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

Blood mist surged within the formation, and hundreds of desiccated corpses could be vaguely seen floating in the air, each of them entwined with a Heart-Eating Gu that emitted a ghostly blue light.

"Shi Feiyang, do you still want to live a carefree life? Do you still think you can live a carefree life? Heh heh!" The elder's voice came from all directions, accompanied by a sickening grinding sound. Zi Die's face was solemn, the glass beehive trembling violently, and she said tremblingly, "This formation integrates seventy-two forbidden techniques of the Five Poisons Sect, and the core of the formation is on that mummified corpse wearing the jade crown!"

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang pulled out a paper kite, tied a string of firecrackers to a bamboo stick, and calmly said, "Let them see our 'Sui Dynasty Fireworks Formation Breaking Technique'!" He used his mysterious lightness skill of "Concealing One's Identity and Name" to move like a ghost between the chains, hanging lit firecrackers on the bronze chain at each stop. Explosions rose and fell, causing the Gu worms to fall to the ground.

However, more corpse worms crawled out from underground, becoming increasingly ferocious after devouring the corpses of their companions.

Seeing this, Zi Die activated the "Gu Emperor's Decree," a lost technique of the Five Poisons Sect.

In an instant, half of the Gu worms in the formation turned their spears and pounced on the Five Poisons Sect elder's true form.

But the elder was prepared. He flicked nine black banners from his sleeve, each wreathed in ghostly flames radiating resentment. The elder chuckled coldly, "Taste the 'Hundred Ghosts' Reaping Banners'!" Wherever the black banners touched, the air distorted and deformed, and the Gu worms summoned by the purple butterfly instantly turned to ashes.

"You old poisoner, you're playing dirty tricks, aren't you?" Shi Feiyang asked menacingly, suddenly pulling out a suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) and playing the tune of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix." Even more astonishingly, he had somehow acquired a body covered in thunderbolts he'd smuggled from the Tang Clan.

As the suona horn sounded, he hurled a thunderbolt at the black banner. The explosion scattered most of the ghostly flames. But the elder seized the opportunity to activate the ultimate form of the "Thousand Spider Poison Array," where thousands of poisonous spiders formed a giant web, trapping the two in the center.

To protect Shi Feiyang, Zi Die suffered several bloody cuts on her arm from spider silk.

Upon seeing this, Shi Feiyang's eyes turned bloodshot, and he activated the Mingyu Gong to the peak of the "Supreme Forgetfulness: Ice Soul Cold Prison". His skin became almost transparent, and his body emanated a chilling aura. Wherever he went, the poisonous spiders instantly froze into ice sculptures.

He unleashed the "Severing Reincarnation" move from the Hundred Victories Blade Technique, his blade energy crisscrossing as he cleaved a gap in the spiderweb.

Shi Feiyang said confidently to Zi Die, "My wife, take a look at my 'cutting off the fuel supply' plan!"

Shi Feiyang suddenly pulled out a bronze compass stolen from the secret chamber of the Five Poisons Sect, which was the key item to activate the array's core.

He tossed the compass to Zi Die, while using a bamboo stick to distract the elder.

Zi Die understood, her delicate hands forming a hand seal as she inserted the compass into the brow of the jade-crowned corpse. The formation immediately trembled violently, and countless Gu worms began to devour the Five Poisons Sect elder. The elder let out a shrill scream as the Gu worms gnawed at him, leaving him riddled with holes.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shi Feiyang used the "Transferring Flowers and Jade" technique to redirect the elder's dying attack toward the center of the formation.

"Boom!" With a loud bang, the "Ten Thousand Gu Twisting Net" completely collapsed, turning into a rain of blood.

Shi Feiyang swaggered over to Zi Die, used a bamboo stick to lift a strand of her hair, and teased, "Madam, next time we encounter a situation like this, let's prepare a giant Kongming lantern in advance and send the enemy straight to the Western Paradise!"

He suddenly pulled a paper package from his pocket, inside which were several pieces of osmanthus cake, crushed beyond recognition. He teased, "Here, have some energy. This is my treasure hidden in the sole of my shoe!" Zi Die burst into laughter through her tears, raised her hand and slapped him playfully, scolding, "I knew you'd never be serious..."

Before she could finish speaking, Shi Feiyang pulled her into his arms and said with concern, "Remember this, no matter what conspiracies or tricks we have in the future, as long as we are of one mind, we will definitely be able to turn this martial world upside down!" At this moment, a black web woven by thousands of poisonous spiders descended like a curtain from the sky. The sound of the spider legs rubbing together was deafening. The putrid poison in the formation solidified, and wherever it touched, the blue bricks turned into pus.

Black blood seeped from the wound on Zi Die's jade arm, yet she still stubbornly persisted in using her Gu insect technique to try and disperse the spider swarm.

Seeing this, Shi Feiyang suddenly tucked his emerald green bamboo stick into his waistband and pulled out a huge bib from his deerskin bag—a "treasure garment for exorcising evil spirits" sewn with the secret talisman paper of the Yihua Palace. He said jokingly, "Madam, take a look!" He shook the bib open and flicked it in the wind, and the cinnabar on the talisman paper instantly turned into flowing fire, burning large scorch marks on the spider web. "Back then, Qin Qiong used a red-tasseled spear to break through the formation, and today I will use this 'red bib' to subdue demons!"

The venomous spiders, scorched by the talismanic fire, let out a scream like that of an infant, yet even more spiders surged forth from the ground, their countless compound eyes gleaming with a cold, eerie green light in the darkness. The laughter of the Five Poisons Sect elders, mingled with the buzzing of Gu worms, echoed: "Shi Feiyang, this Thousand Spider Ten Thousand Poisons Formation is our sect's ultimate killing move; even a Great Luo Golden Immortal like you couldn't escape it!"

Before he finished speaking, Shi Feiyang had already pulled out a suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) and started playing the tune of "Little Cowherd," while at the same time taking out a handful of soybeans from his pocket and scattering them onto the spider web.

Strangely, the venomous spiders stopped attacking and instead began scrambling for the beans on the ground—it turned out these beans had been soaked in a Gu elixir by him using Purple Butterfly, a remedy specifically designed to counteract poisonous substances. "Old Poisoner, have your spiders switched to being rats?" Shi Feiyang teased as he used the "Luring the Dogs into the Stronghold" technique, lightly tapping the bamboo stick to lead some of the venomous spiders in other directions within the formation.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zi Die activated the lost "Butterfly Queen's Decree" of the Five Poisons Sect. Thousands of Yin-Yang Butterflies swarmed out of the Glass Beehive, releasing a purple mist as their wings opened and closed, which corroded the spider venom.

However, the elder suddenly flung out nine black banners from his sleeve, the skulls on the banners glowing with ghostly fire, they were actually "Netherworld Soul-Guiding Banners" made from living people.

As the banners fluttered, countless vengeful spirits crawled out from the ground, binding Shi Feiyang and Zi Die's hands and feet. Zi Die's face turned deathly pale: "These are vengeful spirits created using forbidden Miao techniques; ordinary martial arts cannot harm them in the slightest!"

Shi Feiyang calmly said, "Who said I was going to use martial arts?" Suddenly, he pulled out a rattle drum and started shaking it, while simultaneously singing a Yangzhou folk song at the top of his lungs: "Speaking of wonders, speaking of wonders, spiders are afraid of beans, butterflies are afraid of chickens—"

As the strange songs began to play, the vengeful spirits started to dance unsteadily.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he used the Mingyu Skill, his glassy skin glowing with an icy blue light, and the suction force in his palms like a vortex, drawing in all the vengeful spirits.

At this moment, the giant spider king at the heart of the formation finally appeared.

Its abdomen swelled up like a small mountain, and with each opening and closing of its mouthparts, it spewed out highly corrosive spider silk, instantly turning the nearby Yin-Yang Butterflies into wisps of smoke. Shi Feiyang's pupils contracted sharply, but then a brilliant idea flashed into his mind, and he shouted to Zi Die, "Madam, let's use a 'feigned attack while secretly advancing' strategy!"

He waved the bamboo stick to attract the spider king's attention, deliberately revealing a weakness.

When the Spider King pounced, he suddenly used the mysterious lightness skill of "hiding his body and name" and circled behind the Spider King like a ghost.

Purple Butterfly understood and activated the remaining move of the forbidden technique "Sacrifice to Feed the Gu," using herself as a bait to draw the Spider King's attention to herself.

Taking advantage of the moment, Shi Feiyang activated his Mingyu Gong to the peak of "Ice Soul Cold Prison," his skin becoming almost transparent. The "Severing Reincarnation" strike of the Hundred Victories Blade Technique, carrying a chilling aura, roared forth. A flash of light, and the Spider King's massive body crashed to the ground, splattering its poisonous blood like a torrential rain. With lightning speed, Shi Feiyang used a bamboo stick to lift the Purple Butterfly, employing the wondrous lightness skill of "Dealing and Departing," leaping over the spider's corpse and rushing out of the formation.

Seeing this, the Five Poisons Sect elder was about to launch his final killing move when Shi Feiyang suddenly turned around and threw out a sack full of chili powder and realgar—it was his "Poison Spider Repelling Pack," a modified version of the "Fire Ox Formation."

Amidst the swirling dust, Shi Feiyang, holding Zi Die, disappeared into the night.

By the time the elders and the spiders reacted, all that remained was a note he had left behind, which read in crooked handwriting: "Old Poisoner, I borrowed your poison array to practice my courage. I'll treat you to osmanthus cake another day to make amends!" From then on, the Shadow Tower fell silent.

The plum rain, carrying a fishy smell, splashed onto the eaves of the Shadow Tower. Shi Feiyang leaned against the vermilion pillar, tapping the copper basin with a green bamboo stick.

The basin contained the osmanthus jelly he had chilled with Mingyu Gong, and several drunken Gu worms floated on the surface—those were the "Thousand Fragrance Inducing" that Zi Die had cultivated last night, which had now become his playthings to tease the insects.

"My dear son-in-law, the Shaolin and Kunlun sects have sent visiting cards again." Ye Wumian walked over with his hands behind his back, loudly reporting the situation to Shi Feiyang from afar. The flowing cloud pattern embroidered on his black robe was faintly visible in the rain. He sighed and said, "This time, they even brought generous gifts, saying they are willing to share half of the martial world with the Shadow Tower!"

Shi Feiyang used a bamboo stick to pick up a piece of cheese cake and tossed it into the air. When he caught it, crumbs covered his cheeks. He said very clearly, "Father-in-law, they probably want to use us as pawns! The other day, the people from the Disaster Relief Gang were implying that they wanted to use Zi Die's Gu worms to wipe out the remnants of the Five Poisons Sect, weren't they?" Before he finished speaking, the sound of porcelain shattering came from afar. Bai Jieru, supporting her swollen belly, knocked over the bowl of medicine for preventing miscarriage.

Zi Die emerged from under the eaves, the glass beehive swaying gently at her waist. She said with concern, "Sister, be careful!" With a light wave of her hand, several Yin-Yang butterflies fluttered up and caught the shards of the medicine bowl.

The butterfly's wings brushed against Bai Jieru's pale cheeks, making the tears in her eyes even more glistening.

"It's all my fault... I've dragged the Shadow Tower down." Bai Jieru choked back tears, touching her belly. "If I weren't pregnant, I could have fought alongside you all..."

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Shi Feiyang cursed, suddenly jumping up and striking the ground with his bamboo stick, making a crisp sound. "Back then, Qin Qiong's mother was pregnant, and she could still embroider tiger-head boots for her son! Our little brat from the Shadow Pavilion will definitely be someone who can kick Shaolin and punch Kunlun in the future!"

He pulled a bib embroidered with a crooked tiger from his deerskin bag. "Look! I embroidered this myself..."

Ye Wumian coughed to interrupt him, and said in a trembling voice, "My dear son-in-law, today the Huashan Sect led thirty swordsmen to block the manor, demanding that you hand over the Gu King Token of Miss Zidie."

Before he finished speaking, the sound of metal clashing suddenly came from outside the village, and a rain of arrows swept across the eaves like locusts, smashing countless holes in the bluestone ground.

Shi Feiyang's glassy skin instantly glowed with a ghostly blue light. He wielded his bamboo staff, which transformed into a green light that enveloped everyone. He roared, "Perfect timing! I was just looking for someone to try out my new move—'A Pack of Dogs Fighting for an Arrow'!"

He used his Dog-Beating Stick Technique, and as the bamboo shadows danced, all the arrows were deflected back, and screams of agony echoed from outside the village.

With her hands forming a seal, Zi Die's hand summoned countless Gu worms that emerged from the ground and formed the totem of the Five Poisons Sect in the air.

Her voice was as cold as ice as she cursed, "If you want to take my life, you'll have to get past this 'Ten Thousand Gu Devouring Heaven Formation' first!"

Before the words were finished, purple smoke suddenly rose from the four directions: east, west, south, and north. It was Tang Clan's "Bewitching Powder".

"Not good!" Shi Feiyang exclaimed, circulating his Mingyu Gong, his body forming a vortex of icy blue true energy, frost flowers condensing on his glassy skin. He then warned, "This is aimed at our Shadow Tower's weakness!" He suddenly caught sight of Bai Jieru's swaying figure, and his pupils shrank—it turned out that the other party had known that Bai Jieru was pregnant and deliberately used a slow-acting poison to disrupt her pregnancy.

Ye Wumian swung his sword, cleaving aside the approaching swordsman. The jade beads on the sword tassel shattered in the rain. He shouted, "Son-in-law, quickly take Jieru through the secret passage! I'll hold them off here!" But just as his attack began, three dark figures swooped down from the roof like ghosts, their curved blades engraved with runes of the Western Regions Tantric sect.

They were none other than the "Three Blood Blade Fiends," the most skilled assassins in the martial arts world.

Shi Feiyang shielded Bai Jieru behind him and unleashed a powerful "Slaying the Mortal World" strike! The palm wind carried an overwhelming force, yet it emitted a piercing metallic scraping sound upon contact with the blood-stained blade. He then realized that the blade was coated with a cold iron poison that countered the Mingyu Gong technique; with each clash, a chilling sensation seeped into his meridians through the bamboo staff. Seeing this, Zi Die activated the Five Poisons Sect's lost forbidden technique, "Sacrificing Oneself to Feed the Gu," biting her fingertip. Her blood condensed into a talisman in the air, summoning the sleeping Gu King. As the Gu King appeared, a deafening shriek echoed throughout the heavens and earth.

It was crackling with lightning, and wherever it went, the poisonous fog of the Tang Clan was completely dispelled.

Shi Feiyang roared, "Old poisoners, now it's my turn to fight back!" He seized the opportunity to use the "Shifting Flowers and Jade" divine skill, diverting the attacks of the Blood Blade Trio towards the Huashan Sect's sword formation. In the chaos, he suddenly noticed a masked man standing at the enemy's formation's core, his command flag embroidered with the dual totems of the Five Poisons Sect and the Huashan Sect—it was none other than the long-lost Left Protector of the Five Poisons Sect!

Shi Feiyang suddenly realized and said, "So that's how it is!" He then activated the Mingyu Gong to the "Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotions: Ice Soul Cold Prison" level, his skin becoming almost transparent. He cursed, "You're playing the 'borrowing a path to destroy Guo' trick! You're pretending to win me over, but in reality, you're using me as a tool to kill me!"

He brandished his bamboo stick, unleashing the "Mad Dog Bites Monkey" technique, aiming straight for the masked man's throat. But the man was prepared, flicking out nine poisoned silver needles from his sleeve—the "Thousand Spider Poison Hand" of the Five Poisons Sect. Suddenly, a purple butterfly appeared in front of him, forming a purple barrier with its yin-yang butterfly swarm.

The silver needle pierced through the swarm of butterflies and into her shoulder, immediately oozing black blood.

"Don't worry about me!" she shouted, enduring the excruciating pain as she reminded Shi Feiyang. She swung her palms, activating the "Gu King's Decree," and the Gu King opened its massive maw, swallowing the masked man and the surrounding enemies whole. But at that moment, Bai Jieru suddenly screamed in agony, a sharp pain shooting through her abdomen—the enemy had used Gu worms to disrupt the fetus's life force. Shi Feiyang's eyes widened in fury, and he unleashed the ultimate move of the Hundred Victories Blade Technique, "Burning Heaven and Earth," a strike wreathed in raging flames.

His voice resounded through the sky as he roared, "Dare to touch my family? Even if it's the King of Hell himself, I'll trample his doorstep to pieces!"

Wherever the blade energy reached, the curved blades of the Blood Blade Trio shattered inch by inch, and the sword formation of the Huashan Sect was also torn open with huge gaps.

Taking advantage of the moment, Ye Wumian activated the mechanisms of the Shadow Tower, and countless arrows shot out from the shadows.

The enemy's formation was thrown into chaos, and the masked man, seeing the situation was not good, threw out a smoke grenade in an attempt to escape.

Shi Feiyang would not let these scoundrels get away. He used his "Leave No Trace for a Thousand Miles" lightness skill to chase after them and used his bamboo stick to strike them on the buttocks, knocking them to the ground.

When the mask was removed, it was revealed to be a disguised elder of the Huashan Sect.

I don't know when the rain stopped.

Shi Feiyang held the unconscious Zi Die in his arms, while Ye Wumian supported the weak Bai Jieru as they stood in front of the wrecked Dark Shadow Tower.

Shi Feiyang waved the captured command flag in his hand, a sly smile playing on his lips, and said in a low voice, "Father-in-law, it seems we need to upgrade the defenses of Shadow Tower again. Next time these guys come, I'll make them taste the bitterness of 'beating a dog without regard for its owner'!" Ye Wumian looked at the churning dark clouds on the horizon, sighed, and said, "Alas! The world is a long road, and this conflict has probably only just begun."

Bai Jieru, in his arms, gently held her husband's hand in her unconscious state, as if silently saying: No matter how dangerous the road ahead, we will face it together. During the rainy season, after comforting Ye Wumian and Bai Jieru, Shi Feiyang and Zi Die set up more traps and mechanisms for the Shadow Tower to prevent people from the martial arts world from attacking Bai Jieru again.

A few days later, Shi Feiyang heard that the "Mysterious Ice Marrow," which could cure all kinds of poisons, was hidden in the cold pool deep in Taihu Lake, so he took Zi Die and went there by boat.

To everyone's surprise, as soon as the boat reached the edge of the pool, Shi Feiyang discovered that the water had turned a strange bluish-black, and blood bubbles were constantly churning on the surface.

It turns out that some disciples who had defected from the Yihua Palace were practicing the evil art "Xuanming Hansha Gong" here, attempting to enhance their power with Xuanbing Marrow. They even used the cold pool as a sacrifice to raise "Hanchi Gu" whose bodies were covered with ice thorns.

Upon seeing this, Shi Feiyang mocked, "The color of this pool looks like ten jars of ink have been spilled!" He then brandished a bamboo stick and pulled out a homemade "water compass" from a deerskin bag—which was actually just a haphazardly pieced-together bamboo strips and magnets.

Unexpectedly, before he could finish speaking, dozens of icy dragon-like insects burst forth from the water, their icy spikes freezing the air into frost wherever they touched. Purple Butterfly immediately activated "Ten Thousand Butterflies Protect Their Master," forming a purple barrier with her swarm of yin and yang butterflies, only to be frozen into ice butterflies the instant they came into contact with the cold air.

Shi Feiyang activated his Mingyu Gong, his glassy skin glowing with blue light. He used "Transferring Flowers and Jade" to deflect the ice spikes with a flick of his palms, and shouted, "Madam, let's use 'Substituting Plum for Peach'!"

He took out hundreds of scarecrows he had smuggled from the market from a mysterious deerskin bag at his waist, coated them with a poisonous insect elixir, and threw them into the icy pool.

The Cold Dragon Gu was indeed attracted and began to devour the scarecrow.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shi Feiyang unleashed the "Slaying the Mortal World" technique with both palms. The scorching heat of the Hundred Victories Blade Technique shattered the ice layer on the surface of the cold pool. The two dived to the bottom of the pool, only to find that traitors from the Yihua Palace were using human blood to sacrifice to the Xuanbing Marrow.

Shi Feiyang roared, "You scoundrels! How could you be so inhuman? I'll wipe you out!" He gripped his green bamboo staff and used "Drowning Dog Beating" to knock the magical weapon from the traitor's hand. Zi Die then activated "Blood Gu Devouring Heart," causing the Gu worms inside the traitor's body to backfire.

During the fierce battle, the Xuanbing Marrow suddenly went berserk, and the icy pool began to collapse.

Shi Feiyang, holding Zi Die, used his unparalleled lightness skill, "Leaving No Trace for a Thousand Miles," to fly out of the icy pool. He then unleashed a palm strike, "Breaking Heaven and Earth," freezing the pool water solid! Just as they returned to the Shadow Tower, news suddenly spread from the depths of the Miao region's Hundred Thousand Mountains that the "Nine Netherworld Gu King" had awakened.

It is said that this Gu King can control all the Gu insects in the world, and once it is born, the world will surely be plunged into chaos.

Upon hearing this, Shi Feiyang and Zi Die decided to investigate. As soon as they entered Miao territory, they were stopped by local sorcerers who, bewitched by a mysterious force, firmly believed that awakening the Nine Netherworld Gu King would allow Miao to dominate the martial world. Shi Feiyang scoffed, "Brothers, if this Nine Netherworld Gu King awakens, all your Gu worms will become its underlings!"

He brandished a bamboo stick and pulled out a "cursing talisman" with a comical pattern drawn on it from a deerskin bag—in reality, it was just something he had drawn randomly himself.

The sorcerers, naturally, did not believe it and launched a barrage of Gu insect attacks.

Zi Die immediately countered with the "Gu King's Decree," but discovered that the opponent's Gu worms seemed to be empowered by some force and were out of control. Seeing this, Shi Feiyang suddenly remembered the brilliance of Zhuge Liang's "Empty City Stratagem." He swaggered into the Gu King's Tomb, humming a little tune.

The tomb was eerie and terrifying, with walls crawling with venomous centipedes and a central stone coffin emitting a ghostly green light.

The moment Shi Feiyang lifted the stone coffin lid with a bamboo stick, the Nine Nether Gu King burst forth from the ground—it was a gigantic human-faced Gu with eight eyes gleaming with an eerie light. "What an ugly old fellow!" Shi Feiyang scoffed, then activated the Bright Jade Skill, his skin becoming almost transparent. He unleashed "Burning Heaven and Earth" with both palms, the palm wind of the Hundred Victories Blade Technique carrying raging flames as it burned towards the eight-eyed human-faced Gu.

Zi Die then activated the forbidden technique "Sacrifice to Feed the Gu," using a portion of her own blood as a catalyst in an attempt to control the Gu King. However, it was all in vain.

However, Shi Feiyang discovered that the Gu King's weakness was in its heart. He seized the opportunity and used a bamboo stick to perform the "reverse stabbing of the dog's buttocks," piercing straight into the Gu King's heart.

With a scream, the Nine Nether Gu King collapsed and died.

Shi Feiyang proudly brandished his bamboo stick and teased, "See? Even the most powerful Gu King is afraid of my 'Rogue Dog-Beating Stick'!"

The mist in the vast mountains of Miao territory was as thick as ink. Shi Feiyang, hand in hand with Zi Die, continued their perilous journey. His bamboo stick parted the giant ferns blocking their path, and suddenly, through a gap in the leaves, he glimpsed half a skeleton—a skull adorned with the Five Poisons Sect's signature silver hairpin, clearly belonging to a Gu sorcerer who had died from a Gu worm's backlash. Shi Feiyang grinned and said, "Madam, there are more Gu worms here than steamed buns in Yangzhou!" He shook his deerskin bag, which contained a "Gu worm attractant" made from crumbs of osmanthus cake mixed with realgar wine, and teased, "Today, let's have a 'Miao version of Butcher Ding's Dissection of an Ox'!"

Before the words were even finished, the ground suddenly cracked open in a spiderweb pattern, and hundreds of palm-sized "Blood Jade Centipedes" burst forth from the earth, their exoskeletons gleaming an eerie blood-red in the moonlight. Zi Die waved her jade-like hand, and a "Golden-Spotted Swallowtail Butterfly" flew out of the glass beehive—this butterfly feeds exclusively on highly venomous centipedes, and its wings vibrate at a frequency only audible to venomous insects. Taking advantage of the moment, Shi Feiyang pulled out a rattle drum and shook it at the swarm, saying mockingly, "Come on, dance to the rhythm!" He even played a strange drumbeat to the tune of "Jasmine Flower," and the Blood Jade Centipedes' formation was indeed thrown into disarray.

The stone gate of the Gu King's Tomb suddenly opened, and what poured out was not a ghost, but thousands of "fluorescent butterfly Gu". The fluorescence on the wings of these butterflies was not ordinary phosphorus powder, but "Netherworld Guide" made by mixing Gu poison with the oil of living people.

Shi Feiyang activated his Mingyu Gong, causing his glassy skin to shimmer with icy blue patterns. Suddenly, he pulled out a kaleidoscope from his robes—its lenses were covered with paper cutouts of characters like Qin Qiong, Yuchi Gong, and Cheng Yaojin. He teased, "Look! A shadow puppet show of Qin Qiong selling his horse!"

The fluorescence was refracted by the lens into seven-colored light blades, and the butterfly-like creatures fell to the ground one after another.

Inside the tomb, twelve Miao holy maidens knelt around the stone coffin of the Nine Nether Gu King. Their bodies were entangled in living Gu worms, and they were watering the "Heart-Eating Vines" surrounding the coffin with their blood. Shi Feiyang recognized this as the lost "Twelve Soul-Sacrificing Array" of the Five Poisons Sect. He immediately unleashed the "Hungry Dog Blocking the Road" technique, his bamboo staff striking the vines like a giant tree. Zi Die then activated "Gu Queen's Voice Transmission," attempting to awaken the holy maidens' senses, shouting, "Sisters, you are controlled by Gu poison! Wake up!"

The coffin suddenly shook violently, and the Nine Nether Gu King broke out of the coffin.

The monster had a human face on top and a giant centipede on the bottom, with chains wrapped around each hand and skulls attached to the ends of the chains.

It opened its blood-red maw, spewing not venom, but countless "parasitic gu"—gu that could burrow into a martial artist's meridians and devour their internal energy.

Seeing this, Shi Feiyang pulled out a toilet plunger and scoffed, "Old poisoner, try my 'Enhanced Version of Shifting Flowers and Jade'!" He activated his Bright Jade Skill, his icy blue true energy forming a vortex that sucked all the parasitic Gu into the plunger, then hurled it at the Gu King. Taking advantage of the moment, Zi Die activated her "Heart-to-Heart Gu Pact," a unique combined attack technique she and Shi Feiyang had created after their marriage. The Yin-Yang Butterfly and the chilling energy of the Bright Jade Skill merged, forming a giant yin-yang fish pattern in the air.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shi Feiyang unleashed the "Severing Reincarnation" technique of the Hundred Victories Blade Technique. The blade energy, carrying icy true energy, cleaved down like an inverted Milky Way.

The Gu King let out a resentful roar, and the moment the chains broke, Shi Feiyang caught a glimpse of the cinnabar mark on its forehead—it was exactly the same as the one on the Purple Butterfly's forehead!
Zi Die exclaimed, "Wait! Its brow..." Shi Feiyang smiled slyly, picked up a strand of the Gu King's hair with a bamboo stick, and said with a grin, "Madam, do you want to acknowledge a relative? This ugly monster is not worthy of you!"

He suddenly snatched a bronze token from the Gu King's body, engraved with the twin totems of the Five Poisons Sect and the Yihua Palace, and exclaimed, "Look! This is the real treasure of our trip!" As the two left the Gu King's Tomb with the token, the stone coffin behind them slowly closed, and the twelve holy maidens gradually regained their senses. Shi Feiyang waved the token, winked at Zi Die, and teased, "Madam, this token might be worth ten jars of Daughter's Red wine! But before that..." He suddenly put his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, "How about I try some osmanthus wine from Miao territory first?" As they walked out of the Gu King's Tomb, countless fireflies formed a butterfly shape in the night sky of Miao territory, illuminating the path for the two chivalrous lovers.

They left Miao territory and returned to Shadow Tower, where they discovered that Purple Butterfly was also pregnant.

Helpless, Shi Feiyang had no choice but to leave Zi Die and Bai Jieru in the Shadow Tower and embark on his journey to find Yaoyue alone.

The crumbling walls of the old Jiangdu palace slept under the cold moon. Shi Feiyang squatted in the corner of the mottled beacon tower, a half-burnt sesame seed cake skewering on a green bamboo stick. Sparks fell from the edge of the cake, splashing eerie blue flames between the moss-covered bricks.

He gazed at the waning moon on the horizon, then suddenly slammed the sesame seed cake against the city wall, cursing, "What kind of bullshit treasure map is this? It made me eat coke for three days straight!" Before he finished speaking, two white shadows suddenly streaked across the sky, and a palm wind colder than frost and snow, carrying icicles, instantly shattered the copper bells on the eaves of the beacon tower into dust.

Shi Feiyang's pupils constricted sharply—that familiar Mingyu Gong icy blue true energy flowed like an inverted Milky Way under the moonlight, it was the ultimate technique of the Yihua Palace that he had been longing for day and night! "Shi—Fei—Yang!" The voice of the Palace Mistress of Yaoyue was wrapped in a thousand years of frost, her jade flute pointed directly at his throat, but just before it touched Shi Feiyang's throat, she instinctively pulled back, unable to bear killing Shi Feiyang at all.

As her moon-white wide sleeves fluttered, she shattered the falling ice shards, her cold and beautiful face gleaming like glass under the moonlight.

Palace Mistress Lianxing stood behind her, holding an embroidered handkerchief. Her pale pink skirt fluttered in the night breeze. Gazing at the familiar figure of the young man, her eyes instantly welled with tears. Shi Feiyang's bamboo stick clattered to the ground, and the sesame seed cake rolled into a crack between the bricks.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

The weariness of years of wandering the martial world, the countless brushes with death, all turned into a burning, bittersweet feeling that almost burst from his eyes. He staggered forward half a step, then suddenly stopped, and exclaimed excitedly, "Yaoyue, Lianxing, is it really you?"

The Moon Invitation Jade Flute swept across, the ice blades grazing his ear, the severed strands of hair freezing into ice crystals in the air. She scolded, "Stealing the Mingyu Skill, trespassing into forbidden territory, and stealing the Heavenly Silkworm Skill manual—how do you intend to repay these three crimes?"

Her tone was cold and hard, but the knuckles of her fingers gripping the jade flute were slightly white, betraying the turmoil in her heart. Shi Feiyang suddenly grinned, a smile more painful than tears, and said in a trembling voice, "Sister, you may kill me or torture me as you please, but..."

He paused, raised his sleeve to wipe the tears from his face, and choked out, "These past few years, I've searched all over the seven provinces of Jiangnan, just wanting to ask you face to face—have you... ever thought of me?" Palace Mistress Lianxing could no longer hold back and quickly stepped forward. Her trembling fingertips touched the young man's handsome face, and she said excitedly, "Chuntao, I've always thought of you!" Upon hearing this address, Shi Feiyang trembled violently.

After all these years, Lianxing still remembers his alias: Chuntao!

Her voice choked with sobs, and tears dripped onto the handsome young man's hand, burning his eyes. Seeing this, Palace Mistress Yaoyue snorted coldly. Shi Feiyang grinned and sidled over, but froze when he met Yaoyue's icy gaze.

As she turned around, the jade hairpin in her hair swayed slightly, and the moonlight reflected off her icy blue true energy, creating a cold halo. She said sternly, "Come back to the Yihua Palace with us." She paused, then lowered her voice to a whisper, and added, "From this day forward, your life is in my hands."

The Palace Mistress Lianxing secretly slipped him a packet of osmanthus cakes, saying softly, "Your favorite dessert!" Before she could finish speaking, the sound of orderly footsteps suddenly came from afar. Torches illuminated the night sky, and Li Yuanji's Imperial Guards surged in like a tide, the cold glint of their swords and spears making the three men's faces pale.

Shi Feiyang suddenly wrapped his arms around the slender waists of the two palace mistresses, his Mingyu Gong technique surging wildly beneath his fair skin. Looking at the worry in Lianxing's eyes and the cold resolve between Yaoyue's brows, he suddenly burst into laughter: "Good! Today, I'll take my two sisters to brave the dragon's den and tiger's lair once more!"

He used his unparalleled lightness skill, "Leaving No Trace for a Thousand Miles," to lift Yaoyue and Lianxing into the air. The three of them transformed into three afterimages, weaving through the rain of arrows like ghosts. Yaoyue's pretty face flushed, and she scolded, "You little rascal, where are you putting your hands!" But she didn't break free; instead, she nestled tightly in Shi Feiyang's arms.

Palace Mistress Lianxing shyly buried her face in Shi Feiyang's back, feeling the boy's frantic heartbeat. Above Yangzhou, the unique icy blue true energy of Yihua Palace and the torches of the Imperial Guards shone brightly, illuminating the figures of the three as they walked away.

The three returned to Yihua Palace, where Shi Feiyang had become the de facto master of the palace.

That day, on the cold jade bed in the Yihua Palace, Shi Feiyang, wrapped in a thick brocade quilt, watched as Palace Mistress Lianxing blew on the warm medicinal soup to cool it down spoonful by spoonful. He couldn't help but smile and exclaimed, "Sister, with such skills, you're wasting your talent as the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley. Why don't you become a cook?"

Before the words were even finished, a chill ran down my spine.

The Palace Mistress of Yaoyue appeared by the bedside at some point, her jade flute striking him heavily on the head as she scolded, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll throw you into the Pool of Heartbreak and turn you into a frozen fish." Though it was a punishment, every morning, Yaoyue would personally prepare the finest elixirs and watch Shi Feiyang take them.

Her face was cold, but her movements were exceptionally gentle.

Shi Feiyang pretended to have difficulty swallowing. Yaoyue hesitated for a moment, then held the medicine in her mouth and fed it to him. The tips of her ears turned red, which made Shi Feiyang stare in disbelief. When he came to his senses, Yaoyue hit him hard on the forehead with her jade flute and scolded, "What are you looking at? If you dare to act like a scoundrel again, I'll cut off your tongue and feed it to the fish!"

Palace Mistress Lianxing was more like the warm sun in spring. She would sneak into Shi Feiyang's room late at night, tuck him in, gently stroke his hair, and murmur, "Chuntao, the outside world must be very dangerous... If you get tired, stay in Yihua Palace forever, and your sisters will protect you."

Shi Feiyang pretended to be asleep, feeling the gentle hands and a warm feeling rising in his heart.

As time went on, Shi Feiyang also began to actively "provoke" the two palace masters.

That morning, while Yaoyue was practicing her martial arts, Shi Feiyang suddenly hugged her from behind, rubbing his cheek against her soft, long hair, and teased, "Cold and aloof Yaoyue, can't you smile? I've specially learned Yangzhou storytelling, I guarantee I'll make you laugh!" Yaoyue trembled with anger, but gradually, the corners of her mouth would unconsciously turn up slightly.

Shi Feiyang laughed and ran away, then took out some rouge and powder from his deerskin bag, which he didn't know where he had gotten them from, and clumsily did Lianxing's makeup, flattering her, "My Lianxing sister is so beautiful, it would be a waste if she didn't dress up!"

Lianxing blushed and let him fool around, her heart filled with sweetness as she looked at their reflections in the bronze mirror. Seeing that the two palace masters had calmed down, Shi Feiyang led them out of Yihua Palace and into the busiest market in Yangzhou.

He held Lianxing's hand in one hand and Yaoyue's arm in the other, weaving through the crowd.

Watching the two palace ladies curiously examining the trinkets on the street, he felt a sense of satisfaction he had never experienced before. When he bought Yaoyue an exquisite jade hairpin and Lianxing a string of sparkling pearls, the surprise and emotion in their eyes made him vow to protect this beautiful moment forever.

After returning to the Yihua Palace, the three became even closer.

At night, they would sit on the roof of the palace, gazing at the starry sky, listening to Shi Feiyang recount strange and interesting tales from the martial world. Yaoyue no longer always had a cold face, and would occasionally tease him with a smile; Lianxing leaned on his shoulder, quietly enjoying this warm time.

The morning mist in Yihua Palace had not yet dissipated when Shi Feiyang rubbed his eyes and pushed open the door, only to be met by a white figure carrying a faint fragrance.

The Palace Mistress Lianxing held a celadon medicine bowl, the pearl hairpin in her hair swaying gently. She spoke with a gentle, spring-like grace, "Chuntao, this is a refreshing soup I just brewed, with your favorite osmanthus honey." Before she finished speaking, Shi Feiyang suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek, teasingly saying, "Sister's cooking skills are a hundred times better than the chefs at Yihua Palace. Why don't we just book the entire imperial kitchen?"

"Again, you're being silly!" The voice of the Palace Mistress of Yaoyue came from the end of the corridor. She walked slowly with a jade flute in her hand, her icy blue true energy flowing in her skirt. However, when she saw Shi Feiyang's disheveled appearance, the tips of her ears turned slightly red.

She flicked her sleeve, and a cloak embroidered with dark patterns landed precisely on the boy's shoulder. She scolded him, "How can you be so sloppy?" While she was reprimanding him, her fingertips subtly straightened his collar.

In the afternoon training ground, Shi Feiyang deliberately feigned an opening, and Yaoyue's ice blade slashed his sleeve. "You brat, if you're so careless, you might as well go back to your room and embroider!" Yaoyue scolded Shi Feiyang before turning away with a cold face.

Shi Feiyang suddenly hugged her from behind, rested his chin on her shoulder, and said ingratiatingly, "Sister's ice skills are getting more and more amazing, but I want to see you smile even more." As he spoke, he took out a small bronze mirror, in which the two figures were reflected close together. Yaoyue panicked and hit him on the forehead with her jade flute, but the force was as light as a feather.

The Palace Mistress Lianxing, blushing, was fiddling with her handkerchief when Shi Feiyang suddenly pulled her into his arms: "I can't neglect my little sweetheart!" He magically pulled out a string of candied hawthorns from his deerskin bag, the sugar frosting on the hawthorns glistening in the sunlight.

Lianxing took a bite, and the sweetness filled her heart. When she looked up, she saw that Shi Feiyang had sugar stains on the corner of his mouth. As if possessed, she reached out to wipe them off for him. The moment their fingertips touched, they both blushed.

On the night of the full moon, the three sat on the eaves of the Star Gazing Pavilion.

Shi Feiyang lay in the middle, his head resting on Lianxing's lap and his feet on Yaoyue's knees. He said smugly, "I heard that the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl can only meet once a year." He shook the osmanthus wine pot in his hand and said contentedly, "We are much happier than them."

Yaoyue snorted coldly, but quietly covered him with the cloak again; Lianxing gently combed his hair and said softly, "As long as Chuntao is here, every day is a day of reunion."

Suddenly, an owl swept by, and Shi Feiyang sat up abruptly, holding a bamboo stick horizontally in front of his chest.

Yaoyue and Lianxing rose almost simultaneously to protect him on either side, their jade flutes and soft swords gleaming coldly.

Shi Feiyang said with a grin, "With these two sisters making such a show of force, are you trying to scare the Night Owl into a specimen?" He then pulled the two of them back to sit down and said mischievously, "With you two here, even if the King of Hell himself comes, I can still ask him for a bowl of Meng Po soup to drink as sweet water." This made Lianxing cover her mouth and chuckle, and Yaoyue couldn't help but smile.

Late at night, Shi Feiyang pretended to be asleep, but quietly opened his eyes. Moonlight shone through the window and he saw Lianxing sitting by the bed, carefully covering him with a blanket, her eyes full of heartache; while Yaoyue leaned against the door frame, playing with the bamboo whistle he had left behind, her expression so tender it could melt your heart.

At this moment, Shi Feiyang suddenly felt that even if he had to give up the world, he would not want to let go of these two burning feelings.

He gently pulled Lianxing into his arms, then beckoned Yaoyue over. The night breeze swept through the corridor, causing the palace lanterns to sway softly.

Shi Feiyang was sandwiched between the two palace masters. On his left was a hand warmer that Lianxing had given him, and on his right was a thick fur coat that Yaoyue had draped over him.

He gazed at the starry sky and suddenly said solemnly, "No matter what happens in the future, my life belongs to the Yihua Palace."

His response was a gentle embrace from Lianxing and a soft jade flute landing on his head from Yaoyue. (End of Chapter)