"What?" Everyone reined in their horses, exchanged shocked glances, and jumped off their backs in unison.
—The complete annihilation of the Eight Steeds is news that has shaken the entire martial arts world!
After walking about thirty feet, they saw the battlefield ruins covered in snow.
Zhui Dian had his right arm severed and his chest pierced; Tong Jue died cleanly, with only a thin line of blood remaining in his throat; Zhui Feng, Bai Tu, Nie Jing, Chen Fu, and Yan Zhi died within a radius of three zhang. Except for Chen Fu, who showed signs of poisoning, the others all had their throats severed by a single sword strike.
Huo Zhanbai silently gasped – these sword wounds were all inflicted by the same person!
"That's incredible," Wei Fengxing couldn't help but exclaim. "He actually killed the Eight Steeds all by himself!"
"Perhaps it was a successful ambush?" Xu Ting, the third brother, speculated.
"No, that's definitely not it." Huo Zhanbai picked up Zhuifeng's sword from the ground. "Look, the positions where Zhuifeng, Niejing, Chenfu, and Yanzhi fell are exactly in line with the Demon Palace's 'Heavenly Net Formation'—clearly, it was the Eight Steeds who came prepared and ambushed someone here together."
The renowned swordsmen of Dingjian Pavilion looked at each other in dismay—the Eight Steeds had joined forces to ambush them, yet they had all perished here; the man's martial arts skills were simply unbelievable!
"Who were they ambushing?" Huo Zhanbai murmured, completely baffled.
Those capable of annihilating eight elite warriors in one fell swoop are few and far between. And none of the martial arts masters of the Central Plains should have ventured to the borderlands recently, much less engage in a life-or-death struggle with the Demon Palace assassins in this desolate snowfield—so, who possesses such power?
"Found it!" Just as he was pondering, he heard Wei Fengxing call out from ahead.
He rushed over and saw the other party dragging a broken sword out from under the snow—it was an ordinary steel sword, broken in the middle, with the corpse of Fei Pian, one of the Eight Steeds, lying under the snow beside it.
“Look at this mark,” Wei Fengxing said, turning the sword hilt upside down and handing it over. “The other party should be one of the Five Mingzi.”
Huo Zhanbai immediately noticed the flame shape carved on the sword hilt: fire is divided into five flames, the first being the longest—the five bright sons of the Demon Palace are "Wind, Fire, Water, Void, and Power," with the chief being the Wind Envoy. He nodded silently—
"Wonderful Wind Envoy".
Indeed, in the Western Regions, the only ones who could achieve this level of skill, besides Tong who recently rebelled, are probably Miao Fengshi, the one with the highest cultivation among the Five Bright Ones! That person, known as the "protective charm" of the King of the Sect, rarely leaves the Snow Mountain and even less often appears in the Central Plains, so no one knows his true strength.
However, why would the Demon Palace send the Eight Steeds to deal with the Envoy of Wonderful Wind?
"Everyone, mount your horses and keep going!" He abruptly mounted his horse and shouted, "We can't wait a moment longer!"
That night, heavy snow fell on the summit of Kunlun Mountain, a snowfall that had continued for many years.
As the snow falls, countless people are unable to sleep at night.
Amidst the howling wind and snow, a faint, almost imperceptible sound floated in the snow, desolate and mysterious, gradually dissipating like water and dissolving into the cold, deathly night. Miao Feng, who had been lost in thought, was suddenly startled, threw on her coat, and went to the window to gaze—but above the vast, bright palace, in the pitch-black night, only the endless falling of white snow.
That's Loulan's "Folding Willow Branches," widely circulated in the Western Regions. That familiar melody... it's been buried in my memory for almost twenty years, hasn't it?
Could it be that there are other members of the same clan in this Great Bright Palace?
Tonight, the sound of the flute playing "Willow Branches" evokes a longing for one's hometown.
In the snow-covered mountains, Miaoshui put down her short flute, then patted the snow off the newly built grave mound, sighed, and turned away—the last mastiff she had raised had finally died…
These mastiffs are known as the kings of the snowy plateau, fierce and violent throughout their lives; any stranger who gets close will die. But once they recognize you as their master, they will trust you completely and live for you for life.
That kind of life is simple, isn't it?
But what about people? How can people live such a simple life?
Of all beings in the six realms of reincarnation, humans suffer the most.
The next day, the clouds parted and the snow cleared, a rare sunny day on the summit of Kunlun.
"What a beautiful day!"
"Yes, it's rare to have such a sunny day—finally, I can go for a walk in the garden."
When Xue Ziye got up, she heard maids whispering happily outside. She was somewhat dazed, as if still half asleep, and simply sat on the couch, wrapped in her fox fur coat—it was time to get up. It was time to get up. A voice in her heart kept urging her, cold and stern.
However, she was reluctant to get up, like a child who wanted to stay in bed, lingering in the warm bedding.
—After today, I'm afraid I'll never feel this warmth again.
I wonder where her body will lie in the cold snow tonight.
In that instant, she hid under the soft blankets, hugging her shoulders, curling up and trembling slightly—she realized that no matter how calm and resolute she appeared in front of others, she wasn't entirely without fear inside...
She took out a handful of Biling Pills from the medicine pouch beside her pillow and poured them all into her mouth without even looking at them.
She must rely on the medication to temporarily suppress the poison of the Seven Star Begonia and finish all the things she needs to do today!
The golden Western clock on the wall struck six times, and a maidservant promptly entered with a golden basin to invite her to wash and dress.
—It's time to get up. No matter how treacherous and intense what lies ahead, she must force herself to face it.
She gritted her teeth and sat up, changed her clothes, and began to wash and groom herself. A maidservant stepped forward and rolled up the beaded curtain, letting in the light of the snow and sunlight, dazzling her eyes. Xue Ziye was so startled by the light that she found it unbearable, and she gasped softly, covering her eyes with a handkerchief.
"Hurry up and pull down the curtain!" someone shouted from outside the door.
"Wonderful Wind Envoy!" The maid was startled and quickly pulled down the curtain, making the room soft again.
Although the appointed time had not yet arrived, Miao Feng, dressed in white, was already standing outside the door waiting, quietly watching her busy preparations, and lowering his eyes without showing any emotion: "Valley Master Xue, the King has ordered me to come and escort you to the main hall."
“Okay, everything is ready,” she replied calmly. “Let’s go.”
However, he stood still and said, "This subordinate dares to ask Valley Master Xue to bring out all the medicinal herbs and utensils so that I may inspect and count them."
Xue Ziye glanced at him, finally suppressing her anger: "You want to inspect my medicine pouch?"
"I'm just worried that there might be something like the Rain of Pear Blossom Needles by Valley Master Xue's side," Miao Feng replied indifferently, as if she had completely forgotten how he had lost his composure in front of her the night before. "Before Valley Master reaches the King's sickbed, I must guarantee everything."