Chapter 74: Cutting the Threads Part 1

Ice and snow clung to Cold Cicada Ridge, casting a vast, pale shroud under the cover of night.

The crowd gathered in a tight circle, their fire strikers burning bright. From a distance, they looked like a swarm of motionless fireflies.

Feng Yun’ai stood among them in a white dress, her head shielded by a white veiled hat. At a glance, she seemed to merge with the snowy landscape, nearly invisible within the world of frost.

Everything had been brought to light. When the various sects had joined forces to capture Lin Yaoyao, they had learned of the schemes orchestrated by Zhou Gui and the Guiyuan Sect. Their goal was to reignite the conflict between the Moonlight Sect and the rest of the martial world, leaving the Central Plains’ pugilistic society leaderless.

The Guiyuan Sect had indeed intended to kill Feng Rong, but Zhou Gui had wanted more than just a simple assassination—she wanted Feng Rong to vanish entirely. Because of this, the Guiyuan Sect deemed Zhou Gui too unpredictable and uncontrollable, forcing them to command Lin Yaoyao to secretly use her Nightmare Art on her.

“So that’s how it was,” Sang Chencao said, realization dawning. It explained why Zhou Gui had also fallen under the influence of the Nightmare Art. She turned her attention back to the crowd. “What about the Guiyuan Sect? Surely you’ve discovered something over the past few days.”

Everyone there had witnessed Sang Chencao’s extraordinary methods and martial prowess on the Sword Trial Stage. They also knew the other young woman was Feng Rong’s disciple, making her likely even more unfathomable.

The sect leaders exchanged glances before the Master of Guanfeng Gate spoke. “The Guiyuan Sect is situated atop Snow-Top Peak. We searched all the way up from the base but found no traces. The wind and snow are too fierce; any footprints are covered in an instant. The enemy is intimately familiar with this terrain—they move like ghosts.”

“Then how did you locate them?” Sang Chencao asked.

The Guanfeng Gate Master continued, “Lin Yaoyao confessed it herself. She claimed the Guiyuan Sect resides closest to the heavens, guided by gods and immortals. They possess a Sacred Fire that protects them from the bitter cold. We reasoned that in this region, no place sits higher than Snow-Top Peak.”

Looking up, Snow-Top Peak was indeed magnificent and imposing. Its slopes were steep and jagged, its summit lost somewhere beyond the clouds.

Yu Lao of the Chuanyun Sect spoke up slowly. “We ventured up the mountain to search and, as expected, found several markings. They were likely used for navigation. Those marks formed a sort of labyrinthine array that blended into the scenery, making them nearly impossible to notice. Fortunately, the array wasn’t overly complex, and we were able to crack it quickly.”

“Yu Lao has a keen eye,” Sang Chencao remarked with a faint smirk.

Yu Lao shook her head slightly. “We followed the markers upward and found several dwellings half-buried in the snow. We intended to continue our ascent, but a sudden gale rose up—someone was clearly using a technique from the shadows.”

“The Sorrowful Wind Fan,” Feng Yun’ai said, her voice cold.

Yu Lao nodded, a trace of fear flickering across her face. “That Sorrowful Wind Fan is truly formidable. While it might not be able to decide life and death with a single thought just yet, it can command the freezing winds. It’s clear the Guiyuan Sect Master possesses immense inner qi.”

“If the wind weren’t already raging and the snow weren’t already biting in this place, how could that Sect Master summon such a gale out of thin air?” Sang Chencao said dismissively.

That might be true, Feng Yun’ai thought, but the combination of the natural wind and powerful inner qi was a force to be reckoned with. The Guiyuan Sect Master was not an opponent to be underestimated.

After a brief pause, Sang Chencao let out a mocking laugh. “A mere Sorrowful Wind Fan. If Wen Lanxin were here, I doubt that Sect Master could last ten moves against her.”

The crowd stiffened. Although this current crisis wasn’t Wen Lanxin’s doing, the mere mention of her name still struck terror into their hearts.

“However,” Sang Chencao continued, her eyes downcast and a smirk playing on her lips, “the Guiyuan Sect has caught a lucky break. After all… Wen Lanxin is dead.”

Dead?

With Feng Rong gone, the martial world of the Central Plains had lost its backbone, and Cloud City had become as fragile as paper. The heroes had already been mentally and physically drained by the Hero Recruitment Meet; in just half a month, they hadn’t even begun to recover their peak strength.

And now Wen Lanxin? Though she occupied a grey area between good and evil and had lived in seclusion at Yellow Sand Cliff for years, she was still a titan in the Jianghu Records. If even she was dead, then the Central Plains’ martial world was…

Truly on the verge of total collapse.

The crowd stood in stunned silence, unable to process the news for a long time. They wondered how she had died. Could it have been the Guiyuan Sect?