The Cicada Knows Not Snow

On the snowy plain, two figures clashed and fought, their sword light reflecting off the snow, creating a breathtaking scene.

The young man in white moved with graceful ease, like a snowflake in winter, light and elusive.

You Su thought to himself that his guess was indeed correct; this person's strength was definitely not to be underestimated. This person was agile and unaffected even by the wind and snow, instead moving even more freely. Judging from his movements, every rise and fall seemed to indicate a soaring flight, clearly indicating that he was a great cultivator in the Feather Transformation Realm. Yet, his appearance was so young, and his talent was the highest You Su had ever seen, probably second only to his own senior sister, Fairy Wangshu Fairy.

You Su could even sense that he didn't seem to want to finish him off quickly, but rather that he was holding back, like a hunter toying with his prey.

You Su had intended to take advantage of the other party's contempt to make him pay the price, but only then did he realize how terrifying this young man was. He seemed to know everything about You Su's every move, and even if he accidentally gave You Su the slightest opportunity, he would nip it in the bud before You Su could.

This proves that he has full confidence in all his recklessness, and it is this absolute control over the battlefield that allows him to manipulate his opponents so casually.

You Su was secretly alarmed, but in the moment of hesitation, the white-robed youth knocked You Su back more than ten meters away with just one palm strike. You Su's legs carved two straight furrows in the snow, and he finally managed to steady himself by sticking his palm into the ground.

Bai Ze could no longer maintain its petite and adorable appearance. With a deafening roar, its body seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, rapidly expanding. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a mythical beast, half deer and half tiger, radiating auspicious light, majestic and mysterious.

Having spent so many days by You Su's side, it had long since regained its former glory. At this moment, it roared angrily at the white-robed youth who was walking slowly towards it, but unfortunately, its threat did not hinder the youth's steps in the slightest.

"Bai Ze?!"

The young man in white's expression changed, and his eyes showed surprise.

He stared incredulously at the Divine Beast before him, his astonishment quickly replaced by an undisguised fervor.

"No wonder you were able to break through the illusion of the Black Sea Moon... It turns out, it was because you had Bai Ze by your side!"

He still couldn't believe that this country bumpkin in front of him could be the one who exorcised the Black Sea Moon.

"Legend has it that the Bai Ze can understand human speech, knows the feelings of all things, and is knowledgeable about ghosts and gods; it is a truly auspicious beast! It only appears when a sage descends to earth! It's a pity that this thing only exists in legends, but I never thought it would actually exist!"

The young man in white became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he considered this menacing Divine Beast as something he could easily possess.

"If you know that, don't touch it! Or I'll get rough with you!"

Bai Ze used the most childish voice to put on the most ferocious appearance, but unfortunately, everyone could tell that it lacked confidence.

"No... how can it be so weak? I can't sense any Mystic Qi at all?"

The young man in white looked astonished, talking to himself as if he didn't take the man and beast in front of him seriously.

Bai Ze was furious upon hearing this and bared his sharp tiger fangs, as if to say that he would still bite you to death even without Mystic Qi.

"No wonder Bai Ze was following someone like you; it turns out you got the better deal."

The young man in white suddenly stopped and shook his head slightly.

"But it's all good, it saves me the effort of capturing it. I really have to thank you, you've given me a huge apology. It seems that Heavenly Dao also favors you, sir, and has specially sent down blessings to prove its Way. If I offer Bai Ze to you, you will surely be pleased."

As the young man in white spoke with hope, the Mystic Qi gathered around his body grew increasingly powerful, like tangible clouds enveloping him, making him appear mysterious and unpredictable.

Bai Ze couldn't help but feel a little flustered. What it was most confident about was that no one dared to kill it, a beast of good fortune, because that would invite the backlash of the Heavenly Dao. The premise of threatening its own life was that the other party had a reason to cross its corpse. But at this moment, this terrifying enemy's target had changed from You Su behind it to itself.

He didn't need to kill it; he only needed to capture it.

Even so, it never considered moving aside from You Su.

The young man in white launched an attack instantly. His body moved with such speed that it stirred up gusts of cold wind, and his figure disappeared like a ghost. Only the wind and snow in the place were stirred up into swirling eddies by his amazing speed.

Even though Bai Ze realized the danger, his feet felt like they were made of lead, and he couldn't keep up with his urge to dodge.

But in the next instant, a longsword was thrust into the snow in front of it with even greater speed, its hilt trembling slightly, its residual force lingering.

The young man in white was forced to stop. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the sword that exuded a chilling aura, and exclaimed in surprise:

"He's Sword Cultivator?"

You Su ignored him and walked up behind Bai Ze, patting Bai Ze's side to signal it to move aside.

"When adults fight, kids should stay out of it."

After saying this, You Su landed conveniently and drew his long sword, his aura completely different from before.

The young man in white became interested and examined the sword in You Su's hand:

"Only a country bumpkin like you would treasure Swordsmanship you picked up from who-knows-where."

He was not fond of swords, and even looked down on them, which could be said to be a prejudice of most people in the Northern Ao Continent. Because for the people of the Northern Ao Continent, who needed to survive in the icy and snowy land, the sword, a weapon with a slightly delicate appearance, was a complete waste.

You Su ignored him, simply crouching down and holding his long sword horizontally in front of his chest.

"You're not even drawing your sword from its sheath?"

The young man in white showed no fear, and instead reminded You Su.

You don't deserve it.

You Su responded indifferently. The Ink Pine Sword eager to break free of its sheath in his hand, but You Su held it firmly, suppressing its restlessness.

Unless absolutely necessary, You Su would never easily draw the Ink Pine Sword. Even in front of the Archimedes Venerable, he never revealed the Ink Pine Sword.

It can be said that this black longsword is far more recognizable than You Su himself... After all, You Su is only handsome, but there are other beautiful young men in the world, but the color of the Ink Pine Sword is unique among swords.

"Interesting."

The young man in white gave a light snort, and a violent stream of air burst forth from his sleeve, carrying an overwhelming force.

You Su's eyes sharpened, and he used the strongest defensive sword move among the Mandarin Sword —the Whisper of the Wind and the Cry of the Crane—to parry the attack.

The cyclone was actually blocked by the scabbard of the Ink Pine Sword, leaving only the aftershocks flowing away like water.

While the young man in white was still in shock, You Su did not stop to catch his breath. Instead, he nimbly turned around and, taking advantage of the airflow behind him, kicked out with lightning speed, rushing towards the still-dazed young man in white. Against an enemy skilled in Technique Method, close combat was the best strategy.

But to everyone's surprise, the young man in white suddenly curled his lips into a smile. With a faint, unusual sound, he instantly flew in front of You Su and punched You Su's wrist.

Fortunately You Su had strong arms and quick reflexes. He immediately used the momentum to press down with his longsword and then followed up with a whip kick straight at the young man's face. The young man in white had no time to dodge, and his Mystic Qi leaked out. If his Gang Qi were to explode, it would forcefully knock You Su back.

You Su was still shaken. He realized that the young man's momentary daze was a deliberate act. His punch could have easily struck him, causing serious injury, instead of just his wrist.

There is only one explanation for why he did this—he wanted to humiliate You Su, a Sword Cultivator. After all, how could a Sword Cultivator who has lost his sword still have the face to use it?

You Su frowned deeply and, unusually, took the initiative to speak:

"Was that sound made by you?"

"Exactly." The young man in white appeared quite pleased with himself.

The voice You Su was referring to was the same voice he would hallucinate every time he tried to approach the unarmed young man.

"Do you know what that sound is?" the young man in white asked condescendingly.

You Su, of course, ignored him and simply raised his sword, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"That's the sound of cicadas."

The young man in white asked and answered his own questions, and even began to boast:

"When I was very young, my teacher took me to the Southern Yang Continent. I loved the weather there; in the summer, the cicadas chirped incessantly, creating endless life. People say cicadas don't know snow, so I took one with me on the journey. When we were about to return to the Northern Ao Continent, I decided to take it to see the snow. With my utmost care, it successfully crossed the sea that no other cicada could ever cross. Upon seeing the snow, it let out a mournful cry, a melodious and poignant sound that moved everyone. It was the first cicada to see snow, and the first cicada to be seen by snow; it deserved to be buried in the snow, so I buried it here. After that, I created this Snow Cicada Technique at its grave. Of course, my teacher also gave me some pointers a few times."

The young man in white didn't miss any opportunity to show off in front of You Su, this commoner. He shook his head and sighed:

"How could you, a frog at the bottom of a well who crawled out of an unknown tribe, possibly recognize the sound of a cicada's song?"

"I just think it sounds a bit awful," You Su said coldly.

He pondered to himself. He finally understood why the young man in white had always managed to escape danger; the reason was precisely that faint, mournful cicada song. This song had a captivating effect, causing one to pause for a moment involuntarily.

So it wasn't that the white-robed youth's reaction speed was ridiculously fast, but rather that You Su inexplicably paused for a moment without realizing it, allowing the white-robed youth to avoid the risk. This almost unlimited margin for error was the source of the white-robed youth's confidence in completely disregarding You Su! In any case, he had time to react!

Thinking of this, You Su couldn't help but marvel. Regardless of the extraordinary nature of this Cultivation Method, the fact that this young man had comprehended and mastered the Snow Cicada Technique on his own was enough to demonstrate his exceptional talent, which could be described as unprecedented.

You Su was also curious, as he had no recollection of such a prodigy and had never even heard of the Snow Cicada Technique.

The young man in white was taken aback, then a vein bulged on his temple, and he angrily retorted:

"That's like a frog in a well! It's like casting pearls before swine!"

"The cicada you brought back, is it a snow cicada? The kind that's completely white?" You Su asked curiously.

The young man raised his dark eyebrows slightly, seemingly surprised that You Su knew him.

"That's right. The people of the Southern Yang Continent call this cicada the Snow Cicada because it's entirely white, but it actually has nothing to do with snow."

"That explains it." You Su nodded meaningfully.

"No wonder what?" the young man in white asked in an unfriendly tone.

"You thought its mournful cicada song was an expression of having no regrets about dying after seeing the snow, but that's not the case. Snow cicadas attract mates with their extremely low, long calls, and their peak breeding season is summer. You brought it across the ocean to the snow-covered Northern Ao Continent in the summer, so you must have prepared many protective measures to ensure it lived in a warm environment, which is why you never heard its courtship song before. When you released it after landing, you naturally heard its cicada song caused by its courtship instinct. And it only sang a few times before freezing to death."

You Su weighed the Ink Pine Sword in his hand, and perhaps because he had spent too much time with the Archimedes Venerable, he spoke in a somewhat rude manner.

The young man in white had his hands clenched into fists behind his back, revealing the muscles and bones in them.

"However, this poor cicada, having been tormented so inexplicably, has not lived in vain. Because its death, by some twist of fate, allowed you to master the Snow Cicada Technique. It can be considered your benefactor." You Su knowingly.

The young man in white sneered, "You think you can ruin my Dao heart? You're being far too naive."

"I'm not lying to you. You can go to the Southern Yang Continent and ask any villager." You Su feigned innocence. "This is something even the most rustic villagers in the Southern Yang Continent know. How can you, a prodigy from Kong Yuan Divine Mountain, not know?"

These words thoroughly enraged the young man in white. From their previous conversations, it was clear that he looked down on so-called 'country bumpkins' the most, so how could he possibly accept the fact that he was even inferior to a country bumpkin?

Suddenly, he stood in mid-air, as if supported by an invisible force. His white robes fluttered in the wind like wings about to take flight. Judging from his appearance, he really did resemble a white-spotted snow cicada flapping its wings under the vast sky.

Surrounded by swirling snow and the ever-present mountain peaks, his graceful figure and extraordinary presence made him appear like a celestial being descended to earth.

Previously, he had never used his flying ability at the Feather Transformation Realm to attack from a high position, so it was clear that he no longer intended to hold back against You Su.

You Su also gripped the scabbard with one hand and the hilt with the other. He knew very well that he could not defeat the enemy in front of him without drawing the Ink Pine Sword. But if he was determined to reveal the Ink Pine Sword, he had to make sure that he could kill the person who saw it!

Amidst the wind and snow, their auras intertwined, creating an atmosphere of extreme tension. The Ink Pine Sword trembled slightly in You Su's hand, its sword intent like a surging torrent, poised to unleash its full power.

However, just as tensions were rising, the falling Divine Snow began to gradually stop, as if gently smoothed by an invisible hand. In the sky, a faint outline appeared and disappeared, which was the blurry shadow of the divine mountain behind the white-robed youth, majestic and mysterious.

The white-robed youth's expression shifted rapidly. He glared at You Su with a look of resentment and anger, his eyes filled with both fury and resentment. Then, with a swift movement, he vanished from his spot in an instant.

You Su realized that the crisis had temporarily passed, and those who were unwilling to expose their shameful deeds must have fled because the Divine Snow had stopped.

He breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could fully exhale, he suddenly felt a heavy blow to the back of his head.

Everything went black, and I collapsed.