Chapter 15 - Blade Light in the Wind and Snow

The mountain wind was fierce, wailing like the cries of ghosts, breaking many branches and stirring up the snow in the forest. It mixed with the large snowflakes falling from the night sky, creating a vast expanse of white between heaven and earth. Qin Ming walked alone through the wind and snow, arriving at the foot of the mountain where the Mountain Patrol Team was stationed. He decided to use the bow and arrows he had captured. Although he still considered it a 'soft bow,' it was far superior to the iron-bowed weapon he used before. The relentless wind and snow lashed against his face, forcing him to squint. He changed out of his thicker warm clothing, donned armor, and put on a thin outer garment. He buried the bow, arrows, and his bundle in a snow hole, weighing them down with heavy stones, before taking four iron spears from the patrollers and heading up the mountain. Silently, Qin Ming approached, gradually ascending the peak, now only a few dozen meters away from the flat area. If not for the strong wind and heavy snow, the golden mastiff, whose size rivaled that of a fierce tiger, might have already caught the scent of a stranger. Even so, it seemed aware, twitching its ears covered with golden patterns. Inside one of the larger wooden huts, firelight flickered, casting the shadows of several people at the window. In this biting cold, they were drinking, savoring the fragrant, steaming yak meat from a copper pot over charcoal. 'The fire spring in the Blood Bamboo Forest is about to extinguish. It's the perfect time to deal with such spiritual creatures. We must prepare in advance...' The words carried on the wind. Qin Ming wanted to listen further. Some members of the Mountain Patrol Team were targeting a certain spiritual creature in the mountains for their second rebirth. Unfortunately, he couldn't eavesdrop any longer, as the golden mastiff had appeared outside the shack, looking in his direction and about to bark. He aimed at the window, drawing his bow towards the largest silhouette. Iron arrows shot like lightning through the night, piercing into the wooden house with whistling sounds. Someone inside let out a muffled groan, and then all the figures dropped to the ground. The window and door of the wooden house were burst open, and several figures rushed out, using tables and doors as shields, taking cover behind trees and rocks, their eyes sharp as they searched for the hidden assailant. The golden mastiff barked ferociously, exuding an imposing aura. Its roar scattered the snowflakes in front of it, and its massive body exploded with astonishing power, charging fiercely towards Qin Ming. Qin Ming ignored the mutated mastiff for the moment, focusing his iron arrows like a dense rainstorm solely on one person—Fu Entao. He disregarded the other patrollers; only the second reborn posed a significant threat. Injuring him was more meaningful than taking down several others first. Unfortunately, Fu Entao was only hit by one arrow, and it was a minor wound. The specially-made armor he wore provided excellent protection, with the iron arrow piercing merely half an inch deep. Subsequently, Fu Entao wielded his long blade, cutting down most of the iron arrows, using trees as cover, rapidly closing in. Judging by the force of the opponent's arrows, Fu Entao deduced that this adversary had not undergone a second rebirth and was not insurmountable. It wasn't that Qin Ming lacked strength, but rather that the hard bow of the patrollers couldn't withstand his thousand-pound force, eventually snapping in his hands. The mutated mastiff, with gold and black patterns covering its body, leaped forward towards Qin Ming, its massive jaws emitting white mist, its sharp teeth gleaming, roaring as it shook the mountains and forests. However, its enormous body suddenly froze mid-air, its roar abruptly halted. An iron spear flew with terrifying speed, piercing through its skull, splattering blood, its fierce gaze dimming instantly. Undeniably, it was a relatively strong mutated creature, capable of troubling the newly reborn, but it was swiftly dispatched by Qin Ming's simple spear throw, killed in an instant! With a thud, it fell five meters in front of Qin Ming. In the distance, Feng Yi'an saw the body of the golden mastiff crash to the ground and cried out painfully, "Jin Zi!" Qin Ming felt a surge of anger rise within him. To people like this, the lives of villagers outside the mountains were less valuable than a fierce dog, and they would lose their composure over it. With a powerful swing of his right arm, he hurled another iron spear, cutting through the wind and snow with an intimidating whistle, flying towards Feng Yi'an. Feng Yi'an, with a full beard and the potential for a second rebirth, reacted swiftly. His robust body moved quickly sideways, and in a display of prowess, he swung his long knife at the approaching spear. With a piercing metallic clash and sparks flying, Feng Yi'an felt his entire arm go numb, and his right hand trembled, nearly losing grip of the knife handle. He was astonished in his heart; what immense force was this? The spear grazed past his body and crashed into a wooden house, shattering the thick door panel on impact. At this moment, Fu Entao, nearly two meters tall, trampled through the snow, raising a large wave of snow with astonishing speed, now less than ten meters away from Qin Ming. Awaiting him was a specially crafted iron spear from the Mountain Patrol Team, like a venomous flood dragon swimming through the night, shooting towards him. Fu Entao, being reborn, had keen senses, clearly capturing the spear's flight path. Unwilling to waste any effort, his towering body barely tilted, effortlessly avoiding it, his feet never pausing as he charged towards his opponent with the wind. He dodged the gleaming iron spear, but another patrol member was following behind, ten meters further back, becoming the second target. Qin Ming did this intentionally; if Fu Entao blocked, it would be one thing, but if he dodged, the thrown spear would rush towards the person following closely behind. The patrol member behind could not evade it because the distance was too close, and Fu Entao had just blocked his view. "Ah..." he let out a wretched scream as the thrown spear pierced his chest. Even though he wore armor, it couldn't hold up, shattering instantly, fragments flying. However, this obstruction altered the spear's trajectory. The spear deviated slightly from its original path and with a thud, pinned the patrol member against a thick tree, blood flowing down the spear shaft, staining the snow. He struggled in immense pain, clearly not long for this world. Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng felt a chill down their spines, as if they themselves were pinned against that tree, involuntarily stepping back a few paces. Fu Entao knew what had happened behind him, his face stern. Ten meters was but a leap for him. His curly black hair was blown back by the cold wind, his beast-skin cloak flapping loudly. At two meters tall, the long knife in his hand was specially crafted, broader and sharper. He swung it down with a force that seemed capable of splitting a mountain, fearlessly and fiercely! Qin Ming, calm as a rock when still, moved now with the speed and fury of thunder, fast and fierce. He slightly sidestepped to avoid the terrifying blade, and with the last iron spear gripped in his left hand, struck the side of the blade, diverting its path. Fu Entao was slightly shocked in his heart, realizing that this was not someone he could easily overpower; the opponent seemed to have undergone a secondary rebirth. He pressed down with his blade, attempting to deflect the iron spear and continue his fierce assault, but he encountered strong resistance. Qin Ming collided with the blade using the iron spear in his left hand, creating a shower of sparks, and blocked the long knife outside his body. He then advanced directly, aiming the hatchet in his right hand at the opponent's wide-open chest. Fu Entao's pupils contracted. His heavy long knife in his right hand failed to push back the iron spear, making him feel challenged for the first time, as he faced a formidable opponent. On his left arm, he wore a black gold armguard engraved with mountain demon patterns, which he quickly raised to block the hatchet, clear as a spring, producing a piercing metallic clash. Using this opportunity, Fu Entao rapidly retreated, like wind and thunder, stirring up the snow on the ground and shaking off the passive position he found himself in after the initial clash. He shook his slightly numb left arm and looked down, noticing cracks on the armguard, nearly cleaved open—not due to the sharpness of the opponent's blade but due to overwhelming force causing the cracks. Underestimating the power behind the iron arrows, he initially intended to instantly kill this sniper, but was met with resistance from the start, prompting him to seriously assess the figure opposite him. Qin Ming glanced at the hatchet, seeing the edge damaged with a clear notch. Though forged from refined iron, it certainly couldn't match the weapons of the Mountain Patrol Team. He knew well that his strength surpassed the opponent's, but he was slightly inferior in speed. The secondary rebirth focused on flexibility and speed; he needed to engage in close combat under the opponent's misconception that they were of the same domain of rebirth, thus neutralizing the opponent's advantage of striking and retreating at a distance. "Who are you, and why do you target us?" Fu Entao spoke. Earlier, seeing how youthful the opponent looked, he presumed it was an impulsive hot-blooded youth, intending to cripple him before interrogating his background. Faced with the opponent's formidable strength, he calmed down, viewing him as an equal, even quite apprehensive. After all, the opponent was so young—could he be a noble offspring from Chixia City? But his attire didn't suggest so. Qin Ming did not reply, pointing the iron spear forward with his left hand, slightly raising the hatchet with his right, and steadily advancing step by step, calm and composed, exuding an aura despite his youthful appearance. Fu Entao frowned, increasingly suspicious of his identity. As Qin Ming emerged from the dark forest, approaching the fire spring area, Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng recognized his identity. They had found his silhouette familiar earlier; now illuminated by the fiery glow, his face emerged clearly, leaving them utterly astonished. "You are from Shuangshu Village...Qin Ming?!" Feng Yi'an exclaimed incredulously. He had seen this young man several times before—hadn't he just recently undergone his rebirth? Qin Ming did not answer, steadily closing in on the opponent, then suddenly accelerated. The spear thrust out like an ice serpent transforming into a dragon on the snowy plains, emitting a terrifying whistling through the wind and snow. The falling snow exploded, and the snow on the ground also burst open. "Surround him and don't let him escape, I want to capture him alive! "As Fu Entao drew his blade, he shouted swiftly. His gaze was like cold lightning, exuding a confident aura, mainly to bolster Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng's morale, fearing they might shrink from battle. 'Let's encircle him together and end this quickly,' called out a burly member of the Mountain Patrol Team, approaching slowly with his blade. He wasn't rushing in recklessly to kill but intended to exert psychological pressure on Qin Ming from nearby. Seeing this, Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng advanced to block, positioning themselves strategically, ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment, subtly affecting the battle's outcome. The confrontation between the two in the field was terrifying; the iron spear, trailing afterimages, danced like a dragon or serpent in the air, while the gleaming blade light flashed like lightning on a rainy night, rapidly expanding the battlefield. Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng's faces changed abruptly; could the team leader truly suppress this youth named Qin Ming, who was so fiercely dominant? Qin Ming and Fu Entao clashed once more, diving into the dense forest near the fiery spring, compelling the three outsiders to follow cautiously and surround them. As the two charged through the woods, the previously undamaged trees suddenly crackled and snapped, with numerous branches crashing down into the snow, and even large trees thundering to the ground. Suddenly, in the dim forest, a silver-white figure leapt down from a tall tree, attempting to ambush Qin Ming. Qin Ming was engaged with Fu Entao, his back turned to this direction, when the Mountain Patrol Team's reared snow ape launched its assault from above, a surprise attack difficult to defend against. It was a mutated creature, its sharp claws capable of tearing apart fierce beasts, now ferociously and brutally clawing towards Qin Ming's neck, swift and deadly. Qin Ming had already been aware of the snow ape's presence, having secretly pinpointed its location upon ascending the mountain, constantly vigilant against all potential threats here. His steps were like the wind, exceptionally agile, evading the snow ape's pouncing assault while simultaneously slashing back with his blade into the air. With a slicing sound, the machete bisected the ferocious snow ape at the waist! Ape blood splattered, it howled in agony, and its two halves fell successively into the snow, soon lying completely still and lifeless. Thanks to: Chen Sheng, Xiao Mo, Zui Dan Chun, Meng Ye Ye, Zui Yan Duan Feng, Chong Xian, Shi Jia Suo, many thanks to the alliance leader for the support!