Chapter 624: The Thousand Autumns of Xiling Snow

"The window frames the autumn snow of the Western Ridge; the door moors ten-thousand-li boats from the Eastern Wu."

Du Fu's famous quatrain has echoed through the ages, making Mount Xilingxue renowned across the land—but romance and reality are separated by but a single sheet of paper.

Wind, frost, rain, and snow remain as they are, unmoved by external joy or personal sorrow; whether this is the cruelty of reality or the expression of poetry depends entirely on one's inner state.

At least, Li Yan and the others had no mood for such thoughts.

The cold wind howled, carrying ice pellets.

It struck their faces, stinging painfully.

Li Yan halted, shook the snow from his sheepskin cap, and looked around.

Around them, snow lay like silver; their breath froze in the air; three sides rose sheer cliffs a thousand ren high, with only a narrow path winding up to the summit.

Far above, the mountaintop seemed sheathed in iron-gray ice, its perennial snow crystallized into hanging, glassy ice formations.

Beneath the dense overcast sky, they glowed with a faint blue-green luminescence.

"This is Da Xuetang."

The Bai family woman leading them turned to explain.

Many of these women had pursued Gudu techniques but failed to meet the required Zizhi, resulting in backlash and toxic sores on their faces.

In Dachang Ancient City, they were highly guarded, always dressed in white robes with white veils covering their faces, declaring that anyone who removed their veil must either marry them or die.

Now, they had all joined Shuixue Nunnery, formally ordained, settled, and come to see through the suffering of physical appearance.

Like this woman, she had long since discarded her white robe for a thick cotton robe and monk's gown, her toxic sores displayed openly to all, her entire face frozen crimson.

She pointed ahead and said, "Our destination lies on the eastern side of Da Xuetang, at a pass on Baisha Gang, locally called Yin Yang Jie."

"Yin Yang Jie?"

Sha Lifei frowned. "I thought we were going to a cave paradise for cultivation—why does this name sound so unsettling?"

The woman laughed softly and shook her head. "'Yin and Yang' here doesn't refer to the underworld and the mortal realm—it's because one side is a snowy highland, cold and dry, while the other is the Sichuan Basin, warm and humid."

"The two qi meet at Baisha Gang, causing one side to be clear blue skies, the other thick clouds and mist—exactly like the division of Yin and Yang."

"The earth's qi is similarly affected, making the cave inside like a frozen hell, yet still holding a trace of vitality—perfect for Sister Long's seclusion."

Her voice was gentle, her smile calm, yet her eyes kept glancing toward the distance, her worry impossible to hide.

Sha Lifei, skilled at reading expressions, immediately sensed something was wrong. "Has something happened? We're all allies—no need to hide anything."

The woman nodded, her smile fading. "Madam and Sister Long's plan was sound, but now there's been a complication…"

Li Yan looked around, understanding at once. "The weather?"

"Yes."

The woman spoke gravely. "Since last year, heavy snows have persisted. Madam was delighted, saying Sister Long's method of re-creating her life-cultivation insect thrives in extreme cold—this would ensure her safety."

"But now the climate has gone awry—it's still freezing, the seasons are chaotic, and we don't know if the insect can even form."

Sha Lifei grew anxious. "What should we do?"

The woman fell silent, clearly unsure.

Li Yan gazed into the distance. "Don't panic—let's go see first."

Saying this, he led the group onward.

Due to continuous snowfall in Sichuan, the snow at Da Xuetang had reached knee-deep, making travel difficult and occasionally producing sharp cracking sounds.

Those were the ice shells beneath the snow.

Snowmelt formed streams, froze, expanded, hollowing out the ground below and concealing deep ravines—step wrong, and you'd fall in.

Fortunately, Li Yan had activated his divine power; even under the snow, he could clearly smell the scent of the soil beneath, guiding them past the dangerous zones.

After much longer, they finally reached the mountain hollow.

Stopping there, they saw the stone-built reception pavilion half-collapsed under snow, its remaining eaves hanging with long icicles.

All life seemed frozen, lifeless.

Following the snow-choked path, they struggled up the ridge—and before them, a wondrous sight opened wide:

To the west, the sky stretched vast and magnificent.

To the east, dark clouds loomed overhead, mountains writhing like silver snakes.

The entire sky was sharply divided, as if a god had painted it with clouds.

The group stood stunned for a long while, until the Bai woman shook her head. "I've been here before—Yin Yang Jie always had strange sights, but never this stark. It must be due to celestial changes."

Li Yan looked around. "Where are they?"

The Bai woman pointed to the middle of the opposite cliff. "Beside that ancient pine on the mountainside. The path is too treacherous, so few rent rooms here—it's quiet, undisturbed."

They gazed over. The cliff face was buried in ice and snow; only a small depression hinted at a cave entrance.

Sha Lifei frowned. "Has she been inside since last year without coming out?"

"Don't worry."

The woman seemed to read his thoughts. "Madam said re-creating the life-cultivation insect requires the Turtle Breathing Technique—fasting, preserving the spirit, forgetting the self, nurturing life from emptiness."

"Sister Long brought enough mountain essence powder to last until month's end."

Li Yan was also puzzled. "How do you know she's still alive, sealed alone in there?"

The Bai woman pointed to the ancient pine. "There are holes in the tree, directly connecting to the cave. Sister Long uses firefly insects—she releases them at night. Even from afar, we can see their glow."

"On the first and fifteenth of each month, we come to check. Sister Long awakens, sends word at night to confirm her safety."

"Tomorrow is the fifteenth. If all goes well, Sister Long will send word—she's likely nearing breakthrough."

"Brilliant."

Li Yan couldn't help but praise.

He was increasingly aware that cultivation techniques need not be brute-force—they should be effortless, and saving lives matters more than killing.

Thinking this, he looked around. "I, Old Sha, and Daozhang will enter the cave to cultivate. We'll emerge in two days. You all should find shelter from the snow."

This had been the prearranged plan.

On Mount Xilingxue, there were also cave paradises.

Sha Lifei had awakened his divine power, stabilized his spirit through the White Bodhisattva's rosary, and could now construct his first floor—thus becoming a cultivator.

Wang Daoxuan and Lu San had both entered the Third Floor.

They lacked Li Yan's fortune; even with exceptional talent, they wouldn't reach the Fourth Floor until year's end.

But Wang Daoxuan had another opportunity.

From Cheng's Ming Shanzi, he obtained the "Five Heads Divine Scripture," passed down from the immortal Chi Jiangziyu—an ancient qi-refining method.

"Chi Jiangziyu" was the origin of their Xuan Sect's techniques, completing their divine power without needing to negotiate with the Shangqing Sect.

The "Five Heads Divine Scripture" had a unique advantage: it allowed divided focus.

Ordinary cultivators must concentrate fully when casting techniques; distraction leads to failure—or worse, backlash. Thus, the first lesson for any cultivator is meditation, clearing distractions.

But once mastered, the "Five Heads Divine Scripture" enables dual focus—as if having an extra mind. The higher one's cultivation, the more techniques one can control simultaneously.

Now, when Wang Daoxuan performed rituals, he could defend himself—casting spells to block attacks while continuing his own.

But this was merely a minor skill.

The true power of the "Five Heads Divine Scripture" lay in cultivating a Great Luo Realm divine power called the "Five Heads Divine Power."

This divine power was an ancient qi-refining method.

Daily, one inhales and exhales primordial yang and yin qi, storing and nurturing it in the chest and abdomen. When facing a powerful foe, one spits it out, amplifying the power of any technique.

It's a life-saving trump card.

Of course, this divine power has two limitations.

First, like Li Yan's former Soul-Reaping Thunder Chain, it consumes stored yang-yin qi—once depleted, one must replenish it.

Though it takes only days to refill, timing is critical; only after reaching high cultivation can one store more qi.

The second limitation requires divine qi.

This is no longer the ancient wild age; due to various reasons, cultivating a realm divine power is impossible without divine qi.

The Dragon Maiden's promised reward, besides selecting treasures from the Dragon Palace's water realm, was the divine qi of the River God Lord.

Unfortunately, the River God Lord's spiritual aura was seized by the descending immortal Li Wenyuan; the divine qi the Dragon Maiden extracted was reduced to only two strands.

Wang Daoxuan used this divine qi to perfect his divine power.

As for Lu San—he followed the Chu shaman path, entirely different from Daoist mysticism, with no opportunity for realm divine power yet.

With the plan set, they continued forward.

The "Yin Yang Jie" region held more than one cultivation cave.

After walking a short distance, they rounded a ridge and ahead appeared a fissure-like hollow, buried under thick snow—hard to spot unless one looked closely.

"Here it is."

The Bai woman led them into the hollow.

Inside, the stone walls bore carved caves, several zhang deep, sheltered from wind—perfect for habitation.

As they walked, the woman spoke: "This is also a spiritual vein's aperture, but far weaker than Sister Long's—so Qingcheng doesn't bother stationing anyone here."

"They mainly use the Zhao Gong Mountain cave paradise. Here, only impoverished minor cultivators occasionally come to build floors…"

The group entered, looking around.

Indeed, the caves were crude—no doors, just scattered stones piled at the entrance to block wind during seclusion.

Signs of fire remained, but no one had come in ages; deep inside, piles of firewood lay covered in dust.

They lit a fire, and warmth returned.

They heated their rations, boiled snowwater in an iron pot, ate hastily, then began preparations.

Sha Lifei's case was most complicated—he was building his foundation for the first time, with no experience, but he too cultivated the "Xuan Sect's Cave of Darkness True Scripture."

Wang Daoxuan personally guided him and planned to wait another night to protect Sha Lifei's cultivation, waiting until he succeeded before absorbing the Divine Gang.

As for Li Yan, with Lu San's help, he blocked off another cave with stones and entered to cultivate in seclusion.

The stones filled the entrance; snowmelt mixed with mud sealed every crack, quickly freezing solid, plunging the interior into darkness.

Since it wasn't a building, the process was much simpler.

Li Yan lit eight lotus lamps and placed them according to the Eight Trigrams, then took out the Soul-Calling Scroll and the Goddess Xiwangmu's shrine.

He picked up the Soul-Calling Scroll and inspected it—inside was only one Divine Gang.

Previously, he had taken the task of capturing Lang Wu; though the target was slain in battle, it wasn't him who struck the blow, and due to his Heavenly Official status, he received neither punishment nor reward.

As for Lu Sheng, to prevent the target's soul from being retrieved by the Underworld, he preferred to forgo the reward and instead shattered the soul completely.

Killing Li Wenyuan granted him one Thunder Gang.

This was even more potent than Divine Gang; after being absorbed by the Soul-Calling Thunder Chain, it could now generate thunder on its own.

Thinking of this, Li Yan's heart stirred—the Soul-Calling Chain shot out with a howl, crackling with lightning.

Though it could manifest the Thunder Chain's form, its power was clearly far weaker than true heavenly thunder—roughly equivalent to a high-voltage stun baton.

Li Yan saw this and shook his head slightly.

This Thunder Gang had little killing power; its greatest use was its steady, continuous nature—it could accumulate thunder without needing to absorb heavenly lightning.

Beyond that, it also enhanced his Thunder Art martial path and the power of his Broken Dust Blade, and combined with the Immortal Seal Technique, his close-combat strength became even more formidable.

Holding the Soul-Calling Scroll, Li Yan fell into thought, then put it away.

Acquiring Divine Gang was not easy.

Even he needed to accept relevant tasks to obtain it.

Capturing yin offenders granted a Gang token.

Capturing the demonic aura of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods granted Divine Gang.

Completing Heavenly Official tasks granted Thunder Gang.

Since the battle at Shu Wang Palace, he had received no new tasks.

His divine ability, the Soul-Calling Thunder Chain, gained far more from absorbing Thunder Gang; absorbing this Divine Gang would at most extend the chain by a few meters.

Better to keep it in reserve.

After all, completing these tasks required the help of companions; if he greedily hoarded them all, he would end up alone.

He was not that kind of person.

After putting away the Soul-Calling Scroll, Li Yan lifted the Goddess Xiwangmu's shrine.

Whoosh—

The Armguard's Thousand Thoughts Evil Qi surged, scattering all the incense offerings that had accumulated on the shrine over the past two days.

This matter was strange—perhaps tied to the worship of Xiwangmu—but Li Yan had no interest in meddling; he would absorb its spiritual essence as soon as possible.

He had experience absorbing the Cave-Tian Stone.

Entering the Spirit-Storage space, he immediately looked up.

There, Luo Feng Mountain loomed high into the clouds; a black sea of souls churned into a storm, dark clouds roiled overhead, and thunderbolts stretched from heaven to earth.

Without hesitation, Li Yan formed a hand seal and drew upward.

Soon, the thunder grew even more violent.

The low, heavy clouds above were pushed apart by a colossal presence.

Slowly, a shrine as massive as a mountain descended, its image of Xiwangmu lifelike.

Leopard tail, tiger fangs, disheveled hair crowned with ornaments—it resembled a terrifying demon god, gazing down from the heavens.

Ordinary cultivators seeing this would be filled with dread.

But Li Yan remained expressionless, guarding his spirit in stillness, continuously drawing the shrine downward, using the power of his Great Luo Body to guide its spiritual essence into Luo Feng Mountain.

On the pitch-black Luo Feng Mountain, around the four-story divine pavilions and one palace, eight new paths emerged, extending in all eight directions.

The divine pavilions of the Eight Inner Altar Generals also began to take shape…

…

While Li Yan cultivated, night had fallen outside.

In the opposite cave, Sha Lifei shivered from the cold; the dense array of lotus soul-summoning lamps offered him no warmth.

"Damn fool, cultivation really is torture."

Sha Lifei grumbled aloud, yet his hands never stopped.

He knew well how much effort his teammates had put in just to let him cultivate.

He often wore the precious Guanyin Bodhisattva prayer beads.

He dared not betray this kindness.

Nor would he miss this chance to change his fate.

Yes—to change his fate!

A First-Story cultivator was merely at the bottom of the Xuanmen world.

But for him, it was different.

By candlelight, Sha Lifei took out the *Méishān Fire-Arms Manual*, flipping to a page.

The *Méishān Fire-Arms Manual* was a compilation of insights from numerous cultivators who exchanged ideas and studied techniques at Méishān.

Many of its entries were wildly impractical, impossible to realize; Méishān merely included them out of politeness.

For instance, one entry by an elder from Mount Emei read:

"Sword cultivators take Geng Metal as their bone. I observed that gunpowder and saltpeter also contain metal poison, so I tried applying the *Divide Light and Steal Shadow Technique*. I forged the barrel with iron forged at noon, quenched it in midnight cold spring water, engraved the 'Steal Shadow Charm' inside the bore and the 'Divide Light Pattern' on the stock—but it failed…"

"At Longquanyi, the scarred gunsmith, who awakened the 'Tool Sense,' occasionally succeeded—his gunshots fired like sword pellets, nine rounds in rapid, unbroken succession."

"Unfortunately, those who awaken 'Tool Sense' are exceedingly rare—this method is hard to succeed at and impossible to popularize…"

Tool Sense?

Sha Lifei scratched his head.

Since awakening his Body Art, he had developed a special affinity for tools—whether forging iron or firing a gun, he handled them as if they were extensions of his limbs.

He had asked others; none of them who awakened Body Art had this ability.

Could this be… 'Tool Sense'…?

(End of Chapter)