Chapter 142: Snow Demon (Part 1)

South of the city, outside the temple.
An Old man was leading a pair of children, around five or six years old, on a trip to visit relatives. After emerging from a cave, they stood frozen, staring at the snowy expanse before them.

This place was at the border of two provinces, often visited by merchants, and usually quite lively. Though winters were cold, heavy snow like this was rare. Moreover, just before entering the cave, the weather had been relatively warm, but now it felt as though they had entered a completely different world.

The little girl exclaimed, “Wow, it’s snowing!”

The sky was clear and bright, and the surroundings were illuminated by the white snow, resembling a flawless crystal world.

Snow blanketed the mountains and snow clung to the trees. Under the pale blue sky, the snow stretched endlessly, undulating like a vast, white ocean. The snowflakes, like pink crystals, shimmered in the sunlight.

Looking around, the roads in the city were already covered, and no human sounds could be heard. The stillness was so complete it felt as though all living creatures had been swallowed up, creating an unsettling feeling.

The Old man noticed some movement in the distance and quickly led his grandchildren toward the crowd.

It was a caravan of more than ten people, pulling lean horses and carts. Such groups always carried compasses, and the horses knew the way. As long as they followed the caravan, they wouldn’t get lost even in the snow.

So, the Old man followed at the back of the group.

The escort team, consisting of both men and women, wore varying outfits. Except for the leader in grey at the front, who walked with sword in hand, marching with military precision, the others seemed to be distracted, frequently glancing around. It was clear they had been traveling for several days and were exhausted, with their boots sinking into the snow. They had never encountered such a strange sight before, so when they reached this point, they felt the need to rest for a while.

The leader signaled for the team to slow down.

“How beautiful,” someone said, peering through a spyglass. Others took out cloths to wipe their faces, drink water, and rub their hands for warmth.

The Old man’s grandchildren, too, had never seen snow this heavy. They excitedly knelt in the snow, crawling a few steps before grabbing handfuls of snow and starting a snowball fight, laughing joyously.

Their loud voices attracted the attention of a vulture soaring above. The bird swooped down, its wings sweeping through the air, and the young girl, terrified, fell to the ground.

A sword flashed through the air and swiped the vulture away.

The bird flapped its wings and flew off, and two women in white appeared in the snow.

Cultivators, who refine their energy and perfect their appearance, always stood out in terms of grace. The two women were strikingly similar, both young and beautiful, drawing the attention of the mortals in the group.

One of them had a faint sickly pallor, which made the other appear even more radiant, like fresh blossoms on a branch. With large, round eyes, she looked pitifully adorable, her long lashes fluttering as she gazed at the young men in the group. Many were so entranced that they forgot to speak and could only stare at her.

This woman was Lu You. Now that she had left the sect, she no longer needed to conceal her face. Beside her was Xu Qianqian, who was traveling far from home for the first time, a slight blush tinting her face. “We are disciples of the Penglai Immortal Sect. There’s something wrong with the snow here; we are here to escort you.”

“Such a beautiful snow scene; are you sure there’s a problem?”

“Best not to linger too long. If you get lost, you might end up trapped here,” Xu Qianqian said, uncertain about what was to come. She suspected that those who had gone missing might have died from the cold after losing their way.

She helped the young girl to her feet. The girl had uncovered something from beneath the snow and was holding it in her arms. “A rabbit, it’s a rabbit.”

The Old man exclaimed, “A rabbit? In this cold, buried in the snow, it can still live?”

Lu You stared in shock at the black rabbit in the girl’s arms. Not only was it alive, but it also wriggled in her arms and even twitched its long ears as though it were greeting her.

She recognized the rabbit. It was likely one of Xie Yuzhen’s avatars. Just as she was thinking this, the rabbit leapt into her arms.

Lu You cradled the rabbit carefully, heart racing.

Xie Yuzhen had been luring her all along, but what did he really want? She couldn’t be sure. She called his name in her mind, but he didn’t respond, behaving as if it were just an ordinary rabbit.

Meanwhile, Xu Qianqian had already taken out a compass and umbrella from her storage treasure, distributing them to the others.

Before mounting his horse, the leader drew his sword and handed it to Xu Qianqian. “In my younger years, I was a demon hunter, and I also wielded a sword.”

The young men immediately became animated. “We have quite a few people in our group who can use magical tools.”

Just then, a sparrow flapped its wings and startledly flew past the trees.

The leader attempted to urge everyone to stay alert and continue their journey. With a sharp whistle, he tried to rally the group.

The danger struck in an instant.

Suddenly, without warning, a massive wave of snow surged from the ground, blocking out the sky. The leader’s figure vanished in an instant.

There was a loud crashing sound.

Warm, fresh blood splattered across the snow, rising in faint steam.
The sight caused the mortals and cultivators present to freeze in place.

After a moment, a bloodstained sword fell from the air, embedding itself in the snow with a soft “thunk.”

The group erupted in panic, scattering in all directions.

The creature that had emerged from the ground resembled a series of white sandy dunes, quickly swallowing up a few of the mortals. Once it had bitten down, the “dunes” quickly retreated into the earth, leaving behind the sounds of bones cracking and magical tools clashing in the chaos.

“Monsters move by sound; don’t make any noise!”

Upon hearing the distant shout from Yun Chu, Lu You fell into the snow.

Everyone froze in place as if their voices had been muted. The attack beneath the snow grew eerily quiet, as if it were watching them in silence.

It moves based on sound! Xu Qianqian collapsed internally in that moment of silence.

How did she miss this? It made sense why there had been no sound when they first entered the snowfield. She was inexperienced in combat, and everything had happened too fast, leaving her drenched in cold sweat, regretting not preventing it sooner.

Now, seeing blood for the first time, the sight was enough to make her feel nauseous.

Lu You saw the black rabbit dart off and hurried to chase after it. As the rabbit passed, the snow rapidly melted. In no time, a layer of ice appeared beneath the snow, and the surviving people stood frozen, staring down at the ground in silence.

Under the ice, like thick glass, the water was murky and bottomless.

Suddenly, something red began to move beneath the ice.

The blood of the dead mortals slowly outlined the shape of the unknown creature. The monster moved swiftly under the ice like a dragon in the water. The blood grew denser and more vivid.

It neared the ice.

Slowly, it moved as if sniffing for the scent of the living.

The blood pooled beneath the feet of a young man, mixing with organs and bones, along with a few scraps of clothing. The sight was horrifying.

The young man stood sweating, his face twisted in terror. He stared down at the ice, breathing heavily, praying not to be noticed.

“Crack…”

A crack appeared in the ice.

He seemed to have reached his limit. His legs went numb, and as he staggered backward, he stepped onto the ice that had turned to water and slipped, crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

It was over!

The ice shattered with a loud “ka-cha” sound.

A figure leapt up before Xu Qianqian, sprinting away while screaming loudly.

“Don’t run, don’t scream; you can’t outrun it!” Xu Qianqian gasped for breath, trying to get up to save him. But when she looked closer, she saw that the young man, though perfectly unharmed, was sitting there in a daze, his soul seemingly absent.

Looking into the distance again, the figure running and howling was stiff, and the sound it made was not human. It was a wooden puppet.

She had just realized that it was a puppet when the snow hill suddenly rose from the crack in the ice, soaring into the sky, and opened its mouth to swallow the puppet whole.

However, in that instant, three golden lights shot out, piercing the snow hill at three different places. Snowflakes exploded into the air. The puppet stopped for a moment, as though pinned like a snake caught by the throat, writhing violently. Then, another golden light shot out like a meteor, accompanied by a gust of wind, piercing through the air, and struck the puppet’s heart.

With a loud “bang,” the snow hill was split in half.

The remaining snow on top fell in chunks, soft and muddy, while the lower half of the puppet still squirmed, seemingly severely injured, and burrowed back into the ground.

The wind died down, and the oppressive aura in the air dissipated.

The three golden lights converged in mid-air, revealing themselves to be a wooden sword, which flew back and returned to its sheath with a sharp sound.

Lu You, startled, turned around, and, along with the others, looked towards the owner of the wooden sword.

The girl was dressed in a bright red robe, her skirt flaring in the air, but she tied her sleeves with bands, much like a young boy. Her full twin buns were raised, and there was a small round cinnabar mole on her forehead, resembling the statue of a maiden beneath Guanyin’s seat. Her features were beautiful, but her expression was cold, creating a contradictory impression.

Standing on Xu Qianyu’s left was Yun Chu, and on her right was Tu Zhuang, a female cultivator from Tianshan. Tu Zhuang reached out and collected the puppet’s pieces: “You wasted another one of my puppets. What will you use to compensate?”

While speaking, a small gray creature nudged Xu Qianyu’s robe and nimbly climbed up her arm.

A rabbit!

The system, seeing the wild rabbit appear out of nowhere, grew cautious and was about to warn her that it could be a projection of Xie Yuzhen, but before it could do so, Xu Qianyu had already grabbed its ears and tossed it out. Not far away, a girl’s scream rang out: “Rabbit!”

Xu Qianyu immediately felt guilty and looked at the rabbit, which had fallen into the snow pile. Her eyes widened slightly, wanting to speak but hesitating: “It has fur.”

She brushed her sleeve.

Knowing that it would be very cold in the distance, she had today covered herself with the riding outfit given by Guan Niang when she left home. The bright red wool would not attract fur. Xu Qianyu had little sympathy for non-human creatures.

“You tossed it out?” Tu Zhuang laughed lightly. “Such a cute rabbit; it should have been caught, and we could roast it to eat tonight.”

Yun Chu glanced at her, showing a look of unspoken words.

The little girl, frightened, hugged the wild rabbit to her chest. The rabbit continued to kick its legs, and an elderly person quickly pulled the child to their side.

These two girls were beautiful but acted with both righteousness and wickedness. Their demeanor was completely different from Xu Qianyu and Lu You’s approachable nature. To ordinary people, they seemed like demons. Everyone’s gaze towards these two female cultivators became inscrutable, filled with some caution, causing them to fall silent in fear.

Only Lu You clenched her fingers, feeling silently unsettled.

Xie Yuzhen had gone to great lengths to bring Xu Qianyu here, didn’t he? The person she had pursued in her previous life, someone who could live and die for her, had now turned into a rabbit to please others. Yet others didn’t even look at him. She found it pathetic.

She had thought that after going through life and death, she would have come to terms with everything, but seeing this with her own eyes still made jealousy surge violently within her.

“Is everything checked?” Xu Qianyu walked out of the crowd. The guards in the convoy quickly made way for the red-clad figure. Hearing her reminder, they all started unwrapping the cloth covers to check the cargo. “Fortunately, everything is intact, but our leader…”

Earlier, when the sudden change happened, the leader had died before their eyes. The young men in the convoy showed sorrow, as if they had been struck by frost.

“We had twenty people originally, one dead, two injured, and three horses lost. A-de, give out the medicine.” A clear female voice rang out. A golden teleportation array appeared in the snow, and two cultivators emerged. Both were dressed in black school uniforms embroidered with golden thread, looking very imposing. They were cultivators from Qianlong.

A tall female cultivator in black, with her black hair tied high and a black crystal headband on her forehead, exuded a heroic aura. Her voice was deep and powerful: “I am Hua Zimei, a disciple of Qianlong. Come with us; we’ll escort you out.”

A young male cultivator named A-de quickly distributed medicine bottles marked with the Qianlong insignia to the group.

Everyone, terrified by the snow monster, was eager to leave. They immediately expressed their gratitude and trust in the Qianlong Sect, tying their horses and preparing to depart.

“Here they come again,” Tu Zhuang said. “We haven’t even introduced ourselves. When the demon was killed, they didn’t show up, but now they’re here to claim the credit.”

Xu Qianyu remained silent as she followed behind. She kicked the snow with her foot.

She didn’t have a good impression of these two. Last time, when they went to the Demon Domain, these two Qianlong disciples had been trapped in the sand with them. They had found a place with spiritual energy but refused to join them.

“Senior Sister Tu, if you go through enough spring seasons, you’ll understand that such things happen often,” Yun Chu said. “It might not be a bad thing. The stronger our alliance, the greater the chances of killing the snow monster.”

A-de cleared a path ahead. Hua Zimei, however, paused for a moment and walked beside the group slowly, speaking: “We’ve investigated. Ten years ago, there was a snow disaster at Wufu Cliff, and many villagers and travelers froze to death. Their resentment and regrets lingered, combining with spiritual energy to form a demon. Every time it causes someone to die with hatred, its power grows. Demons like these, which combine with natural disasters, are the hardest to deal with because we can’t find their true body. Fellow cultivators, do you have a way to lure it out? We can cooperate to slay it, and the spoils will be divided equally.”

Qianlong was known for its sword techniques and strength, excelling in combat. But when it came to individual “spells,” they were not as proficient as Penglai, where each cultivator could awaken four or five different powers.

Hua Zimei’s question was likely an attempt to probe and exploit their powers.

Tu Zhuang replied, “We know the demon moves underground. It was too fast earlier, and we didn’t see its true form.”

“We’ve already lured it once and wounded one of its horns. It’s surely on guard now,” Xu Qianyu said. “If we try to trick it with a puppet again, it definitely won’t fall for it. Otherwise, with all the noise we’ve made now, it would have emerged already.”

Yun Chu added, “This snowfield is not real. It’s like an illusion created by the demon. My Heavenly Eye can only be used outside of such realms.”

Xu Qianyu said, “For now, the only option is to move forward and wait for it to appear again next time.”

The others refused to divulge anything. Hua Zimei smiled faintly, her expression one of suppressed frustration.

The group suddenly stopped ahead, murmuring among themselves.

Before them, the original town road had disappeared, replaced by snow-covered mountains stretching to the sky. The mountains had caves, and within the caves were three diverging paths.

All three paths twisted and extended toward the distant sky, looking almost identical. The cultivators’ expressions were serious. Clearly, this was another challenge set by the Snow Demon. Only one path led to the true exit, while the other two were fraught with danger.

“What should we do now?” The ordinary people from the escort team looked at the scene, on the verge of breaking down, and immediately began to argue.

Amidst the heated discussion, Xu Qianyu secretly twirled a copper coin between his fingers.

Hua Qingyu, who had some knowledge of divination, often used copper coins to ask the heavens about fate. She had learned a little bit from drawing talismans. If it came to it, she could perform a divination. However, divination could only provide a “yes” or “no” answer, and as a beginner, she could only ask once a day at most.

In front of them, the three diverging paths could only have one eliminated, but she couldn’t guarantee choosing the correct one.

Just as she was thinking this, Hua Zimei spoke up. “Everyone, don’t panic. I will lead the way. Just follow me.”

Hua Zimei’s demeanor was composed, her tone serious, immediately calming the others, and they silently followed her.

“What method do you have to find the right path? Tell us,” Xu Qianyu asked.

Hua Zimei’s gaze flickered, and she turned to snap, “And what method do you have? Stop causing trouble.”

Seeing her embarrassed and angry expression, Xu Qianyu knew she was completely uncertain.

What Hua Zimei had in mind was that it didn’t matter which path they took. Even if they took the wrong one, she could use the opportunity to draw out the Snow Demon’s true form and try to kill it. However, the cultivators still had magical tools to protect them and could make it through, but the ordinary people might not be so lucky.

Xu Qianyu raised his voice, “Why should you be the one to lead? I want to lead too.”

The old man glanced between the two and quickly cupped his hands, saying, “Young lady, please let her lead the way.”

“Old man, everyone here has their own skills. It’s fine to argue a bit over such things,” Yun Chu glanced at Xu Qianyu and said, “I also want to.”

Tu Zhuang raised his hand and said, “Me too.”

Hua Zimei, “…”

“Alright then, since everyone wants to,” Xu Qianyu smiled charmingly at Hua Zimei. “Let’s draw lots. Whoever draws the lot will lead.”

Xu Qianyu held the lots and let everyone take one.

Only Xu Qianqian voluntarily gave up, her expression downcast. She knew she didn’t have the ability to find the right exit and didn’t want to drag others down with her.

Lu You, who had originally wanted to stay out of it, saw that everyone was involved and still wanted to maintain her image, so she gracefully took a lot. In the past, when such things happened, her luck as the “lucky koi” usually helped her, but this time she felt uneasy.

When she unfolded the lot, her face changed.

She drew the lot?!

Hua Zimei’s expression became complicated, and her gaze shifted to the beautiful female cultivator she had initially ignored.

What was going on? She thought Xu Qianyu would swap the lot for her. But who was this girl?

System: “!! Why did you use ‘remote object exchange’ to swap the lot for Lu You?!”

Xu Qianyu said, “I think she’s always been lucky in these matters. What if she’s the one who finds the way out?”

The system had no response.

Lu You’s hands trembled inside her sleeves as she forced a smile and walked forward. How was she supposed to know which path to choose? She only knew that Xu Qianyu had intentionally set her up! If she chose wrong, it would be a death sentence. This was a matter of karma.

But at this point, she could only adapt. Gritting her teeth, she walked down the middle path.

Xu Qianyu performed divination in his sleeve, and once he confirmed that this path was the exit with a “yes,” he secretly put the copper coin away.

The group slowly passed through the cave.

The wind and snow gradually stopped, and spring warmth returned. The howling wind sounded like a wind instrument, faintly carrying eerie sighs, as if lamenting that these people hadn’t walked straight into the tiger’s den.

The escort team walked ahead, and before long, they reached a sunny road. They were overjoyed and immediately cupped their hands in greeting to the cultivators, rushing off on their journey.

Hua Zimei sighed with relief, but because the Snow Demon’s true form hadn’t been found, her brows remained furrowed.

“Wait a moment,” Xu Qianyu squinted and stopped Yun Chu, “Old man, didn’t you bring a son and daughter just now?”

The old man, who had difficulty walking and was moving slowly, was now ahead of Xu Qianyu.

When he came, he had a son and a daughter with him, but now the two children he was holding were exactly the same—both girls with red hair ties.

One of the girls had pitch-black eyes and pale skin, looking extremely eerie. Hearing Xu Qianyu’s words, she turned around and gave him a strange smile.

The old man looked down and saw that his left hand, which had been holding his grandson, was now holding a snow-white little girl. The cold, lifeless aura from the child spread through his entire body, startling him so much that his soul nearly left his body. He couldn’t shake the coldness off and collapsed to the ground.

The snow-white little girl evaporated into the air, leaving behind a string of ethereal laughter.

Immediately, the wind and snow intensified, blurring their vision and trapping the group in an extremely cold and treacherous environment!