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

The scene shifts back to the depths of the palace. Zhou Mi, clutching his chest, stumbles through the corridor. The runes on the walls light up and dim as he passes, like open eyes watching him. His white robes are stained dark red with black blood, and the cracks in his immortality seal continue to widen. With each step, black blood seeps from his wounds, dripping onto the ground and corroding the bricks. He reaches the end of the corridor, where a stone door stands before him. There are no runes, no restrictions, just a bare rock. He places his hand on the door and pushes it open with force.

The door opened.

Beyond the door lay a vast space, even larger than the outer altar hall. The space was circular, like an inverted bowl, its dome covered in ancient runes, densely packed and overwhelming, like countless snakes coiled together. At the center of the space stood an altar, older and more dilapidated than the outer one. The altar was constructed of black stone, covered in moss and cracks, from which a dark red light flowed, like blood in veins. The altar was inscribed with runes identical to those on the outer walls, but deeper, denser, and more ancient.

Zhou Mi stumbled onto the altar, each step a struggle. He knelt in the center, hands on the ground, gasping for breath. Blood gushed from the wound in his chest, dripping black blood onto the altar and into the patterns of the runes. The runes, upon contact with his blood, began to glow, a dark red light, like a dying ember, flickering on and off.

"Ye Yun..." Zhou Mi's voice was very soft, as soft as the wind blowing through withered grass, "You think you've won? No, the game has only just begun."

He stood up and took out the jade pendant from his pocket—the same jade pendant as Ye Yun's, cyan, round, with a square hole in the center, and the character "Zhou" engraved on it. He had dug it out of the ancient ruins, along with the Reincarnation Crystal. He didn't know the origin of this jade pendant, but he knew it was related to the Reincarnation Sword Path, and to the ancient sword immortal who embarked on the path of reincarnation.

He placed the jade pendant in the central recess of the altar; it fit perfectly, as if tailor-made. Several lines of small characters were engraved around the recess, the script ancient yet clearly legible. Zhou Mi looked down at the characters, a slight smile playing on his lips. The characters were written in an ancient script, which took him a long time to decipher: "At the end of reincarnation, beyond the realm of demons. Blood as the catalyst, souls as the sacrifice; summoned, they come; coming, they fight."

Zhou Mi slit his wrist. Blood gushed out, black and foul-smelling. He placed his wrist above the jade pendant, the blood dripping onto it, flowing down into the grooves, and then into the patterns of the runes. The runes seemed to come alive, writhing and spreading outwards along the patterns. Wherever they passed, the dark red light turned blood red, so bright it seemed to be burning. The runes on the dome also began to glow, illuminating the entire space with a blindingly bright blood red light.

At the center of the altar, above the jade pendant, space began to distort. It was as if an unseen hand was tearing at the air, creating a rift. A terrifying aura emanated from the rift—not demonic, not human, but something indescribable—cold, dark, like the nothingness of the deep universe. Something moved within the rift; not a body, but consciousness—a chaotic, frenzied, shapeless consciousness. It was looking, sniffing, searching for prey.

A demon beyond the realm of gods.

Zhou Mi knelt on the altar, looking up at the crack, his arms outstretched as if embracing something. "Descend! Destroy this world! Destroy everything!" His voice echoed in the empty hall, one after another, like a curse.

The thing within the crack sensed his call. The terrifying aura intensified, becoming almost tangible, suffocating him. The crack widened, from a finger's width to a palm's width, then to an arm's width. Black tentacles writhed along the crack's edges, like octopus tentacles, snakes, or vines, stretching outwards little by little.

"If I cannot conquer the world, then I will destroy it!" Zhou Mi's voice changed from madness to a roar.

The scene cuts back to the riverbank.

Ye Yun was meditating on the rock when he suddenly opened his eyes. The Sword of Law above his head vibrated violently, emitting a piercing buzz. The white and red patterns on the sword's blade lit up simultaneously, intertwining like two startled fish swimming. He sensed it. A terrifying aura emanated from the depths of the wilderness, perceptible even from hundreds of miles away. Cold, dark, like the nothingness of the deep universe.

Ah Liang stood up from under the tree, the grass falling from his mouth. His playful smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. He gazed towards the depths of the wilderness, his hand resting on his sword hilt. "What is that?"

Zuo You's expression changed drastically. His sword vibrated violently in its sheath, as if it were about to fly out on its own. He gripped the hilt, pressing down hard, but the sword trembled, and so did his hand. "That's... the aura of the Outer Heavenly Demon."

Ye Yun stood up. Four flying swords hovered at his sides, their white light particularly dazzling in the hazy sky. The Sword of Law hung above his head, its red and white patterns flashing alternately like a heartbeat.

Chen Ping'an walked to his side, gazing towards the depths of the desolate wilderness. He sensed that aura, but didn't know what it was. "An extraterrestrial demon?"

He walked over from both sides, his face pale. "In ancient times, a celestial demon descended upon this world and nearly destroyed it. The Dao Ancestor personally intervened to suppress it. Later, the demon was sealed in the heavens and never appeared again. But now... someone is summoning it."

"Meticulous," Ye Yun said. His voice was calm, but everyone could hear the murderous intent beneath.

Ah Liang frowned. "Has he gone mad? Summoning an extraterrestrial demon, he won't survive either."

Ye Yun shook his head. "He's gone mad. I severed his immortality law, and most of his thousand years of cultivation was destroyed. He doesn't care whether he lives or dies. He just wants to destroy everything."

Chen Ping'an gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. "I must stop him. Otherwise, the whole world will suffer."

Ye Yun gazed towards the depths of the desolate wilderness. A strange phenomenon appeared on the hazy sky—the clouds were churning, not blown by the wind, but swayed by that aura. A crack appeared in the clouds, and blood-red light shone through it, like a giant eye opening in the sky.

"We can't wait three days," Ye Yun said. "We have to leave now."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Let's go."

No one hesitated. A dozen people simultaneously drew their swords, the sword light illuminating the riverbank like a silver river. Ye Yun was the first to leap onto his sword, the sword of law clearing a path above his head, its white light dispersing into a gray mist. Chen Ping'an followed behind him, Chu Yi and Shi Wu hovering beside him, their sword light dim yet steady. A Liang, Zuo You, Ning Yao, Old Zhou, and the dozen or so sword cultivators, one after another, ascended onto their swords and flew towards the depths of the desolate wilderness.

A dozen or so sword lights streaked across the hazy sky, like a dozen shooting stars, falling towards the palace.

Deep within the palace, on the altar, the cracks had widened to waist height. Black tentacles emerged from the cracks, more and more numerous, longer and longer, like octopus tentacles, waving in the air. Each tentacle was covered with eyes, countless eyes, blinking and watching the world. Where those eyes had looked, the air began to rot, the ground began to crack, and the bricks and stones began to turn to dust.

Zhou Mi knelt on the altar, covered in blood, but his eyes shone brightly, like those of a madman. "Come! Come all of you! Let this world see what true power is!"

He stood up, opened his arms, and walked towards the crack. He would offer himself as a sacrifice, becoming the vessel for the descent of the otherworldly demon. His body began to change—cracks appeared on his skin, from which black light shone. His eyes turned completely black, without any whites, like two black holes. His hair changed from black to white, then from white to gray, and finally became transparent, like strands of glass.

"Ye Yun!" Zhou Mi roared to the sky, "Did you see that? This is the true cycle of reincarnation! It's not letting go, it's destruction! Destroying everything, and then rebuilding on the ruins!"

His voice echoed from the depths of the palace, passing through walls, corridors, and arrays, reaching dozens of miles away. Ye Yun heard it. He flew at the forefront on his sword, and upon hearing Zhou Mi's voice, his fingers tightened on the hilt. The white patterns on the Sword of Laws flashed briefly, then dimmed. The red patterns then shone, a blood-red hue.

"Zhou Mi, you've gone mad," Ye Yun said softly. His voice was soft, but the sword light shone even brighter.

Chen Ping'an flew beside him, hearing his words but remaining silent. He gazed at the horizon deep in the wilderness, the cracks in the clouds widening, the blood-red light growing brighter, as if the sky had been torn open, blood flowing from within. The terrifying aura intensified, suffocating him. The swords, Chu Yi and Shi Wu, trembled violently in their sheaths, like startled horses. He gripped the hilts, pressing them firmly, his hands shaking but not loosening.

Ah Liang flew behind, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth—he'd plucked a new one sometime earlier. His left arm was still in a sling, so he could only grip the sword with his right hand. The sword was new; the previous one had broken, and this one was a makeshift solution, not quite right for him, but usable. He looked at the crack in the sky and spat out the grass. "Damn it, that madman Zhou Mi, he's really going to tear a hole in the sky."

Zuo Youfei stood beside A Liang without speaking. His sword vibrated in its sheath, making it hum. He stared at the crack, his pupils reflecting a blood-red light. His hand rested on the hilt, his knuckles white.

Ning Yaofei followed behind Chen Ping'an, watching his back and then gazing at the distant crack. Her right hand gripped the sword, her left hand resting on the hilt; both hands held the sword. Her right shoulder wound had healed, but it still ached on cloudy days. She wasn't afraid of pain.

A dozen sword lights streaked across the sky like shooting stars, falling towards the palace. The palace drew ever closer; in the hazy light of the day, it resembled a colossal beast crouching on the ground, its mouth agape, waiting for its prey to walk into its trap. But this time, it wasn't the prey that walked into the trap; it was the hunter who came to reel it in.

In the distance, a low roar echoed from the depths of the palace, not from Zhou Mi's mouth, but from a crack in the wall. It was the voice of the Extraterrestrial Demon, muffled and deep, like a colossal beast awakened from a millennium-long slumber, clearly displeased. The sound emanated from the depths of the palace, passing through walls, corridors, and arrays, reaching dozens of miles away. The ground trembled, the air vibrated, and even the gray mist in the sky was shaken apart.

Ye Yun gripped the sword hilt tightly, the Sword of Law hovering above his head, its white and red patterns lighting up simultaneously, illuminating the path ahead.

"Zhou Mi, are you crazy?" he said softly.

No one answered. Only distant roars echoed, one after another, like the urgent beat of a death knell.

More than a dozen sword lights fell towards the palace, getting closer and brighter.