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

The passage into the Wilderness World was at the bottom of a desolate mountain. The entrance was small, just enough for one person to pass through, and overgrown with withered vines and weeds, making it almost invisible without careful observation. Ye Yun pushed aside the vines and crawled inside. The passage was narrow, with ancient array patterns carved into the stone walls on both sides. These were left by the predecessors of the Sword Qi Great Wall many years ago, intended for retreating to the Vast World if necessary. Now he was using them in reverse—heading from the Vast World towards the Wilderness World.

The passage was long, and they walked for a whole day. They rested twice, eating some dry rations and drinking some water. The Law of Law hung overhead, illuminating the path ahead. "Golden Light" scouted ahead, preventing anything from hiding in the shadows. On the third day, light appeared at the end of the passage. It wasn't sunlight, but the hazy, gray light of the wild world.

Ye Yun emerged from the cave, stood up straight, and for the first time truly set foot on the land of the Wilderness World.

The sky was gray. Not the gray of an overcast day, but a perpetually thick, hazy gray, like a dirty, tattered rag hanging overhead. There was no sun, no moon, no stars, only gray. The ground was black. Not the black of soil, but a black corroded by something, soft and yielding underfoot, like walking on rotten mud. A thick, eerie stench permeated the air, fishy and foul, like ten thousand fish rotting in the same vat.

Ye Yun took a deep breath, the demonic energy making him cough twice. He frowned, took out a talisman from his robes, and stuck it to his chest. The runes on the talisman glowed, and then his aura changed—no longer the sharp sword intent of a swordsman from the Sword Qi Great Wall, but a murky, blood-stained demonic aura. This was a secret technique that Dong Bude had once taken from a demon, capable of altering one's aura and disguising oneself as a demon. Ye Yun had tried it many times, and the results were quite good.

He then took out a black cloak from his storage bag, embroidered with several demon totems. The cloak was large, completely enveloping him, leaving only his eyes exposed. He retracted the four flying swords into his body, leaving only the "golden light" on the outside, transforming into a dim golden light that hovered at his side, pretending to be a magic weapon commonly used by the demon race.

From now on, he won't be called Ye Yun, he'll be called Ye San. A rogue cultivator, at the Jade Purity Realm, he's a loner, has a bad temper, and you shouldn't mess with him.

After walking for a while, a town appeared ahead.

It was called a town, but it was really just a jumbled mess of stone houses piled together. There were no city walls, no planning; houses were built wherever they pleased, some in the middle of the road, some on people's rooftops. The streets were teeming with demons—some in human form, some half-human, half-beast, and some purely wild beasts. The air was thick with a sour, stench, a mixture of demon body odor and rotting food.

Ye Yun walked into the town with his head down, his pace neither fast nor slow. The surrounding demons glanced at him, some averting their gazes, others looking a few more times. A dog-headed demon approached, sniffed, muttered "Jade Purity Realm," and then shrank back. The Jade Purity Realm wasn't top-tier in the Wilderness, but it wasn't something ordinary demons could afford to offend.

In the center of town stood a tavern. Calling it a tavern was a stretch; it was really just a large stone building. A tattered cloth hung at the entrance, with a picture of a wine jug on it. Ye Yun lifted the cloth and went inside. Many demons were seated there, drinking, eating meat, and boasting, making a noisy racket.

Ye Yun walked to a corner and sat down, patting the table. A pig-headed demon ran over, his face beaming, "Sir, what would you like to drink?"

"The best wine." Ye Yun's voice was hoarse, deliberately lowering his voice.

The pig-headed demon brought over a pot of wine and a broken bowl. The wine was cloudy, greenish in color, and smelled fishy. Ye Yun poured himself a bowl, picked it up, and took a sip—it was awful, like spoiled swill. But his expression didn't change. He took another sip, then slowly drank, his ears perked up, listening to the sounds around him.

At the next table sat several demons, led by an old wolf demon with a scar running diagonally from his forehead to his chin. His cultivation was not low; he was at the peak of the Jade Purity Realm. After drinking a few bowls of wine, he became more talkative.

"Have you heard? The God of War is currently gathering powerful figures from all sides to prepare for a grand ceremony." The old wolf demon lowered his voice, but to Ye Yun, his "lowered" voice sounded no different from normal speech.

"Grand sacrifice? What grand sacrifice?" asked the other bear demon.

The old wolf demon shook his head: "I don't know. But I heard it's related to that crystal."

"Crystal? What crystal?"

The old wolf demon looked around and lowered his voice even further, but Ye Yun still heard him clearly: "The God of War has a Reincarnation Crystal, which he dug out from an ancient ruin. It is said that the soul of a woman is sealed inside, and she is unbelievably beautiful."

Ye Yun gripped the wine glass tightly. His fingers tightened, causing cracks to appear in the glass. Wine seeped from the cracks, dripping onto the table; it was green, like blood. He took a deep breath and loosened his grip. He couldn't let his guard down. He picked up the glass and downed the rest of the wine in one gulp. The bitter, foul-smelling liquid went down his throat, but his expression remained unchanged.

The old wolf demon continued, "The God of War intends to use that crystal for some grand sacrifice. No one knows exactly what it is, but it's said that it requires many living souls as a catalyst."

The bear demon clicked its tongue: "How many people would die?"

The old wolf demon sneered, "What does it matter to you how many people die? It's not like you're the one who dies. The things bestowed upon you by the God of War are enough for you to live on for a lifetime."

Ye Yun put down his wine cup, stood up, walked to the counter, and tossed down a piece of silver. The pig-headed demon caught the silver, bowing and scraping, "Please take care, sir."

Ye Yun threw back the tattered cloth and stepped outside. Standing on the street, the hazy sunlight shone on his face, the cloak concealing his expression, but his eyes were bright, frighteningly bright. The Reincarnation Crystal. A woman's soul. Unbelievably beautiful. It's Pu She. It must be Pu She. Zhou Mi really does have Pu She's remnant soul.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his flesh. A murderous intent surged from within him, like a wild beast long imprisoned, yearning to break free. But he suppressed it. Now was not the time. Zhou Mi was surrounded by countless powerful demons, his palace was heavily guarded, and he possessed the strength of a fourteenth-realm expert. To force his way in would be suicide.

Ye Yun loosened his fist, took a deep breath, and suppressed his killing intent. He looked up towards the depths of the wilderness; the hazy sky obscured everything, but there lay a meticulously planned palace and Pu She's soul. He would bring her back.

"Zhou Mi, for your grand sacrifice, I present you with a great gift," he said softly.

Then he strode into the depths of the wilderness. His black cloak fluttered in the wind, four flying swords hummed within his body, and the Sword of Law slowly rotated in his sea of ​​consciousness. The patterns on the sword were fewer than before, but brighter.

He traveled for three days. Along the way, he encountered several groups of demons, patrol teams, merchant caravans, and independent cultivators. Ye Yun avoided them all, not wanting to cause trouble. He had only one goal—Zhou Mi's palace.

On the fifth day, he began to see black smoke rising in the distance. It wasn't cooking smoke, but smoke from the campfires and weapon-refining furnaces of the demon race. The deeper he went, the more traces of the demon race he saw, and the higher their cultivation levels became. He began to see demons at the Jade Purity Realm and the Immortal Realm, some traveling alone, some in groups, all heading in the same direction—to the meticulously planned palace.

On the seventh day, he stood on a hill and saw the magnificent palace.

The palace, built against the mountainside, was magnificent. Its black stone walls, dozens of feet high, were covered with eerie runes, within which flowed a blood-red light. The palace stretched from the foot of the mountain to its summit, layer upon layer, like a colossal tomb. An array surrounded the palace, its light flickering like ripples in the air. Outside the array, demonic warriors patrolled in shifting groups, less than half an incense stick's time apart. The guards were all highly skilled; the leader was at least at the Jade Purity Realm.

Ye Yun lay prone on the hill for a long time, from day to night. The desolate night was even darker, without moon or stars, so dark that one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face. But he could see—the Sword of Law hung above his head, its light faint, illuminating only three feet around him. He used "Reflecting Light" to probe the patterns of the formation, observing for a full day and night.

On the second night, he found the weak point of the formation. In the northwest corner of the palace, near the mountain wall, the light of the formation was dimmer than in other places, and the patrols were spaced a few breaths apart. Ye Yun slid down the hill, skimming the ground, and slithered towards the weak point like a snake.

"Golden Light" scouts ahead, avoiding the patrol's sight. "Cage" locks in the sounds around him, suppressing even his breathing to a minimum. "Purple Cloud" is ready to summon heavenly lightning at any moment; if discovered, he will force his way in. "Sword of Law" hangs above his head, its tip pointing towards the formation, ready to sever the formation's laws at any time.

He slipped through the gaps between the patrol teams, disappearing into the array the instant the light dimmed. His cloak was torn at the edge of the array. He didn't stop, continuing to walk inside.

The palace's interior corridors were wide, their walls covered in runes that emitted a dim light. Black stone slabs paved the floor, making no sound underfoot. Ye Yun walked close to the walls, with "Golden Light" leading the way. At each corner, they stopped to use "Reflecting Light" to scout behind. He avoided three groups of sentries. He silently severed the array patterns of two traps with his "Sword of Law."

After walking for half an hour, he arrived at the depths of the palace.

Before him stood a massive stone gate, its surface intricately carved with runes that pulsed with a blood-red light. Behind the gate, he sensed an aura—not demonic, but the aura of a soul. It was faint, weak, but he recognized it. It was Pu She.

Ye Yun's hand rested on the stone door, his fingers trembling. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. It wasn't locked. The stone door slowly opened with a dull thud. Inside was a vast space—an altar.

The altar was enormous, occupying half of the entire hall. It was constructed of black stone, covered in ancient runes, densely packed like countless intertwined snakes. Floating in the center of the altar was a crystal, the size of a fist, transparent, containing a faint wisp of a soul. The soul was white, like a wisp of smoke, drifting slowly within the crystal. The silhouette of a woman in white was vaguely visible—long hair, white robes, as pure and aloof as a plum blossom.

Nangong Pushe.

Ye Yun's heart clenched as if gripped tightly. His eyes reddened, his fingers trembled, and his breathing became rapid. Four flying swords surged from his body, hovering at his sides, humming incessantly. The sword light of the Law Sword brightened, illuminating his face and the tears in his eyes.

"Park She," he said softly, "I've come to pick you up."

He stepped toward the altar.

"Ye Yun".

A voice came from behind the altar. Zhou Mi emerged from the shadows, wearing a black Taoist robe, his long hair tied up, holding a folding fan, and smiling. He stood beside the altar, reached out, and gently touched the crystal, as if petting a pet.

"You've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you for so long."

Ye Yun stopped, four flying swords hovering beside him, their tips pointing at Zhou Mi. His hand rested on the hilt of the Sword of Law, his knuckles turning white.

"Give me the crystal," Ye Yun said.

Zhou Mi smiled, picked up the crystal, and held it up to the light. The soul floated slowly inside the crystal, as if sensing something, suddenly gathered together for a moment, and then dispersed again.

"You want her?" Zhou Mi said. "Sure. But what will you offer in exchange?"

Ye Yun looked at him but did not answer.

Zhou Mi placed the crystal back in the center of the altar, turned to face Ye Yun, unfolded his folding fan, and fanned himself. A plum blossom was painted on the fan, and a woman in white stood beneath it. Her face was obscured, but her figure resembled Nangong Pushe.

"Ye Yun, I've been waiting for this day for a long time," Zhou Mi said.

Ye Yun drew his sword.