Chapter Thirty-Five: Battle to the Death

Late into the night, Ye Sansi remained on the rooftop, gazing into the distance, waiting for the armored troops from Jianzhou City.

Hunger gnawed at him, but the hour was still early. He leaped lightly from the roof to scavenge for food. The village was deserted, he its sole inhabitant, yet provisions were ample. He visited each house, gathering enough to satisfy his hunger.

After eating, he returned to the rooftop. By his reckoning, the armored men should soon arrive.

Indeed, he had not waited long when the sound of galloping hooves reached his ears—a sizable force by the sound of it. Moments later, a wave of torchlight appeared on the horizon.

The torches drew nearer, and at last, he could see them clearly: thirty fully armed soldiers, clad in iron, torches in hand, spurred their steeds toward the village.

When they were but a thousand paces away, the cavalrymen drew their bows, set their arrows aflame, and released them in perfect unison. Arrows rained down, igniting the humble wooden and thatched homes of the impoverished village. In an instant, fire engulfed the dwellings.

By the time the cavalry came within five hundred paces, the village had become a sea of flames. Twenty men halted behind, but the ten at the vanguard drew their swords and charged forward, dismounting a hundred paces from the blaze, plunging into the inferno with the clear intent to eradicate every last villager.

Yet they did not know that within that firestorm, there were no villagers—only Death itself, in the form of Ye Sansi.

The ten armored soldiers searched the burning village but found no one. They began to withdraw.

The soldiers were exposed; Ye Sansi lurked in the shadows. Suddenly, a flash of blue light streaked through the darkness—a soldier fell, his body encased in ice.

Their leader shouted, "Everyone, be careful! There’s an ambush! The man from Jianzhou City is hiding among us—be on your guard—" Before he could finish, his head was severed from his shoulders, and he collapsed to his knees.

The remaining eight immediately formed a defensive circle, crouching low and watching for the next strike. Each time the blue blade approached, they parried flawlessly.

Though fear gnawed at them, they did not break formation. These were seasoned men, veterans of many campaigns, and their composure did not falter. They knew that as long as they held their ground, Ye Sansi could not break their defense; any attempt to flee would only expose their backs, making them easy prey.

But a standoff could not last forever. The iron armor shielded them from flame, but the heat would sooner or later roast them alive. If Ye Sansi did not strike them down, the fire would.

With their commander dead, leadership passed to the deputy. "This is no way to fight," he said. "We need to break out. We’ve seen the corpses in Jianzhou City and this village—every man frozen solid. That means his weapon wields the power of ice."

"What do you suggest?"

"Wherever that weapon lies, the flames will gather. If we seize the moment and charge together, we can surely kill him."

"Very well. Let’s do it."

Ye Sansi, hardened by years of hunting atop the Nameless Peak, was far more composed than most. He understood the soldiers had formed a tight defense; a rash assault would only expose his position, so he remained hidden, waiting for the right moment to pick off the remaining eight one by one. Though surrounded by flames, the blue blade, Sky Fury, circled him protectively, and with the Eight Treasures Technique, ordinary fire could not harm him. He moved through the blaze as if it were open ground.

Unexpectedly, a burning roof beam collapsed, sweeping a tide of fire toward him. Sky Fury’s cold aura drew the flames near. The soldiers noticed and leaped in, swinging their swords at the spot. Their guess was accurate, but Ye Sansi reacted instantly, dodging the blow. The ground where the sword struck split open. Ye Sansi seized Sky Fury and counterattacked, but in close combat, the armored man was no easy foe. His swordplay forced Ye Sansi onto the defensive, dodging and blocking, unable to gain the upper hand.

The other seven joined in. Seeing the danger, Ye Sansi used the Blazing Step and Feather Seizing movement to create distance. The soldiers, however, could not endure much longer. Their armor, though fireproof, now seared their flesh. A prolonged fight spelled certain death.

Ye Sansi was in no hurry; the longer the standoff, the better. It bought time for the villagers and wore down his enemies.

One soldier charged, swinging his sword with all his might. Ye Sansi dodged, and the blade smashed another hole in the earth.

These soldiers had great strength. Ye Sansi avoided direct confrontation, conserving his energy—he could not afford to exhaust himself on these ten, lest he be left defenseless against the rest. He relied on evasive maneuvers and the Blazing Thirteen Sword for occasional counterattacks.

After a while, one soldier collapsed—his strength spent. The remaining seven were barely standing, driven only by will.

Sensing their weakness, Ye Sansi revealed himself, standing before them. He unleashed a flurry of attacks with the Blazing Thirteen Sword. The heat had dulled their minds; they stood there, dazed, unable to defend themselves. By the seventh strike, they had all fallen—not frozen, this time, but reduced to blood and ash, their bodies incinerated by the flames.

The twenty soldiers outside the fire had sensed something was amiss, but dared not intervene. Experience had taught them that plunging into an ambush would only lead to more deaths. They waited, half a thousand paces from the inferno.

The battle with the ten had not drained Ye Sansi much, but these twenty outside were another matter. Each could easily defeat him one-on-one; he knew this well. He would have to find a way to defeat them in a single stroke, for once the flames died down, he would be exposed and no match for these wolves.

When the fire finally burned itself out, only ruins remained. The armored soldiers prepared to enter the village, but Ye Sansi stepped forward, holding a helmet aloft, before tossing it aside with disdain. Though they could not see clearly, they knew it was the enemy.

At the leader’s command, twenty soldiers mounted their horses and charged toward Ye Sansi.

The earth trembled beneath their onslaught. Within a hundred paces, Ye Sansi crouched low, one foot forward, the other back, gripping Sky Fury. As the horses thundered near, he leaped into the air and unleashed the Sword Rain technique—thirty-six blades materialized, and with a sweep, thirty-five Sky Furies rained down like a storm. The soldiers had planned to attack, to kill Ye Sansi in a single charge, but seeing this, they switched to defense. Too late—their swords were heavy, their movements slow, unable to keep up with the onslaught.

A chorus of screams echoed. Ye Sansi fell to the ground, exhausted, Sky Fury slipping from his grasp. The effort had strained his meridians, and the fall battered him further. Now, he was barely clinging to life.

After a moment, Ye Sansi struggled to lift his head. Amid the ruins, he saw the soldiers and their horses frozen into a lifelike tableau of ice. Twenty warriors and their steeds, charging forever.

Satisfied, Ye Sansi collapsed, blood trickling from his lips as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Yet even as he fell, a smile lingered on his lips—pride and contentment. For once, he had accomplished something great on his own. He had not relied on Uncle Shu, nor on Brother Qi Fei, nor on Taiyi or Lingshuang. By his own strength alone, he had prevailed—proving his own worth, finally becoming the man he aspired to be.

As the ice sculptures slowly melted and the sun climbed high, it was already noon before Ye Sansi slowly opened his eyes. He struggled to his feet, using Sky Fury as a crutch, and gazed toward Jianzhou City with a relieved smile. “Now the villagers are safe. Even if the armored soldiers pursue, they’ll never find them. I must hurry on—if more soldiers come, I’ll never withstand them. I need to follow this map and find Sword Saint Village.”

He pulled out the map, using Sky Fury as a cane, and step by step began his journey toward Sword Saint Village.

After an hour, Ye Sansi felt somewhat recovered. He strapped Sky Fury to his back and used the Blazing Step and Feather Seizing movement to hasten his journey. Progress was faster, but his wounds were yet unhealed; he pressed on, determined to reach Sword Saint Village before resting, for Jianzhou was still dangerous.

Less than an hour later, he finally reached the trade road connecting Jianzhou City and the relay station. The map was sparse, with few landmarks, and it was unclear which way led to Sword Saint Village.

Caravans passed by from time to time, but Ye Sansi dared not show himself to ask directions. If someone recognized him and reported to Jianzhou, disaster would follow.

Wounded, parched from the sun, and with his stomach long empty, Ye Sansi could go no further. He had hoped to reach Sword Saint Village soon, but found himself lost.

As darkness crept over his vision, he collapsed. By the roadside was a steep slope. Unconscious, he tumbled down. At the last moment, Sky Fury broke free of its bindings and shot forth, catching him before he struck the sharp rocks below, saving his life.

Sky Fury hovered anxiously. The foot of the slope was a desolate place; though it meant enemies would not find him, if Ye Sansi did not wake by nightfall, he might well be eaten by wild beasts, for without his master, Sky Fury could do little harm.

Night fell. From the woods below came the howls of beasts. Sky Fury nudged Ye Sansi, but he did not stir, so the blade circled protectively.

As expected, wild animals drawn by the scent of blood gathered, drooling as they approached. Sky Fury was no easy foe, radiating a biting cold, fierce and intimidating. Any demon would have fled, but these beasts were mere animals—ignorant and fearless.

Paws scraped the earth as they prepared to attack, convinced this would be their feast. Seeing that intimidation failed, Sky Fury struck first—killing one to warn the others. A flash of blue light cut through the pack, several beasts fell, and moments later, the chill had frozen them to the bone.

But Sky Fury could not last long without Ye Sansi. Another such attack, and its power would be spent within the time it takes incense to burn, leaving it motionless—and Ye Sansi truly in peril.

The remaining beasts, undaunted by the deaths of their fellows, grew only fiercer, their claws scraping the ground, eyes fixed hungrily upon Sky Fury, intent on tearing it apart.

Time was running out. Sky Fury withdrew its cold aura to conserve strength, hoping to hold out a little longer.

A few more beasts lunged at Ye Sansi. Sky Fury intercepted them, performing the Blazing Thirteen Sword in midair and slaying the creatures. With the cold aura suppressed, their bodies did not freeze but bled out on the ground. The sight proved a more effective warning—the scent of blood made the other beasts hesitate and retreat a few steps.