Chapter 87: The Boundless Snowy Realm

Cold Tian looked at Xue Tong’s pitiful expression, touched in his heart, and smiled: “I’ve bullied you all before, so from now on, you naturally belong to me. Since you’re mine, I will stand up for you without fail!”

Hearing Cold Tian say he had bullied her, Xue Tong wanted to be angry but instead calmed down, her face softening as she said coquettishly, “Your humble servant greets the master!”

“Heh heh… alright, just call me Brother Tian from now on. I’m not used to having servants around,” Cold Tian interrupted her self-proclamation as his servant. He despised the hierarchical distinction between master and servant more than anything.

Thinking about his past two lives as a cattle boy and the detestable fat employer, his teeth itched with hatred. If he could go back, he would never spare that hateful master.

“That’s impossible. I am a sword spirit; once I recognize you as my master, you are the master and I am the servant. How can that be changed so easily?” Xue Tong’s face grew serious, unwilling to accept Cold Tian’s arrangement.

“You said it yourself: I’m master, you’re servant. So does that mean you have to obey everything I say?”

“That’s only natural. As long as the master commands, Xue Tong will swear to accomplish it to the death!” she answered firmly.

“First, put your clothes on. Second, from now on, just call me Brother Tian. Don’t mind the master-servant titles, or I won’t help you get revenge!” Cold Tian’s expression turned stern as he spoke.

Hearing this, Xue Tong shyly transformed into a white silk dress and put it on. Seeing Cold Tian’s resolute tone was no joke, she whispered carefully, “Yes, Brother Tian…”

“Good.” Cold Tian nodded, then looked around. The surroundings had grown empty; even the pavilions and halls from before had vanished. Only a teleportation array floated in midair, emitting a faint, colorful light.

“Master, wait…” Xue Tong called out as Cold Tian prepared to leap into the array. She then transformed herself into a transparent stream of water, twisting and pulling until she shaped into a translucent longsword. After several spirals, she shrank to about an inch long and flashed into Cold Tian’s left wrist.

Cold Tian felt a chill on his wrist. Looking down, he saw a small sword-shaped mark on his skin. His divine sense scanned but found no trace of Xue Tong’s aura—she seemed like a mere tattoo.

“Master, no need to search further. This is my true form. If I don’t reveal myself, you won’t find me. Hehe…”

Cold Tian smiled calmly and said casually, “You can follow me, but you don’t have to call me master.”

“Master, don’t abandon me. Do you dislike Xue Tong?” Xue Tong’s voice was filled with sorrow and helplessness upon hearing Cold Tian forbid her from recognizing him as master.

“No, it’s just that I never use a sword. I’ll find you a suitable master who will treat you well,” Cold Tian replied thoughtfully, recalling the valiant figure of Fire Dance with a hint of longing.

He leapt into the teleportation array, disappearing in a flash of light.

The new world was a vast expanse of white, with snowflakes drifting from the sky like feathers, blurring the distant view and obscuring all ahead.

“What a beautiful snowy land!” Cold Tian stood halfway up a snow-capped mountain, now dressed in white robes that matched this endless sea of snow perfectly.

“Master… Brother Tian, my previous master told me that the little worlds inside the Tower of Ascendance can only have their own restrictions set by powerful beings who have entered the Divine Rank!” Xue Tong blushed but still shared some secrets about the tower.

“Oh, there are such rules? So that means all these little worlds inside the Tower of Ascendance are just playgrounds for the divine residences?” Cold Tian mused, recalling the puppet beasts, thorn flowers, and Xue Tong’s illusions he had encountered—all creations of the divine residences.

“But since these are set by the divine residences, isn’t it all a bit too simple?” he wondered aloud.

“Master, don’t underestimate the divine residences’ little designs. What you’ve faced so far is just the opening act. If you enter the Tower of Ascendance again, you’ll only be able to access the first world you broke into. You won’t get to enter the others. Then you’ll understand how terrifying the divine residences’ arrangements truly are!” Xue Tong’s tone carried a trace of fear.

“I see. Next time? I don’t know when that will be. For now, let’s see what’s different here.” Cold Tian said, stepping down the mountain with his feet treading on the pristine snow.

The mountain was not very tall; no trees grew, all covered in snow. The entire world was snow-white without a single other color.

Though Cold Tian walked on the snow, he left no footprints. His steps stirred up snowflakes like a gentle breeze but left no trace.

A white gust of wind swept across the hillside. Cold Tian leapt like a soaring eagle, gliding off the mountain. A long cry echoed in the void, trailing a stream of snowflakes that slowly dispersed behind his white figure.

“Rumble rumble…”

A deep, thunderous roar came from the mountaintop behind him. Cold Tian’s heart jumped. He floated down and turned to look.

The entire snowy peak collapsed, a massive avalanche thundering down with overwhelming force. Cold Tian was shaken to his core. “An avalanche…”

“Master, run! The whole mountain is made of piled snow. Your cry just triggered the avalanche!” Xue Tong cried out.

Knowing the severity, Cold Tian didn’t hesitate. No matter how powerful he was, he couldn’t escape being buried alive if he stayed. “Go!” Golden-white energy surged from his body, and in a blink, his speed shot to a terrifying level.

A white streak of lightning flashed across the distance. Behind him, the avalanche roared like a tidal wave. In moments, it neared the mountain’s base.

Only a few hundred meters behind, the snow flood closed in. Cold Tian sped up even more.

A mountain nearly a thousand meters high collapsed, the amount of snow was staggering. Glancing back at the scene, Cold Tian’s face changed. With a thought, he grasped a flask of fine wine.

He downed the entire flask in one breath, feeling exhilarated as he recalled a verse from the Tianyuan Continent’s poetry:

“Mountain moon pierces pine, gold shatters; river wind blows water, snow avalanches soar!”

Rumble rumble…

The great snow tide bore down, arriving just meters behind him. “Brother Tian is catching up!” Xue Tong called out.

“I know.” Cold Tian dashed like a white bolt of lightning, the avalanche close behind.

“Roar…”

A mighty dragon’s cry pierced the thunderous roar, soaring into the sky. Max’s massive form appeared out of thin air. Cold Tian leapt onto the dragon’s back urgently. “Up!”

Max sensed the emergency in the snowfield and flapped his wings, ascending just as a crushing snow wave thundered past beneath them.

“Phew…”

Cold Tian exhaled deeply, standing on Max’s back and looking down at the utterly destroyed snowy mountain. He regretted his loud cry — had he not shouted, he might have enjoyed a peaceful stroll through the snow sea, admiring the exotic scenery.

The mountain’s immense snow had been astounding. The plain at its foot was now just a heap of snow mounds amid the dull roar.

“Master, where is this?” Max asked, having surveyed the entire white landscape, uncertain of their location.

“The Ancient Realm, a space within the Tower of Ascendance.” Cold Tian recounted all his experiences entering the tower to Max.

“Wow, Brother Tian, you actually have a dragon! I remember dragons were very noble spiritual beasts in life, admired and respected by martial cultivators,” Xue Tong excitedly transmitted her voice after seeing the dragon appear and soar into the sky with Cold Tian.

“She’s my favored companion. You can just call her Max.” Cold Tian introduced Xue Tong to Max and vice versa, then was left out as Xue Tong bombarded Max with questions.

“Max, are you male?”

“…Yes.”

“I heard your dragon clan only has one offspring at a time—is that true?”

Cold Tian showed a wry expression. Max was silent for a long moment and didn’t answer. Seeing this, Xue Tong pressed on, “Is that really so?”

“…You’d have to ask my mother!” Max finally snapped, refusing to answer further questions.

Cold Tian couldn’t stand it anymore and ordered Max to land. Once on the ground, he led the sulking Max into the Purgatory Realm and resumed walking himself.

“Brother Tian, dragons aren’t that great. They’re so dull and clumsy, not at all likable!” Xue Tong complained.

Cold Tian was speechless and casually remarked, “You two are quite a match!”

Xue Tong fell silent for a long while before angrily saying, “Brother Tian, you bully me! I’m not talking to you anymore!”

After that, she truly stopped speaking. Cold Tian felt relieved, grateful she wouldn’t ask any more earth-shattering questions.

Suddenly, a bear’s roar came from a nearby snow mound. The mound collapsed to reveal a giant snow-white bear, standing several zhang tall. Its fur was pure white except for a patch of black on its chest.

“A demon beast!” Cold Tian’s divine sense swept over the bear’s massive body, sensing a thick aura of demon energy.

The bear fixed its jet-black eyes on Cold Tian, roaring fiercely before lunging at the tempting prey nearby.

Cold Tian swiftly dodged the bear’s attack. The bear’s heavy paws hit the ground, scattering the thick snow in all directions.

With the prey vanished, the bear opened its huge jaws and roared, releasing a shockwave toward Cold Tian.

Cold Tian flickered with his aura, easily dispersing the sound wave. Seeing the bear’s towering form, he smirked and kicked out like lightning.

The bear was still flaunting its dominance over the prey, unaware this tiny creature would strike back.

With a loud thud, Cold Tian’s kick landed on the bear’s round belly, sending it flying several meters before crashing down.

*End of Chapter 87: Vast Snowfield*