Chapter 80: Tears in the Snow

Xu Ziyan on the ground was startled when she heard this. Her swift, flowing body suddenly stopped. She leaped upward, spinning continuously like a whirlwind, piercing through the snowy air as she rose high. She stared intently at the person chasing after her.

The person behind her heard someone on the flying sword call out Xu Ziyan’s name, and their expression changed. Their speed increased sharply as they chased, shouting:

“I am Xu Lin from the Xu Clan in Zhongdu City! Who’s there ahead?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Lin saw a figure whirl upward from the ground like a tornado, stirring up a flurry of snow, appearing before him like a snow dragon.

Hearing Xu Lin’s call, the soaring snow dragon suddenly paused. The swirling snowflakes scattered in all directions, revealing Xu Ziyan, who was slowly descending.

“Ziyan!”

Xu Lin on the flying sword exclaimed in surprise. He flew swiftly to Xu Ziyan’s side, matching her slow descent as he softly asked:

“Ziyan, what happened? Why are you here? And who are they?”

Xu Ziyan had already landed on the ground by then. Han Yue descended from the air with Xu Yundong and Xu Wenli. Instead of answering Xu Lin’s question, Xu Ziyan asked curiously:

“Senior Brother Lin, why are you here?”

“Oh, I was standing at the peak of Floating Snow Peak tonight,” Xu Lin said, his face momentarily showing embarrassment before he quickly continued,

“I saw flashes of light here and didn’t know what was going on, so I came to check.”

After saying this, his expression suddenly changed. His eyes scanned Xu Ziyan with concern, and when he saw that she wasn’t injured, he finally relaxed. Urgently, he asked:

“What were those lights earlier? I was too far away to hear anything, only vaguely seeing flickers of light. What exactly happened?”

Xu Ziyan told Xu Lin the names and identities of Xu Wenli, Xu Yundong, and Han Yue. After the four of them exchanged greetings, she briefly explained the recent events to Xu Lin.

Xu Lin listened with wide-eyed astonishment. He realized the flashes of light he had seen from Floating Snow Peak were produced by the talismans Xu Ziyan had unleashed.

“So you’re saying the Zhou Family from Canglang City and the Yang Family from Nanlin City have joined forces and plan to target our Xu Clan?”

“Senior Brother Lin, no more questions—let’s hurry back to the clan and report this to the Clan Leader!”

“Right! Let’s go quickly!”

By now, both Han Yue and Xu Wenli were exhausted. Xu Yundong was carried through the air by Xu Lin, while Xu Ziyan continued to skim over the snow-covered ground. Watching Xu Ziyan’s dreamlike figure, Xu Lin felt the same shock as Han Yue and the others.

When they were only five li away from Zhongdu City, suddenly, an immense Aura Pressure descended upon them from the sky. That pressure surged like ocean waves, one after another, each stronger than the last.

Xu Wenli, Han Yue, and Xu Lin, who was carrying Xu Yundong, instantly felt as if they were bearing thousands of pounds. They abruptly lost balance and fell from the sky.

Xu Ziyan, who was moving swiftly, suddenly swirled like a snowflake caught in the wind. At an unimaginable yet perfectly natural angle, she drifted backward and landed instantly in front of Xu Lin and the others, who had crashed to the ground.

Facing the mountain-like pressure, Xu Ziyan stood firm like a rock amidst towering waves, resisting the Mighty Pressure descending from above. Her whole body felt as if a great mountain were pressing down on it; the bones inside creaked and cracked, seemingly on the verge of shattering.

“Oh?”

A soft exclamation came from the sky. The tide-like pressure suddenly intensified. Xu Ziyan’s face flushed crimson, and her breathing nearly stopped. She quickly took ten talismans from her Storage Pouch and scattered them into the air around her, forming a small defensive Talisman Array.

As soon as this defensive Talisman Array took shape, the mountain-like pressure vanished. Xu Wenli, Han Yue, Xu Lin, and Xu Yundong, who had been flattened on the ground, immediately felt relieved. They scrambled to their feet and looked up at the sky.

They saw the falling snow suddenly part like a curtain rolling aside. Four figures appeared in the air: Yang Linglong and her two subordinates had returned. Next to her, Sword Flight was a man around fifty years old, staring coldly at Xu Ziyan and the others on the ground. The mountain-like aura was emanating from him.

“Are these the ones?” the man said coldly.

“Yes, Uncle Leng! If you hadn’t happened to pass by tonight and I met you, it might have ruined the clan’s plans!” Yang Linglong replied respectfully to Yang Leng.

“But… with their strength? How did you let them escape?” Yang Leng’s eyes scanned Xu Ziyan and the others, his tone puzzled.

Yang Linglong’s face flushed red. As the most talented young woman in the Yang Family, when had she ever been at a disadvantage? Yet she had been helpless against Xu Ziyan. But she had to explain, so with a red face, she said:

“It’s all because of that Xu Ziyan. She has many talismans, and I couldn’t do anything against her.”

“Talismans?”

Yang Leng’s eyes flickered with sharp light as he examined the Talisman Array floating around Xu Ziyan. Unfortunately, he had no expertise in talismans, let alone Talisman Arrays. In the Northern Region of this continent, besides those from Sects, how many ordinary people could recognize a Talisman Array?

Yang Leng could tell those talismans were top-tier Second-Grade Talismans. But in his mind, even many second-grade top-tier talismans couldn’t harm him—not even Yang Linglong, who was at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining. How could they have defeated Yang Linglong? He couldn’t help but frown slightly.

“Let me test this.”

Yang Leng let out a cold snort. He brought his hands together in front of his chest, and metallic Spiritual Energy rapidly condensed above his head, soon forming a Long Spear. The spear tip gleamed coldly, pointing at Xu Ziyan and the others on the snow below.

“Go!”

Yang Leng shouted loudly. The Long Spear shattered through the wind and snow, roaring as it charged toward the Talisman Array around Xu Ziyan.

With a loud blast, the golden Long Spear shattered and dissipated. However, the ten talismans forming the Talisman Array dimmed significantly, wobbling precariously. It probably couldn’t withstand another strike from Yang Leng.

Yang Leng in the air froze in astonishment, his eyes flashing with sharp light. He hadn’t expected that ten second-grade top-tier talismans, used by Xu Ziyan, would produce such an unexpected effect.

Amid the swirling snow, Xu Ziyan and the others felt their hearts sink. Yang Leng’s Cultivation Level was too high—he was undoubtedly a high-level Qi Refining Stage Cultivator. They feared they wouldn’t survive the night.

At that moment, Yang Leng began bringing his hands together again. Metallic energy in the air surged wildly once more. Xu Ziyan gritted her teeth and took out all the remaining attack and defense second-grade top-tier talismans from her Storage Pouch—over fifty in total—and hurled them at Yang Leng and the others in the sky. Instantly, a Talisman Array formed in the air, trapping Yang Leng, Yang Linglong, and the other two inside.

Xu Ziyan quickly gripped the final Fifth-Grade Talisman in her hand, staring intently at Yang Leng inside the Talisman Array, and said to Xu Lin and the others:

“You all go quickly! This Talisman Array probably won’t hold them for long!”

“No! You take them back to the clan! I’ll stay here!” Xu Lin shouted at Xu Ziyan.

“You go first. I have a Fifth-Grade Talisman here for protection,” Xu Ziyan said anxiously.

Xu Lin suddenly snatched the Fifth-Grade Talisman from Xu Ziyan’s hand. Holding it tightly, he yelled at her:

“You take them and go! I’ll stay! Otherwise, I’ll charge at Yang Leng and tear this Fifth-Grade Talisman right now!”

With that, Xu Lin rose on his Sword Flight, heading straight for Yang Leng. He hovered outside the Talisman Array trapping Yang Leng and the others, looking determinedly down at Xu Ziyan.

Tears instantly streamed down Xu Ziyan’s face as she gazed tearfully at Xu Lin in the air. Behind him, trapped within the array, Yang Leng was relentlessly attacking the Talisman Array. The terrifying rumbling sounds were especially alarming amidst the heavy snowfall.

Xu Ziyan turned abruptly and called out softly, “Go!”

She turned and sped toward Zhongdu City. Two trails of tears were flung into the swirling snow, scattering like two strings of crystal-clear pearls across the snowy ground…