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

The palace is larger inside than it appears from the outside.

The dome was so high that its top was invisible, and the surrounding walls were covered with ancient runes that emitted a dark red light. The air was filled with the stench of blood, so strong it felt like it could marinate a person.

Ye Yun stepped onto the ground, feeling a sticky sensation under his feet. He glanced down and saw a layer of dark red substance on the ground, unsure whether it was blood or something else.

In the very center was a huge altar.

The altar was built of black stone, each stone engraved with dense runes. The runes seemed to writhe, like living worms. Around the altar stood nine stone pillars, each bound with skeletons, some human and some demon.

The skeleton was still covered with dried flesh and blood, indicating that it had been dead for an unknown period of time.

Above the altar, a crack appeared in space.

The crack was three zhang long and one zhang wide, with black edges, resembling a wound. Inside the crack was nothingness; nothing could be seen.

But everyone could sense that aura.

Something is looking out from deep within the crack.

One eye.

A huge, black eye, without pupils or whites, only pure darkness. That eye swept over the crowd, and everyone felt as if their souls were being gripped by something.

Ning Yao's hand gripping the sword trembled, not from fear, but from a primal, instinctive reaction. The aura emanating from it was overwhelming, so powerful it made one want to kneel.

Chen Pingan reached out and took her hand; his palm was very warm.

"Don't be afraid."

Ning Yao took a deep breath and nodded.

Ah Liang's face turned pale. He had seen many grand scenes, but what he saw before him was beyond his comprehension. It was an extraterrestrial demon, a being from beyond the heavens, something even those at the fifteenth realm dared not easily provoke.

His expression was also not good, but his eyes remained calm.

Ye Yun stood at the very front, his eyes fixed on the people on the altar.

careful.

He stood in the center of the altar, covered in blood, whether his own or someone else's, it was unclear. His eyes were bloodshot, as if they were about to bleed. He muttered incantations, his voice hoarse and frantic, as if reciting some ancient spell.

Black mist swirled around him. The mist seeped out from the cracks, entered his body, and then emerged from his seven orifices.

His vitality was rapidly fading away.

Ye Yun could see it clearly: Zhou Mi's hair was turning white, his skin was drying out, but his aura was constantly rising. That was the power of the Heavenly Demon pouring into his body, at the cost of his life.

"Zhou Mi! Stop!" Chen Ping'an shouted.

Zhou Mi looked up and saw them.

He smiled.

That smile was twisted and crazed, like a drowning person grasping at a last straw, or a madman finally seeing what he wanted.

"Too late." His voice was hoarse, as if squeezed from his throat. "The Heavenly Demon has awakened, and you will all die."

Chen Ping'an gripped the first letter tightly, ready to rush forward.

The left and right sides are faster than him.

Zuo You transformed into a streak of sword light, hurtling straight towards the altar. But just as he approached within three zhang of the altar, a transparent barrier appeared out of thin air, repelling him. Zuo You somersaulted in the air, landing back on the spot, his face ashen.

"A barrier," the person on the left said. "It's very strong."

Without saying a word, Ah Liang slashed out with his sword.

His sword energy was domineering and unparalleled, enough to split a mountain in two. But when the sword energy struck the barrier, it only stirred up a ripple, and the barrier remained completely still.

Ah Liang's face darkened, and he slashed three more times with his sword.

Each sword strike was stronger than the last, but the barrier only trembled slightly, without even a crack.

"This thing..." Ah Liang gritted his teeth, "is not an ordinary barrier."

Ye Yun did not rush to make a move.

He unleashed his "reflection of light" to deduce the structure of the barrier.

He quickly understood. This barrier was constructed using the power of the Heavenly Demon, not the rules of this world. Ordinary attacks couldn't break it at all, because the rules weren't even on the same level.

But his Samsara Sword Domain is possible.

Ye Yun took a deep breath and unleashed the Samsara Sword Domain.

A sword domain enveloped the altar, and the sword of law hovered above his head. Ye Yun formed hand seals, and black and white light appeared on the sword of law—the power of reincarnation.

"cut."

The sword of law slashed down, striking the barrier fiercely.

The barrier trembled violently, emitting a piercing roar. A crack appeared on the barrier's surface, stretching from the top all the way to the ground.

But it wasn't broken.

The crack is slowly healing.

Ye Yun's face turned pale; this sword strike had used almost seventy percent of his strength. His chest wound reopened, and blood soaked through his clothes.

"Boss Ye!" Chen Ping'an rushed over to help him up.

"It's alright." Ye Yun pushed Chen Ping'an away, staring at the crack that was healing. "Let's try again."

Zhou Mi watched all this from the altar, his smile growing even more maniacal.

"You're too late." He spread his arms, and black mist surged wildly into his body. "The Heavenly Demon is about to descend, and this world will return to chaos!"

Within the crack, the black eye shifted and looked at Ye Yun.

A terrifying pressure descended, and Ye Yun felt his very soul tremble. It was a gaze from a higher dimension, like an ant looking up at the heavens.

But he did not back down.

He gritted his teeth, and all four of his natal flying swords appeared simultaneously, hovering around him. The sword of law was in the center, with the other three flying swords surrounding it, forming a sword formation.

"Ping An, A Liang, Zuo You, Ning Yao," Ye Yun's voice was calm, "Give me your sword energy."

Chen Ping'an was the first to react, and he drew his swords, Chu Yi and Shi Wu, at the same time, pouring two streams of sword energy into Ye Yun's sword formation.

Ah Liang followed suit, his sword energy domineering and fierce. After pouring into the sword formation, the entire sword formation roared.

The sword energy from the left and right was precise and sharp, like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Ning Yao's sword energy was agile, moving through the sword formation and filling the gaps.

The five sword energies merged into one, transforming into a giant sword of light that hovered above Ye Yun's head.

Ye Yun made a hand seal, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

"Break!"

The lightsaber slashed down.

Zhou Mi's expression changed on the altar, and he quickened his chanting. His body began to turn transparent, and his life force was rapidly draining away.

The lightsaber struck the barrier, producing a deafening roar.

The entire palace was shaking, the runes on the walls were flashing, and the bones on the altar were scattered all over the ground.

On the barrier, the cracks grew larger and larger, turning from one into countless cracks, spreading like a spider web.

But it still didn't break.

Blood spilled from Ye Yun's mouth, his body trembled, and the sword formation was on the verge of collapse.

"Again!" He gritted his teeth and used the last bit of strength he had.