Liu Banbi’s flying sword trembled unceasingly, the demonic qi before him nearly blotting out all of his vision.
But soon, the demonic qi was torn apart, and a black figure appeared, blocking before him.
“Sword Immortal Liu, I'll have to trouble you to protect Nandu. Leave everything else to me.”
The young martial artist exhaled a long breath, stretched out his hand to scatter the demonic qi, then looked toward Xie Nandu.
Liu Banbi gnashed his teeth. This damned brat, what Nandu, Nandu, did he have to call her so intimately?
That was Your Father's little junior sister, and she hadn’t said she would marry you!
Autumn cast a glance into the distance. With two great demons dead, the number of powerhouses on the Great Liang side and the demon race side was nearly equal. Whether it was Song Lian or Chen Wannian, both could probably already hold their own.
Next, they only needed to kill Autumn.
Then everything would be settled.
Autumn narrowed her eyes, taking a look at the young martial artist before her. Without another word, she directly removed the flying sword from her hair.The flying sword fell into her palm, and in an instant, became the length of a normal flying sword.
Previously, whether facing Liu Banbi, or that woman with the weaker cultivation, she had never wielded a sword, because there was no need.
But now, facing Chen Chao, she needed to go all out.
Among the younger generation, perhaps only this man could force her to such lengths.
Gripping that slender flying sword called Autumn Beyond the Tower, Autumn strode forward, sweeping up boundless demonic qi as she pressed toward Chen Chao.
Chen Chao at the same time grasped Cloud Mud in his hand, colliding head-on with the demon princess.
This was far from the first time the two had crossed blades. But every time they fought, they were endlessly cautious, forced to give their all.
Every victory and defeat came in but an instant. Neither dared to say that winning once meant they would win the next.
The difference between them was truly infinitesimal.
......
......
Saber and sword collided in the wind and snow for the first time, instantly stirring up boundless qi. The demonic qi filled the sky, riding on the snow and wind, but Chen Chao’s own qi surged forth no weaker, crashing straight into the demonic qi.
The wind and snow in the four directions began to make strange noises. The sounds of qi currents flowing through the blizzard and striking against one another. Countless flurries were shredded into powder amid that clash of qi.
The two most remarkable youths of the current era moved through the wind and snow, clashing continuously. Autumn still was not a pure sword cultivator. The sword intent that had originally existed within Autumn Beyond the Tower was now merged with her own being, yet it had not lost its sharpness. Instead, it seemed as if a blade’s edge had been infused into her very aura.
Therefore, when Autumn now wielded her sword, although it lacked the killing power of a pure sword cultivator, a strange quality had been added to her demonic qi. Each time Chen Chao’s aura met hers, he felt a sense of discomfort. They exchanged blows constantly, and after a few breaths, Chen Chao took a glance at his clothing hem; many rips had appeared.
These rips were torn by the edge-like aura that could not quite be called sword intent. Though they had not yet cut into his skin, over time, that aura would definitely land on his body.
When that time comes...
Chen Chao grinned. He wasn’t too worried about it.
He stole a glance at Xie Nandu, who had already returned to the main tent. A faint smile curved his lips. She had rushed here through wind and snow, gone through so much, all just to see the woman she cared for safe and sound.
With that thought, his killing intent toward Autumn was no longer as intense as before.
Autumn, on the other hand, was as unwavering as ever, her eyes filled with killing intent.
Their auras flowed outward continuously, forming tangible streams of energy that collided again and again. The surrounding snow was blasted apart, forming one deep pit after another. Simply looking at the scene now, it seemed scarcely any different from when the two emperors had once battled.
Xie Nandu stood before the main tent, watching the battlefield where the fighting continued, her expression calm.
A battlefield belonged to the strong, but those who ultimately decided victory were the soldiers.
The two sides surged together like a flood of steel. People fell constantly, dying one after another. Corpses were often impossible to keep intact because once someone fell, their comrades and enemies would trample over them relentlessly.
On a battlefield, no one could care for everything.
Liu Banbi’s face was pale, but he could finally step aside for a moment from the battlefield to stay with his little junior sister. He sat down heavily in the snow and asked, “It seems okay over here, but do you have confidence on your side?”
Xie Nandu glanced at her senior brother and spoke softly, “This side was always a feint. I made such a commotion to give Gao Xuan over there an opportunity. He’s not a fool; he knows what I mean.”
Liu Banbi had spent many years in the Northern Frontier. Although he had mainly focused on slaying demons and never commanded troops in battle, having experienced so many large-scale fights, he had developed some judgment of the events on a battlefield.
So after a brief silence, Liu Banbi had already guessed Xie Nandu’s intent. He frowned and said, “Little Junior Sister, you’re using yourself as bait, drawing all eyes here, so that Gao Xuan over there can act freely and decisively establish the situation.”
Xie Nandu nodded. “Indeed. I calculated a lot. Except for Autumn, whom I did not account for, everything else was within my expectations. Autumn may be a variable, but I’m not too worried. Since he is in the Northern Frontier, I won’t be in danger.”
It sounded like a perfectly ordinary statement, yet there seemed to be a trace of tender, almost girlish affection within it.
Liu Banbi felt awkward listening to it. He had no Dao companion, no children. After meeting Xie Nandu, he had long regarded this little junior sister as his own younger sister.
Clearly, in this world, no father would approve of a man wanting to take his daughter away, and no big brother would treat kindly any man who liked his sister.
“I don’t think that stinking brat is any good either. Little Junior Sister, are you really sure you won’t reconsider?”
Liu Banbi had held back for a long time, but in the end, he couldn’t restrain himself.
Xie Nandu squinted and smiled. “Senior Brother, do you think there’s any young man in this world better than him?”
Liu Banbi was speechless.
......
......
Amid the wind and snow, a young daoist crossed the Northern Frontier Great Wall and finally stepped into the Northern Frontier.
After appearing there, the young daoist quickly sensed some flow of aura in the distance. Looking up, he saw several black auras crashing toward the distant sky.
Without a doubt, those were the figures of several great demons.
The young daoist frowned and muttered with some awe, “A black cloud presses on the city; will the city collapse?”
But after saying this, he quickly shook his head and looked not far ahead, where a tall figure stood resolute in the wind and snow.
Even from a great distance, the young daoist felt a pressure as imposing as a mountain.
There was no doubt, this was a being at the end of Nepenthe, a true demon lord.
The demon lord glanced at the young daoist from afar, seemingly uninterested in him, and turned to walk away toward the distance. But soon, the young daoist blocked the demon lord’s path.
“Why do you block this lord?”
A solemn voice carried through the wind and snow, shaking the air as if the blizzard itself trembled.
The young daoist spoke calmly, “I do not know where your esteemed self intends to go, but I would like to ask you to stay a moment.”
"Who are you?!"
The terrifying voice came again, but this time with more emotion.
“This penniless daoist is Yun Jianyue of the Infatuation Daoist Temple.”
The young daoist smiled, his daoist robe fluttering in the wind.
“So, it's the new young temple master. Very well. Since you want to block this lord, then this lord shall kill you. That way, there is no need to mobilize forces to kill the other person over there.”
The demon lord spoke, his voice booming like thunder.
Yun Jianyue smiled. “Hearing your esteemed self say so, it seems that by blocking your esteemed self, this penniless daoist has done nothing wrong.”
“No. You will find that this is the biggest mistake of your life. But fortunately, it will also be your last choice.”
The demon lord sneered, his voice brimming with confidence.
Yun Jianyue paid no mind and merely smiled calmly. “The human world is beautiful. This penniless daoist still wishes to look upon it for a few more years, so this penniless daoist does not wish to die at your esteemed self's hands.”
Before his words fell, beneath the sky, amidst the sea of clouds, thunder rumbled continuously.
Countless heavenly lightning bolts hovered there, ready to fall at any moment.
Having become a great daoist sage at the end of Nepenthe, Yun Jianyue’s control over lightning spells was already incomparable to before.
Now, he may truly have reached the level of absolute mastery.
Facing this demon lord, he could feel no trace of fear.