Chapter 1189: Cao Shaoqin, the Sand Vortex

Boom!
Rumble… rumble… rumble…
The Jinyiwei suddenly parted to the sides, like two roaring yellow dragons, swiftly circling Zhou Huai’an and the others with a deafening noise, encircling them in the center.
Faced with this sudden noise and the Jinyiwei’s unexpected behavior, Zhou Huai’an and the others were at a loss. Realizing that the Jinyiwei were surrounding them without attacking, they focused intently, holding their breath and forming a defensive circle.
Iron hooves clashed! Wild sand flew! In an instant, the group was completely surrounded by the Jinyiwei army.
The Silver Fox and his group had prepared for a desperate fight, but seeing this situation, a glimmer of hope arose in their hearts:
“Let’s not attack yet.”
“The Jinyiwei leader should come out to speak soon.”
“Find a chance to capture the leader—maybe we can turn things around.” Meiying, Silver Fox, and Niu Dali were quick-witted, and the group whispered these words to each other in hushed tones.
Surprisingly, they chose silence and formed a circle within the Jinyiwei’s encirclement!
As time passed, the Jinyiwei soldiers grew still. These disciplined warriors, dressed in bright uniforms, stared intently at the group on the open ground, yet did not attack, as if waiting for something…
“Zhou Huai’an.”
Just as the group grew impatient, a group of elite Jinyiwei in white robes, with distinguished appearances, rode slowly toward them from a distant dune.
Zhou Huai’an, Mo Yan, and the others narrowed their eyes…
Wherever these people went, the Jinyiwei parted to the sides, lining up solemnly and respectfully, even bowing their heads too shy to make eye contact.
At the head of this group was an unusually young man, his bold and defiant eyes hiding a hint of coldness and the authority of a ruler, exuding an intimidating aura!
It was Cao Shaoqin, the commander of the Jinyiwei!
“It’s that eunuch.”
Zhou Huai’an and the others were the first to recognize the identity of those who rode into the open ground. Their expressions shifted from solemnity to wariness:
“This is bad. Behind Cao Shaoqin are the eighteen secret guards of the Jinyiwei—each one a deadly assassin… I never thought he’d come in person.”
Mo Yan and the other martial artists behind him paled, realizing they had stumbled into an even more dangerous situation, one that could be described as hopeless.
“There’s no chance of escaping now.” Glancing at the arrogant and imposing Cao Shaoqin, Wu Kuo glanced again at the eighteen Mythical Realm experts behind him and sighed bitterly.

Eighteen masters at the Mythical Realm were already difficult to deal with, not to mention Cao Shaoqin, whose strength was unfathomable and even surpassed that of Zhou Huai’an and Mo Yan. He was likely a master of the Heavenly Dao, making this a situation where death seemed inevitable.
“Don’t rush…”
After all, Shadow had once been the leader of the largest gang in the Central Plains. Having faced countless storms, even the invasion of wild wolves into the Central Plains, he could remain calm in any danger. Even facing Cao Shaoqin, he stayed composed, calmly assuring his comrades, “Let’s see what he has to say.”
Meanwhile…
Silver Fox secretly signaled the Three with the Knife to wait and observe, and all four pairs of eyes focused on Cao Shaoqin, who had stopped his horse.
…
As the top commander of the Jinyiwei, Cao Shaoqin held immense power. This was evident from the fact that the Jinyiwei’s elite warriors could easily leave the border regions and enter the desert, showing just how extraordinary his status in the court was.
Clack, clack, clack, clack…
Since Cao Shaoqin appeared with a group of Mythical Realm warriors, Zhou Huai’an and the others didn’t dare even breathe, tightening their formation as they stared intently at the arrogant and cold-faced commander of the Jinyiwei, this powerful official who held sway over the entire court.
After Cao Shaoqin entered, a thousand men from the Jinyiwei slowly mounted their horses and advanced…
“Sir!”
“…”
Without even glancing sideways, Cao Shaoqin gave a indifferent glance at the wanted man in the crowd: “Where is Zhou Huai’an?”
In the crowd, Zhou Huai’an frowned slightly but still smiled as he stepped forward two steps. “I am Zhou Huai’an.”
Cao Shaoqin sat proudly on his horse, looking down at him disdainfully. “Is it you who has repeatedly ruined my Jinyiwei’s plans and taken away the descendants of the traitor Yu Qian from us?”
“Traitor?”
Zhou Huai’an laughed heartily. “Yu Qian was loyal to the country and its people—what crime could he possibly have committed?”
“Interfering in court affairs and obstructing the Jinyiwei from enforcing the law is enough of a crime.”
“It seems to me that it’s Commander Cao who decides who is guilty.” Facing Cao Shaoqin, Zhou Huai’an maintained his heroic demeanor, his words laced with sarcasm.
“Dare you!!”
Cao Shaoqin’s expression remained unchanged, but the Jinyiwei thousand-man commander glared angrily and whipped out his whip.
That thousand-man commander also possessed Mythical Realm cultivation, capable of summoning wind and thunder. His whip flashed forward in an instant.
Whoosh!!!
A cold blade appeared beside Zhou Huai’an.
Mo Yan raised his sword to block the strike for him. Zhou Huai’an didn’t even blink, still smiling calmly as he stared at Cao Shaoqin.

“I am but an ordinary man; I simply don’t want the good officials in the world to be killed off by villains. I failed to save Lord Yu Qian, and Huai’an is in great distress. The only way is to rescue the descendants of that honest official from the clutches of those villains.”
These words finally caused Cao Shaoqin’s ever-unchanging indifference to shift slightly, his gaze sharpening. “So, his children are in your hands now?” He finally got to the point.
“You guessed right…” Zhou Huai’an replied with a faint smile, stretching out his words.
Zhou Huai’an believed that after such a long delay, his men must have already taken Lord Yu Qian’s children far away. What they needed to do was to buy as much time as possible—the longer they could delay, the greater the chances of Lord Yu Qian’s children surviving.
Yet…
Cao Shaoqin simply glanced around the crowd indifferently, asking no further questions. He then called out to those beside him, “Buy time? Very good. Send a squad out immediately—dig through the ground to find them! Alive or dead…”
His last words were cold and resolute, shattering any remaining hope in Zhou Huai’an and the others’ hearts.
…
“Kill them!”
“Damn it! We’re going to die anyway—why waste words on them?!”
Before Zhou Huai’an could act, someone in the crowd couldn’t hold back any longer and rushed forward first.
“Kill them!”
“Let’s fight together!”
The speaker was clearly one of Niu Dali’s men from the Zhan Yi Gate. With a shout, seven or eight men charged forward, their feet sinking into the yellow sand as they shot off in all directions like arrows released from a bow.
Hmph!
Almost at the same time, a thunderous, imposing snort filled the ears of everyone present!
The eight figures heading in all directions paused slightly in mid-air.
Cough!
Cao Shaoqin swiftly drew a long sword from the waist of a Jinyiwei guard beside him. With a slight pinch of his fingers, the officially produced steel sword shattered into pieces.
Whoosh whoosh…
As his brocade robe fluttered, dozens of steel shards, like deadly hidden weapons, shot out in all directions with a piercing sound!
From drawing the sword, shattering it, to firing the shards—everything happened in one seamless motion, so fast that no one could react in time.
Yin Hu, Mei Ying, and the others only saw a blur before dozens of sharp glints pierced straight into the bodies of those eight Zhan Yi Gate disciples.
Thud! Thud!
In mid-air, those eight disciples were struck by Cao Shaoqin’s command, their bodies pierced by multiple shards.
Bang bang…

The eight of them were flung back into the crowd, leaving behind a pool of dark red blood. The moment they hit the ground, they had already turned into eight lifeless corpses.
Ending eight lives in a single move—such dominance silenced all rivals!
Those who had been itching to act immediately froze!
Even people like Shadow narrowed their pupils sharply and signaled to restrain their urge to break through together. At the same time, everyone’s attention shifted to Zhou Huai’an—here, only Zhou Huai’an and Mo Yan, at the peak of the Mythical Realm, could barely contend with Cao Shaoqin at the Heavenly Realm level.
Niu Dali’s face turned ashen. Eight of his men had been killed in one go, leaving only two weaklings who had completely lost any chance of competing or surviving.
On the other hand, Cao Shaoqin!
This master of the Heavenly Realm, who held ultimate power over countless lives, had killed eight people as easily as if it were a trivial task. With an indifferent glance at the remaining Zhou Huai’an and others, he tossed aside the hilt of his sword, his grayish-white eyebrows radiating sword energy as he declared, “Yu Qian’s sons and daughters won’t escape the grasp of my Jinyiwei. Once their bodies are delivered, I’ll cut off their heads right in front of you and bring them back to the capital to be displayed alongside Yu Qian’s head.”
Hearing this, Zhou Huai’an and Mo Yan paled instantly!
Silver Fox had been observing their expressions the whole time, noticing the fury in their eyes and realizing they were likely about to… take action.
Silently, Silver Fox gave a signal to the three men with knives. The three looked grave and nodded at each other—they knew that once they drew their swords, it would be a fight to the death.
Heavenly Realm masters had an extremely keen sense for energy.
The subtle changes among the group caught Cao Shaoqin’s attention. He waved his hand slightly, and the Jinyiwei masters around him immediately raised their crossbows.
Hundreds of arrows locked onto Zhou Huai’an and his group!
At the same time, eighteen Mythical Realm masters unleashed their own auras—dominant and deadly from above.
A Jinyiwei commander rushed over to Cao Shaoqin, holding a very long black sword aloft.
With a sharp clang!
The sword was drawn.
Even in the scorching desert, the moment the sword emerged, Zhou Huai’an and his group felt a wave of icy coldness and unmatched sharpness emanating from Cao Shaoqin.
The dominance of this Heavenly Realm master instantly crushed the fighting spirit and courage that the martial artists had just mustered!
Everyone’s breath hitched.

Although Zhou Huai’an and his group remained still, the tension in the area was extremely high as the commander of the Jinyiwei took action, creating an atmosphere that seemed on the verge of explosion. A drop of cold sweat slid down Zhou Huai’an’s forehead… Drop! The sweat fell into the yellow sand. It seemed to trigger some strange domino effect—the sand particles sank, and soon, entire areas began to move, as if the entire desert was gently shaking at that moment… Even Cao Shaoqin could feel the desert beneath his feet rapidly sinking, along with his mount. Whoosh!!! The once solemn scene instantly turned chaotic—thousands of horses neighed simultaneously, and many fell into the sinking sand vortices, creating a truly bizarre sight.