In the darkness of night, two figures sped through the air.
It was midsummer in the Great Shang Dynasty. The moon shone bright amid sparse stars, yet flakes of snow drifted down from the sky, crystalline as jade.
Before long, goose-feather snow swept across the land. Cold and desolate, frost surged forth, turning everything into a vast world of ice and snow.
Scarlet Blood Scholar had lost an arm. Blood dripped continuously, staining the snow beneath his feet red.
He looked at Su Changqing, who was steadily closing in from behind, his heart filled with shock.
Why was this man's speed so fast?
If this continued, he would surely die. A ruthless light flashed in his eyes as his three fingers, like sharp claws, suddenly jabbed into his own body.
His blood and qi churned throughout his body, his dantian's sea of qi roiled, and his speed surged. He fled for his life, racing straight beyond Chang'an City.
Behind him, Su Changqing followed closely.
The tips of his feet touched the rooftops, leaving no trace in the snow. He looked down at Scarlet Blood Scholar below, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The Four Seasons Cloud Falling Steps could draw upon the advantages of terrain and weather.
Today, Scarlet Blood Scholar would not escape.
In a distant street corner, a middle-aged man slowly stepped forward. He wore a Flying Fish Robe, his build tall and imposing. His pale golden hawk eyes narrowed with a trace of chilling malice.
This man was Iron Claw Flying Eagle.
Unlike Chen Mo and Ye Ronghuo, who merely had grudges against Su Changqing, Iron Claw Flying Eagle was his true mortal enemy.
Iron Claw Flying Eagle had personally crushed the throat of that menial disciple. Only after confirming that Su Changqing no longer breathed had he left.
"I never expected him to force Scarlet Blood Scholar into such a state. Still, if you have treasures, they will be mine today. If you do not, obtaining the Frost Snow Saber and killing Scarlet Blood Scholar would still be a windfall!"
Some met within lofty pavilions, while others crouched outside windows to spy.
Yet they did not know that someone else was secretly witnessing everything.
Iron Claw Flying Eagle followed closely behind the two of them, his eyes cold and bloodthirsty.
Ever since Su Changqing had accepted the mission, he had been watching from the shadows, waiting to kill him.
That was how the world worked. If one did not wish to be killed, one had to kill others.
Scarlet Blood Scholar's Yin-Yang Steps were truly formidable. He moved with extreme speed and soon left Chang'an City, heading deep into a dense forest.
The forest was dark and secluded, its towering trees lush and thick. They were completely covered in snow, like silver blossoms of ice and frost, dreamlike and illusory.
"Scarlet Blood Scholar's lair lies beneath a Great Buddha Temple. Kill him once we reach the temple!"
Su Changqing's eyes narrowed slightly. He pursued all the way, yet always kept a measured distance from Scarlet Blood Scholar, leaving him a sliver of hope.
Life Script: Two days later, while pursuing Scarlet Blood Scholar, he would discover beneath a Great Buddha Temple at Scarlet Blood Scholar's hiding place a Muscle Tendon Pill that the Dali Zhennan King had accidentally dropped after a night of passion with a woman...
The Shaolin Temple's Muscle Tendon Pill was a secret treasure of the True Qi Realm. It could transform one's aptitude, expand the sea of qi, and cleanse the meridians and marrow.
He was determined to obtain it.
After several dozen breaths, a ruined temple came into view. Deep within the forest, it covered an area of a hundred meters and had long since fallen into disrepair.
"Boy, if you keep chasing me, I will make sure you die in the Great Buddha Temple today!" Scarlet Blood Scholar swept a cold gaze over Su Changqing and said viciously.
In his own lair, with the advantage of the terrain, he would surely bury this shameless brat here!
Scarlet Blood Scholar was covered in snow, his lips frozen blue-purple. He was not even wearing trousers, and he had fled for nearly a hundred li through this bitter cold and snow.
He practically hated Su Changqing to death.
Su Changqing silently calculated the distance. With a tap of his toes, he landed atop a massive pine tree, shaking countless snowflakes loose.
Four Seasons Cloud Falling Steps—his speed in snow doubled!
Su Changqing's speed suddenly surged. He burst forth from the swirling snow, his long saber leaving its sheath as a cold gleam flashed.
Scarlet Blood Scholar was startled. He turned to look behind him, and his expression changed instantly.
He leaped through the snow, the Purple Blood Soft Sword flashing with eerie violet light as it slashed behind him.
"Kill!"
"Tyrant Saber!"
Su Changqing slid through the endless snow, dressed in black as ink, his eyes indifferent. The Tyrant Saber in his hand came crashing down.
Saber and sword collided with a resounding clang.
The two danced wildly through the snow. Trees around them were severed by saber and sword, and enormous trees that had grown for untold years crashed to the ground as snow scattered everywhere.
"I will kill you today!" Scarlet Blood Scholar roared, his lips frozen purple.
He had failed to sleep with Feng Qingxue, and the duck that had been in his mouth had flown away. First, this man had ambushed him and severed an arm, then pursued him for a hundred li!
This man's saber technique was simply incomparably domineering!
Scarlet Blood Scholar drew a deep breath. The Purple Blood Soft Sword dispersed the true qi, becoming like a supple yet rigid ribbon of violet steel that tightly coiled around the Frost Snow Saber.
With one foot breaking through the air, he kicked toward Su Changqing's groin.
"You have no right hand, but I have a left."
Su Changqing laughed loudly. He extended one hand, turning it into a sharp claw, and blocked the low kick.
They had first battled with saber and sword, then clashed in close combat.
The air around them trembled. Su Changqing's single claw was fierce; he had long since achieved minor mastery in the Eagle Claw Technique. He seized Scarlet Blood Scholar's thigh, his fingers digging deep into flesh.
His thigh was torn apart alive, blood pouring like a fountain. Scarlet Blood Scholar screamed in agony, the Purple Blood Soft Sword falling from his hand. He knelt on the ground, unable to resist any longer.
"Brat, you are so vicious at such a young age. Heaven will surely punish you one day!"
Scarlet Blood Scholar knelt on the ground, staring fixedly at Su Changqing as he spoke.
Su Changqing silently watched him for a moment. Clad in black as ink, he stood amid the boundless snowy landscape.
He looked upon the snowscape as flakes drifted down.
From Youlan Pavilion, across Chang'an City's long streets, through a hundred-li pursuit and slaughter, he was somewhat weary.
Countless snow pines stood proudly around him, their crowns blanketed in white. Lonely and cold, it was like a world of ice crystals.
You lie buried beneath the spring, your bones turned to mud; I remain in this mortal world, snow-white to old age.
His face was handsome, his brocade garments frosted with snow. His eyelashes were long, covered in snowflakes that had frozen into tiny crystals.
Su Changqing suddenly chuckled.
"How could a little frost ever stir my heart?"
A black-clad figure slowly approached from afar, his long hawkish eyes fixed upon Su Changqing's back with a cold gaze.
He had followed them all the way. Now, the time had finally come to reap the rewards.
The Purple Blood Soft Sword, the Frost Snow Saber, and the heads of Scarlet Blood Scholar and Su Changqing.
Suddenly, a flying claw shot out from his shoulder. Its iron chain stretched across the sky, and beneath the moonlight, the flying claw gleamed with cold light.
Su Changqing's hairs stood on end. He instantly bent backward, the icy chain before his eyes chilling to the soul.
The flying claw ripped open Scarlet Blood Scholar's chest cavity, sending blood splattering everywhere. His eyes widened as he knelt on the ground.
"As expected of Centurion Su." Iron Claw Flying Eagle sneered. He exerted force, making the iron chain dance as the flying claw tore free and swept across the air again.
Su Changqing's thigh was struck in an instant, blood bursting forth like flowers.
His expression did not change in the slightest as he struck the ground with his palm.
Borrowing the force, his body flew backward. From dozens of meters away, he entered the Great Buddha Temple through its main gate.
"If you have the guts, come inside. I will make you die here!"
Su Changqing's voice came from within the Great Buddha Temple, booming and echoing through the temple.
The Great Buddha Temple had been abandoned for decades. It was dim within, filled with broken bricks and shattered tiles. Normally, only Scarlet Blood Scholar lived there.
After years without repair, there was even a massive hole in the roof. Countless shafts of moonlight poured through it, illuminating the bronze-rusted body of the Great Buddha.
Iron Claw Flying Eagle retracted his flying claw and stared at the temple before him with icy eyes.
"Kill you? Easy as lifting a hand!"
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