Chapter 431: Snowfall

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He Xinliang

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《[Title of Work]》 by Zongheng, Author: Fenghuo Xizhuhou

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Han Diaosi rolled up his sleeves under everyone's gaze. Fine threads of red string floated like crimson snakes, clustered densely like mayflies, a terrifying sight. Giving life to inanimate objects has always been a symbol of a Celestial Phenomenon Realm master. For example, Chen Zhibao could turn plum wine from green to purple, which, besides the plum wine's inherent quality, was largely related to his sudden ascension to a Confucian Sage. Most sword immortals throughout history could also imbue an ordinary sword with spiritual essence, just as eminent monks could make stones nod in understanding.

Han Diaosi did not rush to strike while the iron was hot. He joined two fingers, wiping across the "red cloud" on his arm. The more relaxed and calm the Man-Cat appeared, the more suffocating the pressure felt by the thousand people opposite him. Some sharp-eyed individuals, especially the "hawks and hounds" from the Northern Liang stronghold, had already guessed Han Diaosi's identity. This influential eunuch had a tumultuous life, facing countless enemies. His martial arts achievements had always been a mystery. When he was still young, Han Shengxuan burst onto the scene by stripping the armor of Fu Jiang Hongjia, which heralded the beginning of a new generation in the pugilistic world. Subsequently, Fengdu Lü Pao mysteriously disappeared, and Wang Xiu, the Spear Immortal of the North, died at the hands of his disciple Chen Zhibao. Even formidable figures like Li Chungang, after the battle at Guangling River, concluded his unique era of "Green Robe and Flowing Style" jianghu with the "borrowed sword" incident.

Han Diaosi looked at the unconventional young man opposite him, a slight sneer on his lips. Initially, he hadn't expected this person to dare to charge ahead alone. Normally, the higher one's position, the more one cherishes blessings, fate, and life. Fortune is like water; if one doesn't carefully conserve and gather it, let alone extending blessings to descendants, one may not even preserve oneself, as exemplified by the literary doyen, Old Master Song. However, with Han Diaosi's discerning eye, after one move, he could tell that the Northern Liang Scion's aura was merely a lesser form of borrowed power. Daoism has the invocation of deities from heaven, and Buddhism has the descent of Dharma images for subjugation; both are considered unorthodox but have orthodox roots. The most sinister are the witchcraft and voodoo of the Southern Frontier, which borrow power from malevolent spirits and evil entities, forming mother-child puppets. Han Diaosi knew that Xu Fengnian was temporarily borrowing power from a malevolent spirit, but what truly astonished him was that such a crude act—'harming a thousand enemies while incurring eight hundred self-inflicted wounds'—seemed to result in surprisingly little backlash for Xu Fengnian. Even after being forced back by a palm strike to the head, he still managed to maintain his composure, his vital energy undisturbed, preventing him from reverting to his original form. Han Diaosi was too lazy to ask and disdained wasting words on a dying man. Whether it was a donkey or a mule, the only way to tell was to take it out for a walk.

Han Diaosi performed a gesture that struck everyone as comical: he bent down and loosely packed a snowball, likely not very firm. Many old people, as they age, develop an inexplicable childlike disposition, but who would think Han Diaosi was so inept?

Han Diaosi obliquely opened his palm and gently pushed. The snowball fell to the ground, not directly down, but veering off the post road where much unswept snow lay, perhaps two feet deep in the deepest parts. The snowball, initially smaller than a fist, began to roll slowly, then in a flash, it became as swift as a wild horse galloping through a trough, like thunder rolling above white clouds. It grew larger and larger, half a man's height after three zhang, and two men's height after ten zhang. Thereafter, its momentum compounded, becoming even more shocking. The snowball scraped the earth, not only picking up two feet of snow but also grinding grooves into the ground, hard as ice ruts, causing its surface to be covered in greyish-yellow dirt. This snowball arced outside the post road, fiercely rushing towards Xu Fengnian, who was twenty zhang away from Han Diaosi.

Han Diaosi reached out with both hands, scooped up two clumps of snow, then clapped, sending two snowballs rolling. As if playing a snowball fight with two groups of people, Han Diaosi continuously scooped up snowballs and then sent them out in a semi-arc. One should know that this time he was alone, challenging a thousand people. Among these thousand should have been Xuanyuan Qingfeng of Huishan, who ultimately was absent; the heir to the Momentary Spear; Wang Xiaoping, the Wudang Sword Fool with three swords; naturally, Xu Fengnian and the Celestial Phenomenon malevolent spirit, who were kindred spirits; and also Northern Liang "hawks and hounds" like Lu Song, Wang Lin, and Ren Shanyu.

The snowballs surged, varying in speed, yet tacitly formed a rolling tide. Consequently, the single massive snowball that first rushed towards Xu Fengnian stood out particularly.

No one was foolish enough to wait for death. The young general Wang Lin, who had already decided to stake everything, sneered, "Charge!" Fifty iron cavalry emerged in unison, launching their charge simultaneously. Hoofbeats changed from light and slow to rapid and heavy. Snow instantly splattered on the post road, and the clean, white expanse along their advancing path transformed into dark, muddy ground.

Besides Wang Lin and his fifty heavily armored cavalry, whose presence seemed slightly out of place with the local geography, Ren Shanyu, still possessing a childlike face at thirty, along with twenty elite Northern Liang spies, also swept forward. She exerted herself to calm her mind and focus, feeling the world clear around her. This woman, with her unique talent in martial arts, heard her own slow breaths resounding in her ears, a sound no less powerful than the thundering hooves. This steadied her heart, which had felt fear towards Han Diaosi blocking the road outside the city. "I, Ren Shanyu, alone may not catch the Man-Cat's eye, but I am no paper doll made of paste, to be easily broken. Besides, I still have a thousand elite cavalry by my side!"

Wang Xiaoping emerged from the carriage, one hand reaching behind him to discreetly grasp Fenghui, one of his three swords.

Young Wu had, at some point, appeared on the carriage roof, one hand holding a massive horn bow, the other gripping two heavy iron arrows. The muscles in his arms gradually bulged like hills. "One arrow a day" was originally the physical limit for this young deathsworn, but in today's battle, with no thought of even surviving, what did it matter if he crippled an arm?

The moment the woman in green pulled out the Momentary Spear, its tip blunted, from under the carriage, she ran with it trailing behind her, her face expressionless. From his elevated vantage point, Young Wu used the "Thousand Jin Drop" technique to stabilize himself. The carriage swayed, and its wheels immediately sank, crushing several ice ruts. This deathsworn, who hailed from Beiman, took a deep breath, then in one fluid motion, drew his great bow, pointing the arrow at Han Diaosi. But the young man's face quickly changed dramatically. The unique "Guidance" technique taught by his master, foolproof in countless trials—once a bridge was crossed, even Xue Songguan from the Rainy Lane could block it but not evade it—had never been severed by anyone. However, the old man in black taught Young Wu the meaning of "there is always a higher power." He vanished in a flash right before Wu's eyes. The energy tether created by his archery, which relied on being a continuous yet subtle connection, was completely broken. Thus, Young Wu lost a round before even fighting, his peak spiritual energy instantly crumbling. This left the rather arrogant young man somewhat bewildered. After gritting his teeth, the arrow tip began to slightly shift with the horn bow as he stubbornly sought Han Diaosi's trace.

The snowball, positioned ahead of the white tide, resembled a small mountain, crushing forward with immense force.

Xu Fengnian allowed the snowball to come straight at him, frowning slightly. He didn't quite understand why the old eunuch would resort to such an inferior tactic. Li Chungang had once explicitly stated that controlling a thousand swords to kill one person was fundamentally different from killing a thousand people. The former could achieve a perfect integration of sword intent and technique. Hence, in the battle by the Guangling River, the old man in sheepskin's sword strike, merely a "Rolling Dragon Wall of Sword Qi"—which wasn't considered the most ingenious move in Li Chungang's sword career—persisted for a full half-hour, facing nearly ten thousand iron cavalry poised for battle. There were no flashy sword forms; it was a desperate stand against a thousand enemies, a battle that could be hailed as shaking heaven and earth and moving gods and ghosts. Yet, to fortunate survivors who witnessed it, there was nothing spectacular about the scene; every move aimed to kill instantly or, at worst, severely wound. Han Diaosi was not some greenhorn with an empty reputation but the most cunning "man-cat" in the world, skilled at trapping his prey. Regardless of cultivation level, purely in terms of practical combat experience, Han Diaosi was arguably the undisputed number one in the Liyang Dynasty.

Xu Fengnian had the Celestial Phenomenon Realm cultivation bestowed upon him by the crimson-robed malevolent spirit, an inner power so vast and unparalleled that it surpassed even his previous six-tenths incomplete Grand Yellow Court. It could be said that in today's battle, Xu Fengnian had never been so confident, almost to the point of being conceited. Xu Fengnian discarded his doubts and distractions, stepped forward, and punched the snowball. As the snowball, propelled by its rolling momentum, surged down, the instant Xu Fengnian shattered it with his punch, more than half of his Celestial Phenomenon Realm cultivation, like a bursting dam, dissipated. Xu Fengnian's arm immediately bent with a forced curve. Having endured a series of life-and-death battles during his journey to Beiman, he felt no anxiety. Relying solely on instinct, he changed his fist to a palm, performed a scholar's salute, and, adapting to the momentum, took a step back. He then dragged the snowball upwards, not to break it, but merely to disrupt the upward force it generated from being rooted to the ground. Then, he turned his body diagonally, charging with his shoulder. Relying solely on his Diamond Realm physique, he forcefully collided with the snowball, using his body as a blade. With the "Opening Shu" style, he literally cleaved the snowball in two. Although the two halves continued to roll forward, their momentum was broken, and they disintegrated and melted after five or six zhang.

Xu Fengnian stood unmoving, one hand grasping the saber at his waist.

After he broke the snow, the other fifty Northern Liang iron cavalry also largely succeeded, destroying the snowballs mostly through the combined efforts of pairs of riders. However, half of the heavily armored cavalry suffered heavy casualties because after the snowballs were cleaved by sabers or pierced and exploded by spears, tiny, invisible red strings shot out, leaping like venomous snakes from the grass, delivering fatal bites to the iron cavalry. The most gruesome deaths involved over a dozen cavalrymen, both riders and horses, crashing into the suspended threads, being cut into two pieces, and instantly falling dead onto the muddy ground. Lives that were vibrant just a moment ago often perished instantly in such battles, leaving no room for reflection.

Xu Fengnian understood, a bitter feeling in his heart. The Man-Cat had masterfully executed a "drawing the firewood from under the cauldron" tactic. He wasn't focused on a protracted struggle with Xu Fengnian, his intended kill target, but rather aimed at the malevolent spirit Xu Ying. As the snowball passed in a line, the red-robed malevolent spirit, which had been lurking in the snow like a fish swimming in water, lost all room to maneuver. It was clearly caught in a "draining the pond to catch the fish" situation. Yet, it had no apparent flaw. As a snowball rolled by, the crimson-robed figure quietly floated in front of one, doing its best to conceal itself and resonate with the world, thus possessing many unique divine abilities. If it weren't for the thousand cavalry on their side witnessing it firsthand, even Wang Xiaoping probably wouldn't have dared to claim he could detect the malevolent spirit consistently hiding behind the other side of the snowball.

But Han Diaosi was not Wang Xiaoping.

The silver-haired influential eunuch, no longer wearing the bright red python robe of the imperial palace today, immediately swept behind that snowball. The Man-Cat and the malevolent spirit were a zhang apart, and although neither side could detect the slightest trace of the other's vital energy, both adversaries were truly aware of each other's presence. The malevolent spirit, left with no choice, hastily retracted four-tenths of its Celestial Phenomenon cultivation. Its arms tore open the snowball, and almost simultaneously, the old black-clad Man-Cat drilled through it. With one hand behind his back, he struck the malevolent spirit's compassionate form with the other. The crimson-robed malevolent spirit's disadvantage lay in a moment of hesitation when retracting its cultivation. If it were a character as cold-blooded as Xu Fengnian, let alone four-tenths of his cultivation, he would have retracted eight-tenths of his Celestial Phenomenon power to confidently block Han Diaosi's formidable strike!

The malevolent spirit's two arms gripped the Man-Cat's hand and began to tear, while its other arms violently struck the Man-Cat's temples.

Han Diaosi sneered, "A foolish creature unaware of its own impending death." Several red threads, like swimming snakes, emerged from behind him, swaying around the malevolent spirit, completely severing its connection with Xu Fengnian, who still retained six-tenths of his cultivation. Han Diaosi didn't need to exert his full strength; his entire body became covered in crimson threads. Aside from the two arms that tore the snowball, the malevolent spirit's other four arms were contaminated by this vibrant red, spreading across its magnificent crimson robe like a bone-deep gangrene. The two arms gripping Han Diaosi's hand continued to tear with all their might, and the arms striking towards his temples still pressed forward. Moreover, despite the bone-piercing pain, its free hands slammed down onto his chest, determined to shatter Han Diaosi's middle and lower dantians.

Even after being struck by Han Diaosi's "Red Snake Attaches to True Dragon"—a technique from the emperor's chief eunuch, the foremost expert in the world—the malevolent spirit's compassionate form showed no sign of abnormality.

Even someone as resolute as Wang Xiaoping was moved.

Ignoring the malevolent spirit's four bloody and mangled arms, Han Diaosi sneered, "Another Celestial Phenomenon master to kill!" The right hand, which had been behind his back, finally swung out. The arm that had been gripped was pushed forward, extending the distance between them. Han Diaosi's right hand, covered in "crimson snakes," countered the malevolent spirit's own method. It gripped one of the malevolent spirit's arms and pulled it back! An arm, severed from a body, swung through the air behind Han Diaosi.

Facing the Man-Cat, a single misstep meant complete defeat.

The compassionate form remained as still as an ancient well, its movements continuing with almost rigid foolishness, seeking only relentless entanglement!

Han Diaosi was about to tear off the malevolent spirit's second arm. A white-clad figure sprinted forward, the Northern Liang saber drawn from its sheath. "Disarm!"

Han Diaosi, who had once stripped Fu Jiang Hongjia, one of the four grandmasters of his era, of his skin and armor, naturally wouldn't allow this attacking junior to imitate that feat. He let out a loud laugh, flung the malevolent spirit away, and retreated.

The ground ripped open, forming a bottomless gully.

In this bloody battle, Han Diaosi was clearly not going to feign aloofness or put on airs. To kill Xu Fengnian, he would meticulously resort to any means. Such a "Tenth Master Under Heaven" was truly the most terrifying.

Xu Fengnian, with his left-hand saber, did not press the attack. He turned towards the malevolent spirit, which was drifting and landing. The malevolent spirit, now in its Joyful Aspect and with only one of its five remaining arms, tugged at Xu Fengnian's sleeve, as if telling him it was fine.

In the remaining sparse snow, there was only blood.

Xu Fengnian raised his sleeve, then resolutely turned and rushed towards Han Diaosi. Twelve flying swords flew out in a scattered manner, reaching the peak of the Finger-Mysteries Realm.

On the same day, at the same time, in Wudi City on the coast of the East Sea. A one-armed old man, behaving rather unreliably, pinched a piece of sword with his fingers, put it into his mouth and chewed it. He entered the city in a carefree, unrestrained manner, humming softly and indistinctly:

"Whose young lad does not bear the broken wooden sword?Whose young hero does not bear the Northern Liang saber?"

Collapse replies:2013-10-03 23:34: Bring it on!2013-10-03 23:34: Squeeze in.2013-10-03 23:35: Wahahaha!2013-10-03 23:35: Squeeze in.2013-10-03 23:35: First time in the front row, I'm so nervous! Are there any unwritten rules? Do I need to strip? What should I say? How many words do I need to type to sound eloquent? Will what I'm writing be too flashy? Will others not understand how profound I am? So excited! How can I pretend to be a regular in the front row? So nervous!2013-10-03 23:35

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