Chapter Ninety-Five: Snow River?

"Stop meddling in other people’s business and leave at once!"

Lin An said to the Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster nodded. With their strength, they had no right to interfere in this matter. The men in black were no ordinary fighters.

"I know you are servants of the Second Prince. If you kill me in the Star Dou Great Forest, a place full of people and eyes, are you not afraid it will spread back and reach my father’s ears?"

The speaker looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old, haggard and wounded. The guards around him were struggling with all their might to save him, but the men in black clearly knew exactly who stood at his side.

Among those black-clad figures was one whose power was enough to crush everyone beside him.

"Damn it, this fellow is ruthless. He means to drag everyone in and buy himself a little time!"
Lin An swore under his breath, instantly seeing through the young man’s intent.

Indeed, if he had not exposed the identity of the men in black, these passersby might have chosen to turn a blind eye. But now, with that shout, even if they had wanted to let them go, they probably could not.

"Go and kill them!"

As expected, two of the black-clad men quickly lunged toward Lin An and the Grandmaster.

"What should we do now?"
the Grandmaster asked. At this point, leaving the place might no longer be possible.

"Since we are already involved, we certainly cannot just stand here and watch them come kill us!"

It had to be said, the man’s goal had already been achieved. At the very least, those people would not be able to kill them so easily.

"If you want someone to blame, blame your rotten luck for hearing what you should not have heard!"

The two black-clad men each summoned their martial souls and soul rings; both were Soul Elders above level forty.

"It is not our luck that is bad. It is yours. If it were anyone else, you might really have succeeded. But unfortunately for you, the person you met is me!"

The instant the words fell, Lin An’s Heavenly Flame appeared out of nowhere, releasing a terrifying heat. Under his control, it surged straight toward the two black-clad men.

The two also sensed the danger in the flame and dared not be careless. One of them immediately used a soul skill, erecting a huge light shield before them in an attempt to block the Heavenly Flame’s frontal assault.

Boom!

With a deafening blast, the two flames erupted at once, turning into a sea of fire that swallowed the pair whole.

Even if the light shield could keep the Heavenly Flame outside, it could not block the dreadful heat it carried. In no time at all, the man who had summoned the shield let out a miserable scream. The shield vanished, and the two of them were instantly engulfed by the fire.

Seeing how powerful Lin An was, the young man who had been hunted felt hope rise again.

"If the two of you can help me escape this crisis, then once we return to the Sky Dou Empire, I will agree to whatever conditions you ask of me!"

"I am Snow Clear River, the First Prince of the Sky Dou Empire!"

Snow Clear River announced his name.

Lin An’s thought of summoning Little Purple and leaving at once vanished instantly.

Snow Clear River?

Interesting.

If he remembered correctly, this Snow Clear River was no longer the real Snow Clear River, but the First Prince impersonated by Thousand Blades Snow from the Hall of Spirits.

In that case, the Snow Clear River before him was actually Thousand Blades Snow, who had been lurking inside the Sky Dou Empire all along?

Lin An glanced at the Grandmaster, wondering what choice he would make if he learned Snow Clear River’s true identity.

What puzzled Lin An even more was that, in the original story, Thousand Blades Snow had successfully hidden herself for twenty years. If not for Tang Three’s interference in the end, she might well have succeeded.

Then why had she appeared in the Star Dou Great Forest now? And why was she being hunted?

To be honest, if she had not revealed her identity herself, Lin An would never have linked the person before him with Snow Clear River.

"Little Purple, save him!"

Lin An immediately summoned Little Purple, ordering it to rescue Snow Clear River from among so many experts.

With Little Purple’s current strength, the black-clad men before them could never stop it. Soon, it had carried Snow Clear River back to where Lin An and the others stood.

"It is not safe to stay here. They even sent a Soul Saint to assassinate me!"

Snow Clear River had not expected Lin An to actually save him. Still, she did not become complacent. With only these black-clad men before her, killing her would be nothing but a fool’s dream.

The experts who had been protecting her were already tied down by the black-clad men’s own masters, and besides, she had her own secret. Unless absolutely necessary, she could not use her true power—unless she was certain she could kill everyone who had seen her.

In short, she must never reveal herself unless there was no other choice.

"It seems someone in the Sky Dou Empire has already begun to suspect my identity," Snow Clear River murmured softly.

Lin An nodded and urged Little Purple to leave at once.

After flying for half a day and seeing no pursuers behind them, Snow Clear River finally let out a breath of relief.

"Many thanks to the two of you for your help. Once we return to the Sky Dou Empire, I will certainly fulfill whatever request you make," Snow Clear River said.

"Not at all. To have saved the First Prince of the Sky Dou Empire is our honor."

"Only... why would those people want to kill you?"
Lin An said nothing, and it was the Grandmaster who asked.

"Perhaps it is because this prince has been gaining influence in the Sky Dou Empire day by day, and some people have grown restless," Snow Clear River said.

As for the real reason, only she herself knew.

"Keeping up the act for so long must have been exhausting, mustn’t it?"
Lin An suddenly asked.

Hearing his words, Snow Clear River’s heart tightened, though her expression did not change.

"What do you mean by that, my friend?"

"To be honest, I rather admire you. And I also pity you. You are clearly the most exalted person in the Hall of Spirits, and you possess the strongest martial soul, yet at such a young age you had to infiltrate the Sky Dou Empire alone. In just one year, you completely replaced Snow Clear River’s identity."

"Who are you exactly?"

Lin An had already made himself so clear that pretending ignorance any longer would be pointless.

Her identity had always been a secret. Even within the Hall of Spirits, very few knew of it. She truly could not understand why this stranger, whom she had never seen before, knew who she was and even understood her plan.

Perhaps his appearance here was no coincidence at all.

"If I said I was just a passerby, would you believe me?" Lin An asked.

By now, Thousand Blades Snow had already prepared for battle, but very quickly, she gave up.

She had witnessed Lin An fight, and she also knew how powerful the beast beneath them was. With her current strength, even if she used every means at her disposal, she would absolutely not be this man’s match.

For now, she could only take things one step at a time.