Yingzhou and Lingcheng are thousands of miles apart—what could possibly connect them? Or perhaps, is there some connection to the altered storyline?

Xiao Liu might not understand the underlying reasons, but how could Bai Fanlu not know? On that day in Yingzhou, after he sealed the demonic fissure, there was an unusual tremor in the earth’s veins.

Although the original novel mentioned several demonic fissures, sealing one didn’t typically affect another significantly—at least under the original storyline conditions. Now, however, the events in Lingcheng were happening out of order. In the novel, Lingcheng only experienced trouble after Yun Zhan and his companion sealed the demonic fissure, and it wasn’t buried in snow—it had collapsed entirely underground, with no survivors.

Bai Fanlu had grown accustomed to changes in the plot and suspected they were related to him. If the timing of sealing the demonic fissure in Yingzhou coincided with the start of the blizzard in Lingcheng, then calling it mere coincidence seemed far too simplistic.

However, without more clues, the issue remained speculative. Bai Fanlu set it aside for now and asked the elderly woman, “Auntie, how many more people are trapped under the snow like you?”

“Quite a few, but many didn’t make it. When I realized something was wrong, I gathered these two old neighbors and the children and moved into the tower, thinking it was higher up and might help us survive longer. Maybe someone would come to Lingcheng and find us…”

It was indeed a wise choice—the tower was likely the tallest structure in Lingcheng. Fortunately, they found refuge there, which granted them this life-saving chance.

“The snow was so heavy we almost froze to death on the way here. By the time we reached the tower, there were hardly any survivors left in the city—it was devastating… And then, just a few days later, one night, it was as if the heavens dumped snow like grains, and by morning, we were buried underground…”

As the elderly woman spoke, the little boy beside her started to sob, “Daddy, Mommy! Grandma, I want Mommy… Waaaah…”

Bai Fanlu couldn’t stand hearing children cry, especially when they cried out for their mothers—it felt like a weight on his chest, making it hard to breathe. Xiao Liu noticed his discomfort and gently patted him on the back.

Bai Fanlu glanced at him, then quickly looked down again. Sometimes, he even hated himself for these lingering attachments. If everyone had an Achilles’ heel, then Bai Fanlu’s was right here.

Logically, he knew this wasn’t something he needed to or should involve himself with, but Bai Fanlu still looked up and said seriously to Xiao Liu, “Let’s find a way to get them out of here.”

“Okay,” Xiao Liu agreed without hesitation. “We can make a sled and have Snowflake pull it—they can all ride it out together.”

It was a good idea. Bai Fanlu hadn’t thought of it, but Xiao Liu had already considered a solution, which was quite impressive.

However, given the elderly and children, they wouldn’t be able to walk. Building a real sled to carry them required materials, and with nothing but snow around, even the most resourceful person would struggle.

Bai Fanlu couldn’t conjure a sled out of thin air, but he thought that if his flying sword could grow like Sun Wukong’s staff, it could carry them all.

But that was just wishful thinking. After pondering for a moment, Bai Fanlu came up with an alternative. “The tower is near the city gate. If we can dismantle the gate, we could use it to make a sled.”

Ancient city gates were usually made of wood, and if they were lucky, the ropes used for the gate’s winch could also be useful.

However, the gate was buried under snow, so they first needed to locate it.

With the plan in mind, Bai Fanlu and Xiao Liu made their way down the tower’s stairs, finding that the passage was thankfully not blocked by snow. Xiao Liu followed him, lighting the way with a small flame.

As they explored the path, Bai Fanlu suddenly recalled the scene where Yun Zhan had shrunk the enormous Taotie beast into a small blue water ball. He couldn’t help but think how useful Biluo had been—why hadn’t the master left it with him instead of giving it to Yun Zhan?

If he had Biluo, he could shrink these people and carry them easily—how much simpler would that be?

For a moment, he felt a bit regretful that Yun Zhan wasn’t there.

Bai Fanlu sighed, and Xiao Liu, who was feeling along the passage, heard him and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just thinking about my junior brother.”

In the dim light, Xiao Liu seemed to pause. “Is this the same junior brother you mentioned before?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you thinking about him?” Xiao Liu muttered.

“It’s not that I miss him; I just feel like if he were here, it would save us a lot of trouble.”

“Huh? How so?”

“He has a powerful artifact that can shrink large things and put them in a pocket. If he were here, we wouldn’t need a sled—we could just pack everyone up and go.”

Xiao Liu let out a small laugh for no apparent reason.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Xiao Liu cleared his throat. “It just sounds a bit hard to believe. Shrinking things might be possible, but shrinking people? That’s… too unbelievable.”

“Maybe shrinking people isn’t possible—I don’t know.” Bai Fanlu shook his head. With Yun Zhan not around, there was no point in thinking about it. They might as well focus on finding the gate.

Unfortunately, at the bottom of the stairs, the passage was blocked by a collapsed beam. However, judging by the large wooden stakes nailed together, it looked like they were near the slanted city gate.

Having roughly located the gate, they decided to head back. After a few steps, Bai Fanlu noticed that Xiao Liu hadn’t followed. He turned around to see Xiao Liu crouched in the dark, examining something.

Bai Fanlu approached and saw a strange plant growing in a crevice of the snow-covered wall. It had a purplish-red stem, dark green leaves, and was about ten centimeters tall. It looked somewhat like amaranth, but with larger and sparser leaves.

Xiao Liu reached out and pulled up the plant. “Is this a wild vegetable?”

Bai Fanlu couldn’t tell either, but he was impressed by how resilient it was—growing in the snow despite the cold and lack of light.

Xiao Liu casually tucked the plant into his belt, and they continued climbing back up.

After they left, the light from their spiritual energy gradually faded. The severed stem of the plant slowly healed and began to grow, quickly sprouting new leaves.

When Xiao Liu later brought the plant out to ask about it, the old woman exclaimed, “The Bodhisattva has blessed us!” and repeatedly said, “It’s thanks to this plant that we’ve survived until now.”

Only then did Bai Fanlu learn that it was indeed a type of wild vegetable. During the dark days underground, the seven of them survived by eating it raw and drinking snowmelt. Even the baby was willing to suck on its juices.

But how could a single plant feed so many people for so many days? The old woman soon explained that the plant had a unique property—it regrew as soon as it was picked.

As they talked, the little boy had already taken the plant from Xiao Liu’s hand and was eating it with relish.

But when Bai Fanlu saw the red juice on Xiao Liu’s fingertips, he felt an inexplicable unease. He silently cast a spell to remove the red stain from Xiao Liu’s fingers, only then feeling somewhat reassured.

Next, they needed to retrieve the city gate. Bai Fanlu and Xiao Liu first had to convince the people to leave the tower, which took some effort.

The tower was their last refuge, and to gain their trust, Bai Fanlu first had the old woman leave the tower alone to see Snowflake. Then, they explained their plan in detail, finally easing her concerns.

Once she went back to convince the others, and they all came out, Bai Fanlu and Xiao Liu each carried an elderly person or a child, while Snowflake carried the rest, taking them to a relatively safe place. Then they could safely use fire spells.

As soon as the fire spell was cast, there were a few loud booms. The snow piled up into a massive water dragon, rising several meters high before Bai Fanlu.

A large pit also appeared ahead, revealing the collapsed city gate. The azure silk of Cang Jin shot out and wrapped around it, lifting the entire gate into the air and setting it down heavily on the nearby snow.

But before they could catch their breath, there was a louder noise, and the pit in front of Bai Fanlu suddenly began to collapse from the edges inward!

Sensing danger, Bai Fanlu retreated quickly, using all his strength to maneuver Cang Jin and the city gate toward Xiao Liu and the others.

Xiao Liu saw Bai Fanlu rushing toward them with an urgent expression, followed closely by a swirling white mist like a dust storm. He was about to meet him halfway when Bai Fanlu shouted, “Stay back! Quickly! Get them onto the gate! Lingcheng is collapsing!”

This was the scene described in the novel—the collapse of Lingcheng signaled the imminent emergence of the ancient underground palace, Xunhuang!

Without hesitation, Xiao Liu swiftly placed the elderly and children on the gate. Snowflake, already prepared, neighed as Cang Jin’s silk wrapped around its saddle.

 It then sprinted forward with all its might.

As the wind and snow howled, Xiao Liu was about to call out to Bai Fanlu when a wolf pelt was thrown over, followed by the voice from the white mist, “Cover them with this!”

The wolf pelt was infused with spiritual energy. Given the extreme cold in the wind and snow, and their rapid speed, the elderly and children wouldn’t be able to withstand it. Xiao Liu immediately understood and also took off his own pelt, flying up to the sled made from the gate and securing it over them.

Suddenly, the sled tilted, and Xiao Liu struggled to keep everyone stable. Looking back, he saw a thin, long crack stretching from where the gate had just passed to where Bai Fanlu was.

“Brother! Hurry up!” he shouted.

The collapse of Lingcheng was accelerating, and more and more cracks were appearing in the snowy ground, growing wider and longer.

There was no time left!

Bai Fanlu’s figure was completely engulfed by the swirling snow, disappearing from sight.

Panicked, Xiao Liu was about to rush back when he heard a faint buzzing sound. The next moment, the dark snowstorm was torn open by a beam of light.

The light rapidly expanded into a huge halo, with Bai Fanlu standing at its center. His right hand wielded a flying sword that spun rapidly in his palm, blocking the pursuing snowstorm and sending up a towering wave.

With a thunderous roar, the wave was frozen by spiritual energy, piling up layers of snow that surged forward as if about to engulf everything.

Bai Fanlu gripped his flying sword, using it as a shield. He hadn’t expected the sword to crack under the impact, only to reveal a sharper, more powerful core beneath.

In an instant, it seemed as though a seal had been broken, releasing an incredible force.

This wasn’t an ordinary sword! Was it Chong Yu?!

There was no time to think. The snowstorm could only be held back for a moment. Bai Fanlu continued to stabilize the sword, pouring his spiritual energy into it. The pressure on the flying sword was increasing, causing it to emit a low, resonant hum.

As he struggled to maintain control, he suddenly heard Xiao Liu’s voice in his mind.

“Come back!”

Bai Fanlu hesitated, realizing it was Xiao Liu. How was he able to communicate through spiritual sense?

But there was no time to dwell on it. “Take them and head west, and don’t look back.”

Heading south would likely spell doom for Xiao Liu and the others, given their limited strength. East and north were also dead ends. Only west offered a glimmer of hope.

“…Wait for me.”

After saying that, Xiao Liu fell silent.

Bai Fanlu knew Xiao Liu wouldn’t abandon those people, and he felt a sense of relief.

Meanwhile, the snowstorm that had been chasing Bai Fanlu was temporarily held back, and the cracks stopped spreading. The sled made from the city gate reached the wind and snow barrier and came to a sudden stop just before entering.

Without Bai Fanlu, Xiao Liu had no reservations. He raised his right hand, and a ball of blue flames materialized, forming a barrier that enveloped the seven elderly and young people and Zizi, preventing them from falling off.

Then Xiao Liu flew to Snowflake at the front, commanding it in a deep voice, “The rest is up to you—ensure their safety.”

Snowflake lifted its head, calling out, “Your Majesty…”

Xiao Liu patted it, “Go.”

With a push, the city gate slid forward, and Snowflake leaped into the boundless wind and snow…

Bai Fanlu estimated the time, thinking they should have gotten far by now. His hand holding the sword had long gone numb, and as he finally relaxed, he nearly cut himself.

Just as his feet touched the ground, the snow beneath him crumbled like tofu, giving him no time to react.

The surrounding snowflakes swirled, forming a massive barrier.

Knowing he couldn’t escape, Bai Fanlu sighed bitterly. He had already resigned himself to being buried underground—this was how it happened in the original story, after all. It seemed that, sooner or later, he was destined to visit the ancient underground palace.

With that thought, Bai Fanlu stopped resisting and allowed himself to fall with the collapsing ground.

But suddenly, he felt an unusual surge of spiritual energy enveloping him. Bai Fanlu opened his eyes to see a figure above him, and then he was wrapped in a dense, powerful spiritual force.

Xiao Liu had finally caught up, pulling Bai Fanlu into his arms.

As they fell, the wind howled around them, and snowflakes danced. Bai Fanlu stared at the hair floating around him, feeling dazed.

Xiao Liu leaned close to his ear, hugging him tightly, and let out a long sigh. “Thank goodness I made it in time.”

This time, I didn’t leave you behind.