Chapter 246

“It’s He Zhizhou,” Qu Feiqing said, her heart tightening.

“It looks like he’s holding a wind talisman.”

Just moments ago, He Zhizhou had used his sword energy to attack the mountain, but unlike before, when he had caused a massive avalanche while fighting the bone demons, this time the snow was swept up into the air by the wind, swirling and hovering there due to the talisman’s power.

Unexpectedly, a strange phenomenon unfolded on the mountaintop.

As the temperature continued to drop, the blizzard from above filled the entire space, turning everything into a pure white.

Looking closer, you could see the countless snowflakes floating in the fierce wind, forming a dazzling white spectacle.

Suddenly, a ray of light pierced through the layered mist and the swirling snowflakes, like a sharp sword cutting through the chaotic darkness.

Then another, and another…

Countless sword lights poured down, stabbing into the enormous body of the shadow demon, and amidst the waves of snow—

“Huh.”

Even Tian Xianzi was momentarily stunned, his attention completely captured by the scene in the mirror.

“What’s happening?”

The elders naturally didn’t understand the concept of “diffuse reflection of light.”

(T/N: Diffuse reflection is the reflection of light or other waves or particles from a surface such that a ray incident on the surface is scattered at many angles rather than at just one angle as in the case of specular reflection.)

Why is snow white?

It’s not because it “forgets its original color,” but because snowflakes are made of countless tiny ice crystals.

Light can’t pass through them easily, so it’s reflected instead.

When snow reflects all colors of light, it naturally appears as the purest white.

So, in a snowy sky, it’s as if countless tiny mirrors are floating in the air, with light reflecting in all directions, from all angles, creating a dazzling display of light.

As the temperature plummeted and the air was filled with snow, this diffuse reflection reached its peak.

Similarly, the heavy clouds in the sky, which were blocking out the sunlight, only intensified the reflection of light, concentrating the sword light into a confined space.

The power that the shadow demon used to control its opponents ultimately became its own undoing, turning into its most vulnerable weakness.

So, as the snowstorm raged and the cold wind howled, the sword energy surged, and the white light intensified.

The entire sky was bathed in a soft, gentle white light, which then gradually spread to the dark mountaintop, the vast snowfields, and the horizon swallowed by dark clouds.

The fragments of white light connected in a continuous string, rising from the girl’s sword.

On the mountaintop, it seemed as if day had returned after countless years of absence.

The daylight they had been missing for far too long.

Ning Ning focused her energy, and a thought suddenly came to her mind—the ‘Thought Spirit’ she had seen in the snow before she arrived here.

They still retained their forms from life, with different ages and identities, yet on the mountaintop, they all wore the same military uniform, sharing a drink and conversation.

“I’ve never had any grand ambitions in life,” a burly man said.

“I’ve lived over thirty years as just a pig butcher.”

“I live at the foot of this mountain. I have a son and a daughter, both chubby and adorable. To be honest, I came here with a selfish motive. Those two brats are always listening to stories of heroism. I’ve lived a cowardly life, and if someone asks them what kind of man their father was—just a butcher that kills pigs? That’s not something to be proud of.”

He took a swig of wine, his thoughts unreadable.

“Now it’s good! They can proudly pat their chests and say, “Hey, my dad is a hero!””

“I-I’m just a scholar; I passed the imperial exams a year ago,” a frail young man beside him chimed in.

“I never liked studying; I always wanted to join the army. I came here today to do something for the world… though it seems pretty pointless.”

Someone teased him, “Has the scholar taken a wife?”

The young man’s face flushed instantly.

“Not yet. I-I plan to propose to her after the war ends.”

“I heard she’s your childhood sweetheart!”

The man next to him laughed, “The scholar even wrote a letter to the girl—hey, why don’t you read it to us?”

So, the young man scratched his head, pulling out a letter from his coat.

He took a swig of wine for courage and then coughed as it went down the wrong way.

He said, “Miss Ye, although we’ve grown up across the street from each other, I’ve hardly ever spoken to you. You always say I’m timid, and today I can’t deny it. Please don’t laugh at me.

You’d never guess that someone has secretly liked you for many years. Every time I see you, I can’t help but blush.”

He was smiling as he read, but as he continued, tears began to fall uncontrollably, and he choked up, unable to go on.

Ning Ning knew what he would say next.

He would talk about the moon in the sky, the fragrance of flowers in front of the house, and how the girl was like the first swallow of spring that landed on his windowsill.

He liked her so much.

He would also talk about how vast the world was, how mortals were like insignificant mayflies, and how she must forgive him for leaving without saying goodbye, as they would likely never meet again.

This young man, who had been timid all his life, finally found courage at the end of his life.

If that girl ever heard this, she would surely laugh and tease, “Hey, that’s so corny.”

But these soldiers were doomed to never return.

This love letter would never be delivered to the girl’s hands.

“Do you think,” someone asked, “the world will know what we did here today on the mountain? Will anyone remember our names?”

“That’s for the future to decide; it has nothing to do with us now.”

A woman in dark robes laughed heartily as she wiped the blood from her sword, saying, “This battle on the mountain—no shame before heaven and earth, no guilt in our hearts—that’s all that matters. Our vast world is no place for demons to run amok.”

“No shame before heaven and earth, no guilt in one’s heart.”

Ning Ning lowered her gaze, seeing the vast army of bone puppets and the surging demonic energy.

How had those once-aspiring individuals become like this?

How could they have become like this?

As the light from the snow intensified, the bone puppets suddenly halted, their hollow eye sockets gazing upwards, revealing no emotion.

The shadow demon writhed and roared, its power rapidly diminishing.

Nascent Soul, mid-stage.

Nascent Soul, second level.

And then—

The critical point.

Now!

Ning Ning’s pupils contracted sharply.

In an instant, nine floating swords surrounded the demon—

And in the brightness as clear as daylight, they plunged fiercely into the demon’s body!

Wails echoed, and death energy surged.

The massive shadow twisted in agony, gradually fading into a wisp of smoke that vanished in an instant.

The bone puppets raised their heads in confusion, the murky demonic energy in their eye sockets silently dissipating.

They—at last—were no longer lifeless puppets driven by demonic energy.

The dark clouds covering the sky churned endlessly, while the bright sword energy drew out a galaxy-like splendor.

A familiar voice echoed in her ears.

Through the misty snow on the distant mountaintop, she saw several translucent figures.

They were the lingering ‘thought spirit’.

A tall, thin young man cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted with all his might, “I—I want to marry Miss Ye!”

Beside him, a girl with her hands on her hips, her voice clear as a lark, declared, “I want to save the world and become a great hero!”

Someone laughed heartily, “What kind of hero can a little girl be—hey, why are you hitting me!”

The voices grew more jumbled as snowflakes continued to fall.

Ning Ning focused on listening, but everything around her gradually blurred, becoming indistinct.

Suddenly, a warm, pale yellow light spread through the clouds.

She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, took a long-overdue breath, and looked up.

The snow was still falling, but much lighter than before.

At the end of the long night, the sunlight broke through the entire sky.

“Look, the sun is rising!”

From the mountaintop, the girl who wanted to become a hero shouted:

“The sunrise on Qiong Mountain—it’s—so—beautiful!”