As the ancestral mountain's restrictions were broken, swarms of players appeared in the distant woods. Although attacking the ancestral mountain hadn't triggered any system-wide events this time, most of the top-tier players had still arrived. Across the wind, figures traversed on flying artifacts, soaring towards the peak. Top players from guilds like the Scarlet Moon Knights, Shengtian, Xinghe, Canglong, and Wuwang were all present.
"Attack the mountain!"
Su Xinghe pointed his blade, "Charge! We'll crush them from the ground!"
With that, he led thousands of elite Xinghe guild players charging forward, clashing with the demon cultivators on the ground. Today's mountain assault was bound to be lucrative. The demons left to guard the ancestral mountain were all elites, with formidable Ghost-God or Saint-level bosses, and even mid-tier cultivators from the five realms acting as quasi-bosses. Defeating them promised good loot drops.
"Lin Zhao."
Chen Xue, treading on a cluster of flying feathers, said, "We're heading in first. You lead the NPCs to take down the five-realm bosses."
"Understood."
Lin Zhao nodded, watching Chen Xue, Ding Chi, Luo Man, Lu Han, and the others speed past. His gaze then fell on Shen Xingchen in the rear. He shouted loudly, "Xingchen, you fragile thing, stay further back! Don't get instantly killed!"
Shen Xingchen chuckled, slowing his flight speed. "Alright, got it!"
"Ascend the mountain!"
Lin Zhao swung his blade, roaring, "As per my plan, clear out all demon forces on the ancestral mountain as quickly as possible!"
"Yes, Mountain Lord!"
…
"Yu Wanning, let's go!"
Wu Zhi brandished her sword, her entire being enveloped in a dense aura of sword intent. With a sharp cry, she charged towards the ancestral mountain's peak alongside Yu Wanning. There, a blazing inferno surged into the sky, the manifestation of the fourteenth-realm great demon Jian Chen. His form was a fire dragon, one remarkably close to true dragon bloodline. Though one of its claws was severed, it still appeared ferocious.
In the wind, Jian Chen, clad in a long robe, held his sword, his brows furrowed as he stood within his manifestation. "Wu Zhi, Yu Wanning, one at the thirteenth realm, the other at the twelfth. Do you truly believe you can defeat me?"
"Silence and die!"
Yu Wanning let out a low roar, her body surging with an immense golden true qi. In that moment, she resembled a god of war, transforming into a beam of golden light and charging directly towards the mountain peak. She unleashed a heavy punch towards Jian Chen in the wind. Jian Chen frowned, his dense demonic qi entwining with his sword intent. He thrust out his sword, meeting Yu Wanning's punch with a powerful collision.
"Boom!!!"
High in the sky, Yu Wanning staggered back several steps, treading on the invisible barrier of the void. Her entire right arm felt numb. Her punch had directly met Jian Chen's sword qi, and it was indeed a bit much. Blood trickled from her Tiger's Mouth, and her fist was covered in countless fine wounds. She was injured from a single punch.
However, a Reborn realm martial artist grew stronger against adversity. Fueled by an inextinguishable true qi, her aura continued to rise. A surge of powerful rebirth energy coursed through her body, constantly healing the wounds on her fist. The fine lacerations healed at a visible pace. The next second, Yu Wanning surged forward again, unleashing another punch, her momentum undiminished.
"Jian Chen!"
In the air, Wu Zhi's sharp cry boomed in Jian Chen's ears like thunder. Immediately after, Wu Zhi's graceful figure appeared in the wind, bringing down a fierce sword strike. Her sword intent was profound, and as the sword blossomed, ten demon soul swords shot through the air like meteors, heading straight for Jian Chen's vital points.
"You wish to kill me? Then try my Ancestral Return Holy Body!"
Jian Chen let out a low roar, and a potent surge of blood qi enveloped him. Instantly, he seemed to transform into a fire dragon close to a true dragon. His body writhed, and golden scales refracted brilliant light under the dawn. Wu Zhi's ten demon soul swords clanged against the dragon scales, bouncing off repeatedly.
"Screech!"
Wu Zhi's sword descended from the air, curving into a dense sword light stretching dozens of feet, aimed at Jian Chen's head. Jian Chen let out a ferocious laugh. After swiftly blocking Yu Wanning's punch with his sword hilt, he raised his long sword to parry Wu Zhi's strike. The two supreme experts from the mountain peak villa found themselves unable to quickly defeat this fourteenth-realm great demon.
"Lin Zhao!"
In the distance, figures appeared, all players. Canglong, Wuwang, and Xinghe members were all present. Yi Shi Cang Liang, wielding his longsword, shouted, "We'll cooperate with you to kill him!"
"Good!"
Lin Zhao stood proudly in the air, stating solemnly, "Use crowd control or silence skills. Let's attack together, focusing on protecting Wu Zhi and Yu Wanning so they can defeat Jian Chen without taking damage!"
"Agreed!"
Su Xinghe crossed his blade, Xinghe realm energy surging around him. Shu Mei Jian Qing Feng also led his guild members in an assault. In an instant, hundreds of players rapidly approached Jian Chen.
"Freeze for me!"
Yi Shi Cang Liang, holding a broadsword, his robust physique slammed into the tail of Jian Chen's dragon manifestation. He raised his sword and roared, "Take this Frost King's Slash!"
Instantly, SS-class golden text appeared. Yi Shi Cang Liang's Frost King's Slash was an SS-class self-created skill. The moment the sword struck the dragon's tail, the golden tail began to freeze. However, after a brief moment, the fire dragon's flame rule swept over, melting the frost. With a "boom," Yi Shi Cang Liang was sent flying, with only 1 HP left while still in the air.
The invincibility skill, it seemed, had its uses, locking his health.
In the wind, Su Xinghe and Feng Bing Cao Jia's sword lights bloomed simultaneously, striking Jian Chen's fire dragon waist. But due to the backlash of the demonic energy, their health bars plummeted. In the blink of an eye, both were near death, drifting down like fallen leaves in the wind, also activating their invincibility skills, otherwise they too would have suffered the backlash.
This isn't good!
Lin Zhao frowned. Hesitating no longer, he activated his realm transformation. With a "boom," golden energy swirled around him. He instantly stood in the air like a descending god, his twelfth-realm golden radiance surging, making it difficult for Su Xinghe, Yi Shi Cang Liang, Shu Mei Jian Qing Feng, and others to open their eyes.
At this moment, Lin Zhao was like a god among players!
"Buzz!"
He slowly raised his hand, grasping a divine intent of the Dragon Slaying Sword behind him. Then, with a "buzzing" hum, he drew forth a lightning-flashing Dragon Slaying Sword divine intent. The next moment, Lin Zhao's figure flickered, appearing before Jian Chen's monstrous, colossal dragon head. His sword light swept across, unleashing the Horizontal Sword Style of the Eternal Sword Scripture!
"Bang—"
A deafening roar echoed through heaven and earth. With a single strike, a terrifying damage number flashed above Jian Chen's head—
"900347874!"
…Da Feng Novel Network
"Holy crap..."
Yi Shi Cang Liang's eyes widened. Was this the combat power of a twelfth-realm player? A single sword strike had dealt 9% damage to the fourteenth-realm great demon. This meant Jian Chen's true HP was likely 10 billion. He was supposed to be a difficult opponent, but now Lin Zhao was cutting through him like vegetables.
"Is this for real? Is the twelfth realm that exaggerated?" Feng Bing Cao Jia frowned.
Su Xinghe also furrowed his brow, looking up at Lin Zhao in the air. He had no choice but to look up to him now. Gritting his teeth, he said, "It's probably more than just the twelfth realm. The sword he's holding is the Dragon Slaying Sword, and the sword technique he's using is likely a supreme art from the Eternal Secret Realm, the Eternal Sword Scripture that's all over the forums. Its suppressive effect is too great!"
In the wind, Jian Chen trembled all over. In a mere breath, he had endured dozens of swords from Wu Zhi and over ten punches from Yu Wanning. After being penetrated by the Dragon Slaying Sword, his dragon scales were in disarray, and his flesh was bloody. However, the moment he recovered from the stun effect of the Horizontal Sword Style, instead of retaliating against Wu Zhi and Yu Wanning, he spat a fiery breath towards Lin Zhao.
If he could kill Lin Zhao, his death would be worth it.
However, Lin Zhao, in his realm transformation state, crossed his blade, activating Hidden Dragon in the Abyss. Immediately, dense sword qi from the Eternal Sword Scripture surrounded him. At the same time, he raised his hand, and the magic treasure Mirror of Demon Reflection "swish" transformed into a mirror-like radiance, appearing above Jian Chen's head. He shouted, "Kill him with all your might! Let's finish this quickly!"
The fire dragon's breath swept across, and the shield's resilience from Hidden Dragon in the Abyss was constantly melting. Lin Zhao didn't wait to die. He ignited a Speed Talisman and retreated from his original position, unleashing his second sword strike, the seventh style of the Eternal Sword Scripture—Divine Suppression!
"Boom!"
The sword light descended from the heavens in a straight line. Jian Chen's body froze in the wind. As the sword light grazed his body, he seemed to have his soul shattered, becoming dazed. Simultaneously, another damage number flashed above his head—
"1109833241!"
The other players were once again dumbfounded. Lin Zhao's two sword strikes had directly depleted Jian Chen's HP by 20%, which was unbelievable.
However, Jian Chen's backlash was equally fierce. He flipped his blade, and rolling sword qi surged forward. In an instant, it annihilated Lin Zhao's entire health bar. Even with invincibility activated, he was reduced to 1 HP, locked in a state of near death. His body plummeted into the jungle, smashing countless trees. Players in the distant woods cursed, "Serves him right!"
These were players from the demon faction, like Guo Ke Wu Ming and Chang Ye Yu Huo. Unfortunately, they were about to become stray dogs.
"Kill! Kill Lin Zhao!"
Ling Ren Fa Zhi shouted.
Lin Zhao frowned, watching dozens of figures charge towards him. He slowly rose and swung his sword into the air, unleashing the sixth style of the Eternal Sword Scripture, Stellar Radiance. Instantly, streaks of starlight sword qi rained down upon the sky. In a flash, Guo Ke Wu Ming, Chang Ye Yu Huo, and others were crushed before they could even make a sound, not even given a chance to activate their invincibility!
In the air, under the fierce onslaught of Wu Zhi and Yu Wanning, Jian Chen could no longer defend himself. Wounds appeared all over his body, and his health bar quickly dropped below 30%. The tide had turned.
Su Xinghe, Yi Shi Cang Liang, and Shu Mei Jian Qing Feng led their guild members in repeated assaults, dealing as much damage as they could. It was at least some damage to a fourteenth-realm great demon, and perhaps they would be listed on the rankings later.
…
Lin Zhao, however, lost interest. With the tide of battle decided, he immediately drew his sword and charged towards another location. In the world, the manifestation of a Celestial Dog was rampaging, its monstrous maw tearing at a white peacock.
Huang Tingyu was locked in combat with Nan Qingfeng. With the sword aid of Tong Yu, he had gained the upper hand.