Stranger Danger

“Eighteen days ago, I descended Yandang Mountain, exited the Lifeless Valley, passed through the Chaotic Snow Sea, crossed over the Dragonrising River, and finally arrived at Fire Dragon Mountain. Thanks to my journey, I was able to gain a sword named Wind Snow Road.”

White Ape’s voice was unhurried, but the wind and snow behind his back were definitely growing more rapid. The world was growing colder as well.

“Please, judge it!”

As soon as the words escaped his mouth, wind and snow blew in from the distant horizon. They seemed to originate from Yandang Mountain—gaining Yandang’s height in the process—passed through Chaotic Snow Sea—adopting the ferocity of Chaotic Snow—and crossed over the Dragonrising River—becoming voluminous like Dragonrising. By the time they finally arrived at Fire Dragon Mountain, the three qualities had been molded into one.

Then, White Ape thrust his fingers forward like a sword.

Behind him, the wind and snow merged into a sword that was tall, ferocious, and voluminous. Wind and snow were part of nature, so one might say that nature itself was baring its sword at Dragonmount Duke.

“A good sword!”

Dragonmount Duke complimented at the same time the scarlet flames in the sky transformed into a titanic hand. It hung in the air like the sky itself.

If White Ape possessed a sword made from nature’s wind and snow, then Dragonmount Duke possessed a palm made from nature’s fire.

The two opposing elements clashed, nature pushing back against nature. The next moment, everything within tens of kilometers of Fire Dragon Mountain was filled with water and fire, red and white, cold and heat. It was a gorgeous, picturesque scene that shattered the sky and annihilated the ground without a sound.

Eventually, the wind and snow melted, and the scarlet flames dissolved into nothing. The world returned to calm once more.

White Ape moved. He withdrew his bleeding fingers and gripped the sword he was holding against his chest. As soon as he did this, his aura abruptly changed from cold and indifferent to sorrowful and ancient.

Then, White Ape unsheathed his sword. The man followed the sword, and the sword followed the man. He executed a forward thrust.

This sword seemed to transcend the river of time, yin and yang. It was fantastical yet ancient, familiar yet unpredictable. It was overflowing with red dust and the impermanence of humanity.

This sword was a kind old man tutoring a young boy who could barely speak in the way of the sword during a misty morning. It represented the warmth of humanity.

This sword was a couple of children playing and fooling around with each other amidst a canvas of forest and rivers. It represented the joy of humanity.

This sword was a dead man lying on a pool of red blood and an endless expanse of snow, cold and soundless. It represented the sorrow of red dust, the cold of humanity, and the hatred in one’s heart.

This sword was a lone man standing on a singular, snowy peak. The wind was his friend, the snow was his companion, and the sword was his life. Be it day or night, wind or rain, he never stopped practicing the sword. It represented the loneliness of humanity.

This sword was the honing of a sword through blood and life. It was fearlessness in the face of life or death, the everchanging world, the myriad tastes of red dust, and the impermanence of existence.

Hence, this sword was happiness, anger, sorrow and joy. This sword was partings and reunions, the impermanence of life, the merciless march of time, and the great changes of the world of mortals.

The sword of life, the sword of red dust. Together, they are the Road of Life.

The Dragonmount Duke could not face this sword with the ease he had displayed earlier. The entire Fire Dragon Mountain began shaking violently, kicking off rock and soil to reveal a draconic body the size of a mountain. Each scale on its body was as big as a millstone, and they glittered like rainbows under the sunlight.

When the dragon moved, the scales rubbed against each other and sent sparks everywhere. Then, a fire dragon rushed into the sky like the rising sun.

When the fire dragon reached the absolute top, the sky within thousands and thousands of kilometers instantly turned scarlet red like a pool of clear water that was contaminated by a bucket of red dye. Then, the fire dragon started plummeting toward White Ape like a falling sun.

Despite facing a plummeting sun, White Ape continued to step forward with his sword firmly in his grip. His response toward Dragonmount Duke’s counterattack was to raise the tip of his sword slightly.

If a dragon came his way, then he would slay the dragon.

If a sun fell on him, then he would shatter the sun.

Shiiiing!

Rooooar!

A sword rang, and a dragon roared.

The sword ringing was clear and everlasting. It was overflowing with the myriad changes of humanity.

The dragon’s roar was guttural and all-encompassing. It was overflowing with destructive power.

When the two overlapped, when the sword of humanity clashed against the sun of the red dragon…

A white shockwave and a red shockwave rippled out, and everything in their way dissolved into dust and chaos.

It took nine whole breaths before sound finally returned. It was the sound of a ringing sword, the sound of a falling sun, the sound of the breaking earth, and the sound of the shattering sky. They blended harmoniously with each other and resounded throughout the nine heavens.

In an instant, the air within thousands and thousands of kilometers of the impact turned clean and pure. Not a speck of cloud, wind, or rain could be spotted in the sky.

At the center of this incomprehensible world, two people stood with their backs facing toward each other.

One man wore a white robe that looked like snow, pure and untouched.

Another wore a golden robe that burned like fire, his white hair swaying gently despite the lack of wind.

“A good sword!”

The old man with white hair a.k.a the Dragonmount Duke broke the silence first. “What is this sword?”

White Ape answered, “The Road of Life.”

“The Road of Life?” Dragonmount Duke smiled. “The road of life is long and endless. Who says a sword cannot summon wind and clouds? It is a sword befitting its name.”

“Naturally,” White Ape replied simply.

“It is a good sword, but it is not enough to kill me.” Dragonmount Duke said indifferently, “In other words, you lost.”

“Agreed. You’re still alive, so it is my defeat.”

White Ape’s voice remained devoid of joy, sorrow, or fear. “That said, you didn’t win either.”

White Ape’s sword began crumbling inch by inch, its blade dissolving into fine powder before it even hit the ground.

By the time the whole sword was gone, White Ape’s complexion had turned as white as death. Bright red blood trickled down the corners of his lips and seeped out of his pores, dyeing his white robe completely red and painting red plum flowers on the ground.

However, Dragonmount Duke’s left arm also came detached from its shoulder. Just like White Ape’s sword, it dissolved into powder before it hit the ground.

That wasn’t all. A deadly cloud of sword qi was enveloping the stump and preventing Dragonmount Duke from regrowing his arm.

“I may have lost an arm, but you are going to lose your life.”

Dragonmount Duke spoke calmly as if he hadn’t just lost an arm, “Eighteen years ago, your master lost to me. So he died.”

“Today, you lost to me. So, you should die as well.”

“In the end, the final victor is me.”

“Have you forgotten what I said earlier? The reason I came today is to stop you. To test my sword. When did I ever say I was planning to throw away my life here?”

White Ape turned around and, for the first time, spread a ridiculing smile on his face. “I’m not my master. He is a swordsman who thought of his sword as a friend and cherished it more than his own life. That is why he is fiery and inflexible. That is why he would rather break than bend the knee. That is why he died after losing to you.”

“But I am not him. I am not a swordsman who lives and dies by his sword. I am obsessed with the sword, but I am not loyal to it. To me, a sword is just a tool for revenge.”

“That is why I am a sword demon, not a sword god. I may lose, but I will never die.”

“Hmm?”

Dragonmount Duke immediately noticed that something was wrong. His eyebrows raised, and draconic roars erupted from all sides and sealed the surrounding space like the rage of the world itself.

Unfortunately, it was too late. White Ape’s body abruptly dissolved like smoke and vanished into the void, scattering in every direction. All he left behind was his final words.

“When next we meet, your head shall be mine.”

“Hmph!”

Dragonmount Duke brought his foot down, and a massive dragon’s head burst out of the ground. It was so big that it spanned tens of kilometers, and it swallowed everything within this range in one gulp. The scattering smoke was not an exception.

However, Dragonmount Duke’s expression was dark and brooding when the head disappeared. He no longer looked as calm and collected as he had before.

“The Secret Demon Infinite Dispersal Great Art…”

Dragonmount Duke muttered under his breath. The Secret Demon Endless Dispersal Great Art was an extremely high level Dark Ways martial art that allowed the practitioner to dissolve into a seemingly infinite number of substitutes and slip away. If even one substitute managed to slip away, then the practitioner would live to see another day. It was an exceedingly potent life-saving secret art.

“He is more troublesome than his master. I guess I can’t let him live.”

Dragonmount Duke was gone by the time the words left his mouth.

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