"Fu Zhi."
Lin Zhao looked up at the distance.
A figure drifted over, white robes like snow, the right sleeve empty, yet it made her appear even more ethereal and graceful. Fu Zhi was now at the peak of the twelfth realm, close to the thirteenth.
"My lord, what are your orders?" she asked with a respectful smile.
"Let's make a trip to the Mo Family Ancestral Court," Lin Zhao said.
"Oh?"
Chi Zhongyu frowned, "Mountain Master, what business do you have at the Mo Family Ancestral Court? Shall I accompany you, for assistance?"
"No need."
Lin Zhao shook his head. "Our Mountain Peak Villa is in ruins. The dwellings of our people were all burned down by the demon race back then. Therefore, we must go to the Mo Family Ancestral Court and ask them to allocate some resources and manpower to help us rebuild the Mountain Peak Villa. Our people will only increase in number in the future, so rebuilding the Mountain Peak Villa is an urgent matter."
"I see..."
Chi Zhongyu nodded. "For a trip to the Mo Family Ancestral Court, Fu Zhi the Sword Immortal is indeed more suitable than myself."
Fu Zhi furrowed her delicate brows, pretending not to notice anything, and merely asked, "My lord, when shall we depart?"
"The sooner the better, let's go now."
"Alright!"
Fu Zhi raised her hand, and a ray of sword light ascended, taking Lin Zhao towards the Mo Family Ancestral Court.
...
On the borderland where heaven and earth meet, clouds shrouded the area, and the rules governing all things among the mountains began to blur. This place was the junction of the upper and lower realms, and also the location chosen for the ancestral courts of the Mo Family, the Military School, the Confucian Wenlin, and the myriad other schools. Cultivators from the upper realm could come here, as could cultivators from the lower realm.
The Mo Family Ancestral Court, supported by over a dozen peaks, resembled a city in the sky, its construction a marvel of craftsmanship.
In front of the ancestral court's gate, six Mo Family martial artists of considerable cultivation guarded the entrance, each with a sword on their back, their aura potent.
Lin Zhao stepped forward, clasped his fists respectfully, and said, "Lin Zhao from the lower realm requests an audience with the Grandmaster."
"Ah?"
The Mo Family disciples' eyes lit up, staring intently at the legendary Lin Baiyi of the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. One of them said solemnly, "Mountain Master Lin, please wait a moment. I will go and report to the Grandmaster immediately."
"Good, thank you!"
Not long after, the disciple returned. Several disciples worked together to open the Mo Family Ancestral Court's barrier, creating a small entrance for Lin Zhao and Fu Zhi. As Lin Zhao stepped into the ancestral court, a Mo Family cultivator walked towards him, dressed in a blue robe, a sword hanging behind him, exuding an extremely rich Mo Family sword intent.
It was Xu Shuo, also known as Xu Lao Er. Among the younger generation of the Mo Family Ancestral Court, his swordsmanship was second, his formations second, his mechanisms second – everything was second.
However, Xu Shuo's current aura was extremely strong, and the sword qi enveloping him was exceptionally formidable. Lin Zhao knew at a glance that Xu Shuo's injuries from the battle in Lu Chen Bureau in Shuzhou had completely healed, and he had even advanced further, breaking through his self-imposed limits. He was now a genuine thirteenth-realm Great Sword Immortal.
"Brother Xu Er!"
Lin Zhao cupped his fists and smiled, "Thirteenth realm, huh?"
"Yes!"
Xu Shuo grinned, "I was fortunate enough to step into the thirteenth realm. Forgive my presumption, forgive my presumption!"
As he spoke, he glanced at Fu Zhi and found that she had also recovered to the peak of the twelfth realm. He then smiled and said, "Fu Zhi, long time no see. How have you been?"
"Quite well, thank you for your concern, Sword Immortal Xu."
"You're too kind, too kind."
Xu Shuo seemed to have a broader perspective after entering the thirteenth realm, gaining a new understanding of romantic love. His gaze lingered on Fu Zhi's beautiful face for just a moment before turning to Lin Zhao. He clapped Lin Zhao on the shoulder and smiled, "Good lad, you've become much stronger now. The foundation of this eleventh-realm martial artist is truly solid. If you were to enter the Rebirth Realm in the future, wouldn't that be incredible!?"
Lin Zhao chuckled, "If I enter the Rebirth Realm, I'll probably be around the same level as Chen Ben's Rebirth Realm back then. I don't think it will be too different, after all, I'll at least have the foundation of a twelfth-realm sword cultivator supporting me."
"Indeed, that's the truth."
Xu Shuo agreed wholeheartedly and asked, "Are you here to see my master?"
"Yes, the Mountain Peak Villa needs to be rebuilt. In this world, perhaps only the Mo Family Ancestral Court can undertake this task."
"I knew it."
Xu Shuo smiled slightly and said, "Don't rush to see my master yet. Come with me to the back mountain to see someone else first. We must bid him farewell."
"Ah?" Lin Zhao was surprised.
Xu Shuo drew his sword and transformed into a rainbow, heading straight for the back mountain. A group of Mo Family disciples nearby looked solemn. Lin Zhao also drew his sword and, with Fu Zhi, followed them to the back mountain.
A gentle breeze blew, and the Mo Family Ancestral Court's back mountain, with its perpetual spring-like climate, was a scene of birds singing and flowers blooming.
Ahead lay a valley, where countless spirit fruit trees grew, all wild. There were also many spirit beasts roaming within, exuding an immortal aura. Even from a distance, one could see female Mo Family cultivators, baskets in hand, moving among the trees, picking the ripe fruits, with swords on their backs, sword intent swirling around them.
On a hillside, Xu Shuo led Lin Zhao and Fu Zhi to a green tomb.
On the stone tablet in front of the tomb, a line of characters was inscribed:
Tomb of Mo Family's Lu Qi.
"..."
Lin Zhao's heart trembled as he saw this. The image of the胖子 (fat man) wielding the Pear Blossom Spear surfaced in his mind. He had been lazy and flirtatious at the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake for a time, but he was ultimately a master of the Mo Family, one of the strongest thirteenth-realm cultivators in the world. He frowned and murmured, "Senior Brother Lu Qi, when did he leave?"
"Five years ago."
Xu Shuo said softly, "In the battle at the Outer Heavens, Senior Brother Lu sacrificed himself to cover the Grandmaster and fought a bloody battle with the Heart Demon of Fear. He eventually perished from exhaustion. That Pear Blossom Spear broke, and his body was reduced to ashes by the Heart Demon's flames, leaving nothing behind. What is buried here is an empty tomb. According to his wishes, the West Mountain is where the Mo Family Ancestral Court cultivates spirit rice and spirit fruits. By resting here, Senior Brother can often visit his junior sisters."
"..."
Lin Zhao couldn't help but chuckle, yet his heart was heavy. He slowly knelt on one knee, took out a flask of wine, and offered it to Lu Qi.
Xu Shuo sat on the ground, looking dejected, and said, "Actually, Senior Brother transmitted a message to me before he left. After hearing his words, I managed to break through. Otherwise, it would still have been difficult."
"What did he say?" Lin Zhao asked.
Xu Shuo sighed, looked up at the sky, and said, "He said, 'Junior Brother, although our Mo Family Ancestral Court contributes in the upper realm, we have always been criticized as the least capable of the Four Great Ancestral Courts. I, your Senior Brother, will not return from this battle, and Master is old. Everything now rests on you, Xu Shuo. I hope you can cast aside your inner demons and revitalize our Mo Family Ancestral Court. Do not live your life in a daze.'"
As he spoke, Xu Shuo's eyes reddened, and he whispered, "In this world, who would pressure their junior brother like this, wouldn't you say? With things having come to this point, if I, Xu Shuo, don't enter the thirteenth realm, how will I have the face to see Senior Brother in the underworld...?"
Lin Zhao remained silent, unsure what words could offer any comfort to Xu Shuo. It seemed unnecessary to comfort him. Xu Shuo's breakthrough into the thirteenth realm indicated that he had already overcome his inner demons. It was just that standing before his Senior Brother's tomb again, his heart was still extremely heavy.
"Alright."
Lin Zhao stood up, cupped his fists towards Lu Qi's tomb, and said, "Senior Brother Lu Qi, mountains will not change and rivers will flow green. The future of the human race will be borne by those who are still alive. Please rest assured, Senior Brother Lu Qi!"
Xu Shuo smiled slightly, "Let's go, time to see Master."
...
In the Mo Family Ancestral Court's reception hall, which was spacious and bright, the fourteenth-realm Grandmaster, clad in a light blue robe, personally welcomed them at the entrance and said with a smile, "Lin Zhao, you've arrived!"
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao was somewhat flattered and quickly cupped his fists in greeting, "Lin Zhao pays his respects to the esteemed Grandmaster!"
"You're too kind, too kind."
The Grandmaster smiled and said, "Your arrangements in the mortal realm have been very effective. You are now close to being able to support the upper realm. The future of the human race is progressing well because of this battle."
"You flatter me, Senior."
After Lin Zhao and the Grandmaster sat down, he did not dare to drink the fragrant tea of the Mo Family Ancestral Court. He simply clasped his fists and said apologetically, "I have come this time to ask for the Mo Family Ancestral Court's help. Fu Zhi and I, along with others, have returned to the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, but the Mountain Peak Villa is in ruins. The buildings were all leveled by the demon race. Therefore... I wish to ask the Mo Family Ancestral Court to dispatch a group of skilled craftsmen specializing in construction, and also allocate some materials to the lower realm to help me rebuild the Mountain Peak Villa."
He coughed and continued, "Of course, we will not let the Mo Family Ancestral Court's cultivators work for nothing. As renovation fees, we can currently offer about ten thousand gold zhe coins. If it's not enough, we can discuss it later. We will repay it slowly."
Saying that, he took out a large bag of gold zhe coins, totaling ten thousand.
"No need."
The fourteenth-realm Grandmaster shook his head and smiled, "The Mountain Peak Villa was razed, and it wasn't just for yourselves. It was destroyed by the demon race because of your efforts for the human race. Which sect in the human race dares to say they don't owe a debt of gratitude to the Mountain Peak Villa? Although our Daoist Ancestral Court also does business, our consciences haven't rotted yet. Therefore, let alone rebuilding the Mountain Peak Villa, even helping you rebuild White City later, the Mo Family Ancestral Court can do all these things without asking for a single gold zhe coin."
"Ah?"
Xu Shuo was surprised. His master was being exceptionally generous today. He subtly reminded him, "Master, the rebuilding of the Mountain Peak Villa and White City combined will cost far more than ten or twenty thousand gold zhe coins. Our Mo Family Ancestral Court's income and expenditure haven't been generous in the past two years."
"It's alright."
The Grandmaster smiled and said, "Consider it as our Mo Family Ancestral Court's shops in the mortal realm working for free for ten years. What's the difference?"
"Yes!"
Xu Shuo cupped his fists and smiled, "Master's broad-mindedness and realm are indeed beyond what your disciple can reach!"
The Grandmaster narrowed his eyes, chuckling inwardly. "Silly boy, your flattery skills are growing as fast as your swordsmanship. You have a future. After Lu Qi's sacrifice, the position of the next Grandmaster will likely go to this lad Xu Shuo. That's good. Xu Shuo's temperament is more gentle than Lu Qi's, and he is indeed more suitable to lead the Mo Family Ancestral Court."
...
Evening.
A Mo Family Ancestral Court Kun Peng celestial boat landed at the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. Descending from the boat were thousands of Mo Family cultivators and craftsmen, as well as a large amount of materials, various high-grade beams, spirit-energy-rich bricks and tiles, and so on. The Mo Family Ancestral Court spared no expense in rebuilding the Mountain Peak Villa. Lin Zhao, in turn, sent Chi Zhongyu to Jizhou to hire a large number of human race craftsmen to do the hard labor, working together to rebuild the Mountain Peak Villa.
Late at night, a figure landed in front of Natural Residence. It was Yu Wanling. She frowned, cupped her fists, and said, "Mountain Master, there's movement at Shanhai Pass. The demon race has dispatched a large force out of the pass, heading towards the Beixi River."
"Oh?"
Lin Zhao frowned. "Fu Zhi, Yu Wanling, Chi Zhongyu, accompany me. Let's go and see the excitement."
"Yes!"