Chapter 119: Final Showdown with Bingling

"The Emperor has arrived—"

The dank, dim dungeon was suddenly lit by blazing firelight. Yin Tianxue lifted her weary eyes and looked toward the suddenly illuminated stone corridor. A figure bathed in bright yellow, walking slowly through the glare that stung her eyes, had a handsome face and imposing noble aura; for a moment even this squalid dungeon seemed somewhat bright and dignified.

He stopped in front of her, a leisurely smile lifting the corners of his mouth, his tone unusually gentle, making Yin Tianxue mistakenly think he would treat her kindly. He said, "I have no interest in wasting time with her; just have her take it."

A few men answered affirmatively, and then Yin Tianxue saw two burly hulks carrying wine jars, walking toward her. Their faces were unusually calm and indifferent, yet Yin Tianxue seemed to see lewd, snarling smiles at the corners of their mouths. She suddenly recalled the medicine she had forced that vile woman to swallow, and at that moment she understood why the emperor would lower himself to the dungeon to inspect her. Everything… was for revenge, revenge on behalf of that woman!

She began to scream in terror, pressing her lips together and clenching her teeth. She couldn't, she absolutely refused to become that… Yet the medicine was still forced down, slipping through her slender throat into her belly, slowly telling her the taste of something called despair.

"Cough… " Yin Tianxue's nose ran and tears streamed down her face; her previously flawless beauty had turned snarling. She lifted her head and glared fiercely at the man who had all along smiled faintly as she struggled in pain. For a moment her heart overflowed with resentment, anger, and jealousy to the point of madness; hoarse, she shouted, even forgetting fear: "What good does that vile woman have?! She clearly …"

Wei Lingfeng's brows twitched slightly, a cold murderous glint appearing in his eyes; immediately Yin Tianxue felt a sharp pain on her cheek, having been slapped hard by the person beside her. Wei Lingfeng stepped back a few paces, bent and sat in a pre‑arranged carved wooden chair, his expression calm as he said, "Divine Doctor, please explain in detail the effects of this medicine."

"Yes… Yes, Your Majesty!" Yin Tianxue only then noticed an elderly man in a blue cloth robe, wearing a felt hat, standing beside Wei Lingfeng, now sweating profusely, bowing and saying, "This medicine is called 'Heart‑Fire Burning the Body'. It is one of the most vicious folk poisons. Originally it was used among aristocratic families to punish jealous and cruel wives and concubines; once a malicious thought arose, the victim would act erratically and their appearance would deteriorate. Later a woman skilled in medicine, abandoned and resentful toward the woman who had lured her husband, refined the formula, creating the now dreaded 'Heart‑Fire Burning the Body'."

Yin Tianxue felt every hair on her body stand on end; the medicine in her belly seemed like a tiny poisonous insect burrowing into her internal organs, gnawing. She wanted to ask just how powerful the medicine was, but aside from moaning, she could not utter a single word.

Wei Lingfeng gave a cold smile and said, "Continue."

The felt‑hat elder turned his head and cast a glance at Yin Tianxue; his eyes, though devoid of malice and full of pity, made her feel as if she were falling into an ice cellar. He continued, "This medicine will take effect within two hours of ingestion; unless one mates with another, the condition will be worse than death. Especially, if the poisoned person's emotions are turbulent, the effect will manifest faster and more violently. Yet… the cruelty of this drug does not lie there. Once someone has taken Heart‑Fire Burning the Body, even employing the gender‑balancing cultivation technique cannot purge the lewd toxin from the body. Each time the medicine activates, the victim's appearance deteriorates a notch: the skin turns gray and wrinkled, the epidermis peels off in patches, festering with sores. Even a beggar seeing such a woman would feel only nausea and revulsion, let alone intimate contact. Moreover, if the victim does not mate, they will constantly endure a pain worse than death, with no relief."

"Ahhh!!" A mournful female scream rang through the dungeon, followed immediately by wailing sobs.

Ignoring the iron shackles that would tear her smooth skin, Yin Tianxue scrambled to Wei Lingfeng's feet, clinging to his leg and crying, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Please spare me! I… I'm willing to give that vile… no, I'm willing to kneel before the Empress and apologize! Please let me go… sob…"

Her body was roughly dragged away from under Wei Lingfeng's feet; Yin Tianxue felt a sharp pain all over as she was tossed like a rag into a corner.

Wei Lingfeng's expression remained indifferent as he brushed the hem of his robe, a leisurely cold smile at his lips, and he looked up at the shocked felt‑hat elder, saying, "Divine Doctor, have you finished speaking?"

"No, not yet!" The felt‑hat elder, for some reason, felt an overwhelming terror, his knees buckling as he knelt, trembling, "This… this medicine has no cure…"

Only at this moment did Wei Lingfeng finally let a satisfied smile spread across his face; he rose and, casually, ordered the guards behind him, "Without my command, do not let her die."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!! Please, please spare me…"

Yin Tianxue's harrowing scream echoed, and Wei Lingfeng's steps faltered briefly; he turned and slowly paced to her, hands behind his back, saying calmly, "Are you thinking that even an incurable poison, Qi Ran would probably have a cure?"

Yin Tianxue was startled; her disheveled, trembling limbs could not match the panic in her eyes.

Wei Lingfeng leaned forward a few degrees, his peerlessly handsome face bearing a demonic yet radiant smile, and in a deep voice said, "You don't realize that the tricks Qi Ran devises are likely even harsher than mine."

The smile on his face suddenly faded; Wei Lingfeng straightened up, coldly saying, "The pain and humiliation she endured that day, today I will have you repay her a thousandfold!"

"She doesn't love you!! Ha ha… " Yin Tianxue collapsed onto the ground, then suddenly stared at the figure walking away, laughing wildly, her disheveled hair trembling, blood streaming from the corners of her mouth, she shrieked hysterically, "She never loved you; you're as pitiful as I am… Ha ha… sob sob… Kill me! Wei Lingfeng… please let me die!"

Wei Lingfeng's figure did not pause for a moment; he ascended the steps slowly, as if deaf to the words behind him. Only the faint, melancholy smile at his mouth grew ever brighter and deeper.

On the 2nd day of the 10th month, 1262 of the Tianhe era, the Yao Kingdom enthroned the five‑year‑old son of Fu Jingnian, Fu Ming, as emperor; the Empress Dowager ruled behind a curtain, and Prime Minister Li Mu controlled the court. Because of longstanding dissatisfaction with Crown Prince Fu Junmo's reckless militarism, several generals including Meng Kuo were successively imprisoned and assassinated.

On the 18th day of the 10th month, 1262 Tianhe, the Yin Kingdom, following the Yao Kingdom, also installed Yin Ziheng's half‑brother, Yin Zian, as emperor. Yin Zian, nearing twenty, was naïve and ignorant, and the court became a stage for overt and covert struggles among various factions.

From then on, both the Yin Kingdom and the Yao Kingdom, once powerful unifiers of the world, began to decline. Insightful observers could clearly see that the chance for unifying the realm had emerged. The two remaining major allied forces, the Qi Kingdom and the Yi Kingdom, each had their own strengths and concerns. Who would ultimately vie for the throne of the world—Wei Lingfeng or Xiao Qiran?

From mid‑October 1262 Tianhe, rumors spread throughout the Yin and Yao Kingdoms, all pointing to the underground overlord Bingling. It was said that the Bingling King, for personal desires, provoked the three great nations into a dragon‑tiger clash while he secretly reaped the fisherman's profit. At the same time, some unknown source leaked Bingling's secret influence in the two kingdoms to the imperial armies; suddenly, soldiers of suppression were everywhere, the populace panicked, and the two regimes grew increasingly unstable.

On 2 November 1262 Tianhe, Qi Ran and Wei Lingfeng led troops to storm the palace of Bingling on Ming Island of the Eastern Sea—Wind Capital—but they did not see Xiao Yifei. Yet precisely because of this, the guards of Wind Capital, seeing Qi Ran, dared not block him.

Wind Capital Palace.

Qi Ran, with a calm expression, looked at the surrounding elite of Bingling that had surrounded us; he relaxed his five fingers, and four stones—blue, red, white, and black—fell to the ground, rattling in circles but seemingly bound by some force, not rolling away from Qi Ran.

"Four Sacred Stones?!"

Qi Ran slowly lifted his head, giving a faint smile as he looked at everyone; his gentle gaze eased most of their vigilance. He then spoke, "You haven't forgotten the rules of Bingling over the past hundred years, have you?"

As he spoke, the sharp blade in his hand traced a light slash across his fingertips, droplets of crystal‑clear blood falling onto the four differently colored egg‑shaped stones.

His voice remained gentle and pleasant, yet carried an undeniable authority and presence, and he said calmly, "Anyone who possesses the Full Yin Blood, regardless of innate talent, will become the Bingling King upon reaching twenty years of age. All beneath Bingling revere and obey him. So, do you intend to defy this ancestral edict?"

When he reached the final sentence, his calm voice rose a few degrees, like the tide of a vast sea, and as the four Sacred Stones gradually glowed with vivid colors, the hundreds around wore solemn, awed expressions.

"Young Master… no—Your Majesty! I present myself before Your Majesty!"

"I present myself before Your Majesty—"

Most people in the palace knelt, but a small portion hesitated, lingering aside, unwilling to bow to anyone other than Xiao Yifei.

Qi Ran and Wei Lingfeng exchanged a glance, both clearly noting the forces belonging to Xiao Yifei, vowing to eradicate them completely.

Qi Ran withdrew his gaze, looked at the kneeling crowd, and with a meaningless expression said, "You need not kneel to me. I am here today to tell you that Bingling and Wind Capital will likely cease to exist. If you wish to leave, you may go now; if you still wish to achieve something, you can come with me to Yi Kingdom, and I will arrange suitable positions for you."

Bingling's influence on the Tianhe continent is deeply rooted, having seeped into the land's backbone centuries ago. To eradicate it in a short time is a delusional fantasy. Aside from the vanished Xiao Yifei, even Qi Ran's few missing imperial brothers pose a great hidden threat.

However, retreating in the face of difficulty guarantees never achieving success. Today, the stunned, bewildered crowd in Wind Capital marks a beginning—a start to completely uprooting Bingling's foundational power.

And from this day onward, Bingling—the underground overlord that has existed for centuries, dominating the Tianhe continent with its twisted, mad existence—finally begins its gradual decline and extinction.

Where it begins, it ends there.

When we received the 'Heavenly Net' intelligence and saw Xiao Yifei atop the hidden mountain, this sentence flashed in my mind. Only three people were with him, acquaintances but not close: Ao Tianjun, Hong Xiu, and Cheng Er.

From afar, a streak of deep blue intermingled between two starkly different deep reds. Cheng Er stood farther away, her beautiful eyes swirling countless times, fixed on Bu Sha.

Ao Tianjun liked wearing red; I knew this back at Wangjiang Tower. Just as Bai Shengyi is born to favor white robes, the red long robe on him was an odd match yet not glaring.

Hong Xiu, one of the Seven Holy Maidens, Cheng Er's sister, Bu Sha's junior sister, I only briefly saw in Wei Lingfeng's palace, yet I remember her vividly because of her dazzling red attire.

She clearly bore a body of blazing fire, yet was cold as ice. Her autumn‑like eyes, like cut water, also rested on Bu Sha for a long time.

I looked up and gave Cheng Er a smile; she forced a laugh, then turned gloomy.

Xiao Yifei finally turned, his gaze flicked over me and Bu Sha, finally resting on Qi Ran. His complexion was somewhat gaunt, yet without any hint of decay; his eyes still shone. With his hands behind his back, he said lightly, "Has Xuan Er not come?"

Qi Ran nodded, "Big brother will capture the Hundred Li before noon today, then rendezvous with us; perhaps you'll have a chance to see him one last time."

Xiao Yifei's eyebrows twitched slightly; after focusing on Qi Ran for a while, he said, "Ran Er, you're indeed much more arrogant than before."

Qi Ran gave a faint smile, "I know, without your indulgence we could never have crushed the Yin and Yao Kingdoms within half a year, nor easily taken over Bingling and found you."

"Indulgence?" a bitter smile flickered on Xiao Yifei's face. "Perhaps I'm just tired. Since you and Bu Sha rescued that girl, and Xuan Er reclaimed the hidden wing trade, I've been exhausted. We even swore at the Yi Tian tomb to treat you well, yet in the end …"

"Father!" Qi Ran interrupted him, smiling calmly, "Regretting the past serves no purpose; that's what you taught me, isn't it?"

"Swish—" a clear sound rang, and Qi Ran already drew the cold blood from his waist, his demeanor calm as he said, "Xiao Yifei, stop appealing to emotion; you're not suited for this. Rest assured, as long as your descendants do not jeopardize big brother's interests, we will not exterminate them. As for Bingling, I will never allow it to spread across the Tianhe continent again."

Xiao Yifei's eyes flashed with a strange hue, but he gave no reply, staring at him intensely.

Qiran gave a faint smile, as if ignoring that substantive gaze, holding his sword horizontally and pointing to the ground, he called out loudly: "Xiao Yifei, let's make the final break! No one else, just you and me! Win or lose, we fight to the death!"

If I die, Bu Sha and Bing Yi will naturally take my corpse away and thereafter never seek revenge against you. If you die, I will bury you together with Leng Qingya, fulfilling your lifelong wish!

Good! Good! Indeed not unworthy of Qiran! Seizing the initiative, his momentum is unmatched. Xiao Yifei suddenly burst into laughter, that laugh was extraordinarily heroic, without a trace of gloom; he reached into his bosom, a red light flashed before his eyes, and the Blood Xiao was already in his hand, only to hear him say: "As you wish, we father and son will now make the final ending!"

Qiran turned to look at me; in his deep blue eyes, as deep as the sea, were nothing but undulating apology and deep affection, plus an unshakable confidence.

I smiled helplessly, yet spoke with unusual firmness: "Don't worry! I'll obediently wait for your return, and won't cause any trouble."

Qiran shifted his gaze to Bu Sha; in an instant, Bu Sha nodded, his expression indifferent, and said: "I will protect her well."

Qiran stubbornly corrected: "It's you two."

Bu Sha was taken aback, then a smile appeared in his eyes. I, however, had already lowered my head and kept laughing; Qiran stepped forward two paces, gently embraced me, then turned and left.

The sky was overcast, the sun nowhere to be seen; the wind in the mountains was a bit cold. I quietly watched Qiran's retreating figure as he walked forward step by step, while in my heart I wondered: if he really died, would Bu Sha and I still survive? Then I smiled faintly, but felt it meaningless—when that time truly comes, following the heart's choice is enough.

This is the first time I have watched a duel between masters with such attention, and I clearly know that after today my martial arts will surpass a new threshold. I think this is also one of the reasons Qiran brought me and Bu Sha here.

Sword qi sharp and fierce, Qiran leapt forward and launched the first attack. Xiao Yifei, however, kept his composure, standing still in place; the blade-like sword qi rushed upon him, causing his robes to billow in the wind and rustle loudly.

Though already extremely swift, his form seemed to quicken a fraction more; I only felt a blur before my eyes, and the clash of weapons sounded briefly. From afar, a flute and a sword intertwined, light and agile, like a lotus in bloom. The two seemed to be weaving shadows with their hands, not engaged in a life‑and‑death struggle. Yet, seeing their solemn expressions, the icy killing intent in their eyes, and the surrounding tangible intertwining true qi, one knows that although only a few exchanges have passed, they are already fighting for their lives.

After such a moment of entanglement, the sound of weapons clashing and fists and palms striking rang out twice loudly. The two figures, one blue and one white, like kites with severed strings, flew backward.

Before I could even gasp, their forms both halted in mid‑air, actually hovering for a moment, then shot straight up like a soaring eagle.

Like a soaring dragon, like a startled swan, I stared wide‑eyed as Qiran performed the first move of the Wandering Free Sword Technique—"like a fish in water." Clearly the same sword art, yet in different hands it yields such a difference. I saw him point his long sword sideways; without borrowing force in mid‑air, he leapt, spun and flipped, his body brushing past Xiao Yifei while his sword lingered behind, positioned before Xiao Yifei. He turned, thrust obliquely, then stabbed straight—no superfluous motion.

Xiao Yifei, however, remained calm; his body tilted slightly backward in the air, avoiding the tip of the long sword by a hair's breadth. Then, still carrying momentum, he twisted his torso in an almost impossible tilt, his feet as if treading flat ground, and actually kicked off the air to leap higher again; the blade of his Blood Xiao traced a near‑360‑degree arc, aiming straight at Qiran's neck.

A few broken hairs drifted down from the air; I gasped heavily, feeling that all the peril of my lifetime added together still falls short of these few minutes of Qiran's; my palm, marked with deep nail scratches, lay open, slick with cold sweat.

I lifted my gaze to the two figures standing aloft like immortals atop a hundred‑zhang‑high tree; the dark, overcast sky, accompanied by a chilly breeze, shed a fine drizzle. Their forms swayed in the wind, robes billowing; from afar, the blue and white silhouettes in the misty rain appeared both ethereal like celestial beings banished to the mortal realm and possessed of a boundless, awe‑inspiring presence.

"Will Qiran lose?" As the words left my mouth, I realized they trembled slightly—I could not tell whether it was from fear or from the chill of the icy rain seeping in.

Warm true qi surged into my back, instantly dispelling the cold within me; all I heard was Bu Sha's deep voice: "I don't know, I can only believe in him."

I chuckled, my heart immediately easing considerably; this is probably the only consolation Bu Sha can offer, yet for some reason it is especially convincing.

The two figures moved, stepping on the supple branches as they crossed in mid‑air several times; the blue and white light‑shadows entwined and began to spin. Their speed shifted from fast to slow, the clash of weapons went from intermittent to continuous, and the entwined silhouettes could no longer be easily distinguished—no matter how wide I opened my eyes, I could no longer make out each move as clearly as before.

Bu Sha's eyes finally showed a solemn gleam; his night‑like dark pupils flickered with silver light, unblinkingly fixed on the treetops where killing intent crisscrossed, his gaze revealing both eager fervor for battle and anxious worry, while the fists hanging at his sides clenched one by one.

Just as we were utterly focused, nearly forgetting everything around us, a clear, cold voice laced with anger, intertwined with icy true qi, pierced in: "Bu Sha!"

(End of chapter)