The dead of night.
After Su Chan's endless haggling and listing numerous debatable terms, he returned to Xi Chang'er with a ashen face. It was likely that Su Chan's mood wouldn't improve for years to come.
Lin Zhao stood at the edge of the cliff, still overlooking the battlefield.
The great battle showed no signs of stopping. Although it was late, the human army, holding up torches, was still doing its best to slaughter the demon army formations. Even two more military tents had been dispatched from Zushan direction. The demons had almost gambled their last reserves. Once these demon troops were all wiped out, Zushan would have no capital left.
"Rustle..."
Footsteps approached from behind. Lin Zhao glanced and saw Lin Zhujie.
He couldn't help but smile slightly. He knew about Lin Zhujie's ability to conceal his presence and voice. The reason he could hear him was because Lin Zhujie wanted him to.
"Is something the matter, Lin Zhujie?" he asked with a smile.
Lin Zhujie was now the chief enshrined guest of the Peak Villa. Yu Wanling, Dong Zang, and Liu Liying had all been saved by Lin Zhujie, so Lin Zhao was very polite to him.
"Mountain Master."
Lin Zhujie slowly knelt on one knee and said softly, "Perhaps the Mountain Master thinks I am pedantic, but Lin Zhujie... still has a few words he wishes to say to the Mountain Master, and a few things he wishes to ask of the Mountain Master."
Lin Zhao turned around and smiled, "Get up, and speak slowly."
Lin Zhujie shook his head. "Wait until the Mountain Master has heard me out."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile.
Beside him, Zhuo Zhi knitted her brows slightly. "Lin Zhujie, we are all on the same side. There's no need to be so cautious. Just say what you want to say. There's no need for roundabout talk among ourselves."
"Yes!"
Lin Zhujie knelt and cupped his fists, saying softly, "Mountain Master, regarding the upcoming attack on Zushan, Lin Zhujie will no longer take action. I ask for the Mountain Master's forgiveness. After all, Lin Zhujie is a child who grew up on Zushan. Last time, it was to retrieve the swords of Little Jiu'er and Tang Guangjun. This time... Lin Zhujie will absolutely not draw his sword even once."
"I know."
Lin Zhao nodded. "I do not demand that you draw your sword. I respect your wishes."
"Furthermore."
Lin Zhujie's brows furrowed, and he said, "After the Mountain Master captures Zushan, he will undoubtedly lead the army to push into the demon realm. Lin Zhujie hopes... hopes the Mountain Master will not be solely focused on slaughter, nor will he pursue them relentlessly. Although the hearts of the people in the demon realm are in disarray, they are not beyond saving. Many demon spirits are naturally kind, merely influenced by the demon world. Therefore... therefore, Lin Zhujie hopes that after the Mountain Master leads the human race into the demon territory, he will show mercy to those demons who surrender."
"Rest assured, I have already considered this."
Lin Zhao said, "The initial slaughter was merely to intimidate the hearts of the demon realm. After capturing Zushan, there will be no more large-scale battles. I will order all human armies not to kill any demons who lay down their weapons. Any demon willing to surrender will be treated as citizens of a vassal dynasty."
"Good!"
Lin Zhujie knelt on the ground, tears welling up in his eyes. He suddenly remembered something else. "What about the Ghost Realm? Mountain Master, you once promised Tan Xin that you would allow them to slaughter within the ancestral land, and the resulting demon corpses would belong to them. Those ghost soldiers are..."
"Rest assured."
Lin Zhao said, "I will also inform Tan Xin that the Ghost Realm army may only slaughter demons who are still resisting. Those who surrender will be treated the same as humans. The Ghost Realm cannot engage in a massacre, otherwise, I will severely investigate."
"Yes! Yes..."
Lin Zhujie knelt on both knees and kowtowed repeatedly. Without using sword qi to protect himself, he even broke his forehead on the rocky ground.
Lin Zhao stepped forward and helped Lin Zhujie up. He gently patted his shoulder and smiled, "Actually, you don't need to say all this. Although I am a military strategist and the commander of the human race, I am essentially the same type of person as you, Lin Zhujie. Do you understand? If it weren't for the saying that mercy does not command an army, I might have been even more soft-hearted than you."
Lin Zhujie couldn't help but break into tears and laugh. He cupped his fists and said, "Lin Zhujie has no regrets following the Mountain Master in this life!"
"Alright!"
Lin Zhao looked at Zhuo Zhi, Huang Tingyu, and the others. "The battle in Tuozi Lin should be nearing its end after another night. Gather all the cultivators of the Upper Five Realms of the human race. We will head to Zushan early tomorrow morning. This is our final battle with the demons in the Lower Realm."
"Yes!"
Everyone cupped their fists in unison.
Lin Zhao said again, "Yu Wanling, tomorrow you will lead two thousand Snow Territory cavalry and take the small path to the east of Tuozi Lin to go around. Then have Zhao Shutong, Chen Xi, and Han Yetang also lead tens of thousands of cavalry across the battlefield and head straight to the Demon Zushan to meet us. Before noon tomorrow, I want the human battle flag to be planted on the summit of Zushan!"
"Yes!"
Yu Wanling's face lit up with joy.
...
The next day, early morning.
Clouds swirled around the mountain peak. Lin Zhao had stewed two large pots of fish soup. The soup contained both white fish and loach, making it extremely delicious. The Snow Territory cavalry, before dawn, had also started cooking. Huang Tingyu ordered people to bring a large quantity of freshly baked military flatbread. Afterwards, every cultivator of the Upper Five Realms of the human race received a bowl of fish soup and two flatbreads.
Even Wei Huarou and Lie Yu had their breakfast.
"Cun'er."
Lin Zhao sat beside Wei Huarou, took a bite of the flatbread, and said, "You and Lie Yu don't need to charge into battle with us. Just be ready in the sky. In the battle for Zushan, don't let any great demon of the Upper Five Realms escape. Jian Chen, Nine-tailed Fox, Nan Qingfeng, and the others must die. We must strike the demons of the Upper Realm hard in this battle, making Kunpeng and Qing Kui feel the pain as well."
"Mm, good~~~"
Wei Huarou smiled and nodded, secretly sighing. Lin Zhao was indeed worthy of being Ding Muchen's junior, and half a military strategist. He usually appeared gentle and courteous, but once on the battlefield, his strategies were truly ruthless. The demons were already ruthless, having dominated the Lower Realm for thousands of years. Now, encountering the even more ruthless Lin Zhao, it could be considered retribution.
Therefore, Wei Huarou was happy to assist Lin Zhao in the human realm, as this would not disrupt her karma.
After eating, Lin Zhao placed his empty bowl aside, and Dong Zang and Liu Liying cleaned it up.
Afterwards, he stood up and looked at everyone. "Once we reach Zushan, Zhuo Zhi and Yu Wanling, you two will hold off Jian Chen, who is at the fourteenth realm. Kill him if you can. As for Nan Qingfeng, that's for Old Huang and Tong Yu. Don't be lenient. It doesn't matter if she's the most beautiful woman in the demon realm or not. As I said, kill her if you can. Tang Guangjun, the twelfth realm’s Feng Quan is your old friend, he's yours to deal with. Lu Fengxian and Chen Xi, you two marshals will keep a close eye on the great demon Bai Xi. Mengjun, you will go with me to kill the great demon Qing Jian."
"Yes!"
Everyone cupped their fists in unison. Only Chen Mengjun's face flushed slightly. That guy, he was at it again.
In the early morning, at Lin Zhao's command, dozens of firefly-like lights "chichichichi" pierced through the clouds from the high mountain beside Tuozi Lin, heading straight for the Demon Zushan. In the air, Wei Huarou, with Lie Yu, also departed, and at an even faster speed.
...
A few moments later, a figure appeared in the sky above Zushan. It was Wei Huarou. She flicked her sleeve, and a natal artifact resembling a birdcage instantly spanned the sky, covering the entire Zushan. This also turned the great demons on Zushan, who were rubbing their hands together, into caged birds. Escaping would not be easy.
"The Sect Master of the Daoist Ancestral Court, Wei Huarou, has arrived!"
On the mountaintop, Jian Chen held his sword, his gaze fixed angrily at the sky outside. At this moment, when the great demons on Zushan looked up, they saw no sky or clouds, only a birdcage.
"Finally."
Nine-tailed Fox frowned and said, "Everyone, carry out your duties. Even if Lin Baiyi wants to devour our Zushan, we must break off a few of his teeth!"
Nan Qingfeng, carrying a long sword, in white robes fluttering, said, "Zushan cultivators, protect our Zushan!"
At once, demon qi surged on Zushan. At least tens of thousands of demon cultivators appeared on the mountain, many of whom were potential demon kings and sword immortals. However, most of them would no longer have the chance to grow.
...
"Swish swish swish~~~"
Streams of light landed outside the Zushan mountain gate. About seventy to eighty human cultivators of the Upper Five Realms descended together. Most of them were at the eleventh realm, but the few at the twelfth and thirteenth realms possessed terrifying combat power. Whether Zushan could be razed depended on these people.
"Tsk tsk!"
A Heavenly Origin martial artist from Tie Fu Mountain frowned. "The Zushan mountain protection formation has been activated. It looks like... it will take at least half a day to break through."
"That cannot be!"
Huang Tingyu clasped his arms and smiled. "Our Mountain Master boasted that he would capture Zushan within half a day. Brothers and sisters on the mountain, we cannot let our Mountain Master lose face!"
Immediately, a group of rogue cultivators and mountain fairies burst into laughter.
Lin Zhao lazily glanced at everyone, then took things out of his embrace. They were all Heavenly Thunder Talismans of the military. Each thirteenth realm cultivator was given ten, the twelfth realm five, and the eleventh realm three. He handed out hundreds of Heavenly Thunder Talismans in one go. He raised an eyebrow and said, "These are Heavenly Thunder Talismans, a unique skill of my third senior brother, Ding Muchen. These Heavenly Thunder Talismans are extremely powerful. Just ignite them and throw them at Zushan. I have been saving these Heavenly Thunder Talismans for a very, very long time. Please don't let me down!"
"Got it!"
Everyone nodded in unison.
...
On the mountain, Nan Qingfeng, who held the talisman stone for the mountain protection formation, couldn't help but turn pale. Looking at the scene of Lin Zhao distributing Heavenly Thunder Talismans at the mountainside, she gritted her teeth and said, "Five Elements Flag Envoys of the mountain protection formation, prepare yourselves, let's undergo the tribulation together!"
Instantly, nearly a hundred people holding talisman stones, standing at various locations on Zushan, turned pale. Who knew what Lin Baiyi intended to do.
The next moment, hundreds of Heavenly Thunder Talismans were ignited in the hands of dozens of human cultivators of the Upper Five Realms. The sky became turbulent, and in an instant, countless bolts of heavenly thunder descended from the sky, directly striking the Demon Zushan!
"This is bad!"
Jian Chen's eyes chilled. The moment the countless heavenly thunders descended, he knew something was terribly wrong. Although the Zushan formation was robust, it absolutely could not withstand so many Heavenly Thunder Talismans. For a time, thunder roared, and countless lightning strikes hit the protective enchantment, causing the enchantments and barriers to constantly crackle and split.
"Boom—"
As thousands of lightning strikes converged into a giant pillar of lightning that struck Zushan, except for Nan Qingfeng, nearly a hundred people maintaining the formation stood motionless. As the wind blew, their bodies continuously disintegrated, turning into dust in the wind.