Chapter 1183: Snow Emperor
“You jest, Fate Arbiter. How could a junior like me have leads on the Four Ancient Immortals?” Lu Yang slowly retreated, calculating his escape options.
The gulf between a Transcendent Tribulation cultivator and an immortal was insurmountable. If he could overwhelm Yang Kongtong, the Fate Arbiter could do the same to him.
“Oh, you know me?” The Fate Arbiter looked at Lu Yang with interest. Both he and the Midheaven Emperor-Lord were figures from three hundred thousand years ago, and their appearances had long been lost to the river of time. The cultivators of the present age shouldn’t be able to recognize me.
But then again, the Demon-Subduing Divine Lord and the Devil-Vanquishing Divine Lord have fallen in the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace. The higher-ups of Great Xia already know what the two of us look like.
“You are Lu Yang? It seems your standing in Great Xia is even higher than I imagined.” The Fate Arbiter smiled. Whether this junior truly knows anything about the Four Ancient Immortals will become clear once I bring him back with me.
He tapped his skull-headed bone staff. A skeletal hand darted out from its side, its fingers curling and uncurling as if just waking up from sleep.
Lu Yang swung his sword, but it left only a white mark on the bone hand's palm, unable to slow its advance.
“Xiao Yangzi, let this immortal try.” The Everlasting Immortal Fairy seized control of Lu Yang’s body.
Steering Lu Yang’s body, she lightly treaded in the air with his toe, just enough to make the bone hand miss.
“Oh, you do have some skill after all.” The Fate Arbiter raised an eyebrow. Logically speaking, Lu Yang shouldn’t have been able to dodge that strike. In fact, no Transcendent Tribulation cultivator should have been able to.
Was it a coincidence?
It doesn’t matter.
A mere Transcendent Tribulation cultivator isn’t worth my attention. What is my status? I presided over the Great Qian Dynasty’s rituals, and the divine lords’ faith-powered Incipient Dao Fruits all passed through my hands. Who knows how many half-immortals I’ve produced? I can decide the life or death of any Transcendent Tribulation cultivator with a word.
The Fate Arbiter tossed his bone staff, which transformed into a skeleton midair. “Go capture him.”
At his command, ghostly green flames lit up in the skeleton’s eye sockets. This was his life-bound treasure, forged from his own bones. It was a clone of himself, capable of a plethora of divine abilities.
The skeleton separated into 206 bones, scattering and floating through the air. Then the bones rearranged themselves into a cage, trapping Lu Yang.
The Everlasting Immortal Fairy didn’t know how to use a sword. She wielded the Qingfeng Sword like a hammer, smashing it against the cage with such force that her arm went numb.
The Fate Arbiter beckoned with a finger, recalling the cage. No Transcendent Tribulation cultivator can escape from this life-bound treasure of mine.
Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted from within the cage. When the smoke cleared, Lu Yang was standing outside.
The Fate Arbiter frowned. Lu Yang’s actions had once again defied his expectations. “A technique like the Heavenly Devil Dissolution Great Spell? Self-destruction, then reassembling in another space. Interesting. I’d like to see how many times you can use this trick.”
After that, the cage trapped Lu Yang. He self-detonated and escaped.
The cage trapped Lu Yang. He self-detonated and escaped.
The cage trapped Lu Yang. He self-detonated and escaped...
The Fate Arbiter’s eyelid twitched, his composure faltering. Can the Heavenly Devil Dissolution Great Spell really be used consecutively? Did I guess wrong? Is this not a spell but an Incipient Dao Fruit?
That doesn’t make sense either. If it were an Incipient Dao Fruit, the most it could do is detonate a part of the body, not the entire body again and again.
And if it were a Dao Fruit, that would be even more absurd. This junior is only at the Apex Transcendent Tribulation Stage, and that’s because his cultivation has temporarily fluctuated to this level. Where would he have gotten a Dao Fruit?
“See that, Xiao Yangzi? Self-detonation isn’t just for attacking. It’s great for escaping too.” The Everlasting Immortal Fairy was still in the mood to outline the glorious vision of the Everlasting Lineage to Lu Yang.
The Fate Arbiter traced an “X” with his index finger. Two ribs of the skeleton flew in from either side of Lu Yang, piercing him. The ribs carried spatial power, pinning him firmly like two nails.
The citizens of Muxue City could feel their hearts in their throats. They had thought the ordeal would end with Yang Kongtong’s demise, but who could have expected an even more terrifying being to descend?
The city lords who had flown over to watch the battle regretted it deeply. Judging by the Fate Arbiter’s demeanor, it was clear that his cultivation absolutely dwarfed both Yang Kongtong’s and Lu Yang’s.
In other words, he is an immortal!
If an immortal got serious, a flick of his finger could flatten everything within a thousand li. Although they were high-and-mighty Fusion cultivators, before an immortal, they were no different from mortals.
~~~
At the Tiger Roar Martial Arts School, Xue Shilou sat in meditation with his eyes closed. Scenes from his past flashed through his mind: learning the sword from childhood, standing in horse stance in the snow, gaining some fame, fusing his personalities, awakening his bloodline, shining in the Extreme North, and receiving guidance from Lu Yang to learn the rake and shovel techniques.
Everything in my past was for a reason. My experiences must harbor some deeper meaning.
Fellow Daoist Lu is adept at burying people with a shovel. It seems he has done such things many times.
Does this mean that being a sword cultivator is about acting in secret and killing without a trace?
To take things one step further, it’s about wielding the sword with anatta[1] and a single strike to the throat!
The rake technique holds the secret of One Sword Into Ten Thousand Swords and Ten Thousand Swords Return to One.
That’s right. A rake is actually a type of sword.
Xue Shilou tossed his sword aside and picked up the rake. From this moment, the nine tines ceased to be tines; they were now nine swords!
Meng Jingzhou kept glancing up at Lu Yang, then turned to look at Xue Shilou beside him, who was muttering to himself. He felt that one pair of eyes wasn’t enough for him.
Xue Shilou seemed to achieve communion with the rake. Numerous shadows appeared around him. Within them were tiny figures wielding swords, each performing different sword techniques. One by one, they merged into the rake, forming a sword technique unique to Xue Shilou.
“This is what I have created... the Metal Rake Sword Technique!
“The Metal Rake Sword Technique is seldom displayed, but once it appears, it must end in death!”
Xue Shilou didn’t need to verify the power of his creation. The moment the sword technique was born, he had automatically passed the third trial of the Snow Emperor Bloodline.
This is the best proof!
“I want to make a wish!” Xue Shilou declared. Upon completing the three trials of the Snow Emperor Bloodline, he was entitled to have the Snow Emperor grant any one wish.
This is the only way to save Fellow Daoist Lu!
Space warped, and an elder with white hair and a white beard stepped out, clad in white robes.
With each breath of the white-bearded elder, the entire Extreme North seemed to breathe in sync. His will swayed the will of the land.
He had only existed in the legends of the Extreme North, a being no one had ever seen—the Snow Emperor!
The white-bearded elder’s expression was solemn, his presence naturally commanding respect. Apart from Xue Shilou, no one knew who he was, yet they all held their breath, as though breathing in the presence of this white-bearded elder would be an affront to heaven’s majesty.
“So you are the one who completed the three trials?” The Snow Emperor spoke. He exhaled a frosty breath that froze the air solid.
“Your junior, Xue Shilou, pays respects to the Snow Emperor!” Xue Shilou knelt and kowtowed.
“What? He’s the Snow Emperor?!” Murong You was a cultivator born and bred in the Extreme North. He had naturally heard of the legends. He didn’t expect this supreme powerhouse who suddenly appeared to be the Snow Emperor.
So the Snow Emperor truly exists?
“Not bad. It’s been eighty thousand years since a qualified candidate appeared.” The Snow Emperor’s expression remained unchanged, but his tone hinted at how highly he regarded Xue Shilou.
“From now on, you are the new Snow Emperor. You have passed the three trials. According to the rules, I may grant you one wish. What is your wish?”
Xue Shilou immediately pointed at Lu Yang, who was being impaled by the ribs in the sky. “I want to save him!”
The Snow Emperor looked up, his cold gaze landing on the young man in old ceremonial robes. His expression sharpened, and his gaze deepened, like an omniscient being who could perceive all things. He spoke slowly, his tone brooking no doubt. “An immortal; I can’t defeat him.”
1. Anatta is the concept of “non-self” and “non-attachment” in Buddhism. ☜