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

No sooner had the Demon Ancestor finished speaking than a sword light descended from the sky.

It didn't come from the city wall, it came from the sky. The sword light landed right between the Demon Ancestor and Chen Ping'an. The sword energy exploded, blasting a large crater in the ground, sending debris flying and dust billowing everywhere. The Demon Ancestor took a step back, raising his hand to block the flying debris.

As the smoke cleared, a swordsman in white stood at the edge of the pit. His face was stern, his eyebrows arched to his temples, and his eyes were like two drawn swords. In his hand he held a longsword, its blade slender and unadorned, as plain as an iron bar. But no one dared to underestimate this sword—the sword intent emanating from it was so intense it seemed to overflow, even cutting fine cracks into the air.

about.

Chen Ping'an's senior brother, Qi Jingchun's disciple, a sword cultivator at the peak of the Ascension Realm.

He stood at the edge of the pit, glancing at the Demon Ancestor, then at Chen Ping'an. His gaze lingered on Chen Ping'an's face for a moment, noticing the tear-streaked cheeks and the hilt of Chen Qingdu's sword at his waist. His eyes darkened, but he said nothing. No need to say anything. He had come to kill demons.

"Junior brother, I'm late," Zuo You said.

Chen Pingan shook his head, his voice hoarse: "It's not too late."

Zuo You nodded, then turned to face the Demon Ancestor and the remaining five Beast Gods. Chen Qingdu had killed five with a single sword strike, Ye Yun had killed one, and Zuo You's descending sword strike had killed another—a wolf beast god had been cleaved in two by the sword light, its corpse lying on the city wall, blood still gushing out. Of the twelve beast gods, five remained: tiger, snake, monkey, dog, and rat. The tiger beast god had been struck by Zuo You's sword earlier, suffering a chest wound, but was still alive. The snake beast god had half its tail severed by Ye Yun and was cowering at the back. The monkey beast god had lost an arm, severed by Chen Qingdu. The dog and rat beast gods were unharmed.

Five peak-level Ascension Realm demons, plus a demon ancestor.

Without hesitation, he drew his sword.

A flash of sword light. Not the dazzling kind, but the kind so fast it was invisible. The instant the sword was drawn, its tip was already at the monkey beast god's brow. The monkey beast god reacted incredibly quickly, turning its head to dodge, the blade grazing its ear and slicing off half of its earlobe. The monkey beast god screamed in agony and staggered back more than ten steps.

There was no pursuit from either side. The sword flashed, slashing towards the dog-beast god. The dog-beast god opened its maw, spewing out a black beam of light. Dodging to the left and right, the sword light grazed the dog-beast god's neck—its head flew off, its body still standing, blood gushing more than ten feet high from its neck cavity. It stood for two breaths before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

He killed the dog-beast god with a single sword strike.

The sword cultivators on the city wall exclaimed in unison. Someone recognized Zuo You: "It's Zuo You! Qi Jingchun's eldest disciple!" "Peak Ascension Realm!" "Such a fast sword!"

Ye Yun leaned against the battlement, his pupils slightly contracting as he watched the swords to his left and right. He had seen many fast swords—A Liang's, Chen Ping'an's, and even his own "Return of Light" was not slow. But the speed of Zuo You was different—not in terms of speed, but in terms of angle. The timing, angle, and force of his sword strikes were all perfect, as if everything had been calculated in advance. The moment the sword was drawn, it was already where it was meant to be.

Even with his "Return of Light" technique, Ye Yun could hardly catch the sword's trajectory to the left or right. It was too fast, and too unpredictable. Every time you thought he was going to stab here, his sword would appear there instead.

Seeing the Dog Beast God killed, the Rat Beast God turned and ran in terror. Neither side gave chase, but instead slashed at its back with a sword. Sensing the approaching sword energy, the Rat Beast God abruptly burrowed into the ground—its law was "Earthburrowing," making the ground as soft as water before it. Half its body was already embedded in the brickwork, but the swords on either side were faster. The sword light struck its hind leg, severing it cleanly at the root. The Rat Beast God screamed and burrowed into the ground, leaving a pool of blood behind.

It ran away, but was seriously injured.

The Tiger Beast God and the Snake Beast God exchanged a glance and simultaneously pounced to the left and right. The Tiger Beast God launched a frontal assault, unleashing both fists with tremendous force. The Snake Beast God attacked from the side, its venomous fangs aimed at the waist and abdomen of the two beasts. Neither beast retreated nor dodged; their swords split into two beams, one slashing towards the Tiger Beast God's fist, and the other aiming for the Snake Beast God's vital point.

The tiger beast god's fist collided with the sword light, the force of the blow dissipated, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound on its fist. The snake beast god's fangs missed their mark; the sword light grazed its vital point, scales flew off, and blood seeped out. Both beast gods retreated simultaneously, daring not to advance further.

He sheathed his swords and stood by the pit, his white robes as white as snow, not a single drop of blood on him.

The Demon Ancestor remained motionless. He stood on the other side of the city wall, his hands behind his back, looking left and right as if examining something interesting.

"Are you Zuo You?" the Demon Ancestor asked.

There was no reply from either side. He looked at the Demon Ancestor, his eyes as calm as a stagnant pool.

The Demon Ancestor chuckled: "Qi Jingchun's disciple. Your sword is not bad. But it's still not enough."

Zuo You remained silent. He drew his sword, its light piercing straight for the Demon Ancestor's face. The Demon Ancestor raised his hand to block, the sword striking his palm with a metallic clang. Zuo You's strike did not injure the Demon Ancestor, but it forced him to take a half-step back.

Half a step.

Exclamations erupted once more from the city walls. There wasn't another person on the entire Sword Qi Great Wall who could make the Demon Ancestor retreat half a step. Chen Qing could do it, but Chen Qing was no longer there. Now, Zuo You had done it too.

The Demon Ancestor looked down at his palm, where a faint white mark was visible. His gaze changed; it was no longer playful, but serious.

"Interesting," he said.

He gripped the sword tightly in both hands, preparing to strike again.

"Brother Zuoyou." Someone called from behind.

Zuo You didn't turn around, but his hands paused for a moment. It was Ye Yun's voice. Ye Yun stood up from the battlement, leaned against the wall, and limped over to Zuo You. His face was as white as paper, and four flying swords hovered at his sides, their light dim, but still spinning.

"Ye Yun?" He glanced at him from side to side. "You're injured like this, get down."

Ye Yun shook his head: "We can still fight."

He frowned slightly, but didn't try to persuade him further. He glanced at Chen Ping'an. Chen Ping'an also walked over, the swords of the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month hanging overhead, the nicks on the blades widening, but the sword light still sharp. A Liang and Ning Yao also approached, the five of them standing in a row, facing the Demon Ancestor and the remaining Beast Gods.

The Demon Ancestor looked at the five people, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Just the five of you?" he said.

No one answered. Chen Ping'an gripped the first sword tightly, Ye Yun gripped the sword of law tightly, drawing his sword from its sheath on both sides, A Liang spat out the grass stalk in his mouth, and Ning Yao held her sword horizontally in front of her.

On the city wall, the war drums still beat. The bandages on the young swordsman's arm were soaked with blood, but he continued to beat them, one beat after another, deep and resonant like thunder.

Zuo You didn't wait for the Demon Ancestor to make a move. He moved. His sword light flashed like a rainbow, aiming straight for the Demon Ancestor's throat. The Demon Ancestor raised his hand to block, but Zuo You's sword light shifted, slashing towards the Demon Ancestor's waist and abdomen. The Demon Ancestor dodged to the side, striking Zuo You's chest with a palm. Zuo You parried with his sword, but was knocked back several steps, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

But as he retreated, his sword flashed towards the monkey beast god beside him. The monkey beast god was staring at Chen Ping'an and was unprepared for the swords on either side. The sword flashed across its neck, its head flew off, and its body fell to the ground.

Another sword strike slayed a beast god.

Of the twelve beast gods, only the tiger, snake, and rat remain. The rat, severely wounded, escaped, while the tiger and snake were also injured. The demon ancestor's face darkened. He didn't care about the lives of these beast gods, but the fact that two of them had been killed right in front of him was a slap in the face.

The Demon Ancestor raised his hand, and a beam of black light shot to the left and right. He swung his swords to block it, but the black light struck the swords, sending him flying. He crashed into the city wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Senior Brothers Zuo and You!" Chen Ping'an rushed over.

He slid down the wall, knelt on one knee, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and stood up. His white clothes were stained red with blood, but his hand holding the sword remained steady.

"It's alright," he said.

Chen Ping'an stood in front of him, and the two flying swords, Chu Yi and Shi Wu, attacked the Demon Ancestor simultaneously. The Demon Ancestor raised his hand and waved his hand, knocking the two flying swords away. Chen Ping'an was also forced back several steps. The difference in their cultivation levels was too great; there was an insurmountable chasm between the peak of the Ascension Realm and the peak of the Fourteenth Realm.

Ye Yun wanted to make a move, but his legs gave way and he knelt down again. The sword of law hovered above his head, buzzing, but his spiritual power was exhausted, and he couldn't even stand steadily.

A Liang and Ning Yao attacked simultaneously, one from the left and one from the right, at the Demon Ancestor. The Demon Ancestor unleashed both hands, and black light surged forth like a tide, sending the two flying backward and crashing to the ground.

Zuo You stood up again, gripped his sword, and drew it. The sword light flashed like a rainbow, slashing towards the Demon Ancestor. This time, the Demon Ancestor didn't block; he extended a finger and touched the tip of the sword. The sword stopped. Zuo You's sword stopped three inches in front of the Demon Ancestor's fingertip, unable to penetrate further. A ball of black light, like a small vortex, appeared on the Demon Ancestor's fingertip, absorbing all of Zuo You's sword energy.

"I told you, it's not enough," said the Demon Ancestor.

He flicked his finger, and both he and his sword were sent flying, crashing onto the city wall and rolling more than a dozen times before coming to a stop. His sword slipped from his hand and lay to one side, its blade covered in cracks.

He lay sprawled on the ground, coughing up blood twice, and reached for the sword. He reached it, gripped it tightly, and used it to prop himself up. His white robes were no longer recognizable; they were soaked in blood, his own blood mixed with the blood of the demon race. But he stood up, sword in hand, facing the Demon Ancestor.

Ye Yun watched Zuo You's retreating figure and suddenly thought of someone: Qi Jingchun. Zuo You, like his master, was the kind of person who couldn't be killed. He'd be knocked down, get up, be knocked down again, get up again, until he couldn't get up anymore.

In the distance, the horns of the demon army sounded again. The third wave of attack was about to begin.

He glanced at Chen Ping'an from both sides, then at Ye Yun.

"Junior brother," he said, "lead them to retreat. I'll cover the rear."

Chen Pingan shook his head: "I'm not leaving."

She looked him up and down, her gaze calm: "You don't live for me. You live for the Sword Qi Great Wall. Go."

Chen Ping'an's eyes reddened, but he didn't shake his head again. He turned around, helped Ye Yun up, called to A Liang and Ning Yao, and led the remaining sword cultivators on the city wall to retreat down the wall.

Standing atop the city wall, one man faced the Demon Ancestor and the remaining Beast Gods, along with a million-strong demon army.

His sword was broken, its blade riddled with cracks, threatening to shatter at any moment. Yet he still gripped the hilt, the tip pointing at the Demon Ancestor.

The Demon Ancestor looked at him with a hint of respect in his eyes.

"You're tougher than your master," the Demon Ancestor said.

Neither of them spoke. He gripped his sword tightly; light shone from the cracks in its blade—not white, but blood-red. He was burning his own life force.

On the city wall, the war drums still beat. Each drumbeat was deep and muffled, like thunder.

He took a deep breath, preparing to unleash the final strike.