Volume 2: Snow on the Qin River - Chapter 34: Sacrificing to the Sword (Part 4)

Mou Linhan stood with his hands behind his back in front of Feng Qi, seemingly doing nothing at all, yet six intensely bright white lights suddenly ignited around his body.

Nothingness repelled, Traceless Sword Intent.

During the sword sparring, Mou Linhan had clearly only been able to condense a single strand of Traceless Sword Intent, but now he had reached six. It seemed that advancing to the Radiant Realm had vastly enhanced Mou Linhan's combat prowess.

At least judging by this level of defense, very few in the Radiant Realm could hope to breach his defenses.

Oblivious to what Feng Qi was thinking, Mou Linhan stood quietly, the white sword radiances revolving slowly around him. They looked like an elderly man trudging at sunset, appearing somewhat sluggish.

Yet it was precisely this sluggish sword radiance that blocked every single shred of artifact intent.

The expression of the candy maker turned somewhat grave.

The candy-stirring stick was veiled in the mist of early dawn.

A brilliant magnificence blossomed within the narrow alley.

A domain of stars materialized out of thin air.

A crescent moon slowly ascended.

A scorching sun blazed with brilliant light.

The power of the Upper Radiant Realm was displayed in its entirety.

"Junior Brother, step back a bit with the Sword Child of Qiandao Peak," Mou Linhan said softly.

Before Feng Qi could pull Zhou Zihan back, he sensed a heavy pressure permeate the space.

An even more resplendent domain of stars descended, yet it contained neither bright moon nor blazing sun.

The two stellar domains collided.

A teeth-grating tearing sound echoed through the alley.

The candy-stirring stick descended amidst the sunlight.

A streak of white sword radiance drifted sluggishly forward.

Sunlight and sword radiance clashed.

The sword radiance trembled slightly, and the sunlight was violently repelled.

The sunlight pressed forward once more.

The stirring stick struck again.

Artifact intent cascaded down like a torrential storm.

Miraculously, the seemingly sluggish white sword radiances always managed to swiftly shoot down any artifact intent attempting to break through them.

Traceless has a spirit—presumably, this was what it meant.

In a very short span of time, the residences on both sides of the street were reduced to ruins, leaving it unknown whether any innocent civilians were trapped inside.

A faint commotion echoed from afar, presumably constables from the Bianzhou Prefecture.

Feng Qi breathed a sigh of relief. He walked over to sit beside Zhou Zihan, staring blankly at her pale complexion.

She was so young, why must she be so radical?

Did she not even understand the principle that too much rigidity leads to snaps?

Being in the Upper Manifestation Realm at age sixteen was already shocking enough, let alone touching upon the Radiant Realm!

"People from Bianzhou Prefecture are coming. Are you two still not leaving?" Mou Linhan asked, beads of cold sweat faintly glistening on his forehead.

The candy maker sneered, casting a glance at the butcher and the peddler to signal them to buy some time.

Through these few exchanges of blows, he had already discerned the realm of that Snow Cloud disciple opposite him.

Initial Manifestation Realm; his astral light had not even fully saturated his sea of consciousness.

Given a little time, he could completely take him down.

Understanding the candy maker's hint, Mou Linhan nodded knowingly and drew his sword for the very first time.

The sword was named Yuanhong, a rainbow across the abyss.

A sharp surge of sword Qi rose, accompanied by a piercing, high-pitched sword hum.

A long rainbow manifested in the space, originating from Mou Linhan and pointing straight at the candy maker.

The candy maker retrieved his stirring stick and brought it down directly overhead.

The heavenly light blooming in the alley grew even more dazzling.

Starlight fell upon the rainbow, causing barely a ripple.

Moonlight fell upon the rainbow, accompanied by faint tidal echoes.

Sunlight fell upon the rainbow, and the rainbow's glow abruptly vanished.

The candy maker let out a low shout.

The distance of the narrow alley seemed to be compressed into nothingness in an instant.

The stirring stick had already penetrated the Traceless Sword Intent, and at the same time breached Mou Linhan's stellar domain, hovering directly above Mou Linhan's head.

The sound of shattering glass rang out, followed immediately by Mou Linhan's heavy panting.

He was covered in sweat, his face deathly pale.

Yet his expression remained calm, his gaze resolute.

The stirring stick fell onto his shoulder.

Struck as if by a massive mountain, Mou Linhan could no longer bear the weight and dropped to one knee.

Yuanhong pierced straight through the candy maker's heart.

The candy maker's eyes widened as he violently coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The sword radiance intercepted the blood, white mist rising with a sizzling sound.

A ruthless look crossed the candy maker's face.

Mou Linhan suddenly smiled.

The candy maker was slightly stunned, thinking to himself: *You are about to die, why are you still smiling?*

Before he could react, a flash of cyan light swept past.

Feng Qi had somehow arrived behind him, the Qingshuang sword in his hand appearing as though it had just been swung.

*This Manifestation Realm kid actually managed to enter my stellar domain?*

*How is that possible?*

Incredulity flooded his mind, but his peripheral vision caught the spot where the two stellar domains collided.

There, a tear had been ripped open at some unknown moment.

Mou Linhan's stellar domain was indeed inferior to his because it lacked the blessings of the sun and moon.

Yet that did not mean Mou Linhan's stellar domain was completely powerless before his own.

The things it could do were limited, but it was already enough.

The roaring of the wind echoed in his ears.

The final image left in the candy maker's field of vision was his own headless body.

The moment the candy maker died, Mou Linhan could no longer sustain himself and collapsed onto the ground. His entire left shoulder had been shattered by the stirring stick, injuring his internal organs, and he vomited several mouthfuls of blood in succession.

Feng Qi hurriedly used Bathing Rain and Embracing Light to stabilize his injuries.

He was powerless against the wounds from Zhou Zihan's realm breakthrough, but for external injuries like Mou Linhan's, it was just right.

Feeling the warmth spreading through his body, the corners of Mou Linhan's mouth twitched, forcing a reluctant smile.

"Junior Brother truly is a man of all talents."

Feng Qi was torn between laughter and tears. "My skills are limited; it will take a while longer to heal you completely."

Mou Linhan did not speak, only smiling.

After a long while, Mou Linhan's body had recovered quite a bit, at least losing its deathly pallor.

Feng Qi breathed a sigh of relief.

Mou Linhan said softly, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Feng Qi said, "Indeed, there's no major danger... But why did Senior Brother appear here? If not for you, today might have been rather difficult for Zhou Zihan and me to get through."

He had estimated his own combat prowess; it wasn't as though he couldn't fight an ordinary Radiant Realm cultivator, but a Radiant Realm cultivator hailing from the Bleeding Pavilion certainly didn't fall into that category.

Had it not been for Mou Linhan, he would definitely be dragging Zhou Zihan and fleeing for his life right now.

At the very least, this was within Bianzhou City; worst case scenario, he could have fled into the Carefree Pavilion.

The head scholar of the Carefree Pavilion surely wouldn't be pleased to see two sword children of the Snow Cloud Sect meet their demise on his turf.

Feng Qi suddenly thought of something, his expression turning peculiar.

Mou Linhan coughed twice and smiled, "Everyone has their own path to walk. A sharp sword is forged from friction, and plum blossom fragrance comes from bitter cold—I know this principle well enough. Rest assured, I wasn't tailing you."

Feng Qi asked, "Then why is Eldest Senior Brother here?"

Mou Linhan replied, "I need to make a trip to the Bohai Sea and happened to pass through Bianzhou, just in time to sense the anomaly here. I didn't expect it to be you."

Feng Qi thought to himself, could there really be such a coincidence in this world?

Mou Linhan sighed, "Indeed, arriving early is not as good as arriving at the right time."

Learning that Mou Linhan wasn't specifically here to act as their guardian, the stone in Feng Qi's heart landed, and he asked, "The Bohai Sea is not peaceful right now; why is Senior Brother heading there?"

Mou Linhan asked, "You didn't know?"

Feng Qi's heart skipped a beat. "What should I know?"

Mou Linhan said, "Zisang Bumu appeared in Yanbei some time ago, carrying the heads of the King of Bohai and several elders of the Moving Flower Palace..."

Feng Qi was shaken to his core!

So that was how it was.

The Divine Dynasty was currently unwilling to make a move against the Moving Flower Palace—he was aware of this. After all, as one of the top combat powerhouses in this world, if Zisang Bumu truly became cornered and desperate, nobody would come out unscathed. But he hadn't expected this problem to have such a resolution.

Execute the ringleader.

Execute the accomplices.

Since Zisang Bumu had never appeared on the frontlines, the Divine Dynasty could easily find an excuse to absolve him of blame and continue whitewashing the peace.

Feng Qi was silent for a moment before asking, "Does Senior Brother's trip to the Bohai Sea mean—"

Mou Linhan's voice turned somewhat grave. "Junior Brother Dong... has lost contact."

Feng Qi said, "The fourth seat of Traceless Peak?"

Mou Linhan nodded. "Not just Junior Brother Dong. Over the past month, a full thirty percent of the disciples who descended the mountain to test their swords have vanished without a trace."

Feng Qi's expression shifted slightly. "Senior Brother suspects the Bohai Sea is playing tricks behind the scenes?"

Mou Linhan shook his head. "The locations where they lost contact are too scattered; Junior Brother Dong simply happened to lose contact within the borders of the Bohai Sea."

Feng Qi frowned.

Mou Linhan was silent for a moment before admitting, "I am indeed suspecting the Bohai Sea."

Feng Qi said, "Since Zisang Bumu has no intention of dragging the Divine Dynasty down with him in mutual destruction, it's impossible for him to move against Snow Cloud disciples."

Mou Linhan said earnestly, "But the Moving Flower Palace does not consist solely of Zisang Bumu."

Feng Qi asked, "Does Senior Brother have any ideas?"

Mou Linhan replied, "Not yet, so I am simply going there to take a look."

Pausing for a moment, he asked, "What about you? Where do you plan to go next?"

Feng Qi said, "Let's wait until Zhou Zihan wakes up. I heard the literary gathering in Taizhou is about to begin, and I plan to take Zhou Zihan there to broaden her horizons."

Mou Linhan chuckled. "She is, after all, the Sword Child of Qiandao Peak; show her some respect."

Feng Qi shrugged indifferently, "Aren't we all sword children? Interacting as peers, why bother being so overly respectful? It's not like we're putting on a show."

Mou Linhan said no more. After confirming that the internal bleeding of his organs had ceased, he stood up. "My body is no longer in any major trouble, so I will take my leave first. You and the Qiandao Peak Sword Child must be extremely careful on your journey of testing your swords. If you encounter any trouble, prioritize preserving your lives above all else. Never act rashly and plunge yourselves needlessly into perilous situations."

Feng Qi thought to himself that he wasn't the type to lack composure, but since Eldest Senior Brother's words came entirely from the heart and were spoken out of genuine care, he could only nod in agreement.

Mou Linhan smiled and patted Feng Qi on the shoulder. "I knew Junior Brother is the most obedient. Well, Senior Brother won't stay to accompany you any longer; until the matter of the missing sword-testing disciples is thoroughly investigated, my mind cannot rest easy."

Feng Qi said, "Since Senior Brother has descended the mountain, I suppose the others have too?"

Mou Linhan nodded. "Aside from Wu Fan, who is in seclusion attempting a breakthrough, Qiu Yue, Zhang Chen, and Sheng Yun are investigating four different directions respectively."

Feng Qi frowned and asked, "Is there anything I need to do?"

Mou Linhan shook his head. "The danger is too great. Just proceed according to your original plan... Besides, you and Zhou Zihan descended the mountain to test your swords in the first place; who knows if the people behind the scenes might set up something specifically targeting you two."

Feng Qi shrugged. "If they can truly dispatch Beheading the Stars assassins to kill me time and time again, then I suggest wiping out the White Elephant Gate first."

There were only twelve passes entering and leaving Xuhai, and every cultist outside of Xuhai who died was one less. The Beheading the Stars assassins were figures who commanded a prefecture-level branch; how could they possibly throw themselves into the fray wave after wave like this?

Besides, if only a single Upper Radiant Realm cultivator came, he and Zhou Zihan might not lack the strength to fight them together.

What was terrifying was being at a disadvantage in both realm and numbers.

That kind of situation was simply unwinnable.

During their conversation, the sounds of shouting and killing in the distance gradually faded away; it was unclear whether the butcher and the shoe-selling peddler had fled or died.

Stepping onto the Yuanhong sword, Mou Linhan exhorted, "Senior Brother is leaving now. Junior Brother, please keep everything I just said close to your heart."

Feng Qi nodded.

Mou Linhan glanced at Feng Qi one last time.

A sword hum arose.

The wind stirred.

Mou Linhan rode the sword and swept away with the wind.