In the skies above the snowy plains, Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan rode their swords in swift pursuit, one slightly ahead of the other. Wang Sheng followed a winding path, alternating between sweeping S curves and sharp zigzags. Despite the erratic trajectory, he was significantly faster. This unpredictable movement allowed his spiritual consciousness to expand further in every direction. Since he had previously asked Mu Wanxuan to stay behind with the others, his senior sister now looked somewhat displeased. Standing on Ice Crystal, she just silently scanned their surroundings for any sign of the powerful enemy that their master had mentioned. She made no attempt to speak to her junior brother. The first rescue team had been nearly annihilated. While the command center would shoulder some responsibility for that, the true culprits were still the foreign cultivators who had prepared such a fatal ambush. The vampires from the European regions mainly led the foreign cultivators. The second wave of Special Warfare Unit elites had already begun a sweeping search of the Saros territory. Over a thousand other Daoist cultivators and elite troops had also gathered in six locations along the northern border of the Hua Republic and entered the vast snowy plains. However, the enemy was quick to respond. According to surveillance satellite data, several hundred foreign cultivators involved in the ambush had split up and were retreating toward the west, north, and east, clearly attempting to scatter and disappear into the snowfields. Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan flew west, while their master had taken several Daoist elders to pursue the enemies heading north. Had Qing Yanzi not stopped to rescue the wounded, he would have already caught up to the fleeing enemies and fought them to the death to demand an explanation. Wang Sheng found it difficult to comprehend the absurdity of the situation. An ambush involving more than six hundred foreign cultivators. Hundreds of lives sacrificed, and more than a dozen Daoist cultivators killed. Over seventy Special Warfare Unit elites slain. All of that just to issue a "warning" to the Hua Republic?  New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on ɴovelfire.net When did human lives become so meaningless? Perhaps I have spent too long living a peaceful life in the Hua Republic. Maybe I have been dwelling in an ivory tower, too. Wang Sheng sighed quietly. He swept his spiritual consciousness across the land below them. He found a few places where the aftermath of battle still lingered in the form of primal qi remnants, but he couldn't detect a single survivor. He couldn't bring himself to look at the tragic remains of the ambushed Hua Republic cultivators. Since others would handle the task of escorting them back home, he and Mu Wanxuan simply continued on their way. His phone buzzed a few times. Wang Sheng raised the mooncake-shaped device, and a three-dimensional map of the battlefield appeared in the air. On the western edge of the snowy plains, a cluster of red dots flashed. A line of text hovered above them. In a hushed tone, Wang Sheng requested, "Senior Sister, let me handle the killing." Mu Wanxuan nodded softly, a trace of concern flickering in her gaze. Wang Sheng did not ask her to stay behind this time. Instead, he used his enchanted power to link the two together and pulled her along as he flew onward. Moments later, they arrived above a dense pine forest. Wang Sheng found no reason to make his senior sister waste her strength on such a task. Wang Sheng jumped onto Ice Crystal, stood behind her, and sent his celestial-grade flying sword out without any restraint. This sword has no beginning; this sword has no end! By the boundless heaven and earth, shatter souls and annihilate spirits! Pure Yang Enchanted Power seeped into Wang Sheng's fingertip. Flying Haze's sword radiance expanded rapidly and then suddenly compressed into a razor-thin line of brilliance. With a sharp hiss, the sword flew into the forest below. A scream followed. Wang Sheng had only just begun. He closed his eyes and made his spiritual consciousness sweep through the woods. Every fleeing figure appears in his mind. Flying Haze weaved in and out of the enemy ranks like a thread through beads, leaving a line of blood in its wake. Mu Wanxuan pursed her lips and quietly withdrew her spiritual consciousness. Wang Sheng endlessly moved the sword finger that he had formed with his left hand. His fingertip glowed golden as he drew one sword talisman after another, steadily draining his enchanted power. Two foreign men, dressed in crude hides like primitive beings, suddenly leaped from the forest. Each wielded a long spear and had dark-red light surging across their bodies. They let out guttural roars, then hurled their weapons at Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan. Coursing through the air with tremendous force, the two projectiles transformed into twin blood-red beams and surged toward Wang Sheng. Wang Sheng flicked his sleeve. Two palm phantasms shot forth, and the spears exploded in midair. A sharp whistle split the air as a streak of golden light shot from the forest, slitting the two men's necks just as they began to fall. Blood sprayed, but before a single drop could touch Flying Haze, it had returned to the forest and was already chasing after the remaining wailing foreign cultivators. Two minutes later, silence fell over the woods. Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan hovered above the forest's edge as Flying Haze made one last sweep, then returned and settled under Wang Sheng's feet. In a low tone, Wang Sheng said, "Let's go. There should be more ahead." Mu Wanxuan nodded obediently. "Mm." She stepped forward on her Ice Crystal and wrapped Wang Sheng's waist with yin-yang qi. Together, they sped off again, enchanted power flowing freely. She had stopped sulking about what had happened earlier. After all, now clearly wasn't the time for it. The Golden Core Realm cultivators who had come with them made themselves useful by escorting the wounded back across the Hua Republic border. Among the wounded was Yan Zhengnan, severely injured and on the verge of death. He was the spark that had ignited Qing Yanzi's fury. As they flew onward, Wang Sheng repeatedly checked his phone for updates and tracked how close they were to the western edge of the snowy plains. The Special Investigation Unit had warned him not to enter any major cities in Saros. Once they reached the end of the snowfield, he would have to contact officials and ask if he could continue his pursuit. Wang Sheng suddenly remembered the video that the two young investigators had sent him before he left the border. They said the reason behind their master's fury was in that video. Wang Sheng decided to multitask. As he extended his spiritual consciousness outward to search, he tapped away at his phone with one hand and found the video. Wang Sheng had barely opened the file and taken a glance when he turned to see his senior sister on tiptoe, trying to peek at his screen. "I'll send you a copy, Senior Sister." Mu Wanxuan nodded eagerly, quietly holding her identical phone and waiting. "Mm, mm." Wang Sheng tapped on his phone again. After a moment, he finally managed to share the file with her. Only then did he relax and begin watching the video. He was barely a few seconds in when he frowned. The video was captured using the rescue team's body cam, which they had used to provide real-time footage to the higher-ups. It seemed the Special Investigation Unit had already trimmed down the video. The scene opened with dozens of figures encircling several fallen bodies clad in camouflage uniforms. Wang Sheng recognized their clothes at a glance; they were Special Warfare Unit elites. In the center stood a lone figure, bloodied from head to toe, barely able to remain upright. His longsword, pitted with cracks, supported his trembling frame. The man's profile was enough for Wang Sheng to identify him: Yan Zhengnan, the same one who had once gifted him a sword. Enemies had surrounded him. Vampires hovered in the air with their arms crossed, while other foreign cultivators stayed on the ground. He recognized some of them from the snowy slope battle, while the others looked unfamiliar. However, one thing was for certain: they were all part of that disorganized rabble from beyond the border. A figure in a demon mask stepped forward, his black hair and eyes sticking out among the foreigners. He spoke in clear Hua language. 「Yan Zhengnan, elite instructor of the Hua Republic's Special Warfare Unit, ranked sixty-second on the Heavenly Rankings of Daoist cultivators. Do you want to die, or do you want to live?」 Yan Zhengnan laughed coldly, spat a mouthful of blood, and gripped his sword hilt tightly with his bloodstained right hand.「I want all of you dead. Only I shall live.」 The man in the demon mask sneered. 「You can keep dreaming, or you can get on your knees and beg. If you do, these gentlemen might just spare your life.」 Yan Zhengnan raised his head slightly and coldly replied, 「My body is covered in wounds, but my legs and spine are intact. If you want a fight, then I'll die fighting. You think I don't know the kind of tricks you're trying to play?」 「Die in battle? Not so fast.」The masked man laughed. 「After all the trouble we went through to set this up, you're the only big fish we caught.」 He turned and muttered something in Gelan language. More than a dozen silhouettes lunged forward. Yan Zhengnan roared and prepared to detonate his Golden Core, but a puff of white smoke drifted in from the side. An old, frail man swayed forward, rattling small skulls in his hand. The white mist enveloped Yan Zhengnan, sealing his final spark of enchanted power. He screamed in defiance as over a dozen half-beasts tore him down. They clawed and bit at him, shredding him. The scene was so brutal that even Mu Wanxuan, a Heavenly Abode Realm cultivator, turned pale. To kill is one thing, but this... 「Yan Zhengnan, just beg, and you won't have to be dismembered,」the masked man said calmly. 「Is it so hard to say one word? All we need is a little footage for a propaganda video.」 「Tsk tsk tsk. The Hua Republic is getting far too full of itself. One strong nation alone cannot rule this world. When a tree stands out in the forest, the wind is sure to break it. Are you even aware that your qi meridians are the fuse that's about to ignite the storm?」 「Hahaha. Everything the Hua Republic and your Daoist sects have done to me, I'll return it all a hundredfold. This is just the beginning. Sit back and watch. Just like how the old Manchu knelt to the Nine-Nation Alliance, the Hua Republic will kneel as well!」 As the silhouettes pinned and ravaged him, Yang Zhengnan raised his head and cursed, 「Kneel, my ass!」 「Hahahaha! Hahahahaha—」 The video ended, cutting off the masked man's laughter. Wang Sheng closed the screen as Mu Wanxuan bit her lip. "Senior Sister, it is just as Master said. We are already at war," Wang Sheng calmly said. "That means rivers of blood are inevitable. After this is over, go keep my parents company for a while. I don't want you to carry the burden of killing." Mu Wanxuan hesitated but nodded softly. Wang Sheng pushed onward. His phone vibrated again, and more red dots appeared on the map. He took a deep breath. Even if those dots led into one of Saros's great cities standing tall on the snowy plains, Wang Sheng had no intention of stopping. Why do I draw my sword? I draw it to carry our fellow cultivators' will and conviction!! To create a Hua Republic that no one would dare offend! To give my little sister a peaceful life, and to ensure my parents can grow old and retire in peace! Heavenly Tribulation Sword Intent! A swirl of cyan clouds rapidly formed around Wang Sheng. The mass grew larger and denser, then surged forward like a tidal wave toward the foreign city.