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

Shi Feiyang handed the sugar dragon to the little eunuch who had come over, the ice crystals on his fingertips still not completely melted.

His gaze swept over the shadows behind the procession, where three assassins from the Western Xia First-Class Hall were hidden, their wolf-head badges barely visible beneath their cotton robes—a secret message from the Beggars' Sect yesterday said that Western Xia intended to use the conflict between the New Party and the Old Party to assassinate Wang Anshi.

"Your Highness flatters me." He nodded slightly, his black hair falling over his eyes and obscuring his glassy eyes. As he turned around, he used the unparalleled lightness skill "Leaving No Trace for a Thousand Miles." Before the exclamations from the imperial carriage could even land, he had already disappeared under the eaves of the teahouse on the west side of the Rainbow Bridge.

The young eunuch trembled with fear, lost his footing, and collapsed to the ground. The sugar dragon he was holding floated into the air and landed steadily in Zhao Qingyi's outstretched palm. In a private room on the second floor of the teahouse, Shi Feiyang's fingertips tapped on the table, the rhythm being the Beggars' Sect's "Green Bamboo Token" code.

Li Hao's grandson, Li Tieniu, held a rough porcelain bowl, the ice-silkworm pattern on the bottom of which echoed Shi Feiyang's jade hairpin. He whispered, "Mr. Xiang, the Imperial City Guards ransacked Su Shi's residence last night, saying they found secret letters accusing him of colluding with the Liao Kingdom." He lowered his voice and reported, "The 'Ghost Claw Seven' of the Western Xia First-Class Hall has taken up residence at Xiangguo Temple, and their target is Wang Anshi, who will be attending the morning court tomorrow."

The sound of the imperial carriage bells, heralding the return of the emperor, drifted in from outside the window. Shi Feiyang watched as Zhao Qingyi's carriage turned the corner, the shadow of the sugar dragon reflected on the snow through the window like a small golden snake. Shi Feiyang casually said, "Tell the guest monk at Xiangguo Temple," and suddenly three icicles flicked from his fingertips, embedding them in the signboard of the restaurant across the street. He then instructed, "Tomorrow morning, use the 'Hundred Arhats Formation' to protect the Great Buddha Hall."

The chill on the icicles shimmered blue in the sunlight, a coded signal for the Sun Moon Cult's "Sacred Flame Token." Li Tieniu quickly bowed in response and departed.

……

As the morning bell of Xiangguo Temple rang at dawn, Shi Feiyang was already sitting on the crossbeam of the main hall, his dark robe blending seamlessly with the shadows of the pillars. Just as Wang Anshi's sedan chair arrived outside the mountain gate, seven dark figures leaped from the ice of the release pond. Ghost Claw Seven's iron claws, reeking of corpse oil, clawed at the sedan curtain, the barbs at their tips gleaming eerily blue in the lantern light—that was the Western Xia's "bone-rotting poison," deadly upon contact with blood.

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms came crashing down from the beam. The palm wind of "Flying Dragon in the Sky" carried the golden light of the rising sun and crashed into the iron claw. Ghost Claw Seven's right arm was so shocked that it bent backward, and the iron claw was deeply embedded in his shoulder blade.

As Shi Feiyang landed, the chilling aura of Mingyu Gong had already frozen the ankles of the other six assassins. Their figures, which were rushing towards him, slipped on the ice and crashed right into the arms of the Beggar Clan disciples who had rushed over.

"What superb skills!" Zhao Qingyi's voice came from among the worshippers. She had changed into a lake-blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), replaced her pearl hairpins with wooden hairpins, and was still holding half a melted sugar dragon in her hand. She teased, "Your palm technique has some of the style of the former Master Shi."

Shi Feiyang, with his back to her, coldly snorted and unleashed the "Shocking Calamity" divine skill. His gaze swept over the remaining members of the Ghost Claw gang who attempted to attack from the left and right flanks. The heads of those dozen or so men instantly shattered into ice shards, the fragments scattering onto the offering table in the main hall, mingling with the embers of incense and candles. Zhao Qingyi was utterly dumbfounded, feeling that Shi Feiyang had not used martial arts, but rather divine magic.

Shi Feiyang turned to the side and admonished, "The princess shouldn't come to a place like this."

His voice was as cold as the ice outside the palace. As he turned around, he lightly swung the "Regretful Dragon" move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, the force of which knocked down the icicles from the eaves and smashed them onto Ghost Claw Seven's crown. He then said sarcastically, "I'm afraid the bloodshed here will taint your eyes."

Wang Anshi stepped out of the sedan chair, his purple robe still covered in dust from the search of his home the previous night. Looking at the broken ice and corpses scattered on the ground, he cupped his hands to Shi Feiyang and said, "Thank you for saving me, brave man. But the calamity of factional strife is probably more difficult to guard against than the poisonous claws of the Western Xia."

His gaze fell on Shi Feiyang's jade hairpin, and he suddenly remembered seeing Shi Feiyang in Chang'an thirty years ago, with the same cascading black hair and icy eyes. Shi Feiyang remained silent and turned to leave.

Zhao Qingyi chased after him out of the main hall, stuffing half a piece of sugar dragon into Shi Feiyang's hand, and said very gently, "This is what you gave me yesterday; I kept half." The sugar melted in Shi Feiyang's palm, the sweet juice seeping into his lines, reminding him of the honey cake Qu Feiyan fed him on Blackwood Cliff years ago. "I know who you are," Zhao Qingyi said in a low voice, with the pride unique to a princess, teasingly, "You are the thousand-year-old demon Shi Feiyang, aren't you?"

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang flicked out a strand of ice silk from his fingertips, which wrapped around her hand that was about to touch the jade hairpin. He said coldly, "Princess, you have mistaken me for someone else." The silver silk of the Heavenly Silkworm Technique wrapped around her wrist three times, leaving a faint red mark. He then said indifferently, "I am Xiang Tiange, just a wanderer in the martial world."

As he turned around, he used his unparalleled lightness skill, "Leaving No Trace for a Thousand Miles," to drift away without even leaving a trace.

Zhao Qingyi looked up at the sky and only saw a fleeting shadow.

……

The Imperial City Guard's dungeon was located beneath Bianliang City. Bloodstains seeped from the damp stone walls, and behind each iron bar were imprisoned officials of the reform faction.

Shi Feiyang's dark robe was stained with mud, which he had gotten from crawling in through the secret passage—Li Tieniu had sent word that Lu Huiqing, a key figure in the New Party, was imprisoned in the deepest water dungeon and would be executed tomorrow on charges of "colluding with the enemy."

“Mr. Xiang, the ‘Eagle Beak Formation’ is just ahead,” Li Tieniu reported as he approached. His Po Feng Blade gleamed coldly in the darkness, and the blood groove on the blade still bore the dark red of the prison guards he had killed the night before.

Then, he added, "Zhang Kang, the commander of the Imperial City Guard, possesses the 'Heart-Splitting Palm,' which can shatter a person's internal organs from a distance. It is said that he practices the evil art of the Western Xia First-Class Hall." Shi Feiyang quietly activated his Mingyu Gong, his skin glowing jade-like in the torchlight. He drew the chill of the dungeon into his palm, condensing it into a three-inch-long ice cone. He then whispered his instructions, "You guard the exit," and shoved the ice cone into Li Tieniu's hand. "Half an hour later, I will bring Lord Lü out of here."

Before he finished speaking, he had already transformed into a black shadow. His mysterious movement technique, which "deeply concealed his identity and name," made the patrolling jailer feel a cold wind sweep past him, and his neck was already wrapped by the ice silk that Shi Feiyang had spat out when he used the Heavenly Silkworm Technique.

With a "crack," the head flew off.

Before the iron bars of the water dungeon, Zhang Kang's python robe trailed in the puddles, the blue aura from his palms mingling with the dampness of the dungeon to form an eerie green mist. Lü Huiqing's hair had turned white from being submerged, yet he continued to curse: "That hypocrite Wang Anshi, how dare you send your lackey to interrogate me!" His fingernails dug deeply into the stone wall, where the four bloody characters "The New Laws Will Not Die" were carved.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Kang, who was lying in ambush in the dungeon, roared angrily: "Xiang Tiange, you beggar, you are truly despicable. You beg for food and money all day long, yet you still dare to interfere with important matters of the court!"

His Heart-Splitting Palm suddenly struck the stone pillar on the left.

Amidst the flying stone chips, Shi Feiyang emerged from the shadows, his dark robe torn open by the force of Zhang Kang's palm strike. Shi Feiyang suddenly activated his Heavenly Silkworm Technique, a crystalline light swirling in his palm, his powerful internal energy glowing blue as he absorbed the ferocity of Zhang Kang's palm strike.

Immediately afterwards, Shi Feiyang snorted coldly: "The 'Blood River Secret Manual' of Xixia did not lie to me after all, you are really still alive." He then used the move "Regretful Dragon" from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. The fierce golden palm wind collided with Zhang Kang's green mist palm, and the water in the water prison suddenly boiled. Lü Huiqing's cage shook violently in the waves.

Shi Feiyang sneered again, "You think you can beat me just because you practiced evil arts?" His Mingyu Gong suddenly reversed, and Zhang Kang's poisonous green mist condensed into a dark green ice bead in the icy blue true energy. He mocked again, "Your unorthodox methods are not even worthy of carrying my shoes." Zhang Kang's seven henchmen pounced out from the shadows, their hook-and-sickle spears forming the shape of an eagle's beak, the barbs at the spear tips flashing with poison, and attacked Shi Feiyang in unison.

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang unleashed his "Transferring Flowers and Jade" divine skill, causing the hooked spears to pierce his companions' throats instead of their own. Blood sprayed onto the iron bars of the water prison, resembling a string of red flowers. Immediately afterward, Shi Feiyang used his "Emperor's Heavenly Thunder" divine skill, crushing the green mist ice beads. The ice shards suddenly transformed into thunderbolts, shattering Zhang Kang's python robe into pieces, revealing a breastplate engraved with the wolf's head pattern of the Western Xia dynasty.

Then, Shi Feiyang unleashed the "Evil Blood Calamity" divine skill! His fingertip traced across Zhang Kang's brow, and the other man suddenly let out a pig-like scream. Black blood gushed from all seven orifices at the same time, and his body shriveled up at a visible speed, eventually shrinking into a dried-up corpse the size of a monkey, floating and sinking in the puddles.

Lu Huiqing stared in disbelief from inside the cage, suddenly recalling Shi Feiyang, whom she had met in Chang'an when she was young. He too could take lives with a wave of his hand, yet he possessed an inexplicable righteousness. As Shi Feiyang cleaved open the iron bars, the sound of bells came from the dungeon entrance—Zhao Qingyi had arrived with the Imperial Guards. The gold threads on her phoenix robes wove a net in the torchlight, illuminating the entire water dungeon as if it were daytime.

She said coldly, "Xiang Tiange, you can't escape." Her voice was no longer gentle, because she held the imperial edict in her hand, and the three words "execution on the spot" on the yellow silk were particularly glaring. Then, she threatened, "Either come back with me to see Father Emperor, or I will have the Imperial Guards fire arrows." However, there was a hint of tears in her beautiful eyes, and it was clear that she was reluctant to shoot Shi Feiyang.

Shi Feiyang's dark robe fluttered in the wind. He looked at Lü Huiqing's terrified face, then at Zhao Qingyi's tearful eyes, and chuckled, "Does the princess know that what I hate most is being threatened?"

He suddenly struck the stone wall above his head with his Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, unleashing the move "Benefiting the Great River"!
A powerful palm strike, carrying shards of stone, hurtled towards the Imperial Guards. He had already scooped up Lü Huiqing and, using the wondrous technique of "leaving without a trace," vanished into the secret passage, leaving only a cold remark echoing in the empty water prison: "Tell Zhao Xu that if the new laws are to be implemented, first execute the henchmen of the Imperial City Guard. Xiang Tiange doesn't care about old grudges; he only wishes that the Central Plains will not be invaded by Liao and Xia!"

Zhao Qingyi swung her sword, slashing away the rubble and scattering the dust with her palm. She scolded, "You have guts! If you want to come back with me to see Father Emperor, I'll just kill you on the way. Xiang Tiange, the next time I see you, I'll lock you in a birdcage for my amusement!"

At the end of the secret passage in Bianliang City, morning dew dripped down the bloodstains on the rock wall, spreading dark patterns on Shi Feiyang's black robe.

Lu Huiqing's official boots were worn out, and he slumped down in the pile of withered grass at the exit. Looking at the man with cascading black hair in front of him, he suddenly remembered seeing Shi Feiyang's silver hair gleaming like frost in the sunlight on the lecture platform at the Imperial Academy in Chang'an thirty years ago—now, the same kind of icy sharpness was hidden in the eyes of this "Singing to the Sky".

After hearing Shi Feiyang's introduction about going to Yongle City, Lü Huiqing kindly advised, "Mr. Xiang, going to Yongle City is likely to be a matter of life and death." He picked at the blood scabs in the cracks of the stone, which were the blood of the prison guards of the Imperial City last night, and said heavily, "The Iron Falcon Cavalry of Western Xia is even feared by the Pishi Army of Liao."

Shi Feiyang's fingertips tapped lightly on the rock face, the rhythm being the secret signal for the Beggars' Sect's "Transmission of Skills." Three miles away on the official road, Li Tieniu's green bamboo staff had already gathered two hundred Beggars' Sect disciples, the copper bells at the tips of the bamboo ringing softly in the morning mist, echoing the sacred fire whistles of the Sun Moon Divine Sect followers.

Shi Feiyang didn't answer Lü Huiqing's question. Instead, he said, "Lord Lü, you only need to head north." He suddenly turned around, his black hair brushing against Lü Huiqing's face, carrying the chilling aura unique to Mingyu Kung Fu. He added with concern, "The Beggars' Sect's 'Green Bamboo Darts' will protect you. Once you reach Dingzhou, someone will meet you." Lü Huiqing gratefully said, "Thank you, Mr. Xiang, for thinking so thoughtfully of me!" He clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed, then turned and followed the Beggars' Sect disciples. Outside the secret passage, the sound of hooves echoed again. The Sacred Flame Token of Qu Cheng, an elder of the Sun Moon Sect, glowed red in the morning sun. As he dismounted, the lotus pattern on his black sect robe was damp with dew. He reported, "Sect Leader, the Western Xia's outposts have passed Suide City. General Zhong E's vanguard battalion is likely unable to hold out." He suddenly noticed the sword mark on Shi Feiyang's robe, the one Zhao Qingyi had made last night when she swung her sword to cut through the rubble. He asked again, "Hasn't the Imperial City Guard come after us?"

Shi Feiyang's fingertips traced the sword mark, and as his true energy circulated, the crack closed on its own, leaving only a pale golden mark. He said calmly, "Zhao Qingyi's sword isn't sharp enough to shatter the 'Shifting Flowers and Jade' technique." Suddenly, he raised his hand, and the silver threads of his Heavenly Silkworm Technique shot like lightning towards the locust tree at the entrance of the secret passage, entangled three eavesdropping crows—the crow feathers instantly froze, falling to the feet of a Beggar Clan disciple and shattering into ice shards.

Li Tieniu rushed over carrying two Pofeng knives, the blood grooves on his bamboo cane still congealed with dark red. He whispered, "Mr. Xiang, the brothers are all ready! The Sun Moon Sect's 'Holy Fire Team' has set up an ambush on the west side of the official road, waiting for the Western Xia's grain convoy."

He lowered his voice and said, "Elder Qu said that Liang Yimai, the prime minister of the Western Xia Kingdom, personally led the main force of the Iron Falcons, claiming that he would brew wine with the skulls of Song people on the city tower of Yongle City."

As Shi Feiyang mounted his horse, his dark robes billowed in the morning breeze like the wings of an eagle. Gazing at the crimson dawn on the western horizon, he chuckled, "Tell Liang Yimai that I have a jar of thirty-year-old Xifeng wine here, and I'm just missing the skull of a prime minister from the Western Xia Kingdom to serve as a wine vessel." With that, he leaped onto his horse and rode away.

On the loess road, Shi Feiyang's steed, Snow-Treading Black Steed, galloped with all four hooves, the ice beads on its mane swirling into mist in the strong wind. Behind him, the bamboo staffs of the Beggars' Sect disciples formed a long green dragon, the Sacred Flame Token of the Sun Moon Sect fluttered in the wind, and a torrent of red and green swept over the corpses of the Western Xia cavalry, leaving strings of blood beads that froze into ice in the ruts.

Qu Cheng's sacred torch suddenly pointed to the earthen slope on the left, where the reeds swayed without wind, revealing the wolf-head helmets of the Western Xia scouts. He shouted, "It's the outpost of the Iron Falcons!" After shouting, he unleashed the "Burning Heaven Palm," striking out three lines of fire that turned the bushes on the earthen slope into a sea of ​​flames. More than ten Western Xia cavalrymen rushed out of the fire, the barbs on their iron spears wrapped with burning hemp cloth, like demons crawling out of hell.

Shi Feiyang unleashed his Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms technique, "Dragon Appearing in the Field," the palm strike carrying sand and ice particles that sent the leading cavalryman and his horse flying. The cavalryman's helmet flew off, revealing a face frozen bluish-purple by the Mingyu Kung Fu, white steam rising from his throat as if he had just been dragged from an ice cellar. Shi Feiyang then said, "Li Tieniu," without turning his head, his black robe sweeping across the withered bones by the roadside, and instructed, "Use the 'Dog-Beating Formation' to protect the flanks, don't let them flank and attack from behind."

Li Tieniu's bamboo staff troops suddenly formed a large circular formation, with the bamboo tips tilting outwards to create an impenetrable barrier. The iron spears of the Western Xia cavalry, which struck the bamboo staffs, were deflected by the force of the staffs' rotation and instead pierced the throats of their comrades.

Blood splattered on the bamboo joints, flowing along the engravings of the "Green Bamboo Token," gleaming with an eerie red light in the sunlight. Qu Cheng brandished the Sacred Flame Token, streaks of red light cleaving through the oncoming rain of arrows. He then approached Shi Feiyang, his eyes filled with doubt as he inquired, "Master, there is something I do not understand. We have a blood feud with the Song Dynasty for the murder of their emperor, so why must we guard Yongle City for them?"

Shi Feiyang's horse trampled over the corpse of a Western Xia soldier, whose chest cavity had been shattered by the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, ribs protruding outwards like broken tree branches. He suddenly pulled on the reins, and the black horse's forelegs kicked into the air, shattering the skull of a nearby cavalryman. He turned his head and said, "Do you know that beneath Yongle City lies the granary of the Tang Dynasty?" His glassy eyes gleamed in the setting sun, and he said profoundly, "If the Western Xia occupies this place, they can march straight to Chang'an next year; if we hold this place, it will be our springboard to reclaim Guanzhong in the future."

Li Tieniu's bamboo staff struck the ground three times, the sound of the copper bell at the top startling a flock of vultures. They blurted out, "Mr. Xiang means that once we weaken Western Xia, we'll..."

He suddenly stopped talking, looking at the icy mist that was gathering in Shi Feiyang's palm, where the phantom of Chang'an City Tower was reflected—that was the memory reflected by the true qi of Mingyu Gong, the obsession that Shi Feiyang had kept hidden in his heart for decades.

In the setting sun, the city tower of Yongle City looked like half a piece of charred wood. The arrowheads on the crenellations were covered with the remains of Song soldiers. The flags guarding the city were soaked in blood, and the top part of the character "Song" had been smashed by the maces of the Western Xia soldiers.

As Shi Feiyang's black steed, Ta Xue Wu Zhui, charged across the drawbridge, he witnessed three Iron Falcon cavalrymen wrapping the intestines of Song soldiers around the tips of their spears, grinning maliciously as they flung them down from the city walls. Enraged, Shi Feiyang leaped into the air, striking down with a devastating "Flying Dragon in the Sky" technique! The golden light of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms cascaded down like a waterfall. "Crack!" The cavalrymen's helmets and skulls shattered into pieces by the force of the palm strike, their brains splattering onto the plaque of the city gate tower, mixing with the gold paint of the characters "Yongle" to create a grotesque ink-splashed painting.

Shi Feiyang leaped onto the city wall, his dark robe sweeping across the blood-stained ice on the crenellations. The congealed blood droplets suddenly transformed into icicles, shooting towards the Western Xia soldiers climbing the ladders. "It's Master Xiang!" The surviving Song soldiers cried out in hoarse cheers. Their armor was tattered, yet they still formed a human wall, holding their broken spears. Zhong E's deputy, Wang Zhongzheng, had been struck in the abdomen by three arrows, his intestines dragging on the ground, yet he clung tightly to the leg of a Western Xia soldier, biting off his artery, and struggled to say, "Quickly, hold the west wall! The main force of the Iron Falcons is over there!"

Suddenly, Qu Cheng's Sacred Flame Token erupted with a crimson flame three zhang high. The followers of the Sun Moon Cult surged onto the west city wall like a tidal wave, the lotus patterns on their robes seemingly coming to life in the blood-red light. A follower, pierced through the chest by an iron hawk's spear, ignited a kerosene canister at his waist before falling. The hot oil spilled onto the cavalryman's armor, setting it ablaze. Man and horse screamed in agony amidst the flames, like two rolling fireballs.

When Shi Feiyang's Mingyu Gong was pushed to its limit, his skin became as transparent as an ice sculpture.

Standing atop the highest point of the city wall, the vortex of his palm drew in all the Western Xia soldiers within a ten-zhang radius. The Iron Falcon cavalry were frozen solid in mid-air, plummeting into the Western Xia ranks below, scattering ice shards and bone fragments, creating a breach in the defenses. Then, he unleashed his "Heavenly Silkworm Technique!" Silver threads flicked from his fingertips, forming a spiderweb that enveloped the Western Xia general at the breach. The instant the threads pierced his skin, black blood gushed from the general's seven orifices, the muffled thud of his internal organs being crushed ringing out clearly amidst the battle cries.

Liang Yimai shouted angrily from afar, "Shi Feiyang! You coward, do you dare to fight me? Don't think that just because you changed your name, I won't recognize you!" His spiked club smashed a deep pit under the city wall, and the head of a Song soldier wrapped in the club suddenly opened his eyes, as if he was still wailing.

His Iron Falcon cavalry formed a wedge formation, the sound of their armor clashing so loudly that even the cracks in the city walls were crumbling. He roared, "Back then you destroyed my master's Five Elemental Pearls, today I'll use your bones to sharpen my mace!"

Shi Feiyang's dark robe fluttered in the wind. Looking at the densely packed Western Xia soldiers below the city, he instructed Li Tieniu, "Have the brothers move the gunpowder barrels to the east city wall." He then used a move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, "Wild Goose Approaching the Land," and struck the pillar of the city tower with his palm, causing the entire city tower to tilt to the west.

He roared righteously, "Tell Wang Zhongzheng to lead the Song soldiers to retreat through the secret passage. Leave this place to us." As dusk fell, a deafening roar suddenly resounded from the eastern city wall of Yongle City.

Shi Feiyang unleashed a move called "Benefiting the Great River," a fierce palm strike that cleaved the fuse of the gunpowder barrel, sending flames soaring into the sky and blasting the Iron Falcon cavalry of the Western Xia into a frenzy.

He stood on the broken wall of the west city wall, the icy mist of Mingyu Gong and the crimson flames of the Sacred Flame Token intertwining in his palm, forming a red and blue aura, like a strange star hanging between heaven and earth.

Liang Yimai's spiked club, dripping with kerosene, slashed down, the blood leeches on the club swelling in the flames until they were as thick as an arm.

Shi Feiyang suddenly activated his "Transferring Flowers and Jade" divine skill, and his spiked club suddenly turned and slammed heavily onto Liang Yimai's shoulder. The crisp sound of his shoulder blade breaking mixed with the sound of explosion, which was particularly jarring.

"You think you can defeat me with such tricks?" Blood gushed from the corner of Liang Yi's mouth, dripping onto the wolf-head talisman on his chest, but he grinned maliciously, "The 'Blood River Formation' of my Western Xia has been set up outside the city. Tonight, we will turn Yongle City into a hell!"

Shi Feiyang's Heavenly Silkworm Technique suddenly caused the silver threads to swell, wrapping around Liang Yimai's throat. The icy true energy on the silver threads traveled along his blood vessels, and his face turned purplish-blue at a visible speed, his eyeballs bulging like copper bells.

"The Blood River Formation?" Shi Feiyang chuckled, his black hair falling in front of his eyes to cover the redness in them. "I broke Nakasin's Blood River Formation decades ago. Do you think your petty tricks are worthy of showing off in front of me?"

The silver threads tightened abruptly, and Liang Yi's head, covered in ice shards, rolled down the city wall. The blood spurting from the wound on his neck froze into blood ice in mid-air.

The screams of the Western Xia soldiers erupted below the city walls, throwing the Iron Falcon cavalry into disarray. They were torn into pieces by the Beggars' Sect's green bamboo staff and the Sun Moon Sect's sacred fire token. The sounds of fighting and wailing echoed through the valley, drowning out the sound of the wind.

Li Tieniu's swift blade severed the wrist of the last Western Xia soldier who had climbed the city wall. The severed hand twitched in the snow, the fingers still gripping the blade. "Mr. Xiang, the gunpowder is almost gone!" His left arm was pierced by a lance, bone fragments protruding from the wound, yet he still held his blade to protect Shi Feiyang's flank, and respectfully reported, "The brothers have buried bamboo stakes below the city as you instructed, and many of the Iron Falcons' horses have had their legs broken!" Shi Feiyang looked at the gradually thinning torches outside the city and knew that the main force of Western Xia had been decimated.

He condensed the icy mist of Mingyu Gong in his palm, freezing the broken spears on the city wall into ice spears. When he threw them with a backhand, the spear tips pierced the chests of thirteen Western Xia soldiers, pinning them to a distant earthen slope. Their corpses swayed in the wind like a string of tattered scarecrows.

At dawn, amidst the ruins of Yongle City, Shi Feiyang's dark robe fluttered in the cold wind. He stood atop the highest crenellation, gazing in the direction of the fleeing Western Xia soldiers. The lingering power of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms still flowed through his palms, intertwining with the icy chill of the Mingyu Skill to form a faint white mist.

Qu Cheng's sacred torch was stuck in a broken pillar beside him, the handle wrapped with the intestines of a Western Xia soldier, gleaming dark red in the morning light. He counted the corpses below the city wall; the armor of the Iron Falcons was piled up like a small mountain, with maces and lances scattered among them, like a graveyard of steel.

Then he reported: "Master, we lost eighty brothers in this battle, and the Beggars' Sect's bamboo darts are almost used up."

Li Tieniu used a bamboo staff to lift Liang Yimai's head. The eyes on the head were still wide open, as if gazing in terror at the city that had swallowed him. He also reported, "Mr. Xiang, the remnants of the Song soldiers have gathered at the exit of the secret passage. General Wang Zhongzheng said he would build a shrine for us."

He suddenly pointed to the eastern horizon, where a cloud resembled a dragon, and said with emotion, "Look at that cloud, doesn't it look like the dragon flag of the Tang Dynasty?" Shi Feiyang's fingertips brushed across the brick seams of the city tower, where the "Yonghui" reign title, carved by the Tang Dynasty craftsmen, was still visible.

He didn't say anything, silently turned around, and went to find a place to rest.

In the afternoon, Western Xia reinforcements arrived and re-surrounded Yongle City.

As the setting sun dyed the city walls blood-red, Shi Feiyang arrived upon hearing the news, his dark robe instantly soaked with the blood of the Western Xia soldiers.

He stood behind the arrow emplacements on the city wall and unleashed the "Dragon Fights in the Wild" move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, striking down the fifth Western Xia general. The yellow sand stirred up by his palm strike was mixed with ice particles frozen by the Mingyu Kung Fu.

Li Tieniu's Beggars' Sect disciples were forming a defensive line with green bamboo staffs, protecting the remaining Song soldiers in the middle. Blood droplets from the bamboo staffs dripped onto the cracked earth, instantly freezing into blood ice.

"Mr. Xiang, the Western Xia's 'Iron Falcon' cavalry are charging over!" Li Tieniu's left arm was pierced by a stray arrow, but he still held up his Pofeng Blade to cut down the ladders climbing up the city wall. He walked to Shi Feiyang's side and reported, "The Song generals are basically dead. We must hold this last section of the city wall!"

Shi Feiyang gazed at the dark mass of Western Xia cavalry below the city. Their iron hawk armor gleamed coldly in the setting sun. Leading them was none other than Liang Chengguang, the disciple of Nakasin and now the Prime Minister of the Xia Kingdom, Liang Yimai.

His spiked club, wrapped with the intestines of Song soldiers, swung in the wind, making a nauseating sound. Liang Chengguang roared, "Shi Feiyang, do you think you can survive by hiding in the Song people's city?"

He suddenly raised his spiked club and roared, "Today I will use your head to appease the spirit of my father in heaven!"

Zhao Qingyi appeared inside the city wall. She had changed into Song army armor, but still wore the wooden hairpin. The long sword in her hand gleamed in the setting sun. She said jokingly, "I stole the military tally from Bianliang and brought five thousand imperial guards to support us! We fought our way in from outside the north gate. However, once we entered Yongle City, I didn't have many soldiers left."

Three arrows struck her armor, yet she smiled brightly and said gently, "Xiang Tiange, I said I would help you." Shi Feiyang laughed and said, "You're coming to help me? Yongle City is Song City! Not Tang City! Haha!"

After laughing, he turned around and used the "Shocking Calamity" divine skill. His gaze swept over the hundred Iron Falcons charging at the forefront. The cavalrymen and their horses suddenly exploded into ice shards, and the fragments splashed into the Western Xia army formation below the city, causing waves of panic.

He lectured her, "The princess shouldn't be here. War keeps women away!" Suddenly he turned around, reached out and grabbed her wrist, channeling the true energy of Mingyu Gong into her body to force out the poison from the arrow wound.

Then, Shi Feiyang added, "The bloodshed here is even greater than that of the Imperial City Guard."

Zhao Qingyi felt a warmth in her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes, making her choke up and unable to speak.

At this moment, Liang Chengguang's spiked club suddenly attacked with black energy, and the blood leeches wrapped around the club writhed in the sunlight, emitting hissing sounds.

He roared, "Stone bandit, prepare to die!" Shi Feiyang slightly shifted his body, and with one hand, he used the "Shifting Flowers and Jade" divine skill to guide the spiked club towards the arrow tower next to him. The tower collapsed with a crash.

Immediately afterward, Shi Feiyang activated his "Heavenly Silkworm Skill," a crystalline light swirling in his palm. Powerful internal energy formed silver silkworm threads that shot out like a torrential rain, piercing straight into Liang Chengguang's seven orifices. Liang Chengguang's screams echoed in the dust and smoke. His body was riddled with holes, blood gushing out. His body gradually withered, eventually shrinking into a monkey-like dried corpse, exactly like Ghost Claw Seven from years ago.

Upon seeing their commander dead, the remaining Western Xia soldiers crumbled in disarray. Shi Feiyang unleashed the "Flying Dragon in the Sky" move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, the palm wind carrying yellow sand and ice particles, sweeping down a swathe of fleeing cavalry.

Zhao Qingyi's longsword was not idle either; each strike aimed at the enemy's throat, and drops of blood splattered on her armor like blooming red plum blossoms.

As dusk fell, the ruins of Yongle City gleamed white in the moonlight.

Shi Feiyang sat on the ruins of the city tower. Zhao Qingyi was clumsily but earnestly picking at the blood scabs on his robe with a dagger. She asked in a low voice, "Who exactly are you?" The shadow of her wooden hairpin fell on Shi Feiyang's black hair. She said teasingly, "Your martial arts have the shadow of Shi Feiyang and the shadow of Qiao Feng, but they are neither."

Shi Feiyang gazed in the distance in the direction where the Western Xia troops had retreated, where bonfires flickered in the darkness like dying stars.

He said calmly, “I am Xiang Tiange,” his fingertips brushing against her wooden hairpin, and then explained, “A passerby who keeps the old covenant.”

The words "Old Testament" were spoken lightly, yet they reminded Zhao Qingyi of the sugar dragon in Bianliang, the water prison of the Imperial City Guard, and the warmth of his palm at this moment—a warmth that even Ming Yugong could not freeze.

Shi Feiyang released Zhao Qingyi's hand, turned around and looked down at the city. He suddenly remembered the Sacred Fire Hall of Blackwood Cliff, where Qu Feiyan had once told him, "No matter how far the road of the martial world goes, it is never as far as the homeland."

So he deliberately said to Li Tieniu, "Tell the Song general that we are guarding the underground granary in Yongle City for the Song people, but in the future, it will be returned to its rightful owner." After saying that, he used his peerless lightness skill, "Leaving No Trace for a Thousand Miles," his black robe sweeping across the blood-stained ice on the ground, and his clear voice came from the sky: "Have the brothers pack their things, we're going to Suide City, there are still some Western Xia cavalry there that haven't been cleared out."

Beneath the ruins, Beggar Clan disciples and Sun Moon Cult members helped each other clear the battlefield. Green bamboo staffs and Sacred Flame Tokens intertwined, reflecting red and green light in the morning glow. Shi Feiyang's figure gradually disappeared on the official road leading to Suide City. His dark robes billowed in the wind, like a lone eagle soaring across the wasteland, drops of blood from his wingtips falling and blooming into red plum blossoms on the yellow earth.

In the distance, the rising sun leaped from the clouds, bathing the ruins of Yongle City in gold. Meanwhile, the rammed earth walls of Suide City glowed a dark red in the twilight. Shi Feiyang's black robe swept across the blood-red ice on the battlements, the ice crystals turning into mist in his palm—a unique sign of the Mingyu Gong being activated. His skin became as transparent as jade, and the true energy flowing through his meridians reflected the setting sun, shimmering with a faint golden-blue hue.

"Master, the Western Xia cavalry have formed ranks at the East Gate!" Li Tieniu ran up breathlessly to report, his bamboo staff leaving three deep marks on the broken wall, the sound of the copper bell on the staff being drowned out by the sound of horses' hooves below the city tower.

His left arm was wrapped in the sacred fire bandage of the Sun Moon Sect, and the blood seeping out condensed into blood beads in the wind. He said urgently, "The brothers only have three boxes of green bamboo darts left. Elder Qu is leading the Sacred Fire Team in the alleyway battle in West Street. I'm afraid they can't hold on."

Shi Feiyang said in a deep voice, "The greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people! Elder Li, I know you're reluctant to go all out because this is Song territory. But it will become our territory sooner or later. So, you still have to go all out. Let's fight!"

Having said that, his gaze swept over the Western Xia army formation below the city, where the wolf-headed banners of the scouts fluttered in the setting sun.

The leading general held a three-pointed double-edged sword, his armor adorned with the heads of seven Song soldiers, and the red silk wrapped around his hair was soaked in blood, swaying in the wind like a viper's forked tongue. After observing for a while, Shi Feiyang said again, "It's the 'Ghost Head General' of Western Xia, Mecang Epang," his black hair falling in front of his eyes, obscuring his glassy eyes, and he chuckled, "Back when Nakasin taught him the 'Blood River Whip,' he was just a horse-leading servant."

The clang of metal clashing rang out from the east of the city. Zhao Qingyi's phoenix banner suddenly appeared at the alley entrance, the armor of the imperial guards gleaming amidst the ruins. She had changed into a suit of silver-scaled soft armor, and a long sword inlaid with jewels hung at her waist—the very "Sword of Pacifying the Song Dynasty" bestowed upon Zhao Zhen by Emperor Zhenzong of Song. She actually issued a command to Shi Feiyang, her pretty face cold as she said, "Xiang Tiange, my imperial guards aren't here to collect your corpses!"

Her sword tip was poised at the throat of a Western Xia cavalryman; the blood droplets splattered as her riding boots trampled the pool of blood, shimmering like scattered rubies in the sunlight. Shi Feiyang naturally wouldn't hold it against her, but the feeling of coming here to kill Western Xia soldiers was exhilarating.

So he unleashed the "Dragon Appears in the Field" move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, the palm wind carrying fragments of the city wall towards the core of Meizang Epang's formation. Thirty-three Western Xia cavalrymen, along with their horses, were sent flying, crashing into the wolf-headed banner behind them.

With a sharp crack as the flagpole snapped, Mo Zang E Pang's three-pointed, double-edged sword swept down, carrying a stench. The head of a Song soldier, entangled in the blade, suddenly opened its eyes, as if still howling in agony. Shi Feiyang quipped, "The princess's sword is indeed sharper than the Imperial City Guard's hounds." Suddenly, he used the "Shifting Flowers and Jade" divine skill to deflect the blade, causing Mo Zang E Pang's attack to miss and strike his own horse's forelegs. The warhorse reared up in pain, neighing in agony.

Taking advantage of the moment, Shi Feiyang unleashed "Wild Goose Approaching the Land," his palm strike carrying the chilling energy of Mingyu Gong, freezing dozens of enemy soldiers nearby into ice blocks that shattered into countless ice shards upon impact. Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song Sword traced three silver arcs, its wind colliding with Shi Feiyang's palm strike, creating a small whirlwind in mid-air that whipped up drops of blood and broken arrows from the ground.

She scolded, "Stop with your sharp tongue!" The tip of her sword deflected the spiked club thrown by Mo Cang E Pang. Her pale yellow palace dress beneath her soft armor was soaked with blood. She then explained, "If I, this princess, wanted to take your life, I would have done so last night in Yongle City." (End of Chapter)