Passing through the Yanlog Clan, Master Keyjing and Lady Guso Hun finally arrived at the icy lands of the Meilan Clan.
The winds howled like wolves.
Snow fell relentlessly from the gray skies above.
The horses trudged with great effort, their hooves sinking deeper into the snow-covered earth.
Each breath was a challenge. Each step forward, a battle of its own.
At long last, they reached their first destination.....
The house of Lady Huzi Shen and Master Wanjiang.
They dismounted, their boots leaving clear, deep impressions on the snowy ground.
The atmosphere was thick with silence, only broken by the distant whistle of the wind.
It seemed that Master Wanjiang and Lady Shen had also been preparing for a journey.
As soon as Master Wanjiang spotted Keyjing and Lady Guso Hun approaching, his eyes widened in surprise, and then, understanding.
---
By the Hearth...
Moments later, they were seated near a blazing hearth, the fire offering little comfort against the storm of revelations.
They told him everything.
Master Wanjiang listened, the light in his face slowly fading, replaced by the grim weight of truth.
But he had suspected this meeting even before their arrival.
He had already sent a message.....
To Master Gahai.
There was no more hesitation.
They tightened their horse's saddles once again.
Another journey began.
Their next stop: The residence of Master Fijion Jyen.
But now, the air had grown so bitterly cold, it was as if the wind itself sought to choke them.
Even breathing had become difficult.
Still, their group pushed forward...unstoppable, unwavering.
Their goal: to unite, and together head toward Hei Lin San Sect to meet Master Lee Wen.
They needed to investigate what had transpired.
To stop any catastrophe that loomed.
And they all knew.....
The throne had been sealed.
But now that the High King had returned,
The time had come to reclaim it....
Before greed and ambition could take root in another.
On the way, they encountered Master Gahai and Lady Shee Wun.
Also mounted.
They bowed their heads in solemn greeting, then fell into formation.
Their resolve surged.
The snow did not slow them, nor did the cold winds that stole their breath.
Compared to the war that might await them....
This was mercy.
---
The House of Fijion Jyen
Finally, they arrived.
Outside the home of Master Fijion,
a lone horse stood tied to the post.
Someone was already inside.
The group stepped forward, the snow crunching underfoot....
but then...
Footsteps.
Someone was approaching from within.
And as the door opened.....
the soft glow of light met falling snow.....
They all froze.
Standing there... was none other than Master Kinji Yo.
He looked overjoyed...
until his gaze met theirs.
His smile shattered.
Behind him emerged Master Fijion.
His footsteps halted.
His expression went pale.
Standing before them were three great Masters....
Gahai, Keyjing, and Wanjiang,
each flanked by their wives, eyes sharp and unwavering.
It was not merely a confrontation.
It was a reckoning.
The curtain had lifted.....
Not just off their identities, but from their sins.
Master Kinji Yo tried to steady his breath, shocked.
He thought he had hidden himself well, far from judgment.
But here it was.
Unavoidable.
Undeniable.
Before him, three men stared not at him,
but at the very embodiment of betrayal.
Their eyes were bloodshot.
Their rage...barely contained.
Their spiritual energy...rising like a storm.
This moment was no longer one for diplomacy.
Not words.
Only justice.
---
The Unveiling of Blades
In an instant, all three unsheathed their swords.
The metallic ring echoed through the snow like a bell of war.
Simultaneously.....
Their spiritual beasts emerged.
A roar shattered the silence.
Master Keyjing's white leopard stepped forward, regal and wild, standing guard at his master's side.
Each Master and Lady held a gleaming blade in their grip.
Their beasts stood aligned.....
the force of unity and wrath made flesh.
Master Gahai stepped forward.
His voice was colder than the storm...sharp like steel.
"We thought you stood with us, Master Fijion Jyen…
We know everything about Kinji Yo's deeds.
He is no longer worthy of trust.
...But perhaps, neither are you."
The words struck harder than any sword.
Master Fijion and Kinji Yo widened their eyes—
One struck by the pain of exposure,
The other...by the sting of betrayal's recognition.
They now understood.....
There was no escape.
Their swords, too, screamed from their sheaths.
Their spiritual beasts emerged beside them.
From within the house, Lady Zhiyu, having heard the clash of blades, stepped outside.
She saw everything.....
and understood at once.
She unsheathed her sword.
Silent. Ready.
But.....
Kinji Yo had no spiritual beast.
His had long since perished.
He stood alone.
And then.....without any more words.....
Steel met steel.
A violent storm of blades erupted in the snow.
Each strike drew blood.
Each movement echoed with fury.
The battle was relentless.
Kinji Yo, amidst the chaos, managed to flee.
Wounded, gasping, he vanished into the trees.
Master Fijion stayed behind, fighting all six opponents alone.
He fought valiantly.
But he knew.....
He could not defeat them all.
In a desperate move, he shoved Master Gahai aside,
cutting through the snow as he escaped.
Lady Zhiyu fled with him.
Behind them.....
The snow turned red.
Six warriors now stood bloodied, gasping,
their wounds deep but their spirits unbroken.
There was no time to grieve.
No time to stop.
They had to reach
Hei Lin San Sect.
No matter the cost.