"Buzz!"
In an instant, the myriad divine abilities of Sword Heart Communion were fully unleashed. Su Qingjiu, at the thirteenth realm, served as the core of the entire Ten Directions Grand Formation, her combat power reaching a new peak. She swung her sword upwards, and a vast, blazing sword aura shot into the sky, directly cleaving the water transport of the great demon Canglan in half.
Following this, the flying sword Baiyu, wreathed in dazzling white sword light, shot out and utterly shattered the palm strike unleashed by the awe-inspiring Qing Kui Demon Ancestor.
"Su Qingjiu!"
A thirteenth-realm great demon from Wuwang Mountain, enraged, brandished a trident. A red ribbon tied at his collar, symbolizing his rank within Wuwang Mountain, revealed him to be a toad demon. He roared and charged down, trident in hand, bellowing, "With just you, do you think you can stop an entire Wuwang Mountain? You're merely at the thirteenth realm, why so arrogant?!"
"Hmm?"
Su Qingjiu tilted her head slightly. The next moment, trailed by the golden fortune of the Ten Directions Grand Formation, she darted out, momentarily leaving the formation. The flying sword Baiyu, after shattering the Demon Ancestor's palm strike, circled in the air and, with a clang, parried the demon's trident. Su Qingjiu, meanwhile, shifted her body, her Xunlu sword sweeping across the demon's waist.
Instantly, the armor worn by this thirteenth-realm toad demon was torn apart, and his skin was cut several inches deep by the Xunlu sword. However, the physical body of a thirteenth-realm great demon was too robust; the sword could not cleave through it.
"You think you can kill me?!" the toad demon snarled, his shame turning to rage.
Just then, with a "swish," a flying sword pierced the wound in the toad demon's waist. It then transformed into a shower of green raindrops, directly passing through the demon's waist and riddling it like a sieve.
Su Qingjiu swiftly struck again. At once, the toad demon was bisected. Just as his life force was rapidly draining and he momentarily lost his combat ability, the flying sword Baiyu zipped past, pierced his forehead, and instantly killed him.
In the blink of an eye, a thirteenth-realm great demon from Wuwang Mountain had perished.
...
"Everyone, be careful!"
Qing Kui Demon Ancestor's face turned extremely grim. "Behind Su Qingjiu is a formation of the Military school, likely the masterpiece of that meddling fellow named Han. Although Su Qingjiu is at the thirteenth realm now, she has gathered the fortune of the entire Snow Territory Heavenly Pool, making her an opponent no single person can face!"
His voice was deep. "All of you, attack the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool together, and exhaust the foundation of this divine formation!"
"Yes!"
A host of great demons attacked with all their might.
Great Demon Canglan and Great Demon Ji An each summoned a formidable water transport. Qing Kui Demon Ancestor soared into the sky, revealing his true form as a Qing Kui, his hooves stomping down like a torrent to suppress the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool. Demon King Chen Feng, his face contorted, was most adept at attacking weak points and concealing himself. The tip of his sword, wreathed in an extremely sharp gale of the Three Realms, sliced towards the west side of the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool.
In the sky, a figure in a white dress appeared – the fourteenth-realm great demon Lian Ban. In reality, Lian Ban’s true form was a lotus flower, belonging to the category of spirits and demons. However, she had long ago submitted to Kun Peng Demon Ancestor and had been nurtured in his cave-heaven for thousands of years, absorbing an immensely dense demonic energy that was in no way inferior to that of other great demons.
Thus, when Lian Ban swung her sword, myriad lotus phantoms bloomed. With a single strike, thousands of sword energies, transformed into lotuses by demonic energy, rained down upon the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool.
On the east side, thirteenth-realm great demon Ning Yuan Sheng let out a low roar, manifesting his nine-lion phantom behind him. As he thrust his palms forward, the heavens and earth changed color. The nine lions behind him, engulfed in a vast expanse of demonic energy, slammed fiercely into the outer wall of White City.
Alongside Ning Yuan Sheng stood a thirteenth-realm demon king clad in green armor, wielding the Jade Wave Cudgel – Liu Bai. After suffering a sword strike from Yan Beichen in the past, Liu Bai had never fully recovered to his peak. However, a thirteenth-realm demon king whose path was close to water was not to be underestimated. He raised the Jade Wave Cudgel, conjuring a phantom thousands of feet long, which crashed down upon the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool with the might of Mount Tai.
Great demons such as Fu Sheng, Nan Qingfeng, and Long Zheng also unleashed their attacks, causing the sky to fill with terrifying techniques, all bombarding the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool.
"Hold the line!"
Huang Tingyu unleashed his sword intent, merging it all into the Ten Directions Grand Formation. Yu Wanling, Chu Yu, Mu Zha, and others in the rear also exerted their full strength, dedicating their life's fortune to the three individuals in front.
Su Qingjiu bore the brunt of the assault. Her Xunlu sword vibrated "buzzing," as if reveling in the fierce battle. The Xunlu sword was originally a divine sword that killed without form, eagerly craving to drink blood, indifferent to whose blood it was!
"Boom!"
The Xunlu sword unleashed two sky-piercing slashes, causing the water transports of Great Demon Ji An and Great Demon Canglan to waver precariously. Simultaneously, the flying swords Baiyu and Qingyu darted in and out, unseen, dedicated to killing. With two "puffs," two early twelfth-realm great demons were reduced to corpses, their blood splashing everywhere, all drawn by the two flying swords to replenish the Xunlu sword.
In an instant, the killing intent of the Xunlu sword grew even heavier!
In the past, Gu Yanshu killed in the Western Shu region, but he fought against those of lower cultivation and less profound backgrounds. Today, Su Qingjiu, wielding the Xunlu sword, was slaying great demons. Those who dared to confront the Xunlu sword were all prominent figures among the demon race.
Wherever the Xunlu sword passed, it left behind a trail of blood and gore.
Today, Su Qingjiu was slaying countless demons!
On the flanks, Wu Zhi and Tang Guangjun served as the eyes of the formation, also receiving a considerable amount of fortune from the Ten Directions Grand Formation. Together, they unleashed their swords, easing the pressure on Su Qingjiu.
Although Wu Zhi had only one arm, he possessed ten demon soul swords, nearly reaching the level of great artifacts. They transformed into ten enchanting rays of light that shuttled continuously in the morning light, "puff, puff, puff," slaying demon cultivators of the middle five realms and the eleventh realm. The true great demons were left for the Xunlu sword to kill, aiding in accumulating its killing intent. As for Wu Zhi, he was performing a supporting role.
Today was the most dashing day for Tang Guangjun since he arrived at the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool. He had borrowed a set of old soldier's armor from the era of Chu Huaixi from Old Huang. A tattered cape was tied around his neck. Although he appeared desolate, the killing intent of a thirteenth-realm Military sword cultivator was growing more intense. His sword strikes were decisive, severing the heads of countless demons beneath the walls of White City.
Yet, Tang Guangjun felt a sense of loneliness. He had guarded the gate at the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool for over half a year. Everyone believed him to be merely a slovenly man, just a gatekeeper. No one thought Tang Guangjun was remarkable. Especially Feng Niang, the proprietress of the tavern, who was unromantic and had never given Tang Guangjun a second glance.
If Feng Niang could see Tang Guangjun now, witnessing him cleaving terrifying great demons as easily as chopping vegetables, perhaps she would have fallen for him at first sight. Sadly, the Mountain Master was too kind; he had evacuated everyone from the town long ago. Feng Niang had also left with the other shop assistants, saying she was going to Ji Prefecture to open a small shop and make a living.
He wondered when he would see Feng Niang again.
The slovenly man felt a pang of melancholy, thus his attacks on the demons grew even more ferocious. He was unwilling to end a life with a single clean cut when he could, instead, turn the eleventh-realm great demon into a rain of blood.
...
"Above the twelfth realm, focus your attacks solely on Su Qingjiu!"
After exchanging a palm strike with Su Qingjiu, Qing Kui Demon Ancestor was struck on the thigh by the Xunlu sword, gushing with blood. This was merely a distracted strike from Su Qingjiu, yet it gave Qing Kui Demon Ancestor the feeling of being struck by Ding Muchen's sword in the past, a terrifying sensation of falling in realm that still lingered in his heart.
Therefore, killing Su Qingjiu was not something any single individual could achieve.
At once, dozens of great demons surrounded Su Qingjiu, attacking with fierce force.
All sorts of techniques rained down incessantly. Su Qingjiu, who had stepped out of White City, was like a lone sword entering a fiery abyss. Although with a casual sword strike she could kill one or two eleventh or twelfth-realm great demons, she herself was also being attacked, and her robust protective sword aura was continuously diminishing. This was a process of mutual attrition.
When Su Qingjiu's sword intent was fully depleted, that would be her death knell.
However, at this moment, in the little one's beautiful eyes, a dense golden light enveloped them. Her divine nature was no longer concerned with life or death. After all, her Brother Lin Zhao had already died; what meaning was there for her, Little Jiu'er, to live?
Since that was the case, she should make the best use of her remaining life, just like her Brother Lin Zhao, who had split Wuwang Mountain in two with his sword. Then, Little Jiu'er should inherit Brother Lin Zhao's will and earnestly facilitate this "space for time" strategy, ensuring the continuation of the human world's incense and offerings. Only then would she have the face to meet Brother Lin Zhao in the afterlife.
...
In the small dark room.
Lin Zhao watched the scene shared by Leng Yan. He had no interest in the players' battles. He only watched Su Qingjiu, Wu Zhi, and Tang Guangjun fight desperately against the horde of demons. In truth, he wished he could burst out of this space and shout, "Little Jiu'er, you're doing great!" Unfortunately, he could not.
Lin Zhao could even see that Little Jiu'er's sword strikes were without reservation, her offense far outweighing her defense. While such attacks could kill more great demons, her own injuries would ultimately become more severe.
He understood that it was his death that had plunged Little Jiu'er into such despair.
Lin Zhao knew that once he died, the chance of Little Jiu'er sacrificing herself to follow him would greatly increase. Even Wu Zhi, Tang Guangjun, and the others might sacrifice themselves to follow him.
In fact, Lin Zhao desperately wanted to tell Little Jiu'er through Leng Yan, or Shen Xingchen, or Chen Xue, that he was not dead. Yet, he could not do so. Because he was currently in a sealed space, or perhaps his account had been deleted, or perhaps he was confined for a period of time. No one knew the final outcome. If he gave Su Qingjiu a sliver of hope, and then his account was deleted, what would happen if he could not return?
Moreover, in this grand strategy of his, everyone in the human world was a chess piece, and Little Jiu'er was no exception. In Lin Zhao's plan, he needed Little Jiu'er to exert her full strength in her sword strikes, to heavily deplete the peak forces of the demon race at the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool. Otherwise, Shanhai Pass, Yunzhou, and even White Emperor City could not be defended.
To put it another way, in Lin Zhao's scheme, he needed Little Jiu'er, Wu Zhi, Tang Guangjun, and others to fight desperately. Whether they were heavily injured or died, they could not hold back. The more they fought desperately, the greater the possibility of humanity winning this grand strategy.
This kind of military strategy was almost cruel, but as the saying goes, a benevolent person cannot be a general, and a righteous person cannot manage finances; the ancients had already seen through this.
"Hoo..."
He let out a soft sigh. "I wish someone in this world could save my Little Jiu'er."
...
South of the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool.
Amidst the falling snow, a figure descended from the sky, leaving behind a ripple of golden light, transforming into an old man in a gray robe, with a wine gourd hanging from his waist. The old man had a wound on his back, as if struck by a sword. Blood had soaked through his robe, and some demon heart flames had yet to dissipate at the wound, making it appear quite tragic.
His body swayed slightly. He clutched a white leaf in his hand, looked up at the distance, and said with a rather complex expression, "Fortunately, I made it. Fortunately, I made it... it's just a pity about my Little Zhao..."