In the blink of an eye, winter had arrived again.
During this time, Song Yan attempted more than once to gain more information from Senior Brother Zhang about the North and the "Great Wei Remnants," yet Senior Brother Zhang paid it no mind, merely saying things like, "If the sky collapses, the Five Great Peaks' Masters will hold it up, what do the Great Wei Remnants count for?"
That day, Wang Susu also keenly sensed Song Yan's worries and comforted him, "Junior Brother, you've always been obsessed with Skin Making and haven't interacted much with our fellow disciples, so you might not be aware of how vast our Puppet Palace is. Even if the Multi-tailed Fox Race truly arrives, what's the problem?"
Song Yan nodded in agreement.
Perhaps he really was overthinking things.
He needed to keep a calm mindset.
However, information did remain his weak point.
All he could do was keep his ears open, while Wang Susu, being an "all-around social butterfly type of demoness," naturally grasped more.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and asked, "Sister Wang, how is Qi Yao doing?"
Upon mentioning Qi Yao, Wang Susu's charming eyes turned, and she spoke with a hint of jealousy, "She has already broken through to the first layer of Refining Profound, and because of her potential, she was accepted as an Inner Sect Disciple and went to attend lectures from our Shadow Puppet Peak's Peak Master. She's doing quite well."
Song Yan nodded without saying more, looking up at the sky.
Outside the window, the snow flew again, resembling last year's.
The mountains have always been this way, and Cultivating Profound is even more monotonous.
"Sister, we should return to the Cave Mansion."
"Hmm, stop overthinking it," Wang Susu said, "You've been back from Linglong Valley for almost a year, and your Skin Making skills haven't changed much since a year ago. You are always thinking too much, about everything.
How long has it been since that event? Can't you let it go?"
Song Yan was taken aback.
This year, he controlled his Skin Making Skill, making little progress.
Firstly, it was to avoid those "two factions competing for the legacy."
He was interested in the legacy, after all, Master Shi, the first Skin Master of Shadow Puppet Peak, had dedicated his life to creating flawless Secret Techniques.
But that legacy obviously wasn't his.
Secondly, it was to avoid Cheng Danqing's recruiting.
For some reason, he always felt that Cheng Danqing had significant problems.
Indeed, this lack of progress also made Peak Master Cheng, who initially was enthusiastic and said, "You will be my person in the future, and you won't regret it," lose interest in him.
Wang Susu saw him in a daze and thought her words might have touched a sensitive spot, so she said, "I know, a reprimand from an elder can harm you significantly, but it's time to move on."
Song Yan regained his composure and said, "Thank you, Sister."
...
...
A moment later...
Inside the Cave Mansion.
Song Yan had not gathered energy today.
He generally did it periodically.
After sending away Lady Qiu and the Princess Consort, he sat alone on the stone bed in the master bedroom, cross-legged, regulating his breath.
He spent 440 years of lifespan easily cultivating 23 Jianghu Ultimate Techniques to Perfection.
Afterward, still unsatisfied, he purchased 9 more Jianghu Ultimate Techniques, but this time, it took him only 80 years to cultivate them all to Perfection.
Even if he were thrown into a place without Profound Qi, he could rely on his skills and terrifying Refining Profound Second Layer physique to become a formidable Jianghu elder.
In Jianghu, there exists "True Qi."
But this "True Qi" mainly relies on taking one deep breath, then using that breath to unleash power, compared to "Profound Qi," it falls far short.
Of course, his greatest acquisition was the "Turtle Breath Technique."
If the "Condensing Evil and Controlling Profound Technique" he perfected from twice-mutating "Qi Concealment Technique" can make him appear as an ordinary person by concealing all his Profound Qi...
Then, the "Turtle Breath Technique" can make others think he isn't just ordinary, but a breathless ordinary person.
A breathless ordinary person is a dead person.
No one cares about the dead.
Numerous thoughts flashed by, Song Yan suddenly opened his eyes, aligning two fingers together and swiftly pointing outward.
The speed of this pointing was unimaginable, dreamlike, it was the "Sword Drawing Skill" from a swordsmanship master known as the "Purple Thunder Saber" in Jianghu, Song Yan practiced it to Perfection, naturally making his pointing as swift as drawing a saber;
Immediately, the near-dreamlike fingers reached further, with an extremely peculiar angle, and speed fluctuating, creating a most eerie feeling, this move is a Jianghu Ultimate Technique from the evil sect Blood Hand Sect ———— Slaughter Finger;
Upon reaching the farthest point, the hand suddenly flipped, transforming the finger into a palm, powerfully descending, it seemed to shift from being a venomous snake to a furious bear rising upright, this palm technique is the exclusive ultimate technique of the Nanshan Elder ———— Great Hand Seal.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh...
In the Cave Mansion, Song Yan's hands, like magic, changed unpredictably, various Killing Techniques displayed themselves one by one on his body, more fluid and harmonious than ever.
Having completed the series of moves, Song Yan let out a long breath, lay quietly, looking at the falling snow outside the skylight, and slowly closed his eyes.
...
...
Several days later, at night, somehow, the great snow continued falling for several consecutive days, never stopping.
Song Yan held Lady Qiu with his left arm, the Princess Consort was on his right arm, sharing a single quilt, their six legs intertwined, they slept soundly.
Suddenly, the entire Cave Mansion shook abruptly.
Song Yan felt even his back was jolted, and the two women, frightened, immediately opened their eyes.
But it was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.
Boom!
Another shake.
The Cave Mansion shivered, if it weren't situated above the remnants of a Profound Vein, the rocks might have tumbled long ago.
"Song Lang, what happened?"
"Brother Song?"
The two women hurriedly grabbed onto this lifeline.
Song Yan didn't know what was happening, but he couldn't afford to worry about it. He ran straight off the bed in his undergarments, quickly opening the stone door and rushing to the open area outside the Cave Mansion.
In such a life-and-death situation where they had no idea what was going on, one woman wrapped herself in a quilt, the other in a blanket, slipping into their shoes as they followed Song Yan outside.
In the distance, the two women couldn't see clearly, but could only sense the abrupt vibration continuously rising, as the distant dark sky seemed to crack open, with terrifying sounds echoing like thunder.
Song Yan had much stronger perception and could see somewhat clearly.
This wasn't thunder at all; it was many cultivators engaged in a magical battle.
Several core areas were like unimaginably powerful flying beasts colliding with each other. The strong aftershocks shook the mountain, producing a deafening noise.
Outside the core areas, several shadow puppets and flying swords intertwined.
Song Yan stared at the flying swords for a while, thoughts racing like lightning.
Though he didn't understand why the Nanwu Sword Sect suddenly attacked, his reaction was swift.
Suddenly, he picked up the two women and ran back into the Cave Mansion, throwing clothes and pants hanging there to them, urging quickly, "Put these on fast!!"
"Song Lang..."
"Talk while you dress!"
The young maiden and the Princess Consort said no more, rustling to put on their clothes in the dark of the harsh winter.
Song Yan quickly said, "In a moment, if it's the Puppet Sect disciples who come, tell them I went out to fight and you are hiding inside the Cave Mansion.
If it's cultivators claiming to be from the Nanwu Sword Sect, saying they're here to slay the Evil Sect and Evil Demon, cry and say you are furnaces who have finally been saved.
Xuerou, you must say you are the Princess Consort of the Southern Border King and plead for the cultivators to avenge the King."
The two women, especially the Princess Consort, were not foolish. They instantly understood what was happening outside.
As Song Yan spoke, he himself finished dressing, but instead of the Shadow Puppet Peak disciple's uniform, he wore a cloak, which contained many Fasting Pills and Healing Pills.
He tightened the cloak around himself and hurriedly walked towards the entrance of the Cave Mansion.
Just as he reached the door, a voice came from behind.
"Brother Song!"
It was the voice of the young maiden.
Song Yan slightly turned his head.
The young maiden shouted, "Take care of yourself, you must live!"
The Princess Consort said nothing, just gazed at him with a complex expression.
Song Yan was silent for a moment, then shot into the night like the wind, instantly concealing his Profound Qi and activating the Turtle Breath Technique.
He sprinted madly, avoiding the normal path, slowly climbing down the cliff on the side.
South Bamboo Peak was very high, almost like two different worlds from top to bottom, with even perception unable to fully reach.
Yet, before Song Yan touched the ground, two flying swords floated out from the forest, observing him like onlooking monkeys.
A white-robed figure laughed, "I told you, some little devil must be trying to escape from here."
"Senior brother, let's attack together. It's just this little devil's aura feels a bit strange," another figure said.
"Probably some special way of hiding his aura, but it's not important. Attack!"
Song Yan felt his hair stand on end as if his blood were set ablaze!
He let go with both hands, dropping straight to the ground.
Two flying swords shot from the sky.
With a roll, he barely dodged them.
The two swords relentlessly pursued him.
Song Yan raised his hands abruptly, pushing them towards the flying swords.
The swords were incredibly fast.
But Song Yan's hand movements were odd.
This was a footwork naturally used by him after amalgamating many Jianghu Ultimate Techniques, an attack employed with the power of a cultivator at the level of an old Jianghu monster!
In an instant, he absorbed all the Profound Qi from the flying swords.
The swords plunged into the snow-covered ground.
He flipped over, rolled, and raised his head.
The two white-robed cultivators uttered a strange "Eh?" and swiftly descended.
Song Yan's eyes turned red, as he dashed through the snow, taking the initiative to attack, slamming a heavy palm towards the nearby cultivator.
The cultivator countered with some unknown method to block.
But with his Controlling Profound fully activated, Song Yan directly absorbed the cultivator's Profound Qi, striking from a highly intricate angle in a manner "almost impossible to appear on a cultivator," hitting the target's ribs intricately.
His palm instantly turned black, and Condensing Evil exploded.
Boom!!
The cultivator didn't even have time to react, nor understand how his Profound Qi vanished, before half his body was blown apart, blood and entrails flying chaotically!
Song Yan turned, quickly using Sword Drawing Skill, then unleashed Slaughter Finger with Torrential Rain Evil striking swiftly.
Boom!!
The white-robed cultivator who was about to join in from the side was pierced through the chest, dumbfoundedly lowered his head to look for a moment, before crashing to the ground.
Song Yan gasped for breath, the newly absorbed external Profound Qi rampaging within him.
He quickly rifled through the fallen cultivators' belongings but found nothing, so he grabbed the two flying swords and dashed into the dense forest.
After sprinting over a hundred zhang, he suddenly veered off, heading towards the Earth Evil Land.
He couldn't believe it.
The Condensing Evil and Controlling Profound Technique, the Turtle Breath Technique, coupled with the ghosts' cover, who could find him!!