Chapter 55 Worse than Death?

Ximen Feixue hovered in mid-air, facing the snow python directly, his fighting spirit blazing to its absolute peak.

Seeing the snow python's ferocious nature, he could no longer hold back and let out a roar that shook the heavens like rolling thunder.

Following this violent shout, the spiritual power within Ximen Feixue surged like a breached dam.

Immediately afterward, Ximen Feixue swept his hands forward fiercely, and the long sword in his grip instantly erupted with a brilliant white light, resembling a streak of flowing light that pierced the firmament, slashing toward the snow python with an unstoppable and destructive momentum.

Sensing the impending danger, the snow python attempted to evade.

However, the speed of the sword was simply too fast; it only had time to twitch its massive body slightly.

With a deafening explosion like a sudden thunderclap, the snow python's bucket-thick tail was severed instantly. Fresh blood sprayed like a fountain, splashing onto the ground below and instantly dyeing the patch of grass crimson.

Standing to the side, Lu Qianqiu witnessed this entire scene, utterly dumbfounded, her mouth agape.

It was as if she were witnessing the most incredible spectacle in the world.

She could not fathom for the life of her why Ximen Feixue—whom she vividly remembered bullying at will in the past—had now become so formidable.

This immense strength and these fierce moves completely upended her perception.

Following her brief astonishment, the resentment in Lu Qianqiu's heart erupted like a volcano.

She could never tolerate being defeated by Ximen Feixue, nor could she stand by and watch her painstakingly raised spiritual beast suffer defeat like this.

At this thought, Lu Qianqiu hardened her resolve, biting down hard on the tip of her tongue. A mouthful of fresh blood spewed out, shooting straight toward the snow python.

The moment the blood droplets made contact with the snow python, it was as if an injection of adrenaline had been administered.

The snow python's aura, which had grown somewhat withered due to its severed tail, instantly revived. Its body trembled violently, a bizarre bloody glow washed over its scales, and its crimson eyes turned even more malevolent and terrifying.

"Roar—!"

With a roar, the earth itself seemed to shake violently!

At this moment, thoroughly incited by the scent of blood, the snow python became incomparably ferocious, charging frantically toward Ximen Feixue once again.

Gazing at the crazed snow python before him, Ximen Feixue merely shook his head slightly.

Just as the snow python lunged forward once more, a flash of light crossed his eyes, and his originally black pupils transformed into a piercing crimson red in a split second, resembling two burning flames.

Right after, Ximen Feixue's hands formed hand seals in a blur, and the surrounding air seemed to ignite as the temperature soared drastically.

In an instant, blazing fires engulfed Ximen Feixue's entire body. This was no ordinary flame; it was condensed from the pure spiritual power within his body, and its heat was high enough to melt gold and iron.

Ximen Feixue let out a shout and pushed his hands forward violently, sending the sea of flames surging toward the snow python.

Ferocious as the snow python was, it stood completely defenseless against this all-encompassing fire.

The flames instantly engulfed it. The snow python writhed and shrieked in agony within the blaze, but the fire burned ever brighter, and no matter how desperately it struggled, escape was impossible.

Within moments, the snow python's massive body was charred black, eventually crumbling into a pile of withered bones that scattered across the ground with crackling sounds.

Ximen Feixue retracted his cultivation technique and slowly descended back to the ground.

Gazing coldly and directly at Lu Qianqiu, Ximen Feixue parted his thin lips, and the words he spat out sounded like shards of ice.

"Lu Qianqiu, let today's affairs end here. Get lost! Although I hold your conduct in contempt, considering that you are a woman, I am disinclined to bicker with you too much. Do not force me to strike again."

With those words, he turned slightly sideways, indicating that he no longer wished to entangle with her.

Hearing this, Lu Qianqiu's face alternated between pale and flushed.

In her heart, today's crushing defeat was the ultimate humiliation, and Ximen Feixue's seemingly magnanimous declaration about not hitting women felt like a sharp blade piercing straight into her self-esteem.

When had she ever lost?

She widened her eyes and stared fixedly at Ximen Feixue, her chest heaving violently as rage overwhelmed her mind.

"Ximen Feixue!"

Lu Qianqiu squeezed these words out from between her teeth. "Don't be so smug! This debt today, I, Lu Qianqiu, have noted down! You'd better remember that sooner or later, I will make you pay a heavy price for what you've done today and return every bit of this humiliation manifold!"

Her voice echoed through the valley, startling a flock of birds into flight.

At this moment, Lu Qianqiu wished she could hack Ximen Feixue into a thousand pieces to vent her burning hatred.

Seeing that their mistress had suffered such a massive loss, the few subordinates standing beside Lu Qianqiu exchanged glances. One of the more quick-witted, smaller-stature men hurried to Lu Qianqiu's ear and whispered, "Young Mistress, you simply cannot let this go! Think about it, the very reason we came to the Southwest Mountains this time was to find that ancient fallen leaf and the spirit Youcai grass to present as a birthday tribute to the Sima Patriarch."

"If we return empty-handed, the Sima Patriarch will undoubtedly fly into a rage, and when he redirects his fury onto you, none of us will be able to bear the consequences!"

Hearing this, the others nodded in swift agreement.

"Indeed, Young Mistress! Ximen Feixue may be formidable, but we cannot show weakness either. If you back down now, how will you ever hold your head high within the Sima family in the future?"

"Besides, with so many of us here, surely we aren't afraid of just him?"

These subordinates knew all too well the temperament of the Sima Patriarch; once provoked, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Listening to these words, Lu Qianqiu felt even more conflicted and torn.

On one hand, she knew her subordinates spoke the truth; if this mission was botched, her standing within the Sima family would undoubtedly hang by a thread.

On the other hand, having just suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of Ximen Feixue, she was acutely aware of his prowess and inevitably felt a lingering sense of dread.

Not far away, Ye Xinghe had been sitting on a small stool, watching the dispute with cold detachment while cracking melon seeds with great relish.

Only now, seeing Lu Qianqiu consumed by hatred and still mounting a stubborn resistance, did he unhurriedly stand up, dust off the nonexistent dirt from the hem of his clothes, and walk closer with leisurely strides.

A piercing, icy chill emanated from Ye Xinghe's gaze as it swept over Lu Qianqiu and her entourage. His voice was low, yet every word struck like thunder.

"Lu Qianqiu, I originally had no wish to drive you to extremes and left you a way out, but you refuse to cherish it. Since that is the case, I will lay it out here as well: if you do not get lost, don't blame me for being impolite. Today, all of you can just die here together."

His tone was calm and devoid of ripples, yet the inherent majesty radiating from his very bones made one's blood run cold.

Ye Xinghe's strength was plain for all to see; with just a single thought, he could reduce everyone present to ashes.

Hearing these words, Lu Qianqiu felt a violent jolt in her heart.

She was well aware of Ye Xinghe's capabilities; since he dared utter such words, he undoubtedly possessed absolute confidence.

Having exhausted the majority of her spiritual power during the battle with Ximen Feixue, she stood no chance of winning if she truly crossed swords with Ye Xinghe.

Furthermore, the subordinates she had brought along, though accustomed to throwing their weight around on ordinary days, were nothing more than a mob of opportunistic cowards when faced with a true expert—utterly incapable of standing a single blow.