Chapter 49: Snow Clears After a Sudden Fall

Chen Zhao pulled on the Invisible Spirit Robe and leapt after him.

That man was merely at Qi Refining sixth layer, relying solely on Evil Qi, and only succeeded because Duan Ziheng's spiritual power was not yet full.

Too bad.

He ran into Chen Zhao. Find good books, read daily at ttyk. tw, super convenient

In the snow-lit night, a white arc flashed and vanished; by the time the patrol team reacted, Chen Zhao had already landed back beside Xin Tong.

"How was it?"

Xin Tong toyed with the Six-Flavor Great Replenishment Pill, looking up at Chen Zhao.

"Demon Seed—Fang Zijing's request. He's fallen from grace now, and can only send out trash like this."

Chen Zhao smiled faintly.

Once the Evil Qi dispersed, the Evil Cultivator and the Demon Seed lost much of their strength, making them far easier to kill.

"Still, we must leave an Array in the residence, for peaceful cultivation later."

"Could we use Rainbow Crystal Ore to set up an Illusion Array, with the Illusion Heart Zither as its core, and nest other Arrays within it?"

Xin Tong froze.

With her cultivation stuck, she had devoted all her energy to Arrays—this request wasn't difficult.

If following Chen Zhao's idea, stacking several Arrays would bring no qualitative improvement, only drastically increasing Spirit Stone consumption.

Yet, she reconsidered.

Chen Zhao, right now, did have a bit of money.

After receiving approval from the Su Family via Communication Talisman.

The two wandered about, purchasing materials needed for the Array.

Not long after.

The street erupted in commotion.

Dashes of teleportation light flashed across the night sky; patrol teams were everywhere.

"Looks like they found Duan Ziheng's body."

Chen Zhao glanced over, sighing softly.

The Duan Family mansion lay near the night market; clan members surged out, sealing all exits.

This matter was grave—the night market must be screened thoroughly.

Patrol cultivators carried spears and clubs, and at the crowd's edge, Duan Yu, clad entirely in white, wept uncontrollably.

Duan Ziheng had saved his life; even if mentally unsteady, he had to see him off beyond the outer perimeter.

From childhood to now, he had never faced much hardship, yet in just a few days, he endured separation and death—how could he bear it?

Seeing Chen Zhao and Xin Tong arrive, his grief surged anew, and he choked out:

"Elder, Uncle Ziheng was killed by an Evil Cultivator,"

"Before he died, he left a final message: to deliver this box to his benefactor."

The boy, thin and frail, clutched the wooden box as if it were an urn of ashes.

Fine snow fell softly upon the box, melted by hot tears.

Revealing a line of golden characters:

Kuai Xue Shi Qing Sword.

Chen Zhao's lips trembled; he did not know whether to reveal the truth to the boy.

The enemy was too powerful—knowledge would only bring greater fear.

The boy's spirit was like spring wind; when the wind vanished, the boy could no longer remain young.

After long silence, he pulled out a vial of Qi Gathering Powder and sighed:

"I'll avenge him. You focus on your cultivation, and stay safe."

Hearing this, Duan Yu nodded heavily, blood seeping from his thin lips.

"Thank you, Elder, for the medicine. I will strive with all my might to cultivate, and one day kill every Evil Cultivator under heaven."

Chen Zhao took the wooden box, licked snow from his lips, and dared not make any comment.

Su Family, East Wing Room.

The courtyard spanned ten thousand acres; this room was but a single chamber.

It had been Su Muqing's residence, now temporarily occupied by two outsiders.

A Warming Array held back the snow, revealing a single candle's glow within the room.

"The Su Ancestor has great boldness—this place's Spirit Qi is nearly approaching Earth-Rank Cave Abode levels, and the setup is extravagantly lavish."

Chen Zhao sat on a soft couch; faint fragrances lingered everywhere.

He opened the wooden box to find two volumes inside.

One was a Sword Formula; the other, a calligraphy scroll.

On the back of the scroll was Duan Ziheng's note.

"The Sword Formula was obtained through a rare encounter; originally a Mysterious-Grade Spell, but during a battle, one page was lost, leaving only the power of a Yellow-Rank Upper Tier."

"Moreover, its cultivation condition is strict: one must use a pen instead of a sword, mastering the brush intent within the scroll to fully unleash it—and my ancestral Bamboo Pen best captures its essence."

"This pen is destined to the Fulong Mountain; I beg you, Elder, to watch over little Yu. Then I shall..."

The writing ended abruptly, leaving only a streak of blood.

"What deep uncle-nephew affection—using the Sword Formula to bait me, then luring me with the ancestral Bamboo Pen, all just to secure my protection for his kin..."

Chen Zhao silently recited the note, moved despite himself.

A truly loyal and righteous man.

Although the Bamboo Pen is now in hand, I did accept a valuable gift in exchange for doing someone's bidding.

He glanced at the Sword Formula, raising an eyebrow.

If the Yin Thunder Sword Art is a single decisive strike, then the Kuai Xue Shi Qing Sword is a method of prolonged combat.

With the current content, if practiced to minor mastery, it can accumulate damage layer upon layer, achieving the effect of "stillness accumulating like snowfall."

Of course, retaining sword wounds consumes Spirit Power.

Chen Zhao did a brief calculation; with his Spirit Power, he could barely sustain it for about three breaths.

But it excels in blending illusion with reality, speed with slowness, each step brimming with lethal intent.

"If I pair it with the effect of the Muchen Stone..."

Perhaps I could kill an Evil Cultivator across a minor realm boundary.

Chen Zhao couldn't help but feel tempted.

He took out the Bamboo Pen and examined it in his palm.

"I cast a divination—this pen's connection to my destiny was also 'neutral'?"

He was inwardly startled, recalling how, when he first entered Fulong Mountain, the divination had also been 'neutral.'

Could it be that both refer to the same event?

Since directional divination could not reveal specific events, Chen Zhao gave up and turned to copying the rubbing.

This rubbing was said to have originated from another realm, originally the work of a great master—but not the one who created the Sword Formula.

The next day.

Xin Tong was still carving the Array.

Chen Zhao had set down the Bamboo Pen and rubbed his temples.

"Alchemy is easier."

He didn't know what magic this rubbing held—he'd spent an entire night writing just two lines, and now his eyes were dizzy and his head spun.

Even with his extraordinary Spiritual Sense, he simply couldn't endure it.

By the window sat this month's Spirit Medicine—only three portions left; after refining them, he could submit his task.

"The task isn't hard; it leaves me plenty of time for cultivation."

Chen Zhao swept away the snow and found a letter beneath the Spirit Medicine.

The ink had blurred, but the three characters "Su Muqing" were still faintly visible, along with a line of tiny script:

"Please, go to Ziheng's grave and light incense for me."

This woman had been placed under house arrest, yet still went to great lengths to send this message out.

Chen Zhao sighed softly, moved by the complexity of human nature.

He called out to Xin Tong, and the two set off through the snow toward the Duan Family.

Cultivator funerals are simple, but the Duan Family had set up a spirit hall and altar, solemn and strict.

It was said to have been passed down from the Su Ancestor.

No paper effigies were burned, no mourners wailed—only Duan Yu and his father, eyes red, chanted incantations and burned the headless corpse to ash.

The remaining ashes were collected in a wooden box and placed in the ancestral hall.

Chen Zhao held three sticks of incense, yet felt a strange, unsettling dissonance.

Though slightly impolite, Chen Zhao still lifted his gaze upward.

There, in the center of the ancestral hall, hung the "Quick Snow Clears Sky Rubbing"!

This Sword Formula and Sword Post are inseparable—could Duan Ziheng's stroke of fortune have come from this very source?

If so, perhaps I could attain its true essence.

Chen Zhao stole glances at the rubbing.

Long moments passed.

"I've gained some insight, but upon close inspection, these two pieces of calligraphy do differ—and both were deliberately crafted."

Chen Zhao mused.

Even a Mysterious-Grade Spell isn't exclusive to one person; this rubbing must have been passed down within the Duan Family, and Duan Ziheng merely happened to obtain the Sword Formula.

As for the true origin of both, it may be far older.

"Master Chen, why haven't you two left yet?"

As he pondered, a middle-aged man clapped him on the shoulder.

The head of the Su Family—Su Can.

"I never properly thanked you for saving my life—why not join me at the Lingzhu Restaurant for a drink?"