyhawk Court!"
"I'm afraid we don't have time," Lady Gongsun shook her head. "Even if we're all within the Hanhai Sea, crossing those waters is no easy feat. Not even with a sea map. There are too many dangers. And besides, we don't even know how strong the Great Yi truly is. Their arrival won't happen overnight. What we lack now… is time."
She didn't know what had become of Great Yi after a year. Whether they could send troops was uncertain.
The Dao of dynasties wasn't so simple.
"Enough. My mind is made up. I leave now—to slay the Skyhawk King and end this age of chaos."
Lady Gongsun exhaled slowly, then stepped forward. Her figure vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the beautiful silhouette of her back, slowly fading from sight.
No one in the Pavilion could stop her.
She was a dancer, a sword cultivator, and a woman of unwavering will.
Once she decided—there was no turning back.