On his head was an iron helmet that had once been smashed through, the gaping hole still left unrepaired.
He wore armor that had once been among the finest of the Tang Dynasty's Anxi army, restored after enduring countless hardships.
Around his waist was a golden belt representing the Tang Dynasty court's authority and recognition. Some of its gold plaques had been slowly recovered from the desert, while the rest had been painstakingly engraved and made up by his own hand.
On his shoulders, lion heads held high, their eyes emitting blue-green light. In his hands was a Modao that had once inspired terror on the battlefield, capable of severing horse and rider with one swing, and had later been reforged with modern technology and steel...
Riding the long wind, he faced the aberrant beast head-on.
Shen Le took a deep breath. Cold, thin air rich with the spirit of ice and snow filled his lungs, invigorating his entire body. Every piece of his armor rang with a clear metallic chime.
His strength merged into one, racing through his body before finally condensing into a razor-thin edge upon the blade:
"Die!!!"
A streak of brilliant white slashed down diagonally.
The white light was extraordinarily thin, mixed with the slanting sunlight. Had it not traveled in a different direction from the sunbeams, it would have been nearly impossible to discern.
The instant it was unleashed, it extended continuously along the blade's trajectory, pushing ever forward. Yet it neither broadened nor thickened, remaining a fine line as it swept across the snow-mountain beast:
"Howl... huh?"
Even the beast's voice changed. It had been gathering force to leap, its front legs already off the ground and its hind legs halfway through their push, nearly airborne.
But after being struck by that line of