Panlong Shocking Change

The Ten Thousand Mountains, Phoenix Academy.

The cold wind howled, and snowflakes fell in a flurry.

The Phoenix Terrace, standing several dozen zhang high, was the site where academy students held their grand competitions and duels.

A three-zhang-high pillar of black iron was covered in patches of rust.

Carved with a divine dragon, it was known as the Coiling Dragon Pillar, and it had stood there for a thousand years.

Today, the Coiling Dragon Pillar was stained with blood, with a smear of crimson even reddening the eyes of the divine dragon.

Amidst the wailing wind and snow, a boy not yet ten years old was tethered to it by a chain forged of cold iron.

A cold, indifferent voice echoed through the blizzard.

"Student Wang Xian is rebellious and insane! He has maimed his fellow students and poisoned the son of the Law Enforcement Elder!"

"By order of the Law Enforcement Elder, his cultivation is to be crippled! The sentence shall be carried out upon the Phoenix Terrace!"

In the name of justice, the Law Enforcement Elder had struck Wang Xian with nine hundred and ninety-nine sword blows, each one carefully avoiding his heart.

He wanted Wang Xian to bleed out his last drop of blood in the freezing wind, eventually dying under a thousand cuts...

From the hour of the dragon yesterday until now, a full day and night had passed.

Wang Xian, bound to the Coiling Dragon Pillar, had seen his lifeblood seep from his wounds, leaving only his undying heart still beating slowly.

Struggling, he gazed at the sky with an unyielding look.

He murmured, "Sima Jue... you actually betrayed me..."

"Whoosh!"

An iron arrow pierced through the swirling snow, flying from an unknown source, soaring into the sky toward the Phoenix Terrace.

A voice rang out coldly in the wind: "Die!"

"Clang!"

A metallic chime echoed in the freezing wind, just as the arrow was about to pierce Wang Xian's heart.

Wang Xian moved with his last ounce of strength, and the arrow, having traveled through the wind and snow, struck the iron chain instead!

The chain let out a mournful groan and snapped instantly!

"Damn it!"

"Whoosh!" Another divine arrow pierced the snow, flying toward the Phoenix Terrace!

"Hum!"

"Rumble..."

At that very instant, a thunderous roar erupted from the sky!

Following it, a bolt of lightning struck down, slamming into the Phoenix Terrace!

A golden light pierced the snow, as if a giant hand from the heavens had reached down to pull up the Coiling Dragon Pillar...

Amidst the deafening roar, the Coiling Dragon Pillar was pulled inch by inch from the bluestone.

Before the eyes of countless figures hidden behind the snow, who watched in utter shock!

The Coiling Dragon Pillar rose into the air like a dragon god taking flight, soaring straight toward the nine heavens!

Before that divine arrow could even reach the Phoenix Terrace, the Coiling Dragon Pillar, carrying the dying boy, vanished from the platform...

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

In an instant, countless figures emerged from the snow, rushing toward the Phoenix Terrace...

It was the day of the Beginning of Winter.

The Phoenix Academy's greatest treasure had vanished right before the eyes of the elders.

South of Kunlun.

Halfway up the mountain stood a modest Taoist temple named Yunqi.

The morning light was faint, and the snowflakes in the sky gradually ceased.

A golden light streaked across the horizon, landing in the vast expanse of snow like a meteorite.

Strangely, it did not kick up a flurry of snow.

In the final moment, it landed as softly as a falling green leaf.

The boy, stained with blood and with only his heart still beating, traveled through the wind and snow with this golden light, finally coming to rest beneath a pine tree by the mountain path.

With eyes tightly shut, his body riddled with a thousand wounds and covered in blood, the boy still clutched a rusty longsword tightly in his hand.

The longsword seemed to possess a spiritual aura, occasionally shimmering with a faint golden light.

It appeared to be mending the boy's dying body.

Nourished by the golden light, the boy's heart, which had been withered and devoid of blood, suddenly pumped out one, then two drops of golden blood.

Golden blood flowed like a small stream, quietly seeping into the boy's limbs and bones.

As if a spring breeze had brushed across the land, a glimmer of vitality gradually emerged upon the snow-covered wilderness.

Down the mountain, an old Taoist priest carried a wine gourd, humming a little tune as he made his way up.

The old Taoist, who rarely left the mountain, had spent the entire night drinking at the foot of the slope.

He had risen early today to head toward the temple on the mountain.

Just as his dim, aged eyes scanned the path, he was startled by a faint golden glow...

He cast out his divine sense and instantly saw the boy lying beneath a snow pine not far away.

Holy crap, this is my territory, who dares to commit murder here?

His body swept upward like a clear breeze, and he reached out to check the boy's breath, only to be startled by the rusty longsword!

Holy crap!

A divine sword has appeared in the world, damn it all!

The old Taoist picked up the longsword from the boy's hand, his face filled with pleasant surprise as he looked at the two characters "Coiling Dragon" on the hilt!

He muttered to himself, "Old friend, how many years has it been since we last met?"

After speaking, he flicked his hand, and an ancient-looking scabbard appeared in his grasp.

Holding the sword in one hand and the scabbard in the other, he slid the blade in, inch by inch.

He continued to mutter, "Divine sword and spirit scabbard, it has been a thousand years since we parted..."

"Hum!"

The divine sword let out a crisp ring as it entered the scabbard, followed by a blinding golden light that instantly dazzled the old Taoist's eyes.

"Whoosh!"

The divine sword, along with its scabbard, transformed into a streak of golden light and vanished into the boy's body...

"Holy crap! You brat, you dare to steal this old man's divine sword!"

Just as the old Taoist was about to strike the boy's chest with his palm!

Another dense, impenetrable mass of golden light wrapped around the boy. To the old Taoist's utter astonishment, the wounds on the boy's body began to heal rapidly as the golden light entered him.

"One, two... two hundred... nine hundred..."

The old Taoist was stunned, seeing that there were as many as nine hundred and ninety-nine wounds on the boy's body.

Even so, the boy still held onto his final breath!

This was, quite simply, a miracle.

Without another word, the old man whipped up a gust of wind and carried the boy toward the temple on the mountain.

As they traveled through the wind, a burst of laughter echoed across the heavens and earth.

"Damn it, you stole this old man's sword, so from now on, you are my precious disciple!"

"Whoever dares to snatch you from me, this old man will slap them to death!"

"Coiling Dragon! You have finally returned!"

Phoenix Academy was in complete chaos.

No matter how clever the enforcement elder was, and no matter how much the group of elders racked their brains.

None of them could have imagined that the Coiling Dragon Pillar, which had stood on Phoenix Terrace for a thousand years, unmoved by wind or rain, would suddenly vanish into the sky.

Some students of the academy even felt aggrieved for the deceased Wang Xian; nine hundred and ninety-nine sword strikes, who could possibly endure that?

What was most detestable was this.

Sima Jue, the son of the enforcement elder, had even wanted to pierce Wang Xian's heart with an arrow at the very end!

Well, now even the heavens couldn't stand it!

They had taken both the Coiling Dragon Pillar and the fate-unknown Wang Xian away together!

In the hearts of most elders and students, Wang Xian had been framed by the enforcement elder and his son.

Some even whispered privately that if Wang Xian had not died today, the coming years would have been a nightmare for the father and son!

Meanwhile.

The old Taoist at Yunqi Temple had already boiled a barrel of hot water and prepared precious medicinal herbs.

He placed the boy inside to temper his body while purging the toxins.

With his seasoned eyes, he could tell at a glance that every wound on the boy's body was laced with cold, sinister poison.

He even wondered, who could be so cruel as to stab a boy a thousand times?

They had even quenched the sword in poison.

And it was that specific type of cold poison that corrodes the flesh, intended to ensure the victim only died after their very last drop of blood had drained away.

That is vicious as hell!

From the hour of the snake to the hour of the sheep, six hours in total, the old man had changed three different buckets of medicinal liquid!

When the first bucket of liquid was poured out, it was black, bloody filth; this was the effect of expelling the poison.

The second bucket of liquid turned a murky color, containing some rust-like substances, as well as impurities from within the body.

This was the old Taoist using spiritual medicine to cleanse the marrow and cut the bones for the youth.

The third bucket of liquid did not change color; only thin trickles of fresh blood flowed out.

Seeing this, the old Taoist smiled slightly: "Good disciple, even if you go to the gates of hell, your master will drag you back!"

"Brothers and sisters! My new book is open, please show your support!"