Ever since the Jade Qilin awoke, it seemed to have stored up conversation for ages, chattering incessantly along the way, which gave Ye Wen a considerable headache—who knew the Jade Qilin was such a chatterbox!

Fortunately, he didn't have to endure its rambling alone. Mino appeared quite intrigued by the talking divine beast. All the way, he could hear the human and the beast squabbling endlessly, making Ye Wen feel as though he were suddenly dropped into a bustling marketplace.

It wasn't until they flew high above the snow plain that the swirling snowstorm almost completely obscured their vision. They were forced to slow down and cluster together. Only then did Mino fall silent, staring blankly at the torrent of wind and snow…

“What? Has the little girl never seen snow before?”

The Jade Qilin suddenly remarked, and when no one answered, it craned its neck in curiosity. Noticing Mino entranced by the blizzard, it immediately began to mock her.

Surprisingly, Mino didn't retort this time. Instead, she let out a soft sound: “The place I used to live almost never snowed. Even when it rarely did, it was slight or mixed with rain. This is the first time I've seen snow this heavy… I feel a little scared!”

This statement finally made Ye Wen realize she was just an ordinary young girl, not some extraterrestrial being with a mind full of bizarre notions.

He also gathered from her words that Mino must have lived in the south, never having experienced such fierce snowstorms. But was feeling scared a bit exaggerated?

Ye Wen stood there speaking without feeling the pinch; he was used to such sights, and his superior skill made him fearless, treating the terrifying blizzard as nothing. But for someone seeing this for the first time, wouldn't it feel like the end of the world? Who wouldn't feel alarmed?

Fortunately, Ye Wen radiated his inner qi outward, forming a protective shield around them that blocked out the snow and wind. Thus, even if Mino felt slightly uneasy, she wasn't so terrified as to act irrationally.

After flying for a while, Ye Wen activated his Divine Eye to survey the ground below. One glance was enough to elicit a sudden sound of alarm, followed by a cold sneer: “Damned fools!”

Upon hearing his master’s words, Chris immediately knew something untoward had happened. However, with his master present, it wasn't his place to intervene. He could only offer a silent prayer for the unlucky souls before following Ye Wen as they descended toward the ground.

Mino had heard Ye Wen’s comment but had no idea what was transpiring. Moreover, she was the weakest among them, and the snow obscured everything, so she couldn't see a thing. Feeling curious, she asked, “What happened?”

The Jade Qilin looked down on Mino again, but kindly explained the situation: “A bird-man is fighting Zhang Ling!”

Though brief, the explanation made the situation perfectly clear. The only thing confusing Mino was who this Zhang Ling was. Judging by Ye Wen's reaction, was she his girlfriend?

“Zhang Ling is one of Ye Wen’s disciples!”

Unfortunately, before Mino could speculate further in her mind, the Jade Qilin spilled the truth, leaving her momentarily speechless: “Oh dear, why rush things so much…”

While they were speaking, they landed on the ground. It was then they noticed that this section of space was devoid of wind and snow; the entire area seemed to have been isolated by some force.

Mino looked up and saw an energy barrier covering the surroundings. Although it was fragile, offering almost no real protection—even Mino was confident she could shatter it with a single punch—it effectively kept the snow and wind out. Even if some flakes slipped through, they had no significant impact on this space.

In the center of the field stood a four-winged angel with two pairs of wings, clad in silver full-body armor and gripping a greatsword. He regarded the newcomers with vigilance. Once Mino landed, the angel suddenly flashed a smile: “I didn't expect backup… But no matter how many heretics arrive, it’s useless! Today, all of you will wash away your original sins with your lives!”

He then proceeded to deliver what sounded like a declaration, holding his head high: “Remember the angel who cleansed your sins is named Cain. If you ever get the chance to be summoned to Heaven, mention my name, and it might afford you some convenience!”

Ye Wen glanced at the arrogant four-winged angel, who stood as proud as a rooster, and felt speechless: “Are all angels this idiotic? To act so conceited without even assessing the opponent’s strength!”

Ran Gui…

It seemed this angel and Zhang Ling had already been fighting for a while. His magnificent armor bore numerous slashes, clearly inflicted by Zhang Ling. Zhang Ling, standing nearby, was panting slightly but appeared unharmed. It seemed the angel’s strength wasn't that impressive after all… With this level of ability, what gave him the nerve to be so arrogant?

Ye Wen pondered this endlessly and finally arrived at a conclusion: one shouldn't treat angels as normal people. Treat them all as imbeciles, and everything would make sense.

In a moment, Zhang Ling finished catching her breath and inhaled deeply. Without turning her head, she clearly inquired of Ye Wen, “Master, why did you arrive so quickly?”

Ye Wen shrugged: “No obstacles, so I flew a bit faster!” He then sensed the fluctuations of qi around Zhang Ling and finally instructed, “Hurry up and deal with this noisy bird-man!”

“Yes, Master!”

Their exchange wasn't shouted, but it wasn't so quiet that it couldn't be heard, especially with so few people present. The angel opposite naturally heard every word clearly.

Seeing that the newly arrived young Easterner paid no mind to his greatness as a four-winged angel, he felt a surge of annoyance: “How arrogant, this Easterner!” However, his words received no response. Ye Wen generally couldn't be bothered with those who suffered intellectual deficiencies!

Mino, on the other hand, curiously observed Zhang Ling.

Zhang Ling wasn't tall, possessing a relatively average build for an Eastern woman. She wasn't overly endowed up front, nor did she possess those perfect hourglass curves.

Her looks were merely delicate, but her long black hair nearly reached her waist, paired with a black sailor uniform. There were slight tears in her over-the-knee socks, revealing glimpses of the pale, tender skin beneath.

“Wow… so moe!” But none of this was the most surprising thing. Seeing an outfit like a sailor uniform in a place claiming to be the Immortal Realm was slightly perplexing to Mino, but she quickly realized that compared to other things, the sailor uniform wasn't so unacceptable…

Zhang Ling remained standing naturally, not adopting any particular fighting stance, yet her qi pulsed constantly. The snow beneath her feet was stirred by her aura into a vortex, spinning around her ceaselessly.

Her long blade hung loosely by her side, and her eyes gradually closed. Her black-framed glasses, previously perched on her nose, had vanished—perhaps damaged during the fight or deliberately put away by Zhang Ling herself.

As Zhang Ling's power intensified, Ye Wen sensed a force emanating from her that bore a faint similarity to his own Xuan Universe.

“So she wasn’t even using the Great Universe power earlier?”

Noticing this, Ye Wen esteemed the angel even less, now too dismissive to even spare him a glance—he couldn't fathom where such superiority complex came from.

As her power coalesced, Zhang Ling suddenly opened her eyes and softly uttered a few words: “Awakening: The Pupils that Face Death Directly!” As the words faded, her previously unremarkable pupils suddenly shone with a blue-violet luminescence, beautiful yet unsettling.

Ye Wen wasn't surprised by this display; he merely blinked and muttered, “She can use that ability?”

Chris, however, was unimpressed, having seen it before. Only Mino’s eyes widened as she stared at those pupils, then she asked curiously, “Why do those eyes look so familiar?”

While she was trying to recall where she had seen those pupils before, she watched Zhang Ling hold her long blade vertically in front of her and calmly state: “Unseal: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!”

“Wh-what?” Mino’s mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ shape. She vigorously rubbed her eyes, only to find that the scene before her hadn't changed. The long blades, which had been sprouting up like a dense forest, dissolved into a shower of pink petals under her gaze.

“What is this?” No matter how unbelievable it seemed, what was happening wouldn't suddenly stop or vanish as if it never occurred. The sky filled with pink petals, completely overwhelming the space. The snowstorm, previously held back by the barrier, seemed to smash through the light shield in an instant and flooded this paradise.

The pink petals and white snowflakes merged, completely filling the area. Ye Wen watched the picturesque scene and simply remarked, “I should have Zhang Ling do this during spring outings; we can call it flower viewing…”

Chris: “…”

For Ye Wen, this was merely a beautiful painting. But for Cain, the enemy, it was an absolute nightmare.

He hadn't understood what happened. When he initially regarded the seemingly light, harmless petals with disdain and casually swung his greatsword to cleave through them, he discovered that his greatsword acted like the most fragile thing in the world, being sliced into countless fragments by those petals.

If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, he would have lost his entire arm instead of just a finger!

What was even more incomprehensible was why, no matter how many Holy Light spells he cast, he couldn't heal the injury to his finger. Even when he perfectly reattached the severed digit, no matter how the Holy Light shone upon it, the expected scene—the broken piece reattaching and healing as if untouched—did not occur.

Instead, no matter how much he urged the Holy Light within his body, the severed finger remained disconnected, the palm and the digit seeming like two entirely separate objects that shared no connection.

“What is happening?” Cain was preoccupied with this incomprehensible situation, failing to notice that while he was busy trying to reattach his finger, countless pink petals had already surrounded him.

By the time he realized it, he was completely enveloped, with no space left to evade.

“This…”

Having understood that the beautiful petals possessed potent lethality, and seeing his current predicament, Cain’s arrogant face turned deathly pale. He still hadn't grasped precisely what had transpired.

“No—”

A piercing scream was cut short, swallowed by the ocean of flowers. When the petals dispersed, the observers could barely see anything left behind, only a faint sprinkling of red falling from the sky, staining the pure white snow with a touch of vivid color.

Zhang Ling extended her hand. The myriad of petals seemed drawn to her, gathering in her palm. Finally, with a flash of pink light, they reverted into a seemingly ordinary long blade.

“Zanpakutō… That’s a Zanpakutō!” Accompanied by cries of horror and disbelief, Zhang Ling returned the blade to its sheath. Her surging qi slowly subsided, until finally, the blue-violet glow in her eyes faded completely.

“Hoo!”

Letting out a long breath, Zhang Ling suddenly collapsed onto her knees in the snow, immediately followed by crimson tears flowing from the corners of her eyes. Ye Wen understood at once that this ability inflicted too much harm upon her; she must have been forcing herself to use it. He instantly stepped forward, seeming to teleport beside Zhang Ling, and raised his hand. A purple lotus bloomed at his command, landing gently on Zhang Ling’s shoulder.

The purple lotus spun above Zhang Ling’s shoulder, sending streams of gentle qi into her body, neutralizing the rampaging power and nourishing the meridians damaged by that force. Zhang Ling felt warm currents coursing through her, bringing profound comfort as the agonizing feeling slowly dissipated.

“Thank you, Master!” “Don't casually use abilities you can’t fully control next time!” Ye Wen suddenly realized that Zhang Ling probably used that power for a quick resolution, ultimately driven by his own words.

However, he was surprised that this typically quiet girl, who seemed indifferent to most things, possessed such a fiercely competitive spirit.

But Zhang Ling’s actual combat strength was higher than he estimated—that was certainly something to be happy about!

Thinking it over, tremendous changes must have occurred on Mount Shu during the nearly ten years he had been away. Most people’s strengths should have improved by leaps and bounds. He was now rather curious to know the current power levels of the others.

He looked down at Zhang Ling, still kneeling on the ground: “Can’t you get up?” Zhang Ling tried to move, realizing that while she felt much better, she still couldn't stand. She could only manage a soft sound: “Mm,” although it sounded as plain and emotionless as ever, Ye Wen could detect a trace of embarrassment in her voice.

Ye Wen considered lifting Zhang Ling himself but felt it might be inappropriate. Just as he was thinking about asking the Jade Qilin for help, Chris walked over at the perfect moment: “I’ll help you!” Bending down, she gently scooped Zhang Ling into her arms, holding her horizontally. Chris was already robustly built, and when Zhang Ling curled up against her, she looked like a doll being cradled.

Mino, witnessing this scene, sighed again: “Wow, a princess carry! It suits them both so well!” By this time, she had forgotten all about the Zanpakutō and was constantly sweeping them with curious, information-hungry glances, making both Chris and Zhang Ling feel distinctly uncomfortable.

This awkward tension only vanished when they encountered Valkyrie, as Mino’s attention immediately shifted to this renowned battle-maiden.

Even though Ye Wen had given her some basic tutoring on the journey, common knowledge told her that Valkyrie actually referred to a host of deities under the Aesir, not one specific person. It was only because the Aesir pantheon had fallen, leaving only one Valkyrie, that she adopted the title as her name.

But in Mino’s mind, the shift hadn't occurred; she still thought of Valkyrie as a single person, and her ingrained impression was always a collection of words like handsome, heroic, formidable, and magnificent.

However, none of those words included concepts like loving-kindness or maternal warmth. Yet, the Valkyrie before her radiated the feeling of a very ordinary mother.

Holding a child, Valkyrie greeted Ye Wen with a nod, looking curiously at the little girl sitting on the Qilin’s back, who was weeping and seemed to have had something important snatched away.

“Is she… alright?”

“Ignore her; she’ll recover in a moment!”

Chris gently placed Zhang Ling onto a nearby sofa and covered her with a fur blanket. The Jade Qilin shook its body, tossing Mino off before finding an empty spot and collapsing onto the ground by itself.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Valkyrie, Ye Wen ignored the screaming Mino who had been thrown off, and instead inquired of Zhang Ling, who seemed much recovered: “What happened just now?” Although he had anticipated that the angels from the Celestial Realm would begin scouting the snow plain, he hadn’t expected them to arrive so quickly. Zhang Ling’s explanation, however, made him realize the root cause lay with himself.

“Bentus has already entered the battlefield, and his twin blades have attracted the attention of the angels!” It turned out that four-winged angel had come specifically to investigate this matter. If Bentus’s twin blades were indeed found in the fallen lands of the Aesir, did that imply more treasures were hidden here?

But the angel named Cain hadn't expected that Zhang Ling’s long blade would await him instead of riches!

“So that means Heaven will send more people sequentially. However, I will stay here for a while, so there’s no need to worry too much about that!” Before he finished speaking, he suddenly paused: “Huh? They arrived so fast?”