Chapter Forty-Three: Sword of Snow Against the Night

‘Only comparing martial techniques? What a cunning calculation...’
Yang Nan sneered inwardly. So, when the gentle approach fails, you resort to force? Li Yun clearly grew wary after seeing the Great Roc Queen, fearing Yang Nan might summon the Great Roc to aid him in battle.
A grandmaster-level Golden-Crested Great Roc—how could Li Yun not be apprehensive?
The reasoning that disciples of the Martial Sect should only compare their martial techniques was flawless.
Yet, Yang Nan was unafraid. Win or lose, this duel was inevitable. Yang Nan sought to prove his strength was not to be underestimated, while Li Yun aimed to suppress Yang Nan’s reputation, to disgrace him thoroughly.
But with so many disciples and Ren An present, Li Yun would not dare employ a war of attrition against him.
If Yang Nan shrank from battle, how could he hope to stand within the Kunlun Sect in the future? Li Yun had calculated that Yang Nan would not refuse. If, with his seventh-tier grandmaster cultivation, Li Yun could not defeat Yang Nan, would his decades of painstaking cultivation not be wasted?
“I have long wished to learn from Senior Brother. Your Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword has been famed for ages. My own skills are shallow; I hope you will show mercy,” Yang Nan said, holding his Crescent Moon martial weapon. His eyes burned with intense fighting spirit as he faced Li Yun. Whether cultivating methods or practicing martial arts, only through battle could one grow stronger. How could one progress if they always retreated?
‘Even if I lose, I must never back down!’ Yang Nan’s expression was resolute. He raised his Crescent Moon blade, gesturing at Li Yun from afar.
The disciples were struck speechless. That Uncle Yang was challenging Li Yun, a seventh-tier grandmaster, with only fourth-tier strength—it was beyond words.
To grandmaster-level experts, martial practitioners and even martial masters were but ants.
They discerned that Yang Nan’s request for mercy was mere courtesy, not a plea for leniency.
The disciples, including Fang Wen and others, quickly withdrew dozens of yards, clearing the central arena for the impending duel.
Li Yun finally put away his smile, his heart solemn. He knew the junior brother before him was not joking. Against Yang Nan, even a grandmaster could not guarantee victory—for how else could the Golden-Crested Great Roc demon in the hall have ended up so battered?
If he was careless and lost to Yang Nan, he would become the laughingstock of the Kunlun Sect.
Li Yun’s gaze grew grim as he gripped his sword, a fierce killing aura emanating from his brow. The Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword in his hand gleamed, transparent as jade, shining with a cold brilliance like a clear spring. Li Yun’s palm moved lightly, and the sword burst forth in a wave of icy radiance. The air in the hall seemed to freeze, and for an instant Yang Nan felt as if he stood in a world of ice and snow.
Bone-chilling cold! Snow flurried in torrents!
In the frozen world, only the howling wind and snow remained.
This cold seemed to freeze both flesh and soul.
‘Such domineering ice and snow!’ Yang Nan instantly understood how terrifying Li Yun’s power was. A grandmaster-level demon and a grandmaster-level cultivator were worlds apart.
Human cultivators’ divine techniques far surpassed those of demons.
The Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword’s appearance brought a cold so intense it threatened to freeze the air itself, showing the depth of Li Yun’s power.
If even a trace of this frost entered his body, his own power would freeze—resistance would be impossible.
‘This time, I’ve truly underestimated him!’ Seeing the sword’s might, Yang Nan realized he’d run into a wall. But there was no time for regret now.
“Junior Brother Yang, be careful!” The disciples retreated further, finally outside the range of the icy snow. Li Yun’s lips curled in a faint smile as he raised his sword and drew a gentle arc.
In the frozen world, a gale howled and the Snow-Splitting Sword transformed into countless snowflakes, drifting from the void. Each flake, sharp as a blade, shot toward Yang Nan like arrows.
Every snowflake, drifting so beautifully in the wind, contained enough killing force to cut through iron and copper.
Yang Nan instantly summoned a thousand demon soldiers. A blazing white light flashed, and a ten-zhang demon, cold, violent, and savage, appeared before the crowd.
Dense demon clouds billowed, and the demon let out a fierce roar, brandishing a huge black crescent, like an ancient fiend reborn.
The immense power of the ten-zhang demon body gave Yang Nan some confidence.
“Transform—Three Thousand Black Serpents!”
As the snowflakes danced wildly, Yang Nan’s Eclipsing martial weapon split into three thousand, meeting the attack head-on.

Clang! Clang! Clang!
Countless black serpents clashed with the snowflakes, black and white intertwining, emitting cold, crisp sounds. The black serpents formed a misty shield before Yang Nan, but a column of raging snow pierced through violently!
Though the snowflakes seemed insubstantial, their sharp force overwhelmed the black serpents, melting them one by one.
Yang Nan’s heart trembled. Just a brief exchange revealed it was not his natal martial weapon that was lacking, but that the grandmaster power he forcibly acquired through the supreme demon body could not compare to Li Yun’s true grandmaster strength.
Every thread of Li Yun’s ice and snow power was vast and pure; how could his chaotic demon power compete?
Within the supreme demon body, a thousand jumbled thoughts surged through Yang Nan’s mind. The more power he borrowed, the more confused his thoughts became.
Li Yun had cultivated the Martial Sect’s techniques for decades; how could Yang Nan, a newcomer, hope to match him?
The three thousand black serpents were constantly destroyed by the pervasive snowflakes. Yang Nan now realized Li Yun’s power was far greater than his own. Not only did the cold snow carry infinite killing intent, but the pressure from the Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword nearly suffocated him.
The chilling snowflakes seemed to freeze both body and soul. The cold began to churn within the supreme demon body, making his movements sluggish.
In that instant, Yang Nan understood:
Three thousand black serpents could not withstand Li Yun’s sword-become-snow!
The Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword was also of king tier—and high-grade at that! If he continued like this, in less than a moment, his serpentine martial weapon would be utterly destroyed.
Black and white entwined, and countless serpents began to show tiny cracks. Soon, they would be surrounded by snowflakes and reduced to scrap metal.
A natal martial weapon was a Martial Sect disciple’s lifeline. If it was destroyed, it was as if their cultivation was abolished. Even though Yang Nan possessed the Immortal Shadow Wheel as his martial soul, indestructible for eternity, without a martial body he was like a toothless tiger, ready for slaughter.
“Gather—Giant Martial Form!”
Yang Nan steeled himself, making a swift decision. The three thousand black serpents moved as one, instantly transforming into a giant serpent several yards long, head raised, tongue flicking. The serpent’s body surged with fierce shadow energy, flickering and undulating, its powers of dragon and serpent instantly activated. The Immortal Shadow Wheel fused both powers, and with the demon body’s strength, at this moment Yang Nan’s power was equal to Li Yun’s.
‘If transformation won’t win, only brute force remains!’
The serpent’s tail rested in Yang Nan’s hand, its body moving nimbly, mouth devouring snowflakes, striking and twisting, its form like a furious dragon thrashing in water, raising waves of black mist. The relentless assault of snowflakes eased momentarily.
“Impressive transformation!” Li Yun praised, as countless snowflakes coalesced into a massive, snow-bright sword, several yards long. Sword and serpent clashed, the two weapons glowing like rainbows, one black, one white—a breathtaking sight.
The hall surged with power, ice and shadow energy intertwined, murderous aura flying everywhere; a single touch spelled disaster. The disciples retreated again, awed by the ferocity of the battle.
A grandmaster-level duel was no trivial matter.
Though the contest seemed evenly matched, Yang Nan’s power from his two apertures was dwindling.
‘I must use the third transformation! If I don’t unite with my weapon, I will surely lose this contest!’
Yang Nan knew the supreme demon body could not last much longer. The Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword’s sharp aura surged like a river, unstoppable, its icy force constantly infiltrating. His black serpent weapon was covered in cracks; soon, only the martial soul would remain, the body gone.
If that happened, he would lose without question.
‘This battle must not be lost!’ Yang Nan held to a single thought, recalling the eight characters from the Nether Martial Devouring Manual: “Man is the weapon, weapon is the man.”
‘I am the serpent... the serpent is me...’ Yang Nan muttered, victory and defeat hanging in the balance. Suddenly, he grasped the true meaning of the manual, the realm of unity between self and weapon. The serpent in his hand seemed to pulse with flesh and blood, alive.
The black serpent was another body for Yang Nan’s soul. With a single thought, he could enter the serpent instantly.
Li Yun’s Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword swept across like a white ribbon. As it struck, Yang Nan’s lips curled into a smile; his body floated with the sword’s wind, transforming into a tiny figure and plunging into the serpent’s mouth.
The Eclipsing martial weapon suddenly became a living, agile giant serpent. From dead to alive, its fierce, domineering aura made all watching disciples shudder, its horned, glaring visage causing many to gasp.
Li Yun’s killing blow missed, leaving him stunned. He sighed, “Remarkable technique!”
To use a martial master’s body for a grandmaster-level transformation—Yang Nan’s display was truly astonishing.

Yet, even as Yang Nan united with his weapon, Li Yun was undaunted. The Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword caught the wind, transforming into a snow-white divine dragon. Li Yun also performed the unity of man and weapon, instantly rushing at Yang Nan’s black serpent.
The snow dragon was equally lively, radiating divine might.
Dragon and serpent, like two ancient primordial beasts, roared and entwined, tearing at each other.
The disciples retreated to the very doors, watching the two creatures—more than ten yards long—battle fiercely. Every face showed terror and awe.
The unity of man and weapon, grandmaster’s divine technique! Turning a fragile cultivator into an indestructible beast—the greater the power, the stronger the body.
Legend held that venerable figures could unite with their weapons, multiplying into thousands of forms, almost impossible to kill. Though Yang Nan and Li Yun were not yet venerables, the grandmaster-level monsters fought so fiercely the hall shook, stones flying.
Serpent scales and dragon blood splattered, the hall of the Pill Sect became a slaughterhouse, blood and flesh everywhere...
Yang Nan could not sustain the transformation for long; he soon flew out from the serpent’s mouth. His Eclipsing martial weapon was battered, scales nearly stripped, even its horn broken.
Li Yun reappeared, his expression grave. Though he prevailed by virtue of superior power, his Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword was also greatly damaged; its once icy brilliance was now much diminished.
Yang Nan, nearly spent, gathered his remaining power, swinging the battered martial weapon in a wild, forceful attack.
The giant black serpent, empowered by all Yang Nan’s strength, plummeted like a black rainbow, smashing into the Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword’s white arc.
Crack!
Weapon met weapon, power clashing without finesse. The Eclipsing martial weapon’s serpent head broke away; the Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword finally showed fissures.
His natal weapon broken, Yang Nan felt no regret. He continued to swing the weapon fiercely, black rainbows filling the air.
Yang Nan’s supreme demon body danced like a madman, wielding the Eclipsing martial weapon in relentless battle against the Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword. The weapon’s shadow energy surged out, clashing with the sword’s icy aura, the contest reduced to brute force.
His black serpent weapon was already broken, and the Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword’s cracks multiplied.
Li Yun was shocked. He knew Yang Nan’s weapon and power were inferior to his own, but if this continued, the black serpent would be destroyed—but his own sword would also be severely damaged.
A Martial Sect grandmaster without a weapon—what divine techniques could he use?
‘This lunatic! He clearly wants mutual destruction!’ Just as Li Yun considered retreating, Yang Nan suddenly roared, abandoning his battered weapon and lunging with both fists.
With his ten-zhang demon body, Yang Nan’s fists struck like twin pillars from the sky, charged with violent force.
A mass of demon clouds surged. Li Yun, unable to dodge, could only raise the Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword in defense.
Boom!!!
Yang Nan’s fists struck the sword’s spine; demon power collided with icy force. Three hundred demon soldiers died instantly, their blood spraying from Yang Nan’s demon body like fountains.
The Invincible Snow-Splitting Sword let out a heart-rending scream; its tip snapped off.
The disciples cried out in astonishment, unable to believe that grandmaster Li Yun had been forced to a draw by martial master Yang Nan.
Both weapons lost their tips, seeming an even match, but Yang Nan knew he was defeated.
Losing three hundred demon soldiers, his power was greatly diminished. Not only had his grandmaster-level cultivation vanished, he could barely maintain the supreme demon body.