Chapter 20: Crimson Vows Under the Demon Moon
High above the Azure Peaks, a second moon had begun to rise. Blood-red and veined with black fissures, it shimmered with an unnatural luster—a celestial omen only recorded once every ten thousand years.
The **Demon Moon** had returned.
In the sacred halls of the Moonlight Orchid Pavilion, the atmosphere had shifted. Disciples whispered of ill omens. Elders cast protective arrays across the skies. But Jin Yue, now a dual-soul cultivator, felt something deeper.
Something... calling him.
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### A Warning in the Wind
Yue'er stood atop a crystal lotus bloom, her long hair flowing like moonlight ribbon, her silver robe fluttering in the rising wind. Her gaze was fixed on the crimson moon.
"I remember this omen," she murmured. "When I was a child, my sect fell during the last appearance. We called it the **Night of Betrayal**."
Jin Yue joined her, his hand gently brushing hers. "What happened then will not happen again. Not while I breathe."
Lianhua emerged from behind the celestial archway, holding a scroll of ancient demonic scripture. "The moon brings not only destruction... but choice. Vows made beneath its light are said to alter the threads of karma itself."
Meimei, always grounded, added with a smirk, "Then let's vow we survive."
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### Beneath the Demon Moon
That night, Jin Yue led his women to the Pavilion's forbidden garden—a place of twisting vines, black orchids, and forgotten altars. There, beneath the burning eye of the Demon Moon, they formed a sacred circle.
Jin Yue took their hands in turn.
To **Yue'er**, he vowed: "You are the light that tempered my flame. I swear to protect your serenity, even with my rage."
To **Lianhua**: "You are my anchor, the wisdom that steadies my path. I swear to treasure your soul, even when darkness blinds me."
To **Meimei**: "You are my firebrand, the laughter in my chaos. I swear to cherish your wild heart, even as we dance through war."
And to them all: "I vow, beneath this cursed moon, that my path will not falter, that I will become not a tyrant nor puppet, but a Sovereign worthy of your love and sacrifice."
Their energies responded.
Yue'er's frost turned silver.
Lianhua's spirit became violet flame.
Meimei's aura burst into golden sparks.
The vows bound their fates, intertwining their destinies.
Then the moon pulsed.
And the **true trial** began.
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### An Assassin's Kiss
From the treetops above, a shadow leapt.
Clad in crimson silks, wielding daggers etched with soul-poison, the assassin struck with the silence of a sigh.
Jin Yue spun, deflecting the first blade with raw qi. The second grazed his side, burning with cursed energy. He faltered.
The assassin danced like a falling petal, only to be met by Yue'er's glacial blade, Lianhua's sealing glyphs, and Meimei's storm staff.
In seconds, the intruder was restrained.
But as Jin Yue approached, his breath caught.
The assassin was a **woman**, her eyes a mirror of Yue'er's.
"Sister...?" Yue'er whispered, trembling.
The bound woman smirked. "Long lost... but never gone."
Jin Yue stared at her, stunned. The curse mark on her shoulder pulsed with the same soulflame signature as his.
She bore the mark... of **Raksha**.
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