Divine Land Immortal

Xu Ren Shuang: [Proudly] I'm telling you, my fellow readers are all little angels... Also, although the previous chapters drove many away, I'm truly grateful to those who remain for reading my novel... (:з」∠)

Okay, I'll try to skip less... at least to make future chapters more coherent...

—Main text below—

The night the Sacrifice Ritual began, there was still some time before the scheduled start.

Yae Sakura had already begun her preparations before the ritual commenced.

Clean clothes, onigiri and sushi rolls for the journey, and a pitifully small amount of money.

But this was already the greatest effort a ten-something-year-old girl could muster in two days.

Yae Sakura wanted to take Rin away from Yae Village.

If they stayed in the village any longer, Rin would be used as a sacrifice...

How could Yae Sakura possibly allow such a thing to happen?

As long as they left this village, surely Rin could live a happy life?

Although this thought was somewhat naive, for Yae Sakura, it was her most genuine hope.

"Alright, everything's ready," Yae Sakura said, packing her belongings into a cloth bundle and slinging it over her shoulder. "Wait for me, Rin, your sister will take you away now..."

Perhaps due to the anticipation of life after leaving Yae Village, Yae Sakura's steps were quite cheerful.

"After Rin's illness is cured..."

"I'll take you to eat the best food..."

"And then we'll go to the mountains together... and watch the cherry blossoms together."

With these thoughts in mind, Yae Sakura arrived at the room where Rin was. When Yae Sakura pulled open the door of the small house... the inside was empty.

"Rin... where is she?"

The bundle on Yae Sakura's back, released from her grip, fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Yae Sakura had already realized what had happened.

And, from who knows when, the Yae God Master was already standing behind Yae Sakura, looking at her with a somber expression.

"Sakura, why are you here?"

The Yae God Master spoke cruel words without mercy: "The ritual has begun early. Rin has already been taken to the altar, and you should be going too."

Yae Sakura remained silent, not daring to look at the Yae God Master. With great difficulty, she managed to squeeze out a single word from her lips: "...Yes."

As Yae Sakura walked towards the altar with the ceremonial knife, Yae Rin knelt on the altar, her hands bound by rope.

Just like her mother ten years ago.

As Yae Sakura slowly drew the knife from its sheath, Yae Rin made no move to resist.

Swing the blade.

Down it came.

Yae Rin closed her eyes, expecting the blade to fall. But she felt no pain.

When Yae Rin opened her eyes, she saw the severed ropes on her hands and her sister reaching out to her.

"Rin, grab my hand, let's escape together!"

As Yae Sakura pulled Yae Rin's hand and ran forward, she heard a thump. Yae Rin fell to the ground, unable to stand.

"It's useless."

The Yae God Master watched it all unfold with indifference. "Her Achilles tendons have already been severed. She will never be able to stand again in this lifetime."

No...

"Yes... Sister... Rin actually knew long ago."

A few drops of water fell onto the ground, wetting the earth.

"So... I'm really happy I could help Sister before I die..."

No... Rin...

When Yae Rin looked at Yae Sakura, although she still had her usual smile, the tears streaming from the corners of her eyes could not be stopped.

"It's just... I'm sorry... Sister, Rin can't go watch the cherry blossoms with you anymore."

"Sister must become an excellent Miko..."

No... I don't believe it... Rin... you're clearly crying...

The Yae God Master walked over quickly. "We can't wait any longer!"

The Yae God Master seized Yae Sakura's hand holding the knife and swung the blade.

The sound of flesh being cut rang out, and blood splattered everywhere with the blade.

Yae Rin's smile froze in that moment.

Rin, no...

The raindrops, slowly descending from the sky, landed on the villagers of Yae Village, eliciting cheers from them.

"It's raining! That's great!"

"Thank you, Divine Lord!"

"It's truly wonderful that the Divine Lord has forgiven us!"

The Yae God Master released Yae Sakura's hand and proceeded to place Yae Rin's heart into the Jade Statue's chest, leaving Yae Sakura to collapse powerlessly before Yae Rin's corpse.

Blood, mixed with the falling rain, stained Yae Sakura's skirt a deep crimson.

Yae Sakura could no longer distinguish whether the tears streaming down her face were her own or merely raindrops.

Rin...

Don't leave me alone...

And after Yae Rin's death, within Xu Yanwu's spatial dimension...

From within the dense black mist, a right hand holding a colorless crystal broke free.

—...Even though it's another time-skip, there's really no other way...—

1475 AD, the eleventh year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty.

The border of the Ming Empire.

The Destiny Knights, having conquered all of Europe, arrived on these grasslands that had witnessed millennia of warfare, only to encounter a formidable enemy unlike any they had faced before.

Their battle-hardened experience, exquisite martial arts, and skills honed over ten, even decades, of fighting Honkai Beasts.

These weapons, once their pride and the key to their dominance in Europe, were utterly shattered upon encountering the army of the 'Ming Empire' on the Land of Shenzhou.

The enemy possessed a more savage strength than their honed bodies, unpredictable tactics, and fearless generals...

Without the slightest suspense, the Destiny Knights were halted on the boundless grasslands by such a powerful foe.

The high command of Destiny was filled with extreme anger. They refused to believe that their invincible army could be stopped here.

Thus, Destiny ordered their soldiers to use the Honkai Energy weapons secretly developed by the organization, regardless of the cost.

Enduring the erosion of Honkai Energy, the Destiny Knights gained abilities far beyond their previous limits. The Ming army, which had seemed like an impenetrable fortress, now had a breach opened by the Destiny Knights.

Victory seemed within Destiny's grasp.

But... on these grasslands, due to the appearance of one person, the tide of battle turned once more.

The Destiny Knights did not know who she was, but the Ming army's cheers referred to her as...

'Immortal'

The symbolism of the Colorless Crystal: It represents purity and selflessness, capable of enhancing one's spiritual energy and dispelling distracting thoughts.