"Look, the sun is rising," Xian Jianchen said. "The Western Paradise isn't far now."
Since entering the depths of the snow plains, they had only each other to talk to. Most of the time they didn't discuss cultivation or worldly affairs, but instead exchanged meaningless banter or told stories about the four pilgrims seeking scriptures.
Song Qianji narrowed his eyes slightly: "The Ice-Cracking Abyss lies eighty li ahead. Beware the whirlwinds above the chasm."
The Ice-Cracking Abyss was also known as the Snow Plains' Fissure. Whirlwinds generated from its unfathomable depths possessed tremendous suction power that could drain a cultivator's Spirit Qi. According to existing records in the Cultivation World, no cultivator who fell in had ever reappeared in the human realm.
"You even know the location of the Ice-Cracking Abyss?" Xian Jianchen asked suspiciously. "From the Dead Sea to the continent's edge, have you truly traveled this path before?"
"Perhaps I walked it alone in a dream." Song Qianji beckoned to Xian Jianchen. "Mount the sword."
The two rose again on the Shadowless Sword, continuing their journey.
Xian Jianchen clicked his tongue in admiration: "Not bad, kid. After all that fighting, it can still fly. Truly durable and cost-effective!"
Song Qianji had long lost patience with this old burden: "I have the Fountain of Immortality with me, so my wounds can slowly heal. Who knows what kind of injury you've sustained that even the Fountain of Immortality can't cure."
"Do you hear something?" Xian Jianchen scratched his ear.
Song Qianji: "It's the Fountain of Immortality. I just praised it. When it's happy, it condescends to knock against the Pure Bottle a few times, letting me hear its clear ring. When it's unhappy, it also knocks against the bottle to protest."
"Like keeping a cat. Wait, there's more than just that—there's another sound." Xian Jianchen sounded puzzled.
Song Qianji tilted his head to listen, the smile fading from his eyes as his expression darkened: "It's the sound of a zither."
The zither notes flowed like a babbling brook, drifted like faint blue smoke, fluttered like dancing white butterflies—crossing mountains and valleys, carried by the northern winds.
The melody traveled far, graceful and melodious, revealing the performer's profound skill. Hearing such exquisite music anywhere would be enough to captivate the heart and earn endless admiration.
But this was the snow plains, where no one should be playing the zither—where no one should exist at all.
"What tune is it?" Xian Jianchen asked.
Song Qianji sighed: "Ambush from Ten Sides."
Xian Jianchen made as if to jump: "Since it's already an ambush from ten sides, this master will take his leave first. I believe you can handle it yourself."
Song Qianji grabbed him back: "Leave me the sword!"
"You still want it? Seven swords aren't enough for you?"
Amid their bickering, the Shadowless Sword flew faster and faster, while the zither music grew clearer and more urgent.
Like a vast army surging forth, with beacon fires rising on all sides and troops pressing against the city walls.
The weather was clear, the view unobstructed. Under the blue sky, atop the snow-capped peak, a solitary figure sat playing the zither. Her sea-green skirt billowed, wide sleeves fluttering like swirling snow in the flowing wind.
Xian Jianchen laughed cheerfully: "Ambush from Ten Sides, yet there's only one person. And quite a beautiful fairy at that."
The Shadowless Sword hovered in place. Song Qianji gazed at the familiar figure: "For an ambush from ten sides, one person is sufficient. Why would thousands of troops be needed?"
He had stopped here again—the place where he died in his previous life.
The melody was different, the person was different. The snow plains remained as before, the scenery unchanged year after year.
Xian Jianchen shouted: "Zither-playing fairy over there! Let's make a deal—we're in a hurry. Can we come back to listen after we finish our business?"
Song Qianji: "...Do you think that will work?""I think it's worth a try at least." Xian Jianchen rubbed his chin with an infuriating expression, "Even if your Seven Wonders Zither hadn't been damaged in Blood River Valley, could you really play better than her?"
As his words fell, the zither music abruptly ceased. The player lifted her gaze.
A somewhat hoarse voice echoed from afar: "When Senior Brother Song taught me the Wind and Snow Array Entry Tune back then, my cultivation was low and my zither skills insufficient to complete the entire piece. Now I have achieved mastery in the music path, and my cultivation far surpasses past levels. This 'Ambush from Ten Sides' was the final piece my master taught me. Senior Brother Song, how do you find my performance?"
Song Qianji commented: "Not bad. Your zither skills have indeed greatly improved, capturing eighty percent of this piece's true essence."
Xian Jianchen fell silent.
Then he transmitted his voice with sarcastic mockery: "Well, well, so this was your doing. Why did you have to compose the Wind and Snow Array Entry Tune back when you had nothing better to do?"
Song Qianji transmitted a cold laugh: "How much hatred have you attracted along our journey? How much trouble have you caused? What about the Zhao Family ancestor and those from Huawel Sect earlier - whose past deeds were those?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Xian Jianchen didn't retort.
He Qingqing stood up holding her zither, like a young student submitting an exam to her first teacher: "Where is the remaining twenty percent lacking?"
Song Qianji shook his head: "Eighty percent is already sufficient. The moon wanes when full - there's no need to force perfection."
He Qingqing smiled: "If I cannot achieve perfection, I disgrace this zither. If I cannot reach the pinnacle, I waste this life."
The strings of her "Nine Heavens Circling Jade" zither vibrated spontaneously, emitting brilliant, glorious purple light that swirled around her, as if in response.
Song Qianji sighed softly and said bluntly: "Unfortunately, you don't wish to see me here, nor do you want to play this piece. Naturally, your zither heart is unsettled, lacking the final twenty percent of refinement."
He Qingqing started: "I..."
While playing the zither, countless thoughts had indeed been swirling in her heart, chaotic and tangled like whirling snowflakes.
Until Song Qianji's figure appeared. Suddenly the world became eerily quiet, the howling wind no longer audible. In that moment, rain nurtured all grains, and countless flowers and plants broke through the soil to sprout.
He Qingqing gritted her teeth and said stubbornly: "How do you know what I don't want? Do you understand me better than I understand myself?"
Song Qianji's calm, water-like gaze gradually sharpened, like a drawn sword leaving its scabbard:
"Miss He, since we parted by the Three Lives Stone, have you obtained what you desired?"
He Qingqing murmured: "On the Three Lives Stone, I saw us standing together. So it was meant to be here and now."
Her fingers tightening around the Nine Heavens Circling Jade, she suddenly declared loudly: "I am now the Immortal Alliance Leader!"
"Alliance Leader Fairy!" Xian Jianchen pointed at Song Qianji with a playful laugh, then gestured behind them: "This man may appear normal, but he just went on a killing spree, leaving rivers of blood and forests of white bones over there. His bloodlust hasn't subsided yet - I advise you not to block our path."
He Qingqing's aura shifted slightly.
Centered around her, the surrounding snow transformed into snowflakes that rose from her feet, returning to the sky to form a snow tornado connecting heaven and earth: "Sword God, Song King. I come not to block your path, but to request an edict from the Song King..."
Xian Jianchen's intuition sensed danger. He transmitted: "That string of red beads in her hand has absorbed Xu Yun's power. While her spell isn't complete yet, why aren't you drawing your sword?"
Song Qianji remained motionless.He Qingqing continued, "I have no intention of seizing Thousand Canals. There are no victors in this battle—Thousand Canals and the Immortal Alliance have paid a sufficient price. Today’s meeting on the snowy plain is for peace talks, and I invite the entire Cultivation World to bear witness."
With a sweep of her sleeve, eighteen blood-red beads soared into the sky amid a swirling snowstorm, casting a dazzling radiance across a ten-mile radius.
A vast, primordial force, akin to the very essence of heaven and earth, was drawn forth by the red beads. The clear sky tore open like a gaping wound, revealing a chaotic void neither black nor white, where countless colors flowed and intertwined.
"Is this necessary?" Xian Jianchen leaped to his feet. "You youngsters always have to make such a grand spectacle!"
Song Qianji sternly warned, "You are wielding power that does not belong to you—you will suffer its backlash!"
He Qingqing laughed, "Even if it’s not mine, it serves my purpose. There is nothing in this world I cannot accomplish."
Using the red jade Buddhist beads as a medium, she harnessed the power of the Sky-Supporting Tree to open a passageway.
Meanwhile, in Thousand-Ditch Prefecture on the Western Sky Continent, it was night.
From Thousand-Ditch Prefecture to Hongfu Prefecture, and even the surrounding swamps and miasma forests, a strange wind suddenly arose.
This wind was eerily unnatural—not blowing from any cardinal direction but descending directly from the sky, as if a colossal gate had opened in the heavens, releasing a frigid, violent air current.
Though Thousand Canals was protected by formations, outside the barriers, dust and debris swirled violently.
Cultivators felt an inexplicable palpitation, as if drawn by some immense force, and looked up at the night sky.
The darkness of night rapidly faded, transforming into a silvery white expanse.
Like an unrolling scroll or a mirror covering the firmament, an endless snowy plain unfolded overhead.
This region now gathered the Immortal Alliance, Thousand Canals, and various reinforcements—nearly the entire military strength of the Cultivation World.
Such a phenomenon shook the hearts and minds of both cultivators and mortals alike.
It was an indescribable shock.
"What’s happening? Is it an attack from the enemy?"
"Stay calm and follow orders!Soon, figures became visible in the wind and snow. Three individuals stood in a triangular confrontation: one of peerless beauty, clad in resplendent emerald robes; another draped in a black cloak, his expression weary and impatient.
The last wore only a thin white robe, but when the people of Thousand Canals saw him, they saw no one else. A wave of cheers erupted instantly:
"It’s King Song! That’s King Song in the sky!"
"King Song, we’ve defended Thousand Canals!"
"Everyone, calm down! That’s the snowy plain near the continent’s edge. King Song isn’t in the sky—he can’t hear us!"
The walls of Thousand Canals stood tall; once, it seemed one could pluck stars from the sky by standing atop them. Now, it felt as though reaching out could brush the snow from Song Qianji’s robes.
The one long separated, repeatedly rumored dead, had finally reappeared before their eyes.
After watching for a moment, the three on the city walls turned their gazes to He Qingqing.
Meng Heze exclaimed, "What is she trying to do? Has she gone mad?Wei Zhenyu sneered, "I think she’s perfectly awake."
Ji Chen restrained himself but couldn’t hold back: "If we had known it would come to this, back at Blood River Valley..."
Above Hongfu Prefecture, the Green Cliff Cloud Ships dominated the sky. Young disciples gathered on the decks, exclaiming in astonishment:
"We’ve been monitoring the Jet-Black Gold Carriage the whole time and noticed nothing!"
"Everyone thought Alliance Leader He would come to negotiate with the Courtyard Overseer, but she went to the snowy plain instead!""Keep your voices down. Senior Brother is practicing with his blade. Don't disturb him."
Ziye Wenshu had already sheathed his blade, gazing at the silvery sky and the rustling snowstorm.
The cultivators from the Immortal Alliance in the Poisonous Miasma Forest were initially struck speechless with shock, then grew even more agitated than the people of Thousand Canals. They soared up on various Flying Magical Artifacts, wishing they could fly into the snowy plains above:
"Alliance Leader He actually went to the Snow Plains? She intercepted the Sword God and Song Qianji alone?"
"Since Alliance Leader He could open a passage allowing everyone to witness events on the Snow Plains, it shows she's even more powerful than the former Alliance Leader! She's now the strongest in the world! But when did Alliance Leader He become this formidable? Nephew Yuan, do you know?" a Huawei Sect elder asked curiously.
Yuan Qingshi's face was deathly pale. Fortunately, the white snow from the sky cast a silvery glow over everything below.
Why had He Qingqing's cultivation advanced so rapidly? Why had his master turned to ashes after death?
The answer he tried to ignore was tearing open across the entire sky.
Under everyone's questioning gazes, he heard himself murmur: "Since Alliance Leader He possesses the Ascension Pill, it's not surprising she has other cultivation secrets. Once the situation stabilizes, the Alliance Leader naturally won't treat everyone poorly."
The Immortal Alliance members accepted this reasoning. He Qingqing must have obtained some mysterious opportunity, truly destined by fate.
"Alliance Leader He must be expending tremendous energy to maintain this divine power. Is it just to demonstrate her strength?"
"If she can make everyone witness her defeating Song Qianji with their own eyes, the people of Thousand Canals will lose heart. Without the power of faith and vows to enhance their defensive formations, breaking Thousand Canals will be easy. How could Meng Heze and Wei Zhenyu possibly resist then?"
"The Alliance Leader's strategy is truly brilliant. If word had leaked beforehand, Thousand Canals would have spared no effort to stop her. Now, even Ziye Wenshu can do nothing but watch like the rest of us."
"Long live the Alliance Leader! Long live the Immortal Alliance!"
Under countless watching eyes, a green figure moved on the Snow Plains.
He Qingqing declared: "This seat has come to negotiate peace with only three conditions. If Song Qianji agrees, the Immortal Alliance will immediately withdraw its troops, and this seat will immediately step aside to let you two pass."
Xian Jianchen scratched his ear: "Let's hear them."
"First, the Immortal Alliance has mobilized its forces for this expedition and requires compensation in Spirit Stones. Second, Thousand Canals must pay annual tribute of thirty million Spirit Stones to the Immortal Alliance henceforth. Third, the outer walls of Thousand Canals must not expand beyond their current boundaries."
Xian Jianchen interrupted: "Wait! Although this venerable one doesn't understand all the intricacies of sect politics, how is this different from territorial concessions and reparations?"
"Even if this seat unifies the Cultivation World, Thousand Canals will remain Song Qianji's Thousand Canals. If this agreement is reached today, Thousand Canals and the Immortal Alliance will coexist peacefully for five hundred years. This battle shouldn't continue. If you agree, seal it with a handshake."
He Qingqing only looked at Song Qianji.
And Song Qianji remained calm.
"I disagree," he said. "I disagree ten thousand times over."
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