NOVEL NEXT Chapter 229: 229- Blazing Fang Daggers.
The gates of Coldwind stood silent, its streets a ghostly emptiness.
Most had fled days before, leaving only the poor and desperate clinging to shadows within the walls.
Above the barren cityscape, Fang Yuan descended slowly from the sky, hands clasped calmly behind his back.
The dawn sun bled slowly over the horizon, casting Coldwind City in shades of gold and ash. Its streets were eerily silent, a ghost city where most had already fled.
Only the desperate remained, those with nowhere else to go watching from shuttered windows as tension coiled at the gates.
High above the wall, Fang Yuan descended with hands clasped neatly behind his back.
His presence alone pressed against the army below, like a storm waiting to break.
His voice cut through the night air, cold and measured.
"Turn back here, and I will spare all of your lives."
At the head of the royal host, clad in regal armor, stood Crown Prince Qin Hai.
At the forefront of the royal host, clad in silks and arrogance, stood Crown Prince Qin Hai.
A smug smile tugged at his lips as he spoke with infuriating elegance.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Clan Head Fang. Coldwind City does not belong solely to you. Open the barrier… or we'll simply force our way through."
Fang Yuan's gaze sharpened, his words dropping like iron.
"This is not a game, Qin Hai. I am giving you one chance to turn back. Take it while I am being generous."
The Crown Prince did not reply. Instead, he turned with theatrical poise to the elder swordsman at his side.
"Teacher Ian… if you would."
A long, weary sigh escaped the man's lips. Slowly, with the air of someone resigned to necessity, he stepped forward.
His blade sang as it left the sheath, gleaming under the pale moonlight.
With deliberate calm, he leveled the point at Fang Yuan.
With a faint flick of his wrist, Teacher Ian lifted his sword skyward.
The morning light slid across the blade like water on glass, its keen edge humming with restrained power.
"Forgive me, Clan Head Fang," he said, his voice carrying the calm cadence of a man long used to killing. "But I answer only to my prince."
Then he moved.
A single step forward, and the air seemed to split. His sword cleaved down in an arc too swift for mortal eyes, dragging a streak of silver light across the sky.
The strike landed upon Coldwind's barrier with a sound like mountains grinding together.
BOOM!
The protective dome rippled violently, concentric waves of light shuddering outward as dust rained from the walls.
The ground beneath the soldiers quaked, and even the prince's banners rattled in the shockwave.
Gasps rose from the displaced citizens hiding in the alleys, watching as their city's only shield trembled under the assault.
Fang Yuan's gaze didn't waver. Hands still folded behind his back, he watched the barrier quiver, his eyes cold and unreadable.
"Interesting," he murmured, as though speaking only to himself.
The barrier shivered, but it held. Golden veins of light rippled outward across its surface, knitting themselves back together with stubborn defiance.
Qin Hai's lips curled into a smirk. "Not bad. But every wall has its cracks."
Teacher Ian did not answer. He simply shifted his stance, blade raised once more.
His aura surged like a tide, wrapping the steel in condensed Qi until the sword gleamed brighter than the rising sun. He cut again.
BOOM! BOOM!
Each strike hammered the barrier like a smith's mallet on iron.
The dome of light buckled, swaying as though caught in a storm. Shockwaves whipped through the air, scattering dust and tugging at banners.
The soldiers behind the prince roared their approval, emboldened by the relentless rhythm.
Still Fang Yuan did not move.
His figure stood steady on the wall, robes untouched by the gale, eyes half-lidded as though watching children pound their fists against a door.
Behind him, some of Coldwind's cultivators shifted nervously.
"Clan Head Fang… how long can the barrier last?" one whispered.
Fang Yuan raised a hand, silencing them without a word. His gaze never left Ian.
CRACK!
Hairline fractures began to spiderweb across the translucent shield, glimmering like lightning frozen in glass.
The crowd outside erupted with cheers, certain the end was near.
Qin Hai's voice rose above the din, smooth and confident.
"See? The walls you hide behind cannot protect you forever, Fang Yuan. Open the gates, kneel, and perhaps I'll grant your clan mercy."
As the first rays of dawn pierced the horizon, their golden light spilled across the shimmering barrier.
The dome glittered like crystal under Heaven's gaze.
Fang Yuan finally stirred. His voice was calm, measured, yet it cut through the chaos outside like a blade.
"Go. Tell the Matriarch it's about time. Have her meet me at the western gate."
Felicia, his most loyal maid, bowed low. "Yes, Master!"
Her small figure darted away, vanishing into the inner streets with the swiftness of a startled bird.
Fang Yuan, however, turned back toward the battlefield without sparing Qin Hai a glance.
His eyes flickered briefly then the familiar gold screen of the system unfolded before him, hovering in the air.
[Blazing Fang Daggers]
Grade: Heaven
Price: 72,000 Faith Points
Description: These daggers were forged from molten core-iron of the Volcanic Maw by the craftsman Ironhand Zhou.
Each slash leaves burning trails of flame, and when paired, they can conjure a scorching whirlwind that incinerates foes in close range.
Without hesitation, Fang Yuan tapped Buy.
A chime rang in his mind. His faith points plummeted, the number flashing:
–72,000 Faith Points.
The daggers materialized in his hands, their fiery aura faintly resonating as he hold them.
Fang Yuan's lips curved faintly as he studied the glowing entry in his system inventory.
"This one," he murmured, "will make for a good gift."
BOOM!
Another thunderous strike fell. Teacher Ian's sword carved down in a sweeping arc, slamming against the barrier with such force that the air itself trembled.
The translucent dome shuddered violently, ripples spreading like cracks in ice.
Dust and loose stones tumbled from the city walls as soldiers outside erupted into cheers, convinced Coldwind's defenses were about to give way.