Chapter 1042 - 283: Cold Blade Bids Farewell on a Distant Road, Blood-Red Tears Under a Moon of Lost Souls (Part 2)

"Miss Xue!" Xie Wen’s call was like a heavy hammer, waking Xue Qiuchun from her sorrow. She forced a smile more bitter than tears, taking delicate steps forward, purposely maintaining a distance from the embracing pair.

Her gaze involuntarily fell on Shi Feiyang’s arm around Guo Xiangyu, the intimate posture stabbing straight into her heart like a sharp blade. Guo Xiangyu’s cheeks were flushed, burying her face deeper like a coquettish cat, exuding tenderness and reliance.

Xue Qiuchun’s vision darkened, her ears buzzed, and the entire world seemed to spin.

She struggled to maintain her dignified demeanor, yet her fingertips uncontrollably clutched her dress hem, the exquisite silk twisted into deep wrinkles, like the scars in her heart, unable to smooth out.

The northerly wind swept up her long hair, making it dance wildly in the wind, as if her unfinished thoughts scattered in this vast world, nowhere to be found. She squatted down, her jade hand trembling slightly, extracting half a secret message from a corpse’s grasp, the vermilion characters on the message terrifying: "Destroy the Salt Gang, seize the Salt Road, the Northwest can be taken!"

She looked at the shocking characters, her jealousy and sorrow temporarily replaced by vigilance. However, the love and jealousy buried deep in her heart burned like a raging fire, ever more intense, never ceasing.

Xue Hong Mountain’s iron staff struck the ground, a thunderous noise startling the cold crows: "What a wicked plot! Seizing my salt field is false, disrupting my Northwest is true!" He turned to Shi Feiyang, his eyes full of admiration, "Hero Shi, did you foresee someone would interfere?"

Shi Feiyang gently caressed the Celestial Frost Blade, the runes on the blade faintly glowing: "Elder, the world appears peaceful, but in fact, undercurrents surge. Salt is essential for the people’s livelihood, controlling the Salt Road means controlling the lifelines of the people. They seize the salt field today, tomorrow they could sever grain routes, plunging Northwest people into suffering. Since Heroic Sakura Association and Salt Gang have allied, we must protect this peace. Even with armies, I Shi Feiyang will never retreat!"

Before his words fell, horn sounds suddenly reverberated from afar, countless torches lit in the darkness, resembling a winding red snake approaching.

The setting sun stained the entire salt field in a bloody purgatory.

Shi Feiyang’s lips curved into a cold smile, a dragon’s roar surged as the Celestial Frost Blade was unsheathed, the runes on the blade circulating, exhaling a cold light in the twilight.

He gently pushed Guo Xiangyu aside, his gaze like lightning, aiming at the distant torch dragon winding like a serpent—the northerly wind, carrying grit, roared in, dyeing the piles of white salt dark red, akin to heaven’s spilled tears of blood.

"Perfect timing!" Shi Feiyang shouted, his voice echoing, "Today, let these demons pay with blood!" As his voice faded, Xue Hong Mountain’s iron staff heavily struck the ground, a tremendous noise shook the salt grains like raindrops leaping.

As the torch dragon approached, under the firelight, the black-clothed intruders revealed the intimidating scorpion tail totem, it was indeed the Red Scorpion Sect that had entrenched itself in Ningxia for years! "What a clever diversion!" Xue Hong Mountain’s eyes widened in anger, "First disturb with Iron Gang and Five Poison Sect, then dispatch Red Scorpion Sect elites for the attack, a truly calculated plan!" Xue Tielong and Xue Qiuchun had already unsheathed their swords, the sword light and torches intertwined like silver arcs slashing through the night.

As soon as the Red Scorpion Sect members appeared, the leading red-clothed elder let out a horrific laugh like a night owl: "Shi Feiyang, Heroic Sakura Association has been tyrannical in the Northwest for long! Those blocking our sect’s money path shall meet only death!" With that, three hundred disciples simultaneously flung out their waist-worn soft whips, the scorpion tail hooks on the whip tips glimmered blue in the night, weaving a tight net of death in mid-air.

Shi Feiyang held the Celestial Frost Blade horizontally before his chest, the runes on the blade wandered like living creatures, his aura surged: "Money path? You plunder the people, sever their livelihoods, are fit to talk money? Under bright skies, how can vermin like you rampage freely! Today, with this Celestial Frost Blade, I shall slash injustice from the world!" Before his words were finished, he stepped "Dragon’s Seven Steps," his figure like lightning, the blade light turned into drifting frost and snow, rushing directly at the red-clothed elder’s face.

In that instant, the shout of battle thundered, this piece of land turned into Asura Purgatory.

Xue Hong Mountain wielded the iron staff, performing "Mountain-Splitting Stone-Cracking Staff Technique," each strike carried the force of a thousand pounds, wherever it passed, salt piles collapsed, Red Scorpion disciples smashed into gristly blood, severed limbs scattered everywhere; Xue Tielong executed "Snow Shadow Sword Technique," the sword tip dotted like cold plum blossoms, specifically targeting the enemy’s vital points, each strike blocked their throat with blood; Xue Qiuchun used "Returning Wind Brushing Willow Sword" to coordinate with her brother, the twin swords complemented, Sword Qi rampant, shredding the incoming soft whips entirely, the snapped whips fell to the ground like venomous snakes.

Shi Feiyang’s Celestial Frost Blade moved with uncanny agility, where the blade light reached, blood rains fell. He performed "Hundred Victories Saber Technique," enhanced by the cold breath of Bright Jade Technique, his saber moves unpredictably, sometimes like autumn wind sweeping leaves, sometimes like waves crashing ashore.

The Red Scorpion disciples’ blood splattered on the pristine salt piles, dyeing them dark red, the air was saturated with a pungent smell of blood. Seeing the unfavorable situation, the red-clothed elder suddenly bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of black blood. The black blood landed and transformed into countless venomous scorpions, clawing and pouncing towards everyone.

Shi Feiyang snorted coldly, activating Bright Jade Technique to the Eighth Realm—"Supreme Forgetting Emotions," a white mist surrounded became an icy dragon illusion, the Celestial Frost Blade invoked a move "Golden Dragon’s Claw"! The golden blade light collided fiercely with the venomous scorpions, exploding into deafening booms, the scorpions shattered, turning into a foul poisonous mist.

However, undeterred by the fear of death, the Red Scorpion disciples unexpectedly formed the "Ten Thousand Scorpion Heart-devouring Array."