Cultivating Against the Odds

Five clans clash in endless wars,

Three kingdoms’ histories unfold in these pages.

To gain eternal life, one cultivates the Dao;

All laws return to one, defying Heaven alone.

In an alien realm, the only path to immortality is to defy Heaven. Wanton slaughter brings the wrath of Heaven and Earth; without successors, both gods and humans will perish.

The World-Honored One, Cangtian, had a daughter named Jie, a peerless heroine. In ancient times, she quelled chaos. The World-Honored Holy Maiden composed these words in her Ode by the River:

The great river flows east beneath the moonlit night,

A thousand miles of emerald clouds gleam with icy light.

The river shines beneath the moon; I face my shadow, clouded and unclear.

The moon hangs overhead, while the stars grow faint.

I gaze upon the river, silver ripples shimmering bright.

Eastward to the mountains, onward up the slopes.

Among the nomadic tribes, our general meets the foe.

How could the sons and daughters of our clan fear their numbers?

We face the southern barbarians, ready to fight to the death.

When the general confronts danger, I long to sing aloud.

My voice cuts through the sky, reaching the highest heavens.

My might rends the abyss and startles Heaven awake.

I raise my sword and ask the bright moon,

How often have you shone high in the sky?

Though I am but a frail young woman,

I would gladly be a man who fights the enemy.

I will guard our homeland and keep it at peace forever.

My father was an ancient Heavenly Emperor;

how could his children be weak?

Today I raise my sword and make my vow before Heaven and Earth:

I will defend every inch of our clan’s territory.

So long as one breath remains in me,

I will fight to the death and never retreat.

Even should I depart this world,

I will gather my heart and soul to guard our land.