Chapter 1906: White Snow

"I can't hold it anymore!"

At the foot of Mount Lingyu, the white sword in Liu Fuyu's hand trembled violently, splitting the skin between her thumb and forefinger and causing blood to seep out. For some unknown reason, the sword spirit, Protector, suddenly went mad, struggling desperately to go to another place. Its wielder was right there, in front of it!

"Why is it suddenly like this?"

Yu Zhiwen and Yue Gongnu stood nearby, looking bewildered. The Twelve Swords of the Sword Pagoda were among the few ancient swords that had not been branded with the Divine Seal. Their duties were twofold: first, to represent the identity of the Sword Ancestor, and second, to guard the Sword Pagoda. Naturally, they could not abandon their position at anyone's command. But how could a sword that even Ba Zun'an couldn't command go mad when the Profound Gate opened far away at the mountain peak?

"Named Sword Twenty-One, inherited from the Sword Ancestor.""The Twelve Swords of the Sword Pagoda guard the Sword Pagoda.""Ba Zun'an opening the Profound Gate will soon draw in the Sword Ancestor's legacy. Protector's anomaly might be related to the Sword Ancestor or the Sword Pagoda?" Yu Zhiwen spoke after pondering, immediately reaching this conclusion. Considering what Dao Qiongcang had said earlier, wasn't it more likely related to the Demonic Ancestor's spirit, sealed within the Sword Pagoda, and Protector's displacement?

"It's the Sword Pagoda!" Liu Fuyu clenched her jaw, her eyes filled with resentment. From Protector's frantic struggles, she could discern some intent: "It wants to go back, but also doesn't want to go back. Two conflicting wills are alternating, struggling in torment.""It doesn't know why it's like this, but its spiritual intelligence is completely chaotic, refusing to communicate much with me. It's definitely related to the Sword Pagoda.""Something has happened at the Sword Pagoda!"

The process was complex. Fortunately, the outcome was clear. None of the three women were foolish; they immediately realized that if the conflicting will within Protector didn't originate from Protector itself, but from the Demonic Ancestor's spirit... Then everything would make sense.

"Then only one question remains: which will belongs to the Demonic Ancestor's spirit?" Yu Zhiwen said pointedly. "Or rather, is it better to send Protector back to the Sword Pagoda, or not?"

Only Yu Zhiwen and Liu Fuyu, who were less experienced in the world, hesitated. Yue Gongnu, as the former Holy Emperor's successor, made a decisive choice instantly: "It cannot be sent back!""Don't forget, Dao Qiongcang has found us and revealed everything.""According to his intention, Protector should naturally return to the Pagoda, and all Twelve Swords of the Sword Pagoda should be in their places, perhaps allowing them to re-seal the Demonic Ancestor's spirit.""But given his personality, the fact that he explained all of this so clearly proves there are no more variables, meaning the Demonic Ancestor's spirit has most likely already been unsealed.""Protector's return to the Sword Pagoda isn't about the Twelve Swords taking their place; it's like adding fuel to a fire. We might not even be able to protect Protector, which is our only variable now."

Liu Fuyu and Yu Zhiwen's hearts sank. The latter was about to speak, thinking that perhaps Dao Qiongcang had already anticipated what Sister Yue could now think of. In that case... Protector *should* return to its place! Before she could voice this, Yue Gongnu shook her head, interrupting: "I understand Dao Qiongcang better than you.""If there were even the slightest variable, he would never state everything so absolutely.""Since the heavenly secret has been revealed, it's a secret to us, but to him, it's already a certainty... We only have one choice: restrain Protector!"

No sooner had she spoken than Liu Fuyu's right hand sprang up. Protector shot out of her grasp, streaking into the sky, piercing straight towards the Profound Gate, as if intending to merge into the Sea of Swords. It wants to enter the Profound Gate... Yue Gongnu's beautiful eyes narrowed, reading something into the action.

"Come back!" Liu Fuyu immediately sprang up, making a sword gesture to seize Protector. But she was only a temporary wielder, just as Rao Yaoyao could summon Xuan Cang but couldn't truly control it. Protector's original master was the Sword God. How could a mere Liu Fuyu hold onto Protector when it was determined to leave?

"Return!" Without hesitation, Yu Zhiwen flung out a Half-Saint Profound Edict and tore it. Profound energy spread. Everything returned to its original state. Protector, which had just darted into the sky trying to escape, reappeared in Liu Fuyu's hand. The latter reacted extremely quickly, simultaneously forming a sword chant:"Locking Art!"With two clanking sounds, Dao chains coiled around Protector, binding it tightly like a python."Six Phoenixes Concealing Heart Array!" Swords condensed in the surrounding void, forming six phantoms of green phoenixes. The green phoenixes circled, then, after a high cry, transformed into azure patterns and sealed themselves into the sword body. At this point, Protector ceased its movements.

"It finally calmed down." Liu Fuyu, still shaken, wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at Yue Gongnu: "Sister Yue, why are you so certain that we need to restrain..." Before she could finish, Liu Fuyu's expression changed. She recoiled and spat out a mouthful of blood. Protector's sword body vibrated, the Dao chains shattered, and the Six Phoenixes seals exploded. With a long hum, it transformed into a streak of white light and once again shot into the sky, aiming directly for the Profound Gate.

"Liu..." Yu Zhiwen had just taken out a pill, intending to help stop the bleeding from Liu Fuyu's hand. Just like Liu Fuyu, she hadn't reacted at all to the possibility of Protector struggling free again! She quickly pulled out another golden apricot branch, but alas, it was too late...

Combat awareness of the third realm was something the two women had yet to achieve. But as the former Holy Emperor's successor, these were standard items on her family's training list, so Yue Gongnu naturally noticed the change. She raised her slender hand, accumulating sacred power. Just then, with a hum, the Wrathful Immortal Buddha Sword, sealed within the sword diagram, automatically launched itself without a command, intercepting the void. Along its path, a wisp of silver light shone, extremely eye-catching — Sword Will!

"It's Little Ba..." Yue Gongnu was slightly stunned. Her gaze immediately shot to the sky above Mount Lingyu. Previously, when Ba Zun'an summoned swords, all ten thousand swords from the Five Domains had responded, including Xuan Cang, Du Zun, and Tai Cheng, regardless of how powerful their wielders were. Only the Wrathful Immortal Buddha Sword had not gone. Why? Dao Qiongcang had left, but only the Wrathful Immortal Buddha Sword had not dared to leave. Why? It was all kept for self-defense, for unforeseen circumstances. And now, if Ba Zun'an hadn't summoned it, given Yue Gongnu's relationship with the Wrathful Immortal Buddha Sword... at most, only the "sword diagram" remained, a gift from Ba Zun'an, which could temporarily house any famous sword in the world. How could Wrathful Immortal know her intentions and take the initiative to attack?

At the foot of the mountain, Yue Gongnu raised her eyes, looking towards the peak of Mount Lingyu. On the Sea of Swords, Ba Zun'an opened the Profound Gate with his finger, and ten thousand rays of Dao Rhyme streamed from within. The Five Domains were roused with excitement, yet he subtly tilted his head, glancing past the fervor towards the unnoticed spot at the foot of the mountain.

"Thump."

Their gazes met, like fingertips softly touching, and her heart skipped a beat. Yue Gongnu's thoughts wavered, her vision blank. Besides that pure white figure, she could no longer see Protector, the Wrathful Immortal Buddha Sword, or the radiant Dao Rhyme...

"Little Ba..." She whispered inwardly. Yue Gongnu opened her lips, but found no sound could escape. All she could do was fix her gaze, unable to tear it away. She could, of course, see... He was dressed in formal attire, not because of Hua Changdeng, but because everything he wore was identical to his appearance when she first met him. More than thirty years had passed. Had he grown a little taller? Thinner? She couldn't tell clearly... But his beard was cleanly shaven, as if that could freeze his age. Clearly, his eyes had become weathered, and lines appeared at the corners. Yet, he didn't resemble the image Dao Qiongcang had given her, the disheveled appearance of the Holy Slave Leader with a scraggly beard and withered hair. Dao Qiongcang had indeed been deceiving her! He was still as he was at first. No, not entirely as he was at first... On his shoulders now rested the entire Holy Slave organization, the void island ghost beasts, and the Dao and its legacy. His eyes could no longer, and should no longer, hold only her. Her vision blurred slightly. Little Ba became Little Sixteen, Little Thirty-Two. To his left and right, another him appeared, overlapping and then occasionally separating. She couldn't see clearly, couldn't make it out.

Sacred power gently rose, and mist steamed before her eyes. Yue Gongnu then clearly saw Little Ba again. Perhaps there weren't so many "multiples"; he was still the same.

"But I'm different now..." Yue Gongnu suddenly felt a pang of anxiety, her eyes darting away as she realized she hadn't dressed up at all. Yet, even after tilting her head, her eyes remained fixed on the man in the sky. She wanted to look down, but she simply couldn't, nor was she willing to avert her gaze. From the moment she left the Cold Prison, for half a year, Yue Gongnu had fantasized countless times about their reunion. She had imagined meeting again in a sea of flowers, embracing under the moonlight, or a chance encounter turning back on a street just as lanterns were lit... She had thought of good scenarios, and bad ones. Perhaps because of her appearance, Ba Zun'an, engrossed in battle, would be distracted and injured again by Hua Changdeng... She had miscalculated. None of those developments happened! She had originally decided that even if it were a return to reality, she would first secretly glance at him after ascending Mount Lingyu, and then acknowledge him after the battle. She never expected to be caught at the foot of the mountain.

"This state I'm in..." Yue Gongnu's mind was in turmoil. Without looking, her current appearance automatically surfaced in her mind. She had rushed day and night from the Southern Nether, covered in dust from her journey. Her dress hadn't been changed, and its hem was still stained with blood that had splashed onto it at some point during the night when she had slashed at that damned Dao Qiongcang with her sword. "My face isn't washed...""My hair isn't down...""My necklace is still in the jade box...""The jade hairpin he gave me isn't worn...""And those gaudy, oversized jewelry bracelets from Daifu Street..." A surge of anxiety, and Little Ba again morphed into Little Sixteen, Little Thirty-Two. Yue Gongnu blinked hard, and he became clear once more.

In the distance, Ba Zun'an smiled, the corners of his lips subtly lifting, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod towards her. Suddenly, everything else seemed less important. The world regained its colors: the whistling of rushing wind, the hum of swords, the clang of clashing weapons — all returned! But only these things had returned! So, after so many years apart, people still grow estranged. When we meet again, even our way of greeting each other is reduced to just a nod, isn't it, Ba Zun'an? Yue Gongnu's response was meant to be a curving smile at the corners of her eyes, but bitterness quickly filled her gaze, and her raised lips finally drooped, her vision blurring once more.

A freezing wind swept by, stirring the scattered strands of hair at her temples. In her heart, an eighteen-year-old girl had already risen on tiptoes, jumping up, raising her right hand high, and cheering in joyful response. But that was all in the past. In front of Yu Zhiwen, and even Liu Fuyu, she could no longer be considered young; she could no longer perform those actions. Yue Gongnu couldn't stand on tiptoes. She lifted her fair wrist, but it only reached her waist—in fact, it didn't even reach her waist, stopping at her hip. She gently waved her hand; this was in her imagination. In reality, she merely gave two slight wiggles with her slender fingers beneath her sleeve, so imperceptibly that no one would know she was responding to his nod and smile.

As expected! Ba Zun'an! He hadn't seen it! Yue Gongnu's expression dimmed. She tried to raise her hand with effort, but it felt impossibly heavy, unable to go above her head, reaching only her waist at most. It seemed that a faint smile and a nod were the most she could manage when meeting again. Yue Gongnu exhaled, as if releasing all her strength. Her chest slightly sunken, her entire demeanor seemed to shrink. Her eyes lost their sparkle, and her slender hand retracted, half her palm disappearing into her sleeve. "Cold..."

She knew that with the Profound Gate open and before the Five Domains, Ba Zun'an couldn't do much, but it still felt unpleasant. What a lofty Holy Slave Leader! What an arrogant Eighth Sword Immortal! Had he forgotten everything from the past? Finally, as if remembering something, Yue Gongnu gritted her teeth in resentment, lightly tapped her index finger, and secretly flicked... but there was no force to it, hidden within her sleeve, probably unseen by anyone.

Far away, on the peak of Mount Lingyu. The Eighth Sword Immortal, towering above the Sea of Swords and revered by the Five Domains, at that moment tilted his head back slightly, as if he had been flicked on the forehead. Yue Gongnu froze. Ba Zun'an continued to move. Just like before, he wrinkled his nose and, with extremely subtle movements... made a face at her. This was in front of the Five Domains! You are the Eighth Sword Immortal, you are the Holy Slave Leader, you are opening the Profound Gate with a sword — what are you doing now? Yue Gongnu pressed her lower lip. When she saw that eyebrow twitch slightly twice more, she couldn't hold back a laugh, a soft snicker escaping, and she turned her head away. I'm not looking at you anymore.

"I'm angry.""Why are you angry?""To flick your forehead.""I'll dodge.""You're dodging me!""Oh no, I couldn't dodge, I got flicked...""Cluck-cluck-cluck—"

An untimely chicken cry interrupted the reverie. Yue Gongnu almost didn't react. In such a serious battle situation at Mount Lingyu, how could there be... a chicken crow?

She looked up. She saw that at some unknown point, Protector had bypassed the blockade of the Wrathful Immortal Buddha Sword, not trying to meet its edge head-on at all. Using the Sword Ancestor's Dao Rhyme guidance from the Profound Gate, it flashed inside and moved swiftly through. But just then! Suddenly, a black chicken leaped out from the horizon, and with lightning speed, opened its beak and bit onto Protector! Protector vibrated wildly. But the black chicken's cockfighting eyes narrowed, and its battle intent surged. "Buzz!" A flash of silver light on Protector's sword body, and it instantly returned from its frenzied state to calmness, only a contented hum remaining.

Sword Will? Little Ba! In Yue Gongnu's world, Sword Will only belonged to Little Ba; Sword Will represented Little Ba. Although... a chicken was somewhat unexpected. But it wasn't unacceptable, was it? However, before she could step forward to greet that Little Ba chicken, a clearer call sounded beside her: "Over here!"

Yue Gongnu immediately stopped and turned her head to look. It was a young girl in a black dress, in the prime of her youth. Her eyes were covered by a black blindfold, but they were finally free of gloom, and a smile blossomed on her face. Amidst the wind and snow, the girl slightly rose on her tiptoes, bounced twice lightly, her left hand clutching her skirt hem somewhat reservedly, while her right hand was raised high above her head, revealing half a snow-white arm, waving from side to side in greeting: "I'm here! Chicken!"

Cluck-cluck-cluck—

The black chicken, with its fighting eyes, had been shaking its head left and right, searching for something after biting the sword. After locating the sound, it let out two high squawks as if about to lay an egg, flapped its wings a few times, shedding three shiny black feathers. Then, with the white sword in its beak, its claws pattering on the air, it waddled enthusiastically towards the black-dressed girl, rushing all the way.

Flying snow drifted past her eyes. The corners of Yue Gongnu's lips subtly lifted. In that moment, as the snow reflected in her eyes, she saw two eras overlapping, beautiful and pure as snow. When she came to her senses, Liu Fuyu had retrieved the sword, and Yu Zhiwen stood before her, holding the plump black chicken against her chest. The black chicken still had its fighting eyes, staring intently at Yue Gongnu, as if trying to discern something. Surprisingly, its eyes held a hint of thought.

"Is that..." Yue Gongnu pointed at the black chicken."Are you asking about him?" Yu Zhiwen smiled, stroking the big, plump chicken's glossy black feathers, her voice revealing unconcealed delight, "That's Xu Xiaoshou."