Sword Snow Stride Episode 36 Recap
> Sword Snow Stride Recap
Xu Fengnian, having arrived at Wudi City and seeking to retrieve Old Huang's sword box, found his path to the city wall blocked by six martial slaves. According to Wudi City's rules, one had to defeat them to ascend. Xu Fengnian cleverly initiated a confrontation by throwing Zhao Xuansu, who was disguised as a young boy, towards the martial slaves. Under their layered attacks, Zhao Xuansu was forced to counter-attack, publicly displaying profound martial arts prowess.
Xu Fengnian seemed unfazed, but Zhao Kai was utterly shocked by the boy's unexpected skill, mistaking him for one of Xu Fengnian's hidden protectors. He strategized to first eliminate this formidable individual, believing him to be Xu Fengnian's "master card," before targeting Xu Fengnian himself, and instructed Yuan Tingshan to wait for the opportune moment to join forces with the martial slaves and Golden-armor to kill the boy.
As the confrontation escalated, Golden-armor and Yuan Tingshan charged out, intercepting Wei Shuyang and Zhao Xuansu respectively, while Zhao Kai advanced alone to assassinate. On the city tower, Xu Fengnian noticed Old Huang's old bag and wine pot among another six martial slaves, his eyes reddening with emotion. Zhao Kai approached Xu Fengnian, introducing himself as his brother-in-law and offering to help him retrieve an item from the wall.
Xu Fengnian, however, declined, recognizing Zhao Kai's ulterior motives and declaring that he recognized the Fujiang Red Armor. Meanwhile, facing a total of twelve martial slaves—the initial six and the additional six on the tower—Xu Fengnian instructed his own small, named swords—Xuanjia, Green Plum, Bamboo Horse, Spring Water, Morning Dew, and Peach Blossom—to engage them. At this critical moment, Deng Tai'e intervened. He retrieved a yellow pear wood box from a cloth bag and gently pushed it open.
From the half-empty box, six small flying swords shot out, instantly piercing the heads of six martial slaves. Witnessing Deng Tai'e's decisive action, the remaining martial slaves immediately withdrew, recognizing his formidable power. Xu Fengnian acknowledged Deng Tai'e, asking if he was the renowned Sword God Peach Blossom. Deng Tai'e confirmed, "I am Deng Tai'e." Zhao Kai, observing Xu Fengnian's profound connections, couldn't help but inwardly lament that Xu Fengnian seemed to have been born under a more fortunate star.
Deng Tai'e clarified that he was not owed any favor by Xu Fengnian, but rather he was repaying a profound debt to Xu Fengnian's mother, Wu Su, who was his distant cousin. He explained that he was an illegitimate son of the Wu family, initially free-spirited but later forced back to the Wu family's Sword Tomb for relentless sword practice.
In the Sword Burial Mountain, filled with tens of thousands of swords, children like him were often ill-clothed and hungry while practicing. Wu Su had shown him immense kindness, secretly providing him with meals, saving his life, and instructing him in sword arts. Due to his extraordinary talent, he later pulled out the ancient sword Tai'e, which gave him his name.
After leaving the Sword Tomb, Deng Tai'e did not take any physical swords but instead assimilated twelve sword intents, which he later forged into twelve small flying swords, the longest no bigger than a middle finger, the shortest only a thumb. Unlike Wu Su, whose swordsmanship was for saving people, Deng Tai'e's was solely for killing, and he never displayed his twelve swords to ordinary people; this time was an exception to protect Xu Fengnian.
He lamented that he was in the East Sea when Wu Su journeyed alone to the imperial city and ultimately succumbed to her injuries from a battle there, leaving him with enduring guilt. He stated that the six swords he had just used to protect Xu Fengnian had repaid half of his debt to Wu Su.
He then presented Xu Fengnian with the yellow pear wood box containing all twelve small flying swords, explaining that the art of using them lay within the box, and it was now up to Xu Fengnian to comprehend it. With this gift, he declared that his debt to Wu Su was fully repaid, and they no longer owed each other anything.
Despite the invaluable gift from Deng Tai'e, Xu Fengnian's attention was drawn to a different, less conspicuous yellow sword box—the very item he had initially declared he came for, belonging to his departed friend, Old Huang. He retrieved it from the city wall, placed it on the ground, gently tapped it, and hummed Old Huang's favorite tune, as if sitting beside him.
Later, Xu Fengnian encountered a newly hired stable boy whose surname was Huang and who carried some old belongings. Xu Fengnian asked the stable boy about his belongings, learning he had carried them for a very long time but felt he didn't necessarily need them anymore. Recalling his mother's words about cherishing things that accompany one through life, Xu Fengnian insisted that the stable boy keep them.
He then affectionately began calling the stable boy "Old Huang," acknowledging the shared surname and the bond of valuing companionship, mirroring his own deep respect for past companions. Meanwhile, on the distant sea, Li Chungang and Wang Xianzhi engaged in a monumental duel. Wang Xianzhi stood with his hands behind his back on the surging waves, as countless long swords surged towards him, breaking three zhang away and falling into the sea.
This repeated, and Li Chungang used up all his swords without harming Wang Xianzhi at all, seemingly in a stalemate. However, Li Chungang declared, "Today, I borrow the opportunity of yin and yang, the flame of the heart, temper with lightning, and forge with heaven and earth. Until today, finally, sword formed!" With a powerful roar, he uttered "One Sword, Open Heaven's Gate."
All the broken swords that had fallen into the sea rose and converged, forming a colossal, unparalleled sword that cleaved a magnificent opening in the sky, flooding the world with brilliant golden light. This "Heaven's Gate" was revealed to be the Kunlun Mountain, the long-sought method of ascending to immortality. Far away on Mount Wudang, Hong Xixiang suddenly collapsed, losing consciousness after gazing towards the eastern sky.
Wang Chonglou instructed his disciples to immediately set up a tent over Hong Xixiang and ensure no one disturbed him, stating that only time would tell when he would awaken. Back at Wudi City, Zhao Xuansu, now revealing his true identity as a senior master from Mount Longhu of the Xuan generation, who had been waiting for 120 years, used his formidable powers to restrain Shu Xiu and others.
He directly ascended the city tower and confronted Zhao Kai, stating his intention to kill him. Zhao Kai attempted to call for the Golden-armor, but in front of Zhao Xuansu, Golden-armor was nothing more than an ant to be crushed. In this critical moment, Xu Fengnian unexpectedly intervened, saving Zhao Kai and urging him to flee, telling him his dead end should not be here.
Zhao Xuansu momentarily spared Zhao Kai, showing respect for Deng Tai'e's presence and not wishing to cause further trouble. He then revealed his ultimate purpose in Wudi City: to open Heaven's Gate and ascend to immortality, and invited Deng Tai'e to cooperate, believing their combined strength could achieve this. However, as Heaven's Gate seemed poised to reopen, Li Chungang and Wang Xianzhi inexplicably ceased their monumental combat on the distant sea.
Confused by their halt, Zhao Xuansu declared his intent to open Heaven's Gate himself, but Deng Tai'e blocked him, revealing his true purpose was not to open, but to prevent Heaven's Gate from ever reopening again and to completely sever ties between the immortal realm and the human world.
He explained that throughout history, the interference of so-called immortals, who had shed their human emotions and acted solely by their own will, had led to catastrophic changes in the mortal realm. These instances caused rivers to change course, mountains to shift, and countless lives to be lost, with immortals arbitrarily deciding the fates of mortals based solely on their whims.
Deng Tai'e argued that human affairs should be decided by humans, and the mortal world had no need for immortals. Zhao Xuansu, enraged by Deng Tai'e obstructing his path to ascension, vowed to stop him. Deng Tai'e, who claimed he was never a person who reasoned, responded by deploying his "Disarm" sword array, a powerful formation of six swords—Emei, Zhuque, Huangtong, Pifu, Jinlu, Tai'e—originally intended for Wang Xianzhi, to trap Zhao Xuansu.
Despite Zhao Xuansu's desperate attempts to break free, he was overcome. In a fit of fury, he tried to kill Xu Fengnian, but Xu Fengnian counter-attacked, slaying Zhao Xuansu's physical body. However, Zhao Xuansu's primordial spirit separated from his deceased form, transforming into an elder in the blink of an eye, and lunged towards Xu Fengnian. Deng Tai'e immediately shouted a warning to Xu Fengnian.
