Chapter 1066 - 288: Feiyang’s Chivalrous Journey and Xue Li’s Courageous Quest for the Secret Tome

Outside the temple, the sound of the horn was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, slowly entwining the heartstrings of the two.

Shi Feiyang lowered his head to examine Xue Li’s pale face in his arms, gently wiping the blood from her lips with his fingertip, his movements as delicate as caressing a withering white plum blossom.

"Do not be afraid, I am here." Shi Feiyang’s tone was low and gentle, containing a reassuring power, "When this storm is over, I will take you to the side of the broken bridge and personally adorn you with the most beautiful peach blossom."

Xue Li leaned against his chest, listening to the steady heartbeat, as if she was in a safe haven amidst raging waves.

She had once perceived herself as a proud disciple of the Kunlun Sect, always cold as ice towards Shi Feiyang’s approach; yet at this moment, his embrace was the warmth she most longed for. "Feiyang..." she whispered softly, her jade-like hand clutching his garment, "If not for you, I would have long vanished amidst the blood and storms of this Jianghu."

As Shi Feiyang stepped into the branch of Heroic Sakura Association in Hang City, a chill and stench greeted them.

The pavilions, once resplendent with lights, now felt like the belly of a giant beast, deathly silent and spine-chilling.

The lanterns at the eaves swayed in the wind, their glow mixed with dark red, like coagulated blood.

Shi Feiyang leapt lightly onto the wall, and the sight before him made Xue Li shudder—a dozen corpses of branch disciples lay sprawled across the courtyard, their blood congealed into a purplish-black hue, their death unsettlingly gruesome.

"Be careful! This is the ’Bone Decay Powder’ of the White Bone Sect." Xue Li struggled to stand, her jade sword glowing blue, yet trembling slightly due to the unpurged toxins within her body.

Shi Feiyang immediately shielded her, Celestial Frost Blade unsheathed, bringing with it a fierce gust, as if to sweep away the gloom in the courtyard. Suddenly, the roof tiles clattered, and three shadows appeared like phantoms.

The leader of the Three Envoys of the Netherworld opened his robe, the corpse spots on his chest writhing like living things, sinister white bones piercing through the skin, exuding a nauseating stench: "Shi Feiyang, hand over the Jade Void Map and the girl, and I’ll spare your life!"

"If you want to harm her, you must first get past me!" Shi Feiyang’s voice was as loud as a bell, shaking the surrounding air.

Yet, at this moment, a shrill scream echoed from the depths of the branch, and a group of red-eyed, festering-skinned "living people" staggered out—they were actually branch disciples controlled by the "corpse poison" of the White Bone Sect!

"These people can still be saved!" Xue Li’s jade sword trembled, her eyes full of urgency, "The White Bone Sect used the ’Soul-Locking Nail’ to control their minds!" She watched Shi Feiyang fighting bravely, her heart filled with distress.

The self who once spoke coldly towards him now wished to pour all tenderness onto him.

Shi Feiyang gritted his teeth, performing the "Hundred Victories Saber Technique," intentionally avoiding vital points amidst the flashing saber light.

However, under the infiltration of corpse poison, these disciples possessed immense strength and felt no pain, charging forward one after another.

The "puff" of blades slicing through skin and the crack of bones were particularly eerie in the night.

Xue Li mustered her Inner Strength, swinging the jade sword to perform "Snow Shadow Splitting Light Sword," attempting to alleviate Shi Feiyang’s pressure.

But her movements tugged at her wounds, causing her to spit out another mouthful of black blood.

Seeing this, Shi Feiyang was anxious and worried, Bright Jade Technique True Qi surged out like a whirlpool, enveloping the two of them in its center.

All sharp weapons and malicious hidden weapons were deflected by the True Qi; conversely, extreme cold spread quickly, causing enemies’ acupoints to feel as if pricked by needles, soon paralyzing them with limbs stiffened and bodies covered in frost.

Xue Li suddenly exclaimed: "Feiyang, you’re injured!" It turned out that to protect her, Shi Feiyang’s left shoulder had been grazed by a Bone-Piercing Nail, leaving a mark on the icy armor of his Bright Jade Technique.

Xue Li struggled to approach, trembling hand wiping his "wound," eyes filled with guilt and sympathy: "It’s all because of me, if it weren’t for me..." However, Shi Feiyang smiled as he held her hand, gently kissing the back of it: "Silly girl, getting injured for you is something I do willingly. As long as you are safe and sound, I don’t mind being drenched in blood." His gaze was firm and gentle, "After all this is over, I must take you to see the beautiful sights of the world, making you smile like a flower every day."

Xue Li could no longer suppress her feelings and threw herself into his arms, her tears soaking his clothes: "Feiyang, I don’t want you to get hurt, I just want you to be okay... From now on, let me protect you, okay?"

The night was as black as ink, yet it was distorted by the blazing torches. In this blood-soaked Jianghu, the figures of the two stuck closely together, like two inseparable stars, warming each other with their light, and illuminating the dark path ahead.

The night was torn apart by the acrid wind, as the red chains of the Three Envoys of the Netherworld, wrapped with crimson tendrils, broke through the air, the barbed chains dripping black blood, trailing serpentine blood traces as if a Soul-devouring Blood Python had crawled out of the Netherworld.

The third envoy’s sleeve flashed coldly, and three hundred sixty "Soul-Seeking Nails" rained down like a storm, the ghostly green glow weaving a web of death, each poison needle coated with the Western Regions’ "Seven-Step Intestine-Breaking Powder."

Xue Li’s jade face was as white as paper, barely gathering the Kunlun Sect’s "Profound Ice Technique," her delicate shout accompanying the jade sword drawing a circle in the air: "Snow Soul Ice Seal!" Instantly, a crystal-clear ice wall rose from the ground, the chill transforming into thousands of icy shards, turning an area of ten zhang into a frost-white world.

However, the corpse poison in her shoulder suddenly countered, causing a metallic taste to surge in her throat, and she spat out a mouthful of black blood. The just-formed ice wall exploded with a crash, the shards scattering like hail. "Don’t harm her!" Shi Feiyang roared, shattering the eave’s copper bells, his Bright Jade Technique True Qi surged like a raging tide.