In the uninhabited snowy forests of Changbai Mountain, just as Yan Kuan was about to leave the snow-white woodland, a sudden whistle reached his ears.
Whoosh!
A tall figure appeared atop a distant snow mountain, its body like that of a demon. It drew its bow and nocked an arrow. A blazing Divine Radiance, earthshaking and possessed of vast, unfathomable might, shot toward Yan Kuan.
The feathered arrow was far too fast. Caught slightly off guard, Yan Kuan failed to evade it. Yet his reaction was not slow. He met it with a flaming palm, unleashing torrential blood-red flames to block it. A thunderous boom resounded across the snowy plains, and the violent explosion reduced a vast stretch of snow forest to ruins.
Yan Kuan reappeared, gripping a trembling feathered arrow in his right hand. A faint trace of blood seeped from his chest.
At that moment, a clear cry echoed through the snowy mountains. Someone in the distance shouted as several figures charged over like lightning, "Who are you? How dare you run wild in our Changbai ancestral land?"
Several men rushed out from the depths of the snow mountains. They all carried a savage air, and brilliant light flashed from their eyes whenever they opened and closed them. Their clothing was unusual—ancient long robes and mandarin jackets. Each wore a long braid atop his head, an exceptionally ugly Gold Coin Rat Tail.
The moment Yan Kuan saw these people dressed in the style of the former Qing Dynasty, he understood their origins. They belonged to a branch that called itself the Guardians of the Changbai Mountain Sky Kirin Clan—Manchu Remnants who claimed to be descendants of the Nuzhen Tribe. Yet according to historical research, the so-called Manchu Nuzhen were Tungusic wild boar skins, with little true connection to