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

After resting for about half an hour, the group began searching the palace.

Ye Yun was the most seriously injured and was arranged to sit and rest on the altar. He didn't refuse, sat down against a stone pillar, and watched the others search through the ruins. Chen Ping'an originally wanted to stay with him, but he kicked him away.

"I won't die. Go and see if there's anything valuable."

Chen Pingan glared at him, but still went.

The palace was very large, with many rooms and secret passages surrounding the central altar. Zhou Mi had managed it for many years, and his collection must have been considerable.

Ah Liang and Zuo You went to the east side hall. Ning Yao and Chen Ping'an went to the west side. Ye Yun sat alone on the altar, closing his eyes to rest.

His physical condition was very poor. Thirty percent of his meridians were severed, the sword energy in his dantian was almost depleted, and all four of his natal flying swords were damaged, especially the three ordinary natal swords, whose cracks were so deep that they could shatter at any moment. The Sword of Law was slightly better, but it was also dim and lifeless, and its sword spirit had fallen into a deep sleep.

His hair turned white, and the color of his eyes changed. Gray, not normal gray, but the gray of the beginning of chaos, as if his eyes contained a void without heaven or earth.

He didn't know if this counted as a price, but he survived, and that was enough.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Chen Ping'an's voice came from deep within the palace.

"Boss Ye, come and take a look."

Ye Yun leaned against the stone pillar to stand up and followed the sound.

Chen Ping'an stood at the door of a secret room, holding a luminous pearl in his hand, illuminating the scene inside. The secret room was not large, about two zhang square, but it was filled with things.

Along the wall were rows of bookshelves, filled with bamboo slips and ancient books, numbering at least several hundred volumes. Various magical artifacts were piled on the floor—swords, cauldrons, and furnaces—some still glowing, others already dimmed. In the corner were several boxes of spirit stones, of considerable quality, their spiritual energy visibly concentrated.

"We're rich!" Ah Liang arrived at some point, his eyes shining.

They followed behind him, their faces expressionless, but their eyes scanned the magical artifacts.

The group entered the secret room and each looked through the contents.

Chen Ping'an wasn't very interested in the magical artifacts and spirit stones. He went straight to the bookshelf and began browsing the ancient books. He read quickly, one after another, glancing at each one before putting it down and picking up another.

"What are you looking for?" Ning Yao asked.

"Meticulous notes." Chen Ping'an didn't even look up. "He's been researching the Heavenly Demon for so many years, he must have kept records. Knowing your enemy and yourself, you won't be so passive next time you encounter something like this."

Ah Liang rummaged through the pile of magical treasures and found a sword in good condition, at least the quality of a natal sword of an immortal realm cultivator. He tested its feel and put it away with satisfaction.

"This trip was worthwhile," he said with a smile, but the smile quickly faded.

Because the cost of this trip was too high.

Ye Yun didn't look at the magical artifacts or the ancient books. He went straight to the innermost part of the secret chamber and saw something in an inconspicuous corner.

A scroll of bamboo slips.

The bamboo slips were old, with rounded edges and the string had been replaced several times, showing that they had been read many times. There were no labels on the bamboo slips, but Ye Yun knew what they were the moment he picked them up.

The Way of Reincarnation Swordsmanship.

He unfolded the bamboo slips and read them from beginning to end.

From the first to the ninth level, the incantations, mental techniques, and sword techniques for each level are written clearly. There are also annotations in some places, written in messy handwriting, obviously written casually by Zhou Mi.

"The core of the Samsara Sword Dao lies in the word 'return.' Return means transformation. Transformation means cycle. Cycle means life and death. Life and death are the Dao."

Ye Yun stared at the annotation for a long time in silence.

Zhou Mi is indeed a genius. His understanding of the Dao of Reincarnation is far deeper than Ye Yun's. Ye Yun relied on the inheritance given by the system, practicing step by step, knowing the "how" but not the "why." Zhou Mi, on the other hand, relied on his own research, starting from scratch, and gradually deducing the essence of the Dao of Reincarnation.

But he took the wrong path.

The latter half of the annotation reads: "Reincarnation can reverse life and death, and one can control destiny. If one can fully master the path of reincarnation, one can transcend life and death and become the master of reincarnation. At that time, the dead can be resurrected, and the living can live forever."

Ye Yun shook his head.

Reincarnation is not something to be controlled. Reincarnation is something to be transcended. Zhou Mi misunderstood it from the beginning; he treated reincarnation as a tool, a means to achieve his goals. Therefore, he ultimately embarked on the path of cooperating with the Heavenly Demon, because he wanted to use the Heavenly Demon's power to forcibly control reincarnation.

He failed.

It's not because he's not strong enough, but because he's going in the wrong direction.

Ye Yun rolled up the bamboo slip and put it into his robes. This thing would be useful to him; once his injuries healed, he could comprehend the later levels.

He continued searching in the corner and found several more scrolls of notes on the study of the Heavenly Demons. These notes recorded Zhou Mi's thirty years of research, covering everything from the origins, habits, and weaknesses of the Heavenly Demons to methods of summoning and sealing them.

Ye Yun put these away as well. These notes were too important; he wouldn't be completely clueless if he encountered the Heavenly Demon again.

He stopped when he found the last item in the corner.

A small box.

Made of wood, about the size of a palm, it was engraved with runes. The runes were intricate, but faded, clearly indicating that many years had passed. The box had no lock, but was sealed by a faint force, which was almost dissipating.

Ye Yun opened the box.

Inside is a crystal.

The crystal was small, about the size of a thumb, and transparent, containing a wisp of something. It wasn't a remnant soul like Nangong Pushe's, but something else entirely.

Ye Yun stared at it for a long time before recognizing what it was.

A wisp of a remnant soul.

It wasn't a complete remnant soul, only a wisp, as faint as a candle flame in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment. The remnant soul was sealed in crystal, slumbering, devoid of any consciousness.

Whose is this?

Ye Yun opened Zhou's meticulous research notes and found the answer.

"My deceased wife, Lady Su, perished at the hands of the demon race, her soul scattered, leaving only a wisp of her spirit. For thirty years, I have searched the entire world, but have not found a way to resurrect her. Only the Heavenly Demon possesses the power to reverse life and death. If I can make a deal with the Heavenly Demon, perhaps I can save Su'er."

Ye Yun closed his notebook and looked at the faint remnant soul inside the crystal.

Zhou Mi did all this in order to resurrect his wife.

He traversed the desolate wilderness, studied the celestial demons, sacrificed countless lives, and nearly destroyed the entire world. Everything he did was for this wisp of remnant soul.

Ye Yun remained silent for a long time.

He thought of himself. For three hundred years, he too had been waiting for someone, and searching for a way to resurrect someone. He and Zhou Mi were essentially the same.

The difference is that Zhou Mi chose to destroy everything, while he chose to seal the Heavenly Demon.

If he hadn't met Chen Ping'an, hadn't opened that tavern on the Sword Qi Great Wall, and hadn't slowly let go of his obsession during the long wait, would he have become like Zhou Mi?

he does not know.

Maybe yes, maybe no.

But there is no answer to this question anymore.

Ye Yun put the crystal back into the box and closed the lid.

He took the box and left the secret chamber, walked to the altar, and found Zhou Mi's body. The body had turned to dust, leaving only a blurry human-shaped outline and a pool of grayish-white ashes.

Ye Yun squatted down and placed the box next to the ashes.

"Zhou Mi, you're a fool too," he said softly, "but you've gone down the wrong path."

He paused, looked at the box, and then glanced at the faint remnant soul inside the crystal.

"If you were still here, seeing her like this would surely break your heart."

Ye Yun stood up, turned around, and left.

He didn't take the crystal. It belonged to Zhou Mi and should remain with him. As for that wisp of remnant soul, perhaps it would dissipate one day, perhaps never. But that was Zhou Mi's obsession, not his.

Chen Ping'an emerged from the secret chamber, carrying a stack of ancient books. Seeing Ye Yun approaching from the altar, he asked, "Where did you go?"

"I went to return something," Ye Yun said.

Chen Ping'an didn't ask any further questions.

The group inventoried the contents of the secret chamber, taking what was useful and leaving the rest behind. The magical treasures and spirit stones were divided, while the ancient books and notes were kept by Chen Ping'an.

Aside from the bamboo scroll containing the Reincarnation Sword Technique and several scrolls of Heavenly Demon research notes, Ye Yun took nothing else. He wasn't interested in magic treasures or spirit stones; what he needed most right now was time to heal his injuries and thoroughly comprehend the later levels of the Reincarnation Sword Technique.

Ah Liang had the biggest haul, having looted several magical artifacts, and he couldn't stop grinning. He picked up a spare sword from either side; it was of good quality, much better than his previous one, which had been twisted into a pretzel.

Ning Yao didn't take anything, saying that these magical artifacts were stained with blood and she wasn't used to using them.

Chen Ping'an held a stack of ancient books, his expression serious. He was already flipping through one of them, a research notebook about the weaknesses of the Heavenly Demons. He read quickly, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"What's wrong?" Ye Yun asked.

"His meticulous research is far more in-depth than we imagined." Chen Ping'an looked up. "He not only studied the methods for summoning the Heavenly Demons, but also the methods for sealing them. If the Sword Qi Great Wall had possessed these things back then, perhaps..."

He didn't continue.

Ye Yun understood what he meant.

If these studies had been conducted back then, perhaps the Great Wall of Swords wouldn't have fallen, and perhaps many people wouldn't have died.

But there are no "what ifs" in life.

"Take them back," Ye Yun said. "Give them to the right people. You'll need them later."

Chen Ping'an nodded.

The group took one last look at the palace and the crystal box on the altar before turning and leaving.

As I stepped out of the palace gates, the sunlight streamed down.

The wild sky had cleared up, although dark clouds were still rolling in the distance, at least the area overhead was blue.

Ye Yun walked at the very back. He glanced back at the palace. The black building looked somewhat dilapidated in the sunlight, like an empty shell that had lost all its power.

Zhou Mi is dead, the Heavenly Demon has been sealed away, and this farce is over.

But Ye Yun knew that this was just the beginning.

He touched the bamboo scrolls in his arms; the fourth to ninth levels of the Reincarnation Sword Dao were enough for him to study for a long time. Once he mastered them, his swordsmanship would reach a new level.

At that time, he still had one thing to do.

The promise with Chen Ping'an.

To resolve the cause and effect.

Ye Yun withdrew his gaze, turned around, and followed the others on their journey home.

In the distance, the outline of the vast world has already appeared on the horizon.