CHAPTER 225: THE TWIN SECTS.

After Shen Mingyue found out from her secret informants that Yin also existed somewhere in this vast cultivation world, she didn’t waste even a single second. Just like Yang had done, Yin established her presence in this world as well.

But unlike Yang, who had walked a road of open dominance and dazzling displays of power, Yin chose another path. She preferred silence, shadows, and mystery. Where Yang’s every step made the earth shake and the heavens thunder, Yin’s presence was like the drifting moonlight—subtle, untouchable, yet impossible to ignore.

Her answer to the world was the creation of a sect unlike any other. A sect hidden from eyes, a place that seemed to exist between dream and reality. That sect was called The Heavenly Academy.

The Mystery of the Heavenly Academy

Even countless generations later, The Heavenly Academy remained shrouded in fog. No one knew where its base was. No map had ever recorded its gates. No wandering cultivator had ever stumbled upon its territory. There were even rumors that the sect itself was not anchored to land at all—that its base floated in a hidden pocket of the heavens, appearing only when it desired to.

Legends said that sometimes, in the deep hours of the night, a chosen genius would dream of a golden staircase descending from the stars. When they awoke, they would be gone from their beds, vanished from the mortal world, and only later would they return, bearing the insignia of The Heavenly Academy.

Though the sect’s existence was wrapped in this strange fog, no one dared to deny its supremacy. Across the cultivation world, from the most humble village boy practicing his first breathing techniques to ancient patriarchs who had lived for hundreds of years, everyone agreed on one thing: The Heavenly Academy was untouchable.

It was said that the sect only accepted disciples of unimaginable potential—geniuses who appeared once in ten thousand years. That was how rare and terrifying their standards were. Even the sons of emperors, the daughters of saints, the descendants of celestial clans—none of them could guarantee that they would qualify.

Because of this, the sect’s numbers were laughably small compared to the massive armies of other clans. Even though The Heavenly Academy had existed as long as history itself, at any given time their disciples were no more than a few dozen. But everyone knew that each one of those disciples could shake the world on their own.

There was a saying whispered among cultivators:

"One disciple of The Heavenly Academy equals one medium sized sect."

But The Heavenly Academy was not the only miracle of that era. At nearly the same time, the Battle Maiden Sect began to rise with unstoppable momentum.

For centuries, the cultivation world had been strangled by patriarchy. Every great sect was ruled by men. Women were at best secondary disciples, at worst tools for alliances and marriage contracts. If a woman showed talent, her achievements were always said to be thanks to her father’s bloodline, her master’s guidance, or her husband’s support.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, came the Battle Maiden Sect.

Created by women, for women, it stood as a declaration that women did not need men’s permission to walk the cultivation path. At first, the patriarchs laughed. They called it a trend, a foolish rebellion that would burn out in a few years. But the laughter died in their throats when the sect grew stronger and stronger.

Women from across the world flocked to its gates. Noble daughters left their families. Common village girls abandoned everything. Even the wives and concubines of patriarchs whispered its name with reverence. The sect became more than just a school—it became a revolution.

In less than a century, the Battle Maiden Sect rose to stand among the top powers of the world. Among the fifty strongest cultivators alive, fifteen were women—and all fifteen came from the Battle Maiden Sect. Their strength was undeniable. Their influence was unstoppable.

The patriarchal sects panicked. Their disciples were leaving. Their daughters were refusing marriage contracts. Their wives were speaking of equality. The proud system that had lasted for ages was trembling on its foundations.

So they turned to the oldest weapon of the old order: slander.

They branded the Battle Maiden Sect as "evil practitioners." They spread rumors that the sect’s cultivation methods involved corrupt techniques that seduced women and destroyed families. They accused the sect of breaking heavenly laws, of attempting to overturn the balance of yin and yang.

The excuse was thin, but it was enough.

Within a year, an alliance of the old patriarchal sects gathered together. They declared that the Battle Maiden Sect was a threat to the world and must be destroyed. They declared war.

Inside the Battle Maiden Sect, the disciples stood ready. Their cultivation was strong enough to face the enemy head-on. They could have fought. They could have killed. Victory was almost certain.

But Shen Mingyue, the hidden pillar of the sect, knew the price.

Even if the Battle Maiden Sect won, even if their enemies were slaughtered, the casualties on their side would be devastating. She could not accept the thought of thousands of young women, full of hope and talent, dying in the mud just because old men were afraid.

So Shen Mingyue made her decision. She reached out with her soul and called upon the ally that no one in the world had ever seen before.

The battlefield was a scar upon the earth. Tens of thousands of cultivators gathered, the sky darkened by flying swords and talismans, the ground trembling under armies of beasts and summoned spirits.

The patriarchal sects launched their attack first. Rivers of fire, storms of blades, mountains collapsing under sheer force. The air itself screamed.

The disciples of the Battle Maiden Sect met them head-on. With flowing robes and unyielding hearts, they fought like phoenixes reborn in flame. Swords danced, spears roared, and the cries of women shook the battlefield.

Among them, the Fifteen Greats stood out, their power dazzling enough to suppress entire armies alone. Duels broke out everywhere. A maiden with flowing golden hair clashed against the patriarch of the Thunderblade Sect, her spear tearing the lightning from his hands. Another woman, robed in white, summoned ice that froze rivers mid-flow, halting an entire division.

The earth was torn apart. The sky cracked. Blood soaked into the ground.

And still, the tide threatened to overwhelm them.

Just when the patriarchal alliance roared in triumph, thinking victory was near, the heavens trembled.

The sky split open. Clouds spiraled into a golden vortex. From it descended figures clad in robes of starlight, their presence heavier than mountains, sharper than blades, purer than fire.

The disciples of The Heavenly Academy had arrived.

Their swords shone like stars. Their qi surged like oceans. Every technique they unleashed rewrote the battlefield. A single palm strike shattered entire formations. A single wave of energy turned enemies into ash.

The patriarchs screamed in disbelief. No one had expected such a sect to exist, much less to intervene. But it was too late.

The disciples of The Heavenly Academy tore through the battlefield like gods walking among mortals. Side by side with the Battle Maidens, they crushed the alliance.

The air rang with a single truth: the old order was broken.

That war was later remembered as the Birth of the Twin Moons.

For the first time, the world saw The Heavenly Academy. For the first time, the Battle Maiden Sect revealed its true, terrifying strength. And together, they rewrote history.

The patriarchal sects suffered utter defeat. Their armies were scattered, their pride destroyed. Never again did they dare to challenge the twin sects.

From that day forward, The Heavenly Academy and the Battle Maiden Sect stood at the peak of the cultivation world. They were no longer just sects—they were symbols. Symbols of revolution, of resilience, of women standing unyielding against centuries of oppression.

Generations passed. Dynasties rose and fell. But the legend of the Twin Sects never faded. Like twin moons shining in the endless night, they remained eternal.

..

At this moment, Shen Miqiu clutched tightly to Shen Mingyue without the slightest intention of letting go. Her arms wrapped around her sister’s sleeves like iron chains, refusing to loosen. She wanted—no, she needed—to find out where Yin was, who she was now, and how she could reach her. The yearning inside her heart burned so hot that it almost felt unbearable. She had missed Yin too much, so much that even the mere thought of her name was enough to bring tears to her eyes and shake her soul with longing.

Shen Mingyue, seeing this pitiful and desperate sight, could not bring herself to hide anything any longer. She knew very well how deeply the child longed for her mother figure, how every moment apart was a torment. With a heavy but resolved heart, Shen Mingyue began to reveal everything in detail.

Her words flowed slowly at first, almost as though she feared what the truth might do once it was completely laid bare. But soon, her explanation became steady, filling the air between them with long passages of truth that had been kept hidden for far too long.

It took quite some time to finish. Shen Miqiu listened to every single word with utmost attention, her brows furrowing tightly, her lips slightly parted as though afraid that if she dared to blink, she would miss a crucial piece of information. The child’s mind clung desperately to each sentence, carefully engraving them inside her memory, mistake-free, as if afraid that the truth would slip away from her if she did not hold it fast.

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To be continued.