Dongting Lake.
Deep in the night, the lake water rippled.
Dongting Lake was vast, a sea of azure waves. Shang Xuli's Lake Lord Shrine was submerged in its depths. From afar, one could see the troops of Ni Chang Tian Xia stationed under the cold moonlight. To instill fear in this Lake Lord, the demon race had dispatched a staggering twenty thousand elite cavalry to surround Dongting Lake. Any disturbance would be met with swift annihilation of Shang Xuli.
As for why Ni Chang Tian Xia, after occupying Yunzhou for a year, had not moved against Dongting Lake, the reason was simple. The lake’s waters were too expansive. Within its domain, Shang Xuli could move freely. Furthermore, Shang Xuli had no intention of engaging the demon or beast races in direct confrontation. When their powerful cultivators arrived, he simply avoided their锋芒. He had no need to venture onto land and fight desperately.
Last time, the beast race had sent two Thirteenth Realm cultivators, along with Ran Qing from the demon race. These three Thirteenth Realm experts had besieged Shang Xuli. Yet, Shang Xuli evaded battle. Even when they threatened to level the Lake Lord Shrine, he remained unmoved. He neither surrendered to the beast race nor accepted their challenge, infuriating Chen Feng and Liu Bai, who left in disappointment.
After all, they had many other pressing matters to attend to and could not spare much energy on Shang Xuli.
Tonight, the moonlight was exceptionally bright.
Golden patterns flickered on the lake's surface. Soon after, the incomparably elegant Lake Lord, clad in a golden cloak, emerged from the water. A long sword hung from his waist, and in his hand, he held a jar of Dongting Lake wine. He gazed towards the north and then poured the wine into the lake, a libation to a departed friend.
Shang Xuli was a scholar by origin. In his life, few individuals truly caught his eye. The great figures of the Upper Realm were out of the question. In the Lower Realm, only Lin Zhao was someone Shang Xuli considered a friend. Alas, their friendship was short-lived before Lin Zhao perished in the Great Tribulation, and in the most heroic manner imaginable.
“Lord Shang Hu.”
From afar, two figures soared towards him. It was Ran Qing and Cao Yan.
“You two…”
Shang Xuli frowned slightly, then smiled. “Are you here for a drink, or a fight? If it’s a drink, this humble one still has a little left. If it’s a fight, I must bid you farewell.”
“No fighting, no fighting,” Ran Qing waved his hand and smiled. “Yunzhou is rather desolate. We simply wanted to catch up with Lord Shang Hu. Furthermore, we’ve heard that Dongting Purple Bamboo Wine is unparalleled in the world. I, Ran Qing, have never had the honor of tasting it.”
“Purple Bamboo Wine?”
Shang Xuli couldn’t help but furrow his brow. “Forgive my bluntness, but you two are not worthy of tasting my Purple Bamboo Wine. After all, in the battles of Shanhai Pass and Yunzhou, your hands are stained with the blood of human cultivators. Especially you, Cao Yan, the Silver Dragon Sword Immortal. Wasn’t it you who struck Chen Mengjun from behind at Shanhai Pass? That Fairy Chen was a close confidante of my good brother, Lin Zhao!”
“Matters of the battlefield are for each to serve their own.” Cao Yan replied awkwardly. “In truth, apart from the battlefield, has Lord Shang Hu ever seen me, Cao Yan, draw my sword against any of the human mountain sects? Even the Qingluan Sect, which was close by, I never drew my sword to kill all of its remaining dozens of disciples, did I?”
“That is true,” Shang Xuli conceded. “But… even after doing all that, Silver Dragon Sword Immortal is only worthy of tasting Dongting Lake’s Red Bamboo Wine. As for Elder Ran Qing, hmph… though your seniority is high, your actions were ruthless. Outside the battlefield, you have killed many of our human mountain cultivators. This feud is settled. Elder Ran Qing, forget Red Bamboo Wine; you won’t even get Green Bamboo Wine. Would you like to taste the urine of a wild dog by the shores of Dongting Lake?”
“Shang Xuli!” Ran Qing roared, his voice like thunder. A divine form thousands of feet tall erupted behind him, projecting an aura that could flatten Dongting Lake. He reprimanded, “You, a mere Lake Lord, why are you so audacious? The last time you were here, your demeanor was quite humble!”
“Indeed!” Shang Xuli grinned. “That’s where you, Ran Qing, are foolish. Why is my attitude so arrogant this time, unlike my humility last time? It’s because I have backing now!”
In the next instant, Shang Xuli’s Lake Lord Divine Sword flashed, activating the Grand Array of Dongting Lake Water Transport.
Immediately after, a figure streaked across the surface of the lake, with the same effortless grace as Yu Wanning or Lin Zhao’s ‘one reed crossing the river.’ It was Han Xin, the Fourteenth Realm Soldier Immortal. He merged with the wind, his body spinning rapidly as he drew his sword, laughing, “Come, come, let me show you the signature move of the Soldier Sage Ding Muchan, a secret technique I, Han Xin, have stealthily learned – Falling Leaf Dance!”
*Swish!*
With a single sword stroke, a mighty aura of soldiery surged forth. There was no ‘Falling Leaf Dance’ at all; it was purely Han Xin’s own swordsmanship.
However, under the suppression of Shang Xuli’s domain, Ran Qing’s cultivation had been significantly reduced. He was at most at the peak of the Twelfth Realm. As for Han Xin, the illustrious Fourteenth Realm Soldier Immortal, though he might not be as formidable as the Soldier Sage Ding Muchan, he was undoubtedly among the top-ranked. This strike was sure to defeat Ran Qing.
“Elder Ran Qing!” Han Xin roared with laughter. “Since you’ve come to Dongting Lake to take advantage of the situation, why don’t you just die now?”
“You!” Ran Qing was aghast. He hurriedly summoned two of his life-bound artifacts to block, but they were all shattered by Han Xin’s sword. The sword light swept through, and after a lightning-fast strike, this paramount cultivator of Ni Chang Tian Xia was instantly killed, his body turning into a wisp of ash in the lake breeze.
“Ah!?” Cao Yan’s mouth fell open, so terrified that his primordial spirit nearly fled his body.
Shang Xuli seized the opportunity and unleashed a sword strike, blasting Cao Yan backward, spitting blood as he tumbled across the water. He fell for tens of miles, truly embodying the demeanor of a Sword Immortal.
“???” Han Xin looked at Cao Yan from a distance, surprised that the Silver Dragon Sword Immortal’s greatest skill was actually fleeing. He then said with a laugh, “Lord Shang Hu, why spare this one?”
“He can be spared,” Shang Xuli replied. “After all, it would be a pity for Cao Yan’s entire cultivation to go to waste. Furthermore, this man conducts himself with a certain order. There’s no absolute necessity to kill him.”
“Alright.” Han Xin pointed his sword tip into the distance. “Cao Yan, if you know what’s good for you, immediately take your men and get out of the human realm. Otherwise, when the reckoning comes and the human race invades Ni Chang Tian Xia, you, Cao Yan, will be the first to die!”
“!!!” Cao Yan was deeply shaken. He cupped his fists towards Han Xin and Shang Xuli on the water, seemingly thanking them for sparing his life. Then, Shang Xuli revealed a corner of his domain, and Cao Yan transformed into a beam of sword light, departing.
In the fierce wind.
Cao Yan felt a pang of regret. Two had come, but only one left. Elder Ran Qing, what a pity. He was loyal to Ni Chang Tian Xia, only to die over a jar of wine. Still, his death was not entirely unjust. To be personally slain by Han Xin, the Soldier Immortal of the Four Sages of the Soldier Family’s ancestral land, was a fate not entirely undeserved.
…
Snow Domain Heavenly Pool.
Two golden ripples flashed across the sky, and then two figures appeared outside Beishan. They were Lin Wanhua and Jing Chu, two Thirteenth Realm Sword Immortals who had descended from the Upper Realm.
Jing Chu was the foremost swordsman among the Confucian scholars, though he was far inferior to Lin Wanhua. However, his Thirteenth Realm peak sword cultivation was utterly genuine and his combat strength was formidable.
As for Lin Wanhua, she was a true anomaly.
Back then, when Lu Xinghe was in charge of Fusu Great Wall, he did not think highly of Lin Wanhua. Even in terms of sword talent, Qin Yu was superior to her. But one’s state of mind can influence talent. Later, Lin Wanhua’s combat power reached terrifying levels, while Qin Yu stagnated, a cause for much regret.
Currently, although Lin Wanhua was still at the peak of the Thirteenth Realm, her swordsmanship had already attained the aura of the Fourteenth Realm. Even on the Investiture of the Gods platform, the Soldier Sage Ding Muchan would affectionately say to Lin Wanhua, “Younger sister-in-law, your swordsmanship has a definite Fourteenth Realm aura. It won’t be long before the Upper Realm gains another Fourteenth Realm sword cultivator.”
Each time, Lin Wanhua would blush crimson at his words. It wasn’t because of the compliment about her Fourteenth Realm aura, but because of the term “younger sister-in-law.” And each time Lin Wanhua blushed, Dao Sage Lie Yun would mutter beside her, “What a sin! Is it truly good for this smooth-talking fellow Ding Muchan to agitate Lin Wanhua’s Dao heart so much?”
Sometimes, Lie Yun even felt like telling Lin Wanhua, “Don’t get too happy, girl. Ding Muchan calls anyone pretty he meets ‘younger sister-in-law.’ Even my junior sister Wei Huarou has been called ‘younger sister-in-law’ by him to the point of blushing profusely. This fellow has the highest sword skill in the Upper Realm, and also the thickest skin. You must not believe him.”
Yet, Lin Wanhua did believe him.
…
*Swish!*
Lin Wanhua swept her sword, and a torrent of dense sword energy swept through, reducing the more than two thousand elite demon cavalry guarding the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool into a rain of blood. Without even a gasp, she arrived before the entrance of Hefeng Academy, looking at the defensive barrier that Gu Lingyu had erected at the cost of his own cultivation.
She did not break the barrier. Instead, she clasped her hands outside and said, “Lin Wanhua of Fusu Great Wall, greetings, Mr. Gu.”
The white tree swayed, as if in response.
Outside the academy, Jing Chu also clasped his hands. “Lingyu!”
Within the academy, a group of young scholars bowed in unison. Seeing Lin Wanhua and Jing Chu arrive was like seeing a beacon of hope. With these two present, the overall combat strength of the human race in the Lower Realm had surged significantly!
Lin Wanhua did not linger outside Hefeng Academy for too long.
She turned and floated towards the half-mountain of Wuwang Mountain in the distance. The moment her gaze fell upon Wuwang Mountain, Lin Wanhua’s heart rate quickened considerably. It was as if she had a premonition; he was indeed still alive. Lin Wanhua could sense him.
Beside her, Jing Chu remained silent.
Unlike Lin Wanhua, he did not share a deep connection with Lin Zhao.
Lin Wanhua hovered in the wind, staring blankly at the sheer cut face of Wuwang Mountain, which Lin Zhao had cleaved open nine years ago. It had now become lush and overgrown with pine trees.
On Wuwang Mountain, several figures appeared. Ji An and Chen Feng, two great demons, were both present. However, they made no move, lacking any certainty of victory, even on Wuwang Mountain.
After gazing at Wuwang Mountain for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Lin Wanhua suddenly drew her sword, and a radiant beam of sword light pierced into the depths of Wuwang Mountain.
He would eventually emerge. Therefore, Lin Wanhua’s sword was merely helping him to crack open the eggshell.