Chapter 147: Snow Demon (Part 6) Cultivation

The bridal veil was lifted, first revealing the smooth, delicate chin of the young girl, followed by her pomegranate-red lips.

Xu Qianyu’s lips were tightly pressed together, filled with anxiety, fear, and wariness.

At this very moment, Shen Suwei wanted very much to glance at her, especially to see her eyes. But the breath on his fingers grew lighter and lighter, and his hand stopped moving.

Was he really going to let her see his current state?

Without warning, Shen Suwei loosened his grip, and the bridal veil fell back into place.

He grabbed Xu Qianyu’s arm and moved forward. She was like a taut string, and in her struggle, her nails dug into his skin.

Xu Qianyu felt like this great demon was dragging her forward, as if taking her somewhere. It neither attacked nor spoke—was it a demon in human form that hadn’t gained sentience yet?
As she was wondering, its hand pressed down on her shoulder. Xu Qianyu heard the sound of a wooden cabinet opening. The other party’s strength was immense, and in the blink of an eye, she was forced to bend down and shove into the cabinet.

She struggled fiercely. Fortunately, the cabinet was bigger inside than she expected, and there was nothing strange within—rather, it felt like a shelter.

She grabbed its hand tightly, feeling it touch her hairpin. Something was shoved into her arms, and then the cabinet door was slammed shut. Immediately, a dull sound of fighting came from outside.

Xu Qianyu froze for a moment, her hand slowly tightening as she touched the object the demon had placed in her arms.

It was soft, fluffy, and filled with spiritual energy. The energy transformed into countless blue light dots like fireflies flying into her shoulders. Along with it came a familiar fragrance of flower petals.

Xu Qianyu smelled the scent and suddenly grabbed a pair of rabbit ears, then pulled out four little legs. Realizing what it was, she recognized that the object in her arms was the white rabbit plush she had lost.

Xu Qianyu froze for a moment, then pushed at the cabinet door with all her might. However, the cabinet had been sealed from the outside with a restriction, and she couldn’t open it. The sounds of battle were now much more brutal and bloodthirsty than before.

The two demons were fighting for their lives. Waves of spiritual energy pushed against the cabinet, but the inside remained unharmed.

Recalling the actions of the great demon earlier, there seemed to be an odd sense of protection in its behavior.

Xu Qianyu ripped off the bridal veil. The white mist before her still hadn’t dissipated, making her extremely anxious. She wanted to know why this demon had the plush toy that Shen Suwei had taken. Shouldn’t he have been meditating in the snow cliff cave?

In her panic, she fumbled through the space and pulled out the letter that Shen Suwei had left behind. “Read me the words on this letter.”

The system responded, “This is a private message to you; isn’t it inappropriate?”

“Quickly,” Xu Qianyu spread the paper out flat.

“Alright, alright,” the system said, “I’ll read it!”

“To my sister Qianyu: I have trespassed into your domain and may have offended you. The words of our farewell were not truly my intent, and for that, I apologize.”

“During the battle in the Demon Realm, I was possessed by a heart demon, and my path was destroyed. The only way to resolve it is to re-enter the ruthless path. But my ruthless path, which I had broken for you, is no longer something I wish to walk. I cannot deceive myself further, so I must pause for now.”

“My sister is as bright as the morning sun, shining and warm, and no one does not wish to keep her for themselves. I, too, have this selfish desire, even stronger than others. But I am on the edge of entering the nightmare, and as your elder brother, I cannot hinder your path or ruin your future. Since I love and cherish you, I cannot allow the treasure to be tainted.”

“I thought you lacked the soul of love and would not be hurt. As long as I am alive, I can protect you from worry and trouble. But seeing you walk alone in the snow, I realize how selfish and decisive I have been. I never asked you a single question or gave you a choice. I do not love others; I only wait for Qianyu. Today, I leave this letter, hoping you can choose. I hope it is not too late.”

“My life has been full of life and death, suffering and hardship, with too many words bringing misfortune. Therefore, I am extremely cautious in speaking. Please forgive me. No matter what you think, I must thank you. Life for me has been like the vast snowfields, with nothing but silence and endurance. The past eight years, plus three more, with your care, I’ve come to know that there are clear skies in this world.”

“Shen Suwei.”

“Finished reading…” The system paused for a moment. “Are you alright?”

Xu Qianyu had no expression on her face. Her eyes were wide, yet in them was a layer of shimmering light.

When her eyelashes fluttered, her tears fell like jade beads, silently.
Her long lashes lowered, and she clutched the rabbit, her expression filled with immense sorrow.

Eight years and three years—this was a secret code she could understand. In her past life, she had been Shen Suwei’s junior for eight years.

When they first met, Shen Suwei returned from the autumn, wearing white under the moonlight, a sword on his back, graceful and poised. From that moment on, he became like the bright moon in the sky. Yet, in his letter, he had said she was as radiant as the morning sun, that no one could resist liking her, and that he was the one who loved her the most.

Such directness was truly rare.

Every word felt like a heavy blow, making her palms sweat. It was not joy, but unease.

Xu Qianyu understood that the higher the cultivation, the more likely it was to fall into the nightmare. But she never expected this to happen to her senior brother.

Why, when he had a heart demon, was she kept in the dark and unaware?

Listening to the sounds of battle outside, she couldn’t help but think of the gray figure that was full of demonic energy…

Xu Qianyu thought of this and gathered her strength, striking the cabinet door. But the restriction was incredibly strong. At that moment, a loud crash came from beside her, dust rising into the air.

The other side of the wooden cabinet was connected to a passage, and someone was crawling through it.

A set of riding clothes was thrown onto Xu Qianyu, and a voice spoke in a hoarse tone, “Xu Qianyu!”

“Tu Zhuang?”

“Finally found you.” Tu Zhuang, looking disheveled, grabbed Xu Qianyu’s arm. “Quick, get out!”
“Wait a moment.” Xu Qianyu stopped her. “My eyes are blurred from the Snow Demon’s attack.

Do you have any pills to help?”

“What kind of pills? We’re all like this. Ever since we crawled out of the snow, our sight’s been gone. It’ll be fine in half an hour, but why haven’t you recovered yet?”

Why hadn’t she recovered? Xu Qianyu bit her lip. She guessed it was because they were inside the Demon King’s palace, extending the effects of the blindness.

She asked, “Did you jump off the Wufu Cliff? How many others are with you? Were any of you trapped?”

“The others are all outside,” Tu Zhuang said. “Yun Chu said you fell at the cliff’s edge. This place is cursed, and cultivators who go in never return. We didn’t dare to come down recklessly. Guess what? When we got to the edge of the Wufu Cliff, we found someone had drawn a dual fish teleportation formation. I used it to teleport underground and saw your position with my eyes.

There’s a tunnel leading here, and I’m the smallest, so I was able to crawl in without alerting the demons.”

Xu Qianyu thought the dual fish teleportation formation was from Penglai.

Tu Zhuang continued, “Turns out there’s a palace underground. I’ve seen more demons in half a lifetime of autumn than in all the demons I’ve seen, and these all have awakened sentience. This really is the demons’ nest.”

Xu Qianyu said, “This is the Demon King’s palace. Those demons are his subordinates.”

“The Demon King? The one sealed by Wuzhen?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you dressed like this?” Tu Zhuang’s eyes were strange as she removed the phoenix crown from Xu Qianyu’s head, but she was interrupted by a burst of spiritual energy from outside the cabinet. She became cautious. “Forget it, as long as you’re fine. Let’s go. We need to get out before anyone notices.”

Xu Qianyu grabbed her. “There’s more than just the Demon King outside; there’s another demon…”

This demon… seemed to be her senior brother.

Tu Zhuang replied, “Two great demons. Wouldn’t it be perfect to have them fight each other? Are you coming or not?”

“Little Deer is outside too.”

“Little Deer?” Tu Zhuang said. “You mean the sword attendant of Xu Qianqian? I thought she was just like Xu Qianqian…”

Xu Qianyu caught the strange tone in Tu Zhuang’s words, and her expression tightened. “What happened to Xu Qianqian?”

Tu Zhuang replied, “After you left, there was an avalanche, and we were all buried underground.

When we woke up, Xu Qianqian and her attendant were gone. All that was left were some scattered personal items. We thought they had perished… Since Little Deer is in the Demon Palace, could Xu Qianqian also be here?”

“Then I definitely can’t leave.”

“Ah, you can’t even see the road; how are you going to find anyone? If you’re caught again, you’ll just be a burden,” Tu Zhuang said sharply, “Besides, your spiritual pool is exhausted. Why don’t you come back with me? Let that woman from the Hidden Dragon take over and do her part.”

Xu Qianyu hesitated for a moment before being dragged by Tu Zhuang through the tunnel.

---

Scene Shift:

The originally beautiful wedding hall, with carved beams and painted rafters, decorated with pearls, coral, and red silk, now lay in ruins. Jade pillars were tilted, tables and chairs collapsed, and various sparkling objects were shattered and scattered across the ground, like fallen stars.

Lu You shrank in a corner, screaming in terror.

Xie Yuzhen’s eyes were bloodshot as he lay in front of her, his body surrounded by swirling black clouds, like a fish thrown onto land. Soon, cold sweat appeared on his temples, as if in unbearable pain.

Shen Suwei’s sword point faced downward, with drops of blood falling from the blade.

The Shichu sword had condensed frost, but now it was excited by the blood, taking on a semi-transparent hue, like a thin ice blade, with blood veins coursing through it, exuding a sinister aura.

Shen Suwei lowered his eyes, staring at the blackened object in his palm.

In front of Lu You, Xie Yuzhen’s red eyes faded, gradually transforming into the form of a familiar black-clad young man, extremely weak.

She realized that Shen Suwei had shaved off Xie Yuzhen’s demonic bone.

Xie Yuzhen had originally been born from demonic bone, and without it, his life would be short-lived.

“Xie Yuzhen…” She trembled as she took a step forward. Xie Yuzhen’s pupils suddenly turned completely black, grabbing her collar and attempting to force something into her mouth. A flash of sword light struck Lu You, sending her crashing into a pillar, narrowly escaping.

Shen Suwei: “Haven’t you seen his true nature? He’s a demon.”

Shen Suwei paused for a moment, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, using his sword to support himself as he slowly sank to the ground.

“Shen Shi…” Lu You called anxiously, afraid that she might have caused trouble for him.

But Shen Suwei’s thin lips were brightly red, his eyes closed, as though in meditation, surrounded by swirling dark energy, looking even more terrifying than a demon king. Lu You was so frightened she fell silent.

Shen Suwei was resisting the influence of the Demon Bone.

He had placed the Demon Bone in his embrace, but this situation was vastly different from the previous life, when he had kept the Demon Bone clean and untainted.

The threads of demonic energy from the Demon Bone seeped into his body, stirring his inner demons. Countless voices whispered in his ears, urging him to absorb the power.

His inner demons were on the verge of devouring him, but he still held on, not succumbing to the nightmare. It was difficult for an ordinary person to strike a balance between avoiding the nightmare and exploding in cultivation.

But he had always been the best at enduring.

He made a gesture to tidy his clothes, not wanting to look terrifying when he met his junior sister again. Then he unsealed the barrier and opened the cupboard.

The cupboard was empty, with only a discarded wedding veil and a lost phoenix crown on the floor.

She had left.

Shen Suwei stared at the cupboard, lowering his eyes.

It was fine.

He had always wanted her to escape.

Shen Suwei slowly closed the cupboard.

“She can’t escape…” Xie Yuzhen chuckled mysteriously from behind. “I put a mark on her. There are layers of people outside stopping her.”

Shen Suwei’s expression changed.

---

Xu Qianyu crawled through the narrow tunnel behind Tu Zhuang.

The tunnel was extremely cramped, barely wide enough for one person to crawl through, with no way back. If they stopped for even a moment, they would feel as though they were near death.

“How much further?”

Tu Zhuang said, “Not far. Just think of us as two bugs.”

Xu Qianyu felt Tu Zhuang’s voice stop abruptly. A chilling aura surrounded them.

Outside, waiting for them, was a sea of demons.

Tu Zhuang’s strings of puppets shot out, clearing a path. The explosion of demonic energy cut Xu Qianyu’s cheek.

The demons rushed at them. Xu Qianyu felt Tu Zhuang’s attacks growing more chaotic and muttered, “Why are they like locusts everywhere? ”

Xu Qianyu said, “It seems like they’re coming for me.”

“Ah?”

Xu Qianyu pushed her away, sending Tu Zhuang flying like a broken kite. Tu Zhuang’s voice echoed from a distance, “What are you doing?”

Once they separated, Tu Zhuang instantly got out of danger. Xu Qianyu stayed where she was, feeling the demonic energy closing in on her.

The whispers were buzzing in her ears, disturbingly loud, disorienting her mind. Among them were two mirage maidens chanting in unison, “Please, Demon Queen, return to marry.”

A whisk cut through the demons.

It was Yun Chu coming to their aid. He wasted no time fighting the demons. He glanced at Xu Qianyu. There was a small magic formation glowing on her forehead, flashing red, attracting the demons.

“Qianyu, your flower ornament is a problem. Wipe it off quickly!”

But Xu Qianyu sat quietly, perhaps stunned, her fair hand repeatedly smoothing the foxtail tassel on her sword.

Yun Chu frowned. He didn’t know what she was doing and repeatedly warned her, but she wouldn’t move. Seeing the demons closing in, Yun Chu made up his mind and lunged forward.

Xu Qianyu suddenly pushed him away with force.

Yun Chu crashed to the ground with a thud.

In that instant, a thunderclap, like a white beam of light, struck Xu Qianyu directly.

Tu Zhuang and Yun Chu were dumbfounded, staring at the scene, forgetting to speak.

When the white light dissipated, Xu Qianyu’s sword energy exploded. Red fox ears sprouted from her black hair, and a cloud-like foxtail swayed behind her. When she opened her eyes, they shone like gemstones, deep as a lake, hidden beneath thick eyelashes.

Tu Zhuang and Yun Chu exchanged glances. “Heavenly Thunder Sealing God?”

But Xu Qianyu’s surrounding spiritual energy was impure, with strands of demonic energy mixed in.

Pushed to the brink, Xu Qianyu remembered she still had the “Heavenly Thunder Sealing God” power.

She channeled her spiritual power to strike at her soul, but the inscription didn’t light up. It seemed to require a massive amount of spiritual energy to activate, but she was in the Demon Palace and didn’t have that much spiritual energy.

She held her wooden sword, relying on the foxtail hanging from it for leverage.

That tail was from the fox demon she had severed when she left home. It was said that one tail represented a hundred years of the demon’s cultivation.

She successfully borrowed the demon’s cultivation, but there was a sharp pain in her meridians. It seemed the demon’s power didn’t mix well with human spiritual energy.

The released demonic energy attracted a swarm of demons.

Using the “Heavenly Thunder Sealing God” technique, she temporarily rose to the half-step transformation god realm. The noisy clamoring of demons in her ears turned to the sound of wind. She even heard a pure, ethereal voice—the sword’s voice. The wooden sword in her hand hummed and vibrated like someone who was about to explode in fury.

“Shall we kill?” it asked.

“…Kill.”

As soon as she thought that, the sword energy cut silently through the air. It was her first time controlling the sword energy.

The sword energy moved as she willed, thin but extremely sharp. The demons in front of her froze for a moment, then were sliced down the middle, their bodies falling into piles of corpses.

Xu Qianyu leapt up and swung her sword into the hearts of the demons.

When her vision cleared, she saw a frost-white shadow standing in the dark, her expression changing.

Tu Zhuang asked, “Who is that? Is it one of yours?”

Yun Chu was puzzled. “No.”

Xu Qianyu stared intently at the figure.

It was no one else but her “sister”—and her “mother”—Shen Suwei’s female form.

This female form wore a white dress, her hair styled in an elegant high bun, once graceful and pure. Now, however, her clothes fluttered, and her hands were stained with blood, as if she had been dragged down from heaven.

She was still incredibly beautiful, standing in the dim light, quietly watching Xu Qianyu, her face bearing an expression of fallen, tragic beauty.

Gray strands of demonic energy emanated from her shoulders. It was rare to see such a perfected demon form, and the demons immediately abandoned Xu Qianyu, surging toward her in curiosity.

Xu Qianyu said, “Don’t touch her…”

Shen Suwei stood still, letting the demons surge over him like a tide.

Then, a massive ice flower suddenly bloomed in the air with a thunderous crack. The demonic energy was frozen by frost arrows, suspended in the air, and then exploded into dust, disintegrating into nothing.

Xu Qianyu couldn’t help but take a step toward that direction. The woman in white glanced at her before turning and vanishing into the darkness.

That one glance lingered, quiet and restrained, like a hook, leaving her heart unsettled for a long time.

At the end, only two mirage maidens clung to the wall, huddling together in fear, watching Xu Qianyu approach.

But Xu Qianyu passed them by without a second glance.

“You two go back first.” At the end of the corridor, Xu Qianyu spoke without turning, her sword raised. “I still have something to do.”

Yun Chu hesitated, then stopped himself from speaking. Tu Zhuang stared after her, shocked. “Are you going to kill the Demon King?”