Chapter 433: Snow Stops and Holds Snow

When Xu Fengnian came alone, wielding twelve swords and running with his saber, Han Diaosi didn't pay much attention to him. He considered the borrowing of power from a dark entity to be insignificant; the sword-wielding technique of the Wu Family Sword Tomb was not much superior to his own Red Serpent Attaching Dragon. The Man-Cat was more focused on the distance between Xu Fengnian and the twin dark entity. Since they were telepathically connected, it was no surprise they mutually supplemented each other's cultivation. Han Diaosi wanted to know how far their forms could stretch. Previously, the dark entity had hidden in the snow, more than thirty *zhang* away from Xu Fengnian. Now, Xu Fengnian seemed to attack alone, but the red-robed dark entity was actually following like a shadow from afar, moving in unison, ethereal and elusive. The dark entity's wide robe, like an actor shaking their water sleeves, flowed smoothly, consistently maintaining eighteen *zhang*, not an inch further or closer. It seemed eighteen *zhang* was the optimal distance for their cultivation to flow between them.

After unsheathing his saber and landing a disarming strike, Xu Fengnian was not eager to make a second strike. Within three to ten *zhang*, the twelve complete "sword embryos" gifted by Deng Tai'a were dazzling, their trajectories strange, and his sword-wielding technique had reached its peak. Yet, it merely followed the eight-character principle: "where the mind is, there the sword tip points." Surprisingly, Xu Fengnian exposed his weakness, doing the opposite, deliberately distracting himself and letting the flying swords randomly spin, throw, and strike, like children fighting or a shrew blindly clawing at a face, completely lacking the style of a master who brings order out of chaos. Han Diaosi sneered inwardly, strolling leisurely, extending his index finger to point in the air, flicking away each sword before it could get within a *zhang* of him.

If Xu Fengnian had dared to fully concentrate on wielding his swords, given Han Diaosi's understanding of the Finger Profound realm, he would have made the young man suffer greatly. "Finger Profound," or "tapping a finger to ask for longevity," is merely a biased saying by those who revere Taoism. The mysteries of Finger Profound go far beyond that. All things operate with a certain order, from the ebb and flow of tides, the waxing and waning of the moon, down to the blossoming and wilting of flowers, and the subtle stirring of wind. Possessing Finger Profound, like falling snow from the sky, means that in Han Diaosi's eyes, within his line of sight, every snowflake, whether falling or yet to fall, has a clear, discernible trajectory. The clarity and subtlety of these ineffable trajectories are also related to the level of one's Finger Profound realm: upon first entering, it's blurry; after long practice and deepening cultivation, it becomes increasingly clear.

Back when the Wu Family Sword Tomb used nine swords to break ten thousand cavalry, most of them died in battle. Among them, Wu Cao'an, whose realm was only mid-to-high level and who stopped at Finger Profound his entire life, was incomparable to his two Celestial Phenomena fellow disciples. Yet, in the battle on the grasslands, when the nine combined their swords, he was the undisputed "sword tip," killing a full 3,700 cavalry with his blade until Wu Cao'an died of exhaustion, at which point others took over the "sword tip" position. Wu Cao'an, as the sword attendant of that generation's Sword Paragon, followed his master out of the tomb for experience and never sparred with anyone. After the Sword Paragon became famous, Wu Cao'an went alone, facing Jieshi to the east, watching the great river flow east to the sea in the west, and entered Finger Profound overnight. Finally, he rushed to the source of the great river, and with one person and one sword, followed the river eastward. When he reached the sea, his Finger Profound had reached its peak. No wonder later generations jokingly said that Wu Cao'an accomplished in just twenty days what other martial artists spent a lifetime doing. For you to face me, Han Diaosi, with the Celestial Phenomena cultivation of a dark entity is to seek your own death. To challenge me, Han Diaosi, with Finger Profound, though ingenious and a deliberate attempt to find a new path, is merely delaying your demise.

Han Diaosi familiarized himself with the chaotic habits of the twelve flying swords within the span of half an incense stick, then began to clear the mess. He stepped down heavily, extended his left thumb and forefinger, unexpectedly grasped the hilt of a flying sword, and despite its vibrating sharpness, closed his fingers, snapping the sword with a bang. His right hand, with its red threads, stirred the waters; he stretched out a hand, entangled two long, narrow swords, pulled back, and the twin swords twisted into a ball in the Man-Cat's clenched fist.

Han Diaosi casually tossed aside the destroyed flying swords, then with a fluid motion, chuckled, "Only when Deng Tai'a uses these twelve swords do they truly matter."

Xu Fengnian's mind remained calm and unruffled. He raised his right hand, finally using his will to guide the remaining nine swords, sending them crashing down on Han Diaosi from above in the manner of an immortal stroking a great peak. His left hand, holding the Beiliang Saber, surged forward fearlessly, a "green dragon" bursting from his sleeve, stabbing directly at Han Diaosi. The black-clad Man-Cat's expression was serene. As the sword rain poured down, he stepped out of the sword formation in a single stride. Although the nine flying swords struck his back after missing, Han Diaosi completely ignored them. He simply strode forward to meet the "green dragon" from the sleeve, smashing the powerful *gangqi* emanating from the Beiliang Saber with one palm. The *gangqi* exploded outwards, scattering, even causing Han Diaosi's silver temples to blow wildly. Still, the Man-Cat pushed the tip of the Beiliang Saber with his palm, hooked his five fingers, and gripped the Beiliang Saber tightly, saying, "The Beiliang Iron Cavalry, the Beiliang Saber—when the wielder changes, it's nothing more than this."

Before Xu Fengnian could let go, Han Diaosi raised his hand, lifting the saber, and kicked Xu Fengnian in the abdomen. Xu Fengnian's body seemed unharmed, but the surrounding snow rippled with chaotic energy, like a boiling oil pot, and the ground cracked thunderously. Han Diaosi frowned. Since the young man carried a sheatheless sword on his back, he was still unwilling to abandon his saber. Han Diaosi's palm pulled the saber tip back, and the saber's hilt struck Xu Fengnian's chest like a clapper hitting a bell. Xu Fengnian only paled, but the red-robed dark entity eighteen *zhang* away had already spat out a mouthful of crimson blood. Han Diaosi would not show mercy. He turned and swept a whip kick across Xu Fengnian's shoulder. Xu Fengnian was blown sideways, feet off the ground, like rootless duckweed caught in a strong wind. But because he held onto the saber tightly, his body, almost horizontal in the air, seemed unwilling to be thrown. Han Diaosi stood vertical, Xu Fengnian horizontal, and between them was the Beiliang Saber, its tip gone. The nine flying swords rushed like moths to a flame, but they all struck the thick paper of the lantern, unable to approach the Man-Cat, the wick. Seeing that this young man was utterly oblivious to death, Han Diaosi's face showed a hint of anger. A red-threaded crimson serpent quickly coiled around the Beiliang Saber. Just as it was about to envelop Xu Fengnian's hand, the latter suddenly gripped the saber hilt with both hands. Recalling his encounters with land tornadoes in Beimang, where strong winds rose and soared to the sky, and those times he risked his life to practice swordplay, Xu Fengnian's figure at this moment was like a tornado forming on flat ground. In an instant, the palms of his hands were a bloody mess. Han Diaosi responded to the unpredictable with the unchanging, releasing the saber tip and allowing the blade to spin wildly in his palm. His gaze was sinister, his voice soft and eerie, "What a 'tornado hidden in the wine immortal's cup.' Quite interesting. No wonder Li Chungang holds you in such high regard."