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

When Ye Yun woke up, the battle was still going on.

He didn't know how long he had been unconscious; it might have been only a few breaths, or it might have been the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. The battle on the altar had reached a fever pitch. Chen Ping'an, A Liang, Zuo You, and Ning Yao were attacking Zhou Mi relentlessly, but none of them could gain the upper hand.

Zhou Mi stood in the center of the altar, his body shrouded in black mist. His power fluctuated wildly; one moment he exuded the pressure of an Immortal Realm expert, the next he had plummeted to the Jade Purity Realm. The crack that Ye Yun had created prevented the Heavenly Demon's power from being transmitted steadily.

Even so, Zhou Mi is still very strong.

Chen Ping'an was covered in wounds, and the light he shone on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month had dimmed considerably. A Liang's left arm hung limply at his side, seemingly broken, but his right hand still gripped his sword, relentlessly striking Zhou Mi. His swords were twisted into a pretzel; he switched to a spare, though not as nimble as his natal sword, it was still deadly in his hands. Ning Yao's face was as white as paper; her internal injuries had worsened, and with each strike, a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of her mouth.

The four of them, working together, barely managed to fight Zhou Mi to a draw.

But Ye Yun could tell that they wouldn't last long.

Although Zhou Mi's power fluctuated, the overall trend was upward. The Heavenly Demon was slowly repairing the connection, and the rift was healing. Once the rift was completely healed and Zhou Mi's power stabilized, the four would undoubtedly die.

Ye Yun pushed himself up from the ground, his whole body aching as if it were about to fall apart. He glanced down at the wound on his chest; the flesh was torn open, revealing the bone underneath. The blood had mostly drained away, and the skin around the wound was black and purple—dead flesh.

He took a deep breath, endured the excruciating pain, and closed his eyes.

The light returns and unfolds.

Time seemed to slow down in his perception, so slow that he could see the trajectory of every sword aura, the splatter of every drop of blood, and the flow of every wisp of black mist.

He's looking for it.

Find a way.

A path to victory.

They'd rehearsed the scenario countless times, and the outcome was always the same. They couldn't win. Zhou Mi was too strong; the power of the Heavenly Demon was too immense. Even if they fought with all their might, the best they could hope for was mutual destruction with Zhou Mi.

But what about the cracks?

The Heavenly Demon is still behind the rift, its black eye still watching everything. Even if they kill Zhou Mi, the rift won't disappear. The Heavenly Demon will find another sacrifice sooner or later, and descend once more.

Ye Yun performed the calculation again.

This time, he changed his approach.

Do not kill Zhou Mi, but seal the crack.

If the rift is sealed, the Heavenly Demon won't be able to get in. Zhou Mi will be useless without the Heavenly Demon's power. At that point, it won't matter whether we kill him or not.

But how do we seal it?

After repeatedly deducing the solution in his final moments, Ye Yun finally found a way.

Samsara Sword Domain.

His Samsara Sword Domain is essentially a manifestation of the Cycle of Reincarnation. What is reincarnation? It is the cycle of life and death, the place where all things end and begin. The Heavenly Demon comes from beyond the heavens and is not within the cycle of reincarnation in this world. But if one uses the Samsara Sword Domain to envelop the rift and drag it into reincarnation, it is equivalent to using the rules of this world to seal something from outside the rules.

It is theoretically feasible.

But what's the cost?

Ye Yun continued his deductions, his face growing paler and paler.

To drag the rift into reincarnation, he needs to use himself as the array's core and reverse the operation of the Reincarnation Sword Domain. The sword domain will then become a massive vortex, sucking in the rift along with everything around it.

The rift will be sealed, and part of the demon's body will be dragged into reincarnation.

But he himself will also get involved.

Within the cycle of reincarnation, there is no direction, no time, no end. He might be trapped within it forever, drifting through endless space and time until his consciousness dissipates. Or he might be torn apart by the power of reincarnation, his soul scattered and gone.

The most optimistic outcome is that all cultivation is lost, turning one into a useless person.

Ye Yun opened his eyes and looked at the battle on the altar.

Chen Ping'an was sent flying by Zhou Mi's palm strike, tumbling through the air and spitting out blood. He forced a turn in mid-air and thrust his sword at the back of Zhou Mi's neck, the tip penetrating an inch, black blood gushing out.

Zhou Mi roared and swung his claws back, leaving five bloody marks on Chen Ping'an's chest.

Chen Ping'an landed, staggered a couple of steps, but did not fall.

He rushed up again.

Ye Yun stared at Chen Ping'an's retreating figure in silence for a long time.

He recalled meeting Chen Ping'an for the first time three hundred years ago at the Sword Qi Great Wall. Back then, Chen Ping'an was a young man, carrying two swords on his back, his eyes as clear as a pool of water. He came to the tavern for a drink, and when he finished, he had no money to pay and asked to pay on credit.

Ye Yun said, "What's the point of drinking if you don't have money?"

Chen Pingan said, "There will be more in the future."

Ye Yun smiled and poured him a glass.

Later, as they became more familiar, Ye Yun asked him, "Why did you come to the Sword Qi Great Wall?"

Chen Pingan said, "Find someone."

"Did you find it?"

"Found it."

"Who?"

Chen Pingan smiled but did not answer.

Ye Yun later learned that he was looking for Ning Yao.

Later, Chen Ping'an became the guardian of the Sword Qi Great Wall, practicing his sword on the wall every day, slashing with each strike from morning till night. Ye Yun watched from the tavern, thinking that this man was too stubborn.

But now he understands.

It's not that I'm stubborn; it's that there are things I absolutely have to do.

Ye Yun also had things he had to do.

He took out a portrait from his pocket, unfolded it, and glanced at it.

The portrait depicts Nangong Pushe, wearing that blue dress, standing on the wall of the Sword Qi Great Wall, turning back to smile at him. He drew it from memory, having drawn it countless times, every stroke etched in his mind.

He looked at it for a long time, then carefully folded the portrait and tucked it back into his bosom.

He supported himself on his knees and stood up.

His legs were shaking, his waist was shaking, his whole body was shaking. But he stood very straight.

He walked toward the altar, each step leaving a bloody footprint in the ground. The Sword of Law followed behind him, its light faint but never extinguished.

Chen Ping'an was thrusting his sword at Zhou Mi when he suddenly sensed someone behind him. He turned around and saw Ye Yun walking towards him, and froze.

"Boss Ye? You—"

"Peace," Ye Yun interrupted him, her voice calm. "I have something to do."

Chen Ping'an looked into his eyes and a bad feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.

"What is it?"

Ye Yun did not answer. He took out the portrait from his pocket and handed it to Chen Ping'an.

"If I don't come back, burn this painting for me."

Chen Pingan did not answer.

He stared at Ye Yun's face, at those terrifyingly calm eyes, and suddenly understood something.

"What are you going to do?" His voice changed, trembling slightly.

"Peace," Ye Yun said softly, "I'm leaving the tavern to you."

"I asked you what you're going to do!" Chen Ping'an roared.

He had never yelled at Ye Yun before; this was the first time.

Ye Yun did not answer, but turned and walked towards the altar.

Chen Ping'an reached out to pull him, but his hand was stopped by another hand as soon as it touched Ye Yun's sleeve.

A Liang.

"Let him go." Ah Liang's voice was calm, but his hand holding the sword was trembling.

"Are you crazy!" Chen Ping'an shook off Ah Liang's hand. "He'll die!"

"This is his path," Ah Liang said. "You can't stop him."

Chen Ping'an stood there, stunned.

He recalled a sentence Ye Yun had said to him at the Sword Qi Great Wall: "Everyone has their own path to walk, and no one can walk it for them."

He didn't understand then, but he does now.

He realized it too late.

Ye Yun had already reached the center of the altar.

Zhou Mi was engrossed in fighting with his left and right, oblivious to him. A crack appeared three zhang above his head, its black edges slowly writhing, like the wound of a living creature. Behind the crack, a black eye was watching him.

Ye Yun ignored the eye and sat down cross-legged.

Four natal swords rose from the ground and hovered around him. The three ordinary natal swords were already dull and cracked. The Sword of Law was barely shining, with black and white light flowing across its blade.

The Samsara Sword Domain unfolds.

This time, the sword domain didn't expand outwards, but contracted inwards. The edges of the sword domain began to rotate, forming a huge vortex. At the center of the vortex was Ye Yun, and the outer perimeter of the vortex was cracks.

He will drag the cracks into reincarnation.

The Heavenly Demon sensed something; its black eye widened suddenly, and more black mist surged from the crack. The mist transformed into countless tentacles, attempting to entangle Ye Yun.

Ye Yun did not move.

The sword of law flew up and severed all the tentacles with a single strike.

He formed hand seals, reversing the flow of the Samsara Sword Technique. This was an operation he had never attempted before, and each hand gesture felt like it was tearing his meridians apart. The sword energy in his dantian began to flow backward, pouring back from his limbs and bones into his dantian, causing him excruciating pain, as if someone had set his body on fire.

Ye Yun gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, nostrils, and ears; blood was flowing from all seven orifices.

The vortex grew larger and larger, and the cracks began to tremble.

The Heavenly Demon roared, the sound not coming from the crack, but resounding directly in everyone's minds. The voice carried anger, resentment, and a hint of fear.

It is afraid.

Chen Ping'an stood at the edge of the altar, watching Ye Yun's back.

He wanted to rush forward and pull Ye Yun back. But his feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, and he couldn't take a single step.

Because Ah Liang is right.

This is Ye Yun's way.

He couldn't stop him.

He could only watch.

Watching Ye Yun sit in the center of the altar, covered in blood, blood flowing from his seven orifices, like a blood-soaked figure. Watching the vortex spin faster and faster, dragging the cracks into reincarnation bit by bit. Watching the Heavenly Demon struggle frantically, its tentacles flailing wildly, but tightly bound by the power of reincarnation.

Watching Ye Yun's life force rapidly diminish, his hair turning white, and his skin drying out.

He can't do anything.

Chen Ping'an clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm, and blood dripped down between his fingers.

"Ye Yun," he said softly, "you promised to come back alive."

Ye Yun did not hear it.

His consciousness was beginning to fade, and his five senses were gradually disappearing. He couldn't hear, see, or feel pain. Only the Samsara Sword Domain continued to operate; it was his last remaining obsession.

At the center of the vortex, a beam of light appeared.

It wasn't the black and white light of reincarnation, but a warm light, like sunlight.

In the light, there was a figure.

Nangong Pushe.

She stood in the light, wearing that light blue dress, and smiled at him.

"Brother Yun, I'll take you back."

Ye Yun looked at her and smiled.

He reached out and took her hand.

The light shone brightly.