A Man in the Snow: Starting with a Sword Challenge to the Northern Liang Prince's Palace

As Ye Yun returned to the town from the covered bridge, the unease in his heart grew stronger.

He quickened his pace; after breaking through to the Immortal Realm, his perception was several times stronger than before.

At this moment, he could clearly sense that a strong killing intent was brewing deep within the Lizhu Cave Heaven.

Mud Bottle Alley.

Ye Yun frowned, his feet barely touching the ground as he sped off towards the town like lightning.

After running for several miles, he suddenly stopped.

With Qi Jingchun and Old Man Yang present, and all those big shots watching in the shadows, it would be disastrous if an outsider like him interfered too much.

Ye Yun took a deep breath, suppressing the anxiety in his heart. He sat cross-legged under an ancient pine tree, closed his eyes, and activated the "Return of Light" technique.

This is a new skill he acquired after his breakthrough.

"Return of Light" can not only reveal the traces of the opponent's sword moves, but also trace back to past events, as long as the causal threads left by that event have not completely dissipated.

Ye Yun's consciousness sank into a hazy light and shadow.

As light and shadow shift, time seems to rewind.

He saw the Lizhu Cave Heaven seven days ago, when the sky wasn't filled with the flying swords of so many outside cultivators, and the town was still quiet. He continued to rewind to four days ago.

The figures of Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian appeared in the light and shadow.

The two were talking in a mountain hollow outside the town. Fu Nanhua was still as handsome as ever, with a gentle smile, while Cai Jinjian was still as charming and alluring as ever, every smile and frown exuding charm, a natural beauty.

However, the atmosphere between the two was no longer as intimate as when they first arrived.

"That kid from Mud Bottle Alley," Fu Nanhua asked.

Cai Jinjian sneered: "He's just a peasant. We've only interrupted his path to immortality."

Fu Nanhua looked at her, his smile unchanged, but his eyes turned colder: "Don't make too much of a commotion, the sages here are watching."

Cai Jinjian scoffed and didn't reply.

The scene then changes.

three days ago.

Cai Jinjian, however, used magic to deduce Chen Ping'an's past.

But for some reason, they suddenly attacked Chen Ping'an.

That palm strike looked light and airy, but it contained the full power of a cultivator.

Chen Ping'an was sent flying backward, crashing into the alley wall and spitting out blood.

Ye Yun continued to "watch".

Cai Jinjian walked up to Chen Ping'an, looked down at him as if he were an ant: "I have already broken your bridge to immortality."

Chen Ping'an lay on the ground covered in blood, his eyes fixed on her.

There was pain and hatred in those eyes, but more than that, there was something Ye Yun was very familiar with.

stubborn.

A murderous glint flashed in Cai Jinjian's eyes. Just as he was about to make another move, he suddenly sensed something, turned around, glanced back, his expression changed slightly, snorted coldly, and turned to leave.

Cai Jinjian used magic to investigate the truth behind his parents' deaths, and sensed a major secret within it. He then forcibly interrupted Chen Ping'an's path to immortality, completely disqualifying Chen Ping'an from cultivation.

Their methods are truly ruthless; the cultivation world is indeed cruel.

The video cuts off here.

Ye Yun opened her eyes.

Now we know the whole story.

Then he used "Return of Light" again.

He wanted to see what happened next.

The screen continued to scroll.

After Cai Jinjian left, Chen Ping'an lay at the foot of the wall in Mud Bottle Alley for a long time.

He was covered in blood and unable to move, but his eyes remained open, gazing at the sky. The weather was fine that day, the sun was warm, and though it shone on him, it couldn't warm him.

After an unknown amount of time, he struggled to his feet, leaned against the wall, and walked step by step back to the dilapidated little house.

He didn't cry or complain of pain.

He simply walked back in silence, closed the door, and lay down on the bed.

He made a decision.

Ye Yun "saw" Chen Ping'an pull a broken piece of porcelain from under the bed. He held the piece tightly in his hand until his knuckles turned white.

Then he went out.

That night, Chen Ping'an waited for a long time near Mud Bottle Alley.

He was like a wounded wild beast, lurking in the shadows, waiting for his prey to appear.

He knew he couldn't beat Cai Jinjian.

The other party was a cultivator from outside, while he was just a mortal whose bridge to immortality had been severed, but he had one thing that those cultivators did not have.

He was familiar with this alley.

He knew every crevice, every corner, and every brick like the back of his hand.

He has lived here for more than a decade; this alley is his battlefield.

Cai Jinjian appeared.

Perhaps thinking that no one would dare to lay a hand on her, she walked away casually, even somewhat nonchalantly.

Chen Ping'an moved.

He burst out from the shadows, moving faster than an injured boy could possibly. Cai Jinjian heard the commotion, turned around, and saw only a small, thin figure rushing towards him.

She raised her hand to block, but Chen Ping'an was too fast.

The broken piece of porcelain traced an arc and pierced her throat.

Cai Jinjian's eyes widened in disbelief.

She, a genius cultivator, was killed by a mortal whose bridge to immortality had been severed, with a broken piece of porcelain.

Her body went limp and fell to the ground, blood gushing from her throat and spreading across the bluestone slab.

Chen Ping'an stood in front of her, covered in blood and panting heavily.

He looked down at Cai Jinjian's body for a long time.

Then he turned around and walked back to the dilapidated little house step by step.

He neither ran nor hid.

He simply walked back, closed the door, sat on the bed, and placed the blood-stained shard of porcelain under his pillow.

Then he started to tremble.

My whole body was shaking.

Seeing this scene, Ye Yun understood why Chen Ping'an was the protagonist.

He killed the person who had severed his path to immortality in his own way.

There were no spells, no flying swords, only a broken piece of porcelain and an unyielding heart.

Ye Yun recalled his past.

He was like that back then, all alone, with just a sword, fighting his way back.

Exactly the same as him.

Ye Yun opened his eyes and remained motionless for a long time.

In the distance, from the direction of Mud Bottle Alley, a faint commotion could be heard.

Fu Nanhua discovered Cai Jinjian's body.

At the alley entrance, Fu Nanhua stood beside Cai Jinjian's corpse, his face ashen. His attendants looked at each other, none daring to speak.

Fu Nanhua crouched down and examined Cai Jinjian's wounds. After a moment, he stood up and turned his gaze to the depths of Mud Bottle Alley.

"Chen Ping'an".

He uttered the name softly, his voice devoid of anger, only containing an indescribable complexity.

Then he turned and left without going into the alley.

Fu Nanhua will not let this go.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly sensed a familiar aura, a gentle yet unfathomable aura—it was Qi Jingchun.

Qi Jingchun was also nearby.

He did not appear, but Ye Yun could sense his presence.

This sage had been watching all of this from the shadows. He watched Chen Ping'an's Bridge of Immortality be broken, watched Chen Ping'an kill people, and watched Fu Nanhua leave.

He did not stop it.

A dim light shone from the dilapidated little house. Through the crack in the door, a small, thin figure could be vaguely seen sitting motionless on the bed.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

He sensed that Qi Jingchun's aura had vanished. But before it disappeared, there was a very subtle fluctuation within that aura.

Qi Jingchun is collecting Cai Jinjian's soul.

He wants to resurrect her.

Ye Yun was startled, and then he understood Qi Jingchun's intention.

It wasn't because he pitied Cai Jinjian, but for Chen Ping'an's sake. The child was forced to kill, but killing is killing, and cause and effect are cause and effect.

If Chen Ping'an were to grow up carrying the burden of this human life, he would inevitably develop inner demons sooner or later.

Therefore, Qi Jingchun wants to revive Cai Jinjian.

It's not about forgiveness, it's about putting an end to things.

Ye Yun stood there, gazing in the direction where Qi Jingchun's aura had disappeared, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

This sage thought deeper and further than he did.

Ye Yun said softly:

"Mr. Qi, it must be a wonderful thing to be your junior brother."