Frustrated, Xiao Zhi Zhi, realizing her efforts were futile even if she dealt 49% of the damage, abandoned the fight against Yuki-onna and turned to attack Xiao Mary and San Tu Chuan instead. Yuki-onna wielded her blood-stained, forty-eight-ribbed white oiled paper umbrella, each swing intensifying the blizzard, turning the screen into a field of ice blades cutting towards her attackers. At this moment, the water element in the air was at its thickest, allowing Xiao Zhi Zhi to unleash an enhanced “Ice Feast” in hopes of eliminating the pesky assassin again.
Qin Chuan moved swiftly around the arena, his keyboard clattering as he dodged while still managing to attack Yuki-onna. With his low health, he couldn’t afford to be hit or frozen by Yuki-onna’s ice blades, or he’d be at the mercy of others. This meant his firepower had to be reduced, which in turn reduced his ability to suppress Yuki-onna, leading to even fiercer attacks from her—an obvious vicious cycle.
“Damn, I’ll keep her busy, you take care of the BOSS, Qin!” Seeing the situation, Su Yao decisively left her beloved teammate to engage Da Bo Mei directly. With Da Bo Mei distracted, Qin Chuan could now focus solely on the BOSS.
They say the fastest way for men and women to understand each other is through AI, but for enemies, it’s through combat. Xiao Mary and Xiao Zhi Zhi fought for four hours, unleashing their most powerful moves, yet they remained evenly matched. Both were busy consuming potions for most of the time, with Yuki-onna indiscriminately attacking everyone. Su Yao noticed Da Bo Mei’s cunning and skill bore a striking resemblance to the young man who stood with a fan at the White Dragon River.
After four hours, everyone was exhausted, except the man next to Su Yao, known for his stamina. At that moment, Yuki-onna unleashed a full-screen indiscriminate attack, stunning both Xiao Mary and Xiao Zhi Zhi. During this brief immobilization, both typed out their suspicions:
[Local] “Mary Next Door”: Luo Zi Shang? [Local] “Xiao Zhi Zhi”: Hong Yao Tang?
However, seeing their chat, Qin Chuan momentarily paused. His pause meant Yuki-onna didn’t stop; with a turn of her umbrella, the bloodstains turned into demonic flames, burning the assassin who had forgotten to dodge.
The level 122 assassin was instantly turned to ashes and eliminated.
“31. Another one bites the dust.” Su Yao watched helplessly as her beloved teammate, the mighty THANATOS, was eliminated due to a small oversight. “Sorry.” Qin Chuan lowered his head, repeating the same words he had spoken six years ago. How he wished to be with her, whether it was the little girl Su Yao chasing her dreams, or the disheveled Su Yao in the market, or the hardworking Hong Yao Tang for a worthless man, or the reborn Mary next door. He remembered every moment with her, every night she appeared in his online battle list. But he could never tell her that the reason for his apologies, both six years ago and now, was the same person—a person who made it impossible for him to use his real identity, Qin Chuan, in the game, someone who could haunt him like a nightmare no matter where he was, stripping away his mask and forcing him to remember past events, making him unable to love. Watching Su Yao struggle between the Snow Woman and the Busty Sister, he hesitated before speaking, “I… can I help you fight?” Su Yao snorted, “No need!” Indeed, what if he failed again?
He thought he could never wield his knife against that person; his keyboard was his knife, and with this knife, he had killed countless, unafraid of any deity, except that person, who made it impossible for him to lift it. After Three Paths River was out, the system sent him back to the real world. In the bustling Yanjing City, under the Acacia Building, everything was as prosperous as ever. Qin Chuan saw his “deceased wife”—Princess Liu Li of Yan, standing on the Acacia Building, shouting loudly.
[Local] “Liu Li”: Nan Bo Wan, get to the Acacia Building now! Damn it, I’m being bullied!!!!
[Local] “Liu Li”: That idiot Cang Hai Yi Sheng Xiao! He’s infuriating me!!!!
[Local] “Liu Li”: Anyone who sees this, tell Nan Bo Wan! Tell him to listen up! He must send Luo Zi Shang to crush Xia Country tomorrow!
[Local] “Liu Li”: Marriage, my foot! Cang Hai Yi Sheng Xiao is a fool! Anyone who calls him a god will get a piece of my mind!!!!
The onlookers below murmured in astonishment. Their princess had just married two days ago in a grand ceremony, but surely that shouldn’t affect their relationship or the diplomatic ties between the two countries, right? What could have caused such a fallout between the newlyweds? People speculated wildly.
“Must be that on their wedding night, the princess discovered Cang Hai Yi Sheng Xiao was impotent.”
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“Hahaha, the shoe’s on the other foot, huh? The once humiliated is now the humiliator.”
“Exactly, our Strategist Luo only listens to King Nan Bo Wan, not this bus.”
“Shh—do you want to be exiled? Luo Zi Shang might not care, but Nan Bo Wan does. Did you not see how heartbroken he was on the princess’s wedding day?”
“Pfft, so the king’s ‘shoe’ has returned to him, should he be happy?”
“Wonder if Luo Zi Shang will lead an army tomorrow. Strange, haven’t seen him all day.”
“Yeah, I’ve always wondered why Luo Zi Shang is so willing to manage things for a king as foolish as Nan Bo Wan. Wouldn’t it be better if Luo Zi Shang were king?”
“Could it be like how Hong Yao Tang once admired Cang Hai Yi Sheng Xiao, Luo Zi Shang admires Nan Bo Wan?”
“Hey, they’re both men!”
“Can’t men love each other?”
“Hey,” Su Yao said then, “go back to the Snow Mountain, see if there are any clues. This woman seems unbeatable!” On Su Yao’s screen, Little Mary and Little Zhizhi had managed to deplete the Snow Woman’s health bar, but she didn’t die; her health bar disappeared, like a glitch, wildly casting spells. Su Yao had to be extremely cautious not to get killed, and the Busty Sister was in the same predicament, chased around by the Snow Woman, with no time to even attack each other.
Qin Chuan watched for a while, nodding.
Under these circumstances, attacking was futile; they needed another way to defeat her. Switching back to his Eternal Palace account, donning the Robe of the Initial Calamity, he held the Twilight of the Gods and headed north through less-traveled paths towards the depths of the Snow Mountain.
Where Three Paths River died, where the Snow Woman broke free from her seal, what would it look like a thousand years later? Following his memory, the Eternal Palace arrived at what was once the Sunset Village, now covered in deep snow with dead branches everywhere. Qin Chuan meticulously compared his screen with Su Yao’s, finally pinpointing an unremarkable spot on the snowfield, overlooked by most.
Here, a thousand years ago, an immortal had drawn a sealing array, originally intended to seal the Snow Woman. As the black light flashed, the Twilight of the Gods scythe struck the snowfield, triggering the plot as expected. The snowfield shone brightly, and the image of the immortal from that day slowly rose from the ground.
“It’s been a thousand years, and humans still remember me. Poor human, why have you awakened this fragment of my consciousness?”
On Qin Chuan’s screen, two options appeared:
1.
The Heavenly Jade Capital, five cities, twelve towers, the immortal strokes my head, I receive eternal life — I wish to receive your blessing, to reach max level, learn all skills, and possess wealth beyond measure.
If an ordinary player stumbled upon the immortal, they would naturally choose the first option. But for Qin Chuan and Su Yao, there was no need for discussion; they knew to choose the second.
Heaven never bars the way. The Snow Woman’s escape a thousand years ago was clearly the immortal’s oversight. Qin Chuan clicked on the second option.