Chapter 82 The Approaching Snowstorm (Part Two)
The spiritual energy, carrying the wind and snow, rushed in. Chu Jianshan used his sword to brace himself up and was about to gather spiritual energy to protect himself when a sword shadow suddenly flashed past his side.
It was a sword that was entirely black, its blade gleaming with a cold, matte sheen in the sunlight, even the tassel was black, as if it had been pulled from a dark abyss.
Chu Jianshan only realized something was wrong when the sword's spine barely grazed his wrist.
"Cheng Yuan! No—!"
He tried to stop it, but the surging spiritual energy in his dantian seemed to have hit an invisible wall. Just as it was about to surge upwards, it was firmly pressed back by a chilling aura, and even his fingertips went numb for a moment.
The moment the Xuan Tie Sword blocked the killing move, tables and chairs flew wildly in the hall, and frozen snowflakes cut bloody marks on the skin like sharp blades.
The whistling stopped, and the hall was eerily quiet. Qiao Yi was right in front of him, still in the same palm strike position.
Outside the hall, the wind swirled the embers of the shattered barrier. Cheng Yuan remained standing, but the smile on his lips was like blood-stained paper. His gaze fell on Chu Jianshan, his eyes slightly reddening.
Just as Chu Jianshan was about to speak, Chu Jianshan's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he had swallowed something metallic and sweet, causing his shoulders to tremble almost imperceptibly. When he looked up again, he had suppressed that slight tremor.
He was connected to the Xuan Tie Sword by life, and Chu Jianshan knew that he was forcibly holding back from spitting out blood.
Qiao Yi tilted his gaze slightly, still with that arrogant look: "Using what I taught you to deal with me, that's quite something."
His hand slowly contracted, and at the same time, something seemed to grab his neck from Cheng Yuan's side, forcing him to kneel on the ground. Veins bulged on his neck, blood pooled in one spot, about to burst.
"Those who disobey deserve to die."
Cheng Yuan struggled to keep from kneeling completely down and raised one hand with difficulty in Qiao Yi's direction.
Qiao Yi tilted his head slightly, and the Flowing Sound Sword flew past his ear.
"You're the one who deserves to die the most!" Chu Jianshan pulled out Mo Yang and stabbed it fiercely at Qiao Yi.
Qiao Yi didn't dodge, and Ji Ziyan cut her sword in half. Chu Jianshan slapped her to the side and shouted, "Dong Qi! Kill her!"
Ji Ziyan steadied herself and sneered, "Him?"
Before the words were finished, a young master suddenly took three steps forward, his folding fan snapping shut with a "whoosh," revealing a glint of cold light at the tip of the elegant fan ribs—a cleverly concealed short dagger.
"And us too!" The boy's voice was clear and bright, yet it carried a do-or-die spirit.
The old man behind him slowly straightened up, his hand that had been stroking his white beard moved to the sword at his waist, his knuckles turning white from the force: "Linyi Gate is pressing us step by step, leaving us no way out at all."
The old man's voice was not loud, but every word was firm and resolute: "Immortal Venerable Chu, we are unwilling to retreat any longer! Today, we will stand with you against these wolves and tigers!"
The wind carried the crisp sounds of clashing weapons from afar, and some sects had already received the signal and were preparing to launch a strong attack on Linyi Gate.
"Fine," Ji Ziyan said with a ruthless look, "then all of you shall die!"
While Ji Ziyan was locked in a fierce battle, Chu Jianshan was able to focus all his attention on Qiao Yi.
His moves were as fast as ever, his longsword almost becoming a blur, his attacks as fierce as a sudden downpour.
After several attempts, Chu Jianshan figured out Qiao Yi's dodging pattern. Just as Qiao Yi's figure was about to disappear, Chu Jianshan loosened his wrist, and Mo Yang spun around him once. With a muffled groan, Qiao Yi staggered and appeared in front of him.
There was a bloody mark on his left shoulder. The sword had just swept across, leaving a rather deep wound on his shoulder. His gaze towards Chu Jianshan finally held a hint of emotion.
Qiao Yi relaxed a bit, allowing Cheng Yuan to finally catch his breath. He seemed oblivious to the pain in his body and rushed over to help Chu Jianshan.
"Watch out!" he shouted. Chu Jianshan turned around in response, and Mo Yangjian seized the opportunity to thrust out, heading straight for Qiao Yi's throat.
The two attacked from above and defended from below. Although Cheng Yuan was injured, his swordsmanship remained steady, and he was always able to fill the gaps when Chu Jianshan's attacks slowed down. Chu Jianshan, on the other hand, took advantage of his quick eyes and hands to break through Qiao Yi's illusions and create openings for Cheng Yuan.
Qiao Yi had initially gained an advantage due to his unpredictable movements, but now, being attacked from both sides, he was starting to feel somewhat overwhelmed.
After being hit by Chu Jianshan once again, Qiao Yi steadied himself, glanced at his injuries, and said in a sinister tone, "Very well, the petty squabbles are over."
He touched the ground with his toes and leaped into the air. His figure, which was originally one person, instantly turned into more than a dozen people, surrounding Chu Jianshan and Cheng Yuan. He pointed his sword at them, ready to strike.
The sharp sword sliced through the cold wind and whistled towards them, but Chu Jianshan made no attempt to dodge.
Because he saw that behind Qiao Yi, countless snowflakes were condensing at an extremely fast speed.
Flying Snow and Frosty Ice—his senior brother Jiang Yan's signature move.
In an instant, the snow ice whistled through the wind, leaving only a cold white afterimage.
A series of soft "poof" sounds rang out. Before Qiao Yi could injure them, the ice crystals pierced through their bodies without leaving a trace of blood. They only melted into a handful of fine snow where the clones dissipated, falling softly to the ground.
"Senior brother."
Chu Jianshan finally breathed a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders suddenly collapsed, and he staggered forward two steps.
Jiang Yan quickly approached, raised her hand to help him up, and whispered, "Qingyuan, you've suffered."
"Immortal Chu, are you alright?" Lin Mumu rushed over, panting.
Chu Jianshan shook his head slightly, his eyelashes trembling. He looked up at the door behind him and said in an even softer voice, "Qianfan is inside. Go and see him first."
On the other side, Qiao Yi glanced back and saw that the people from Changjin Mountain had already completely surrounded the area, and the remaining scattered cultivators were powerless to fight back. There was really no need to drag this out any longer.
He silently took a few steps back, his figure fading away with a gust of cold wind, leaving only a light, fleeting sentence swirling in the wind: "Too many people, and it loses its charm. Chu Jianshan, we'll meet again soon."
The snow gradually subsided, and the howling wind also calmed down. A crack appeared in the clouds, and a few thin but warm rays of sunlight pierced through, falling on the snow-covered ground and making one's eyes gleam.
"We...won?" The young master ran out quickly, looked up at the sky, and said in disbelief.
Chu Jianshan finally noticed him and asked with a smile, "Whose son are you?"
The young master quickly bowed and replied, "My name is Meng Yufeng. If I were to make a rough calculation, I would say I am from a collateral branch of the Shao Xuan Sect."
Chu Jianshan nodded in acknowledgment, unaware of Cheng Yuan's slightly furrowed brows beside him.
"Master." Cheng Yuan called out softly, and pulled him aside as he did so.
"What's wrong?" Chu Jianshan turned around, thinking his wound was still hurting, and quickly helped him up, asking, "Are you alright?"
"It's alright." Cheng Yuan rubbed his hand to comfort him. There were too many people here, and he couldn't do anything out of line.
"Utterly devoid of conscience!"
A miserable howl suddenly came from inside the hall. Bai Qianfan clutched his wound and grimaced in pain. He practically squeezed out the words through clenched teeth.
During the chaotic battle in the hall, he barely managed to crawl to a corner with his bleeding body, risking his life, just to avoid being caught in the crossfire and become a casualty of the fight.
"Chu Jianshan was clearly the main force, why did he stab me!" His eyes were red with pain, and his tone was full of indignation.
"Alright, stop howling, it's too noisy." Lin Mumu squatted down beside him, her fingertips quickly wrapping the wound with a strip of cloth. When no one was looking, she secretly made a hand seal. A faint blue light flashed in his palm and disappeared into Bai Qianfan's flesh. A warm sensation spread along the wound, and the pain actually lessened a bit.
She patted his shoulder: "Don't worry, I'm here, you won't die."
Bai Qianfan knew he wouldn't die. Ji Ziyan's stab was too sudden, far from his heart. He was also knowledgeable in medicine, so after being injured, he poured all the hemostatic bottles and jars on him, and the bleeding stopped in no time. Now, only his skin and flesh were still aching.
"Are you alright?" Chu Jianshan and his group walked in and headed straight for Bai Qianfan.
Upon hearing Chu Jianshan's voice, Bai Qianfan felt the pain that had just been suppressed by the healing spell surge back up. He immediately stiffened his neck and snorted, "You say there's nothing wrong or not? So that crazy woman didn't stab you, it's easy for you to talk!"
"Immortal Chu, I have some excellent wound medicine here, which works faster than ordinary medicine." Meng Yufeng appeared out of nowhere, holding a golden medicine bottle in his hand, and wanted to hand it to Chu Jianshan, "Why don't you let Senior Brother Bai try it?"
“No need,” Cheng Yuan stopped Meng Yufeng before he could reach out. “Senior Brother Bai has always been knowledgeable in medicine, and besides, he’s not used to using other people’s medicines.”
Bai Qianfan: "?"
What kind of madness has this guy gone mad with?
"I'm used to it," Bai Qianfan said with a smile, taking the medicine bottle from Meng Yufeng's hand and casually asking, "What's your name again?"
The young master bowed again and said, "My name is Meng Yufeng."
"Okay, Xiao Meng, thank you very much."
"Qingyuan." Jiang Yan walked over from the side and stood steadily beside Chu Jianshan. Her voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present: "Come back to Changjin Mountain with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding air seemed to freeze. Chu Jianshan lowered his eyes, his fingertips slightly curled, and remained silent.
On the other side, Cheng Yuan suddenly looked up and almost subconsciously took half a step forward, blocking Chu Jianshan's path.
The meaning was clear: you can't take him away.
“Senior brother,” Chu Jianshan finally spoke, his voice soft but carrying an undeniable firmness: “I have already betrayed Changjin Mountain.”
Jiang Yan interrupted him: "But you still call me senior brother, don't you?"
"I can forgive you for what happened ten years ago when you were young and willful. I can also forgive you for everything that has happened now. As long as you listen to me, I will take responsibility for all your mistakes, as long as you are willing to come back."
Having said all that, and having already defended his own in front of everyone, some people who didn't know the whole story felt sorry for him and tried to persuade him, "Immortal Chu, Sect Leader Jiang is only doing this for your own good. Let's pretend we didn't see what happened today and give Sect Leader Jiang some face."
"Master!" Cheng Yuan exclaimed anxiously, immediately turning to look at him.
"Qingyuan." Jiang Yan urged him from the other side, her voice not loud, but carrying an air of authority.
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