Song of Drawing the Sword

In the southern seas, there stands a towering mountain, where mountain and man have coexisted for countless centuries, evolving into a beacon in the southern lands of Dahua, attracting numerous recluses to its embrace.

Often, one hears the echoing mountain songs that seem to suppress the clouds, giving the impression that literati such as Jia Kang and Ruan Ji from ancient scrolls might be singing here. However, it is merely an ordinary woodcutter. The mountain paths, mountain songs, and mountain people here are incessant.

This place is also known as the Three Wonders Mountain, not in terms of mountain paths, songs, and people, as mentioned earlier, but rather these three wonders: a unique mountain, renowned swords, and extraordinary individuals!

The unique mountain is claimed to have been traversed by an unnamed wanderer from the north, who, having seen mountains and rivers throughout the world, dismissed the southern barbaric land as insignificant. Yet, upon arriving here, facing the towering mountains and cascading waterfalls, he remained nonchalant.

Ascending the mountain, intending to mock the mountain people, he suddenly encountered a dark ravine, thousands of feet wide and deep. At that moment, he realized he was already on the brink of a perilous abyss.

The wanderer was instantly terrified, cautiously stepping back from the cliff. After regaining composure, he exclaimed, "The mountain boasts ten thousand eight hundred peaks, with paths winding through nine bends and eighteen turns. Poisonous snakes and fierce beasts roam the mountains, and miasma lingers for three hundred and sixty days. Truly extraordinary!"

The renowned sword, the second wonder, establishes a unique swordsmanship at the Three Wonders Mountain. The Snow Sword Sovereign founded the Myriad Swords Pavilion, creating four hundred and eight sword techniques in the Snowdrift Swordplay.

Each move blends softness with strength, displaying myriad variations comparable to the Tai Chi swordsmanship of the Central Plains and competing with the chaotic magic cloak swordsmanship of the Demon Cult.

The Demon Lord Gu Yue once marveled at the profoundness of the Snowdrift Swordplay, finding it surpassing even his own Nine Deaths Sword.

The third wonder is not the exceptional intelligence of the disciples at the sword pavilion but the beauty – a beauty that surpasses all. The icy beauty, Snow Ruo, the Sword Pavilion's leader, also known as the Snow Sword Sovereign, resembles a figure from a painting, seemingly a celestial being from a poem.

Not given to laughter or idle talk, she displays charm effortlessly, captivating the hearts and souls of those around her. It is said that when the Snowdrift Swordplay reaches its peak, the sky clears with winds sweeping across, and under the moonlight, a thousand miles of snow blankets the heavens.

Long ago, when the Sword Pavilion was unknown, the disciples' intelligence was not renowned. Still, since the Snow Sword Sovereign was a disciple of the Mountain Sage on the Snow Mountain, one of the top dignitaries in the martial world, a group of the Sage's fellow practitioners had to come and witness.

During the visit, Snow Sword Sovereign demonstrated the Snowdrift Swordplay.

Clang...clang...clang...!

The long winds swirl as the sword goes and the wind comes; blue snowflakes scatter as a person moves and the drawing is still. With no retreat or attack, reality intertwines with emptiness, and person and sword become one. Under the moonlight, a peerless immortal flower blossoms slowly at the tip of the sword.

The name of Snow Ruo reverberated through both the righteous and demonic sects, resounding in the ears of cultivators worldwide.

The Daoist traverses this primitive mountain called the Three Wonders Mountain, which is, in fact, two mountains. One on the left, one on the right, with a profound abyss in the middle known as the "Heaven's End"!

As the saying goes, "Heaven does not forsake a person's path," but it is uncertain if an ordinary person can cross it, and even gods might lose hope here.

The path of man! The valley of the heavens!

Locals call it the Heaven's End Gorge, a place where the black wind blows constantly, monkeys howl, and the atmosphere remains desolate all year round.

Some shade-loving precious herbs grow here, so despite the name, many mountain folk brave poisons, pests, broken rocks, darkness, etc., to come here and gather herbs. They then sell them to the nearby Phoenix City's divine medical shop.

On this particular morning, Old Li, a herb gatherer, went up the mountain as usual, heading up in the hour of the rabbit, and by noon, he had a basket full of tiger ear grass and even fortunately dug up a Sea Stone Flower.

About to sit on the mountain and feast on wild fruits, he suddenly heard the sound of weapons behind the grass.

"Who has the audacity to cause trouble in the Sword Pavilion's territory?!"

This person must be someone with extraordinary skills and great courage, wanting to gain fame through the Sword Pavilion's reputation. This was the herb gatherer's first impression.

Driven by curiosity, he peeked through the grass, and when he glimpsed at the dark chasm behind the bushes, he was stunned!

The Sword Pavilion was destroyed?!

Through the shallow mist, one could vaguely see the shattered Observing Star Pavilion, the burning Hidden Sword Courtyard, the billowing smoke of the Sword Casting Pavilion, and the ruined mountain gate...

Thick smoke billowed, swords clashed, people and horses clamored. There were densely packed, no less than two thousand people. This should be all the disciples left to guard the Three Wonders Mountain, and they were preparing for a desperate battle!

What astonished the herb gatherer the most was that it seemed like three thousand Sword Pavilion disciples were facing only one opponent!

At this moment, above the Heaven's End Gorge, a figure in black floated in mid-air over the unfathomable abyss. Under his feet was the deep chasm!

Seeing the back, he had a familiar feeling, but upon closer inspection, he did not resemble the person he had in mind. After all, the distance was too far, and the autumn mist was thick, only vaguely feeling the solitude of that person's back, like a swordsman at the end of his life with nowhere to go.

Who is he?

How can he manipulate the wind so effortlessly? Even the Grandmaster Tianxin, who follows the path of body technique, cannot achieve such a level. Although the herbalist is unaware of the martial arts proficiency, in his consciousness, no matter what kind of light skill, such as Lingbo Weibu, Taixu Bu, or Mizong Bu, none can sustain flight for long! Or could he be a mythical immortal, capable of riding the clouds and mist? Just like Li Yuku in "Xiaoyao You," manipulating the wind with virtual ease? No, of course not!

"Ah! It turns out he is treading on a rusty and weathered large iron chain!"

Old Li exclaimed in sudden realization, the wind causing the iron chain to emit a clangorous sound. The herbalist then discovered the arm-thick iron chain hidden in the mist.

Autumn mist in the Juetian Valley is dense, and the black wind is relentless. The black wind and poisonous gas serve as natural defenses, so the Juetian Valley is also