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

Chapter 497. The Dragon Subduing Palm Shakes the Dust of the Nine Borders; Plain Robes and Frosty Blades Share the Martial World.
The snow at Yanmen Pass melted and froze again, and icicles hung from the roof ornaments of the gate tower, tinkling in the wind like the wails of wounded soldiers.

Shi Feiyang's black dragon robe brushed against Zhao Qingyi's phoenix carriage, and the ice silkworm jade struck the breastplate on her black armor, producing a sound like shattered jade.

The scar on half of her cheek had faded to pink, a result of Ling Shuanghua applying the Nine Yang Skill combined with Snow Lotus Ointment for seven days. However, the red silk tassel of the Ding Song Sword was still wrapped tightly around his dragon robe and jade belt, not loosening even slightly.

Zhao Qingyi's phoenix eyes were filled with tears, and her hand under the black armor tightly gripped his sleeve. She said with fear and trepidation, "Feiyang, the journey to Youzhou is fraught with danger. I... although the Imperial Guards only have three thousand left, Qingyi is willing to fight to the death with you."

Shi Feiyang's fingertips brushed across her scars, and the Mingyu Gong flowed into her meridians, forcing out the last trace of bone-corroding poison. He said softly, "I left you to guard Yanmen not because I don't trust your swordsmanship. After I recover Youyun, I will draw your eyebrows on the city wall of Youzhou."

Ling Shuanghua's plain white robe fluttered outside the tent. Emei Thorn held a medicine box, the silver needles inside still gleaming coldly. Previously, in order to break the Tubo Blood River Formation, she had forcibly reversed the Nine Yang Skill, and three of her meridians had been severed. Now, with every step she took, her throat tasted of blood and sweetness.

She placed the antidote for the Ice Heart Mantra into Shi Feiyang's palm, her fingertips touching his skin before she suddenly withdrew her hand, saying with concern, "This medicine can cure all poisons. If you encounter the Dali Duan family's 'One-Finger Divine Skill,' you'll need..."

Shi Feiyang grasped Ling Shuanghua's wrist, and the true energy of Mingyu Gong flowed through her meridians, calming down some of the rampant malevolent energy of Jiuyang Gong within her body. He said affectionately, "When I return, I will accompany you to finish translating the Marrow Cleansing Classic."

Ling Shuanghua's face flushed instantly. The Emei thorn slipped out of the medicine box, its tip piercing Shi Feiyang's dragon robe, but she couldn't bear to pull it out.

Su Xiaoman, dressed in red, rushed into the tent as the wind blew through her. A string of copper coins hung from the barb of her golden dart—they were taken from the corpses of Liao soldiers, which she intended to keep as a "betrothal gift" for Shi Feiyang. She then teased, "Pretty boy, if you don't leave soon, Yelü Hongji will be holding a victory celebration banquet on the city tower of Youzhou!"

Her left arm was wrapped in bandages, revealing a deep knife wound that exposed bone. It was from when she was slashed by the Iron Falcon of Xixia while protecting him and retrieving the secret letter. She then said in a serious tone, "The brothers of the Golden Wing Alliance, the Sun Moon Divine Sect, and the Beggars' Sect have already infiltrated Youzhou and are just waiting for your order."

Shi Feiyang's gaze swept over the generals in the tent, and he announced loudly, "Li Tieniu of the Beggars' Sect will lead his disciples to guard the west gate, Qu Cheng of the Sun Moon Divine Sect will lead his followers to control the granary, and Qu Liuxiang and Lu Feng will attack the armory. At noon three days later, under the signal 'Emperor Heavenly Thunder,' we will retake Youzhou."

Zhao Qingyi drew her Ding Song sword with a clang, the red silk tassel on the sword wrapped even tighter, and said in a resounding voice, "I will send elite imperial guards disguised as Liao soldiers to accompany you into the city."

Ling Shuanghua tapped the table lightly with her Emei dagger, pointing to the secret passage in the inner city of Youzhou on the map, and reminded, "This is a loophole in the Liao army's defenses, which can allow a hundred people to sneak in." Su Xiaoman's golden dart was pinned to the Liao King's Palace on the map, and she also said seriously, "Yelü Hongji's palace is guarded by Dali warriors. Those people practice the 'Dissolving Power Technique,' which is most vulnerable to fire attacks."

Shi Feiyang looked at the sweat on the temples of the three women, then suddenly reached out and picked up a strand of each of their hairs, tied them into a knot with ice silkworm silk, and said affectionately, "If this knot is not broken, it will be the time of my return."

Having said that, he used his unparalleled lightness skill, "Leaving No Trace for a Thousand Miles," to fly out of the tent. His black dragon robe cast afterimages in the morning sun, and ice beads dripped from his long hair, leaving wet marks on the frozen ground.

The city walls of Youzhou resemble a black python lying on the ground, with arrowheads embedded in the cracks of the blue bricks gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Shi Feiyang's Tang army lined up outside the city, the giant arms of the catapults pointing straight at the city tower, on which the "Thunderclap" was wrapped in iron, the fuse crackling in the wind—this was a firearm captured from the Western Xia army, more powerful than the Song Dynasty's "Thunderbolt Cannon".

Su Xiaoman, dressed in red, was hidden behind the siege engine. A city brick, pried off by a golden dart hook, was hanging from it. At this moment, she flew over and said to Shi Feiyang, "Pretty boy, the Beggar Clan brothers have dug tunnels under the city wall. The Liao soldiers' patrols pass by every two quarters of an hour. Our people are hidden in the drainage ditches, and we can even hear them yawning."

Shi Feiyang gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Su Xiaoman, you are truly my good helper! With you here, there is nothing I cannot handle. Thank you!" After saying that, he immediately used "Concealing One's Identity" and moved close to the city wall.

When he activated his Mingyu Gong, his skin became as transparent as jade, and the Liao soldiers guarding the city couldn't spot him. His Xuanshuang Blade lightly tapped the brick wall, and a "tap tap" response came from inside—that was the Beggars' Sect's "Lotus Flower Fall" code, indicating that the tunnel had been dug beneath the barbican.

His voice was softer than the wind. His fingertips traced icy patterns on the city bricks as he walked to a Beggar Clan disciple and whispered, "At noon, strike precisely on time. Tell Li Tieniu to use the 'Dog-Beating Stick Technique' to protect the tunnel entrance and prevent the Liao soldiers' rolling stones from collapsing it."

Zhao Qingyi's imperial guards, disguised as Liao soldiers, waited at the city gate pushing carts of provisions.

Her black armor had also been changed to the Liao style, and her face was smeared with black ash, but it couldn't hide the light in her phoenix eyes. The Ding Song sword was hidden under the grain sack, with a pebble wrapped around its tassel of red silk. It was Shi Feiyang's signal to her—once the pebble fell to the ground, she would kill the gatekeeper.

Ling Shuanghua had changed her plain white robe into a coarse cloth shirt worn by Liao peasant women, and she mingled with the crowd entering the city, carrying a medicine basket.

The Emei Thorn was hidden among the herbs, and inside was the "Bone-Dissolving Powder," a secret recipe of the Golden Wing Alliance. Just a little bit was enough to shred the Liao soldiers' armor into pieces. She looked at the Liao army flags on the city wall and suddenly remembered what Shi Feiyang had said: "The people of Youyun have endured a hundred years under the iron hooves of foreign tribes."

At noon, Shi Feiyang's "Emperor's Thunder" was suddenly activated.

The ice beneath the city wall instantly shattered, and ice lightning carrying rubble shot towards the city tower. Amidst the screams of the Liao soldiers, the blue bricks at the tunnel entrance were blown away, and the bamboo staffs of the Beggars' Sect disciples emerged like a dense forest, with copper bells at the tips of the staffs wrapped with explosives, shattering the gate of the barbican with a deafening roar.

Zhao Qingyi roared, "Soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, kill!" Her Ding Song sword was drawn from the grain sack, and the red silk tassel of the sword wrapped around the throat of the gatekeeper. The black ash on the black armor was washed away by blood, revealing the bright light underneath.

The Imperial Guards leaped out from behind the supply wagons, their spears forming an iron wall that crashed into the Liao soldiers. The dull thud of spear tips piercing flesh mingled with the sound of bones shattering, and instantly, mountains of corpses piled up beneath the city gate.

Ling Shuanghua's Emei daggers flew through the crowd, and the "bone-dissolving powder" in her medicine basket was scattered at the Liao archers. Just as they were about to release their arrows, their fingers began to fester, and the bows slipped from their hands, revealing their bare white bones.

Her Nine Yang Skill protected the people around her. As her true energy circulated, the splattered blood droplets all avoided it, and her plain white coarse cloth shirt was not stained with a single drop of blood.

Su Xiaoman's red dress swept across the moat like flames, golden darts blasted open the chains of the drawbridge, and the brothers of the Golden Wing Alliance charged over floating corpses. Oil bags were smashed against the city tower, and flames licked the leather armor of the Liao soldiers. Those men howled in the fire, their skin charred black, and their screams as they fell were more mournful than the bronze bells on the city tower.

Shi Feiyang used his palm as a knife, cleaving away the rockets that were shooting at him head-on. He then leaped up and struck from above, unleashing a move called "Flying Dragon in the Sky." The fierce palm wind slammed into the city wall, and the blue bricks fell down in a flurry.

Immediately afterwards, his "Transferring Flowers and Jade" divine skill redirected the Liao soldiers' rolling stones, causing them to crash into their own ranks. Amidst screams, Shi Feiyang used the wondrous "Deeds Done, Clothes Removed" movement technique to ascend the cloud ladder. The hem of his dragon robe swept across the bloodstains on the steps, only to be sucked into an icy shell by the suction force of the Mingyu skill.

The moment the siege ladders were placed on the city wall, the battle between the Tang army and the Liao soldiers turned into a meat grinder.

Shi Feiyang's Xuan Shuang Blade was slanted into the throat of a Liao soldier. The ice silkworm silk that came out of his palm wrapped around the weapon of another Liao soldier. When the silver silk tightened, the opponent's wrist was torn off. Blood from the broken bone sprayed onto his face, but it was condensed into ice beads by Ming Yu Gong.

Yelü Hongji's spiked club came crashing down with a whooshing sound, its spikes splattered with brain matter—the very same club that had just smashed the head of a Tang army vanguard.

Seven feathered arrows were stuck in his black iron armor, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain. His eyes were bloodshot like a wolf's as he roared, "You pretty boy from the Southern Dynasty, how dare you trespass into my Youzhou! I will grind your bones into powder and scatter them on the Sanggan River!"

Shi Feiyang unleashed a move called "Dragon Appears in the Field," a fierce palm wind meeting the attack. The force of his palm struck the spiked club, causing the wooden planks of the city tower to creak.

He then used the skillful technique of "shifting flowers and jade" to redirect the force of the staff. Yelü Hongji's mace slammed heavily onto his own iron armor. Sparks flew everywhere. Shi Feiyang's Xuan Shuang Blade was already at his heart. He said coldly, "Yelü Hongji, do you still remember the alliance of Wild Wolf Valley? You said that Youyun would forever belong to the Liao Kingdom. Now it seems that it was just a joke."

Yelü Hongji roared, "That depends on whether you're alive to take it!" His "Frosty Palm" struck Shi Feiyang's chest, and the wooden railings of the city wall instantly froze where the palm wind passed. At the same time, the Dali warriors behind him launched "One-Finger Divine Skill," golden light flashing, aiming straight for Shi Feiyang's major acupoints.

Shi Feiyang used the "Hidden Body and Name" movement technique to spin about ten feet away. Suddenly, he activated the Heavenly Silkworm Skill, and a crystalline light flowed through his palm. The powerful internal energy formed ice silkworm silk, which wrapped around the wrists of the thirteen warriors.

Then, he unleashed "Evil Blood Calamity!" With a cold snort, the blood of those people suddenly flowed backward along the silkworm threads, their skin withered at a visible speed, and each corpse curled up into the shape of a monkey before falling from the city tower.

Yelü Hongji's spiked club came crashing down again, but Shi Feiyang countered with a palm strike, "The Dragon Regrets," the fierce palm force colliding with the club in mid-air, forcing both men to retreat. Shi Feiyang's "Shocking Eyes Calamity" suddenly activated, his gaze sweeping across Yelü Hongji's face. The old thief's left eye instantly froze, and he screamed, clutching his face as he retreated, ice shards filling his exposed eye socket.

At this moment, Su Xiaoman flew over and shouted in mid-air, "Pretty boy, catch!" A golden dart wrapped in a sack of kerosene flew over, and Shi Feiyang's "Shifting Flowers and Receiving Jade" guided the dart's momentum, smashing it onto Yelü Hongji's iron armor.

Flames erupted instantly, and the old thief howled in the fire. His spiked club flew out of his hand and smashed into the dragon flag of "New Tang Dynasty," breaking the flagpole in the process—but it was caught by Shi Feiyang's "Dragon Fights in the Wild" palm strike and steadily planted back into the city tower.

Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword cleaved through the last Liao soldier, the red silk tassel of the sword wrapped around Shi Feiyang's dragon robe, the blood on the black armor had frozen into a hard lump, she said excitedly: "Feiyang, the Tang imperial guards have taken control of the west gate!" Her phoenix eyes swept over Yelü Hongji, and she suddenly remembered what Shi Feiyang had said, "an eye for an eye," so she gripped the Ding Song sword and thrust it straight at the old thief's right eye.

Ling Shuanghua used her Emei thorn to carry a bucket of ice water, pouring it down from the city wall to extinguish the fire on Yelü Hongji's body. Her voice was colder than the ice water; her Nine Yang Skill protected the old thief's heart meridian, yet she deliberately made him suffer excruciating pain. She said ruthlessly, "Leave him alive. Let him watch Youyun return to Tang."

Shi Feiyang's Xuan Shuang Blade was pressed against Yelü Hongji's throat, ice silkworm threads wrapped around his meridians, and the chill generated by his true energy penetrated straight to his heart. His long hair fell across the old thief's face, carrying the crispness of snow, and he said coldly, "Surrender or not?"

Yelü Hongji gazed at the Tang army's iron hooves below the city, at the bloodstains on the dragon banner, and at Shi Feiyang's handsome yet cold eyes. He smiled bitterly, "Surrender, and the people of Liao will be spared; do not surrender, and today will be the anniversary of Youzhou City's demise. Alas! I have lost... But the snow of Youyun will forever remember the blood of the Liao people." As Shi Feiyang sheathed his Xuanshuang Blade, cheers erupted from below the city walls: "Having fought a hundred battles in golden armor, Shi Lang's brilliant plan brings peace to the world!"

Tang army banners were planted all over Youzhou City, and the green bamboo staffs of the Beggars' Sect disciples, the black flags of the Sun Moon Sect, and the red robes of the Golden Wing Alliance converged into a torrent in the wind.

Shi Feiyang stood atop the highest point of the city tower, his black dragon robe fluttering in the wind. The sound of the Ice Silkworm Jade colliding with the Imperial Seal of the State mingled with the cries and laughter of the common people, echoing across this land that had been lost and regained.

Zhao Qingyi leaned on his shoulder, the tassel of the Ding Song sword wrapped around his silver hair; Ling Shuanghua's Emei daggers lightly tapped his dragon robe, the sound of ice silkworms inside could be heard; Su Xiaoman's golden dart hung at his waist, the red silk at the end of the dart tied with the copper coin she had kept for a long time.

The three beauties looked at each other and suddenly smiled—the hair knot wrapped in ice silk was still firmly tied in Shi Feiyang's sleeve, shimmering in the setting sun.

The moonlight over Youzhou City is like a piece of jade soaked in blood.

Shi Feiyang's Tang army cleared away corpses in the streets. The limbs of Liao soldiers, the robes of Tibetan monks, and the severed fingers of Dali warriors, mixed with broken weapons, formed a sticky path on the stone pavement.

The acrid smell of burning kerosene mingled with the stench of blood, carried by the night wind into every household, yet no one dared open a window—they had been afraid for too long and still couldn't believe that dawn had returned. At that moment, Su Xiaoman used her light-footed skills to search for Shi Feiyang's figure in mid-air.

Her red dress was stained with blood, and a letter from the Western Xia, seized from the Liao palace, was attached to a golden dart with a barbed hook. As she found Shi Feiyang, she swooped down and warned, "Pretty boy, Yelü Hongji's secret letter says that Western Xia is going to join forces with Tibet to launch a counterattack. That old dog Liang Tiandu has amassed 50,000 troops in Xingqing Prefecture." Zhao Qingyi rode up, carrying a lantern on her Ding Song sword, and ran to Shi Feiyang's side, whispering, "The Emperor of the Great Song has sent a secret envoy, saying he is willing to send troops to help us defend Youyun."

Shi Feiyang shook his head and said with a smile, "Our Great Tang Empire has been lying low for a century. Whether it's money, grain, weapons, arrows, or the support of the people, it has far surpassed the Song Dynasty. Why do we need it to guard the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun for us? Its tricks might swindle some money on the street, but it thinks it can fool me? Hmph! Dream on!"

The group then returned to the temporary palace.

Ling Shuanghua's plain white robe gleamed softly under the lanterns. Pointing her Emei thorn at Yunzhou on the map, she said with considerable worry, "The Tibetan National Preceptor's junior brother is hiding here with the remnants of the Blood Knife Monks. They are practicing a variant of the 'Blood River Formation,' and they want to use the blood of living people to sacrifice to the flag."

Shi Feiyang decisively said, "Tomorrow, we will split into three groups. Qingyi will lead our Tang Imperial Guards back to Yanmen Pass to cooperate with our Tang cavalry in defending against Western Xia; Shuanghua will lead the Emei disciples to break the Blood Array at Yunzhou; and Xiaoman will lead the Golden Wing Alliance to inspect Western Xia's supplies. Remember, your actions will be assisted by the Beggars' Sect and the Sun Moon Sect." He suddenly reached out, untied his hair knot, divided it into three strands, and tied each to one of their weapons, saying affectionately, "As long as this thread remains unbroken, I will wait for you in Luoyang." Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword, wrapped in red silk, wrapped around his wrist, leaving faint marks. She said sadly, "Feiyang, if the Song and Tang dynasties are destined to clash..."

Shi Feiyang said disdainfully, "Then let me handle it. You are mine, and always will be." Ling Shuanghua said affectionately, "Young Master Shi, the Nine Yang Skill can protect you, but it cannot protect the world. If one day you must sacrifice yourself, Shuanghua..."

Shi Feiyang said resolutely, "I forbid it. You must live to see the wheat ripen in Youyun." Su Xiaoman said with a grin, "Pretty boy, when the world is at peace, you must marry me." Her dimples were filled with tears, but her smile was brighter than flames.

Shi Feiyang gazed at the frost on the temples of the three men and chuckled softly, "The snow of Youyun next year will cover the blood of this year. We will never be separated, even in death!"

Having said that, he used the "Deeds Done and Departure" technique to leap down from the city tower. The hem of his dragon robe swept across the bloodstains on the stone pavement, which were absorbed by the Mingyu Skill and turned into ice crystals, shimmering coldly in the moonlight—a chill belonging to an emperor, and a warmth belonging to a knight-errant.

The dragon flag on the city tower fluttered in the night wind, and drops of blood from the flagpole dripped down the knots, leaving red marks on the frozen ground. From the direction of Yunzhou in the distance, the faint sound of bugles could be heard, as if in response to Shi Feiyang's vow.

...Outside Yunzhou City, the black pine forest was covered with half a foot of snow, yet it couldn't conceal the pounding sounds coming from the ground. Shi Feiyang's dark dragon robe was hidden among the pine branches. When he circulated his Mingyu Gong, his skin glowed with an icy, jade-like light. Even the falling snow penetrated his robe, leaving no trace on the frozen ground.

He gazed at the Tibetan Blood Knife Monks patrolling the city wall, the silver earring on his left ear trembling slightly in the wind. He suddenly remembered what Ling Shuanghua had said—a variant of the Blood River Formation requires the blood essence of a thousand living people to be used as a sacrifice for the flag, and the ceremony would take place at midnight tonight.

Elder Li Tieniu of the Beggars' Sect leaned on the frozen earth with his green bamboo staff, the copper bell at the top of the staff wrapped with strips of cloth, for fear of making the slightest sound.

His disciples behind him were using the skillful force of the "Dog-Beating Stick Technique" to dig into the soil. With each strike, the frozen soil silently crumbled into powder.

Upon seeing Shi Feiyang, Li Tieniu approached and whispered, "Chief, the tunnel has been dug to the inner city's granary. However, the granary is guarded by the Tibetan 'Blood Shadow Guards,' whose 'blood nerves' can detect the scent of living people."

Shi Feiyang's fingertips traced patterns on the pine tree trunk, and the resulting ice patterns suddenly transformed into an ice bird, which flapped its wings and flew towards Yunzhou City.

His voice was softer than the sound of pine trees, and the Xuan Shuang Blade trembled slightly at his waist. He instructed, "Have Li Ji and his disciples disguise themselves as Liao soldiers delivering grain. When the third watch gong sounds, set fire to the granary." In the mysterious deerskin bag at his waist, invisible to ordinary people, there were countless coins and grains, and he didn't care about the small amount of spoils.

Ling Shuanghua's plain white monk's robe swept in from outside the forest, enveloped in the cold wind. Emei thorns pierced a blood-stained monk's robe, the Sanskrit inscriptions on it still stained with blood.

She floated over and whispered to Shi Feiyang, "Young Master Shi, the core of the Blood River Formation is at the altar in the north of the city." Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, clearly indicating she had fought with the Blood Shadow Guards while probing the formation's diagram. Shi Feiyang embraced Ling Shuanghua with deep emotion.

Seeing this, Su Xiaoman muttered, "This little nun is even more impatient than that pretty boy."

Her red dress fell from the pine branches, a golden dart with a barbed hook holding the head of a Blood Shadow Guard, and the skull hairpin in her hair gleamed with an eerie light.

So she flew over to report, "The brothers of the Golden Wing Alliance have already set up the 'Fire Ox Formation' south of the city, just waiting for your order to burn the Tibetan dogs' fodder yard to the ground." She then suddenly leaned close to Shi Feiyang, her red robes brushing against his dragon robe, and said with a playful grin, "Tell me, after we break the formation, who should get the most credit, me or the little nun?" Shi Feiyang released Ling Shuanghua and chuckled softly, "The credit goes to the people of Yunzhou. When they can peacefully grow wheat, that will be the best military achievement." Su Xiaoman left, bored, while Ling Shuanghua's pretty face turned as red as an apple.

……

As the third watchman's clapper sounded from Yunzhou City, Li Ji, leading his Beggars' Sect disciples, pushed a grain cart and arrived at the inner city's granary. The Blood Shadow Guards sniffed the air, then suddenly pointed at the grain cart and shouted, "There's a living smell here!"

They immediately activated their "blood nerves," their eyes turning bloodshot, and blood claws, each an inch long, sprouted from their fingernails, rushing straight at the grain cart.

Li Ji suddenly swept his green bamboo staff horizontally, using his exquisite Dog-Beating Stick Technique to deflect the Blood Shadow Guard's blood claws, and then cursed, "The Tibetan dogs do have sharp noses!"

His disciples simultaneously lifted the carriage curtain, revealing not provisions, but bundles of firewood soaked in kerosene. They chuckled and exclaimed, "Come, come, taste the Beggars' Sect's 'Surprise Attack'!"

The moment the torch was thrown, a white figure suddenly descended from the top of the granary. Ling Shuanghua's Emei daggers flew between the Blood Shadow Guards' throats. When she activated her Nine Yang Skill, her plain white robe billowed like a white lotus, and every palm strike carried ice crystals. The moment the Blood Shadow Guards' bloody claws touched her robes, they were frozen into ice shells. As she fought, she teased, "Young Master Shi said, Buddha saves those with affinity. You... are not worthy."

In the black pine forest outside the city, Shi Feiyang suddenly activated his "Emperor's Thunderous Fury". The tunnel beneath the ice exploded with a deafening roar, and ice lightning carrying rubble shot towards the city wall.

Amidst the screams of the Tibetan monks wielding blood-swords, Li Tieniu's green bamboo staff emerged like a dense forest, forming a bamboo bridge. Tang soldiers stepped onto the bamboo bridge and charged up the city wall. The dull thud of their black armor striking the city bricks terrified the defending monks.

Shi Feiyang roared, "Soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, break through the formation!" He then used the "Leave No Trace for a Thousand Miles" movement technique to leap across the moat. His Xuan Shuang Blade cleaved the oncoming fire arrows, and the blade's energy struck the edge of the Blood River Formation, stirring up a cloud of blood mist. The mist condensed into blood arrows in the air, shooting towards the Tang army, but they were swirled into ice beads by his Mingyu Gong true energy vortex, rebounding back and piercing the Blood Saber Monk's throat.

In the hay storage area south of Yunzhou City, piles of hay were stacked high, and Tibetan monks patrolled the snow, leaving a trail of black footprints as they carried torches.

Su Xiaoman, dressed in red, hid behind a haystack. Her golden dart spun rapidly between her fingers, its tip reflecting the firelight of a distant altar—where a thousand prisoners were chained and their cries were heart-wrenching.

The leader of the Golden Wing Alliance, holding a torch, trembled as he said in a shaking voice, "Young Miss, the fire oxen have been fed plenty of strong liquor." The oxen had sharp knives tied to their horns, were covered with burlap sacks soaked in fire oil, and had their eyes blindfolded. They were just waiting for a command to charge madly into the enemy camp.

Su Xiaoman suddenly threw her golden dart, which struck the last monk soldier in the patrol team on the back of the head.

Her dimples were filled with snowflakes, and her laughter was wilder than the cold wind on the grassland. She said with a grin, "Tell Lu Feng, the elder of the Sun Moon Cult, to take the brothers to the east of the city and beat drums and gongs, so that the Tibetan dogs will think we are going to launch a strong attack from the east gate."

On the open ground east of the city, Qu Liuxiang, an elder of the Sun Moon Sect, was using her "Star Absorbing Technique" to guide ten bronze gongs. Her black clothes fluttered like a ghost in the snow. With each breath, the gongs emitted a deafening sound that seemed to penetrate the ears of the Tibetan monks.

Suddenly, her embroidery needle shot out, piercing the palm of a monk soldier who was trying to cover his ears. The red tassel at the end of the needle shimmered like bloodstains in the snow. She then shrieked, "The leader has decreed that anyone who disturbs the minds of the Tibetan dogs will be rewarded with one hundred taels of gold!"

Suddenly, a deafening roar of cattle echoed from the hay yard south of the city.

Su Xiaoman tore off the black cloth covering the cows' eyes, threw torches at the herd, and the oil instantly ignited. The frightened fire cows dragged flames as they charged toward the Tibetan camp. The sharp knives on their horns pierced open the tents, stabbing the monks inside into strings. Their intestines hung on the haystacks, frozen together with the dry grass, like strings of disgusting candied hawthorns.

She chuckled and said, "Pretty boy, watch this!" Her golden dart blasted open the camp's fence, and the Golden Wing Alliance brothers charged forward, stepping on the footprints of fire oxen, their oil sacks pelting the monks' robes. The men howled in the fire, their skin charred black, yet they continued chanting the Blood River Incantation until they were burned and curled up like charcoal, the incantation finally choking them in their throats.

On the altar in the north of the city, the junior brother of the Tibetan national preceptor was holding a blood-stained knife, ready to stab the prisoner in the throat. Suddenly, Shi Feiyang's "Flying Dragon in the Sky" palm strike came out from behind the altar, the force of the palm hitting the blood-stained knife and causing the national preceptor's junior brother to stagger back three steps.

Shi Feiyang angrily cursed, "Using living people as sacrifices to the flag, do you even deserve to be called a Buddhist disciple?" He pressed his Xuan Shuang Blade against the other's chest, and his ice silkworm silk wrapped around the other's meridians. He then said mockingly, "Last year in Wild Wolf Valley, your senior brother Yelü Hongji died in the same way."

The Imperial Preceptor's junior brother's blood-red blade suddenly spun, the Sanskrit characters on its surface glowing red. The "Blood River Technique" was unleashed to its fullest potential, and the blood of the surrounding prisoners suddenly flowed backward, transforming into a blood python that lunged at Shi Feiyang. His face was splattered with blood, his smile more ferocious than the blood python's, and he venomously declared, "Shi Feiyang, you cannot break my formation! These thousand wronged souls will haunt you until you fall into the deepest hell!"

Shi Feiyang's "Evil Blood Calamity" was activated in response, and the blood python suddenly changed direction and attacked the National Preceptor's junior brother.

The blood seeped into his body through his seven orifices, and his belly swelled up at a visible speed, like a blood-filled sac, before bursting open with a "bang." His internal organs splattered all over the altar, mingling with the prisoners' tears, and congealed into chunks of blood ice in the snow.

Ling Shuanghua's Emei dagger held a bunch of keys, which she had found on the corpse of the Blood Shadow Guard. She used her Nine Yang Skill to shatter the prisoners' chains. Her white robe was splattered with blood, yet she still maintained the fluidity of her Four Symbols Palm technique, protecting the child beside her. She ran to Shi Feiyang's side and whispered, "Young Master Shi! I've frozen the blood crystal at the array's core with the Ice Heart Technique, but..."

Before she could finish speaking, a shout suddenly came from beneath the altar. The remaining Blood Blade Monks emerged from the tunnel, brandishing their blood-red blades and lunging at the unarmed prisoners.

Shi Feiyang unleashed the "Dragon Fights in the Wild" move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, his palm wind sweeping across the battlefield. The force of his palm struck the blood-red blade, shattering the bones of the monks. Suddenly, their corpses exploded, turning into a blood mist that was about to coalesce into an array.

Ling Shuanghua's Nine Yang Skill suddenly erupted, her white robe billowing like a white lotus in the blood mist, as she and Shi Feiyang stood back to back.

Shi Feiyang unleashed the "Riding the Six Dragons" move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, transforming his palm force into six ice dragons. Ling Shuanghua's inner energy condensed into six snow lotuses. The ice dragons and snow lotuses intertwined, freezing the blood mist into ice crystals, which crackled and shattered, never to reassemble again.

The granaries in the inner city of Yunzhou held half a year's worth of provisions for the allied forces. The Tibetan Blood Shadow Guards had set up a barrier around the granaries with their "Blood Nerves," capable of detecting any living creature that approached. Li Ji, along with his Beggar Clan disciples disguised as Liao soldiers, arrived pushing empty grain carts.

The Blood Shadow Guard at the granary gate brandished his blood-stained blade and roared, "Password!" The blade reflected the black ash on Li Ji's face—the Beggar Clan disciples had rolled in the mud three times to make their disguises convincing, and even replaced the Beggar Clan's burlap sacks with Liao soldiers' fur coats.

Li Ji suddenly slammed his bamboo staff into the ground, his inner force spreading along the earth. The Blood Shadow Guard's feet suddenly froze. Just as he was about to gather his strength, Li Ji's staff tip was already pressed against his throat. He said mockingly, "I'm here to deliver emergency military rations. If you're late, I'll chop off your dog's head!"

Inside the granary, Tibetan monks were gambling around a bonfire, while piles of gold and silver looted from the people lay on the ground. Li Wang's "Dog-Beating Stick Technique" transformed into a bamboo shadow, silently knocking out the guards at the gate. His disciples quickly poured oil on the grain stacks, concealing torches in their sleeves, awaiting the signal from outside the city.

As the third watchman's clapper fell, a deafening roar of "Heavenly Thunder" echoed from outside the city. Li Wang hurled his torch at the grain stack, and flames instantly leaped three zhang high, crackling and popping against the wooden beams of the granary. Amidst the screams of the Tibetan monks, Beggar Clan disciples used their bamboo staffs to form a ladder and climbed out of the granary's skylight.

Li Ji cleaved open the granary door with a wave of his hand, pushing the burning grain sacks towards the pursuing monk soldiers. Those men were crushed under the grain and burned to a crisp.

Li Tieniu's bamboo staff, carrying the Beggars' Sect banner, fluttered in the sea of ​​fire. He swept aside the falling embers, clearing a bloody path for his disciples, and roared, "Brothers, retreat to the altar! The sect leader said that if we can't protect the people, we'll have no face to return to Luoyang!"

The fire oxen formation from the south of the city had already stormed into the main Tibetan camp. Su Xiaoman's golden dart pierced the eye of the last monk soldier, only to see a Blood Shadow Guard raising a blood-red blade, about to strike a terrified child. Without thinking, she lunged forward, using her back to block the blade. At the same time, the golden dart pierced the Blood Shadow Guard's back, and she solemnly declared, "The pretty boy said, children are the roots of Yunzhou..."

The blood-stained blade pierced her red dress, and drops of blood dripped onto the snow, scalding it with a sizzling sound. Shi Feiyang arrived using his "Thousand Miles Without Leaving a Trace" light-footed skill and saw Su Xiaoman lying in front of the child, her golden dart still firmly clutched in her hand. The copper coin tied to the end of the dart with a red silk ribbon was the one she had intended to give as a "betrothal gift."

He cried out in alarm, "Su Xiaoman! How are you? Are you badly injured?" He then activated the Mingyu Gong to the "Supreme Forgetfulness of Ice Soul Cold Prison," and the snowflakes around him transformed into ice armor, protecting her in his arms. The Xuan Shuang Blade cleaved through the charging monks, and ice silkworm silk wrapped around their throats. As the silver threads tightened, their tongues were all pulled out, and in the firelight, they looked like writhing red snakes.

The dawn in Yunzhou City resembled a cloth soaked in blood. Tang soldiers, along with brothers from the Beggars' Sect and the Sun Moon Cult, cleared away the corpses. The robes of the Blood Saber Monk, the charred bones of the Fire Ox, and fragments of the Tibetan altar were laid out in the snow, forming a path leading to the city gate.

Shi Feiyang's black dragon robe wrapped around Su Xiaoman, the Ice Silkworm Jade pressed against her wound, continuously channeling the true energy of the Mingyu Technique into her body. Her complexion gradually regained color, but she still clutched the copper coins on the golden dart tightly. Ling Shuanghua's Emei dagger carried a Blood River Flag, its blood patterns frozen into ice flowers by the Ice Heart Technique. She walked over and said softly, "Young Master Shi, the remnants of the Tubo have retreated to the Western Regions. However, Liang Tiandu's 50,000 troops from Xixia have already gathered in the western border of Yunzhou. Their 'Ten Thousand Gu Formation' is said to be even more poisonous than the Blood River Formation."

Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword swept in from outside the city, its tassel adorned with the severed head of a Western Xia envoy, and the frost on her black armor stained with blood—she had finally led the Imperial Guards from Yanmen Pass. She spurred her horse and arrived, then dismounted, saying, "Feiyang, the Great Song envoy says that if we cede Yunzhou to Western Xia, Father Emperor is willing to send troops to help us defend Youzhou."

Shi Feiyang turned to Li Tieniu and said, "Leave the Beggars' Sect disciples to guard Yunzhou and take good care of the people." He stood up, holding Su Xiaoman in his arms. His long hair shone in the morning light, and the silver ring on his left ear was dazzling. He then turned to Zhao Qingyi and said, "Liang Tiandu wants Yunzhou, so let him take it—by risking his life."

Ling Shuanghua's Emei dagger lightly tapped his dragon robe as she placed the bottle of Ice Heart Mantra antidote into his palm: "This medicine can cure Gu poison. The Western Region is rife with miasma, you..."

Shi Feiyang interrupted her, saying, "Wait for me to return." Ming Yu Gong's true energy suddenly circulated through Su Xiaoman's body, and her wounds began to heal. He then turned to Ling Shuanghua and said, "Shuanghua, keep an eye on her for me."

Su Xiaoman's eyelashes trembled, and the golden dart slipped from her hand, only to be caught by Shi Feiyang. Her voice was still weak, but it still carried that wild spirit as she teased, "Pretty boy, if you dare not come back... I'll dismantle the dragon throne in Luoyang Palace and burn it as firewood."

Shi Feiyang used his "Deeds Done, Departure" lightness skill to leap out of Yunzhou City. His black dragon robe left a trail of afterimages in the morning light, and the cold aura of the Xuanshuang Blade cleaved through the miasma of the western border, revealing the outline of the Western Xia army camp.

He gazed at the endless expanse of tents and suddenly recalled what the people of Yunzhou had said—that on this day last year, the Tibetans had occupied their homes in the same way. He couldn't help but say angrily, "Liang Tiandu, your Ten Thousand Gu Formation is unworthy of the snow of Yunzhou."

The wind from the western frontier whipped his long hair, and the silver earring in his left ear trembled slightly in the wind, as if playing a prelude to the impending battle.

On the city walls of Yunzhou, the banners of the Beggars' Sect, the black flags of the Sun Moon Sect, and the red robes of the Golden Wing Alliance fluttered in the morning light, protecting the people who had survived the calamity and the land that had just been pulled from the river of blood.

Shi Feiyang knew this was not the end. The poison of Western Xia, the schemes of the Song Dynasty, and the remnants of the Liao Kingdom were still lurking in the shadows, waiting for him.

On the corner tower of Shuozhou city, the wolf-head banner of Xiao Talin of the Liao Dynasty hangs. Shi Feiyang's black dragon robe is hidden behind the beacon tower. When he circulates the Mingyu Gong, his skin glows with an icy, jade-like light. Even the falling snowflakes penetrate his robe and do not accumulate on the blue bricks.

He gazed at the camps of the Liao soldiers and the Western Xia garrison within the city, the silver earring on his left ear fluttering slightly in the north wind—Xiao Talin and Liang Tiandu, the Western Xia military supervisor, had a long-standing feud, and this was the perfect opportunity to "use someone else's knife to kill someone."

Li Tieniu leaned on his bamboo staff, which was covered in frozen snow and had a copper bell wrapped in oilcloth at the end. He leaned closer and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Beggars' Sect disciples have already mixed croton seeds into the Liao camp's granary. Last night, the Western Xia soldiers stole the Liao people's warhorses, and Xiao Talin is leading his personal guards in front of the camp, shouting and cursing, saying he wants to cut out Liang Tiandu's tongue to eat with his wine."

(End of this chapter)