This was Yun Qing's promise, and his gratitude.
Xuanchan, seated upright at the edge of the second tier, finally opened his eyes slowly.
His clear, discerning eyes seemed to hold a deep, dustless pool, reflecting all the suffering and delusion in the world without being stained by a single speck of dust.
He looked toward the figure on the first tier and gently shook his head, then pressed his palms together toward Yun Qing, returning his salute.
At the same time, an ethereal, faraway voice quietly sounded beside Yun Qing's ear:
"You owe me no favor. Guiding departed souls to peace is the duty of our Buddhist Sects."
"Benefactor Yun, take care. The dead are gone; the living must carry on."
As his words faded, Xuanchan closed his eyes again and resumed chanting.
The living must carry on...
Yun Qing turned those words over in his mind, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles paled and his bones gave faint cracks.
His deep Double Pupils pierced layer after layer of space, as though trying to make out the young faces that had vanished below. Those Yun Clan youths who had fought through blood at his back, who had called him "Eldest Brother," who had stepped onto the Azure Cloud Road with smiles on their faces.
They were gone.
After a long while, Yun Qing closed his eyes and silently swore to his departed clansmen:
As your elder brother, I will not betray your trust. I will protect our Yun Clan and ensure it endures for all eternity.
That promise weighed as heavily as mountains and rivers.
Only one day remained before the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud List closed.
High in the sky, the Azure Cloud Sun, formed from fortune, had begun its slow descent toward the west.
It