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

Lightsabers hovered overhead, and the sword array trembled.

Ye Yun felt as if his meridians were about to explode, the power of the five sword energies rampaging through his body. His natal flying sword groaned, and fine cracks appeared on its blade.

The cracks in the barrier are widening, but the healing process is also quite fast.

"So close." Ah Liang gritted his teeth, channeling even more sword energy into his sword. "Just a little bit more!"

Zuo You remained silent, but his face was as white as paper. His swordsmanship was known for its precision, not for brute force. Yet, he didn't stop; instead, he pressed even harder.

Ning Yao's sword energy was almost exhausted, her internal injuries had not yet healed, and blood was spilling from the corner of her mouth.

Chen Pingan glanced at Ye Yun and noticed that Ye Yun's gaze was a bit off.

That was a resolute decision.

"Boss Ye—" Chen Ping'an had barely opened his mouth when Ye Yun moved.

Ye Yun bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood essence onto the Sword of Law.

Blood essence is the foundation of a sword cultivator; every drop contains the culmination of thirty years of arduous training. With this single spit, his aura dropped by a whole level.

The Sword of Laws absorbed the essence of blood, and its light shone brightly.

The power of reincarnation, both black and white, surged, forcibly repairing the cracks on the sword and revealing strange patterns on the blade.

Ye Yun formed hand seals, unleashing the seventh level of the Samsara Sword Technique—"Lord of Samsara".

This was a power he had never used before.

Within the sword domain, countless illusory figures appeared. These were the souls of the dead from the cycle of reincarnation—some he had killed, some he had saved, and some he had seen in reincarnation. All the souls knelt before the sword of law, as if paying homage to a king.

The sword of law emitted a clear, mournful sound.

The lightsaber condensed again, this time twice as large as before.

"cut."

Ye Yun only said one word.

The lightsaber fell, carrying the power of reincarnation, the power of five sword energies, and Ye Yun's essence blood.

The barrier shattered with a deafening roar.

It didn't crack, it shattered. Like glass being struck by a heavy hammer, shards scattered and vanished into nothingness in the air.

The nine stone pillars surrounding the altar broke simultaneously, scattering the bones on them across the ground.

But Ye Yun couldn't hold on any longer either.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood and knelt on the ground. All four of his natal flying swords were now dull and lifeless, lying on the ground like four pieces of scrap metal. His face was as pale as paper, and his breath was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.

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

Ye Yun grabbed Chen Ping'an's wrist with a strength that seemed beyond what one would expect from an injured person.

"Don't worry about me." His voice was hoarse, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Stop him."

Chen Ping'an looked into Ye Yun's eyes. There was no fear or regret in those eyes, only a terrifying calmness.

Chen Ping'an released his grip, turned around, and rushed towards the altar.

Ah Liang and his companions followed closely behind, while Ning Yao picked up the flying sword that Ye Yun had dropped and also went after them.

Ye Yun knelt on the spot, panting heavily.

A face flashed through his mind.

Nangong Pushe.

She stood on the ruins of the Sword Qi Great Wall, wearing that light blue dress, and turned to smile at him. Sunlight shone on her face, making her eyes and brows appear gentle.

"Pu She," Ye Yun said softly, his voice so low that only he could hear it, "help me this time."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Sword of Law that had fallen to the ground suddenly lit up.

It was very faint, like a candle flickering in the wind.

But it did light up.

Ye Yun smiled, a very soft smile.

He pushed himself up from his knees and staggered toward the altar. Each step left a bloody footprint on the ground, but he walked steadily.

On the altar, Zhou Mi's expression changed drastically.

His sacrifice had reached its final stage, but the barrier was broken, disrupting his rhythm. The power of the Heavenly Demon surged within him, causing his body to swell and contract repeatedly, like a deflated balloon.

"You—" Zhou Mi gritted his teeth, "You've ruined my grand plan!"

Chen Ping'an had already rushed in front of him.

On the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, they were drawn simultaneously, one from the left and one from the right, aiming for Zhou Mi's throat and heart.

Zhou Mi raised his hand to block, and black scales appeared on his arm. Chu Yi stabbed at them, leaving only a white mark.

"Is that all the strength you have?" Zhou Mi sneered, and struck out with his palm.

The palm strike carried a black mist. Chen Ping'an raised his sword to block, but was sent flying, crashing into a stone pillar at the edge of the altar. The pillar shattered, and Chen Ping'an spat out a mouthful of blood.

Ah Liang and Zuo You attacked simultaneously.

The swords on either side were the fastest, severing Zhou Mi's left arm in one strike. Black blood gushed out, and the severed arm lay writhing on the ground.

Ah Liang's sword followed closely, piercing Zhou Mi's shoulder and pinning him to the altar.

But Zhou Mi was completely unaware.

Black mist gushed from the wound, and a new arm grew from the severed arm. The new arm was thicker and stronger than the original, covered with thicker scales.

"I have become one with the Heavenly Demon," Zhou Mi laughed. "You cannot kill me!"

He suddenly broke free from A Liang's sword and punched A Liang in the chest. A Liang couldn't dodge in time, was grazed by the fist, and flew backward, breaking several ribs.

Zuo You seized the opportunity to stab Zhou Mi in the heart, but the sword tip only penetrated an inch before stopping. Black flesh clamped the sword, and Zuo You couldn't pull it out.

Zhou Mi clawed at the left and right sides of the face, then released his sword and retreated, leaving three bloody marks on his face.

Ye Yun finally reached the altar.

He glanced at the battlefield, then at the crack above his head.

From within the crack, a black eye was staring at him.

In his eyes, there was curiosity, greed, and something else that was hard to describe.

Ye Yun ignored the eye and unleashed his Samsara Sword Domain.

The sword domain was already very weak, but it could still be maintained with difficulty. He recalled the sword of law and held it in his hand. The blade was cold, like a piece of ice.

He looked at the connection between Zhou Mi and the Heavenly Demon.

The connection was invisible, but Ye Yun's "flashback" could see it. A black line extended from the crack, connecting to Zhou Mi's brow.

That is the channel for the power of the Heavenly Demon.

Ye Yun raised the Sword of Law and aimed it at that line.

"cut."

A sword fell.

The sword of law struck the black line, causing it to tremble violently and crack.

Zhou Mi let out a scream, a sound that was not human. His body began to become unstable, sometimes swelling into a monster, sometimes shrinking back into human form. Black mist spewed out from his body, like a ruptured container.

The Heavenly Demon was enraged.

From the crack, a huge claw emerged.

The claw was as big as a millstone, covered in black scales, and its nails were as sharp as scimitars. The claw went straight for Ye Yun, moving so fast that it was impossible to see.

Ye Yun wanted to dodge, but her body was no longer under her control.

The giant claw swept across his chest, sending him flying.

Ye Yun tumbled through the air, crashing through two stone pillars before coming to a stop. His chest was covered in blood, the flesh torn open, revealing the bone underneath.

"Ye Yun!" Ning Yao shouted.

She rushed over and found that Ye Yun was still alive, but he was barely breathing.

Ye Yun lay on the ground, looking at the crack above his head, and his lips twitched.

"Cut...it's broken..." he said, his voice barely audible.

The black line connecting the Heavenly Demon and Zhou Mi, though not completely severed, had begun to crack. Zhou Mi's power began to fluctuate wildly, sometimes surging to a suffocating level, and sometimes plummeting to rock bottom.

Chen Ping'an climbed out of the rubble, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked at Zhou Mi on the altar.

Zhou Mi stood in the center of the altar, arms outstretched, as the power of the Heavenly Demon surged wildly into his body. His eyes had turned completely black, with no whites, resembling two black holes.

"You will all die!" he roared. "I will use your blood as a sacrifice to the Heavenly Demon!"

Within the crack, the eye shifted and looked at Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an gripped the first and fifteenth of the lunar month tightly, his eyes calm.

He glanced back at Ye Yun lying on the ground, then at A Liang and Zuo You who were panting, and finally at Ning Yao who was supporting Ye Yun.

Then he turned around and faced Zhou Mi.

"Come here," he said.