Martial Arts Secret Realm: Only I Can Know the Plot?

Blood Saber Ancestor's dagger slashed from the side, severing Shui Dai's hand that was holding the sword.

It's not the wrist, it's the fingers.

Shui Dai's three fingers were severed, and the broken sword flew out of his hand, tumbling several times in the air before embedding itself in the snow in the distance.

Blood gushed from the severed finger, staining the snow red. Shui Dai groaned, staggered back several steps, clutching her right hand with her left, her face as white as paper.

Blood Blade Ancestor gave him no chance to catch his breath. The ring blade drew an arc in the air, heading straight for Shui Dai's throat. Shui Dai dodged to the side, but the pain of his severed finger made him a fraction of a second slower—the blade grazed his neck, cutting a gash from which blood flowed freely.

"Shui Dai, aren't you going to run?" Blood Blade Ancestor's voice was mocking. "If you don't leave now, your daughter will really never see you again."

Shui Dai gritted his teeth, remaining silent. His right hand trembled, blood gushing uncontrollably, and his internal energy rapidly draining away. He knew he was about to collapse, but he couldn't retreat. If he retreated, who would avenge Lu Tianshu and Liu Chengfeng? Who would save his daughter?

"Not leaving?" Blood Blade Ancestor shook his head. "Then this old monk will have no choice but to send you on your way."

He lunged forward, unleashing three swift and deadly strikes with his monk's knife. Each strike was faster and more ferocious than the last. Shui Dai picked up a short knife that had fallen to the snow with his left hand, managing to parry two of the blows. But he couldn't withstand the third—the blade struck his left shoulder, embedding itself in the bone and becoming lodged.

Blood Blade Ancestor tried to pull it out, but couldn't. Shui Dai's left hand gripped the blade tightly, preventing him from pulling it out. Blood seeped from between his fingers, dripping onto the snow like blooming red plum blossoms.

"Let go," said Blood Blade Ancestor.

Shui Dai did not let go. He looked into the eyes of the Blood Saber Ancestor, and a smile suddenly appeared on his lips. In that smile were sorrow, determination, and a hint of inexplicable relief.

"You old scoundrel, I'll be waiting for you down there."

With that, he twisted his left hand sharply, pushing the dagger further into his body. The tip of the dagger emerged from his back, spraying a cloud of blood.

Blood Saber Ancestor was taken aback by his actions and paused for a moment. In that brief moment of hesitation, Shui Dai released his grip on the blade with his left hand and suddenly grabbed Blood Saber Ancestor's wrist.

His strength was astonishing. Blood Blade Ancestor struggled twice but couldn't break free. He looked down—Shui Dai's fingers were already embedded in his flesh, his nails digging into the bone, and beads of blood were seeping out.

"you--"

Shui Dai did not speak.

He used his last bit of internal energy, the energy of his entire life, to deliver a palm strike to the Blood Saber Ancestor.

After one palm strike.

His head slowly lowered and rested on the shoulder of the Blood Saber Ancestor. Blood gushed from his neck, shoulder, and severed fingers, staining the Blood Saber Ancestor's monk's robe a deeper red.

Blood Blade Ancestor staggered and pushed him away, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Shui Dai's body lay on the snow, his eyes still open, staring at the sky. Snowflakes fell on his face, one by one, quickly covering his eyes.

Shui Dai is dead.

The snow-capped mountain was quiet. The wind was still blowing, and the snow was still falling, but all sounds seemed to have been sucked away by something, leaving only an empty, dull silence.

In the distance, in the snow, Lu Tianshu leaned against a rock, the blood on his right shoulder already congealed, but his eyes remained open, staring motionless in the direction where Shui Dai had fallen. He didn't know if Shui Dai was dead or not, but he knew that the third brother would never stand up again.

Brothers of over twenty years, all lost here today.

Blood Saber Ancestor stood on the snow, looking down at his hands. His hands were covered in blood—Shui Dai's blood, and his own. His left shoulder still ached; his inner strength was almost completely depleted, and every part of his body ached.

But he is alive.

He turned around and staggered toward the ice cave. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back at the three corpses on the snow—no, two. Liu Chengfeng's head was still in his hand, and his body was below the ice cave.

"Lu Tianshu, are you still alive?" His voice was terribly hoarse.

A voice, like that of a ghost, rang out.

Lu Tianshu also wanted to make a final, desperate stand, just like Shui Dai.

However, the Blood Blade Ancestor, who was prepared, severed Lu Tianshu's head with a single strike.

Even after fighting for so long, the blood-stained blade in his hand remained sharp.

He turned around and, step by step, disappeared into the wind and snow.

Below the ice cave is a natural ice hole.

It wasn't large, only a few dozen feet in circumference, but it was enough to shelter from the wind and snow. The walls of the ice cave were covered with a thick layer of ice, crystal clear like crystal. In the center of the cave, a fire was lit, and the firelight reflected on the ice walls, refracting into a kaleidoscope of colors.

Shui Sheng was tied to an ice pillar deep inside the ice cave, a rag stuffed in her mouth, her eyes wide open, her face streaked with tears.

Her clothes were still intact, but they were filthy, and her hair was disheveled.

Di Yun sat by the fire. His broken leg had been set, but it wasn't fully healed, and he still walked with a limp. He looked terrible, his lips were chapped, and he had heavy dark circles under his eyes. He stared at the fire, saying nothing.

Blood Blade Ancestor jumped down from the entrance of the ice cave, staggering as he landed and nearly falling. He steadied himself by holding onto the ice wall, casually tossed the severed head in his hand into a corner, and then plopped down next to the fire, panting heavily.

Di Yun's pupils constricted sharply when he saw the severed head. He didn't recognize Liu Chengfeng, but he recognized the face on the head—it was one of the people who had been chasing them these past few days. A master had died just like that.

"What are you looking at?" Blood Blade Ancestor glanced at him. "What's so interesting about a dead person? The old monk has killed more people than you've ever seen."

Di Yun didn't speak, but lowered his head and continued to look at the fire.

Blood Blade Ancestor pulled a small porcelain bottle from his robes, poured out a few pills, and popped them into his mouth. He then tore off a piece of his clothing and hastily bandaged the wound on his left shoulder. His movements were practiced, indicating that he had done this many times before.

After bandaging her, he turned and glanced at Shui Sheng, who was bound to the ice pillar. Shui Sheng was also looking at him, her eyes filled with fear and hatred. The Blood Blade Ancestor looked at her for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Don't be afraid, the old monk is tired today and doesn't have time for you."

He leaned against the ice wall, closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep.

Di Yun sat motionless beside the fire.

His mind was in turmoil. The events of the past few days flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern—Sheng Di, Ding Dian, Sun Fan, Blood Blade Ancestor, Shui Sheng, and that severed head. He didn't know why he was there, what would happen next, or how to escape.

He only knew one thing—he didn't want to die.

I don't want to watch others die either.

Late at night.

The firewood in the bonfire had almost burned out, and the flames dimmed. The ice cave was bitterly cold, so cold it made one's bones ache. Blood Blade Ancestor's breathing was heavy; he would occasionally turn over and mumble a few words in his sleep, but he never woke up.

Di Yun slowly, inch by inch, moved his body toward Shui Sheng. His broken leg hadn't fully healed, and every movement made him wince in pain, but he dared not make a sound. It took him a long time to finally reach Shui Sheng's side.