Wuxia: Become the 100-Victory Sword King at the Beginning

The dull thud of a severed limb hitting the ground shattered the deathly silence of the snowfield, and dark red blood pits spread across the snow like gruesome wounds.

When the Blood Fiend Elder's half-frozen arm burst open, thousands of blood droplets splattered, condensing into a scarlet mist under the moonlight.

Upon seeing this, Elder Earth Rift's eyes widened in fury, and the eerie green runes in his palm surged three inches as he roared, "How dare you, junior, harm my brother!"

The moment the palms struck out, the snowfield within a radius of a hundred feet collapsed with a roar. The scorching quicksand erupted like volcanic lava, and the billowing white mist was mixed with the acrid smell of sulfur, instantly turning the falling snow into dust.

Seeing the situation, Shi Feiyang quickly grabbed Guo Xiangyu's slender waist, and his Mingyu Gong true energy surged like a raging tide, throwing her high into the sky: "Hold your breath and concentrate!" He himself fell into the sea of ​​sand like a meteor.

The scorching sand burned his ice-blue armor. He immediately activated the Twelvefold Bright Jade Technique, and his ice-blue true energy surged forth like a dragon emerging from the sea, carving out a winding ice crystal passage in the quicksand. The Heavenly Frost Blade flew from his hand, transforming into a swirling stream of light.

"Hundred Victories Blade Technique - Slaying the Mortal World" was unleashed with a thunderous roar! The spiraling blade energy carried an overwhelming force, and wherever it passed, the crimson quicksand instantly condensed into a chilling ice wall, with ice shards flying everywhere amidst the explosion.

Guo Xiangyu somersaulted in mid-air, her skirt swirling like a blooming snow lotus.

The bamboo knife spun out a flurry of falling petals, and thousands of bamboo shadows transformed into emerald vines, heading straight for the bone flute in Elder Xuanming's hand.

Unexpectedly, the old monster sneered and shattered the ice shards: "A mere trick!" The bone flute played the "Soul-Capturing Demonic Sound," and the sound waves coiled like a black python. In the instant the bamboo knife shattered inch by inch, the green bamboo fragments shot back and left fine bloodstains on her pink cheeks.

Shi Feiyang soared into the sky from the ice cave, his Heavenly Frost Blade, carrying a ten-foot-long icy light, slashing towards Elder Xuanming's face.

Elder Feng Erosion appeared like a ghost, his wind blade cleaving through the void. In the instant he split the sword energy in two, the icy blue true energy burst forth like fireworks.

Worse still, black blood gushed from Elder Blood Fiend's severed limbs, congealing into a twisted arm in mid-air. The blood jade chains transformed once more into thousands of blood pythons, and a stench of decay swept over them. "Feiyang! Left side!" Guo Xiangyu's shouts were torn apart by the wind and snow.

Shi Feiyang's true energy vortex swirled spontaneously around his body, and his ice crystal armor rippled with a deep blue light.

The blood python grazed past my shoulder, carving a furrow several feet deep in the snow, and the pebbles it kicked up even cracked the distant ice wall like spiderwebs.

He swung his sword with a backhand strike, "Heaven and Earth in Silence," the blade's edge colliding with the blood python. The explosive sound shook the icy plains for miles around, and blood mixed with ice shards rained down. Taking advantage of the moment, Guo Xiangyu flung out her medicine pouch; realgar powder transformed into crimson light, igniting the blood python upon contact, causing it to twist into a charred fire snake in mid-air.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the four elders roared in unison, shaking the heavens.

The four silver moon discs collided violently, condensing into a giant crescent-shaped blade in the void. The eerie light flowing from the blade twisted the space into a vortex.

Shi Feiyang shielded Guo Xiangyu behind him, with three layers of ice-blue shields stacked on top of each other, each layer engraved with ancient runes.

When the scimitar struck, the first layer of shield shattered like glass, and the second layer of shield cracked with countless fissures. Amidst the flying ice shards, Guo Xiangyu saw the cold sweat seeping from the back of his neck, which actually condensed into ice crystals in the cold wind.

"I'll risk it all!" Shi Feiyang's eyes were bloodshot as he raised the Heavenly Frost Blade high above his head, the blade absorbing the icy air and growing three zhang in size.

The ultimate killing move of "Hundred Victories Blade Technique: Heaven and Earth Live Together" is unleashed, with nine icy blue blade energies transforming into a hundred-foot-long ice dragon, its roar carrying a destructive force.

The moment the ice dragon clashed with the scimitar, time seemed to freeze. Ice shards and blood rain intertwined to create a magnificent dance of death, and continuous explosions caused the snowfield to sink, forming a huge ice cave.

Guo Xiangyu forced herself to channel her last bit of inner strength into him, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth onto his clothes: "Feiyang... we'll live and die together..."

Amidst the earth-shattering explosion, the Fourth Elder's figure was swept away by the blast wave like a shattered kite.

Shi Feiyang stood holding her in the heart of the smoke, his icy blue true energy flowing around him, forming a cocoon of light. Looking down at her pale face, a gentle smile played on his lips: "Xiangyu, with me here, no one can take you away..."

The north wind, carrying the smoke of gunpowder, swept past the two of them. Guo Xiangyu was barely breathing, her purplish lips moving slightly.

Her trembling fingertips traced his sharply defined jawline, leaving faint red marks on his skin from her blood-stained nails.

In the distance, the newly formed ice pit still emitted billowing white mist, the blood-stained snow intertwined with the icy blue true energy, resembling a tragically beautiful painting of a demon. The north wind howled like sharp blades, whipping up shards of ice, condensing the air around the two into frost and mist.

Guo Xiangyu leaned against Shi Feiyang's chest, her pale lips almost transparent, each word she uttered seeming like she was using up her last breath: "Feiyang..."

Her voice was as faint as a whisper, torn to shreds by the cold wind, "Listen, in this wind... isn't that the demonic sound of the Jade Palace again?"

Tiny ice crystals clung to her eyelashes, reflecting a cold, eerie light under the moonlight, while her eyes, as clear as autumn water, were misty with tears, making the sorrow in them all the more poignant.

Shi Feiyang suddenly tightened his arms, and the warmth flowing from Mingyu Gong flowed into her body like a trickle. The clothes on her back, which his palms were pressed against, gradually became damp, whether from sweat or blood, he couldn't tell.

"Don't speak." His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice hoarse as if it had been sanded. "Once you've fully recovered, we'll return to the pass immediately. Su Qinghan's Nine-Turn Life-Extending Pill and Master Tongzhen's Buddhist True Qi will surely..."

"Stop talking." Guo Xiangyu suddenly chuckled, but the laughter was more heartbreaking than tears. Her fingertips slowly moved to his chest, tracing circles through his clothes again and again—the most tender code they had used during countless nights they slept in each other's arms.

"You said that the 500,000 disciples of the Xiong Ying Society are the culmination of your years of hard work since you entered the martial world." Her voice gradually choked with emotion. "They followed you across mountains and rivers, making a living amidst the clash of swords, all they hoped for was peace in the world..."

Shi Feiyang's heart sank suddenly. He wanted to retort, but her fingers, which smelled of medicine, pressed against his lips.

"Don't lie to me, and don't lie to yourself." Tears welled up in her eyes, freezing into beads on her cheeks. "The fourth elder of the Wuyue family is merely the vanguard. If my grandmother finds out... thousands of experts lurking deep in the desert will emerge in full force, and the Xiong Ying Society will..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly coughed violently, and the blood seeping from between her fingers dripped onto his dark clothes, spreading out like flamboyant red plum blossoms.

"I won't allow it!" Shi Feiyang suddenly roared, his voice shaking the surrounding area, causing icicles to fall all around him.

He cupped her face in his hands, his bloodshot eyes burning with an almost insane stubbornness: "Since I, Shi Feiyang, roamed the martial world at the age of eighteen, I have never known the meaning of 'retreat'! Back then, I fought against 30,000 bandits from Black Wind Stronghold and managed to break through their encirclement; now, even if the entire Wu Yue family comes, I can still use the Heavenly Frost Blade to carve a bloody path for you!"

Looking into the unwavering determination in his eyes, Guo Xiangyu's tears flowed uncontrollably. She suddenly grabbed his wrist, her nails digging deep into his palm: "But how can I just watch you sacrifice the entire Xiong Ying Society for me? Those children… some are even younger than me, they shouldn't be judged by my background…"

Her voice stopped abruptly, her heavy breathing accompanied by coughing, staining a large patch of his shirt red.

Shi Feiyang pressed her head against his chest, listening to her weak and erratic heartbeat, as if countless steel knives were stabbing at his heart. Memories flooded back—her dashing figure wielding a bamboo knife when they first met, her mischievous and charming way of applying ink while grinding the bamboo, the delicate stitches she used to embroider the words "Peace"...

"Xiangyu, tell me, how can I bear to part with you?" His voice was filled with an unprecedented vulnerability. "You are my only weakness in this life, and also my lifelong armor. Without you, what good is conquering the world?"

Guo Xiangyu struggled to lift her head, using her last strength to wipe the blood from the corner of his eye: "Do you remember you said the ninth move of the Hundred Victories Saber Technique, 'Heaven and Earth Live Together'?" A pale smile tugged at the corner of her lips, "Now that I think about it, the name is quite fitting... If I could live and die with you, that would be..."

"Shut up!" Shi Feiyang suddenly sealed her lips with a kiss that was both domineering and tender, tinged with the taste of blood.

He picked her up and turned to walk into the depths of the snowfield, the Frost Blade drawing a cold arc in the moonlight: "Since I dared to take on this 'trouble,' I am absolutely confident in protecting you. The brothers of the Sakura Society will guard the pass, and I will make sure the Moon Dance Clan knows—anyone who dares to touch Shi Feiyang's people will be pursued to the ends of the earth and made to pay for their blood debt!"

The cold wind howled, but it couldn't blow away the two figures embracing each other.

On the icy plain, two overlapping footprints meander into the distance, like a poignant painting etched with love and vows.

The north wind, carrying ice crystals like thousands of steel knives, swept across the snowfield, but Guo Xiangyu in Shi Feiyang's arms seemed to feel no cold. Her pale fingertips trembled as she touched his blood-stained cheek, and with her last strength, she placed a light kiss on his lips.

The lingering scent of medicine mixed with the stench of blood clung to the air, much like her lingering emotions tormenting her in the cold night.

"Promise me," her voice was as soft as a whisper, almost inaudible in the howling wind, "Protect the Xiong Ying Society, and protect yourself. If there is an afterlife..." Before she could finish speaking, her head slumped limply onto his shoulder, the bloodstain at the corner of her mouth glowing eerily red in the moonlight, like a red plum blossom about to wither, poignant and resolute.

Shi Feiyang felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand, making it difficult to breathe.

He buried his face in her hair, hot tears dripping onto her thin shoulder: "No! I don't want any afterlife! I only want this life, as long as you can stay by my side! You said you would see the misty rain of Jiangnan and the frost and snow of the North with me, that you would bear my children, how could you just abandon these vows like this?" His voice was full of despair and resentment, echoing across the empty snowfield.

Guo Xiangyu forced a smile, but the smile was more heartbreaking than tears.

She raised her hand with difficulty, her fingertips gently touching his face, as if trying to etch his image into her bones: "Feiyang, don't do this. You know I have no choice. The power of the Wuyue family is unfathomable, and I can't let you and Xiong Ying be doomed because of me."

Her eyes were filled with reluctance and heartache. "Promise me, live well, see the blooming flowers of spring, the bright moon of autumn, and experience the beauty of this world for me."

"I don't want to!" Shi Feiyang suddenly roared, his voice causing icicles to fall from the surroundings. "Without you, what meaning does anything in this world have for me? If you leave, I will go with you. I will abandon all the grudges of the martial world and the ambition to dominate the world!"

He held her hand tightly, as if that would hold onto her fading life.

Guo Xiangyu shook her head, tears streaming down her face and freezing into ice crystals: "Silly Feiyang, you bear the trust and expectations of all the brothers in the Xiong Ying Society. How can you be so willful? If you really love me, promise me. Live well."

Her gaze was earnest and resolute, as if she wanted to etch her final words of advice into his heart.

Looking into her eyes, Shi Feiyang finally nodded slowly, tears blurring his vision: "Okay, I promise you. But remember, without you, Shi Feiyang will never live alone. If I cannot find you, there is no place in this world worth my staying."

With trembling hands, he pulled a crystal-clear Xu Fu elixir from the deerskin pouch at his waist.

The elixir emitted a soft glow, containing the hope of bringing the dead back to life.

"Xiangyu, quickly swallow this elixir, it will surely save you." Shi Feiyang's voice carried an almost devout hope as he carefully placed the elixir into her mouth, gently patting her lips as the elixir slowly slid into her stomach.

He held her tightly in his arms and walked step by step toward their home in the mountains. Each step was heavy, leaving deep footprints in the snow, which were quickly covered by fresh snow.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the snowfield, the four elders of the Wuyue family were poised to act. Elder Xuanming's bone flute glowed with an eerie light, Elder Xuesha's chains were still stained with blood, Elder Dilie's palms flickered with runes, and Elder Wuyin's figure was elusive.

They stared in the direction Shi Feiyang had left, their eyes blazing with murderous intent. "Hmph, did he think a single elixir could keep her here?" Elder Xuanming sneered, pressing his bone flute to his lips. "This time tomorrow will be Shi Feiyang's death day!"

The other three elders echoed in unison, their laughter reverberating in the cold night, filled with an eerie and ruthless atmosphere.

Shi Feiyang held Guo Xiangyu in his arms, feeling her faint breaths. He had only one thought in his mind: to take her home, back to that place full of warm memories, and to stay with her, even if it meant going against the whole world.

What awaits him ahead is an even more brutal bloodbath, but as long as he can protect the person in his arms, it will all be worth it.

The midnight wind, carrying the resentment of a thousand-year-old ice age, howled mournfully across the wasteland. Elder Xuanming's pale, paper-white knuckles struck the bone flute, and eerie green runes meandered along its body, as a melody, "Yellow Springs Melody," echoed from the depths of the Netherworld.

In an instant, the earth trembled violently like a boiling cauldron, countless white bones burst from the soil, and eerie green flames ignited in the empty eye sockets of the grotesque skulls. The piercing screams were mixed with the wails of countless wronged souls.

"A mere trick!" Shi Feiyang roared, shattering three feet of ice shards. When the Heavenly Frost Blade was drawn, its cold light surged three feet.

Mingyu Gong was circulated to the "Limitless Asura's Human Purgatory," and icy blue true energy condensed into a substantial vortex around his body. His sword strike was like splitting the heavens and earth, unleashing "Heaven and Earth Coexisting." The overwhelming sword energy, carrying a blinding blade light, swept across, and wherever it passed, the skeletons exploded into dust as if they had encountered scorching sun and snow.

Fragments of bone mixed with eerie green phosphorescence flew everywhere, leaving charred marks on the snow.

Guo Xiangyu's figure was as graceful as a startled swan in the snow, the bamboo knife in her hand transforming into a nimble serpent. She lightly touched the ice with her toes, her movements as swift as a startled swan, the bamboo knife precisely striking the pressure points of the skeletons. The specially prepared medicinal properties flowed through the bamboo blade, and the skeletons twisted and turned like puppets, roaring as they lunged at their elder. Amidst the rustling sound of decaying bones gnawing at fabric, a large piece of Elder Xuanming's robe was torn off.

"You're courting death!" Elder Blood Fiend's crimson pupils almost dripped blood, and the blood jade chains twisted like living things, instantly weaving into a three-zhang-long cage. The blood pythons on the chains bared their fangs, and a stench swept over them.

Shi Feiyang activated his Twelvefold Bright Jade Skill with a roar, and ice armor condensed around his body, its blue light shining as brightly as the sun.

With a deafening roar, the shockwave from the exploding ice armor shattered the chains, and the flying ice shards swirled like a reversed Milky Way under the moonlight.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Guo Xiangyu threw out three golden needles, their cold light flashing like lightning, aiming straight for Elder Xue Sha's eyes.

"Ah—" With a scream, Elder Blood Fiend tore off his face, revealing a hideous face covered in scales. Blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing onto the snow like flamboyant red plum blossoms.

Upon seeing this, Elder Earth Rift slammed his palms down heavily, causing the dark green runes in his palms to surge three feet.

A giant sand python, a hundred meters long, burst from the ground, its massive jaws swallowing the sky. Three disciples of the Xiong Ying Society were swallowed whole before they could react.

"You beast!" Shi Feiyang's eyes were bloodshot as he shot in like a meteor.

Guo Xiangyu followed closely behind, her medicine pouch exploding as potent powder rained down on the giant python's wounds.

Inside the python's belly was a scene of carnage and blood.

Shi Feiyang brandished the Heavenly Frost Blade, his "Hundred Victories Blade Technique" was unparalleled in its ferocity, each strike carrying the power to split mountains and shatter rocks.

As the blade swept through, the python's flesh was sliced ​​open like tofu, and foul-smelling blood splattered everywhere.

The giant python writhed in agony, the entire snowfield trembling, before finally exploding with a deafening roar. Pieces of flesh and blood rained down like a torrential downpour, turning the area within a ten-zhang radius into a sea of ​​blood. The Mist-Hidden Elder transformed into a wisp of black mist, silently seeping into Shi Feiyang's meridians.

Shi Feiyang felt a chill rise from his dantian, and the Mingyu Gong true qi vortex spun wildly, tearing the mist apart like a hurricane.

With tears in her eyes, Guo Xiangyu pressed the bamboo knife against her throat, her voice as mournful as a cuckoo's cry of blood: "If you harm him, I will be utterly destroyed!" Elder Wuyin, fearing for his life, was forced to reveal himself. A glint flashed in Shi Feiyang's eyes, and the Heavenly Frost Blade, like a thunderbolt, pierced through his chest in an instant. Seeing the situation was dire, the four elders let out a long howl in unison.

The four silver moon discs collided violently, condensing into a giant silver blade in the void. The eerie light flowing from the blade twisted the space into a vortex.

Shi Feiyang shielded Guo Xiangyu behind him, with three layers of ice-blue shields stacked on top of each other, each layer engraved with ancient runes.

As the silver blade slashed down, the first layer of shield shattered like glass, and the second layer of shield cracked with countless fissures. Amidst the flying ice shards, Guo Xiangyu saw the cold sweat seeping from the back of his neck, which actually condensed into ice crystals in the cold wind.

"Today, it's either you or me who dies!" Shi Feiyang's eyes were bloodshot as he raised the Heavenly Frost Blade high above his head, unleashing the "Heaven and Earth Coexistence" technique of the "Hundred Victories Blade Technique" once more. Nine icy blue blade energies transformed into a hundred-foot-long ice dragon, its roar carrying a destructive force.

The moment the ice dragon clashed with the silver blade, time seemed to freeze. Ice shards and blood rain intertwined to create a magnificent dance of death, and continuous explosions caused the snowfield to sink, forming a huge ice cave.

A cold wind blew by, and the smoke of battle gradually dissipated.

Shi Feiyang stood in the pool of blood, holding the unconscious Guo Xiangyu. Blood dripped from the Frost Blade onto the snow, turning the white snow a shocking red. The north wind, carrying icicles like thousands of cold blades, wove a dense, impenetrable net of death across the snowfield.

Shi Feiyang firmly protected Guo Xiangyu behind him, and activated the Twelvefold Bright Jade Skill to its peak. His body's icy blue true energy surged like a tsunami, outlining the silhouette of an ice sculpture war god in the night.

The Heavenly Frost Blade was raised high above the head, its blade gleaming with a chilling light, poised to unleash the ultimate killing move of the "Hundred Victories Blade Technique," "Heaven and Earth United in Life."

"Boom!" The moment the icy blue blade light collided with the giant silver blade, the air within a radius of ten miles was instantly torn apart.

The dazzling light, like the sun falling, blinded everyone. The earth-shattering roar caused the snowfield to sink layer by layer, and the accumulated snow turned into dust that shot into the sky.

The ice beneath Shi Feiyang's feet cracked inch by inch, yet he still withstood the devastating blow with the strength of a rock.

As the intense light faded, Elder Xuanming was covered in blood, his white hair matted with blood and hanging down his face, the bone flute in his hand cracked all over.

He staggered forward half a step, letting out a trapped beast-like roar: "Princess Wuyue! Do you really intend to abandon your ancestral legacy? Our family has searched for you for ten years, exhausting the spiritual energy of seventy-two secret realms. Are you really no match for this brute from the martial world?"

Guo Xiangyu nestled tightly in Shi Feiyang's arms, her fingertips digging deeply into his blood-stained black robe.

She raised her head, her eyes filled with tears yet shining with unwavering determination: "Elder Xuanming, I've listened to the demonic sounds in the Cold Jade Palace for ten years, but only his heartbeat can make me feel the warmth of life. This is my home."

Shi Feiyang gripped the Frost Blade tightly, and droplets of blood that had congealed on the blade dripped down the blade's grooves, blooming like red plum blossoms on the snow: "If you want to step over my dead body, you'll have to ask this blade in my hand first!"

Before the words were finished, the surrounding air suddenly became thick and sticky, as the "Silver Moon Trapping Sky Formation" of the Wuyue family quietly took shape.

As the night drew to a close, the desert wind, carrying sand and gravel, swept across the wasteland like the howling of ghosts and wolves.

Suddenly, the sound of golden bells descended from the heavens, and over a thousand silver moon discs swirled in the night sky, weaving into a dazzling galaxy. Guo Xiangyu's grandmother arrived, stepping on the moon. The vermilion mark between her brows was so red it seemed to bleed, and the oppressive aura emanating from her caused the snow within a hundred feet to instantly freeze into sharp icicles.

Elder Xuanming staggered forward, holding the blood-stained bone flute above his head. The ancient Moon Dance Talisman gleamed with a ghostly blue light under the moonlight, and the flowing runes seemed to echo with the wails of countless wronged souls.

Guo Xiangyu gazed at the still-wet bloodstains on Shi Feiyang's black robes; the dark red marks coiled around her heart like venomous snakes. Her fingertips trembled as she accepted the command token, the icy touch spreading from her palms to her very bones, as she grasped the thousand-year destiny of her family.

"Thump!" She suddenly knelt down, her forehead hitting the gravel ground hard, raising a cloud of dust: "Xiangyu is willing to inherit the position of sect leader, but I beg Grandmother and all the elders to spare my husband!" Her shrill voice pierced the cold wind and startled the crows in the distance.

"Xiangyu!" Shi Feiyang swayed, his body, protected by the Mingyu Gong, was also somewhat unsteady.

He rushed forward and hugged her trembling body tightly, his hand stroking her loose black hair, which was icy cold to the touch: "You don't have to do this! Even if I, Shi Feiyang, fight to the last man, I will protect you!"

Guo Xiangyu looked up, her tear tracks freezing into ice crystals on her pale skin, like pear blossoms in the rain.

She tiptoed and kissed away the bloodstains at the corner of his eye with trembling lips, the salty taste spreading on her tongue: "Does my husband still remember 'holding hands and growing old together'? It is already a blessing from heaven that Xiangyu can be your wife for a year. The Wuyue family has come out in full force, and the Xiong Ying Society has 500,000 disciples... I cannot let them die because of me."

Shi Feiyang felt as if a thousand arrows had pierced his heart, and a metallic taste rose in his throat: "No! I don't care about any grand principles of the world, I only want you!"

He held the person in his arms tightly, but felt her body gradually getting colder.

Guo Xiangyu's grandmother slowly stepped forward, a death vortex spinning behind her on the silver moon wheel: "Xiangyu, do you know the price of betraying your family?"

Before he could finish speaking, Shi Feiyang had already held the Frost Blade horizontally in front of his chest, and his icy blue true energy surged once more: "If you want her life, you'll have to get past me first!"

The cold wind howled, and war clouds gathered.

The north wind whipped up sand and gravel like thousands of steel needles, howling and swirling around the two of them.

Shi Feiyang felt as if a piece of thousand-year-old ice was stuck in his throat. Even though the true energy of Mingyu Gong flowed through his meridians, it could not dispel the bone-chilling cold in his heart.

His trembling hand stroked Guo Xiangyu's long, flowing hair, each strand seeming to entwine around his heart. He whispered, "When you revive Wuyue, I will traverse the desert and bring you home. From now on, though the world is vast, we will never be apart again."

After speaking, he slowly drew the Frostblade. The icy blue blade reflected the intertwined figures of the two, resembling a poignant and beautiful painting about to shatter.

The red silk ribbon on the hilt of the knife, originally tied by Guo Xiangyu herself, is now soaked in blood, its glaring red telling the story of the capriciousness of fate.

Shi Feiyang wept uncontrollably, his voice choked with sobs, almost breaking: "This knife is for my wife. If any villain dares to offend her, she shall kill him for me! As long as the knife is here, I am here; if the knife perishes, I will go with you!"

Guo Xiangyu's fingertips trembled slightly as she gripped the cold hilt of the knife. Tears fell onto the blade, instantly freezing into tiny ice crystals.

She pressed her cheek against the blade, as if to retain the warmth of his palm, her voice filled with longing and worry: "Feiyang, I will protect this knife as if it were my own life. But you must promise me that you will never again venture into danger alone. The brothers of the Xiong Ying Society are still hoping that you will lead them to uphold justice; there are still too many injustices in this world waiting for you to redress."

"Xiangyu!" Shi Feiyang suddenly pulled her tightly into his arms, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones. "Do you know that I, Shi Feiyang, have roamed the martial world for many years, fearing neither heaven nor earth? But losing you is the greatest fear of my life. Without you by my side, what meaning would it have if I conquered this martial world?"

Guo Xiangyu gently shook her head in his arms, her tears soaking his clothes: "It is precisely because I know your ambitions that I cannot become a burden to you. I must shoulder the mission of the Wuyue family; and you should continue on your path. When everything settles down, we will surely meet again."

At this moment, as dawn broke, the sound of camel bells echoed across the wilderness, each sound like a lament, as if urging the arrival of this parting.

Guo Xiangyu slowly pushed Shi Feiyang away, her eyes filled with reluctance and determination: "It's time to go."

She boarded the carved camel carriage and looked back. Shi Feiyang's figure grew smaller and smaller in the dim morning light, his black robes fluttering in the wind like a lonely flag, yet so resolute.

The Heavenly Frost Blade in her arms pressed against her heart, as if still retaining the warmth of his palm from the previous night, giving her endless courage and strength.

Shi Feiyang stood on the city wall, the empty scabbard at his waist swaying in the wind, striking his empty heart again and again.

He gazed at the camel caravan gradually disappearing on the horizon, his voice low but firm: "Xiangyu, wait for me. To the ends of the earth, I will find you and bring you back!"

The cold wind whipped up the withered leaves on the ground, scattering his vows across the sky. Only the waning moon on the horizon witnessed the lovers' separation and their unwavering devotion, a poignant love story in this world, one that will never fade in the long river of time. (End of Chapter)