Chapter 448: Late Snow Approaching

Liu Songtao raised his arm, holding his sword. With two fingers of his other hand, he lightly brushed his Yi Sword, his eyes resolute.

In the city, Luo Yang snapped off a dragon whisker from a fish-dragon. She twirled it lightly with her fingers, the whisker coiling around her arm. Clearly, even she wasn't very confident she could block that sword bare-handed. Just then, someone brazenly interrupted, appearing at the end of the street where Liu Songtao stood. He sprinted into the city, then slowed his pace upon seeing the grey-robed monk, walking slowly forward. He stopped about ten *zhang* away and sneered, "Is that really Liu Songtao, the Demon Sect Master? How are you getting weaker with age? What kind of hero competes with a woman?"

Liu Songtao, who had initially intended to ignore the uninvited guest, turned his head. The young lord exuded an indescribable charm, his hands tucked into his sleeves, yet still maintaining an elegant posture. Further behind him, a formidable man served as his bodyguard. Liu Songtao chuckled, thinking, "What's happening in the *jianghu* these days? Why are so many talented individuals appearing like mushrooms after rain, as if they're worthless and common?" Although this white-haired young man had borrowed the power of a netherworld entity to cross the Heavenly Phenomena threshold, he couldn't be called truly genuine. Yet, if his own foundation weren't solid, how could a small pond contain a river of floodwaters? The man behind the white-haired lord was even more formidable. Coupled with the Wudang Taoist who had spoken by the river earlier, Liu Songtao couldn't help but sigh with emotion. He mused that if ten individuals from the *jianghu* a century ago and a century later were to engage in a life-or-death battle, the outcome might not be vastly different. But if fifty were chosen, the *jianghu* of his own time would likely have no chance of victory. Liu Songtao, with his sword in hand, was poised to strike, his sword intent surging. Around him, the "sea of qi" roiled, yet he forcibly suppressed it. He smiled at the young man, saying, "It's not easy to possess such abilities at such a young age. I, Liu, will not bother with you today. A true gentleman observes a game without speaking. You are welcome to watch, but if you interfere, don't blame my sword for pointing at you. Young man, a word of advice: the netherworld entity hidden in the dark is already on the verge of collapse. Don't act impulsively; adding insult to injury now might prevent it from ever returning to the Heavenly Phenomena realm..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Songtao's magnificent sword intent vanished instantly. Without any visible movement from Liu Songtao, his Yi Sword had already moved like a great river flowing eastward. The ground and city shook non-stop for a long time, making the citizens mistakenly believe that a dormant dragon beneath the earth was causing a severe earthquake, and they fled their homes to open spaces.

Twenty *zhang* away, Luo Yang was pierced through the heart by a single sword strike.

Liu Songtao had only delivered one sword strike, yet he aged ten years in the blink of an eye.

Liu Songtao had not unleashed a single sword strike in the past century, perhaps making him the loneliest old sword immortal in the *jianghu*. Yet the strike he delivered tonight, a century later, possessed the power to shatter mountains. Liu Songtao showed no emotion, neither joy nor sorrow. He simply looked at the white-clothed woman who had risen to prominence in the *jianghu* a century later, then let out a surprised "Eh?" He murmured, "Could it be that you are one of the Left-Heart?"

Luo Yang rose from the ruins and sneered, "My turn."

Liu Songtao glanced at the white-haired young man, then turned his gaze to the female demon who had twice shaken the Beiliang court and public. He shook his head and sighed, "You both share a common plight. One had to resort to unorthodox methods to steal cultivation, while the other uses external vital energy to prolong her life. Both are helpless acts of tampering with destiny. Your lifespan isn't long to begin with. Fighting me again and again, even if you can stop me, Liu Songtao, for three hundred *li*, you'll still end up dying not long after an old man who has lived for over two *jiazi* (120 years). What's the point?"

The newcomer was, naturally, Xu Fengnian, who often brought trouble upon himself. After leaping onto the city wall, he stopped to watch from afar. Initially, he had no intention whatsoever of interfering. He didn't even bother to go to the Shangyin Academy first; upon receiving a secret message from Qing Sun, he detoured directly to this location, fearing he would miss the grand battle. Not to mention a once-in-a-century event, considering the previous epic fight between the old man in the sheepskin robe and Wang Xianzhi in the East Sea, an internal conflict between two Demon Sect Masters could certainly be considered a rare, once-in-decades battle. However, the letter had spoken of a "white-clothed man from Zhulu Mountain," so he never expected it to be Luo Yang, the woman from Beiliang who had died in the Dragon Wall River Trough! As he approached the city wall, the netherworld entity, with whom he shared a telepathic connection, informed Xu Fengnian that Luo Yang had already sensed his presence. Knowing that whether he stuck his neck out or pulled it back, he'd still face the blade, Xu Fengnian simply decided not to run. By some strange twist of fate, he felt a surge of fear when he saw Liu Songtao begin his sword strike. Frantically, he leaped down from the city wall, trying to bolster his own courage. "Anyway, I have a half-assed Heavenly Phenomena realm power at my disposal. Just join the fun, speak my mind to the old Sect Master. Surely he won't just slaughter me on the spot, right? You, Liu Songtao, a dignified former Demon Sect Master, are busy contending with the whole world. Why bother picking a fight with someone like me, who isn't even part of the *jianghu*? Isn't that reasonable? Besides, I'm used to living like a street rat in Beiliang. If things get tight, I'm pretty fast when I run, you know."

Luo Yang, who had been moving forward, didn't even spare Xu Fengnian a glance, rendering his attempts at charm utterly wasted. If Luo Yang were a woman who could be understood by common sense, she wouldn't be Luo Yang. Even Liu Songtao, seasoned by countless trials, found it perplexing. This woman clearly didn't need to fight to the death; was she too lazy to determine who was superior, and thus just going straight for a life-or-death outcome? Liu Songtao threw his head back and laughed heartily. He felt a surge of elation, as if after a century, he had finally met a true kindred spirit. He ripped off his remaining sleeve, and a second Yi Sword appeared in his hand. Perhaps it was due to the simultaneous presence of a sword immortal, a demon lord, and a netherworld entity; heaven and man resonated, drawing forth strange phenomena. A few sparse snowflakes seemed to drift down from the sky. Xu Fengnian looked up, seeing a desolate twilight where the sky threatened snow.

"Can you drink a sword?"

Liu Songtao seemed to exchange ten years of his life for that single sword strike.

However, compared to the first sword, even Xu Fengnian perceived a hint of "exerting all force at once, then weakening." The next moment, Xu Fengnian didn't even have time to curse. No wonder Liu Songtao's sword strike had slackened slightly: its tip, initially aimed at Luo Yang, veered off course just a few *zhang* from his hand, darting swiftly towards Xu Fengnian himself. Yuan Zuozong moved even earlier than Xu Fengnian, the ultimate target of the sword tip. He casually grabbed a wooden stick from the street to use as a spear and charged forward with large strides. However, the flying sword was faster than lightning. Several of Xu Fengnian's twelve gifted swords had been destroyed by Han Diaosi, but constructing a sword formation thunder pool was effortless for him. Within three *zhang* of his body, sword qi bristled. Before Yuan Zuozong could arrive, Liu Songtao's incredibly fast, invisible Yi Sword had already breached the "thunder pool," symbolizing something insurmountable. For a moment, the flying swords clattered and darted haphazardly. Xu Fengnian's mind was as still as water. He raised his hand, as if to shake Kunlun Mountain. This mountain-shattering sword forced the almost perfectly defensive Xu Fengnian to continuously slide backward. Erratic sword qi, like countless ice pickets, fiercely struck his face. The flying swords continuously collided with the Yi Sword, whose true form remained unseen. Xu Fengnian continued to retreat, suffering greatly from the sword immortal's strike, which was bought with ten years of his life.

Fortunately, Yuan Zuozong, holding the staff with both hands, simply swung it down.

A large pit exploded in the ground before Yuan Zuozong, filled with wood chips and fragments of cloth.

With the Yi Sword destroyed, Xu Fengnian stood firm and extended a finger, wiping away a smear of blood caused by the fierce sword qi.

Liu Songtao, who had suddenly decided to switch targets, was also in a bad state. He exchanged a kick with Luo Yang; her figure did not retreat, but Liu Songtao fell over ten *zhang* away, landing heavily. After several rolls, he finally managed to slap the ground, then swayed and floated back to his feet. Luo Yang clung to him like a persistent ailment. Just as Liu Songtao regained his balance, she swept him with an arm, sending him several feet off the ground. Before he could be flung sideways, Luo Yang stomped on his abdomen again, directly sending him like a broken kite another seven or eight *zhang* away. This time, Liu Songtao didn't fall. His toes hovered for a few light touches, like a dragonfly dipping into water, before he landed gently on the edge of the gully. One wrong step leads to a cascade of errors; it was as if a single misstep could lead to total defeat. As Luo Yang glided forward, she thrust out a palm. Liu Songtao's expression hardened; he leaned back, dodging Luo Yang's flying sword-nail, which had appeared in her palm at some unknown moment. Luo Yang then changed from a palm strike to an elbow strike, often delivering a blow that slammed Liu Songtao to the ground. She kicked out, and Liu Songtao crashed directly into a distant wall. When he rose from the dust, shocking black congealed blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. He gave a relaxed smile, then used two fingers to slice open his abdomen. He pinched the sword tip and pulled out a sinister flying sword that had been lodged in his back. Liu Songtao looked at the deep-scheming, white-haired young man and tsk-tsked, "What excellent tactics! Truly worthy of the words 'telepathic connection.' Even in a moment of life and death, you didn't forget to lend a sword once and pause a sword once, both exquisitely executed. Indeed, my sword strike against you was not wasted."

Not only was there no anger on Liu Songtao's face, but rather a hint of delight. He gently tossed the sword that had pierced him back to Xu Fengnian. "It's not easy to cultivate a sword embryo. Wei Cao is unworthy of the title 'Sword Immortal.' Sui Xiegu, who was as young as you back then, was quite extraordinary. It's a pity I, Liu, don't know whether he's alive or dead, otherwise you could learn swordsmanship from him. Ordinary martial artists believe there can be no second best, fearing being surpassed and losing their reputation in old age. But true masters of the sword way never fear being surpassed by the younger generation; they only fear that the tradition of swordsmanship will decline with each successive generation. Young man, what is your name?"

Xu Fengnian cautiously asked in return, "Sui Xiegu, does he like to eat swords?"

Liu Songtao nodded with a smile, "That lad declared back then that he wanted to challenge the strongest martial artists in the world and 'eat' the finest swords. When I went into seclusion to practice my swordsmanship, it was this persistent loser, who grew stronger with each defeat, who guarded my retreat."

Xu Fengnian took a deep breath. "Old man Sui and I have a great feud, but grudges must be distinguished from kindness. He also granted me a sword's favor."

Liu Songtao waved his hand. "That's between the two of you; it has nothing to do with me."

Luo Yang glanced at Xu Fengnian, who immediately fell silent.

Luo Yang lightly flicked her finger, and an object shot towards Liu Songtao. He caught it, his expression complex, and quietly asked, "Is that you? How is that possible?"

Luo Yang remained expressionless.

Liu Songtao, who had originally intended to fight to the death, sighed. He flicked the object back, his gaze strange. "Even if I saw them, it wouldn't be that person anymore."

Luo Yang's expression remained cold. "If there's nothing else, just get lost."

Liu Songtao burst into hearty laughter, then vanished in a flash. As he exited the city and headed east, the demon lord who had stirred up a bloody storm a century ago muttered to himself, "So there are still people more infatuated than I."

Luo Yang's smile didn't reach her eyes; she stared intently at Xu Fengnian. "Woman?"

*She really holds a grudge,* Xu Fengnian thought. *Why doesn't she mention that I, for her sake, inexplicably took one of Liu Songtao's sword strikes?*

As Xu Fengnian was wondering how to escape, Luo Yang had already opened her mouth and chuckled, "The Yellow River Sword, this humble woman will remember it."

Xu Fengnian immediately felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing the words "this humble woman."

Unexpectedly, the female demon lord of Beiliang looked down, reached out to cover her chest, and self-mockingly said, "Where is there a heart?"